Hawaii Five-O and Hogan's Heroes belong to others. I'm just visiting their worlds. Toby Cockatoo and his real-life alter ego, the cockatoo who owns me, are mine.
TRICK OR TOBY?
"A full day off!"Danny Williams reveled in the thought as he settled in a comfortable deck chair on his lanai, coffee cup in hand and the latest surfing magazine resting on his lap. A perfect day to relax. He'd go out to Waimea later to catch a few waves, maybe take his latest girlfriend to dinner and a movie. He'd thought of turning his phone off, but that might be going a bit too far. Steve did have the habit of interrupting his treasured free time and if he didn't answer the phone . . .
His reverie was interrupted by a knock on the door. The young detective shook his head and got up to greet his unexpected guest, when he heard a familiar screech. "Toby!"The thought of an encounter with Andrew Carter's infamous cockatoo was more than he could handle. Not on a rare day off! Maybe if he kept quiet, Carter and his feathered friend would go away. He moved silently back to the lanai, prepared to wait Carter out.
"No such luck,"he realized as a Cockney voice called through the door, "Open up, Mate! We know you're home—your cars are still in their parking spaces." That had to be Newkirk. What were he and Carter doing at his place this early? And with Toby? Dan gave up and opened the door, cringing as the excited cockatoo-dressed in a pirate costume of all things-jumped on his shoulder, singing an off-key "Yo Ho Ho and a bottle of rum!"
"Carter!" Danny's panicky voice pleaded. "Get him off me! I do not want to be bitten!" Toby chomped his formidable beak and bounced on Williams' shoulder.
"Sorry," the Air Force officer mumbled apologetically as he reached for his pet. Toby docilely stepped on Carter's hand and settled down for a few scritches. "Newkirk and I are putting a show for some of the patients at Tripler. LeBeau's taking time off from his new restaurant. He's meeting us at the hospital—he's gonna sing. Toby's learned a lot of new tricks, too. Kono told us you had the day off, so we thought you might like to come along. It's for the kids in the pediatric ward. They need some Halloween fun, too!"
Dan laughed. "Since you put it that way," he grinned, "I guess I'll have to come, even if it's just to keep you out of trouble. But Kono sure owes me one!"
"And Steve will be happy you're not risking another wipeout on those waves," Carter added with a slightly smug grin.
"That, too," Danny agreed.
o-o-o-o-o
Tripler Hospital
The small recreation room rocked with the sound of laughter as patients and medical personnel enthusiastically responded to the Halloween show. LeBeau led everyone in a few songs. Newkirk did some of his best magic tricks and added a spectacular juggling routine featuring a variety of small stuffed animals: a bunny, two penguins, an owl, and a Teddy Bear dressed in an aloha shirt. The audience clapped wildly as he ended his act by throwing each object to a different child. The look on the kids' faces was priceless. "There's one for every kid after the show," he whispered to his companions. " General Hogan got them for us."
Toby could barely contain his excitement-and cockatoos are very excitable birds-when it was his turn. He strutted; he rolled over; he dropped a small ball through a hoop, and picked a handkerchief from an embarrassed Danny Williams' pocket, something he'd learned from Newkirk. Finally, grabbing a small plastic sword, he pranced around, climbed a rope ladder to a high perch and yelled "Ahoy, Mates!" in a loud voice. At Carter's command, the talented parrot jumped to the table top and dug through a small sandbox, hunting for buried treasure, to be rewarded with several favorite treats. Insufferably proud of himself, Toby raised his crest, bounced happily, and finally announced, "That's all, folks!" as he raised a foot and waved "Bye-Bye." The audience went wild.
Danny was brushing tears of laughter from his eyes when he felt a tap on his shoulder. One of the corpsmen motioned him to a quiet corner of the room as he said, "Detective Williams, we have a problem. One of the children is missing. We may need Five-O's help."
