She snorted and shrugged off his hand. “I said it’s nothing.”
Justin knew Tara wouldn’t talk until she was ready, so he sighed and headed for the shower. He evidently had some things to check on in the morning -- Blanche being at the top of the list.
* * *
Roy hurried down the crowded hallway, practically dragging Thomas along with him. Claudia gripped his sleeve with Winnie at her heels. They all nearly piled up in a heap when Roy stopped to peer around a corner, but once he was sure it was safe, they continued on. When they reached the outside door, Roy lowered the gasping man to the floor. “Watch him while I check things out,” he hissed. Then he darted outside, keeping close to the wall of the building.
Winnie knelt by Thomas, checking his breathing and feeling his forehead. She was pretty sure he didn’t have a fever, but checking it made her feel as if she were doing something constructive. She hated feeling helpless.
Although worse for the trek, Thomas recovered quickly, once again managing to get short but even gasps of air.
“Claudia strained her neck to see out the glass door but saw only smoke and haze through the early morning light. “What is going on out there? I can’t believe this!”
Roy was back within minutes and bent to lift Thomas back up to stand. “You ready?” He asked, his tone instructional, more so than asking if he were actually able. Roy glanced at Winnie and mouthed the words “tear gas,” evidently not wanting to frighten Thomas even more. But the words sent Winnie into a spiral of horror.
Thomas swallowed hard, his eyes intent, and they all headed out into the ongoing riot. The air smelt of acrid smoke, stinging and burning their eyes, causing Thomas to erupt into a fit of coughing as Roy hurried him along in the shadow of the building. Every few minutes, Roy would pause to listen, motioning behind him for the girls to stop, as his eyes darted back and forth, scanning their surroundings. Once he felt confident, he’d start again, helping Thomas stumble along, while keeping an eye out for the girls behind him.
Around her, Winnie could hear people shouting, and further away, police sirens, but the light was too dim and the smoke too thick to see much. Tears ran down her cheeks, her nose ran too, but she didn’t care. Nothing mattered but getting Thomas help.
Thomas broke into a fit of coughing, holding his chest, but Roy kept them moving. At the corner of the building, he drew the group back into the landscaping and bushes, putting Thomas down against the building to rest. “I’m going to check things out on the quad,” he glanced at Thomas in concern, then at Claudia and finally to Winnie. “Keep down and stay as quiet as you can.”
Winnie crouched in the shrubbery, watching him leave. She’d never been more frightened or confused. What had happened to their campus? It felt as if the whole place had erupted into war. Who was fighting who? What was happening? She didn’t even recognize the quad, the normally lovely stretch of grass between the buildings. She’d walked across the quad a hundred times. It was usually a peaceful place, where students gathered to soak up some sun, chat in groups, or eat lunch. Only hurt and anger -- horrible anger -- could have turned her lovely campus into this battle zone.
Roy returned, frustrated and concerned. “We’re going to have to stay near the buildings, it’s too dangerous to cross the open quad.”
Winnie stood, her eyes wild. “That will take too long! Thomas won’t make it!”
Claudia remained quiet, subdued, and forlorn.
Roy motioned with one hand. “We have to move, he needs medical attention.”
Winnie was unsure how they’d make any progress, but she agreed.
Roy lifted Thomas, placing an arm around him to help him walk, causing another fit of wheezing and coughing. He motioned for the girls to follow. They half sprinted, half stumbled through the smoke toward the library. At one point, two men ran past them, and they nearly collided in the confusion. But the men continued on their way, and the ragtag group made it to the shelter of the building’s wall. Roy once again led them back into the bushes and gently let Thomas down to rest.
Winnie couldn’t contain her fear as she knelt by Thomas. His lips were blue and he couldn’t seem to get any air. “Tiny breaths,” she said, repeating what the nursing student had said. “Just try to take tiny breaths.”
