Chapter 8

As everyone was sitting and talking, winding down from the day’s excitement, Tyler reached up to stroke Naomi’s hair. As she relaxed, he kissed her neck just behind her ear, provoking a shiver. Then she sat up, grinned and said, “Mom, did you get that appointment for me?” She’d acted deliberately, so she started to laugh right after she spoke, and the others joined her.

When the laughter had died down, her mother said, “I did. Wednesday at four o’clock. I’ll come get you right after school.”

Carol said, “There’s no need for you to do that unless you need to be there to give permission or want to be for another reason. I’ll be happy to take her, and you don’t need to change your schedule at work.”

Her mother nodded and said, “Thank you, Carol. That will be fine as I already gave them signed authorization. Naomi, you should know that you’re likely to be sore for a couple of days afterward, so you’ll want to limit any activity. They’ll give you a note to give to your PE teacher.”

Once that was settled, Tyler announced, “I told my girlfriends that I’d make sure they got fed this week, and I’d like you all to share in that. Tonight’s dinner will be fettuccine Alfredo. I need to put the pasta water on. I’ll be right back.”

When her mother looked at the eager expressions on the others’ faces, she said, “It looks like it’s my turn to be missing something. I like the dish, but it’s never been my favorite.”

Jennifer said, “Prepare to have your mind blown! His Alfredo sauce is to die for.”

Naomi took the time while Tyler was in the kitchen to tell of her experience ordering it at the restaurant so she could compare his to a professional’s. She winked at him when he came back in and said, “It had better be as good as I remember after that buildup.”

“It will be,” he said. He then used the time the pasta water took to come to a boil to explain the differences to her mother. He promised her a written version of the recipe if she liked it.

When they were all seated, Tyler reached across the table for Carol’s hand. “I’m proud of how you handled things after school, sis. Accepting Bob’s help was definitely the right move. I know Uncle Kenny will be proud of you, too.”

“I wasn’t going to let my pride risk my girlfriend getting hurt or worse. Besides, he always tells us only an idiot would turn away help or not use a weapon that was handy.

“Do you remember the way he used to have us practice our situational awareness on the playground? Letting our awareness touch everything until we found what he’d hidden away? I did the same thing while I was waiting for Naomi. That’s how I knew something was going on by that pickup — I caught a flicker of movement where I didn’t expect it. I think I’m going to need to keep in practice since we’re getting more attention right now.”

Naomi laughed a little and said, “That’s probably true, but one thing we probably won’t have to do is to make sure no one knows about the two of us. I think the guys who helped us picked up on it and, even if they don’t intend to talk, somehow it will get out.”

Carol looked stricken at her words, but her mother just looked at her and said, “Based on your reaction, you’re not freaked out about it.”

She took Carol’s hand to comfort her, and said, “I’m actually okay with it. I’ve finally come to accept that we’re not in some small-minded, redneck, Dixie heaven anymore. We might still get some fallout, but a lot of the kids will be terribly confused after what Tyler did. Overall, though, I’ve seen some things lately that are helping to restore my faith in people.” She tugged Carol’s hand up to her mouth and gave it a kiss, then said, “You told me up front that you weren’t too worried about what people would say. Well, now I’m not either. Broken Naomi was afraid. Naomi in the south was afraid. Healed Naomi in the northwest is stronger and believes more in herself. Healed Naomi isn’t afraid of their words.”

The look Carol gave her then made her feel warm inside, and the sideways hug left her contented. She knew there’d be talk, but she finally was able to see it as just talk, not an attack.

After the salads, Tyler served the pasta. Her mother took one bite and grinned. “Now we know why the girls are willing to share a man. This is fantastic! But I agree with Naomi, it’s probably ruined me for the restaurant version forever.”

Jennifer just nodded and said, “Yep, another convert. There are probably chefs out there quaking in their shoes, afraid he’ll open a restaurant near them.” That brought a laugh from everyone as it was so obviously over the top.

Finally, for dessert, he brought out a Tiramisu that he said he’d made earlier in the day. Naomi loved it, but it wasn’t as much better than the restaurant version as his Alfredo sauce.

Once everyone was done and the kitchen cleaned up, they met again in the living room.

Her mother said, “I can’t provide much information, but I was cleared to tell you all that your friends and their family contacted me today to set up an appointment. They’re adamant that they want to work with me, so I shuffled some things around, and I’ll be seeing them tomorrow.”

“That’s great news!” Carol said. “I wondered when one of them wasn’t in class today. I think they’ll be in great hands with you.”

