My Brother's Keeper

by Tim Miller

  "No! Don't go! Don't take Bobby! No! No!" He screamed.

  Nadine ran out and pried him away, and picked him up around the waist and let him kick and scream.

  "Don't worry Simon. You'll be ok. I'll be back soon. I love you, buddy."

  "No! No! No-o-o-o! You have to protect me! You have to protect me!" he cried now gasping for air as he screamed.

  As Bobby sat in the squad car, and the door closed, he looked out the window to see Simon continuing to scream as their mom tried to carry him inside. Neighbors were lined up outside to watch the show. Bobby hoped they were well entertained. He noticed the looks of disgust on their faces, more at Simon's fit than Bobby being taken away. He knew their neighbors hated them. As they drove away, Simon had stopped hitting their mom and began hitting himself in the head with his tiny fists. He'd never seen Simon do that before, but it couldn't be a good sign. He just hoped he wouldn't be locked up for too long.

  Chapter 10

  Thankfully, Rev. Summers showed up a little early. Simon had not stopped screaming since Bobby had been hauled away. Nadine tried to keep herself calm and not repeat the other night; certainly, not right before the Reverend arrived. He came in carrying his Bible.

  "Wow, I hear him. He having a bad evening?" he asked.

  "Bobby got arrested again, for hitting some boys at school. He claims they were picking on Simon."

  "Wow, that's too bad. I hope he's not in too much trouble."

  "We'll see. They usually let him go after a few days."

  She walked him into the other room where Simon was lying on the floor screaming.

  "Simon! This is Reverand Summers. He's going to try and help you," she explained.

  "No! Leave me alone! I hate you!" Simon screamed.

  "Hi Simon," Rev. Summers said as he knelt down. "I'm going to pray with you ok?"

  "No! Leave me alone! I want Bobby! Bring back Bobby!" he screamed before letting out another long shriek. Rev. Summers put his hand on Simon's forehead and began praying. He cited the Lord's Prayer over and over before moving on to Psalm 23.

  "As I walk through the valley of the shadow of Death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me. Father in Heaven, I ask that you heal this boy. I ask that you reach down to Simon and expel these demons from his life. To the creature tormenting Simon, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, I command you to leave him at once!" Nadine looked on hopefully as the reverend continued praying and quoting various scripture. At one point, Simon jumped to his feet and hissed at him.

  "Go away!" Simon hissed and ran past him and up the stairs. His sudden change in behavior caught Nadine off guard. While she hadn't expected a lot from this ritual, she was shocked to see him respond that way. Maybe there really was a demon? What if that's all it was and Rev. Summers could get it out? That might just be too good to be true. She would love to have a normal little boy.

  They stood and ran up the stairs after Simon. She looked in his room but he wasn't anywhere in sight. Bending down, he was under his bed and back against the wall. He'd stopped crying and was now heaving and squeezing Mr. Tickles.

  "Can you help me move the bed?" she asked as they both took a side and slid it out of the way. She leaned across and grabbed him by the arm. Simon began screaming again as she pulled him onto the bed and held him down. Rev. Summers once again put his hand on the boy's head and resumed praying. Simon screamed and thrashed about, banging his head against the mattress as Nadine held him down as much as she could. Simon's eyes rolled back into his head as he started thrashing and growling. He even looked like he was foaming at the mouth. She looked at the reverend who just nodded to her.

  "This is normal," he said. "The demon is getting angry and lashing out."

  It didn't look like a demon. It looked like he was having a seizure. After several minutes of shaking and growling Simon went still.

  "I think he's passed out," she said.

  "Good, the demon will be dormant." Rev. Summers said as he kept praying, keeping his hand on Simon's forehead. At some point, the Reverend relaxed a little too much, and Simon's eyes snapped open as he bit his hand.

  Rev. Summers tried to pull it away, but Simon's teeth sunk in deeper. Nadine tried to pull him off, but he wouldn't let go. Rev. Summers smacked Simon on the side of the head with his bible, stunning Simon but loosening his grip at least. The Reverend jumped back holding his hand and shaking it. He pointed his Bible out in front of him and continued chanting and praying.

