by Don Wright
The Perils of War
Book 3
Published by Don Wright at Smashwords
Copyright 2018 Don Wright
The Perils of War Book 3
Darkness cannot drive out darkness: Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: Only love can do that.
Martin Luther King Jr.
Sammy and Linda were in the VA hospital cafeteria drinking coffee. Sammy, a former patient and volunteer, was now director of the therapy department. Linda was his assistant, his wife, and the mother of his two boys. Then Dale and Sharon came in. They were married last year and both work at the hospital. Dale served with Sammy in Vietnam where they became like brothers. When Sammy lost his leg, Dale played a major part in his treatment and rehabilitation. After he got out of the army Dale moved to Chicago where he met Sharon. When they got married, Sammy’s Mom adopted them both as part of her family.
The last two adopted members of the family came in; Jeff and Vickie. Jeff had lost both his legs in Vietnam and had gone through therapy at the same VA hospital. When he recovered, he had two artificial legs and was volunteering at the hospital. His wife Vickie was working full time as a certified therapist, and of course Mama adopted them as well. So, it was one big happy family. It started out with just Sammy and his Mom. Now there were nine, but Sharon was pregnant; so soon it would be ten.
It was Monday morning, and everyone was ready for a new week. Sammy was originally going to call them into his office to go over this week’s schedule, but decided the cafeteria would work just as well as his office. He asked for everyone’s attention and explained that they had two patients going home today and two more coming in later that afternoon. “Linda will meet with them.” Looking at Dale and Vickie he said, “But I want you two there also. I will decide who gets who in the morning after I get your comments.”
Turning to Jeff, “Jeff, I am glad you’re here. There is an opening in reception for someone and I have talked to human services. We would like to offer you that position. It is full time and I think you will do a fine job. What do you say?”
Jeff looked at Vickie and smiled, “I was hoping something like this would come up. We thank you.”
“Don’t thank me” said Sammy “you earned it! Well, do you want it?”
“Yes, of course!” exclaimed Jeff.
“Ok, report to human services this morning and talk to Mrs. Thompson she is expecting you.” Sammy was bursting with pride. He had his whole family was in one place where he could watch over them just like a mother hen watches over her chicks. He smiled, thinking back how it all started with just him and Mama.
Linda and Sammy went back to Dale’s office. Linda asked Dale if he had talked to Mama this morning. He told her no and wanted to know if something wrong. “No, but she wants the family to get together Saturday for the day” replied Linda. “That’s a great idea!” Sammy said. “I’ve been wanting to load the whole family up and drive by the old neighborhood to see the street corner where I spent so much time. It’s been a while since Mama has been there, plus Jeff and Vickie have never seen it. It would be good to reminisce.”
Linda beamed, “Let’s plan on that and maybe take everyone out to eat at a nice restaurant afterwards.” With a grin on his face, Sammy asked, “Does that mean you will set it up?” Linda replied with a smirk, “Of course, don’t I always?” Sammy smiled as Linda went out the door.
Later that day, the two new veterans came in and Linda, Vickie, and Dale met with them. After they finished with their evaluation of the vets, they went to Sammy’s office. “Well, what do you think?” asked Sammy. Dale answered, “There is one named Corporal Mike Hutchins that reminds me a lot of Jeff when he first came in. Mike stepped on a mine. He lost his right arm and is paralyzed from the waist down. He is severely depressed and won’t open up.
Sammy asked for his records and started to read them. “I see he is not married. That complicates things. He has nothing or no one to inspire him. Dale, this one is Vickie’s! Vickie, this is your first patient like this. I think Mike needs a woman’s touch. Take his records and go over them thoroughly. Learn everything you can about Mike. Everyday give me a progress report. If you need help or have a question, ask. I know you can do this!”
Linda chimed in, “Now that we have all of you together, what is everyone’s plans for Saturday? Already talked to Sharon and she said unless Dale had something, they didn’t have anything to do. We thought we would take everyone by Sammy’s old stomping grounds and then out for a nice dinner. Our treat!”
