Westpoint Tales
by Kiwi
Jon & Bobby's Tale - 15
"I'll say this," said Bobby turning on his mother. "If anything happens to him, it will be your fault. If he dies, it will be because you killed him! Jon's done nothing wrong. Nothing at all. I hate you!"
"Whoah, Bobby. There's no need to talk to your mother like that. You're upset. Maybe we've all said things that we shouldn't have, but your mother is only trying to do what is right for you."
"She is not right! You're wrong. You're wronger than you've ever been in your life!"
"I think you're right, Bobby. I was wrong and I'm sorry." Mrs. Lyons got to her feet. "For now, the most important thing is that we have to find Jon and bring him back here."
The whole family went out and they got in 3 cars, (Justine drove her own), and then they all went across town to the same place - to the Beachhouse. As they went, everyone was looking around, but there was no sign of Jon anywhere.
They stopped and got out at the Beachhouse.
"But he couldn't have got this far, Dad, could he?"
"I don't know, Son. I wouldn't have thought so, but he is a very determined young man, so maybe he did."
"We're here now,' said Billy. "We have to at least go up and look."
Sherry hadn't seen him, nor had Jacquie, but she went up to his room to check anyway, just in case. In a couple of minutes, she came back and called down the stairs. "He's up there."
They all started up, but Jacquie stopped them. "He's in his room. He's lying on the floor, but he says that he's okay. He is just resting and he's not coming back down."
"We'll just have to go up to him then. For goodness sake, Jacquie, get out of my way. I'm the boy's doctor, already!"
They all hurried up to his room, but there, they ran into a brick-wall. He was home now and he was staying there. There was no way that he was going back with them. No-one could sway him. Not his doctor's reasoned arguments, not Mrs. Lyons tearful pleading, not even Billy and Bobby's begging. Nothing was going to bring him down from his room.
In the end, the only compromise that he would make, was that he agreed to move down and stay in Sherry and Jacquie's ground-floor apartment. It was not ideal, but they would do their best to look after him.
He was carried down and laid on the bed in their spare room. He was not going anywhere else.
When they were leaving, Billy and Bobby said that they'd come back and see him tomorrow, but he wouldn't agree to that either, not even when their mother said that she would bring them.
He gave her a strange look, and then said, "No. It's over. Stay away from me and I'll stay away from you. I'm leaving for good soon anyway. As soon as I can get rid of this thing I'll be out of Westpoint and I'm not coming back.
I wish that I'd never come here, this town has been nothing but bad luck for me. Goodbye, Lyons. Thank you and goodbye."
They went back the next day anyway. Perhaps he would have changed his mind. But he hadn't, and he was ready for them. He had the door locked and he wouldn't open it, or talk to them even. They would have liked to have broken it open, and they would have but Sherry wouldn't let them.
"No, you're not. It's my door and you leave it alone. It wouldn't do you any good anyway, Boys. You'd only make him even more determined. I've met some stubborn people in my time, but this boy is in a league of his own.
Just go home and give him some time. Maybe he'll come around, but I wouldn't bet on it."
The boys went home, what else could they do? They appealed to their father but he said that there was nothing he could do either.
"As your mother so succinctly put it, Jon is legally an adult. He makes his own decisions and, as long as he's not breaking any laws, there's nothing that anyone can do about it. I'm sorry, Boys. I'm really sorry, but whatever you had with Jon is over now."
On Thursday morning, Mrs. Lyons came back. She apologized to him through his locked door and appealed to him to, at least, talk to the boys. They were devastated and she was worried about them. He wouldn't even answer her.
Sherry stood there. She assured Mrs. Lyons that, "Yes, he's in there," and "No, you're not breaking the door down either."
On Thursday evening, Justine came to the Beachhouse and Sherry let her into Jon's room.
"Go away, Justine. I have nothing to say to you."
"Shut up, Jon," Sherry interrupted. "Shut up and listen. Justine has got some bad news - some dreadful news."
"You family is nothing to do with me now."
"Shut up, Jon," Justine burst out. "Shut the fuck up! Billy is dead," she cried.
"He what? He can't be!"
"He is. Billy's dead. There was an accident. A horrible bloody accident. They were fooling around on the town bridge, walking on top of the handrails, Billy slipped and fell off and landed on the rocks. He died a few minutes ago in the hospital."