  For the next several hours, Rev. Summers repeated the ritual over and over. Nadine wasn't Catholic, but this didn't resemble anything she had seen in the movies. To be honest, she wasn't sure what he was doing. His prayers and chants seemed to change and shift at random, but none had any results. Simon never stopped screaming and barely let up to take a breath. She had no idea how the kid just kept going.

  Finally, Rev. Summers turned and walked out of the room. She got up and followed him as Simon remained on the bed kicking and screaming. Out in the hall, he walked to the stairway and sat down on one of the steps.

  "What's wrong?' she asked, but could see he was soaked with sweat.

  "I'm exhausted. I think I have to call it a night." While she was expecting this sooner or later, it still made her heart sink to hear. So much for what ray of hope she may have had to fix Simon.

  "Did it work at all?" she asked.

  "I don't think so. If it is a demon, and I do think it is, it is very powerful. Incredibly powerful."

  "How do we get it out?"

  "I'm not sure. I've never dealt with one such as this. You may need to bring him to the church, and we can have the elders all pray with us. The more, the better. Even then I don't know."

  "I see," Nadine said.

  "I need to go. It's very late. I'm so sorry. I thought this might be worth a shot."

  "It's ok. I understand." Actually, she didn't understand any of this and was angrier at him for getting her hopes up on something she already knew was bullshit. However, when you're desperate, you'll try anything. The fact was there were no demons. It couldn't possibly be that simple; this was all Simon. Bringing Rev. Summers here only made Simon worse.

  She stopped in the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. Seeing the woman staring back at her only made her more depressed. Her appearance was haggard and tired. She was only thirty-five but looked like she was in her fifties. After this failed exercise, it was evident the only monster in this house was her. Sure, Simon was a little monster himself, but if she were even remotely capable of coping, she could do something that would help Simon in some way. But she wasn't. She'd accepted long ago she was a shallow and selfish person. It was just too bad it took her having a child like Simon to realize this.

  One thing she did know if there was a God, he sure as hell wasn't about to start helping her now. She stayed by the stairs as he walked down and out the front door after saying a quick goodnight. From the room, she could hear Simon still going full blast. There was no way she could deal with another night of this.

  She stood and went back into Simon's room and picked him up. At least he was no longer flailing. He just sat in her arms and screamed. He cried for Bobby and then just screamed at nothing. Once in her room she sat him on the bed and walked to the closet. Digging out some old laundry she found it; her husband's old footlocker. She kept some of his things stored in there, but most of his items were in the extra dresser she never used.

  Nadine slid it out and removed what things of his were in there, a pair of old shoes and some books, and sat them on a shelf in the closet. She grabbed Simon and carried him over to the footlocker, ripped Mr. Tickles from his hands and threw it across the room. That set off a completely new fit. He screamed and began hitting her in the arms and face. She lay him down in the footlocker, but he grabbed a handful of her hair and wouldn't let go.

  She slapped him hard across the face. The sound made a loud "crack" throughout the room. He kept screaming and didn't let go. She grabb
ed his hand and began prying his fingers off as he kicked at her stomach, gritting his teeth and growling. Finally, she pinched the skin on his wrist, hard. He jerked his hand away as he screamed again. She was able to pull free and slam the lid to the foot locker shut and secure the latch.

  As he kicked and screamed against the large, wooden box, she sat on top of it with her face in her hands taking deep breaths. She couldn't believe she was stuffing her son into a foot locker, but that's what she was doing. She stood and lifted the lid just a bit, to her surprise he stopped screaming and looked at her.

  "You want to act like a little shit? You want to be impossible and throw fits? Fine. You can live in here from now on," she said before closing the lid and sliding it into the closet. His muffled screams were barely audible after she closed the door and leaned up against it. Finally, she can get some sleep.

