This story is about breast cancer. I know for some it might be difficult if not impossible to read. I understand. I’m not one who likes to give or get spoilers but there are times when they are appropriate. Should you need to know any details before you make the decision to read this please contact me.

Chapter Twenty-seven

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

It was nine o’clock in the morning when Dan pulled up in front of the Frayne-Wheeler Detective Agency. He had spent all Tuesday going over the pros and cons of privately hiring Honey and Trixie to investigate McDaniels. Both men had worked the day shift and whenever Dan crossed paths with McDaniels, he could barely contain his resentment.  McDaniels' smug look seemed to taunt Dan, as if to say, "I know you're on to me, but you can't touch me."

The more he thought about the whole situation, the angrier Dan got. By the end of the day he realized that there was no way he could continue working for the Sleepyside Police Department. He couldn’t in good conscience continue to ignore McDaniels’ incompetence, but if he did do something, he was ruined professionally within the department. Before he did anything, he wanted to have solid evidence of McDaniels’ participation in the robberies. Dan knew that if he did investigate and the wrong person got wind of it, the entire thing could really blow up in his face. That’s where Trixie and Honey came into play.

As he entered the agency offices, Honey came out of the back room with her coveted cup of morning coffee. When she looked up, she was surprised to see Dan in the office. “What brings you over here today?” she asked.

“Well, I could beat around the bush and ask if you knew how Trixie was doing, but since I spoke with Jim last evening, I already know that she’s still sick to her stomach and is going to go to the clinic this afternoon to have blood drawn and an IV,” Dan started.

“So, if you’re not here to find out how Trixie is, what can I help you with?” Honey asked.

Dan looked around as if he feared someone from the department was eavesdropping on him. “I want to hire the Frayne-Wheeler Detective Agency.”

Once Honey had recovered from her shock, she said, “Well, what can we do for you?”

Dan explained all that had been going on in the department. He knew he was breaking work rules by confiding in someone outside of the department. He also knew that it was a risk worth taking. Finally he got to the latest break in and the meeting he had with Molinson and the mayor on Monday afternoon.

“So, what is it that you want us to investigate?” Honey asked when he was finished.

“I want a thorough background check done on McDaniels. I think he’s got a skeleton or two in his closet. I suspect that he’s been the inside man for all of these robberies. I’m doing this on my own. Send the bill to me.” Dan replied.

“Dan, we’re not going to take your money, especially if you’re doing it to better the community,” Honey said.

“I am not going to let you do this pro bono,” insisted Dan.

“You know that Trixie will not hear of you paying for this. It’s not like we can’t afford it. Besides it might be better not to have that paper trail should things get nasty at the department,” Honey suggested.

“We both know that Trixie will get her way in the long run, but I am going to insist I pay you guys the entire time,” Dan replied.

Honey nodded and took out a pen and paper to take notes. It might have been easier to turn on her laptop and take notes directly on it, but she wasn’t sure if she wanted this information in her computer. Before she started to write she said, “You know that one way or the other you’re committing professional suicide by doing this, don’t you?”

Dan sighed, leaned his elbows on his knees and bowed his head. When he began to speak he looked directly into Honey’s eyes. “I know, but I haven’t been happy in this job for a long time. I don’t think I ever really was. I thought I wanted to be a detective for so long that, for a while I convinced myself that it was a great job. Don’t get me wrong. I know I’m good at this job, but since I got back from Iraq, I find the rigidity of working for a police department stifling. It’s the petty things that get to me.”

Dan stopped for a minute to gather his thoughts. He paused so long that Honey thought maybe he wouldn’t say more. Finally he continued, “I didn’t know if I was unhappy because of the job or because of personal issues.” While all of the Bob-Whites were aware that Dan and Hallie had been having some problems after he returned from overseas, most of them didn’t know all of the details. “Even without this issue with McDaniels, I would be leaving the department. This just means I will be leaving it in a negative light.”

“Dan, despite what members of the force may say, if what you suspect is true, you will be able to leave the department with your head held high and a clear conscience,” Honey said. “Now let’s get down to business. I want to ask some questions and take some notes.”

For the next hour Dan answered Honey’s questions, filled in some of the holes, and helped brainstorm an approach they would take.

