A Little Common Sense

Chapter 8
Part 8

I woke up, and looked around the room. I was alone, for the first time in ages. The first thing I thought to do was pray. I bowed my head and asked God to look after Stevie, then me and the rest of the kids in the world that needed help.

I heard a voice whispering in the back of my thoughts,

"Don’t over do it."

The TV switched on to a news channel. The picture showed a crowd of people gathered around the door to a large building I didn’t recognize.

"Hundreds of people have gathered today outside Parkview Medical Center keeping vigil for a little boy that some are calling a miracle worker. The boy, named Kevin, is a street kid that was taken in by the family of Kevin Henderson of Henderson Soft Drinks. This afternoon at least twenty people saw Kevin bring back a toddler from the point of death. Witnesses said that a golden glow surrounded both boys, healing the toddler’s wounds, but almost killing Kevin instead.

"Reports from Parkview say that Kevin was suffering from an old gunshot wound, and was still carrying a bullet inside. After emergency surgery, the boy is listed in serious but stable condition.

"Speculation is also growing that the mystery boy may be Kevin Turner, a ten year old boy that was kidnapped from his parents’ home shortly after their death. New charges have been filed in that case, apparently as a result of information obtained at the hospital.

"If this is the case, the mystery boy, and acknowledged street kid, would be the sole heir to an estate valued at 23 million dollars.’

I shut off the TV. "Thanks for that," I whispered,

but didn’t get any response. They couldn’t expect me to do things perfectly the first time out.

Mary walked through the door maybe ten minutes later, with her arms loaded with stuffed animals and flowers.

"Hey, sweetie. You’re up. How are you feeling?"

"Whoa, is that stuff all for me?"

"Yes, it is. There are lots of people outside rooting for you." She handed me a large teddy bear. I hugged it. "Bob and I bought you that."

I blushed. "Thanks. I really need him."

"I know. Kevin, look," she said and sat down on the bed. "You’ve been through a nightmare and I can’t even imagine what the last few weeks were like for you. I know it will be a long time before you can trust anyone again, but if you ever want to talk about, I will always be here."

I looked down, and nodded my head. "Thanks."

"Mr. Green called me, to say they had located Davey’s parents thanks to the tag number you gave him, and they have been arrested. David has had a long history of abuse, and he will be staying with us from now on. What did you do out there?"

"I didn’t do anything," I said. I lay back on the pillow hugging my bear harder. "It’s so weird. I know this sounds crazy, but when I saw Davey thrown out of the car I knew right then what I had to do. There was this voice, telling me to hang in there, and I felt warm all over, like there was a real angel right there with me." I looked over at the other animals. "He needs those a lot more than me, and so does Paulie."

"You don’t have to think of every other kid before yourself, you know."

"Yes I do," I said quietly. "I think I died when they shot me and threw me on the dump. I know I woke up, and got better, but I had to live like a dog. I was dead inside until I met Mr. H. I went to his house, I didn’t know who he was but - okay. I was looking for food or something to take, you know. And there he was. He took one look at me and asked me if I was hungry. That was it. He made me a big dinner, and said I could come to his house to eat anytime I wanted. He tried to give me money, too, but I didn’t take it." I wiped my eyes knowing it didn’t really happen that way, but I felt as if it had.

"I saw a kid get killed. Stevie. I didn’t know him, but he was a kid, maybe my age and then he was just dead. I couldn’t help him. I wanted to, but then they shot me. When Mr. H. helped me, no questions asked, I was like that’s me, too. I want to help. Then things got better with me. I had something to live for again, and it was helping kids get off the street, or at least giving them something to eat."

"You really are a special kid, but that’s what I need to talk to you about. Pretty soon, when all the work is done on the new house, we will all be moving in there, and your Mr. H., my father-in-law has arranged an extensive staff for the house, too. We will have a hundred rooms, and more if necessary, and the people to watch hundreds of kids, but right now.... It’s just me and Bob, since Mr. H. is off enjoying himself on a cruise. Kevin, we know you mean well, but please don’t invite anymore kids to stay with us until we move, okay?"

"But if they’re hungry?"

"We feed them. I have been buying tons of groceries for the house, too. But we can’t take them in until we move."

"Okay," I said, slowly.

"It’s not that we don’t want to, it’s just that Bob and I are torn too thin as it is, with our three and the five of you. Try to understand. Adopting kids is big business. People pay tons of money for kids, because all they can see is getting the perfect little baby who will grow into the perfect little kid, and the perfect big kid. Like you," she said and surprised me by beeping my nose. "If the kids aren’t perfect a lot of them are dumped into the system or out of it.

"We aren’t going to run an adoption mill. We want to do this right and that might be more important than wanting to help every kid we can. Do you understand?’

