Summary: Wow, I can't believe I'm doing Chapter 3

Summary: Wow, I can't believe I'm doing Chapter 3. Well, this is his father being sent away. The first part is the mother's point of view and the second Teddy's.

Losing Innocence

(Mrs. Duchamp POV)

"I'm very glad we had this meeting, Mrs. Duchamp. Things will get better for you and your son, you'll see."

"He'll get better? My husband? He will get better, right?" I asked. We sat in my living room; the lights were ominously dim and the other occupants of the living were two men from Togus, representatives from mental institution near there.

"Yes, ma'am," said the one with greasy hair. The other one looked relatively normal, but the light was very dim.

"Good, 'cause we tried, Teddy and I. We tried so hard…"

"I know ma'am," said the normal one.

No, you don't, I thought, you don't know a thing. You don't know how in love I was when I married him, how happy I was when Teddy was born, how angry and scared I was when he went to war. You have no clue. When he came back, he was so quiet and withdrawn. It took a month of combined effort of Teddy and I to get him to talk to us. After he started talking, everything was great. He was normal and I didn't have to fear any of those war stories that said men come back changed, sometimes for the worse.

"Look, mister, I just want to be able to tell Teddy that his father will getting better."

"I understand," he said.

No, you don't. You don't understand how it feels to find your son burned by his father. You don't know how it feels to have your son beg you to let the same man who burned his ear to stay. You don't understand how depressing and frustrating it feels to have things actually be better for a time after the burn, then to have it all crashing down…

"The reason," I said trying to get it through their skulls that my husband must get better, "I didn't call you earlier is because Teddy and his father formed a bond that many other sons and fathers would envy. They had something special. For six months after he burned Teddy's ear, he was completely normal. No lapses or anything. Then, they came suddenly and without warning. We worked through it, Teddy and I, we worked so hard. He's always so sorry afterwards and Teddy's naïve enough to forgive him over and over again. He goes after Teddy and I! He thinks we're Nazis and now, I can't deal with it. It's taking a toll on Teddy, though Teddy tries so hard to hide it. Hell, his one of his friends, Chris I think, came to me and asked what's wrong with Teddy." I paused. "What if he tries to kill us? What if he buys a gun and shoots my son when I'm not at home? What if he loses it in public and Teddy and I can't stop it?"

"That's why we're here, ma'am," said the greasy-haired one somewhat soothingly, "To make things safe for you, your son, and your husband."

"Don't worry," said the other one, "Everything will be alright. Tonight, he'll be out of your hands."

I nodded. "What time did you say?"

"Around eleven, eleven-thirty." They started walking out the door.

"Okay, I'll tell them." I closed the door behind them and sighed. Then I sensed something move in the dim light. My eyes adjusted and I found Teddy standing halfway behind the wall wearing pajamas; he was taking his bath during the meeting. I had hoped that the meeting would be quicker than it was and now I was pretty sure that Teddy heard enough to sum up the situation, if the his confused and saddened expression were any clue. I walked toward him and knelt down to his level.

"Teddy," I said quietly, "I need to talk to you."

"Who were they?" he asked.

"Those were men from Togus – I forgot their names – and they were here to see if your father could get better."

"But didn't we call doctors? They said he might…"

"Teddy," I said sternly, "He's not getting better. I can't even leave him alone with you in the same room."

"But he might…"

"Teddy. Dad will be going away."

"What?"

"He will, tonight. He will go to the mental hospital, Togus."

"He doesn't have to," Teddy whispered, "He really doesn't have to."

I grabbed his shoulders to force him to look at me. "He has to. Teddy, I know you love him. I love him, too. I love him so much…" I swallowed, successfully forcing unnecessary tears back, "I love him and you love him, but we lost him. Do you understand that? We lost him. God, Teddy, I love him. But, he's lost and it's obvious that we can't get him back."

"We did, though," argued Teddy, "For awhile, we did."

"But, Teddy, we lost him. No matter how hard we try we can't. We can't control it. I don't know what brings on these lapses; it's unpredictable. And I can't keep protecting you from him. He's so much stronger than I am." Lately, I've adopted a bear's approach to mothering around Teddy's father. I always make sure I know where Teddy and his father are and make sure I'm not too far away, just in case my husband snaps. This has actually Teddy's life on a few accounts.

"But I'm getting stronger. He won't always be this way," said Teddy. Teddy also changed his ways around his father. I've noticed he's rather protective of me when he knows his father is out of touch. Whenever he snaps, I stand between Teddy and my husband and Teddy slowly steers me out the room. It's a great system, but his father is getting more and more violent and uncontrollable. He reaches around me to grab Teddy and…

"Teddy, they're coming," I said, "Nothing you do or say will change that."

