Chapter 6 ~A Mistake~
Dale Jarrett, Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick sat together in the waiting room. None of them said a word. To a passerby it would look like they all found something interesting in the carpet. No doctor came in to tell them any news let alone that Junior was still alive. They all thought they had lost a dear friend. An other one. It was almost too much to bear.
They were shaken out of their coma when people burst through the door yelling.
“Tell me what happened to my son!”
“We don’t know anything to tell! Please wait here!”
“Brenda come on sit down!”
“Hell no! I want to see my son!”
Tony Eury, Tony Eury Jr. and Junior’s mother were ushered into the room and forced to wait just like the 3 drivers.
“Hey guys… any news?” Eury Jr said.
Kevin, Dale and Tony exchanged glances. Neither of them wanted to say what they heard.
“There is something isn’t there? “Eury Sr. said while clutching Junior’s mother. It looked like he was holding her up.
Harvick and Stewart quickly looked at Dale Jarrett. He had been the calmest person through this whole thing. Plus he was older and wiser. Surely he would do the telling and leave the younger drivers alone.
Jarrett caught their stares and squinted his red puffy eyes at them slowly shaking his head no.
That didn’t end it.
The two younger drivers relied on their pleading puppy dog eyes to cause a change of an answer.
And it worked.
“Fine” Jarrett muttered silently. Slowly standing up to face Juniors real family.
~~~~~~~~~~
Steve was on his way to the waiting room to tell the other three the news. He was about to open the door when he heard more yelling.
“NOOO! God no PLEASE!!”
“I’m sorry…”
“Its not true!! He’s fine! He’s like his DAD!”
“Are you sure you heard that?” he heard Tony Sr. say.
“We did.” Said Harvick
“It’s gotta be a mistake.” Tony Jr. said while helping hold up Juniors sobbing mother.
“He can’t be dead!” She screamed through sobs and more tears.
‘Dead? Damn it’ Steve thought. That doctor never got to them yet.
He slowly opened the door and peered in. The sight was sickening. Juniors mother finally gave up trying to stand and was now being carried to a chair. Tears were shed by everyone in the room.
“Not my Baby! NO!” she wailed. Tony Sr. embraced her and rubbed her back gently while staring at the wall. His own grief put on hold.
“I’m really sorry.” Dale Jarrett voiced to no one in particular.
Steve couldn’t take it anymore. He pushed his way through the door loudly to announce his presents.
Twelve eyes turned on him as Steve stood in front of them with his hands in his pockets.
“Hey” was all he could muster at that moment. He wanted to slap his forehead in stupidity but kept his composure.
“Steve did you… did you hear?” Tony Jr. squeaked out.
“Yes” Steve said. His was voice lacking emotion that shocked the distraught group. Steve was always so sensitive. Why is he so cold now?
“Well ummm… yeah” Kevin blurted out. He didn’t know what to say either and for Kevin Harvick that was rare. Same went for Tony Stewart as he stood in the corner unmoving.
“The doctor never came in to talk to you did he.”
“No” they all sniffed in unison.
“Well they should have.” Steve growled through his teeth. “Look…” Steve kneeled down in front of Juniors mother. He took her shaking hands in his.
“Brenda… You son is still alive.”
~~~~~~~~~
“Alright someone tell me what the hell happened here today!” Jeff Burton screamed at the top of his lungs while exiting his stock car.
The race had just ended and Jeff Gordon won as usual. Jeff would normally go and congratulate his friend and enjoy the party afterwards but today he was a tad ticked off. No one was giving him answers as to what happened earlier that day near the buses.
The one to hear him was Mike Helton. And Jeff couldn’t think of anyone else’s attention he wanted right now.
“Calm down Jeff. I just got back from the hospital to brief everyone.”
At this time, Michael Waltrip, bustled over to hear what was going on. He knew his crew knew and they acted like the end of the world was at hand all day but they wouldn’t tell him why.
“What’s going on Mike?” Waltrip said to the head of Nascar.
“Look you guys… I want to get all of the drivers together before I tell you this.”
It was like he just rang the triangle for dinner time because every driver except for Jeff Gordon who was busy thanking people and hoisting up a trophy, hurried their way over to listen.
Jeff Burton glanced around at the sudden arrivals. “Well Mike… We’re all ears.”
Mike Helton cleared his throat and began.
“Well I know all of you know something happened in the bus area this morning. And we are sorry that you all weren’t told why your fellow drivers, Steve Park, Kevin Harvick, Dale Jarrett, Tony Stewert and… um…. Dale Jr. weren’t here. Earlier this morning they were all involved in something and they had to head over to the hospital.”
Mike stopped and didn’t look like he wanted to continue when Bobby Labonte, who was standing next to his brother, spoke up.
“So who started the fight and who was the one who knocked out teeth!”
That outburst made the drivers and crew members chuckle. They were unaware that what had happened was so serious.
“I bet cha a million that Happy Harvick got someone mad and they took a punch at him!” Rusty Wallace said from the back of the pack.
“Oh no no! I bet cha Stewart started it! Prolly having an argument over something with Junior! Those two both won’t give up on anything!” shouted Elliot Sadler. “And Kevin, Steve, and Dale had to break it up and got beat up too!”
The crowd of drivers started into loud conversations with each other over what could have happened when Mike Helton stood on a large box of tools and screamed for their attention back.
“HEY! Everyone I have something to tell you and I’m afraid it’s a lot more serious then a fight.”
With that said the area got quiet again and it was clear on the faces in front of him that they knew this was going to be bad.
“OK… well… This morning someone got onto one of the their busses and attacked them.”
“Who?” the crowd said in almost unison.
Mike ignored them and continued on. He knew his burning eyes were an indication that he was going to lose it any minute now and he needed to get this out.
“He was beaten pretty badly and then the attacker stabbed him in the stomach area.”
The crowd all took in a breath in shock and Mike almost felt like his own air was being taken by them. This was beginning to be harder then telling the world that they had lost Dale Earnhardt and it was moments like these that he wished he didn’t have this job. He again ignored the questions being asked and tried to finish.
“He was laying there for about ten minutes until someone found him. No one saw the attacker… but someone did see a car speeding out of a nearby parking area so we don’t’ believe that this person is still on the grounds.
“MIKE! Tell us who was hurt!” Jeff Burton yelled. He had had enough of the day and was now losing it fast. He was shocked and scared and wanted to get to the hospital as soon as possible…
The whole crowd held their breaths as they waited. Eyes stared unblinking at Mike. Finally Mike couldn’t’ hold it in anymore. Telling would mean that it was all true and he didn’t want that… but he couldn’t’ keep it from them any more.
His hands started to shake more as he took his eyes off of the pleading crowd of “family”. His mouth opened without his consent.
“It was Junior.”
