Registered Sex Offender Part 15: Eagle When She Flies

Our young hero has endured a lot of hardships in his life, and they are about to get worse. In fact with all the disappointments and setbacks he has to deal with he would probably not make it, but for a very lovely young advocate who doesn’t know her own strength until she feels compelled to summon it.

A song came to mind as I was formatting this chapter, and I felt a sudden inspiration to include it, to make the title of the song also the title of the chapter. In this story, of course, “Eagle When She Flies” refers to Kim. But as I was typing it I thought again, for the thousandth time, it could equally apply to another lady: my wife. She is indeed kind, loving and gentle, easily hurt; but strong as steel, ferocious as a tiger when she has to be; and she always feels she has to be when someone she loves is in trouble or has been wronged. Having been my wife for 39 years is ample testimony to just how incredibly strong that lady is. There are at least a dozen people I can name who will be glad to tell you that if you mess with me or any of our children, you’d better be prepared to deal with the wrath of a very strong and formidable woman, who also happens to be a sweet and loving wife, mother and grandmother.

She's been there, God knows, she's been there
She has seen and done it all
She's a woman, she knows how to
Dish it out or take it all
Her heart's as soft as feathers
Still she weathers stormy skies
And she's a sparrow when she's broken
But she's an eagle when she flies.

A kaleidoscope of colors
You can toss her around and round
You can keep her in your vision
But you'll never keep her down
She's a lover, she's a mother
She's a friend and she's a wife
And she's a sparrow when she's broken
But she's an eagle when she flies

Gentle as the sweet magnolia
Strong as steel, her faith and pride
She's an everlasting shoulder
She's the leaning post of life
She hurts deep and when she weeps
She's just as fragile as a child
And she's a sparrow when she's broken
But she's an eagle when she flies

(Song Eagle When She Flies by Dolly Parton, used without permission)

The visit from the Whitcombe’s went about as had been expected: nervous and guarded. They seemed genuinely pleased to see Chip, and equally pleased to meet Kim. But as hard as he tried, Chip could simply not hide the tension he was feeling. As the couple left early in the evening, Chip tried to apologize. “I know I’m not very good company,” he said as he walked them to their car. “I’ve kinda got a lot on my mind, so please don’t take it personally.”
“It must be hard on you,” Mrs. Whitcombe observed. “But you’ll be ok, Chip. Any fool can see that Kim loves you very much, and that will sustain you. Just allow her to love you, and allow yourself to feel her love.”
“Actually we love you too,” Alan Whitcombe said. “If there’s anything we can do for you, please let us know.” And then they were gone and Chip breathed a giant sigh of relief as he went back into the house to help Kim with the dishes.

Two weeks later Chip and the band still hadn’t heard from Murray Evandale. Chip still hadn’t declared his major, deciding instead to see what life would be like as a recording artist. He was getting more and more pressure to either crap or get off the pot, so he decided to take the matter into his own hands and call Murray. Tonight, Thursday night, was the band’s regular practice night. Chip had made arrangements to get a ride with Mark, the lead guitarist so he wouldn’t have to wait the extra period until Kim finished her last class; so Kim decided to go right home and fix a good meal. Chip would not be home until after 10, and she knew he would be exhausted and ravenous.

When Kim piloted her little car around the corner, she was surprised to see a young boy in their driveway shooting baskets. It was still only a little after 5, so she assumed it was one of the neighborhood kids. As the car drew closer she was even more surprised to recognize Chip. He was so absorbed in his solitary game he neither heard nor saw the little car glide to the curb in front of the house and stop. “Hi, handsome!” Kim called cheerily as she got out of the car. “You’re home early. Band practice canceled?”

“Uh-huh,” Chip answered without looking at her.

“How come?” she asked as she approached him. “Somebody sick or something?” Chip still hadn’t looked at her.

“Nobody’s sick,” he replied as he shot the ball, hitting the rim and missing the basket.

“Then what?” Kim asked. “I didn’t think there was anything short of death that would keep you guys from practicing.”

“They’re gone,” Chip said as he caught the ball, dribbled twice then shot again, missing the basket completely.

“Gone where? What’s happened, Honey?”

“They had to go to Nashville,” he said as he retrieved the ball, dribbled, then paused briefly and shot again. This time the ball fell directly through the hoop without even touching the rim.

“Ok, enough with the basketball!” Kim said forcefully as she caught the ball and held onto it. Finally they were looking directly at each other; the look on Chip’s face was nothing less than frightening. “Talk to me, Chip,” she ordered as she held the ball, avoiding his attempts to take it from her. “What’s happened?”