“I hope so, I really do. One of the things anyone who works directly with patients, especially ones dealing with major depression, has to deal with is losing one. Outwardly, we need to be appropriately sympathetic, but still professional. Inside, though, it can tear you up.

“We each handle it in our own way. Some of us become deadened to it, others burn out or get to the point where they can’t take it any longer — suicide is a real issue for mental health professionals. Every time I lose a patient, I have to remind myself of all of the successes and try to see it as a balance, but it’s terribly hard when each patient is a person in their own right, and you’ve been working with them.”

Tyler stood up and went behind her and began massaging her shoulders. He said, “It’s obvious from your voice that you still care. I don’t know if it helps, but I can say that I think you’re amazing. I enjoy helping people and I’ve thought about Psychology before. I’ve been leaning more heavily in that direction since you helped us, but I hadn’t considered the possibility of losing someone.”

“Thank you, Tyler,” she said. “You might need to work harder than most at maintaining the proper professionalism and avoiding the crushing pain of failure. I’m not saying you can’t do it, just that you need to consider that very carefully.”

“I don’t have to make a decision any time soon, but I’ll keep that in mind as I sift through my options. I imagine you need to be able to handle failure in any profession, but I can see where I might have problems right now. I’d probably become too emotionally invested.” After a last squeeze of her shoulders, he returned to his seat and looked thoughtful.

Her mother continued, “As far as I can tell, that would be the only difficulty for you. You certainly have the empathy already for it, as well as the intelligence. The empathy is the problem too, can you turn it down enough to not agonize over your losses? Thankfully, as you said, you don’t need to make that choice today.”

Carl listened with pride as his fifteen-year-old son discussed career options and some possible pitfalls of one that he’d been considering. He knew that Tyler had the chops to join him as an engineer, but, unlike Carol, he didn’t have the passion in that direction.

When Carol saw an engineering marvel, she saw the wonder and the challenge. When the family visited France, she’d loved the Eiffel Tower, not just the gracefulness but also the design that allowed it to exist. She’d been awed at Hoover Dam — billions of pounds of water being held back by a seemingly simple, though huge, concrete construct. She seemed particularly interested in bridges. Even now, she’d press her nose to the car window when they crossed one of the Narrows bridges, looking at the other bridge with wonder in her eyes. Tyler saw the beauty and benefits, but didn’t show a passion for how they did their job.

When Naomi spoke up, he wondered if he was so transparent. “Ty, given how much you want to help people, have you ever considered working in assistive devices? I’m just thinking that it might be a safer outlet for your empathy, and it’d utilize some of your other talents in different ways. Think of Dean Kamen’s iBot and the mobility devices that have followed it, or the tools Stephen Hawking used to communicate as his condition deteriorated. So many people are trapped inside their own bodies, yearning to be free. The engineering challenges are huge, but the results are very much on a human scale.”

Carl watched Tyler’s eyes light up and chuckled. When Carol and Lee looked at him questioningly, he said, “I was just thinking of how proud I am of my children. Carol has my vision of engineering, but, while we all know Tyler has the ability, he’s never shown the passion. Naomi merged that ability with his empathy, and all of a sudden, he’s a kid on Christmas morning again. And she’s right, too. You may not end up going that way,” he said to his son, “but it’s a field that needs people with your abilities.”

Carol said, “I can see you’re itching to start researching it, Ty, but that can wait. If you play your cards right, you might even be able to convince your girlfriends to help you out.”

Tyler laughed along with the others, but his sheepish expression suggested she’d nailed it.

Jennifer asked, “What about you, Naomi? Have you given any thought to a career?”

She shrugged and said, “I’ve thought about it, but I still bounce back and forth. I was thinking Computer Science, but it feels like a lot of the discovery phase of that field may be past, with the exception of quantum computers at least. Things like Physics and Chemistry are always in a discovery phase since the boundaries we run into are nature’s, and we keep finding ways to move to the next one. Maybe Engineering, but I’m not sure what part of the field would really keep my interest. Realistically, I’ll probably dabble here and there in school until something completely grabs my attention.”

She’d just finished when the landline rang. Carol was closest, so she picked it up.

“Jensen residence, this is Carol.”

...

“Certainly Dr. Jones. One of them will be right with you.”

Turning to her parents, she said, “It’s the Superintendent of Schools, and he’d like to speak to one of Tyler’s parents.”

Carl took the handset from her and said, “This is Tyler’s father, Carl.”

