Planetary Earth Date: 21.7.2015
Max and Bird quietly entered Ted's darkened hospital room and placed a vase of pink roses on the nightstand. Ted glanced curiously at the baby-block vase inscribed, 'Hi Mommy!'
"They were all out of 'Get Well'," explained Bird.
"It's perfect." Nickie smiled at Max.
"So how long are you going to be here, Mr. Rhoades?" asked Bird.
Ted raised the head of the hospital bed and reached for Nickie's hand with his good arm." Just a few days. Then I thought I'd take a trip to Rome. I think we need to check out a university of archeology there."
Nickie glowed. "Let's just get you out of the hospital before we start talking about any trips," she said, and fluffed the pillow behind his bandaged shoulder.
A nurse poked her head in the door. "The police are coming to question you, Mr. Rhoades," she said.
"Okay, thanks." He turned to Nickie. "I still can't believe Powers. And Gloria! Setting me up like that."
"What a surprise," sniffed Nickie.
"He was going to kill her, too, Nickie," said Ted.
"Don't worry about Gloria, she can take care of herself. They're probably off somewhere together now. I'm just glad he didn't follow through with his plan to lock you up," she said.
"It's strange about that. Maybe he heard you coming and-"
"Don't think about it now, Dad, just rest."
Ted closed his eyes and the three others tiptoed out of the room. They stood for a moment in the flickering fluorescent light of the hallway.
"Uh, Bird, don't you have to make a phone call or something?" asked Max.
"No, I don't think so. No, I…ooooh, yes! Be right back." He wandered down the hall, pulled his phone from his pocket, and without punching any numbers, began an animated conversation with himself.
Max turned to Nickie to say his goodbyes. "It seems like the right time to go," he explained. "After all, the capsule's been locked and the ceremony's been cancelled."
"But I was hoping you'd both stay on! Where are you going?"
"We've got a new job starting right away. In…Krakow."
"Wow. Sounds great." She lowered her head to hide her face.
"But I have something for you." He handed Nickie a tiny, clumsily wrapped box. She opened it and took out the tiny silver bunny that hung from a delicate chain.
"And I'll never see you again?" she said.
"Never's a long time, Nickie," he said. He nodded toward her father's room. "Tell him, tell him I was sorry," he said.
"No need to tell him that," she said. "Please stay, please…take care of yourself."
"Goodbye, Nickie," said Max, and walked away.
Nickie traced the outline of the bunny with her finger, then rocked it back and forth to make it shimmer in the light. "Goodbye, Max," she whispered.
Max stopped a moment to glance back at the pretty girl with the red hair clasping a chain around her neck.
Max turned sideways in the hospital elevator, in an effort to gain some breathing room. "Do you think that was really necessary?" he said, pointing to Bluebell.
"She gets so cramped," said Bird. "I should have aimed better though, I'll give you that." He looked at the enormous blue buffalo with the gurney teetering on her back.
"You think she's okay, though? asked Max.
"Oh, yeah, she's as strong as an ox," said Bird.
"Not Bluebell – Nickie! You think she's going to be okay?"
"Perfectly okay. I think she's going to make a fine life for herself."
"Yeah, it's better this way. But you think she liked the necklace?"
"She was very touched, I could tell. I think she's really fond of you, Max."
"Oh, and you're an expert on women," scoffed Max.
"I've spent a good portion of my time observing them," said Bird.
"So how come a guy like you never married?"
"Max, you'd be surprised at the number of women who don't like pets," he said.
"PPPPBBBBHHHH," said Bluebell.
Chapter 25
Planetary Earth Date: 15.09.2115
Max leaned against the wall and watched the stream of partygoers flow by. He caught sight of Bluebell dipping her tongue into a champagne flute on the banquet table. Nearby, Bird entertained a couple of enraptured holostarlets, one on each arm.
Mayor Rhoades strolled up to Max and offered his hand. "Enjoying my little victory party, Max?"
"Yes, sir. Very much," said Max half-heartedly.
"Well, I can't thank you enough, Lieutenant. Clearing my great-grandfather's name made all the difference in the election, I assure you!" said the Mayor.
"My pleasure, Your Honor."
"And I was delighted to return the favor, too. Those people in Internal Affairs can be so unreasonable!"
"Yeah, well, thanks for your help," said Max, shaking hands again.
The Mayor drifted away saying, "Enjoy yourself, son. My home is your home."
If this were my home, I'd go to my room, thought Max. Now where can I hide out for the rest of this thing? He found a quiet corner in the Meditation Room and prepared to sink into an Alphawave chair when he was swept up in an armlock.