“Nothing’s happened,” Chip said weakly, “at least as far as I’m concerned. The band has a recording session in Nashville tomorrow. But I’m out.”
“You’re out? But why? I thought you were the main attraction. The rest of the band thought so too.”
“Same old shit,” Chip replied. “The record company don’t want me ‘cause I’m a registered sex offender. They said I could never be a star ‘cause the scandal would destroy me when word got out. I’m out of it, Kim!”

“It’s their loss,” she declared. “Now you can concentrate on getting on with your life. It was a nice dream, but you’re gonna make a great pediatrician.”
“That’s gonna be tough,” Chip answered. “I’m quitting. I’m gonna get a job and go to work. Scott’s getting worse they told me, and I’ve gotta make some money to buy the drugs he needs.
“You’re worried about him a lot, aren’t you, Chip?”
“I’m all he’s got, Kim. Janet doesn’t care, and neither do my parents. If he doesn’t have me he’s got nobody.”

“So how did you get home?” she asked, more as a way to change the subject than anything. She had chosen to ignore his remarks about quitting school. She was getting used to them now.
“The cops drove me home,” he answered without emotion.
“The cops? Why the cops?”
“Cause I went off on them, told them it was the least they could do after they drug me off the campus in handcuffs and made me miss my ride. I didn’t have money for a taxi so I demanded they drive me home else I’d give them a reason to hold me like they wanted to.”

A very shocked Kim stood in the driveway and listened as Chip related the scene on campus that morning when he showed up for his first class. There had been an attempted rape the night before, and the police had been waiting for him.

“They asked me if I was Chip Stockdale, and when I said I was one of ‘em put the cuffs on me and the other read me my rights. They wouldn’t tell me what it was about, just said I was going to the station for questioning. I’d probably still be there except that the girl who was attacked knows me and told ‘em she was sure it wasn’t me.”
“But why?” she demanded. “Why did they suspect you? You weren’t anywhere near the campus last night.”
“Cause I’m a registered pervert,” he answered bitterly. “That makes me a prime suspect every time something like that happens. That’s just a fact of my life now, Kim.”
“C‘mon, let’s go inside,” Kim suggested.
“It’s over, Kim,” Chip said. There were no tears now, no emotion; the tone of his voice was cold, matter-of-fact, defeated, flat. “I’m not gonna fight them any more, Kim. I know I can get a job as a computer technician, then I can work on my network certification. I’ll have money to take care of Scott, and lots of time too. It seems that since my name is on his birth certificate no one cares whether I’m a pervert or not. According to the records I’m his father, and that’s all anyone cares.”

“YOU’RE NOT A PERVERT!” she screamed so loudly she could be heard up and down the street. Several of the neighbors, out working in flower beds, getting their mail, washing their cars, looked to see what was going on.

Kim made a decision at that point. She was trying to help, to convince the boy she loved more than life that he was doing fine, that he had nothing to feel guilty about. Without a word she took her quaking lover by the hand and led him into the house and down the hall to the bedroom they’d shared since he’d been released from prison. He was in no condition to undress himself, so Kim removed his clothes; all of them.

There can be no doubt that Kim’s intentions were the best as she lovingly removed Chip’s clothes, getting him ready for bed. Although they had been sharing a room and a bed for over two months, there had been no sex, no body contact other than a kiss, a touch of hands, a hug, a cuddle. The two young lovers had decided together that they’d had enough of sex, that they could wait to discover what they could and could not do, that there was absolutely no hurry. They no longer needed sex, they had agreed. But tonight Kim felt that the young man she planned to spend her life with needed more than a few academic conclusions, a kiss and a hug. Tonight she knew he needed a lover. She could not have been more wrong.

Once Chip was naked, she pulled back the covers and gently pushed him down to the bed, then lifted his feet off the floor and swung them into position and covered him. He was like an oversized rag doll, his eyes closed, every muscle in his body completely limp. He was completely demoralized; he seemed almost unconscious even though his eyes were open.

Once he was taken care of, Kim undressed herself and crawled in beside him. She put her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply. “I love you so much,” she whispered.

There was no response, either to her kiss or to her words. A cold chill went down Kim’s back as she realized he had given up.

Undaunted, Kim began running her hands over Chip’s lithe body. She heard a muffled moan, but there was no other response. “I want you!” she whispered. “I’ve waited long enough for my man. Make love to me, Chip! Be my man tonight!”

Chip still didn’t respond. Kim felt as if she was losing him, and it had only been two months. “What is it, Honey?” she asked with genuine concern. “Can’t you please try? If you can’t, you can’t, but I think it would help if we at least try.” Unfortunately what Chip heard was not the lovely, lilting, concerned voice of his beautiful wife. What he heard was the taunting, dominating voice of his sister, of the evil, cackling, witch-like voices that had been programmed into his mind by the subliminal messages he’d received. Wishing it would go away, he didn’t answer. Kim was getting desperate. She had to find a way to get her lover back, to reassure him, to let him know that it was all right.