Dale said, “In that case, we’re in.” Sammy made the snide remark, “You would be, of course.” Everyone laughed. Sammy told Jeff he talked to Mrs. Thompson and she was not going to start him till Monday. “So, are you two in?” he asked Vickie. “Of course.” she replied. Linda said, “Ok, guys, we will all meet Saturday morning early. So, Dale, don’t stay up all night!” Dale said, “Yeah right.”
After the meeting, Dale and Vickie went to pull their patients’ records and Linda went back to her office. Vickie asked Dale, “Have you got any suggestions? I’m kind of nervous.” Dale told her the main thing was patience. “Go over his records thoroughly. Know the man inside and out. Knowing his back ground is just as important as the therapy. You’ve got to get inside his head and find the trigger that will get him to talk. Get him to feel comfortable talking to you; start slow. Once you get him to talk about what happened to him and accept it, then and only then will he be able to move on. If you need some help let me know.” Vickie told him thank you.
The week was progressing smoothly. Everyone was busy doing their job and doing it well. Sammy was very impressed with Vickie. She was dedicated and smart. She had a way of changing her methods to fit the individual patient. Progress on Mike was slow, but Vickie was handling it well. She was patient and persistent. It was going to take time. But time was not a factor in this case; it was all about results and Vickie seemed to be getting results. Every day Mike responded a little more. Some patients come in here accepting their handicap, knowing they need help and adopt the program. Still others like Mike find it hard to adjust. The staff here does everything it can to help that person get through their therapy and move on with their lives. Sammy told himself, he finally had the perfect team!
Saturday the family gathered at Sammy’s house. Mama was in good spirits, she was anxious to see the old neighborhood. She still had a few friends there and was excited about visiting with them. Jeff and Vickie were excited about seeing where Sammy and his mom lived. They have always admired Sammy for what he has accomplished for himself and his mother. Dale never missed an opportunity to tease someone and today he was in rare form. Linda had breakfast ready for everyone and it was going to be a good day.
After breakfast, they all loaded up in Sammy’s suburban and headed down town. They were all looking forward to seeing the old neighborhood where it all started, and how far they had come. Mama couldn’t wait.
As Sammy pulled up to the building where he and mama used to live in, a look of dismay came over Mama. The neighborhood had completely changed! There were junk cars everywhere, businesses were boarded up, graffiti and gang markings and drug deals going down right out in the open. Sammy looked over at Mama; she had tears in her eyes. Even Dale’s goofy personality had become somber. Jeff exclaimed, “This is wrong! Something should be done!”
“I know” Linda said, “but what?” Jeff was fuming, “I don’t know, but I’m going to figure out something!” Sammy looked at Mama, “Are you ok?” he asked. “Let’s go home, son. We don’t belong here anymore.” Sammy pulled away from the curve, slowed down and took one final look at the corner where he and the ‘corner rats’ hung out. His heart was broken; all those bea
utiful memories of this place were destroyed. Jeff was right; there’s got to be something that can be done! But how and where do you start?
They went back to Sammy and Linda’s house. Dale wanted to grill so Sammy fired up the grill and Linda went to get some steaks. Mama went to her room broken hearted. Vickie went to the kitchen to get things ready. Jeff sat in a corner chair in deep thought. Sammy and Dale knew what he was thinking about and maybe he needed some time to himself. Sammy told Dale, “I don’t know what Jeff is planning to do, but he will have the support from the family.” Dale agreed, “But he has to be the one to make the decisions.”
When Jeff joined them, Dale looked at him with a grin and asked if he was ok. “Yeah, just can’t get what I’ve seen today out of my head.” Sammy said, “Please don’t mention it around Mama. Her heart was broken today.” Jeff replied, “I won’t. But I must do something. I just don’t know what.” Sammy patted him on the back and said, “Well, you will figure it out and we are here if you need us.”
“I know, and I appreciate the support” Jeff said. “What I would like to do is for the three of us to go back down there and look around. Maybe I can come up with an idea.” Sammy thought that was a good first step. He said, “We can go Saturday. I will ask Linda to take Vickie, Sharon, and Mama shopping or something.” The three guys agreed.