Teddy held back his tears and simply asked, "Why?"

"Because I won't lose you, too, Teddy. I love you too much."

(Teddy POV)

I couldn't sleep knowing I was about to lose the most important man in my life in a few hours. I was tempted to go to the living room and hear my mom tell my dad the news. At least she could have told us before! But I couldn't help that, not now. Now, I had to figure out how to say goodbye to my father.

I rolled over in bed and squinted my eyes to read the clock. The clock was still really blurry, but then I remembered that I didn't have my glasses on. I reached on the end of the bed, grabbed them, and put them on. Now, I could read. It's…

11:15

They should have been here already. Well, my mom said eleven or eleven thirty. And my mother said they'd make it a quiet ordeal – those were her exact words, "quiet ordeal." Those words don't even belong together.

"I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE, GOD DAMMIT!" I heard him shout.

"Calm down!" my mother shouted back, "You'll wake Teddy."

"What? You want me to leave without saying goodbye?"

"No, but I don't want him to be scarred for life."

"Funny choice of words…"

"I don't like that look in your eyes," my mom said. I didn't like hearing those words. She usually said that when he was going to lose it. I jumped out of bed and ran to the living room.

"Damn Nazi!" he shouted, randomly punching the air, narrowly missing me even though he didn't see me…yet.

"Stop it!" she shouted, obviously trying to keep dad's focus on her instead of finding me. She looked really scared, and I wondered what dad looked like.

Knock, Knock

"They're here," I announced.

"What?" asked dad, already back. I saw mom sigh in relief, but whether it was in response to dad coming back or the people here to take him away, I couldn't be sure. Dad turned to me. "Teddy, did you know?"

I couldn't answer; I just stared back like an idiot. "Did you know?" he asked again, getting angry.

"Come on, Mr. Duchamp, let's go." I jerked my eyes from my dad and found owner of the voice, but it was too dark to make much detail other than he was a complete stranger.

"Don't tell me what to do!" my dad shouted, "I'll kill ya, I'll kill all ya." Suddenly, I felt mom behind me, holding me just in case she had to pull me behind her.

"Calm down, Mr. Duchamp."

"You're not taking me to the looney bin, damn Nazi!" He lost it again.

"Now, Mr. Duchamp…" The stranger tried to grab dad, but he punched the guy. "I'm going to need backup," said the stranger in his walkie-talkie.

"Backup?" I whispered. I looked at mom. She looked nervous, too.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, "You said this would be…"

"Ma'am, just stand aside and let us do our job. Backup is only a block away."

"What?"

Right then, about five men burst the door, two of them grabbed dad and one started calling the police. "You won't get me alive!" my dad was shouting, but everything was moving so fast, my dad couldn't keep up. "You won't get me alive! I'll show you, Nazis!"

I ran. "Dad! Dad! Come back!"

"Whoa, stay back, kid," said one of the backup crew, a huge man. He grabbed my arm and held me back, but I still tried to run…

"Dad! Wait!" Twisting and writhing. "Dad! Come back! I need to tell you something! Wait! Ow…" The backup man had twisted my arm, forcing me to face him.

"Kid, stay back! It's dangerous! Stay back!"

"Let go of my son!" yelled mom.

"Ma'am—"

"You're not taking me alive!"

"It's dangerous, you understand kid!"

"You're hurting him! You're hurting them!"

"Ma'am calm down!"

"Damn Nazi!"

"Quit moving, kid!"

"Let me go!" I shouted, determined to see my dad, "I need to see him! Let me see him!"

"No! Can't you see your dad has lost it?! He's crazy!"

"This is war, Nazi!"

"I need to talk to him! Let me go!"

"Stop hurting my son!"

"Really, ma'am!"

"Please, let me go…" Then I heard something I had been dreading…

Police sirens

"Why?" I asked, trying not to cry, "Why the police?"

"Stay here, kid." Taking deep breaths, I watched them wrestle my dad outside. My dad still thought that everyone was a Nazi, still doesn't remember my mom…or me.

"People, stay back."

People?

"Come on, stay back."

People? My mom ran past me to the door and I followed. And people were there. People. They were all watching, not helping. The people just watched it like a TV show.

I couldn't take it. "Dad!" I screamed, praying that he would come back, "Dad! Wait!" I ran again and this time, I made it.

"Get away, all of ya!" shouted my dad, "Nazis!"

"Dad!" I grabbed onto to him, but it made him mad. He shouted about Nazis. I just want to say…

"Kid!" Someone grabbed me and lifted me in the air, breaking my grip on dad. "What did I just say in the house?"

"Wait, please! He's going to come back! He will! Dad! Dad!"

"Poor kid."

