Pronounced Dead

Stevie woke herself up crying. It was barely light outside, so she tried to go back to sleep. It was no use. Vivid images from a dream about Dougie were burned into her consciousness. Rarely a month went by that Stevie didn't dream about her firstborn child. No matter what else was portrayed, her dreams always concluded with the scene in the emergency room at the hospital: A limp, seventeen-year-old body stripped to the waist, pasty white tinged with blue; ER staff dejectedly backing away from the table after a frantic but futile attempt at resuscitation; lifesaving appliances still attached but useless.

As during the real event almost three years earlier, in her dreams Stevie struggled to reach Dougie's side. If she could just touch him gently and kiss him on the forehead, he would awaken for her as he had so many mornings of his brief life. But Stevie had been restrained in near hysteria outside the ER on that dark day. In her dream again this morning, she could not reach her son. The doctor's solemn announcement always stirred her awake: "We did everything we could. I'm sorry."

I Know Better Now

Shawna sighed. It seemed the more she knew of her new friends, the more amazed she was at how different they were. Destiny and the Lindley Belles were obsessed with boys. The three girls, even though they did talk and act a little weird sometimes, just wanted to hang out with her and have fun. Overall, she felt a lot safer with them than she had with Destiny or Rik, in spite of the dwarfs' occasional ventures on the wild side, like skinny-dipping, beer drinking, or watching raunchy videos.

Shawna decided to keep her questions about her new friends to herself. Her mother certainly did not need to know about the video, and the less she knew about Terilyn, Josie, and Alexis, the freer Shawna would be to find out on her own what made them tick. She tingled with a reckless sense of adventure about her closeness to her camp friends. She had felt this way before that night at Lakeside Pines and during other adventures with Destiny. But at least now she was smart enough to keep herself out of trouble.

Vague Spirituality

"I've got to go," Shawna said. "My mom thinks I only came to say good-bye." "Oh, don't go on that lame vacation with your dad, Shawna," Terilyn, Josie, and Alexis pleaded. "It won't be any fun around here without you." "Don't worry," she said. "I have no intention of getting involved with any guys like we just saw. Besides, I'll be with my dad, remember? Any guy who wants to date me when he's around would have to submit to fingerprinting and a background check."

The girls laughed. "We'll be thinking of you while you're gone," Terilyn said, still smiling. "You do the same, OK?" She glanced over at the other girls, then back at Shawna. "We can stay connected in our thoughts, you know." There was that word emphasis again, something the three girls all seemed to understand but that went right past Shawna. "Sure," she answered. "I'll be thinking of you."

Walking back to her apartment, Shawna frowned. Had she just imagined it, or was there some hidden meaning to the words they had emphasized: wise, mature, guide, connected? She had asked Josie and Alexis what they were doing and why they had not responded when she called them, but their answer was vague—something about meditating—and they had changed the subject before Shawna could pursue it. Somehow Shawna was sure the spiritual experiences Terilyn and the other two referred to had little or nothing to do with what she had been taught in church, but she could not imagine what else they might mean.

Giggling at Pornography

The four girls laughed until their sides ached and their faces were wet with tears. The clip from the video Terilyn had cued up for them was not even intended to be funny. Rather, it was a long, steamy love scene. Terilyn started giggling at the beginning of the scene. "Can you believe it? Guys actually get turned on watching this stuff.

Shawna's hilarity was greatly exaggerated by pangs of guilt and embarrassment. No way would she admit to her mother that she watched this stuff. It was raunchy, the stuff you had to rent from the back room of the video store. But she was not about to be a goody-goody in front of her new friends, who were so fun to be with. And at least they were in agreement with her that they would not want to be involved in the sort of behavior they were witnessing on the screen. I'm so glad my new friends aren't like Destiny or Rik, Shawna told herself. The stuff in this video is the type of thing they used to talk about all the time.

Teacher’s Morals

Jon smiled confidently. Stevie suspected he was ready to spring another trap on her. He said, "What about Ms. Brown, Collin's English teacher?" "OK, I'll bite. What about Ms. Brown?" Stevie asked. "Ms. Brown is single and straight, but she lives with her boyfriend. Does she also get fired as an undesirable role model? Or is adultery a more tolerable form of immorality in North California?

Even though Jon was being kind about it, Stevie was tired of being baited. "I don't know, Jon, but I'm sure that Senator Bellardi does. He's a good man, a God-fearing, Bible-believing man. And he wants what's right for the people of North California."

Jon spoke before she could continue. "I'm not trying to hassle you or confuse you—really, I'm not. I just want you to know what you're getting into. I hope Dan Bellardi is everything you say he is, and I hope he can do some good up here. But right and wrong isn't always so black and white, Stevie. You can't categorically say that all homosexuals and abortion doctors and marijuana growers ought to be arrested or shipped south. I just don't want you to go into this campaign with blinders on."