Desperate now, Kim slid her hand down Chip’s solid tummy toward his groin. She knew they had already agreed that this would not happen until they were both ready, but she also knew he needed her tonight as much as she needed him. Slowly, gently, carefully her hand descended. She felt the start of the hairy bush that surrounded his manhood. She thought, without really considering it, that the hair felt softer than she remembered; but then it had been a long time ago. Chip still did not move. She felt a very slight shudder in his beautiful body as her hand continued its journey.

Finally, after what seemed to Kim like hours, she touched his flaccid, dormant penis. She had never believed for one second that Chip could not achieve an erection just because he was a eunuch. True, he would never sire a child. True, his libido would be, at best, a mere fraction of what it had once been. True, they would never be the sexual couple they had been as children; but to be totally impotent, Kim simply did not believe that was possible. Not with Chip. Not if he really loved her as much as she knew he did.

Her hand grasped the limp thing and just held it. She kissed him, and he moaned softly. Her hand very slowly moved up and down on the small, limp penis it was holding, and she felt it coming to life. Kim was elated! Maybe, just maybe, she would be able to do for Chip tonight what all men needed at one time or another. They were incredibly in love, of that there was no doubt. Tonight they would express their love, and Chip’s self esteem would be restored at least a little bit. She intensified her ministrations, being careful not to appear urgent even though that was exactly what she was feeling.

When Chip felt his sex rising, all the subliminal messages, the taunting, the brainwashing and physical pain of the sex therapy he’d had came flooding back to his brain. In his mind he was again wearing that horrible leather contraption with its searing heat, its electrical impulses, its incredibly painful dildo. He emitted the most blood curdling scream Kim had ever heard as his limp body came to life. He brushed her hand away roughly, then recoiled into a ball as far away from her as he could get. “NOOOOO!” he screamed. “Never again! I’m not gonna hurt anyone like that again! NEVER!”

When she touched him again, trying to reassure him, he went running out of the bedroom. Confused and frightened, Kim went chasing after him. Both of them were still naked. Kim could not remember a time, even when she was waiting for news on Chip’s sentence, when she’d been so scared. What on earth had they done to him in that place?

She found him in the attached garage, curled into a little ball, shaking violently and crying like a baby. She tried to console him, to calm him down, but Chip was totally incoherent. “It’s ok, Chip,” she crooned. “You’re safe now.”
“I’m sorry, Kim,” he blubbered as he cowered in a kneeling position. “I won’t ever do that again.” he grasped her legs in a gesture of subservience, then quickly released them as he if he’d touched something red-hot. Kim didn’t know what to do, what was wrong, what had happened; fortunately she knew who would know.

She’s a sparrow when she’s broken,
But she’s an eagle when she flies...

“I’m sorry for coming, Ed, but... I just didn’t know what else to do,” Kim said as she sat tearfully in Ed Barker’s tiny office in the Youth Prison. “If Chip knew I was here, he’d really freak!”

By morning Chip was pretty well his old self, albeit extremely depressed and discouraged. Realizing that her lover was terrified of her, Kim had left him alone, watching him from a safe distance. Eventually Chip had stopped crying and moved stealthily and carefully into the living room, then had curled up in a ball on the sofa and immediately fell into a fitful sleep. Kim softly, gently, carefully had covered him with a blanket and left him there.

With a great deal of difficulty, Kim recounted the evening’s events to Ed. “He was getting discouraged and a little down,” she explained. “He tried to get his drivers license and they turned him down until he got an OK from his parole officer. Then his sister paid him a visit, then a phone call from his father... they won’t let him be a doctor... he lost a chance to make records... I just thought that a little intimacy would let him know that it was ok, that at least I cared. Ed, he told me he had not had an erection for two years! But when I touched him it started to happen, and that’s when he went totally berserk! I didn’t mean to put him on a guilt trip, Ed,” she said as she started to cry again. “I only wanted to... to...”

“I know what you were trying to do,” Ed said in his best consoling voice. “You can’t blame yourself, Kim. He’s had a pretty rough time. I’ve only recently found out some of the things he’d been subjected to. I was trying to make myself believe he’d got over them, but obviously I was wrong. He’s been conditioned to experience extreme pain and guilt whenever he gets an erection. How was he this morning?”
“Very quiet,” she said. “I drove him to school as usual, then as soon as he was out of sight I cut my classes and came here. I didn’t mention anything about last night because I didn’t want to set him off again, and it’s so incredibly important to him that he do well in his classes. What have I done to him, Ed?”

