"Listen, son, I may be way out of line, but I more than anyone know what you're feeling right now. I know how your insides are all torn up. You did what you had to do. These weren't children, their parents had taken that away from them a long time ago. The Redmans came up here from Georgia because things got too hot for them down there. They were suspected of being involved in at least five murders and three rapes! The girl was believed to have been involved in two of them, when she was as young as ten! The boy was suspected of being involved in at least three of the incidents. Plus, he liked to set fire to things, especially if those things were owned by colored people or Asians.
These two, no matter what their parents will say, were no babes out for a walk in the woods. They would have killed your friend if you hadn't stopped them. They would have killed you! There's no doubt of it! It doesn't make what you're feeling any better, it will still gnaw at you insides, for a long time. But you probably did alot of people a big favor for if these two had gone on they would have made a lot more peoples' lives miserable. Alot of people, some of them good people, are going to be screaming about what you did. They're going to call you terrible things and those things are going to hurt. But you've got to remember what they were doing when you pulled that trigger, why you had to shoot.
The pain will go away slowly. There's a doctor that works with the state police. If you'd like I'll send him in to talk with you. He specializes in this kind of trauma."
"I'd appreciate that!" Samuel answered. "You had to shoot somebody too?"
The detective nodded. "Thirteen year old boy, high on drugs, firing away at people in a school auditorium with a shotgun. He'd already killed three people, a teacher hadn't given him a grade he thought he deserved."
"Oh!" Samuel sighed.
"Well," the detective concluded, "I think we've got what we need. We don't need to bother you any more. I'll speak to Dr. Franklin just as soon as I can get ahold of him, and he'll come up."
"Thank you!" Samuel answered, "Thank you very much!"
The next few weeks were a living hell! Samuel was first transferred back to the Academy clinic. There were crowds outside the hospital as the ambulance left. Some were cheering but others carried signs that said "Murderers! Butchers! Baby Killers!" and a couple of places a group of youngsters threw rocks at the ambulance, and were quickly chased down and held for the police. Once they neared the Academy, however, the crowds were nothing but friendly.
The Commandant met Samuel on the pier before he boarded the ferry, being wheeled by his secretary. "Quite a swim, young man!" the Commandant remarked, putting his hand on Samuel's shoulder. "Everybody's proud of you. Let's not let this nastiness by people that don't understand the hard things that have to be done sometimes spoil the day. Arrangements have been made for your care. We hope they're satisfactory. Come on! Let's take our wounded comrade home."
Samuel found his own room had been equipped with a hospital bed. He was introduced to a young woman named Sharon, a new cadet. "Sharon has volunteered," the Commandant explained, "to be your nurse and to assist you until you are able to take care of yourself. One of the nurses from the clinic will come by to administer any shots or anything. But she's perfectly capable of helping you dress and such."
"I'm extremely grateful!" Samuel acknowledged.
The young woman just smiled and nodded. At first it was embarrassing to have her help him do the simple necessities of life, but after a while Samuel got used to it.
Classes went well. Dr. Franklin flew up in his own plane several times and their long talks helped Samuel, and tried to prepare him for the coroners inquest. But nothing could prepare anyone for that!
All The Redmans were there, dozens of them! Their attorney screamed at Samuel again and again that he was lying, that these two innocent children were just watching the others and had had no part in the shooting. But Samuel told what had happened over and over again.
Finally, the coroner screamed "Enough! The young man has given his statement!"
The other cadets testified that after they had fought their way across the bridge and taken prisoners, they found the dead young man and the dying young woman, the shotgun still locked in the young man's death grip. The jury took only a few minutes to return the verdict of justifiable homocide.The Redmans went berserk! Three of the male members of the family came flying at Samuel. Detective Green had to beat one of them severely, to get him off. The others were restrained by the bailiff and the cadets. Samuel was more than glad, when he was safely back at the Academy. But he could still remember the senior Redman screaming at him, "You killed our baby girl! Some day, some how we'll GET you, you stinking animal! They were only trying to protect what was rightfully theirs. You'll pay, you bastard! You'll pay!"
Samuel had no doubts somehow they would have to end this personally.

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