Chapter 4

Tuesday, 19 Feb.

Today was chilly and overcast; my school day was normal, boring with certain bright spots, like going between classes. We were on to things I hadn't learned about business as yet, so that was a class I really paid attention in. I was waiting for Judy when I felt something was wrong. Judy is always here when I get out of school on Tuesdays. I immediately turned my cell phone that I got for my birthday last month on. Once it found a tower, I called Judy. There was no answer, I immediately called Sam. "Sam, this is Bob, have you heard from Judy lately? She is not here at the school and I just tried her cell phone and got no answer. I'm starting to get worried. Let me scan for her and see if she's alright." I scanned for her mind and found it, but it was not responding. I tried to see through her eyes, but they were closed.

"Judy, open your eyes NOW!!" I commanded. I saw a sliver of an opening and what I saw was not good. I was looking through some blood, it was not flowing, but there had been some come down her eyeball. I tried forcing her other eye open and I got a fuzzy picture of the interior of her car, upside down. I tried to pinpoint her location. It was somewhere south of Taylor on SH 95. I guessed somewhere north of Copeland, suddenly I got a picture in my head of the bridge just north of FM1660 that goes to Norman's Crossing. I called 911 first, then called Sam. I called dad third, and asked if he could take me to Judy. The next thing I knew, I was flying along 95, headed south. Well, at least my mind's eye was, and I soon found the wreck right by the bridge. Judy's car was upside down in the dry creek bed. There was a beat up old farm truck in the ditch about a couple hundred yards further down on the other side of the road. I looked in there after ensuring Judy was still alive, but the gentleman in the truck was dead. It appeared that he had hit Judy's car, as there was blue paint all down the side of his truck. I immediately went back to Judy and entered her mind. I soothed her as much as I could, then I was jerked back into the real world as my dad screeched to a halt in front of the school. There was a Taylor police car in front of his truck and I jumped in and we took off. Siren blazing, we hit SH 95 just outside of town and the speed of both vehicles suddenly jumped tremendously. I glanced over to the speedometer and we were doing 95.

I called Sam when my mind slowed for a bit and told him where I found Judy's car. I said that they would be sending Star Flight out to pick Judy up and we would let him know once I knew where they were taking her. Then we were there. About seven minutes from the school to here; about 10 miles, two of which were in town. We even made it before the ambulance. They showed up about the time we were in the creek bed. I concentrated really hard and entered Judy's mind again and soothed her and tried to check out her body to see if she had any major problems. She was now coming out of her unconsciousness and was moaning.

The cop, Jerry Reed, a real good friend of Dad's was asking if she was in any major pain. I could tell she had a concussion, a couple of bruised ribs, and two broken fingers. She was going to be very sore for a while, but I could find no internal bleeding or any ruptured organs. She was developing a real nasty bruise from her left shoulder to her right waist and across her pelvis where the seatbelt held her inside the car. The EMTs were now here and talking to her. I started to pull out, but since Judy couldn't get much breath hanging like she was, I had her say softly, "My fingers ... are broken, and ... I think ... I cracked a couple ribs ... I'm really sore, but OK. What ... about ... the ... truck?"

"What truck, Ma'am?" Jerry asked.

"Sir, I believe she is speaking of the one over in the ditch on the other side of the road. It looks to be down the road a ways."

He looked at me over the bottom of the car and I pointed down the road. "I saw it as we stopped. Up in our truck I could just see the top of it. It's about a couple hundred yards down the road."

Jerry asked the EMTs if they needed more help and they said they could handle it with my dad and me. Jerry went up on the road, got into his car and drove down to the truck. He was back about the time we got Judy out of the car and on a stretcher.

"What've we got over there, Jerry?"

"He's DOA, I think heart attack. There's only slight bruising, no trauma. He looks to be about 80. I think he used to farm around here somewhere, but I don't patrol out here anymore. I'll check with the county, they may know him. I called the coroner, he'll be by shortly. How's she?"

"She'll live, a couple broken fingers, some bruised ribs, and one hell of a bruise from that seatbelt. There is no need for Star Flight, but I want to take her to the trauma center at Round Rock anyway. She's got good blood pressure, pulse, and she's responsive now. She's got some knots on her head in a couple places, so they can check those out too."

"Well, Tom, Star Flight is on the way, so she might as well ride to the hospital in comfort." Jerry turned to my dad and said, "Paul, can you go with her, or will she have to go alone?"

"Well, Jerry, Bob doesn't have his license yet, so he can't drive my truck back. What about letting Bob go with her; she knows him real well, and we both know he's responsible for us being here in the first place."

"You get another one of those feelings, Bob?" Jerry asked.