Ed Barker scribbled some notes before he answered. First order of business was to get himself assigned as Chip’s parole officer, even though such an arrangement was frowned upon by the Department. But he knew something that others didn’t know. “Don’t blame yourself,” he told her again. “I was afraid something like this might happen, but he seemed so happy, so confident when he left here I thought I might be wrong.”
“Wrong?” Kim questioned. “Wrong about what?”

“Shortly after Chip came to the prison,” Ed said with a sigh, “he was sent to a special facility that we had started that specializes in aversion therapy. We’ve had a lot of success in treating repeat sex offenders, but it has never been approved for teens, only adults. My boss sent him there because for some reason he’d taken a dislike to Chip. Then to complicate things Chip found himself being treated by a very abusive officer whose main goal in life was to demonstrate to his students what lowlifes they are. Then as if that weren’t enough, I found out about it halfway through the treatment program and pulled Chip out of it. I didn’t find out until months later I should have let him finish the program. He would have been totally homosexual, but at least he wouldn’t be going through what he is now.”

“Why would you do that?” Kim wanted to know. “I mean, if it’s a program for adults and makes them gay, it would seem to me that he shouldn’t have been there, should he?”
“No, he shouldn’t have,” Ed agreed. “But the truth of the matter is, allowing him to complete half the program was worse for him than letting him see it through, abusive as it was. Except that...”
“Except that what?” Kim demanded. She could see in Ed’s eyes that there was more, and he wasn’t real anxious to share it with her. “What was the program supposed to accomplish, Ed?”

“Kim, it turned out that the primary counselor of the program had added a touch of his own; something that not even the Administration knew about. He had added all sorts of subliminal messages to the audio that the patients were subjected to. For the first two days, the part of the program that Chip had, were very negative, trying to convince the men how horrible they were, that they were nothing but common predators, that the world would be a better place if they would just become eunuchs, or better still just die! That’s the reason Chip ended up getting himself castrated, Kim. He had taken the guilt, the blame, for everything bad that had happened to those he cared about and related it all to his sexuality. If I’d known then what I know now, I would have allowed him to finish the program, to experience the positive feedback in the second half. Except...”

“Except what, Ed?” Kim pressed. “You still haven’t told me what the program was supposed to do.”
“Kim,” Ed said with another of his characteristic sighs when he found himself forced to say something he didn’t want to say, “The program was supposed to turn him into a homosexual, Kim; a homosexual who is attracted to men older than himself. Chip has been programmed to experience excruciating pain and guilt every time he gets an erection. The only sex he can tolerate now is anal sex with another man, and then only if he’s on the receiving end. I had hoped he hadn’t had enough of the program to have that much of an effect, but I was obviously wrong.”

Kim sat quietly and processed the information for ten minutes; probably the longest ten minutes of Ed Barker’s life. “Are you saying...” she said very quietly, evenly, deliberately, “are you saying that if I’d been an older man when I came on to him, things would’ve been fine?”
“Probably,” Ed admitted. “I have never believed that we could make a man, or a boy, gay or straight. We are what we are, and there is a lot of evidence that we sometimes don’t discover our true sexuality until years past puberty, but I don’t think we can change our basic tendency. What we can do, and very effectively at times, is to change our behavior. So Chip’s mind has been altered to make him believe that sex with a woman, ANY woman, and particularly a young woman or a teen, is about the worst thing in the world he could ever do. He’s been conditioned to feel actual pain whenever he gets an erection, and that pain becomes excruciating if he sees the possibility of using that erection to penetrate a young female. You have to admit, Kim, you are a very young looking, very beautiful female.”

“So what do we do now?” Kim asked after again processing the information she’d received.
“I don’t know if there’s anything we can do,” Ed answered with another sigh. “First of all, I will renew my friendship with Chip on an unofficial basis, hopefully to get some sort of therapy going, to de-program him. I was originally thinking I would get myself assigned to be his parole officer, but on second thought I won’t do that. I think I could accomplish more as his friend. But you have to know, Kim, there is no easy solution. To put it as bluntly and plainly as I can, Chip has been brainwashed. I don’t know of any therapists who have had a lot of success de-programming a process that Chip has been subjected to. I’ll certainly look into it, but I’m not really hopeful. The best thing you can do is cut your losses and find someone else, Kim. If you ever want to have a rewarding relationship with a man, one that includes some sort of physical contact, Chip is not your man. I cannot offer any hope that he’ll ever come out of this.”

Kim had already missed two classes, and Ed had missed two appointments with new inmates. They had spent over four hours together, and both were growing weary. But Ed’s last advice had suddenly rejuvenated her. Now Kim was ready for a fight. “Cut my losses?” she demanded. “Do you honestly think there’s any chance of that? Do you honestly believe there’s any chance that I could do that to Chip? I thought you were his friend, Ed. If you could only hear all the things he’s said about you: how he gives you the credit for all he’s accomplished, all he’s done and all he will ever be! And you want me to just walk away because he can’t fuck me? What kind of a friend is that, Ed? I married him for better or for worse, and I meant it!”

