lightened, it was all but impossible for someone not to take that first plunge.
Long-time friends, Jamie and Alexis Brown, were those first two.
“So how are you two coping?” Jamie asked. “I mean really.”
The remaining couple, Tom and Jane Jenkins, shared an uncertain glance.
“I think we’ve crossed the last big hurdle,” Patrick said after he and Amy shared their own uncertain glance.
With the exception of police and close family, the couple had not shared any details about their ordeal at Crescent Lake to anyone, yet knew it would ultimately surface one day and need to be addressed. They had even rehearsed what should and should not be divulged. The gist of the tragedy had already been learned (how could it not after the media coverage it had received), but it was the details that were shaky ground. A vague synopsis of the goings-on could be discussed, but gruesome particulars (Patrick biting off a nose; Amy jamming a nail file into a man’s balls; et al) were better left locked away in a vault that even the Lamberts struggled to open.
“How so?” Alexis prodded.
Taking a healthy pull from her chardonnay, Amy said, “Patrick and I have been seeing a therapist who has helped us a great deal. He helps us try to place the incident in the same category as a bad dream. It will surely haunt us, likely forever, but time will hopefully be our ally. The more we can distance ourselves from everything and remove all traces of the affair, the less impact it will have over time. At least that’s what we’re being fed.” Amy ended with an awkward laugh. The table’s placating laugh that followed was even more awkward.
“What about the trial?” Jamie asked.
“Of course we’ll eventually have to revisit some unpleasant memories at the trial, but we’re not even thinking about that right now. Right now is all about healing immediate wounds.” She took another decent swallow from her glass. “Like I said; lessen the impact…”
“Speaking of wounds, how are…?” Tom motioned his hand over his own torso, hinting at the physical wounds Amy and Patrick had endured.
Patrick touched the scar on his stomach; the wounds on his face had long been healed. “Well, they’re a reminder of course.” He looked at Amy who rubbed the spot above her right breast. “Something that has unfortunately tattooed us with the memory of everything, but…as Amy said, we’re hoping time will be our ally.”
“Any pain?” Jane asked.
“Not too bad anymore,” Amy said, rubbing her chest again. “It was pretty bad at first. God bless Codeine and wine.”
Another placating laugh from the table, though less awkward than before.
The six adults sat in silence for a beat. Some took sips from their drinks, others poked at the remains on their plates. It was only a matter of time before the next question was carefully measured and delivered.
“How about the kids?” Jamie asked. “How are they holding up?”
Patrick said, “The psychologists we’ve worked with said they have youth on their side. Said that at their age, their resiliency can prove surprisingly strong.”
Alexis said, “You seem as if you don’t agree.”
Patrick gave a partial shrug. “I’d have to agree as far as Caleb is concerned, but Carrie…” He glanced at Amy. His look asked his wife if she felt comfortable with continuing, and it asked if this was indeed one of those details that was better left alone. She answered him by answering the table.
“Carrie’s been struggling ever since we got home,” she said. “She was sleeping with us up until a couple of weeks ago. She still wakes up screaming and crying from nightmares.”
Alexis put a hand to her chest. “Oh, the poor thing.”
Tom wrinkled his brow. “Wait…so Caleb’s okay?”
“We don’t know,” Patrick said. “He seems okay. In fact, he seems a little too okay. And to be honest, that has us a bit worried. We asked the doctor about it; we were worried that he was in shock, or so traumatized by everything that he had somehow suppressed it. But one of the doctors told us that if he hasn’t exhibited any distressing behavior thus far, then he should be fine. I’m not sure I agree with all that, but hey, what the hell do I know?”
“I’m not sure I agree either,” Tom said. “How could it not affect him?”
“The doctor said it most assuredly did, but that because of Caleb’s age, he likely couldn’t comprehend what the hell was going on. Again, it goes back to the whole resiliency thing