  Chapter 11

  Nadine woke up at 10 a.m. That was the longest and hardest she'd slept in as long as she could remember. Walking to the closet, she listened to the door but it was silent. At some point, Simon had stopped screaming. The footlocker had a few small holes in it, so she wasn't worried about him suffocating. She walked away and headed downstairs, smiling. This was the most rested and refreshed she'd felt in ages.

  Part of her wondered what to do about Simon. The first thing she needed to do was take the day off work. She'd call in sick and just try to enjoy the day for once. It might actually be good for her. She could go to Starbucks and catch up on her reading. It had been so long since she sat and read a good book; she probably forgot how to read. She still had the same book she'd been trying to read years ago and never finished.

  Nadine cooked herself a nice breakfast of bacon, eggs, and toast. As she slowly enjoyed her meal, she also took in the joy of the silence around her. No fighting, no screaming kids, no Simon. Just pure and simple silence. It was amazing how much she could finally hear her thoughts without all the external noise.

  Once she finished her meal, she figured she needed to feed Simon something. Last thing she wanted to do was drag him out of that box. It wasn't hurting him. He fit in there perfectly. He liked to hide under things; it could be like his permanent hiding place. Until he grows out of it at least. She opened the cupboard and grabbed a Pop Tart and a juice box from the refrigerator and headed back upstairs.

  As she walked into the room, he was screaming again. His muffled cries came through the closet door.

  "Mommy! Mommy! Help! Help me! Help!" Simon screamed.

  She opened the door and pulled out the footlocker. He stopped screaming when she threw the lid open. Simon sat up, looking at her wide eyed. His face was red and puffy from all the crying. His hair stuck out all over as he sat there, trembling. Part of her felt pity for him. It wasn't his fault he was born with autism. She could only imagine what goes through the poor boy's head constantly. Even though he was six, he often behaved like a two or three-year-old.

  Then the rest of her felt bad for herself. It wasn't her fault either he was born with autism. She had just wanted a nice family and to finish her degree and maybe go to law school. Not be a college dropout waiting tables with the devils child in tow. Her whole life shouldn't be over just because she drew the short straw when it came to kids. With that thought, what pity she had felt for him faded as she tossed the Pop Tart into his lap.

  "Here's breakfast," she said and handed him the juice box.

  "Mommy. I'm scared. Are you going to kill me mommy?" he asked.

  "No Simon. I'm not going to kill you."

  "Where's Bobby? Is he in jail?"

  "Yes, Bobby is in jail, and he won't be back for a long time. This box is your new home until I feel you've earned your way out."

  She expected him to scream, but this time tears just ran down both his cheeks as stared at her with that hurt and damaged look.

  "Lie down Simon, I need to close the lid."

  "No mommy. I don't want to. I don't want to stay in here. It's dark and scary!"

  "That's too bad Simon. You have to. Now lie down, or I'll have to make you."

  "No! I don't want to!" he began screaming as he pulled himself up and stood. Before he could climb out, she backhanded him across the face, knocking him back down. He looked at her stunned, and then screamed even louder with a deafening shriek. She grabbed him by the hair and shoved his head down and slammed the lid shut. He kicked and pounded as she secured the latches and slid him back into the closet. Now that he'd been fed, she could get dressed and enjoy her day.

  Chapter 12

  Juvenile detention was not a fun place. It was more like a camp. They had dorm rooms, and three of them slept on bunk beds. They had groups throughout the day; his was anger management group. They sat around and talked about what made them mad. Bobby made up a bunch of shit about hating his teachers and his mom. Well, he did hate his mom, but not for the reasons he gave. Not that it mattered; none of their supposed treatment did any good. It was just ways to keep the kids occupied.

  He'd just returned from a group when one of the detention officers approached him.

  "Hey Bobby," Officer Munoz said.

  "Yes, sir?"

  "You need to come with me. You got court this afternoon."

  "I do? For what?"

  "I don't know. The judge said he wanted to see you, so we gotta go."