Winnie wanted to let Thomas rest but she knew he couldn’t wait, so they hurried on. At one point they nearly stumbled over a girl lying in the grass, with her arms covering her head. Winnie stopped to check on her, losing sight of Roy and Claudia in the haze. “Are you okay?” She asked, rolling the girl onto her back.
The terrified student stared up at her with red, fearful eyes. “It’s my foot,” she cried over the din, I think I twisted my ankle. I can’t walk or run.”
Roy circled back, dragging Thomas with him and Claudia at his side. He was angry. “Why did you stop?” he demanded. “I told you to keep up!”
“She’s hurt!” Winnie yelled, motioning to the girl.
Roy barely offered the poor thing a glance, as he adjusted his grip around Thomas. “We’ve got to go! I can’t carry them both. Leave her!” With that he turned to go, taking time only to glance at Claudia to be sure she was by his side.
“We can’t just leave her here!” Winnie screamed, at her wits’ end.
But Roy didn’t hear her, he was already on the move.
Winnie despaired, lost in an alien world of panic and apprehension. What if it were her? She could have twisted her ankle as they ran through the smoke and be lying there now. Would Roy run off and leave her too? She’d never known him to be so callous.
She hesitated, torn between her fear for Thomas, her need to escape, and her anxiety about the girl. “Can you get up? Maybe I can help you.”
“No, it hurts too bad, just go!” the girl hollered, motioning for Winnie to follow her group. “My friend’s already left me, you need to go.”
Winnie stood and squinted through the haze, barely able to see Claudia’s retreating back. She took one step away, then another, seething inside that Roy would leave her in such a situation. “I’ll send help!” she called to the girl, then took off at a run to catch up.
It seemed as if they’d never get around the huge library and the quad, but Roy pushed the group to keep going. By the time they reached the police headquarters at the perimeter of the riot, Thomas was nearly unconscious. Roy was dragging him along, rather than helping him walk. Claudia held back, having no desire to return to jail and melted into the crowd that chanted all manner of hostile words from the side line.
Roy watched with a frown as she disappeared but shrugged it off and returned his attention to Winnie and Thomas. “Medic!” He shouted, motioning toward a policeman wearing riot gear. “We need help over here, a professor has been injured!” He knew that was stretching the truth a bit, but he also knew that if the police considered them professional adults rather than students, they wouldn’t be seen as a threat.
After a quick assessment, the police called over the medical team. Winnie was so exhausted and emotional, so caught up in Thomas’s condition, that she didn’t notice Roy run back the way they had come.
Chapter Twenty-One
It was Homecoming day and Smithville was in full swing. Fresh flowers graced all the concrete pots lining the road, where the Sheriff and Deputy Ned were busy hanging a welcome banner across main street.
Winnie carefully placed the last tray of her pies on a table in the high school gym, then stood taking in the pandemonium. The room buzzed with adults and students, some decorating, some setting up the sound system and tables. Ladies chattered about food and dishes. Tables clanked and scraped across the floor, and children ran and hollered. The uproar was deafening.
But today, Winnie was practically oblivious to the hubbub. All morning she’d been lost in a fog of memories. The upcoming reunion had her in a state, no doubt, as she couldn’t help but think of the evening ahead. It had been so long, so many years, and so much heartache, since she’d seen her dear frie
nd. What would happen? Would they get along? They’d certainly argued enough back then. Their goodbye had been less than adequate, that was for sure.
Everything had been in an uproar when the semester ended in the spring of 1968. Graduation had been held only days after the riot, not hers and Claudia’s, they were juniors, but Roy had walked across the stage. Buildings still burned elsewhere in Pittsburgh, where the riot continued, but the school adamantly refused to give up their graduation ceremony.
Winnie had always planned to go see Roy graduate with Claudia, but how could she have known how things would go? In a funk, she sat on the end of her bed, watching Claudia get ready to attend a party.
It didn’t matter what Winnie said, Claudia wanted nothing to do with her brother and flat out refused to attend graduation. The girl simply could not understand how Thomas could so callously refuse to even listen to her feelings about the war.