"Yes Sir, I did. Mrs. Simpson was supposed to pick me up from school to take me to work. She was late and she never is, so I called Sam, her husband, who is my work boss. He hadn't heard from her either. I concentrated on her and I felt her here. Officer Reed, I don't know how this happens, but it does sometimes, usually when I know people pretty good."

"Like you did for the Lang girl last year, huh?"

"Yes Sir, kind of like the same thing, but I wouldn't want to bet any money on when it happens. I mean with Linda, I knew immediately there was trouble. With Mrs. Simpson, I didn't know anything about this until I got worried about her being late."

"Here's Star Flight, if they'll let you go, why don't to go with her. That way she'll have a friendly face around," said Tom Callahan, the EMT.

I handed dad my cell phone and said, "Call Sam and let him know where we are going."

"I've got Sam's number; you keep this in case you need it."

Tom had been talking with the EMT from Star Flight and he called me over. "Bob, this is Dave Curry, he said he shouldn't let you ride, but she needs a friendly face around so he's going to let you ride up front. You take care of her till her husband can get there. You're going to Scott & White; its closer and not so crowded right now. They got a big mess over on 620 and Round Rock is filling up fast. Good luck."

Dave showed me where to sit and I buckled up and we were off. Wow, my very first helicopter ride. It was a lot like when my mind was speeding down SH 95 looking for Judy, a little faster, but much the same. By the time we left the scene, there were three county cars; two from Taylor, one being the car they have in Copeland, and a Travis County car. I saw the coroner's van on the way out there as we took off. We arrived at Scott & White and I got out right away and stayed in the background. Once inside, I went to the emergency waiting room. I had Judy's purse and a lady asked me if I was with Mrs. Simpson. I said yes, but I was not a relative, just a friend and neighbor. I said her husband was coming very soon.

I sat and kind of dozed a little and scanned around to see if I could help somewhere, everything looked to be well handled. I remembered what the EMTs said about Round Rock, so I went over there to see if I could help, but that was controlled chaos. I was about to step into the fray, when B2 let me know Sam was here. Sam ran over to me, "Bob; is Judy alright? Where is she?"

"She's fine, Sam, some bumps and bruises, but she's fine. She is going to be pretty sore for a while, but nothing major is wrong with her. That nurse over there needs you to fill out some paperwork and then you can probably see Judy, but rest assured that she is fine. She is shook up a bit, but all in one piece. Here's her purse."

"But how did you get here? Oh yeah, your dad said something about you getting a ride here, escorting my wife, sort of. Bob, we have to talk later; right now, I need to see her first, then I'll take care of the paperwork."

Sam went over to the desk and gave the woman his insurance cards, Judy's driver's license, and her cards from her purse. Then he very nicely asked if the nurse could get everything started, but he really wanted to see his wife first. She looked at Sam and called an orderly over to escort Sam into the emergency room so he could see Judy. The nurse called me over, "And who might you be, their son?"

She had forgotten all about what I had said to her earlier. "No Ma'am, I'm a neighbor and friend. Mrs. Simpson was supposed to pick me up from school and take me to her husband's office so I could go to work. I'm in a work study program where I go to school three days and work part time three days."

"Yeah, we have some of our candy stripers that do that too. What grade are you in 11 or 12?"

"No Ma'am, I a sophomore, 10^th grade in Taylor. I was offered the chance to work for Mr. Simpson and with my good grades I was able to take advantage of it. I'm not sure what will happen for today though. I think my dad or mom will have to pick me up later."

"You must be pretty smart to be able to manage working and going to school too. I just wish my kids could be like that. They loaf along and just make it through."

"They may have to learn the hard way when it comes to making it in the real world. I decided early on that I wanted to be part of the workforce that gave orders, not the part that has to take orders; although, most of us still have to take orders from those higher up than us anyway. I want to work my way up as high as I can get."

"That's admirable, what did you say your name was?"

"I don't think I said, but it's Bob Roberts, and who might you be, Ma'am?"

"It's Betty, Betty Padgett, I'm an RN here. Can you believe an RN stuck at an admitting desk? With my experience, I should be working in a ward, but there are just too many of us around here and you have to take what you can get. Sad, isn't it?"

"Yes, it certainly is, Nurse Padgett, a friend of ours is an RN and she says, a clinic, home health, or maybe a move to somewhere remote like Alaska or Canada, are about the only other alternatives."

About that time, Sam came back out and hugged me. "Bob, how can I ever thank you for saving Judy's life. She could have been there for ages until someone found her and called it in. Thank you so much." Sam turned to Nurse Padgett and said, "Did you know this man here felt my wife was in trouble and somehow knew roughly where she was. He led the police and his father to the scene. God, I don't know how to thank him enough." I led Sam to a chair and had him sit down. I sent soothing thoughts to him and calmed him down. "Sam, remember we can't talk about this so much. People will start thinking too much, and then I would be in real trouble. So calm down and we can talk this all over later at home, either yours or mine, OK?"

