All characters in this story are over the age of 18 and are consenting young adults.
This is the final chapter of a story that got longer than expected and had some delays in delivering installments. Shit happens in the real world too.
*****Mom and Dad return*****
Saturday morning, Annie and Dave, our parents, came ashore from the sailing class, tired but excited. They had a quick breakfast and immediately got in their car and headed for I-8 and Phoenix. It was time to get home to their children.
Before they reached I-8, Annie took her husband's phone off the charger and set about checking on her children. She started to scan Dave's phone looking for important news from home. She had planned to check calls, but on Dave's phone she found herself in his email.
Already in the mail tool, she scanned down the list looking for emails from her children. Instead, what she found sent a wave of fear through her. She was disturbed to find emails from Chandler High, the Maricopa County PD, but the one that made her panic complete was from Chandler Regional Medical Center. There were others, but she couldn't get past that last one. Barely able to speak, "Dave, pull over... PLEASE!"
Sensing the anxiety in his wife's voice, "Annie, what's wrong?"
"We..." She started to speak but her voice broke and she started again, "We have emails... from the hospital and police department. Oh God Dave. Somethings wrong."
Annie wasn't the type to rattle easily but being 7 or 8 hours away from her children, she felt helpless and a mother's concern and imagination kicked in as her mind began constructing worst case scenarios. She fought to control the images from her imagination.
Two minutes later they had parked on the roadside and the two of them leaned shoulder to shoulder over the console of the car as they decided which email to open first.
Dave took over, "Ok, hospital first. It's probably just a football injury." Breaks and even concussions weren't unusual, and they heal, but those weren't accompanied by emails from the police department. He tapped the hospital entry. Annie held her breath while the email opened.
Dr. Joseph had taken the time to write a personal note. 'Your son has been in a fight. He's been beaten, but he's not seriously injured although he may have sustained a minor concussion which shouldn't be a big concern. We just need to watch him for the next few days. The stitches and injuries should be much improved within a week.' He closed the note by inviting them to call him at any time and indicated, 'Tyler's in good hands with Katherine looking after him.'
Relieved that my injuries were 'only' cuts and bruises elevated the police department email to top priority. CPD informed them that their son had been involved in a couple of incidents that were under investigation: 1) an altercation that had taken place on Chandler High School premises; and 2) an abuse case that I was needed for questioning in. At this point, Dave and Annie relaxed a little as their worst fears evaporated realizing that no one was dead or seriously hurt and the police department had not arrested anyone. Surely that meant something.
Dave turned to Annie, "They're ok!" He'd tried to be calm for Annie, but was as relieved as Annie to get past those two emails. "While we're parked, let's see if there's anything else that shouldn't wait?"
Annie scanned the list and one caught her eye, "Here's one from Agnes (our aunt). She's probably telling us about the... 'altercation.'"
"Let's see," as he tapped one of the links embedded in the note. It wasn't what they expected.
"Can't be any worse than the first two," Dave mused.
Confused, Dave spoke, "What's Agnes doing sending us a porn link? Maybe she's been hacked."
Annie was first to realize that the star of the porn link was their son, "That's... that's Tyler!"
Dave pulled the phone closer, "Son of a bitch, you're right."
His next tap on the web link sent both of their anxiety levels soaring. Right before their eyes a video appeared of a blindfolded girl with a boy's head buried between her legs. From the moans, she seemed to be enjoying herself. The boys back was covered with lines of scratches. They couldn't see the boy's face, but both recognized their son and groaned.
Annie spoke, "He's never even dated."
Sarcastically, Dave replied, "Guess we can quit worrying about that." Annie gave him a look that said he should have kept that comment to himself.
Seeing how badly Annie was taking the revelations, "Ok! We're going to catch a flight and be back to Chandler ASAP! We'll leave the car at the airport and pick it up in a few days. I think there is a 10 a.m. flight. If we hurry we can just make it."
Annie squeezed her husband's hand and gave a subdued murmur, "Thank you."
On the way to the airport, they tried to call the children. No answer on either phone.
"Annie, are you ok to check the rest of the emails?"
The Principal's note was not an easy one to read either. It indicated that some 'disturbing information' had come to light. To himself, Dave thought, 'no shit.' She also informed them that Tyler would need to be finding another school for the fall. This shocked them with school ready to start in a few weeks, it would be difficult to even find a school that quickly. And of course, she wanted to meet with them as soon as possible to discuss his 'personal problems.'
Annie's emotions were a jumble of anger at the suggestion that her son had personal problems, and the fear that she might be right. Tyler had always been a good child. If there had been any trouble, it had been his sister, and she wasn't that bad, just a little wild at times. The web page had shaken what she knew of her son.
Coach Barker had written a note as well. The tone of Coach Barker's note was contradictory to the Principals note. He mentioned the fight and said he would be checking on Tyler after he had time to recover and he hoped he would consider staying with the team as they would need him after the other boys in the fight were dismissed from the team.
Dave listened to Annie as she read the notes and tried to calm her, "We obviously don't know all the facts. A fight is usually not a reason to force a kid to change schools." He didn't mention the video. That was in a different category than the fight, but surely it hadn't taken place on school property and it didn't look like anyone was hurt, at least not physically, and everyone seemed to be 'consenting,' although he realized that might not be the case. Tyler himself had just turned 18, and there were probably parents of a girl who would disagree with his assessment that 'no one was hurt' after seeing the video.
He continued to calm Annie, "Coach Barker wouldn't be asking Tyler to stay with the team if he thought he was going to be thrown out of school. It's the other boys who are being dismissed from the team. We just need to try stay calm until we can get all the facts. And besides, Tyler's a good kid." He would have said the last with more conviction an hour earlier. He still believed it, but now he realized that they might not know their son as well as they thought. That in itself was disturbing. To himself, 'How much more was there?' This last question concerned him deeply but it wasn't the time to discuss it with Annie. She was panicky already. 'Get the facts first,' he told himself.