“You’re right,” Ed said with another sigh. “I wasn’t speaking as Chip’s friend, I was speaking as a psychologist and giving you the best advice I could. If you choose not to follow that advice, I can offer my help; but I have to tell you I’m not at all sure that things will ever change.”
“So we’ll just have to change them,” Kim said defiantly.
“Kim, I’m not sure that anything can change anything,” Ed observed. “Chip is an exceptional human being, but I just don’t know if he’ll ever be anything sexually but a homosexual; what is called in the Gay community a ‘bottom.’ And having had only the first half of the training program, I don’t even know if that is a viable part of his future. You’re facing a very difficult future, if you continue to involve yourself with Chip Stockdale.”

“You’re right,” Kim admitted. “So the future is gonna be difficult. Being on that damned registry is difficult for him too. He’s running into walls everywhere he turns. So how can I make it easier for Chip? Would leaving him so he could find some male lover make it better?”
“I doubt it,” Ed replied. “He would definitely find it easier, more comfortable to involve himself sexually with another male. But he’s not gay, Kim. It would be better for him now if he was, but he’s not. He’s in love with you, Kim. I wish I could tell you he’d be happy with a man, but I know he won’t. He could have a very rewarding sex life with a man, but he wouldn’t be happy because he loves YOU! He just can’t demonstrate that love in any kind of a sexual way.”
“I can live with that,” Kim said with a smile. “Now that I know the problem, I can deal with it. Thanks, Ed. Now I know what I have to do.”

“Talk to him!” Ed had said. “Love him. Keep reassuring him and tell him it’s ok. If he wants sexual contact, at least at first, get yourself a dildo and stick it in his bottom. That’s the only stimulus he’s comfortable with right now. I’ll be talking to him, working around the problems, but it’s gonna take a long, long time. If you love him half as much as I think you do, it won’t be a chore. Eventually he’ll come out of it; at least I hope he will. But the most important thing to remember is that it’s not Chip you’re dealing with sexually, it’s what they’ve done with Chip’s mind. You can do it, Kim; and you’re probably the only person on earth who can. But above all don’t do anything behind his back. You need to tell him everything, including this conversation. His conscious mind can deal with it, even if his subconscious cannot. What we have to do is merge the two.”

“I’m beginning to see now that I was very wrong in trying to console him by trying to have sex with him,” Kim observed. “We have both already agreed that we could have a life without sex if that’s the way it has to be, and I can live with that. But what I can’t live with is how he’s so... so submissive. That’s not Chip, Ed. You know yourself that he’s been screwed over by just about everyone his whole life, but still he managed to take control and make something of himself. But now he’s just given up. There doesn’t seem to be any fight left in him.”
“I’m not surprised,” Ed agreed. “We both know that Chip has a lot of potential, but no one has given him any reason to believe he has anything to give to society, to you, even to himself. And that’s where you come in, Kim. You’re going to have to take control and force him to fight. Above all you can’t let him give up, which is what he’s done. You have to make him see that he is as good as anyone else, that he has a contribution to make, and a valued one. I’m reminded of the old saying ‘Behind every successful man there stands a good woman.’ That saying has never been more true than it is right now.”

“I understand what you’re saying,” the young lady replied. “I’ll be a different person the next time Chip sees me. There’s one more thing I can do, and I’m going to,” Kim said as she Looked Ed coldly, directly in the eye. “I’m going to sue the State, Ed.”
“You’ve probably got a very good case,” Ed said, trying and failing to appear neutral. Without saying any more he reached into his desk drawer and fished for a moment, then handed Kim a business card. “This might help,” he said, then he escorted her out of the prison. After she had gone he began working on his resume. He knew that one of the first things to go once that suit was filed would be his job. Perhaps it was time anyway.

“I had a talk with Ed Barker today,” Kim said nervously as they sat down to dinner. Chip had had a good day in school and was a little more cheerful, but still quite reserved.
“Ed?” Chip questioned accusingly. Now, he thought, she was invading his private territory. Ed was his friend, not hers! Ed was the common denominator, the constant in his life, the barrier that stood between Chip and insanity. “What on earth would you have to talk to him about?”
“Oh, nothing,” she said sarcastically. “I just thought it a bit odd that you totally freaked when I tried to comfort you. I thought Ed might have some insight.”
“Ed doesn’t know shit,” Chip answered irritably.
“I think he knows a lot more than you think he does,” Kim replied. “I think he knows more about you that you do yourself.”

