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Chapter 15: Don’t even think about it!
Diana and Walker were pleased with the quick recovery of their
son. Within a few hours of receiving the antibiotics and the liquid
IV supplement he was responding to the medications. They brought
him home later that afternoon and he slept for the rest of the day.
Exactly as Lillian had predicted he awoke the next morning a little groggy
and uncomfortable but by afternoon he was objecting because he wasn’t allowed
out of the bed to play. Sunday his appetite returned and he was running
around the house, limping slightly because he was shifting his weight up
on his toe rather than step down on his heel that was still sore but his
energy levels were back to normal.
They let the boys play, enjoying the fact that the scare was
over and relieved that the incident hadn’t become a serious health threat.
But, as their parents they knew there were serious overtones to the incident.
They waited until the boys were ready for bed Sunday night and then they
sat them down and had a long talk about the dangers of talking to strangers
and making friends without keeping their parents informed.
“But, Daddy, Lily is a nice lady,” Zac protested.
‘I agree with you, she is,” Walker tried to explain to the three-year old. “But, she could have been someone that could have hurt you. And, I have to tell you boys,” he said directing his attention to Ike and Taylor. “I have to hold you two more responsible because we have had this talk several times before and obviously you aren’t paying attention.”
“Sorry,” both boys intoned together.
“Sorry, doesn’t cut it boys,” Walker warned. “In addition to talking to strangers and not protecting you little brother, you also went beyond your boundaries. The tidal pools are past the white house up the beach.”
Ike looked at Taylor and he looked back with worry. They knew they has been caught.
“It’s just a little bit past the white house,” Zac said.
“That little bit counts,” Walker explained. “If you hadn’t been in the tidal pools, Taylor wouldn’t have been have gotten sick!”
“So, we’re in trouble?” Ike guessed somewhat resigned.
“That’s what it comes down to,” Walker warned. “For the one week, total restriction, no video games, no beach, no pool, and no music.”
“No music!” Ike and Taylor exclaimed together.
“No music, no singing, no playing, I don’t even want you guys to think about it.” Walker said sternly. “You need to understand that what you did was very dangerous.”
The boys nodded and unhappily got into their beds. Zac had only paid attention to one part of the punishment--no video games and he punched his brother in arm because he was mad at him. “Your fault!” he gripped as he crawled into his end of the twin bed.
Taylor rolled over to face his brother in the other twin bed beside his own. “Ike I’m sorry I got you in trouble.”
Ike rolled over. “It wasn’t your fault, Tay,” he answered. “We all knew the tidal pools were past the white house.”
Taylor rolled over again to face the wall and a tear trailed down his cheek. He pulled his pillow over his head.
By late Tuesday evening, Diana was a little concerned. As soon as Walker came home from work, she spoke to him quietly and pointed him in the direction of their middle son.
Taylor was sitting on the couch drawing on a pad.
“Hey little buddy,” Walker exclaimed sitting down beside his son. “Mommy says you’re a little sad. Are you upset about the punishment?”
Taylor looked up at his father and shook his head solemnly. “No.”
Walker tried another tactic. “Are you feeling okay?”
“Yes,” Taylor answered.
Walker lifted his son over into his lap. ‘You know, little guy, it’s okay to be upset. Being under punishment isn’t fun for anyone.”
‘I’m not upset, Daddy,” Taylor said softly. “I’m just sorry I’m so.... bad.”
Walker pulled his son closer to him in a hug. “Tay, you’re not ‘so.... bad’. You’re just a little guy that got into a little bit of trouble.” Taylor didn’t respond to him, he just looked up and then leaned back into his fathers shoulder for comfort.
Diana looked around the corner and Walker just shrugged and shook his head slightly. He hadn’t managed to break through his son’s despondency.
* * * *
Walker spent part of his work day checking various drilling sites. He had just gotten back to the offsite drilling office when he was handed a message by the managers secretary.
He called back into his office immediately. “Sheila, what do you need?”
“Walker, your wife called and she needs for you to come home as soon as you possibly can.” his secretary exclaimed.
“What’s wrong, is it one of the kids?’ Walker demanded.
“No sir, no one is sick, but she said that Taylor was crying hysterically and she can’t get him to stop.”
“Crying!” Walker exclaimed. “About what?”
“Walker, I don’t know. I only know what she said on the phone.” Sheila exclaimed. “Why on earth don’t you have a phone out there anyway?’
