prettypoison

I had the most bizarre incident take place at my house last night. I had just gone to bed and started watching the basketball game when all of a sudden someone starting furiously ringing the doorbell -- nonstop. My husband and I both race to the front door. He gets there first and as soon as he opens the door we can hear someone screaming "HELP ME, HELP ME PLEASE!" I scoop up my dog who is going ballistic and immediately go to the kitchen to call 911. I can hear what I now recognize as a young voice crying and pleading with my husband to let him in, he's yelling "I'm not wearing any shoes, please!" (the weather here is 10 degrees outside, less with the wind chill and 3+ feet of snow on the ground). I'm trying to tell the dispatcher what's going on and I can hear my husband asking this kid what's going on. This kid proceeds to tell my husband he's 14 and he's been beat up. I'm yelling over to my husband questions as the dispatcher is trying to determine if medical attention is necessary and if they need to send EMS as well as the police. This kid isn't answering questions very well and is absolutely hysterical, he just keeps repeating he needs to use the bathroom.

Meanwhile I've retrieved socks and try to coax him into putting them on. He refuses and continues pleading for the the bathroom (this is a big 14 year-old and we are nervous letting him further into our house as we don't understand what is going on) but we do, and my husband follows him and stands outside of the bathroom door. Just then red and blue flashes light up the living room, thank goodness the police have arrived. I let the officer in and lead him to the bathroom. The officer starts asking the kid to come out of there and talk. This kid is hyperventilating and obviously distraught but he finally comes out. My husband goes into the bathroom and sees he has spit up blood into the toilet.

The kid is holding the side of his head and telling the policeman "It hurts, it hurts". The officer is still trying to calm him down asking him what went on. This kid tells him "My dad was really drunk and hit me in the side of the head with a wine jug, the big kind!". Oh my goodness my heart just sank. I wanted to hug that kid but I stayed put, I was just shaking and trembling. The kid didn't want to leave my house. He cried "no, no don't make me go!" He kept backing away from the officer wailing "why, why can't I just stay here, I don't wanna go back there!". The cop then physically guided the kid towards the door. The officer was very professional, he was using a comforting tone while explaining that they have to go question his parents about what actually took place and they would get him help. He finally led this child to his car and drove away.

Needless to say I had a fretful night. I kept worrying about that kid and what drinking-related horrors he had seen -- or still may. I just hate alcohol. Although I must admit yesterday after they left I felt the old urge to have a drink and calm my nerves. I realize how destructive alcohol is on people and their families, I never expected that reality to be so right-in-my-face. I thought about all of the encounters that cop must have with alcohol-related calls; fights, drunk drivers, fatal accidents. The many ways in which drinking alcohol starts out being celebratory or just a relaxing effort and then goes terribly wrong.

I hope and pray things work out for that poor kid.

Anna

Oh, that makes me get teary!

Thank you to you and your husband for opening your door to this child who desperately needed help. I hope to god that the police took him to a safe place and that he can go to a foster home.

prettypoison

Me too anna...

Aysha

Wow..Thats terrible.
I hope the kid got to a safe place.
Glad you helped him.

grateful2b

Pretty, I am so glad for that child's sake that you and your husband were there to help..
Prayers that his needs are met and he is safe..

Eagles Fan

That's awful. As much as I've had my problems with alcohol, I'm very glad I've never been the violent type. I hope the kid's father gets the help he needs to become a better parent.

weekendbinger

Thanks for sharing. That breaks my heart. It makes me think how the big events will change a childs life forever, but so will the little events. I don't ever want to be drunk around my children again. Even though my mom (alcoholic) didn't hurt me physically, she did emotionally. Those feelings of her still haunt me today. I will not allow myself to do the same thing to my children. Being drunk around a child is HORRIBLE!!! I pray that boy will get the help he desperately needs....it's sooooooooooooo sad!!!

Fubarcdn

It was definitely an earth shattering event for all involved and my heart goes out to everyone involved including you pretty. I also hope that this is a wake up call for the father and that he gets some help.
It does give me the inspiration not to even think about drinking today.

ToABetterMe

Wow! How scarey for him & you guys!
Thankfully you did everything you could for the boy. I wonder if he'll end up back in that home?

That again is another sad reality of how you can hurt people when your under the influence.

gypsytears

You're a good person prettypoison. I hope the boy is alright.

Toomutch

That is really disturbing... I am glad you and your husband were at home to help the boy. I pray he was brought to the hospital for the abuse he recieved at the hands of his father. I am praying for everyone involved.

Alcohol is evil...

ViciousCycle

Wow......keep us posted if you hear anything more. You two earned your wings last night.

Fubarcdn

I don't want to be the devil's advocate but we only know one side of the story. Although it appears that the father was 100% to blame things are not always the way they appear to be. Although we will probably never know it would be nice to hear the other side before I judge someone so harshly.

masseyman

Whatever the situation was it seems like the young boy has a tough life, glad you were there to help him. And you were sober so you could be there and lend a hand.

I've thought about that many times while drunk, what if something happens? I can't be coherent enough to help. What if one of my kids calls and is in the ditch, or my wife is out and needs help. What if my house catches on fire while I'm asleep? I can't save my family, or friends.

Thank God you were there and sober to help that boy. He needed you and you were ALL there for him.

Sweet. Hope he is ok.

KindBird

What an experience. It is heartbreaking. Hopefully the kid will get into a support system to keep him safe.

You and your husband were there for him and that is huge.
Thank you for posting this story - what a reminder of how destructive alcohol can be in our lives!

KenL

Masseyman, you nailed it, I think the lesson we can learn here is exactly what you said. We need to be sober for others as well as for ourselves.

gemeritus

Yeah, me too. Sadly, that thought alone wasn't enough to make me wake up. Now that I have a little sobriety time, that thought does serve as a good reminder of why I shouldn't drink.

Thank you for that, Massey.

prettypoison

I thought about that too. Not too long ago this kid could have shown up at my door and I could have been drunk myself. I don't know how I would have responded. I don't know if I would have freaked out or what. I'm so thankful I was sober and able to act responsibly.

I would never have thought something like this would happen to me. I mostly live a quiet life. It's ironic that it occurred while I'm newly sober and detesting alcohol and it's devasting consequences. This really solidified my stance on staying sober that's for sure.

I hope that poor child at least got a medical evaluation. I hope he gets help and guidance. I wonder how this will affect him later in life. I want to know how the story ends. I will never know.

I'm so grateful that I can come here. Thanks each and every one of you for yours support. I wouldn't want this incident rolling around inside my head while I'm by myself today.
((((THANKS))))

yeahgr8

wow well done for helping him and not having a drink to calm your nerves, wow!

HeavyJ

Pretty P You are a hero, Hopefully this is a turning point for that family...

heavy