"Yeah, OK, Bob; but damn, I almost lost her today, that's all I can think of. Thank you. I'll try to calm down now."

"Ah, Mr. Simpson, I'd like you to get started on the paperwork, if it's OK with you?"

"Huh, oh yeah, paperwork, we can't go home until all the paperwork is done, right?"

"That's right, Mr. Simpson, there's always more paperwork."

Sam went over to the counter and started in on the paperwork. Dad showed up about a half hour later and sat with me after hugging Sam. They talked quietly for a couple of minutes, then Dad came over to me and Sam went back to the paperwork.

"Bob, Sam's not sure when they are going to release Judy; they still have some more tests and x-rays for her, and I think they will want to watch her for a concussion overnight. So we can go back home now, unless you want to stay. It's up to you."

"Dad, I can tell she's fine. She does have two broken fingers on her left hand and two bruised ribs on her right side. The ribs don't look to be broken, or even cracked. Her brain is not swelling around where she hit her head, so I would say there's no concussion. Her bruising is bad and pretty painful, but not life threatening. She should be fine, but I can see the doctor's point in keeping her tonight, at least. I think Ronnie should be here tonight, at least for a while, and come home with us. She can sleep in Melody's room, and Suzie will have to sleep in hers too, of course. I suspect Sam will be here all night too. I can call Glenn and let him know about Judy and not to expect Sam until at least Thursday. It's still early enough I can do that. That way word can go around the plant so they know what's going on. I can call Nancy Price too, that's Sam's personal assistant and she can inform everyone.

I went to a quiet corner and called Nancy, then Glenn. Everyone was so worried, and I let them know Judy was safe, but would most likely spend the night, so would Sam. Nancy said she could keep things going for a couple of days.

Mom came in with Suzie and Ronnie. Suzie hugged me and Ronnie immediately went to her father. They talked for a while, then Ronnie came over to us. "Bob, first I want to thank you for finding and saving my mother. Second, I want to apologize for yesterday. What I said was totally uncalled for. I'm sorry; I was upset about something else and when I saw you, I just lashed out. Please forgive me. I really could stay at home alone, but Daddy won't hear of it, so I guess I'm staying with you guys tonight. I hope you have room, I really don't want to sleep on a couch."

"Ronnie, we do have a spare room that does get some use on occasion, but I'm sure you can use it tonight. We can change the bedding when we get home," my mom said to Ronnie, "And there will not be any moving around in the sleeping arrangements during the night, understood?"

"Yes, Mrs. Roberts, I promise," said Ronnie.

"Good, now let's see if they will let you see your mother. Bob, you've been here longer, who do we need to talk to about getting Ronnie in to see her mother?"

"Mom, I've been talking with Nurse Padgett at the desk and she seems nice. Maybe we can start with her."

Mom grabbed Ronnie's hand, went to the counter, and talked with the nurse there. Mrs. Padgett picked up the phone and made a call. Then it looked like she made another call, talked a bit, and hung up. Then she pointed to a door and an orderly came out and showed Mom and Ronnie inside. Shortly after they left, Sam had all the paperwork finished and handed it in and headed for the same door.

I went over to the counter and said, "Thank you very much for all your help, Mrs. Padgett. It is sure appreciated. I know there is a lot of red tape involved, but sometimes a little compassion goes a long way toward calming frayed nerves. Both our families thank you for all your help today."

"Why, Mr. Roberts that is such a nice thing to say. I just try to do my job. We're really not that busy right now, so a little kindness and compassion are easy to do. I just wish my children were as well-mannered as your family is."

"It takes lots of love, some discipline, and good role models. It also helps to have smart kids who can pick up an understanding of the reason behind rules and suggestions. Please don't think that I am blaming you or your husband for the way your children are turning out. The kids themselves have to do their part too. All the guidance in the world won't make a child want to listen or try to obey. Like the old saying goes, 'You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.' The same goes for children, you can guide them along the right path to allow them to be successful, but they have to want it to make it work."

"That's some really good insight. They have to do their part too or all our hard work is for nothing. Wow, I never thought of it that way. But how do you instill that work ethic into them? That's the million dollar question."

"My dad is a banker in Taylor and he is in charge of loan operations there. He says that he doesn't just look at the numbers as to whether or not a person can pay off the debt. He looks at the person, gets to know them and their operation, be it a farm, a restaurant, or their family. He looks closely into their background; are they good solid people, do they pay their debts, can they really afford the loan, or is it a last ditch effort before they sink. If he feels deep down in his gut that they are good people and can do as they say, then he will really look at their situation and see if he can help make things better.