Trixie and Jim were walking out of the clinic. It was mid-afternoon. Jim had brought Trixie in to have blood drawn and an IV administered to prevent dehydration. Both of them had dark circles under their eyes due to lack of sleep, but they were in much better shape than they were after the first round of chemotherapy. Blood tests indicated that Trixie did not need a blood transfusion at this time.

As they approached the doors, Trixie suggested, “Let’s stop and see if Brian has a few minutes before we leave.”

Jim looked at her in surprise but guided her towards the pediatric office. “What brought that on?”

“Well, you know as well as I do that Brian is dying to know how things went. It’s the doctor in him. You also know that he’s trying his hardest to just be the big brother and not a doctor. I just thought I’d put him out of his misery.”

Jim chuckled and replied, “Well, I suppose we could take a detour.” He glanced at his watch. It was three thirty. Moms was going to meet Lizzie and Matt when the bus dropped them off. In truth, he was relieved. The past two days had been exhausting. Not only was he trying to see to Trixie’s needs, he was also dealing with his own demons. So far he was succeeding, but he felt that his resolve was weakening and he needed a pep talk from his best friend.

When they got to the reception area, they asked if Brian would be done seeing patients soon. On Mondays and Wednesdays he began seeing patients at seven o’clock in the morning. It worked great for those who wanted to get up that early. On Mondays it allowed him to see those who had gotten sick over the weekend right away. On Wednesdays those times were reserved for physicals and routine visits. That way he could see kids without them missing school. It meant that he saw his last patient on Monday at three fifteen.

Trixie and Jim entered the waiting room marked ‘Well Kids’ and sat down. Several years ago the pediatric clinic had divided the waiting room space. One room was for well children who were scheduled for routine physicals and immunizations. The other room was for sick children. By separating the two types of clients, the clinic hoped to prevent unnecessary illnesses.

While Trixie sat waiting, she noticed one little boy, who looked about six, openly staring at her bald head. His mother was mortified by her son’s behavior and tried discreetly to get him to take his eyes off of Trixie.

Sensing the mother’s discomfort, Trixie got up and walked over to the child. The little boy quickly got up and tried to hide behind his mother. Slowly, Trixie bent down and peered around the mother into the little boy’s frightened eyes.

“Hi,” she said. “My name’s Trixie, what’s yours?”

The little boy quickly tried to climb on his mother’s lap, never taking his eyes off of Trixie. After some prodding from his mother, he stared at his feet and replied, “Seth.”

“Seth,” Trixie replied. “That’s a great name. I have a little girl Lizzie who is just about your age.” Seth just nodded his head so Trixie continued. “Do you like my bald head?”

Seth’s mother just watched as Trixie conversed with her son. Seth snuggled closer to his mom. Finally he blurted out, “No, I think it looks stupid.” Seth’s mom was appalled. Trixie just laughed.

“You know what, Seth? I think it looks stupid, too. Unfortunately, I had to take some medicine to make me better and it made me lose my hair.”

Seth continued to stare at Trixie. Finally he asked, “Did the medicine work?”

Trixie paused, not quite sure how she wanted to proceed. Finally, she remembered the advice Brian had given her and she answered as simply as possible. “I hope so, but I won’t know for sure for a couple of months.”

“So will you be bald for that long?” Seth asked. Now that he knew what had happened, Seth wanted to know everything about it.

“No, I have to have one more treatment and then my hair will stop falling out and can start growing back.”

Seth’s mother smiled her appreciation to Trixie. She knew that not all people would be able handle the situation as well as Trixie had.

Trixie started to stand and began to lose her balance. She managed to catch herself. Looking her new friend in the eye she asked, “This medicine also makes me very tired. See that guy over there with the red hair? He’s my husband. Would you help me walk over there so I don’t fall over?” Trixie glanced over at Jim and saw he was ready to go and help her if needed. When he realized what she was doing, he sat down.

Seth nodded his head and held out his hand. He took his new responsibility seriously. Slowly, the two of them made their way back to Jim. Just as they got to where Jim was sitting, the door to the exam rooms opened and Brian walked out.

Seth looked up. When he saw who it was he ran over to Brian. “Dr. Brian, Dr. Brian, come and meet my new friend.” Brian allowed Seth to drag him over to Jim and Trixie.

“Seth, I already know your new friend. Trixie is my sister.”