Chip eyed Kim sharply. “Like what?” he challenged.
“Like that brainwashing session you had, when he took you out of the therapy you never should have been involved with in the first place.”
“That’s nothing,” Chip scoffed. “I’ve been over that for a long time.”
“That’s not what Ed said,” Kim countered. “This time I think Ed’s right on the money. He told me he thinks that’s what’s wrong with you. He thinks you’re impotent both sexually and socially because it’s just more comfortable after what you’ve been through. I think he’s right, Chip, and I just want you to know that a life with you and without sex is better than a life without you altogether. Period! But if your inclination right now is gay sex, then I can deal with that. Ever heard of a strap-on dildo?

Chip eyed his wife curiously. “A... a dildo?” he questioned. “What the hell are you gonna do with that?”
“I’m gonna fuck my man,” Kim said seductively. “Some day we’re gonna have normal sex. In the meantime I guess it’s up to me, and I’m up for it. Are you?”

Chip told his beautiful young wife he didn’t think such drastic measures would be necessary, but the feeling of excitement deep within him would not be denied. He determined that he would resist such a thing, but the prospect still excited him.

Kim didn’t stop there. Monday morning before class she called the number on the card Ed had given her and made an appointment for that afternoon. At 3 PM she and Chip found themselves sitting in the paneled office of Hugh Montgomery, Attorney at Law. The young lovers didn’t know it, but Ed had already called him to give him a heads up.

“From what you’ve told me I think we have an excellent case,” Hugh told them after they’d briefed him. “I think you can plan on a very nice settlement, if all this can be substantiated. In fact I’m so confident, I’m not going to ask for my usual retainer. I’m not the cheapest lawyer in town, you know.”
“We have money,” Kim stated defiantly. “But you don’t fully understand, Mr. Montgomery. We don’t just want a financial settlement, this isn’t about money at all. We want justice for my husband, and the only way I can see that happening is to get the convictions overturned completely. Chip wants to be a doctor and he’s been told there’s no way as long as he’s considered a convicted sex offender. We’ve got to get him off that registry, and the only way to do that is to reverse the convictions.”

Hugh Montgomery sighed. The little girl sitting across the desk from him looked as if she should be a Junior in High School, but she was obviously not to be underestimated. “That’ll be a little more of a stretch,” he told them. “Just to get a case like that into court won’t be easy, especially after Chip pled guilty to all charges.”
“Yeah, Kim,” Chip agreed. “I really did do those things. I pled guilty to all charges to save everyone the mess of a trial. How can I now say I didn’t mean it, that I didn’t do those things?”
“Extenuating circumstances,” Kim answered simply. “You were coerced into doing what you did, then you were coerced into a confession, and now you’re being coerced into bending over and letting any and all screw you over. No jury in the world would have convicted you if they’d known all the facts. We’re going to get those convictions overturned, Mr. Montgomery. If you don’t think you can do it, please say so now so we can start looking for an attorney who can. Don’t waste our time muddling around thinking of reasons why we can’t do it because ‘can’t’ is not an option.”

“I didn’t say I couldn’t do it,” Hugh said quickly. “I’m pretty sure you’re right, Kim; but convincing me and convincing a judge are two very different things. This could get very ugly before it’s over. Are you sure you’re ready for all the publicity, all the humiliation?”
“We’re ready,” Kim replied with determination. “That sister of Chip’s has had him on a guilt trip long enough. I want it all gone! And as soon as you get that conviction overturned there’ll be another law suit. My husband was in prison for over four years!”
“So I understand. I also understand that he was a model prisoner. He made a lot of friends while he was in there. Some of those friends might not take to kindly to his rocking the boat now.”
“That’s just too bad,” Kim said, the fire in her eyes matching the red of her hair. “Those who have nothing to hide have nothing to fear.”
“Fair enough,” the lawyer said. “Long as you understand it could get ugly. But there is another option, and in a way it might be easier.” he offered.

“And that is?” Kim demanded. Hugh noticed that Chip had been surprisingly quiet during the conversation. Ed had already explained why, but there was nothing like living proof to a lawyer.
“I could try to get him off that registry,” Hugh said. “It might be easier to do that than to have all those convictions reversed. It might mean you’d have to move some place far away, where the case is not known...”
“Out of the question,” Kim said firmly.
“Kim, honey, maybe we should consider it,” Chip suggested. “I mean, there’s nothing magic about North Carolina. Maybe it’d be better if we made a fresh start somewhere else.”
“Bullshit!” Kim spat. “You’ve always told me how much you love it here. That’d be like running away, Chip, and we’re all through running. You’d still have a criminal record, and that will never go away as long as we let it stand. You’re gonna fight, Chip, whether you want to or not!”
“That’s my girl,” Hugh said with a smile. “I like a good fight, but I thought it only right to offer you an option. It’s not gonna be easy, and it’s not gonna be cheap.”