“Good evening, Mr. Jensen. I am calling to let you know that Tyler’s suspension has been lifted, starting tomorrow. His teachers will be given instructions to help him make up the work that he missed. The school board is considering purging it from his record, as well.”

“Thank you, Dr. Jones. That’s excellent news. I’ll let him know as soon as I’m off the line.”

“I hope he doesn’t feel that he was treated too harshly. The school administration was required to follow their guidelines. Only the board and I can authorize treating a specific case differently.”

“Oh, I don’t think he holds a grudge against the administration for suspending him. He was aware of the possible ramifications, but felt it wouldn’t be honorable to not respond in this case.”

“That’s good to know. I hope he also realizes that this is a one-time thing — we are not giving him a free pass to get into altercations at school. Given the circumstances, I don’t think it’s an issue, but he needs to be clear on that point.”

“I’ll make sure he understands that. Thank you again.”

“Well, Tyler, your free week is over,” he said after ending the call. “You’ve been reinstated, and they’re considering expunging your suspension from the records. He said to make sure you understand that this is a one-time thing, and it does not give you free rein at school. There, I said it, and I’m sure you understand, but you understood that before. Your teachers will help you catch up on the work you need to make up.”

Tyler punched his fist in the air and said, “Yes! I was a little worried about dropping some of my grades. Naomi, Carol, I’m sorry, but I won’t be able to make sure you don’t starve by myself, after all.” He grinned as they joined in a three-way hug.

The evening wound down after the phone call, and around eight o’clock, Lee said she was heading home. Tyler had originally thought to stay home that night and let Carol get some time alone with Naomi, but after the attack in the parking lot, they all three understood that option was off the board. They ended up spending the night in Naomi’s bed, as they felt Lee would appreciate not being alone in the house.

By unspoken agreement, he and Naomi sandwiched Carol, and he stroked her head and told her how brave she was, how much he loved her and how pretty she was. Naomi snuggled up against her back and reached over to gently stroke her breast.

In the morning, he showered with Carol, leaving Naomi to shower alone. After breakfast, Carol gave them all a lift to school well before the bell. Tyler took the time to visit the office to make sure there was no mistake. He found that a memo had been placed in the cubbyhole for each teacher and administrator, making it clear that he was reinstated. Happy with that result, he headed out to see as many of his teammates as he could before school started. He managed to meet up with several of them, including Bob Green, and thank them for their efforts. During the rest of the, thankfully, quiet day he met up with almost all the rest of the team.

When they got home, they all hit the books. He needed to make up a couple of assignments as well as go over Naomi’s Chemistry notes, and they all needed to spend some time in review to make sure they were ready for the following week’s finals. When they’d done as much of that as they felt they had to accomplish, he decided to send Kyle a quick text and see how things were going.

Less than ten minutes later, Kyle called.

“Hey, Kyle, how is it going with your candy so far?”

“Candy?”

“You know, your M&Ms”

He heard Kyle snicker then say, “You’re going to get me in trouble. We’d like to talk to you all, if we can.”

“Oh sure. Let me put you on speaker. There you go.” He was still chuckling when he pressed the button, putting his phone on speaker.

“Actually, you’re on speaker as well.”

Amanda then said, “OK, what did you say to him? He’s smirking at us!”

“Me?” Tyler said innocently. “I didn’t say anything, really. I did ask him how his candy was doing.”

“Oh, you! Just remember, I don’t have to beat you up by myself anymore. Mindy and I’ll gang up on you, and she’s bigger than you. M&Ms indeed! Anyway, Mindy wants to say something.”

“Naomi? Your mom’s great! She said that you hadn’t told her the story, just that someone with an unconventional home situation needed some help. She got a hold of my file when she was authorized to treat me, so she was pretty much up to speed with the last time I saw someone. She said if she hadn’t been forewarned, she’d have thought someone was playing a joke on her because I’m so much better than I was then.

“When I told her what Tyler said and how I reacted, she was thrilled. She said it wouldn’t work for everyone the same way, but you either got very lucky or you saw something in me.”

Amanda broke in and said, “That’s when I told her that Mindy is an Amazon warrior and that Tyler must have seen that. She’s tough, competitive and strong. Your mom said that it’d work for a warrior, but some people wouldn’t feel they could challenge monsters, no matter who was on their side, so they’d sink further into the dark. Still, she liked the metaphor and thinks it could be useful for some other types of patients.”

Tyler said, “You know, I wasn’t thinking of an Amazon. With her hair color and build, I was thinking of a Valkyrie. Same idea, though — I saw a warrior who wanted the chance to fight, hence monsters.”