Now Seth was really impressed. Dr. Brian was one of Seth’s most favorite people in the world and now he had met his sister. Seth’s mom walked over to retrieve him just as a nurse came out and called his name. Seth started to protest.

“You go in with Nurse Cathy and I’ll be there in a second. If you’re a good boy and let her take your weight and height and whatever else she needs, she’ll let you choose a sticker from the sticker box,” Brian said as he smiled at one of his favorite patients.

Seth reluctantly went with Nurse Cathy while Brian sat down next to Trixie.

Trixie started, “Sorry, Brian, I didn’t want to interrupt your day. I thought you’d be done by now.”

“Seth’s my last patient. He just needs a booster shot. Can you wait ten minutes? I got behind and they’ve been waiting longer than I’d have liked,” Brian asked.

Trixie gave a big yawn. “Sure, I’ll just rest my eyes. My stomach finally seems like it’s not going to heave, so I’m going to enjoy the moment. Someone just nudge me if I start snoring.”

Before the doors to the exam room had closed, Trixie was sound asleep and lightly snoring. Jim did not have the heart to wake her and let her saw logs to her heart’s content. In a few minutes, Brian accompanied Seth and his mother out of the exam rooms. There were traces of unshed tears in Seth’s eyes. He started to run up to Trixie, but Brian stopped him.

“Trixie needs to sleep. I’ll tell her you said good-bye. Okay?” Brian told Seth.

“Okay,” Seth replied. “Tell her I hope her hair grows back really soon. And it really doesn’t look that stupid.”

Brian ruffled Seth’s hair and chuckled. “You be good now. I hope I won’t have to see you back here for a long time.”

After Seth and his mother left, Brian made his way back to Jim and Trixie. Trixie was still sound asleep and Jim appeared to be resting his eyes as well. Brian knew that Jim wasn’t asleep.

“Thanks for waiting,” Brian whispered. “I really didn’t want to make them wait long.”

Jim opened his tired eyes. “That’s okay. I think meeting Seth was well worth the wait.”

Brian could not contain his curiosity any longer. “So how’d it go?”

Jim sat forward and placed his elbows on his knees. “I guess pretty well. They drew blood and decided she didn’t need a blood transfusion. They did give her an IV because she was getting dehydrated.”

“Well, that’s good news,” Brian replied. “Thanks for stopping by to let me know. It is appreciated.”

“It was Trixie’s idea. She knew you would be worrying,” Jim said.

Brian chuckled. “Well, you can’t change a leopard’s spots. I just hope she isn’t too worn out.”

“Hopefully, we can both get a good night’s sleep tonight. Dan and Hallie are coming over to Frayne sit tonight. Moms met Lizzie and Matt at the bus and was going to make sure they got their homework done. It shouldn’t be too much work for the Mangans.”

Brian and Jim both stood up. After they embraced, Brian said, “Tell Hallie and Dan I said hi. I haven’t seen them since the basketball game.”

After Brian left, Jim bent down and woke up Trixie. He gently helped to her feet and they slowly made their way to the car.

Dan left the Frayne-Wheeler Detective Agency and headed for Ten Acres Academy. Hallie was going to meet him at Jim and Trixie’s later. He had an errand to run. First, he stopped by the stables, looking for his Uncle Bill. He found him with a couple of the younger students from the Academy grooming the gentler horses. Dan waited until he was done and the kids were headed back to the school building.

It was several minutes before Dan finally said anything. Finally he said quietly, “How does Great Uncle Bill sound?”

It took a few minutes for what Dan said to sink in. Dan watched as the look on his uncle’s face turned from bewilderment, to understanding, and finally to excitement. “You’re going to be a dad,” Regan finally said. Having grown up in an orphanage he had a difficult time expressing his emotions. Fortunately, for Regan, finding his lost nephew twenty years ago had helped change that and Regan embraced Dan.

Dan beamed from ear to ear. “Yeah, I guess so. Hallie and I are both so excited.”

“When is this blessed event supposed to happen?” Regan asked.

Dan looked a little sheepish. “Sometime in less than nine months?” He wasn’t quite sure on the exact date. “We are trying to keep it quiet for a couple of weeks. Hallie called her parents last night but we’re not going to tell the Bob-Whites for a while. Hallie’s afraid something will happen and thinks it will be better to wait.”

