Poor Hughes is tired. So tired in fact that he is unable to ward off the impending danger of severe bodily harm.
THE INCIDENT
He was tired. So very tired. Maes Hughes didn't remember ever feeling this tired, even in basic training. I must be getting old, he thought with a grimace. Gracia, had taken Elysia outside so he could have some quiet and he could hear their voices occasionally drifting through the shuttered window.
He had come in and fallen on the bed, fully dressed. A new case was giving everyone fits in the Investigations Department. Everyone was pulling overtime, but him most of all. Coming home so early in the afternoon was the best idea he'd ever had. It was also required when his secretary had found him asleep on the floor by his desk.
In those last moments before drifting off to sleep, Maes found himself in a pleasant limbo. Almost as if he was already dreaming, he heard the door of the bedroom creak open. Must be Gracia checking on me, he thought, smiling. Lazily he peeked open one eye and found not his wife, but two year old Elysia standing in the doorway.
"Go back to Mommy," he told her quietly, eyes already closed again. The light from the hallway continued shining against his eyelids, so he pried them open again. Elysia had stepped inside the room now and Maes could see that she was holding a stick and smiling.
"That's a nice stick, honey. Now take it to Mommy," he whispered, every word a tremendous effort. Where is Gracia? he wondered as he began to drift to sleep again.
A vague sense of forboding crept over him as he heard the shuffle of small feet. Once again he managed to open his eyes a crack and saw his sweet daughter was standing at the foot of the bed, stick in hand still. There was a crazed grin on her face that boded ill. His eyes closed again of their own accord, even as his mind began to sound a frantic alarm: Get up!
"Whaaat?" he stammered, trying desperately to rouse the energy to move. He fought his eyes open several more times, and each time brought him the image of his daughter closer and closer to his head, with the stick raised higher and higher. In some detached part of his mind he wondered if he was already asleep and having a nightmare. Another part of his mind was screaming, Get up! Get up now! Unfortunately, the part of his mind which was in control tried to go to sleep again.
In a last desperate effort to save himself, he attempted to call out. "Hellllp! Gracia!" he croaked, and feebly raised his arm. Elysia, the beautiful and cute light of his life, struck with her stick at that same moment.
"Play, Daddy! Play!" she cried, scoring a fine hit on his raised arm then trying for his head. "Baseball, Daddy!" Major Maes Hughes, Chief of the Military Investigations Department, whimpered quietly, tried to protect his sore head, and prayed for someone to save him from this demon of torment. His savior finally arrived in the doorway and giggled.
"Elysia, Daddy is sleeping. I'm done in the bathroom now so you can go back outside," Gracia said, trying vainly to control her laughter.
"Okay Mommy!" the little girl answered cheerfully as she ran out of the bedroom.
Gracia began to close the door when she heard Maes call for her. She went over to the bed where he appeared to be asleep already with a frown on his face. Without even opening his eyes, he snapped, "You owe me big for what your daughter did to me!"
"Awww, I'll kiss it better for you," Gracia offered, not fooled for a moment by her sleepy husband's temper. "Then I'll have to get that uniform off you and check for further injuries," she added.
"Hmm...later. If you're going to do that then I'll need to get my strength back first," Maes smiled as he fell back into sleep.
Laughing again, Gracia adjusted the covers over her husband and kissed him before going out and closing the door softly.
Based on a true story which lives in our family lore now as 'The Plastic Golf-Club Incident'.
-Neg