"Billy?" He whispered. "Oh, no! Billy!" He wailed. He flopped back on the bed and lay there crying quietly.
"Well, are you coming? I'll drive you to the hospital."
"No, I don't think so. Thank you for coming and telling me. I wish you didn't have to."
"What do you mean, you don't think so? You have to come - Bobby needs you there."
"I don't have to do anything. I've already said goodbye. Go back to your brother, it's you he needs, not me."
"What the fuck are you talking about? Bobby needs you!"
"No he doesn't. You are his sister, his family. I'm just the neighbourhood pedophile, remember?"
"Go to hell, you heartless prick!" Justine stormed out and slammed the door behind her. She didn't come back. Jon lay staring at the ceiling.
"Jon,' said Sherry, breaking the silence. "Are you all right?"
"I'm all right. Thank you, Ma'am."
"I'm going to leave you now. I'll just be in the next room. If you want to, when you want to - call me and I'll take you to your friend at the hospital. I really think that you should, Jon."
"Thank you, Ma'am, but no. I cannot do that."
Thursday night passed. Friday, then Saturday came and went. Jon stayed in his bed and cried constantly. He had a lot of people come to see him, but he wouldn't see anyone. Bobby came once. He got as far as the front door, and then he chickened out. He turned and, sadly, walked back home.
The funeral was on Sunday, in the Anglican Church. Jon went there, alone and on foot. He stayed outside the church, leaning against the wall and crying on his crutches.
As soon as the service was over, he left, even before Billy's family came out following the coffin. As the hearse was being loaded, Bobby stood with his tear-filled eyes, watching Jon slowly swing away up King Street on his crutches. Then, he had to go to the cemetery to bury his brother.
The funeral tea was in the hospital social rooms. They all looked around for him, but Jon was not there. Afterwards, the Lyons family drove home. Their house was all in darkness, but not quite all. The lights were on up in the boy's bedroom.
Dr. Lyons and his two brothers went up to check the room, and then came back down. He was smiling as he told Bobby that he should go up to his room now.
Bobby, still not quite with-it, simply went and did what his father told him to. He went up, opened the door and stopped - short.
Jon was in there, hanging on his crutches and leaning against the far wall. Bobby looked back down at his dad, at the foot of the stairs. He nodded, smiled sadly, and went into the room, closing the door behind him.
"Jon. You came back."
"I had to, Bobby. I tried to stay away, but I had to come back."
"Jon. Oh, Jon!! Don't leave me. Please don't leave me. I need you. I love you, Jon."
I love you, Bobby. I'm not leaving. I don't care what anyone says, I'll stay here as long as you need me to."
Bobby went to him. He hugged him and cried on his shoulder. He kissed him and then he cried some more. Backing off, he looked into the green eyes, and whispered.
"You do realise, don't you? You've just made a lifetime commitment."
"I know that, Bobby. I know that and I want that too."
Next morning, Bobby came down and made two breakfasts. He loaded up the tray and carried it back to his room. His parents both followed him up there.
Bobby sat next to Jon, in his bed, he looked defiantly back at his parents, daring them to say one wrong word.
Dr. Lyons walked over and held out his hand. When Jon took it, he said, "Thank you, Jon. Thank you for coming back for Bobby."
"Thank you, Doctor. I had to come back. I had to and," he looked at Mrs. Lyons. "and I'm staying here. I am not leaving."
She smiled and came over to the bed. "You're not, are you? You're not leaving."
She took something out of her pocket and slipped the golden chain over his messy hair, dropping it to hang around his neck. "Billy would want you to have this. We want you to have this."
He just nodded, flashed a quick smile and looked down at the black pearl lying on his bare chest. "Thank you."
Mr. and Mrs. Lyons turned to go, but, as they were leaving the room, she turned back. "There's no hurry, Boys, but when you're ready, I'd like you to come uptown with me. There's someone that I want Jon to meet and they really want to meet you too."
Bobby sat holding Jon's hand. "Who do you want him to meet, Mum?"
"They arrived back in town last night. Justine and Billy's namesakes."
"Superboy?"
"Yes, of course. Superboy and his Billy."
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