| Chapter Twenty Another Warning From Daddy |
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| The next morning when Wendy finally woke, she felt the hot sun streaming through the window and knew she had over slept. When she looked at the clock, she couldn't believe it was almost lunch time. How come Daddy had allowed her to sleep that long. She quickly dressed and headed downstairs. "Where is Daddy?" she asked as David approached. "Wendy, Dad had to take Nadia to the hospital last night, she is really sick," he replied. �Dad put me and Jessica in charge, but he should be back soon. Wendy couldn't believe it. What if dad had looked for her last night before he left. If he had, She knew she would be in deep trouble. Wendy walked all around Barrington, looking for Ricky. When she found him, he was pulling some of the smaller kids around in a wagon. Ricky saw her coming and he smiled. "Hey sweet pea." "Ricky, we have to talk.� Ricky sent the children to play on the swings. He took hold of Wendy�s hand and led her to a nearby tree. Together they sat in the grass. "What's the matter," he asked. "My dad took my little sister to the hospital last night, and I think he knows I wasn't in my bed. I can't find Jessica to ask her and I'm scared.� "Don't worry so much. It will be ok," he replied. "No, you don't understand. My dad didn�t just say no boyfriends. He told me the day you arrived, that I was to stay away from you.� �What?� Wendy looked at the ground. �Daddy said I was to stay away from you because of your trouble.� �Wendy you should have told me.� �Are you mad at me?� �No. I could never really be mad at you, but if your father told you to stay away, then I should have known this in the beginning. "Ohh, I don't want to be in trouble and I don�t know how to tell my father you and I are friends." �I think it�s going to be easier than you think,� Ricky replied as he pointed to Mark walking toward them. Ricky and Wendy both jumped up. Wendy quickly brushed off her skirt. "Daddy, how is Nadia?" she asked as Mark got with in ear shot. Mark never spoke. He reached down and took hold of Wendy's arm and headed back to the school. "Nadia is sick, and has to stay in the hospital for a few days but she should be fine. I just have to be there with her. Mark kept Wendy with him as he gathered the rest of his children and told them about Nadia. �Jessica and David, I need you two to help me. All of you get your chores done and watch the younger kids. If you need anything, there are adults all around you. Behave yourselves.� He then excused them, but he asked David and Wendy to stay. Wendy looked at David and then her father. Wendy knew her father hadn�t grabbed her by the arm and led her back to the school just to tell her Nadia was sick. "David, your little sister seems to be a bit infatuated with a young man that has just been here a couple weeks. I have talked to you about this before Wendy, and your brother is going to be watching you for me.� "But Daddy. That�s not fair. Ricky and I are just friends and we�re not doing anything wrong.� "Then you have nothing to worry about. I can't be here and David has my permission to send you to your room, if you don't obey the rules.� "You mean it�s ok for us to be friends? �Wendy. I know the two of you have been talking even thought I told you to stay away from him. I talked to Mr. Stein and he told me Ricky seemed to be adjusting to Barrington and that friends might do him some good. Still, friends are all you can be Wendy!� Mark raised his brow. �Yes sir. I understand.� "Good then. I need to get back to Nadia." Mark turned and left the room. Nadia remained in the hospital for the entire week. Mark divided his time between the hospital and the School but didn�t have as much time to dedicate to his other children or get much sleep. Wendy spent the day doing her chores. Between three and four thirty when Alex was in the library pretending to read, Wendy was upstairs reading and taking notes for her. After supper Wendy helped with Sarah and spent time with her brothers and sisters. Tired from sneaking into the closet in the middle of the night, Wendy would often slip into her pajamas around seven and be asleep shortly after. With her father gone, she wasn�t worried about her behavior catching on but Jessica often wondered if Wendy was still sneaking out. She hadn�t seen or heard anything since she warned Wendy about doing such a thing against their fathers instructions so Jessica didn�t question Wendy�s tired behavior. After sitting up all night with Nadia, Mark decided to go home and eat breakfast with his children. "Wendy. Are you feeling ok sweetie," Mark asked as he sat at the table with her in the dining room. "I'm fine Daddy. Just tired," she replied. Mark had his doubts and wanted to make sure he wasn�t going to have another sick child on his hands. When she finished eating, Mark took Wendy to see the school nurse. She gave Wendy a quick check. She told Mark that Wendy seemed fine, but she felt Wendy wasn't getting enough sleep. Mark took her to her room, tucked her into her bed, and told her to take a nap.. Wendy insisted she didn�t need a nap but Mark stood firm. "No Wendy, I want you to keep yourself in that bed. I will check on you later," he replied as he left the room. Wendy laid there and in no time at all, she was sound asleep. When she woke again, the clock on her bedside table told her it was well into late afternoon. Wendy felt so much better and she was glad that her father had made her sleep. Wendy thought about Ricky and she wondered what he had been up to all day while she napped Wendy jumped out of bed and stretched her arms high into the air. She felt like a lazy cat on a sunny afternoon. She tossed the covers around to make her bed look a little made up, then she grabbed a change of clothes and headed for the shower. She figured she had just enough time to visit with people before she went to the cafeteria for dinner. As Wendy walked down the long hall in search of people, she was surprised to see her father. "Daddy your back?" "Hi princess," he replied. "Yes we're back, but Daddy is very tired. Mark motioned Wendy into the nursery. "Ohhh Daddy. She looks so pale," she replied as she looked at little Nadia. "What are all of those marks on her arms and legs daddy?" Wendy whispered. Mark rubbed his face and then took hold of Wendy's hands. "Wendy, Nadia is very sick. Do you know what Diabetes is?" "Sort of," she replied. Mark