"He told me about a farmer who needed a new combine, but nobody would loan him the money. Dad looked at his farm and at the combine the guy wanted to get. For a little bit more, he could get him a different combine that was faster and more efficient, letting him bring in his crops at a minimum of fifteen percent faster per acre. Dad made this guy a deal; he would loan the man the money for the new combine on the proviso that he help his neighbors bring in their crop after his was in by renting the machine out to them. The money he received for the rent would go toward the loan. Then, with all the farmers in his area getting their crops to market faster, they would get better prices and therefore make more money per acre. That is how my dad works. Because of his strategy, people come to him for help. The people he loans money to are not just clients or a loan number to him, they become his friends, and he calls them 'his people.' I think I called him a facilitator once, because he brings many things together to make things happen."

"No wonder you're so smart. Your dad is a very smart man to treat people like that." Her phone started ringing, so that ended the conversation. Once she hung up, she said, "Sorry about that, but we are going to get busy, the overflow from Round Rock is now headed this way."

It wasn't two minutes later that I heard the sirens. It seems there was a 12 car pileup on FM 620, where a semi plowed into the back of that mess when his brakes failed due to a ruptured air line. I later learned that 22 people were injured, some critically. Some of the injured were bystanders and good Samaritans trying to help the injured, when the truck came crashing into it.

I sat down with Dad and Suzie, and let B2 take over so I could see if there was anything I could do. Most everyone was taken care of right now, but I did find a young girl who was panicking about what her father was going to say about her wrecking the family car. I could tell she had been at the wrong place at the wrong time, and was caught up in the middle of all of this mess.

From her mind, I was able to find her father and he was panicked that his little girl was hurt. Lindsey, the girl, was 17 and coming home from shopping at the HEB. She had ended up in the middle of the pileup. It seems the first car swerved to avoid a metal heating duct in the road and lost control and hit another car beside it, that caused the chain reaction for the next ten cars before anyone could get stopped, then the semi came in and as he hit the brakes, an air line ruptured, losing all the air almost at once, thus no brake control, they just locked up. The truck driver tried his best to avoid the mess, but with his brakes locked up, he was pretty much helpless; all he could do is try to avoid the mess by steering away from it. Who would think three lanes of traffic could become so clogged in such a short amount of time and do so much damage. Of course, being in an underpass probably didn't help much either. I came back to myself after telling Lindsey she was safe from her father's wrath.

Mom came out a few minutes later and said they were keeping Judy overnight to keep an eye on her. Sam was going to be able to stay too. Ronnie would be out in a few minutes. It was getting close to 5:30 now, so we decided to eat in town, then go home. Ronnie came out about 6 PM and we asked her where she wanted to eat. Steak & Shake was right across the street, so we went there as her choice.

We stopped by Ronnie's house to let her get a change of clothes and headed home. Suzie, Ronnie, and I all helped change the spare bed before we went our separate ways to sleep.

Wednesday, 20 Feb.

I woke up needing to pee, but something was holding me back, and by the time I finally realized it was me wrapped up in my covers, I really needed to pee. It took a couple of minutes of fumbling and very mild cursing, like, 'hell', 'damn', and 'how in the world', before I was free. I ran to the bathroom only to find it was locked and apparently occupied. Next, where to go, oh yeah, the half bath downstairs, so I rushed down the stairs into the kitchen, rounded the corner to laughter, and shot into the lavatory. That's when I realized I was still naked. Who was in the kitchen laughing at me? Was it Mom, Ronnie, Suzie, who?? Now what do I do? There was an old worn out towel in there that we used when we had greasy or very dirty hands. We used the raggedy towel to wipe with so we wouldn't ruin the nice towels. But that old thing was so threadbare you could almost read a newspaper through it. There was a hand towel in there but the size of it made it pretty much useless. So do I try to conserve what dignity I had left and cover myself, or do I just go out and act like it was nothing. After a couple of minutes of debate with myself, I decided on the latter. Face the music, bold and proud.

I walked calmly into the kitchen, looked around and saw Suzie, Ronnie, and Mom all sitting at the table. I said, "Morning, Ladies, sleep well?" and then calmly walked up the first flight of stairs. I ran up the second flight and went right to my room. I got my clothes and headed for the shower. The bathroom was now free and I finished my morning chores and came downstairs.

I was greeted by three blushing ladies, giggling lightly. I looked right at my mother and asked, "What? Is something wrong with me, am I not color coordinated, is my hair not combed, is my fly open, what?"

Mom looked right back at me, and said, "We had a streaker in here this morning and we were trying to figure out if we knew who it was. He looked kind of familiar, but we couldn't be sure. He was too fast for us to make an identification the first time through, and we weren't looking at his face the second time, so I'm still not sure who he was. Do you girls have any idea who it was?"