  "Oh ok, cool I guess." Bobby followed the officer to the desk. Once there the officer placed leg shackles and belly chains around his waist, as was procedure. Bobby couldn't figure out what was going on. He went to court two weeks ago and they gave him ninety days in lock up for assaulting the other boys. He figured he wouldn't see court again. He would just do his time and head back home. Although, the sentence did make him sick to his stomach.

  A big part of him feared Simon wouldn't survive ninety days alone with their mom. Their mom might not even survive. Bobby wished he could just detach himself from the whole mess. He wasn't attached to anyone else. In fact, he actually hated most people. Simon was his brother, his only blood who didn't either leave him or treat him like shit. Simon was also utterly innocent. Most people get what they deserve; even Bobby knew he'd brought about many of his own problems. Simon though, couldn't help it; he didn't ask to be born with autism and was an amazing kid. If only their mom could see Simon as an innocent little boy and not a burden to be tossed aside.

  They arrived at the courthouse and Officer Munoz escorted Bobby inside. He shuffled through the door and into the courtroom. There were a few other people before the judge. This was some kid who'd broken some windows. Bobby laughed as the kid cried after being sentenced to a month of community service.

  Finally, it was Bobby's turn. He walked up to the judge as the old man looked down at some papers.

  "Hello, Robert. How are they treating you in detention?" the Judge asked.

  "Um, fine sir…er…your honor."

  "That's fine son. So, I know I was hard on you last time. However, since I sentenced you, one of your teachers came to see me. Mrs. Davidson?"

  She was his homeroom teacher and probably the only teacher he could stand in his school. She often saw him with Simon and would always come up and say hello.

  "Yes, sir."

  "Ok. Good. Good. She had many good things to say about you. She said you help take care of your little brother. He has special needs, is that correct?"

  "Yes, sir."

  "What about your parents?"

  "Just my mom sir. My dad is dead. Mom has a hard time with Simon. He's autistic, so I try to help as much as I can."

  "That's very mature of you. Yes, she had a lot of praise for you and you're a good student as well. Is he the one you said the boys were picking on?"

  "Yes, sir. They threw him on the ground and were kicking him. I swear. I wouldn't just walk up and start beating on people, sir."

  "Yes well, one was still hurt pretty badly. My fear is you already have some sense of responsibility, and it sounds like your brother needs you. So my question is, am I help
ing anyone by keeping you locked up?" the Judge said. Bobby didn't answer as he wasn't sure if the judge was asking himself or asking him what he thought. After a pause he continued. "So with that, I've decided to commute your sentence to a six-month probation and time served. You'll get a letter of when to check into probation. Detention staff will have you released in a few hours."

  The judge dismissed him as Officer Munoz escorted him back to the car and then back to the facility. They gave him his clothes and processed him out. The tricky part came when he called his mom to come pick him up, and her phone was off. He tried numerous times.

  "She's not answering. Her phone is off or something," Bobby said.

  "You'll have to try again in a bit I guess," Munoz said. The door behind him swung open and Miss Martin, his caseworker came walking out. She spoke like someone much older, but she wasn't that long out of college. She'd told him she graduated last year, so this was her first job. Bobby liked her, she'd always been nice to him. By liked her he means he didn't feel like punching her every few minutes.

  "I heard you're going home," she said. "No luck?"

  "My mom's phone is off," Bobby said.

  "Yeah, that doesn't surprise me. I can take him home," she said.

  "You sure?" Officer Munoz asked.

  "Yeah. I'm familiar with his mom. She may not turn her phone back on for days, and even if she does, she might not answer. It's no big deal. I'm sure Bobby wants to see his brother."

  She walked out as Bobby followed her to her car. She started the car as Bobby pulled on his seatbelt. As they drove home, he wondered about Simon and how their mom treated him the past few weeks. His anxiety increased, as they got closer to home. One thing he did know, if Simon was hurt at all, he would do whatever it took to keep Simon safe. No matter what he found when he got home, it was time to make an escape plan.

  Chapter 13