Ashley & Milo

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  Thirty minutes later the phone rang. It was an excited Mark. "Milo, Jean has been hurt. I called 911 and she is on the way to the emergency room at Mercy Hospital."

  "How bad is she and how did she get hurt?"

  "I don't know what happened. We found her when we got home. She was lying in the corner of the living room moaning when we came in. She recognized us so I think she will be okay. That is what the EMT said anyway. He said it might be an hour or more before she is put in a room. We kids are going over there then."

  "Where is your father? Have you contacted him?"

  Mark didn't say anything. "I think he caused what happened. The police are going to question her as soon as they can." He was silent for a second. "Could you and Ashley come to the hospital too? Steve needs someone to be with him. I don't want to tell Mom. She doesn't need this."

  "Sure, we will be there. I'll bring the girls and if Jean is well enough, she will want to assure them she is okay."

  The girls were scared when we told them their mother had fallen and was hurt. We didn't hurry as we knew it would be awhile before we could get to see her. Ashley met one of the police officers as we were passing by the emergency room. He was just completing his interrogation. I left her with him and we went to the cafeteria, as we hadn't eaten yet.

  Ashley found us and said that Jean had been moved to a room. Mark and Becky were with her. Steve held close to Ashley's heels, lost boy that he was.

  When we got to Jean's room, Mark and Becky came out and I took them to the cafeteria so they could eat too. Ashley went in with the girls and Steve. A half hour later we returned. Ashley and the girls came out. When I went in Steve was sitting sadly in a chair. He saw me and went out to join those waiting outside.

  Jean smiled wanly at me. "I beat you up mentally and here I get beat up physically. What goes around, comes around really is a truism isn't it?"

  "James did this to you?"

  She nodded. "I wasn't as passive as you were when you found out I was cheating. I challenged James about cheating on me. We had quite a fight. It was verbal for awhile and then it got me this. The police are looking for him for domestic abuse. That pretty much ends our marriage. To be honest he didn't do all of this. He slapped me and I fell on the footstool and broke a couple of ribs."

  "Maybe, but he still was the cause. What time was this?"

  "About three this afternoon."

  "And he left you there on the floor? Did he know you were hurt?"

  "He must have. I don't know. I guess I hit my head and don't remember anything after I started falling. What is going to happen to his kids? Who will take care of them?"

  "Don't worry about them. Ashley and I will see that they have anything they need." I tried to be funny. "Hey Jean, I've got mine and yours, I might as well have yours and someone else's as well. But if you collect anymore, warn me, will you?" I was making a joke. How was I to know how prophetic it was?

  "Milo, thank you. I'm tired, let me sleep. Ashley said she would see me in the morning. You've got a winner, hang onto her." She closed her eyes and soon was sleeping. Maybe, maybe not.

  Mark and Steve stayed in Lindsey and Marie's bedroom that night. The girls all spent the night with Ashley in the big house. Tragedy wasn't through with us. I received a call from the police. "I am informed that Mark, Becky and Steve Burgess, children of James Burgess, are staying with you. Is that correct?"

  "Yes, it is."

  "Well their father is dead and they have to be informed. Burgess was committing the felony of arson on his home and when challenged, he fired on an officer. The officers at the scene returned fire. Burgess didn't survive. Would you take on the task of telling them, or do you want Social Services to do it?"

  "No, I'll make sure they are told. I know them all very well. I should like to have their mother and their stepmother present when I do though. How long before the media tracks them down?"

  "A few hours, I would imagine. Most likely not before ten or eleven this morning."

  "Okay, that should give me enough time." There was a click as the officer hung up. I shook my head. God, why me?

  Mark and Steve were asleep. I walked over to tell Ashley and then made my way to the hospital. I talked to the nurses at the station on Jean's floor explaining the situation. The nurse called her doctor and he said that although he preferred Jean not leave, he understood and would release her if she would come to his office after the situation was resolved. I went in to tell Jean. The nurse followed me in to help her get dressed.

  I will say this for Jean; her main concern was for James's kids. It was like she didn't give James, himself, a passing thought. I took Jean to my apartment and put her into my bed. At five, I was at Shannon's door explaining the situation and why I was there.

  Again, like Jean, the concern was for her children. By six I had coffee perking and was ready. I called Ashley and asked her to send Becky over and for her not to waste time in getting dressed. She came sleepily up the stairs and into the kitchen. She was shocked to see her mother and Jean sitting on the couch.

  Mark and Steve came out of the girls' room when they heard their mother, looking happy to see her, but mystified. It was Shannon who told them. "Kids, your father passed away early this morning. It was not under pleasant circumstances. There is no easy way to tell you this, but he was committing a felony at the time."

  Mark was the one with the question. "How did Dad die?"

  "He died at the hands of the police. He fired on a police officer while setting fire to your home. The building is severely damaged."

  Mark received this news without expression. Becky, who was a favorite of her father, was standing in front of her mother crying. Steve was almost catatonic. Jean slowly got up from the couch and put her arms around Becky. "I'm sorry Becky, believe me I am."

  "I know Jean. I know you loved him at one time. And you did too, Mom. I guess we all did." She straightened her shoulders and shrugged away from Jean. "Was there a woman with Daddy when this happened?"

  None of us knew. "I met his new girlfriend a few days ago. Daddy wanted me to go away with them. I refused and said I wanted to stay at home with Mark and Steve. Maybe I caused all of this. Jean, you getting hurt and what he did tonight." She went and slumped down on the couch.

  Then she looked up at me. "Milo, the woman he was with was dressed just like I was when you saw me the first time. I decided then that I would not be that same kind of person as she was. The woman with Daddy was only four years older than I am. Daddy was more than twice her age. That is when I looked at Jean and Mom real close. I think life sucks. Nothing is as it should be anymore."

  "What are we going to do now?" Steve mumbled this.

  I spoke up. "I talked to Ashley before I went to get Jean. She has invited you to stay in her house until we find a place for you to live. Jean told me on the way here that she wants to continue in her role as mother to you. She also said that if it can be arranged she would like Shannon to come live with you all when you get settled.

  "I know you will miss your father and remember him back to the times when he loved you. Even Jean and Shannon had some very loving times with him so they both will have fond memories of him, too.

  "I guess this is the time to tell you all that I have asked Ashley to be my wife and we have set a date of September fifteenth to wed. You know she is pregnant and going to have my friend Calvin's baby. It has been a chore in a way to find time for us to be together as much as we would like to."

  "Why don't you move into the big house with her? You could be together all of the time that way."

  "What about the girls, Jean? I want them to look up to their Dad. Would they do that if I did move in with Ash?"

  "Lindsey is way out in front on that. She knows you love Ashley. She told me the first week she was here. Of course your jealous ex-wife had to ask her."
This was the first smile from anyone today.