"No." I shook my head. "But we can wait until we get the big house cause we don’t have anymore room now, right?"

"Yes, and we do have to notify social services when we get a kid that wants to stay."

"Okay, but we’re not gonna make them stay for that, if they don’t want to. Right? We’re not gonna make them run away from us, right?"

She nodded. "We are going to give any and every kid we find, or that comes to our door as much help as we possibly can. It might be food, money, a place to crash for the night or a room in the house. If they stay, we need to know who they are and if there is someone looking for them."

I took in a deep breath, and nodded. She was right, but I didn’t want to admit it. "We give them the choice first, right?"

"Yes," she said.

"Works for me. They can stay and maybe stop running."

"Bob and I want to adopt you. I’m sure Mr. H. would approve, too. I know you ’don’t gotta last name’, but we want to give you ours."

I opened my mouth, then closed it. "I know you do, but Uncle Bobby just wants me for my soft drink."

She beeped my nose again. "I think it’s a little more than that, but basically, yes."

"It’s okay, I need a grownup to take me to Disney World anyway, so it’s even."

"What makes you think he’s a grownup? I’ll take you to Disney World, and he can stay home and watch the store."

I gave her a long hug. "Thanks, Mom, thanks for everything."

"I need to get more of my things from the car, but I will be right back."

"What for?" I asked.

"I’m spending the night here."

"Mom, I’m a big kid, I don’t need you to stay with me."

She shook her head. "Maybe you don’t need it but I need to stay, okay?"

"Okay."

After breakfast, Mom went home to take care of the little kids, and let Dad go to work. Maybe ten minutes after she left, I heard a commotion outside. A man’s voice was speaking to the nurses, and the voice did get further and further away as if he was walking down the hall. The door to my room opened, and I watched a kid, my age back inside.

He turned around, and my life as Kevin Turner came crashing into the room at me. Tommy Jones stared at me, his expression changed rapidly from cold anger, to shock, then relief.

"Where’ve you been?" he demanded.

"Where do you think I’ve been, dorkbrain? Things got really bad for me when Mom and Dad got killed."

"I mean.... I’m sorry, I...." He half trotted up to the bed, and hugged me for all he was worth. He grabbed my hand, and didn’t let go. "I got so worried. Look, there’s this guy outside that promised me a hundred bucks if I could identify you. I.... I thought I was gonna find some other kid pretending. I didn’t know you were here. Kevin, I...."

"A hundred bucks! Tell him and we split it."

He looked at me for a second, and I could swear he was about to cry. "I thought you were dead."

"I was, kind of. Does your Mom know you’re here?"

"No, but what do I tell that guy, Burke?"

"My new Mom is planning a big press conference when they get the blood test back, you know, to prove I’m me."

"That’s a DNA test, Dufus. I’ve really missed you."

"Yeah, me too. Call your Mom, she can come and get you, and don’t say anything to that guy."

"Okay." He picked up the phone and dialed. "Mom? I need you to come and get me. No, I’m not at school.... I know, I went to the hospital with that guy, Mr. Burke. It’s Kevin, Mom. It’s really him. Of course I can tell. Here." He handed me the phone.

"Hi, Other Mom, it’s me."

"Hey, Other Son. Tell Tommy I will be right there, and no talking to any reporters."

David tumbled into the room in a rush. He ignored Tommy as he climbed into the bed to hug me. "I missed you last night."

"I missed you, too, squirt."

Paulie soon joined David on the bed all but pushing Tommy off it.

"We’re playing cards here," I protested.

"Are you new?" Paulie asked. "Kevin’s our big brother now."

"He’s my best friend in the whole world," Tommy said.

Mom stood in the doorway looking in at us. "Who is this?"

"Tommy," I said. "He’s new."

"Am not. I’m ten and half just like you," he said.

"His Mom is coming to get him. We’ve been best friends since we were born."

"I see, and you talked to his Mom?"

"Yeah. You’re my Mom now, but she’s always been my other Mom, and Tommy doesn’t live that far away from the new place so we can have sleepovers, and things."

"I can’t think of what I’d do without Kevin. Yeah, he’s a twerp and a real dweeb but I like him."

"That makes me feel really special," I told Tommy then

hit him on the shoulder.

"Boys," Mom said, automatically. "How did you get in here? The staff wasn’t allowed to let anyone in, best friends or not."

Tommy told her the plan to show me up as a fake, then his change of heart. "I thought the real Kevin was dead."

"That must have been very hard on you," Mom said.

"Okay, you can come to visit him - after school. Where is your mother?"

"She’ll be here. We just called her fifteen minutes ago," Tommy said. "I win," he said and put down his cards.

"No fair, these guys messed up my hand."

 

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