I was the first one there and gave Gary a time-honored half-punch guy nudge to get him moving, but he didn't. I yelled out to John and Walt to come back.

Gary and I were the little guys of this bunch. Walt would go on a few years later to state wrestling finals. Both John and Walt were football players. So, it was no surprise to see Walt simply pick Gary up like a rag doll and lay him on a nearby picnic table.

In the limited light of a streetlamp, we could survey the situation. Gary had a nasty looking knot on his forehead and was out cold. He was breathing, but a little shallow for my tastes. We all knew this was not good.

While John and Walt were big guys, I had the reputation of a sprinter. We decided that we didn't want parents involved if we could solve it ourselves. I was elected to run to John's house (about a 1/2 mile away) to be sure his parents were out. If they were, we would take Gary back to John's house and try to revive him. Exactly how, none of us were sure.

So I ran, getting a little more scared with each step, wondering if we were doing the right thing. I got to John's house, checked for the car (gone!), and peeked in a couple of windows to be sure. The coast was clear. Back on my horse and to the scene.

When I got there, I was horrified to find Walt and John had taken Gary's coat and shirt off in an effort to wake him up with cold. Hey, I'm not doctor but I knew that Gary was likely in shock at that point. I also saw that they'd slapped his face red trying to revive him as well. Yikes! Things were getting worse.

We decided after some arguing that going to John's house was the best bet. I was elected to be the point man and look to make sure cars weren't coming. Walt and John were going to carry Gary. Too bad they were both still drunk. They dropped Gary at least three times including once more on his head.

As fate would have it (and perhaps luckily so), a police car rolled up about halfway to John's house. I have no idea what John and Walt were thinking, but I refused to run and they ended up staying too. Walt whispered that he'd do the talking. After several miserable attempts at lying, the cop called for back-up. A paramedic and two other cops were there in minutes. The paramedic couldn't revive Gary either and put him in an ambulance.

Times like these show what you're made of. Walt was more concerned that his brother was going to get nabbed for getting us the vodka than he was about Gary. John seemed more concerned with the hell he was going to catch from his parents. I knew I was in deep shit, but seeing Gary go in the ambulance seemed more important than anything else.

They cuffed us and put the three of us in a police car and took us to the cop shop. After the obligatory paperwork, they separated us and had different detectives talk to us. I told my story which was the truth (other than leaving Walt's brother out of it and not mentioning the joint). Because we were juveniles, we were all remanded to the custody of our parents.

My parents got there first. Mom mostly sobbed. Dad held tight and said little. He walked off to the side with the detective that questioned me and spoke in whispers. When he came back he said, "Don't say a word. We'll talk in the morning."

My Dad's temper was legendary (at least to me), so the silence was welcome and foreboding all the same. I went to sleep worried about Gary and with a nasty vodka headache.

About 2AM, the phone rang. Dad got it, spoke for a few minutes, and then called me to the phone. Gary's dad was on the line and told me Gary may not make it. He had a severe concussion, alcohol poisoning, and was in shock. Gary's dad was in tears begging me to recount every step of the evening. He specifically asked me if there were drugs involved because that could influence the treatment Gary would receive. I finally broke about the marijuana. Gary's father thanked me and hung up.

To be continued... Part One | Part Three

Note: This particular song was covered very nicely by Cry Cry Cry too.

Note again: Names changed to protect the not-so-innocent.