“There’s one more thing,” Kim said as they prepared to leave, “and this one is urgent. Chip’s sister has a little boy, four years old. She says that Chip is the father, but he isn’t. The child has AIDS and is not getting the care he needs. We want to sue for custody immediately.”
“But if he’s not the father, you really have no legal right...”
“His birth certificate says Chip’s the father. Janet did that to try to hold him responsible. Now that we’re in a position to take responsibility we’re gonna turn her little plan around and bite her in the butt. We want complete and total custody, and we want a court order denying his mother any contact at all.”
“Don’t you think that’s a little harsh?” Hugh suggested.

“What’s harsh,” Kim said with a vehemence that surprised both Hugh and Chip, “is that a little boy four years old is dying of AIDS. What we don’t know is how he got it, but I strongly suggest that a careful examination of his anus might provide a possible answer.”
“Kim, what are you suggesting?” Hugh said with alarm.
“I’m not suggesting anything but the obvious,” Kim stated coldly. “A four year old child has AIDS, and he didn’t have it when he was born, and to my knowledge he’s never had a blood transfusion. You figure it out!”

“Kim, you were... were...” Chip stammered as they walked to the car.
“Angry?” she suggested. “You’re damned right I am! And I’m angry at you too, Chip. I’m properly pissed off that you’ve let all those people walk all over you all this time. Ok, you were 14 and didn’t have any idea what your rights were or who was doing what to you. But you’re not 14 any more, and now you DO know! So now it’s time for you to stand up for what’s right, to demand your rights from everyone, and that includes me! I shoulda known from the start that you couldn’t live with the idea that little Scott was being neglected, and I was wrong telling you to forget him. He IS your responsibility for the simple reason you’re both human beings and he needs you! He’s my responsibility because he needs me too! He’s a defenseless child and he needs someone on his side. I learned that from you, Chip! And a couple days ago I heard a song for the first time. I don’t know why, but I listened to the words very carefully. I was so moved I went right to the store and bought the CD. It was as if Shania Twain was singing that song directly to me, Chip!”

Without responding to Chip’s question about who Shania Twain was, she switched on the car radio and clicked on the CD player. Having been in prison and out of touch for so long, Chip had not been exposed to many of the newer popular recording stars. They both sat in silence and listened as the song played.

Hallelujah, hallelujah,
God bless the child who suffers
Hallelujah, hallelujah,
God bless the young without mothers

This child is homeless, That child's on crack
One plays with a gun, While the other takes a bullet in his back
This boy's a beggar, That girl sells her soul
They both work the same street, The same hell hole

Hallelujah, hallelujah,
God bless the child who suffers
Hallelujah, hallelujah,
Let every man help his brother

Some are born addicted and some are just thrown away
Some have daddies who make them play games they don't want to play

But with hope and faith We must understand
All God's children need is love
And us to hold their little hands

This boy is hungry, he ain't got enough to eat
That girl's cold and she ain't got no shoes on her feet

When a child's spirit's broken And feels all hope is gone
God help them find the strength to carry on

But with hope and faith Yea, we can understand
All God's children need is love
And us to hold their little hands

Hallelujah, hallelujah
Let us all love one another
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Make all our hearts blind to color
Hallelujah, hallelujah
God bless the child who suffers

Author’s Note: Words and music by Shania Twain, who I am very proud to say is a fellow Canadian. She has made millions as a country singer, and has spent many of those millions building things like shelters, athletic facilities and other projects to help children in her home town of Timmins, Ontario. I understand that she is very well loved for her social programs in that community.
(Words used without permission)

So now we’re gonna have a son, how do you feel?” Kim asked after they’d both dried their tears and agreed they had no choice but to seek custody of the little boy. Chip readily admitted that without an advocate in the form of Ed Barker, he would certainly not be where he is now. And now it was his turn - his and Kim’s - to overcome their prejudice, their anger and past problems, and come to the aid of a little boy who needed them.

“I’m... I’m delighted, Kim. But how are we gonna take care of him and go to school? I seriously doubt we’ll ever find a good daycare that’ll accept a kid with AIDS.”
“Got it covered,” Kim said with a grin. “Our daycare workers will probably be at the house by the time we get there. And one of them is a registered nurse.”
“But who?” Chip asked. He was totally confused and overwhelmed now. He had never seen Kim like this before. She was determined and defiant, and she had very obviously covered all the bases as she went for home plate.
“I was gonna surprise you,” Kim said with a grin as they pulled out of the parking lot, “but from the look on your face you just might explode, so I might as well tell you. It’s Mr. And Mrs. Whitcombe, Chip. Andy’s parents. They told me they want you to consider them your surrogate parents now, after I told them that yours had disowned you. They said they’d be delighted to care for Scott as their grandson! They’ll even do it in our home, his home soon, at least until he’s comfortable in his new surroundings.”