Winnie could see why Claudia was so offended. It was as if Roy didn’t care that his sister loved him and was concerned for his safety. It didn’t matter, and he refused to talk about it.
Winnie’s heart broke to watch them, to be caught in the middle of their rift, but no matter how she’d pleaded with either of them through the school year, both had remained stubborn. And Roy refusing to help that girl in the riot had made Claudia even more upset. She said her brother had become a heartless beast, just another part of the war machine.
Winnie stared at her hands in her lap. This year was supposed to be so much fun, and she and Claudia had looked so forward to getting to the big city and attending the university. How could she have known that riots and war would come between them all?
She sniffed, determined not to get emotional. She’d cried buckets the last few days. The riot and Thomas’s close shave with death still held her traumatized. She just couldn’t understand why Roy had handled the situation the way he had. Yes, he’d put himself in danger to come get them, and he’d saved Thomas, but he’d been so hard and cold, so demanding. It was as if he was mad at them for being there, and that was ridiculous! They’d been having a cup of coffee when the riot broke out!
Her eyes filled with tears when she thought of how Roy acted when he came into the bathroom. It was if he assessed them for injury, then moved on to assessing the room. Roy could have been any soldier that morning, not a friend she’d known since childhood, or a brother. Maybe Claudia was right, and he had become part of a war machine.
She frowned and swiped at her eyes. No, that didn’t feel right. She knew Roy was still in there somewhere. He had to be. But what about that poor girl lying in the grass? How could they have left her there? Rumor had it that almost 100 students had been seriously injured, and she couldn’t help but wonder if that girl had made it out or been trampled. Surely, they could have done more to help! The whole riot had been a confusing mess, but if Roy had only given her a moment to think, given the situation a moment of consideration, or even talked to the girl and gotten her name, they could have done better.
How did Claudia seem so unaffected? Winnie watched as her roommate hummed, putting on her makeup. Maybe she was the heartless one.
It was all too confusing; her friends were both good people. It must be the military training that had turned Roy into a man who could focus solely on getting them out of the riot. What was Claudia’s excuse, the drugs?
From her point of view, she was glad they had saved Thomas, but showing no consideration for that girl and other humans in general was something she couldn’t live with. How was it right that she’d gotten out when that poor girl may not have?
Then again, Thomas had been in horrible shape, and he hadn’t had a moment to spare. It was a very close call, even the hospital staff said so. You wouldn’t know it now though. Since he got out of the hospital, he’d been going full steam ahead, even more dedicated to helping the students find a way to be heard.
Roy had done his best, Winnie supposed, with one more swipe at her unwanted tears. But she would never forget leaving that girl.
Winnie watched as Claudia dug through her makeup bag. Even as mad at Roy as Winnie was, she still felt bad that no one would be attending his graduation ceremony. They’d been friends for so long, and it felt as if not going was leaving him there alone. That was silly though, because hundreds of his friends and his whole ROTC unit would be there. But that didn’t keep her from feeling like she was deserting her friend on his big night.
“You know, Roy didn’t have to come get us during the riots,” Winnie said, hoping to convince Claudia to go to graduation. If Claudia were there, it would alleviate at least a bit of Winnie’s guilt. But her friend just brushed her hair in front of the mirror, ignoring Winnie all together.
“He saved Thomas’s life.” Winnie continued, hoping that would matter to Claudia. She liked Thomas, after all.
Claudia ignored her and headed to the closet to pick out a dress.
“He won’t have any family there if you don’t go. You know your parents didn’t come up.” No response. “Fine, I’m going to go then,” Winnie huffed, but she didn’t have a ticket, and Claudia knew that. Tickets were reserved for students to hand out, and Claudia hadn’t offered hers, if she had one. Maybe Roy hadn’t even invited her.
