Run Ch. 04

Keith was examining the girl's face. "You love this don't you?"

Pat sighed, her face falling a bit. "I don't have a lot of my own memories I care that much about," she said, a bit sadly. "The best ones I have are right here, waiting for my brother. I promised him a long time ago that I'd always wait for him at the finish line. I haven't broken that promise yet."

Keith put his arm around her shoulders and held her. She felt oddly comfortable there, and even went so far as to rest her head on his shoulder.

Mr. Keibler, the organizer, walked over to Gail, who was watching her best friend's emerging intimacy with a pretty remarkable girl.

"Are . . . is he . . . are they . . ."

"Yep," Gail said. "I think they are."

"How did that happen?" he asked.

"It's a long story," Gail replied.

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That evening . . .

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A number of Pat's friends and family were in the crowd, mostly dumfounded. Carolyn and Lola were there, unafraid of being spotted together in the throng. Gail, Todd and Keith sat next to Lyle, Buddy and Mary Baker. Reginald Baker was closer to the mat, acting as Pat's coach. As if she needed one.

Lyle tried to explain the scoring rules for a judo tournament, most of which went over the others' heads. Keith picked up that a full point, or ippon, won the bout. There were lesser point amounts determined by the speed or power of a throw or length of time a hold was placed on the opponent. With Pat, it didn't really matter. She won five straight matches within her division (based on age, weight and experience level) in a grand total of thirty seconds, using quick and powerful throws to put her opponents squarely on their backs. The only reason it took her THAT long was because her last two opponents were trying (vainly) to stay out of her grasp.

"That wasn't a match," Gail muttered. "That was a bitch-slap!" This came on the tail of being awarded her final ippon and the referee awarded the match to her.

Lyle chuckled. "We told you she was good."

Keith was wide-eyed. Thinking about how he had once pissed that girl off suddenly filled him with unease. "I thought she was just being . . . cocky."

"Pat isn't capable of cocky," Lyle replied. "She knows exactly how good she is on that mat. She won't lie about it."

The crew got up and went to leave. Gail wanted to go talk to Lola, and Todd went with her (mostly to ogle the lesbians and get a better picture of them for his next fantasy). Lyle and Buddy were excitedly talking about what Pat had done. Keith felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Hello. You must be Keith?" Mrs. Baker asked.

"Yes ma'am," he replied, a bit nervous.

"I'm glad I got a chance to meet you," she said, offering her hand.

Keith looked at her, then decided to shake her hand. He really had no love or respect for either of Pat's parents, but there was no need to make things more difficult.

Mary had noticed his hesitation. "I see you're familiar with our family drama," she said, somewhat sadly. "I'm a little surprised. I didn't think she'd be willing to share."

Keith was mystified. This was quite direct, particularly from someone he had never spoken to before. "I'm not here to add to the drama. I like Pat, and I'm here for her."

"I'm glad," Mary said. "I don't think I realized how badly she needed a friend."

Keith's blood was boiling just a little bit. He was struggling with how to phrase what he wanted to say.

"Go ahead," Mrs. Baker said. "I'm a big girl, and I want your honesty."

"Shouldn't YOU have been her friend? She does well in school, she's smart and athletic and . . . damn it, she takes good care of Buddy. Why exactly are you so ashamed of her?"

Mary looked away. "I'm not ashamed of her. I just don't know what to do with her anymore. I was never the best mother to her, I know. But right before we came back to the States, she stopped talking to me almost entirely."

"What happened?"

"I wish I knew. Then I saw her walking away with you and it finally occurred to me that I was losing her. True, I've been losing her for years, but . . . I remembered how much it hurts. I want my daughter back."

"That's her decision to make. Why don't you just tell her how you feel?"

"Every time we talk, I remember how angry I was that my husband tried to make my daughter into a son and how she just caved in and did whatever he wanted."

"Yeah. It's SO easy to resist the will of a Brigadier General, particularly when your own mother won't stand up for you." Keith paused and tried to regain his composure. "If you want Pat back, you're gonna have to deal with her directly. And I suspect you'll have to give her an explanation that's a hell of a lot better than the one you've given me." He shook his head. "No wonder she gets so many headaches," he said, then caught himself. He had said too much.

"What headaches?" her mother asked, confused at first and then expressing more concern. "What are you talking about?"

"Mary!" came a shout from up the stairs. It was loud and panicked, and it was coming from Lyle. "Get up here! It's Buddy!"

Mary and Keith rushed up to where the others had gathered to await their conquering hero. Buddy was kneeling, his already pale face as white as a sheet. He was kneeling on the ground, gripping his chest. Just then, Pat and her father arrived on the scene as well.

"Buddy?!" Pat said in a panic. "Someone dial 911!" There were already several people making just that very call. Mary Baker knelt next to her son. Reginald Baker just . . . stared. He had absolutely no idea what to do. Pat looked up and saw him and she stared at him with a hatred that no one who knew her had ever seen before. "Do something!" she screamed.

Suddenly, Reginald Baker went into action. He knew what was happening and where Buddy would be taken. He called the hospital and made sure that the best cardiovascular surgeon available would be waiting at the operating room. He called the chief of police of Springfield (a golfing partner) and made sure that the road would be cleared and that the ambulance would get a police escort. He used every bit of his considerable influence to make sure that Buddy would be in the best possible hands.

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Three days later . . .

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Keith hated this. He didn't know what to say or what to do. His mind was still locked on that night. Buddy Baker had suffered a heart attack. Everyone had known that he was at increased risk for heart problems as a "side effect" of his condition. But everything had been going so well . . .