The custody hearing was almost a waste of the court’s time. Hugh Montgomery was obviously a very good attorney and had done his homework well. He stood and declared simply that Chip Stockdale, his client, was now prepared to care for his son much better than the child had experienced in the first four years of his life. “The child is HIV positive,” he stated coldly. “My client has reason to believe that the child has not been receiving the medical care he needs, given his condition, and should be removed from his mother’s care immediately. There is also the question of how he came to contract the infection in the first place, but my client has advised me not to pursue that point to avoid embarrassment to any of the related parties. Mr. Stockdale is now in a stable home environment and well prepared to care for the boy and deal with his special needs much better than his mother can do.”

The judge asked a few questions about Chip’s income, where he had been for the previous four years, and how he proposed to care for a child while he and his wife attended college. Hugh had the Whitcombe’s in the courtroom and stated that they had committed to caring for the child as much as was necessary. The judge asked Janet a few questions about her ability to care for a child, to which Janet tried to do what she did best, or thought she did: manipulate the judge. “I can take care of Scott just fine, she said seductively. “All you’ve gotta do is order my brother to pay me child support, and we’ll be fine. We’ve done ok so far without his help.”

That was a big mistake; the judge saw through her efforts easily and granted the petition without condition, directing the Department of Social Services to monitor the family situation for the first six months, after which she would reconsider. It was almost too easy, Chip thought. The facts of his conviction and incarceration were almost moot points. Kim and Chip were now parents, and they had not uttered a word except to respond “yes, your Honor” when asked if they understand what they were seeking.

When Chip and Kim saw their son for the first time, two hearts melted instantly. He appeared at their door in custody of a social worker that very afternoon, all his worldly possessions in a brown paper shopping bag. He looked thin and gaunt; his clothes, the best he had, were threadbare and obviously less than clean. But in spite of those things he was a beautiful little boy. His long black hair shone in the sunlight, his huge brown eyes twinkling. He recognized his alleged father immediately from pictures his mother had shown him, and ran into his arms. “Daddy!” he exclaimed. Chip determined at that point that he would see to it, regardless of the cost, that Scott Chip Stockdale’s remaining time on earth, however long that was, would be happy and rewarding.

The lawsuit against the State for having subjected Chip to illegal therapy was not much different. Ed had testified and provided the tapes he’d been hoarding in his safe. He described what he’d found when he’d gone to the facility to rescue a very broken, sobbing boy, and Sergeant Bill Lee confirmed his testimony. Howard Manning appeared in defense, trying in vain to discredit Ed by stating that he was not objective, that he got too emotionally involved with his patients. “It’s a good thing someone got emotionally involved,” the judge remarked harshly. “If he hadn’t, it seems to me that Mr. Stockdale might well have been totally destroyed.”
“Your honor, we had no idea that those subliminal messages were part of the treatment,” Howard said desperately.
“It was your business to know!” the judge snapped back at him. “If something was being done to those inmates that you didn’t know about, then it appears to me you weren’t doing your job!”

Hugh produced the statistics that had shocked Ed when he’d first seen them, concluding for the court that there had been too many men reduced to sniveling zombies as a result of the treatment they’d received. Of the 13 inmates who’d taken the therapy the same time Chip did, four were dead from apparent suicide. Five were still in prison and had all come down with AIDS as the result of their submissive sexual activities. Three of the remaining five had disappeared completely and were presumed dead or destitute. Only two, both of whom had been married with children, appeared to be surviving. Both of them had abandoned their families and were now living alone.

He also noted that the program had continued, but after the removal of Bruce French as therapist the results were much more in line with the national average. “The significant point in all this,” Hugh stated with a great deal of flair, “is that my client, now married to a very lovely young lady, is totally impotent. His therapist, Dr. Barker, says that it could take years to repair the damage, if indeed it can ever be repaired. So my client and his lovely wife have been robbed of the most rewarding part of a marriage, a healthy sex life.”

Chip had to chuckle to himself when the fact that he’d been castrated was never brought up. Hugh had already told him that the fact that he was a eunuch could well explain his impotence, but Howard Manning didn’t even appear to know. “Even if he did bring it up,” Hugh said with glee, “I’ve got a whole army of psychologists willing to testify that the therapy was at least part of the reason you felt you had to do it.”

“Okay, now we’ve got the easy ones out of the way,” Hugh said to his young clients after they’d signed a very nice financial settlement without having had to go to trial. “Now get ready for the big one. This one’s not gonna be so easy.”

To be continued...