explained it to her and told her of the things that they had to do for Nadia in order to keep her feeling well. "She has to get shots every single day?" Wendy asked. "Yes every single day," he replied. " That�s why she has the marks she has now. But she is better, and right now she only has to have her shots two times a day. "Wendy said nothing, as she stood there and watched little Nadia sleep. Wendy turned and gave Mark a quick hug before leaving the nursery. Wendy desperately wanted to find Ricky, since she hadn't seen him all day. She headed down the hall and checked a few of the social rooms. He wasn�t there. She checked the library. He wasn�t there either. Wendy headed into the cafeteria, but of the few kids that sat around the tables waiting to get into line for dinner, Ricky wasn�t one of them. Wendy headed out the side doors into the court yard. She walked around the side of the building and checked out their favorite tree. He wasn�t there either. As she headed back toward the school, she heard a girls voice calling to her. Wendy turned around. �Wait up girl!� she yelled. �You going inside for dinner?� �Well I am now, but I was sorta looking for someone.� �You looking for Ricky?� Wendy looked at Camille with a scrunched face. She wondered how she could know about them. �Ohh Wendy. Everyone knows you like him.� �They do?� �Well you do like him don�t you?� "Yes I like him, but how did you know?� "Well I just thought I'd let you know it's all over the school," "That we like each other?" Wendy said in surprise. "No stupid. That he got his ass whipped last night because he was over visiting with you! Mr. Stein caught him sneaking in real late and no one�s seen you all day. Still you don't look to bad for a girl who got a spanking from her Daddy." Wendy couldn't believe it. If Ricky had gotten caught and it was all over the school, then how come her father hadn�t said anything to her yet. Wendy suddenly felt sick to her stomach. "I didn't get spanked, and I don't know where Ricky was last night. I was sick this morning and my dad made me go back to bed is all." "You mean it's just a rumor?" Camille exclaimed "It has to be, because I would never let him into my room. Besides, Jessica would never allow it anyway," she replied. �Yeah you�re right about that.� Together the girls continued through the doors of the cafeteria. Many kids were now in line for food and Wendy searched the room for Alex. She worried about Ricky and desperately wanted to know more. �Alex! Alex!� Wendy yelled. I heard Ricky got into trouble.� �Yeah I heard too. You should really talk to David. He�s the one that knows. Wendy stayed in line and waited to get her dinner. She searched the room and spotted David sitting at a far table next to the windows. �Well if it ain�t little miss sleepy head. I heard you slept most of the day.� Wendy just looked at David. She sat down and took a few bites of her food before she got the nerve to ask David about Ricky. �Is he ok?� she asked. �Is who ok?� David looked at Wendy then gave her a stern look. �I told you this would be trouble for you. Stay away from Ricky.� �But I didn�t do anything wrong. I just like him and want to know what happened.� �Mr. Stein caught Ricky sneaking back up to his room. He questioned him but Ricky wouldn�t tell him where he had been so Mr. Stein told him to go to bed. I think it was around seven this morning. I was on my way to take a shower when I saw Mr. Stein going into Ricky�s room. I sort of decided to wait and see what was going on. A couple minutes later Ricky�s room mate came out in his pajamas. He said Mr. Stein told him to get up and to go out into the hall. I stood there with him, and then we heard Mr. Steins giving Ricky a pretty good lickin.� Wendy held her stomach with one hand and her mouth with the other. �Wendy, he refused to tell Mr. Stein where he had been.� �And everyone thinks he was over with me,� she replied. David shook his head. �Does Daddy think that too?� �Dad doesn�t know what to think but you can plan on getting talked to about it.� Wendy looked around the room. She felt close to tears. �Wendy. If he�s been coming over to see you, then you best not lie to Dad about it. That will only make things worse for you.� �I don�t know where Ricky has been sneaking off to.� As she looked up from her plate, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Wendy turned around. Mark stood looking down at her. �Well now that you�ve heard, when you�re finished with your supper I think you and I had best go for a walk and talk about this.� �Yes sir,� she replied. Wendy finished her dinner, then took a seat at her table again and waited for her father to retrieve her. When Mark finished his super, he went to Wendy�s table and took hold of her hand. Together they walked down the long hall of the school and headed toward her room. "Wendy. There are many things being said and I'm to tired to play games. I�m going to ask you and I want the truth from you." "Daddy, you don�t have to ask. It's just a rumor, I would never allow any boy in my room, and he wasn't in my room last night Daddy, I swear." she explained. Mark stood there and looked at Wendy. "The rumor is that Ricky has been sneaking over in the middle of the night to see you. Then this morning you were tired. When I talked to Mr. Stein he said Ricky wouldn�t say where he had been going. Then this morning Ricky insisted he had only gone for a walk. When Mr. Stein asked him about the other three night he wasn�t in his room, Ricky wouldn�t say anything. If you have something to confess, now is the time, because if you lie to me and I find out different, I won�t be lenient with you Wendy. "I know dad, but I haven�t done anything wrong.� Wendy truly believed she hadn�t done anything wrong so she didn�t feel this was lying. Mark knelt down, got real close to Wendy's face, and looked right into her eyes. "Ok princess, I believe you, but remember what I said. You're to young for a boyfriend. I don't want to Wendy, but if I find out you lied to me, I will wear out your behind, do you understand that?" "I know Daddy. I know," she replied "Ok then. You may go now.� "Wendy felt very lucky. Ricky had saved her after all, by keeping it a secret. It still had to be over. She hated deceiving her father but she didn't want to get Ricky into more trouble by confessing and getting Ricky sent to Mr. Parker and his dreaded strap. Wendy knew that their days in the linen closet were over. |