Gay Teacher

Jon said to his ex, "OK, forget Fred and Dr. Smith for a minute." "Here's another scenario. For the sake of discussion, let's say that in three years Bellardi's moral legislation is in place. Collin comes home from middle school one day and tells you that his science teacher, Mr. Jones, stated in class that he's gay. You check it out, and it's true: Mr. Jones is living with another man. What happens to Mr. Jones under the Bellardi regime?"

Stevie felt more confident about this answer. "Senator Bellardi doesn't believe homosexuals should occupy positions of influence over our children. And I wouldn't want Collin in his classroom. So I would hope the teacher would be removed." "But Mr. Jones didn't try to influence anyone. He simply stated his sexual preference. He believes an individual's sexual orientation is personal."

Stevie shook her head. "But he is influencing his students— by example. Teachers are role models whether they intend to be or not. I want positive role models for our kids, and so does Senator Bellardi." "So poor old Jones gets fired for being gay," Jon summarized. "I have no sympathy for 'poor old Jones,'" Stevie retorted. "His lifestyle and his career are both his choice. He can teach school if he wants; he just can't do it in North California."

Assisted Suicide

After a silent moment, Jon proposed another scenario to his ex-wife: “Fred has cancer, horrible pain and says that if you won't help him die, he'll kill himself. Will you turn your back and let him slash his wrists?" "Of course not. I'd be assisting in his suicide by default."

Jon leaned forward in his chair. "Stevie, are you telling me that you'll keep this man in North California against his will, dope him up against his will, and physically restrain him if necessary, all in the name of doing the right thing? Isn't that just as wrong as letting the man die if he wants to?"

Stevie did not know what to say. Her mind was scrambling for an answer. She felt as if she were being backed into a corner. Thankfully, Jon didn't seem to be aiming for the jugular. He was sparring, not arguing. He was trying to make a point, and he seemed rather passionate about it. Finally Stevie said, "Maybe Dr. Smith would be better off in a state that supported assisted suicide."

Mercy Killing Request

Jon started pressing his point with an impish grin. "Let's say that Fred has terminal cancer, horrible pain and no more insurance. That means the state will have to pay for his drugs and hospital care until he dies. Not only for Fred, but for others like him. Your taxes will go through the roof. Will you pay to keep these people alive?"

Was Jon sparring playfully or arguing seriously about Senator Bellardi's platform? At this moment, Stevie could not tell. She gave him the benefit of the doubt. "You can't put a price on human life," she said, returning the grin. "I'll pay the taxes."

Jon pressed on. "But Fred doesn't want the drugs. He wants to die. He demands that Dr. Smith transfer him to a clinic in San Francisco where mercy killing is still legal. If you're the doctor, do you let him go?" "No, that's the same as killing him." "But in South California mercy killing is legal, it's not wrong," Jon insisted. Stevie argued, "It may be legal, but it's still morally wrong to take a human life." Jon nodded, impressed with her argument.

Die with Dignity

Stevie, it sounds like Bellardi's proposed moral legislation could be interpreted as unconstitutional and discriminatory" Jon said. Stevie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I've heard talk about that,” she replied. John paused. "All right, so let's say there's a physician in Redding—Dr. Smith or something. One of his elderly patients—Fred—has terminal cancer. Fred is in horrific pain, which will only worsen until he dies. He has no family, his insurance has run out, and he wants to die with dignity. So Fred summons Dr. Smith to administer the painless fatal injection. But a new law in North California makes mercy deaths illegal—the senator does intend to abolish mercy deaths, doesn't he?" "Yes," Stevie said firmly. "Taking a human life is wrong. Isn't that what you believe?"

Jon paused thoughtfully then nodded, adding, "At least I think that's what I believe. But let me finish. Dr. Smith is a good doctor. He really cares for old Fred, and he agrees that nothing can reverse the disease or permanently relieve the pain. What should he do?" Stevie answered immediately. "Refuse to administer the injection, because it's wrong."

Legislated Morality

“How does Daniel Bellardi intend to keep North California morally positive?” asked Jon. "Legislation, Jon," Stevie answered, purposely avoiding an argumentative tone. "Every law imported from California will expire here within the next three years. It's part of the resolution. The new North California legislature is responsible for reinstating, replacing, or abolishing each of them. Senator Bellardi will use his political clout to put laws on the books that will encourage moral behavior and discourage immoral behavior. Once the laws are in place, the people who push drugs and abortion and homosexuality and assisted suicide and the like won't want to be here. Shawna and Collin will have the benefit of growing up in a world with a minimum of violence and immorality."

"Legislated morality," Jon summarized. "For lack of a better term, yes," Stevie said. "Toe the line in North California or suffer the consequences," Jon added with a slightly sharper edge to his voice.
"It worked with the Ten Commandments, Jon. Right and wrong were black and white, not a matter of personal preference or public opinion. You have to lay down the law and make it stick. That's Senator Bellardi's vision for the state. If people don't like it, they can leave. "