“Your secret’s safe with me. Just make sure you give Hallie a hug from me and tell her I said congratulations.”

“I will,” Dan said. “But for now I wonder if you’ve got a horse that needs some exercise. I need to head out to the cabin.” No further words were needed. Regan knew what Dan needed to do.

Dan saddled up the horse Regan suggested he ride, and headed out to the cabin. Today, he wouldn’t be chopping any wood but he felt the need to share his excitement with Mr. Maypenny.

When he got to the cabin, he went in and checked to make sure everything was in order. Dan knew eventually he would have to make some decision about the buildings. He knew that living out here full time would not work for him and his wife. He also didn’t want it to sit unused. That would be an issue to tackle another day. Right now he had some news to share.

After he assured himself that everything was in order he sat down in the handmade rocking chair that was padded with deerskin. Dan leaned back and looked at the ceiling and began to speak. “It’s me again, Mr. Maypenny. I know it’s been a while since I’ve been out to visit. It’s been really hectic. You know Trixie is battling breast cancer and Jim is killing himself with worry. My job just plain sucks. Trying to do the right thing without appearing to be a renegade is difficult. I don’t want to not have my back covered when I need it.” Dan paused for a few minutes. Then he continued, “But I’m not here today to tell you of my woes. I’ve got great news. Hallie and I are going to be parents. I guess that makes you a “grandpa”. Think you can handle that title?” Dan paused again. “I wish you were still here so you could share all of your knowledge with him or her. I’ll try my best, because I learned from the best.”

Dan sat there for a few more minutes. He glanced at his watch and realized he needed to get going. It was going to get dark sooner than he would have liked and he had promised Jim and Trixie he’d try to get to their house by four o’clock.

Before he knew it, Dan had rubbed down his horse and cleaned his tack and was in his truck and headed over to the Fraynes’. When he pulled into the driveway he noticed Lizzie standing in the driveway, head down, kicking the snow. When she saw that it was Dan she just gave a slight wave. That concerned Dan. Usually when he came over he at least got one of her brilliant smiles and a huge bear hug.

“Hi, Lizzie,” he said as he got out of the truck. She still didn’t leave her position. “Whatcha doing?”

“Nothin’,” she replied not looking up.

Dan walked over to Lizzie, crouched down, and placed a finger under her chin forcing her to look into his eyes. He could see unshed tears in her wide-set eyes. She was so like Trixie in that respect, never wanting to cry in front of anyone. “You sure? You know you can tell me anything.”

Slowly the tears started to fall from crystal blue eyes that matched her mother’s. “Uncle Dan, it’s all my fault!” she wailed.

Dan gathered Lizzie into his arms and held her tightly. The look of anguish in her eyes tore at Dan’s heart. Quietly he said, “What’s all your fault?”

Lizzie tried to contain her tears. “Mom..." sniff "...being..." sniff "... sick..." sniff.

While Dan did not have a lot of experience dealing with issues like this, he knew he had to tread lightly and not discount the feeling Lizzie was having. “Peanut, why do you think it’s your fault?”

Lizzie looked directly into Dan’s eyes, took a deep breath as if she were facing her worst enemy, and once again, like her mother, barreled full steam ahead. “I prayed that I wouldn’t have to have any more surgery no matter what.” She buried her head into Dan’s shoulder as the sobs returned.

Dan gripped Lizzie’s shoulders and pulled her back so he could look directly at her. “It’s not your fault at all, Lizzie. It just happened. I know it’s scary now when your mom seems so sick but we have to have faith that she’ll survive.”

Lizzie was still a little skeptical but she knew that Dan would never lie to her. She thought back to what her dad and Uncle Brian had told her as well and figured she would try to believe them.

Hallie’s Solstice pulled into the driveway. Dan stood up and took Lizzie’s hand. “Let’s go inside and see what Grandmoms put in the oven for dinner.” Dan led Lizzie over to Hallie’s car before going up the porch steps.

Dan turned and made a gallant gesture of opening Hallie’s door. He bent down and kissed her firmly but chastely on the lips. He offered his arm to help her out of the door. Lizzie still had hold of his other arm.

While Dan escorted two of his most favorite girls up the steps, Hallie whispered into his ear so no one else could hear, “You are so dead, Mangan. If I’m not going to be able to make a single move without you being overprotective, I’m going to go stark raving mad.”