Saturday morning came, and Sammy, Jeff, and Dale headed downtown. An uneasy feeling came over Sammy. He didn’t want to see the old neighborhood again, not like that, but he couldn’t let Jeff down. He had to suck it up and be supportive. He didn’t know what Jeff could do; if anything. But Jeff was determined. Sammy knew once Jeff got stuck on something he was not going to abandon it.
They stopped for breakfast then went on to the old neighborhood. Sammy couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen. His thoughts went back to Vietnam. The feeling he was having right now was the same as when he first arrived in Nam. He hated this feeling. He had to bury it deep inside his mind for Jeff’s sake if nothing else.
Sammy pulled next to a curve and parked. Nothing had changed since last Saturday. Dale asked, “Now what?” Jeff replied, “Let’s lock the car and walk around and see if we can come up with an idea.” Sammy said, “No way! If we leave the car, when we get back it will be stripped or gone. Besides, I don’t think it’s a good idea to just walk around here. We are not from here and I don’t think the gang will take kindly to strangers being here. No, we stay with the car.”
They sat in silence for a few minutes then Dale spoke up. “What about a community center? If we could get the people in the neighborhood to volunteer we could set up activities like basketball, maybe a few computers and tutors to help with school work. Maybe we could even get some volunteer counselors to help the kids and parents.” Sammy said “That’s a good start! I will go talk to the police chief about increasing patrols. Maybe we can decrease the activity of the gangs. We are going to need some help, and I know just who to get!” Dale wanted to know who he had in mind. “We know a lot of vets that have combat training. They wouldn’t be afraid of a few gang members.” Jeff asked, “You think they would come?” Sammy answered with a question, “Would you?” Without hesitation Jeff said, “Hell, yes! Maybe I can get the city to put up the money we need. I will find out who the city Counselman is for this neighborhood and see what I can get.”
Jeff’s adrenaline was kicking into high gear, “This is a great plan! All we need now is a building!” Sammy quickly spoke up, “Whoa, before we go any further we need to talk to the rest of the family. This is going to affect them as well. They have a voice in this; except Mama. I do not want this discussed around her. All she would do is worry that something would happen to us. When it is set up and working, then we will show her. Agreed?” Jeff and Dale agreed. “This is going to take a lot of planning” said Jeff. “I know” said Sammy, “but we will do what it takes. Let’s go see if we can find a building.”
They drove around for a while and finally located a building that was a community center. It was in bad shape but had potential. The best part about it was that it belonged to the city, so they had a very good chance of getting it. With a lot of elbow grease, perseverance and time, the plan could very well become a reality!
They drove back to Sammy’s house and the girls were all there. When Sammy was alone with Linda he told her that they had a plan for helping the old neighborhood, but they needed to get Mama out of the house before he could discuss it with everyone. He didn’t want her to know anything about it until they got it set up. Linda said, “Mama has been wanting to get her hair done. I can take her and drop her off at the beauty shop and she can call me when she is done.” Sammy thought that was an excellent idea. “We’ll wait till you get back to go over the plan.” Linda chuckled, “Let me go ask her first.” Mama went willingly; nothing like a day at the beauty shop to make a lady feel good!
When Linda got back, they all gathered in the living room. Sammy asked Linda how long Mama would be there. She told him about two or three hours. “Ok good” said Sammy. “Let’s get started. Jeff, this is your baby, so you have the honors to tell them.” Jeff said, “First of all, it may be my idea, but it is a family matter we are all going to be involved in. It won’t be easy, and we will need a lot of resources. But if we work together we can get this done and help a lot of people. We can change lives, but we must be dedicated to this 100%.” So, Jeff laid out the plan. Susan said, “Your right, we’re going to have to have a lot of resources. I have an ideal. I have a friend that coordinates fund raisers for different projects. Maybe I can get her interested in this and be willing to help.”