Sadness filled Winnie’s heart. The children they’d been were gone now, leaving angry adults in their place. “Where are you going tonight, anyway?” she asked, hoping to lighten the tension in the room.
Claudia tossed her a look. “As if you care.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Winnie shot back.
But Claudia was in a snit and there would be no talking about graduation parties, or finals, or anything else until she relaxed.
With a sigh, Winnie gave up and headed down to the student lounge. People clustered around the television watching buildings burn on the news; others chatted in groups on sofas. She settled onto a couch, alone, watching her fellow students, not in a mood to mingle. What did one do when they didn’t want to be alone, but didn’t want to talk to anyone? She wished she could be with Thomas, but he had to attend graduation in his role as an assistant professor.
The evening passed quietly as she listened to the chit-chat, occasionally getting drawn into the television program, but her curiosity perked when students who had attended graduation began to filter in.
She was only half listening until Roy’s name came up, and she sidled up closer to the group to overhear.
“I don’t even like those bozo cadets,” one student with long hair said, “but it was pretty cool that he went into the riot to save those people.”
Winnie’s mouth fell open. How had people attending graduation services heard about Roy saving her, Claudia, and Thomas?
“Yeah,” another student piped up, “When they gave him that award, they said he went back, over and over, to carry out people who were hurt and couldn’t walk.”
The first student shook his shaggy head. “Too bad he’ll be doing the same damn thing in Nam next month.”
“Right,” the others agreed. “Stupid ROTC idiot. They’d run straight into a burning barn like a brainless horse.”
Winnie couldn’t speak, couldn’t think, couldn’t move. Students surged around her, the crowd thickening and the mood growing more jovial. She dropped back onto a sofa, her mind spinning.
“There you are,” cooed the voice she loved.
Winnie looked up to see Thomas, looking very dapper in his tweed suit.
He squeezed in next to her, picking up on her mood. “What’s wrong?”
Still lost in thought, Winnie shrugged. Then her mind seemed to catch up to all she’d heard. “Did they give Roy an award at Graduation?”
“They did.”
“But how—”
“I notified his ROTC commander and told them what he did. He saved my life, how could I not?”
Dumbfounded, Winnie could only stare at the man she loved. Thomas didn’t like Roy much more than Roy liked him, yet Thomas respected Roy’s servic
e. He certainly respected what Roy had done for him, anyway.
“Let’s get out of here,” Thomas said, rising from the sofa. “There’s something I want to talk to you about.” He reached down for her hand and she complied.
The couple wandered out into the cool moonlit evening. There were too many people on campus for it to be romantic, but the crowd was less pressing than it had been inside. The campus wasn’t as pristine anymore -- what with police barricades and debris still blocking some walkways.
Thomas settled onto a bench and patted the spot next to him.
Unsure what he wanted, Winnie stayed standing. Had something gone wrong with her internship? She didn’t want to go back to Smithville, she couldn’t go back. She wanted to stay here with him. Things were so insane, and she couldn’t handle one more shock or disappointment.
“I know you’re worried about your parents being upset about you staying here with me, for the summer,” He said.
She dropped onto the bench next to him. “I am, but I’ll figure out how to tell them. Please don’t say I didn’t get the internship!”
He chuckled. “Calm down, it’s not like you need their permission or something.”
She didn’t calm down, quite the opposite. “They’re unhappy that I came here in the first place. They just want me to get married and have babies, and that’s not what I want.”
His face fell. “It’s not?”
“No!” Winnie sighed, gesturing with her hands. “You know me, you know how I feel! I want to finish my degree, get a job, make a difference in the world!”
“Oh,” Thomas said, looking confused.
“What’s wrong with you? Don’t you want me to stay?”
“Well, yeah,” he countered, “but—”
“We’ve talked about this, how are you confused?”
He went silent, staring at the ground, and Winnie waited impatiently for him to speak. Finally, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small package. “I wanted to make you happy, so I got you this.” He placed the box in her hand.
Hometown Series Box Set Page 141
