Wednesday
Andy heard them about 1 AM. Drunken morons are not exactly stealthy, so it wasn't hard. He was relieved, for a part of him was worried they weren't going to show up, and he really wanted them to. He gently woke Sara, and she took the other girls into the showers and locked the heavy oak door. He checked his Sig, and grabbed his tactical flashlight. He went out the balcony, and shimmied the 20 feet down the side of the stone building. As he peered around the corner, he ducked down to listen and wait. The trick was to wait just long enough for them to make their intentions known. When one of the stooges threw a rock through the Commons glass door, Andy knew he had them. He waited until the three stepped through the broken glass into the entryway. They were now trapped in the space between the outer and inner doors of the Commons -- right where he wanted them.
As a boy/young man, Andy had lost two fights. The first was to Brian Jacobs' drunken father. That loss could be excused, it was a boy against a man, and the man was in an intoxicated rage. He supposed that the second loss could be forgiven as well; it was 3 against 1. But both losses did not sit well with Andy. After the second loss, he reached out to Big Jack O'Leary's younger brother, who handled "collections" for their family beer distributorship. Billy O'Leary was a brawler, pure and simple in the best of the Boston Irish tradition. He was more than happy to show Andy the ropes, and Andy proved himself to be a gifted student. Gentleman's rules had no place in a Southie street brawl, and punches were of secondary effectiveness to knees, elbows, and a well-placed kick when wearing heavy shoes. On this particular evening, Andy was wearing heavy boots. He smiled as he strode into the confined space, relishing the beating he was about to give these assholes.
30 second later, the 'fight' was over. The EMT report spoke of three patients with various injuries: all were unconscious when they arrived on scene, two had broken jaws, one had a broken nose. One had a badly mauled knee, one had a dislocated shoulder, and one had an elbow pointing the wrong way. All three were missing teeth. Sara had been composed enough to call 911 when the girls locked themselves in the showers. Before the police arrived, Andy texted Sara to tell her all was well, but they ought to stay where they were.
After he had given his statement to the police, he heard a voice behind him. "This could have gotten ugly," said Gloria Adams.
Andy chuckled, "I wondered when you'd be here. I take it this was why you put me in The Commons?"
"To be truthful, your grandfather and I had no idea they would try something this bold. Young men can do really stupid things around their peers. But Andrew, I'm really, really glad you were here."
She came to him and hugged him.
"So, what happens next?"
"All four are expelled, and you'll face a disciplinary hearing. Tomorrow morning I'll fire the head men's crew coach, and the AD. Both lobbied for those idiots to be slapped on the wrist when this happened before. I made them sign a paper stating that if there were any further incidents with those four, it would cost them their jobs. They've gift wrapped two incidents for me."
"You mentioned the Judge earlier. He was in on this?"
She nodded. "Andy, Chase Patterson threatened Eden this spring. As a mother, I wanted his head on a platter. As the provost, we couldn't prove anything. It was his word against hers. As I'm sure you've figured out, Eden and Sara did not have a great sophomore year. I call the Judge when I feel stuck and am not sure what to do. He's an impeccable judge of people."
Andy laughed. "That's what he said of you, as well."
There was a quiet pause in the conversation.
"Andy, there's something else you need to know," she paused. "I was really excited about the possibility of having you," she paused, "in Eden's life. So was Sean. He's been moping about the house all week, like a teenage girl whose boyfriend broke up with her. It's both cute and pathetic."
"Dr. Adams, that's the best commendation I think I have ever, and will ever, receive. The Judge thinks the world of you. That you would want and trust me with Eden is -- well -- I'm honored," said Andy.
"I know why Eden did what she did, and please know that she loves you and Sara very much. Sean and I are both disappointed, but very proud of her. She's done a very selfless thing, and judging from what I'm hearing, the right thing."
"So, you're saying your daughter is a shrewd judge of character?" Andy smiled.
"Andy, I like you quite a bit, so let's drop the smart assery and keep it that way," Dr. Adams joked.
"I need to ask you something," said Andy. "How do I tell Sara about this? Gloria, I wanted to kill these assholes. That's what I was trained to do. When you fight, there's no 'gentleman's rules.' You put the other guy down by any means necessary. They were planning on doing harm to someone I love, and two people I care about. This course of action is standard in the Corps, but probably not so standard at Colton."
"Well, just remember that you didn't kill them. We both know you could have, and you didn't. That's not a little thing. Second, why do you need to tell Sara? I'm not saying you keep secrets from her -- in fact, generally, you shouldn't. Andy, you did what needed to be done. Four really messed up young men are off our campus, and four terrific women will have a much better experience moving forward. You did that," she said.
Andy laughed. "They call themselves the Misfits. Hell, there's nothing misfit about them. They're amazing. It's all these prep school assholes who can't see it."
"Well, it's a good thing there's a man who cares for them and who tells them how amazing they are. I hear things, Andy. I know what you've done for your fellow students on this campus. I, for one, am glad you're at Colton. I think I know someone else who's glad, too."
Gloria nodded towards the entryway, where Sara stood watching him. Maintenance had quickly secured the broken glass door with plywood, and Sara was in the entryway between the outer and inner doors. Andy turned to Gloria, hugged her again, and turned to go inside.
Gloria called out to him, "Andy. We got an interesting phone call from the Second Lady of the United States." She smiled at him, "We're honored to be asked to attend. She's an amazing young woman. We're very happy for both of you." With that, she turned and walked away.
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At 2 AM, Andy headed out of the shower, up to the mezzanine level, and hopefully, to sleep. There were two mattresses on the floor, and he saw Kail, Sara, and Grace piled up like puppies. All three were fast asleep. Andy crawled into his bed, utterly exhausted. He was almost asleep, when he felt someone get into bed with him. He heard Sara say, "Goodnight baby," and felt her slide up against him. This time it was she who spooned him. "Mmm," he whispered. "Goodnight, Bellissima." He grasped her offered hand and fell dead asleep.
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Andy woke up late, and had to rush to shower and get to breakfast. All three women were fast asleep, so he moved quietly and quickly. He kissed Sara on the forehead as she slept, and then was out the door. The entire campus was abuzz about the events of the previous evening. Word had gotten out about the three stooges trying to break in to the Commons, and how they met their fate. Andy got his breakfast, and tried to eat as inconspicuously as possible.
"There he is," chimed Jeannie as she sat down across from him. Her bright red hair was in a ponytail, she had light makeup on, and she was wearing her Caps "Crimson Dynamo" t-shirt, and a pair of yoga pants. She looked night and day different from the girl he talked with for the first time two days ago.