Buddy had been pronounced dead at nine o'clock that night. He'd had a big heart, and it had gotten the best of him. The doctors said that there was nothing anyone else could have done for him. He had exercised and eaten right. But genetics had dealt him a bad hand that had finally played out.

When the doctor had given the final verdict, his mother broke down. His father stood over his son and tried to comfort his wife. Lyle cried.

Pat froze. She didn't speak to anyone. Her facial expression was locked in a position of complete sorrow and hopelessness. Keith tried to get her to talk, but she shoved him away. Gail and Todd met the same reaction. They told her to at least talk to Dr. Martin, which was the first time anyone in her family apparently had heard that she had been seeing the school psychologist. Pat went over to where her brother's body was lying. She kissed his forehead . . . closed his eyes . . . then turned and walked out of the building.

So Keith, Gail and Todd found themselves at the funeral of a young man they wished they had gotten to know better. He had seemed so youthful. Dr. Martin had asked Gail to send her regards, but she wasn't able to get away for the day.

The three young friends wanted badly to comfort Pat, but the distance that had existed between her and the rest of the world had returned and now even included her uncle and Tobias. Both of the latter gentlemen had informed the friends that she had even shut THEM out.

The turnout was pretty impressive. Buddy had a lot of friends at the Special Olympics, as athletes and administrators and volunteers had shown up. They all offered their condolences as the casket was lowered into the ground. None of them knew how to handle Pat. Then, things got even worse for the family.

Reginald Baker saw his daughter standing next to the grave, looking down. He saw her take a couple of pills and clutch her forehead. He and his wife had just learned of her migraine problems the day before in a conversation with his brother, and he was kicking himself for not seeing the problem earlier. Lyle hated to break his niece's privacy boundary, but figured it was about time they knew.

Pat's father walked towards her, his arms extended as if to embrace her. She turned and walked away from him.

"Pat . . ." he started to say.

Patrice Baker spun around and punched her father straight in the face.

Everything went quiet and the other onlookers who hadn't returned to their cars looked on in disbelief. Reginald Baker was a tough guy, but even he had been rocked by that blow, partially due to its power and partially to surprise.

"Don't you DARE pretend that you care!" she hissed violently. "Don't fucking come near me! And don't you dare fucking cry! You didn't love him, so you don't get to pretend that it hurts now!"

"Pat that's not true," Mr. Baker replied.

"Bullshit! You never even noticed him! You knew nothing about him!"

"Sweetheart . . ." her mother started.

"Keep out of this! The only fucking thing you ever wanted to do was stay out of my life, so don't change that now!" Pat's grip on reality was slipping away, and everyone could see it. Her fist was still clenched, almost daring her father to take another step forward. Then she pointed at the grave. "He was the only one who actually gave a damn about me and now . . . " Pat's eyes showed a realization. Her brother was dead. She had numbed herself to that fact before, but she suddenly felt the entire brunt of reality smashing her in the chest. "I failed him," she muttered. "I'm supposed to be there for him. I'm supposed to be waiting . . ."

"Pat," Keith said, stepping forward. His friends and Pat's family watched as he approached her. For a moment, it looked like she would actually let him touch her. Then she turned and took off at a full run through the woods surrounding the graveyard.

"PAT!" he screamed after her, trying to follow but quickly losing sight of her. Everyone scoured the woods looking for her. Reginald Baker called the police and got them looking for her. But Pat Baker had vanished.

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Hours later . . .

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Pat Baker's skin felt so cold and her mind so heavy. A part her heart had died when her brother's heart had failed. She had escaped through the woods but had no idea where she was anymore. She also didn't really care. Her entire life, the only thing she had been able to count on was her brother. Others had tried . . . her Uncle Lyle . . . Tobias . . . and recently Keith and company . . . but Buddy had been her glue. His joy had been hers. His health had been her mission. His life had been her reason for living. Without that reason . . . she knew what she had to do.

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Elsewhere . . .

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The Baker household was in a state of chaos. Mary Baker hadn't even been able to grieve over her son before she had to worry about the health of her daughter. Reginald Baker's nicely ordered world and plans had fallen apart. Lyle and Tobias, as well as Keith, Todd and Gail, were out combing the streets and making phone calls while Pat's parents coordinated what they could.

Keith got a call on his cell phone from Lyle. There had been something gnawing at his brain since the funeral, but he hadn't been able to pin it down, so he almost missed the call.

"Hey."

"Any luck?" Lyle asked hopefully.

"No. Damn it, I should've been faster," Keith grumbled hopelessly.

"You wouldn't have been able to stop her anyway. She's angry and unhinged and she probably would have hurt you."

"No," Keith said. "I saw it in her eyes. She wanted help. She knew she needed it. But the fear . . . the pain . . ."

"I understand," Lyle said. He would have been happy that Pat had found such a great guy. Now, he just wanted to find HER.

Something clicked in Keith's brain. Pat had said, 'I'm supposed to be there for him.' "Lyle, I think I know where she went!"

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A few minutes later . . .

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Several cars came screeching into the parking lot near where the local Special Olympics practiced. Keith knew somehow that Pat was going to try and keep her promise to Buddy . . . she was going to meet him at the finish line.

The field appeared to be abandoned at the moment. At least that's what people thought until Keith spotted a lump of humanity over where Pat used to stand, watching her brother run. As Keith, Lyle and Gail ran towards the lump, Keith could tell it was Pat. And she wasn't moving. As they got closer, they all saw an empty pill bottle lying next to her. Instead of being her headache medicine though, they found it to be an empty sleeping pill bottle. She had consumed the entire thing. For the second time in recent days, they found themselves dialing 911 and praying they didn't lose one of the Baker children.

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To be continued . . .