“That’s great!” Jeff said. “We need all the help we can get.” Dale added, “One thing everyone is forgetting; the gangs! They are not going to sit back and do nothing. They will try to stop us. We cannot deal with them ourselves.” Sammy said, “While I was waiting on Linda I made a phone call to some friends of ours. Some veterans we helped are contacting others. We’ll see what happens. Monday, I will go down and talk to the police chief and the Counselman. Maybe we can get them to work with us.”
Everyone was getting excited and anxious to get started, except Dale. He had his doubts, but didn’t say anything. He didn’t think the rest of the family realized what they were facing. They were going into a neighborhood that was controlled by gangs and drugs. The people who lived there were too scared to do anything. This neighborhood was the gang’s stronghold and they would not relinquish it lightly. Dale was worried that someone in his family would get hurt or killed. Even though he felt like it was a hopeless cause, he had ever intention to give it his best for Jeff’s sake. He was happy Jeff had taken an interest in something, but did it have to be something that was so dangerous? He would hide his fears and show enthusiasm.
Monday afternoon Sammy went into Linda’s office and asked her to get the family together right after work. “Call Mama and tell her we are going to be late getting home and go ahead and feed the kids. We’ll go out for dinner. I have some good news to report.” Linda asked what is was. “I’ll tell you with the others. I’ve got to finalize one thing first.” Linda’s curiosity peaked, “You can’t even give me a hint?” Sammy smiled and said, “No sorry, you will have to wait.” With a pouty face and a smile, she replied, “But that’s not fair!”
After work they all met at their favorite restaurant. They were anxious to hear the news, and Sammy kept teasing them by dragging it out. “Shall we order?” asked Sammy. “Come on and tell us” Jeff said. Sammy gave in. “Well the police department is going to step up patrols and they are going to put a task force in the neighborhood to key up on gang members. The city council is going to let us use the building on a five-year contract for free provided we use it for nothing but the benefit of the community. They will also give us a few things to go with it like computers, desks, and things like that. The utilities, and fixing it up is on us, and anything else we need. I got a call from a couple of our veteran friends. T
en vets will be here in two weeks to help us out, and ten more a week later.” Jeff was elated, “That is great!”
Sammy said, “Jeff this is your baby. Any ideas where we are going to get the money to put the center in shape?” Sharon jumped in and said, “Maybe I can help with that. I talked to my friend that does fund raisers and she said she would organize a donation drive to raise money.” Vickie said, “I went on line and found out that there is government agency that will give money for projects like this. I’ll contact them.” It was Linda’s turn to contribute. She said, “One thing we have to do is get the neighborhood people involved. We all have full time jobs and there is no way we can devote full time to this project. We must get the community to help us.”
Jeff stood up and said, “I want to say something. I know this is a hair brain idea and it’s going to take a lot of work and money to pull off. But you must understand all of you have given Vickie and me so much. You have made us part of your family and given us love when we had no hope. For that I am grateful. I want to give something back, I want to show what I have been shown; there are people out there that do care, that there is hope! I couldn’t do this without you and I humble myself before you. Thank you.” Sammy said, “You are welcome. You and Vickie are family; Mama has declared it so.” They all laughed. “We want to help you anyway we can.”
Dale said, “There is one thing we haven’t talked about yet. There are ten vets coming in two weeks and ten after that. Where are we going to put them and how are we going to feed them?” “Good question” said Sharon, “any ideas?” Linda said, “Well I’ve been thinking about that and the only option I can see is the community center.” Sammy said “I will go tomorrow and see about getting the utilities turned on. After work, we will get Mama to watch the kids and we’ll all go down and look the center over.”
Linda explained, “We need twenty beds of some kind and a kitchen set up. Maybe we can get a used commercial oven, a refrigerator, a long table and chairs.” Sammy said, “First, let’s see what’s there. I will get the keys to the center when I see about getting the utilities turned on.” Linda said, “Vickie, Sharon and I will make a list of what we need.” Sammy reminded them in less than two weeks twenty veterans would be coming in and they had to be ready. “Our priority is making our arriving veterans comfortable and safe.” Everyone agreed.