“I’ve tried, but for some reason they keep messing up the order,”
Walker explained with aggravation. “Okay, I’m heading back and I’ll
stop by the house on the way.”
Walker broke several speed limits on the way back across the
island. He entered his home to find a distressed Diana walking the
floor.
“What’s wrong?” Walker demanded.
“I don’t know,” Diana exclaimed. “He started crying a little after ten and he been crying ever since. The more I try to talk to him the more hysterical he becomes. The only thing he keeps saying over and over again is that ‘he’s bad’ and that ‘he can’t stop his head and that he’s going to hell’ Nothing I say makes a difference. He’s going to make himself sick.”
“He’s six years old and he thinks he’s going to hell?” Walker
exclaimed puzzled.
Diana, hands on hips, looked at her husband with exasperation
and he took off to the bedroom.
The bedroom was empty, but Walker could hear him sobbing.
He opened the closet door and picked his son up off the floor and carried
him over to the bed.
“Hey, now baby,” he soothed. “I need to find out what’s
going on here.”
Taylor just cried harder.
Walker was patient but stern. “Okay, Tay, I can’t talk to you until you stop crying. You can’t cry and talk at the same time. Now why don’t you tell me what the problem is?”
Taylor sobbed for a few more minutes and finally he mumbled something.
“What was that?” Walker asked.
“I’m sorry I’m so bad and I’m going to hell. I can’t
stop my head.” the boy sobbed.
“Taylor, I’ve told you before. You are not bad.” Walker
exclaimed. “And, at six you are far to young to have done anything
bad enough to wind up in hell. And, what is wrong with your head?”
“I can’t stop it, Daddy. I tried, but it won’t stop!”
“What won’t stop?” Walker demanded. “Does your head hurt?”
The little boy buried his head again in his father chest and cried. “I can’t stop the music. It’s in my head and I can’t stop it!”
“Why would you want to stop the music?” Walker asked.
“Because you said to, you said we couldn’t even think about music!” Taylor sobbed. “But I can’t stop it in my head! I tried, honest I did, but it won’t stop! I’m bad and I’m going to hell!”
Walker growled and hugged his son close and rubbed his chin down on the top of his blond head.
“Taylor, Taylor, Taylor, what am I going to do with you?” Walker exclaimed.
“I’m sorry, Daddy!” the boy sobbed totally misinterpreting his father reaction.
“No, No,” Walker exclaimed. “You haven’t done anything to be sorry for, except for sneaking up to the tidal basins. This is my fault. Stop crying because I need to talk to you.” He set his son down on the bed and went into the bathroom and came out with a wet washcloth and washed his face.
“Okay, we need to get this straight,” Walker exclaimed. “Once and for all, you are not bad and you certainly aren’t going to hell. I was very wrong to tell you, you couldn’t think about music. I can’t control what goes on in your mind. No one can. If you’re inclined to think about music, you will think about music. My telling you that you couldn’t was wrong.”
“Daddy’s can’t be wrong,” Taylor said confused.
“Oh, yes we can,” Walker corrected. “Tay, sometimes we grown-up don’t know what we are doing either. I was wrong to use your music as a punishment. I am very sorry for that and I promise, I won’t do it again.”
There was a slight knock on the door and Diana opened the door. “It sounds a little quieter in here, have you solved the crisis?”
“I think so,” Walker exclaimed. “Would you call Ike and Zac in here. I need to talk them also.”
As soon as the boys were seated on the bed, Walker apologized to the them for taking away their music as part of their punishment. He rescinded his original punishment and told them they could play and practice and much as they wanted but the restrictions from the beach and pool still stood for another four days.
Twenty minutes later there were four happy children sitting around the kitchen table and eating ice-cream. Except for his reddened eyes, there was little evidence of Taylor’s crying spell that had left his parents so distressed. He was laughing and eating with his brothers and sister and all was forgotten and forgiven.
Diana walked with her husband back to his car. “All this was because he couldn’t stop thinking about music?”
Walker nodded his head with disbelief. “Well at least we know he has a very clear cut conscience. He listens, and he hears, but he takes it very literally. He really thought that he was being bad because he couldn’t stop thinking about music.”
“If Tay was feeling that bad, how was Ike feeling?” Diana questioned. “He has taken their music so much more to heart.”
Walker shook his head. “Bad move on my part,” he admitted. “But, don’t ask Ike. I don’t think I could take another hysterical child today.”
Diana laughed. “Don’t worry about. I don’t think I’ll be able to pry either one of them away from the keyboard for the rest of the day.”