Dan looked startled. While he didn’t go overboard, it wasn’t uncommon for him to hold open the door for Hallie. He looked into Hallie’s eyes and saw a twinkle in them. Dropping Lizzie’s hand for a moment, he wrapped Hallie into a tight embrace and whispered back. “Just trying to be the caring husband you know and love.”

By now Lizzie was getting impatient. Without waiting for the Mangans, she headed into the house. Dan and Hallie followed right behind her. After removing their outer wear, all three of them headed toward the kitchen. They found the table set, and Moms was just pulling the meatloaf out of the oven. There were green bean casserole and mashed potatoes and gravy, as well as a salad ready to be placed on the table.

Both Hallie and Dan were surprised to see Trixie sitting on a bar stool at the island talking with her mother. Trixie looked pale and tired but was trying hard to not give in to her exhaustion just yet. She wanted to at least sit at the table while her family ate dinner.

Jim, Matt and Jenny entered the room and after greetings were made, they all sat down to eat. Peter Belden had poker night with Ed Lynch, Matt Wheeler and several other local businessmen so he didn’t join them for dinner. Grace was said and food began to be passed. Efforts were made to keep things as normal as possible. Trixie asked the kids about their day and if their homework was done.

Moms was quick to interject before Matt started in. “Lizzie did all of her work by herself without much prodding.” Trixie’s face genuinely lit up. Many nights it was a struggle to get Lizzie to sit down and do her homework.

As the meal progressed, talk bounced from one topic to the next. Although she looked pale, Trixie seemed to want to be at the table to take in all of the activity. Dan was just about to tell Trixie about his meeting with Honey when Hallie bolted from the table and raced to the bathroom. Trixie and Jim exchanged concerned looks while Dan continued to finish his last bite of meatloaf. After about three minutes, Dan got up and went to check on his wife.

When Dan walked into the bathroom, Hallie was standing by the sink with a Dixie cup in her hand rinsing her mouth. There were no signs of her battle with her stomach except that her dark hair was a little disheveled.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“I think so. It just seems to come on so fast and for me there’s no rhyme or reason for when it does,” Hallie replied. “I guess everyone handles their pregnancies different.”

“So, what do we do now? Jim will be worried about a flu bug if we don’t say something,” Dan said.

“Well, I know you’ve been dying to share your news with the Bob-Whites, especially Jim. Let’s tell him and Trixie tonight. Over the weekend, we can tell the rest of them individually,” Hallie said. Dan nodded in agreement as the two of them walked out of the bathroom.

When they entered the kitchen, everyone at the table looked up with concern. Jim was surprised when both Dan and Hallie sat back down at their places. He thought for sure they would leave as quickly as possible if Hallie were sick.

Dan picked up his fork and resumed eating. Jim stared at him in disbelief. Finally, Dan broke out into a huge grin. “Hallie and I have some news to share,” he said casually.

Trixie’s eyes lit up. She suspected what the news was and could hardly contain herself. Uncharacteristically, she controlled her excitement so she didn’t ruin the moment.

All eyes were on Dan when he said, “In a little over seven months we’re going to be parents.”

Jim jumped out of his chair and first embraced Dan and then Hallie. Slowly, Trixie got up and walked over to the couple to share their joy. The kids joined them in their congratulations.

When they were all finished, Moms stood up. First she walked up to Hallie and gave her a motherly hug, “Congratulations! I know that you’ve wanted this for a long time, my dear. You’re going to make a great mother.”

Tears filled Hallie’s eyes at the compliment coming from one of the mothers she admired the most. “I’ve learned from the best,” she said.

Then Moms moved to Dan. By now she couldn’t hold back the tears for the man she considered her fourth son. “I’m so excited for you. I know what this means to you,” she said, giving Dan a tight embrace.

When everyone had received all of their hugs, Dan explained, “We weren’t going to say anything for awhile just to be safe, but after this evening we couldn’t keep it a secret. Hallie and I would like to tell the rest of the Bob-Whites ourselves this weekend, so if you can manage to keep it quiet we’d appreciate it.”

Moms left shortly after that, Trixie and Jim headed up to their room, and Hallie and Dan stayed until the kids were tucked safely in their beds.

 

 

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