"Kid's going to end up just like his old man."

"Poor wife."

"The whole family will end up in a nuthouse."

People.

"That man is crazy."

"Not as crazy as the kid."

"I'm glad that man's finally going to a nuthouse. He needs it."

"Dad! Please! Come back!" The man finally dropped me and pushed me away among the people.

"Stay there, kid."

"Oh my…"

"That poor kid."

"Crazy father…"

"Poor kid."

"Poor thing."

I desperately looked to mom, but she was frozen; she wasn't moving.

"Mom?" She didn't move; she looked at dad. Dad was still shouting about Nazis, still not remembering. I just wanted to say one thing to him. Just one little thing. "Dad?"

"Poor kid. With a looney for a father…"

People! Why can't they just be quiet? Just so I can tell my dad something. I looked back to dad. They were loading him in the back of the truck. "Dad! Wait! Please!" I shouted pathetically, "Dad! Wait! I want to tell you something!" I broke through the crowd and ran to dad. "Dad! Dad! Wait!"

"What do I keep telling you, kid?"

"Dad, I love you!"

"Damn Nazi!"

The same backup man who grabbed me inside caught the back of my shirt and threw me aside. I sniffled a bit, not crying, and looked at my dad one last time.

He didn't know me. He still hadn't come back.

So I ran…

I ran past the people and their whispers, past my house, past the sirens, past my neighborhood. I just ran and ran and ran, until I couldn't run anymore. And when I couldn't run anymore, I found a quiet alley and fell asleep, without thinking or feeling anything.

(Teddy POV)

I thought I was dreaming, but the voices were too loud to be part of a dream.

"No! Billy, I'm sorry! I'll never listen in on you again!"

"Too late, Vern!"

"No, really! I'm sorry!"

I turned over, trying to drown out the voices. After a couple more minutes of listening to them say the same thing over and over, I gave up. I sat up and stretched a bit and saw one, two, three faces. I figured the short, fat one was 'Vern' and the other teenager one was 'Billy' from them talking. There was another teenager, but I felt like I knew who he was.

It was Ace. I've never actually met Ace, but he hangs out with Chris's brother and I never go to Chris's house. (He says that his dad is worse than mine—because he isn't "crazy," like mine.) But I could tell it was Ace. He had something about him…

Ace saw me and spoke up, "Hey. Where'd you come from?"

I looked around. And I concluded I had no clue where I was, except that I was in some unfamiliar alley. So, I shrugged.

"What the hell do you mean? You don't know?" he asked, really angry.

"I don't know. I slept here."

"So, what? You're running away?"

"No!"

"Then what?"

I didn't want to explain—that involves thinking about last night, and I didn't want to think about that. So, I didn't answer. Ace was starting to look really frustrated.

"Okay. You look like you're Chris's and Vern's age. You know 'em?"

"I know Chris and I know his brother. He said that his friends called him 'Eyeball.'"

"So, who are you?"

"Teddy."

"Teddy who?" He looked very impatient, but I didn't know why he wanted to know so badly.

"Teddy Duchamp."

"Duchamp?!" exclaimed both Billy and Vern. Billy glared at Vern, but Vern didn't notice.

"I'm sorry about your dad and all," said Vern.

I was shocked. I wasn't expecting anyone to say about that. I thought really hard. This only happened last night. I was pretty sure I only slept one night. So…how could they know?

"Duchamp…As in son to 'Crazy Danny Duchamp'?" said Ace. Even though it was supposed to be a question, it didn't sound like one.

"Not crazy," I said confidently.

"Not crazy?" He laughed to himself. My hands turned into fists. "Not crazy? Where were you last night? By the way, your old man puts on a hell of a show."

I didn't say anything. I felt too angry to say anything.

"Me and my friends really enjoyed it," he said.

I glared, silently daring him to keep talking shit about my dad and what happened last night. I hated it when people talked bad about my dad. No one, not even Chris and Gordie, can really understand my dad. They can't talk like they do and just talk shit when they've haven't done anything remotely worthwhile like my dad storming the beach at Normandy.

"Really," said Ace, "Your dad was a lunatic. I heard rumors about him. He burned your…ear, wasn't it? Yeah, yeah he did. I can see it. See, Teddy, most people don't do that."

"Shut your face!" I shouted.

Ace looked shocked. "Now," he began, Billy started walking toward me, "Did you really mean that?" Vern looked scared.

"Yeah, I did," I said, staring Ace down, "What'cha going do about it?"

At first Ace didn't move, then so suddenly I didn't see it coming, he punched me, hard enough to fall on the ground. I rubbed my cheek and tried to get up, but Ace kicked me down and rested his foot on my stomach. Then he leaned on that foot. "Now, Teddy, why do have to be so rude to me?"