"Maxie, we're just so proud of you! So proud!" said Mr. Louis.
"He's been like this ever since your promotion ceremony yesterday. Which you failed to attend, to our surprise," said Grandma.
"I'm sorry, Grandma, I should have called you. I just didn't want to go. All that fussing and stuff," said Max.
Grandma searched his face. "Promise you'll stop by for a chat this week, won't you, dear? You know, my shoulder may be old but it's still plenty good to cry on."
Max hugged her for a long time. "I think I will, Grandma, I think I will."
"Yeah, and I'll mix us up a special snack. How's about Jail Break Brownies?" asked Mr. Louis.
Max grinned and nodded.
When they left, Max found a quiet place in the Conservatory to ride out the party. Only about a half-hour to go, he thought. Then I can leave without anybody noticing.
"Max! What are you doing hiding in here? We've been looking all over for you," said Leo, breaking through the crowded doorway. "Rosie wants to thank you."
"What for?"
"For hitting me," said Leo. "Says it knocked some sense into me, Max. Or should I say, 'Lieutenant'?"
"You can just call me Deadrock, Leo."
"Deadrock? I thought you hated that name!"
"I did. But now I think it's a good reminder. I still have a lot to learn, I guess."
"Now, Max, don't you fret about that Over-Involvement charge. We all know you weren't involved," said Leo.
"Right. But still, there are some things I'm going to miss about the twenty-first century, Leo. Or should I say, 'Sergeant'?
Leo grinned. "Imagine that, Max! Me carrying out a sting without you! Even O'Malley didn't mess me up!"
"Too bad he flunked the sergeant's exam, though. Again," said Max with just a touch of malice.
"Yeah, but it sure worked out well or both of us, didn't it, Max? Didn't it?"
"Yeah, I guess," said Max.
"Wait, there's Rosie! Rosie! Here's Max!" He vanished into the doorway and the mob beyond it.
Max wandered back into the mirrored ballroom and found an empty seat next to Bird. "What happened to your girlfriends?" he asked.
"Later," winked Bird.
"PPPHHHHHbbbbb!"
"Uh-oh," said Bird. He watched Bluebell push another champagne flute along the buffet table with her tongue in order to get every last drop.
"She never could hold her liquor! See if you can find her a glass of something non-alcoholic, will you, Max?"
"Sure."
"I think that girl in blue has a serin soda or something," said Bird, hurrying away.
Max sighted the back of the girl in blue and followed her through three rooms before he caught up with her. "Serin soda?" he asked, tapping her on the back.
She turned around. The hair was more a
uburn than red, but the face was unmistakably Nickie.
"Nickie!" he cried.
"Nicole. Rhoades. My grandfather is your host," she said, handing him a glass.
"You're wearing my necklace!" he said. He pointed to the slightly bent and tarnished silver bunny on a chain.
"I don't think so," she laughed. "It was my Great-Grandma Nickie's. I think she found it on a dig or something. She was an archeologist."
"You did it! You became an archeologist!" he crowed.
"Not me, Great-Grandma Nickie. Well, anyway, she passed the necklace down to her son, Max, and he passed it-"
"Nickie got married and had a son!"
"Well, she didn't get married, she-"
Max! That's me!" he dithered.
"Your name is Max, too?"
"Don't you know me?"
"I may be only fifteen," she smiled, "but isn't that pick-up line supposed to go, 'Don't I know you?'"
"I'm sorry," he said and shook some of the clouds out of his head. "It's just that you're so familiar to me!"
"Let me guess, you knew me in a past life, right?" she teased.
"Exactly!"
"Oh, cosmos!" she laughed. She turned and began to circulate again, making sure she walked slowly enough so that he could keep up. Max followed, smiling and talking a lightmile a minute.
As they passed Bird and Bluebell, Bird raised his glass in a toast to the pretty girl with the auburn hair laughing up at the dark, slightly taller, young man.
"Lovely party, isn't it, Bluebell?" said Bird. "Just lovely."
"PPPPHHHBBBB!"
THE END
About the Author
Jill Sardegna is the author of the YA novel, Callie's Quilt, three children's books, The Roly-Poly Spider, K is for Kiss Goodnight, and You Monsters Are in Charge and co-author of the nonfiction books, The Encyclopedia of Blindness and Vision Impairment and A Guide to Independence for the Visually Impaired and Their Families.
About the Cover
The Kindle book cover was designed by Donna Harriman Murillo. See more at dhm-designs.com.
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