"Why do you have to say stupid shit?" I challenged him. I heard someone gasp, probably that Vern kid.

"I say stupid shit?"

"Yeah, hell, you're shit." I took a deep, shaky breath. Ace was still leaning on me and it was getting hard to breathe.

I heard another gasp. It sounded exactly like the first one. Boy that Vern kid was really squeamish. Before I could think anymore about Vern, I felt someone, probably Ace, grab my hair. I heard another voice, Billy, in my burned ear, "Now, kid, if you call my friend shit, then you call me shit, too."

"Hah, you're- (deep breath) –worse."

"Worse?" I could barely make out Billy moving, but Ace nodded. Billy moved some more and

BAM!

He kicked my ear, my burned ear. The pain brought involuntary tears to my tears and I gasped for breath. I couldn't even say ouch. Ace let go of my hair.

"So," said Ace, "Now, would you mind if I called your daddy the craziest looney I've ever had the shame to lay eyes on."

"Go" (Ace nodded) "suck a-"

BAM!

If my ear had chances of getting better, Billy ruined them all. But this time I managed to say, "Ow." I turned my head to see Billy, but I saw Vern leaving. Then, Ace moved his leg and grabbed my hair, forcing me to stand up.

"Do you want to take it back?" he asked.

"Never."

Ace shrugged and pulled out a lighter. "I'm going to see if I can finish off what your old man started. Billy, hold him still."

I wouldn't be held still. I knew exactly what he was doing.

"Stop it," I said quietly as Ace forced my head to turn. "Stop."

"Nope, you had a chance."

"Stop," I pleaded. I heard him flick the lighter to life. I struggled against their grips, but it was pointless. "Stop, oh please stop."

"What? Did it hurt before?"

"Stop! Stop it!" I screamed. I started remembering things I didn't want to remember… I could feel the heat closer and closer to my ear.

"HEY! STOP!"

Chris! Suddenly the heat went away and my head was free. I looked around and saw that Chris had jumped on Ace's back. I felt Billy loosen his grip on me. I shrugged myself free easily and went to help Chris, who had gotten off of Ace's back by this time. I jumped on Ace's back. I saw Chris punch Billy on the nose (I'm not completely sure how he could reach that high) and Billy fell back. Ace was banging me against the wall to get me off. It started working when he hit my head.

BANG!

I heard a gun shot and everyone froze. As soon as Ace and Billy took in the police, they bolted and I let go of Ace. My head was spinning, but I made out Vern creeping away from the police. He probably had somewhere to be.

"What the hell happened?" asked the police.

Chris spoke up, "Those guys who just ran were beating up my friend." The police wasn't really listening. He was looking at me.

"Aren't you Duchamp?"

My eyes narrowed, already suspicious.

"You're dad's that crazy nut who got taken away last night?"

I opened my mouth to say something, but Chris elbowed me hard. I looked over to him, ready to glare at Chris, but he looked concerned for me. Like he truly cared.

"What happened?"

Mom?

A woman appeared in my line of sight. It was mom. She ran to me and held me in a tight hug. "Oh Teddy," she murmured in my ear. "I was so worried." I heard her gasp, "I thought I lost you, too."

"Mom," I said, feeling tears come to my eyes, "They keep talking bad about dad."

"Shh, Teddy. It's okay. They have no clue what they're talking about."

"Officer?" I heard Chris ask, "Can you take them home?"

The officer must have nodded because he started leading my mom to a police car. She let go of me. I looked to Chris and mouthed 'Thank you' before following my mom…

We didn't say anything until we were inside our house. Mom just looked at me at first, with tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," I said, "For running away." She just nodded. I felt tears in my eyes as I realized that mom was the only other person who understood dad.

"Why did he have to be crazy?" I asked, tears flowing freely.

"I don't know, Teddy," she said, hugging me again, "I don't know." She started crying, and then I started crying, too.

Dad wasn't coming back. Mom was all I had left. And there was no way I was going to lose her, too.

Author's Comments!

Finished, but tired. I'll read through it once, but that's it. I have no clue what Teddy's dad's name is, so I made something up. In case, you're wondering: Vern got both Chris and the police. Then he left, because I had no further use of him. That last line makes the most sense if I post another idea, I've been having for a while. It's on my profile: Song of a Jailbird. Guess what it's about? …It's about Teddy's jail time, how and why he got arrested and maybe some parole time, too. Tell me if you want to read it. I've got a prologue typed.

So, this is the last of Teddy's Tears. Please tell me how you liked it (or disliked it). Every review is welcomed, but I prefer the reviews when you point out a specific aspect of the story. I can't be picky though. So, just review.