Laughter forgotten, Danny immediately fell into detective mode as he asked a few basic questions: name and description of the missing child, parents, anyone with a grudge against the family. He needed to speak with the hospital's CO and security people.
The child's story was a sad one. The boy, Bobby Allen, was a recent orphan. His parents had lost their lives in an auto accident, one all-too-typical in an island setting during the annual rainy season: slippery pavement, a bad curve, loss of control. Bobby had suffered only minor injuries but was understandably still in shock. His grandparents were on their way from the Mainland-New England, the CO noted-and would arrive sometime in the afternoon.
Williams took a deep breath. Orphaned himself at a young age, he could easily imagine the grief and thoughts overwhelming the boy. He'd experienced them himself. He questioned the corpsman, seeking information that might give a hint of Bobby's whereabouts. Had he said anything about the accident? Spoken to a counselor? To teachers? Family friends? When was the last time anyone saw him?
"This morning," the corpsman answered. "We brought him to see Lt. Colonel Carter's Halloween show. He loves animals and we'd hoped that parrot might help him open up."
"So," Dan queried, "he may still be in the hospital, perhaps hiding somewhere?" The young detective turned to the security chief for confirmation.
"Possibly," came the answer. "No one reported him leaving the hospital and he's not in his room. I've ordered my staff to initiate a search, but it's a big complex . . ."
"And a search will take some time," Williams finished the thought. "I'd better call Steve."
o-o-o-o-o
LeBeau looked at Newkirk and Carter. "Where is Danny?" he wondered aloud. He was here just a few minutes ago."
"I saw him talking to one of the hospital staff," the Cockney answered. "He must have been called away for something. Anyway, we can't leave without him. Wonder what's going on."
"He's not the only one missing," Carter added quietly. "Toby's gone, too."
o-o-o-o-o
Cockatoos are playful, inquisitive, and intelligent birds. Like other pets who've spent a long time in the company of humans, they can also read moods and emotions-and Toby could read them better than most. He'd noticed the quiet, sad little boy sitting toward the back of the room and had observed him sneaking out in the general excitement at the conclusion of his act, not at all the usual behavior for a guest at one of his finest performances. Something was wrong. It was up to a cockatoo to discover what. Time to go exploring! Someone had to find that child. Why not him? After all, wasn't he an unofficial member of Hogan's team? Now which way had the boy gone? Ah, down that corridor—lots of rooms to hide in. Toby launched his own investigation.
o-o-o-o-o
The look on Danny's face as he returned to the recreation room told the Heroes that something was seriously wrong. "We have a child missing," he told the men, "A small, blond boy, Bobby Allen, right arm in a cast. He just lost his parents in an auto accident. He seems to have vanished toward the end of Toby's act."
"Mon Dieu!"LeBeau's concern was evident in his expression. "Pauvre petit."Newkirk and Carter looked shocked; a morning that had started out with so much fun had suddenly turned tragic.
"Carter," Williams turned to the older man. "You know this hospital better than I do. Is there anywhere on this floor a child can hide?"
"Lots of places," the pharmacist replied. "There are several storage closets in this corridor. He could be in any one of them, maybe hiding behind a cart or . . ." Carter went on to list several possibilities when Newkirk broke in, "You said Toby was missing, too. You think he followed the boy?"
"Maybe," Carter replied. "He might have been curious. He can get into a lot of mischief."
Danny smiled in spite of himself. He knew just how much mischief that bird was capable of getting into! "So it's find Toby and we'll find the boy?"
"Peut-être,"LeBeau nodded. "Toby loves children."
"We've got a lot of rooms to search," Danny finished the conversation. "We'll split up, search in pairs."
o-o-o-o-o
Toby walked quietly along the edge of the corridor, avoiding people, his acute hearing attuned for any hint of the missing child's location. A soft, sobbing sound alerted him. He looked around, tentatively raising and lowering his crest. Ah, that room there—the door was open just a crack, big enough to get his beak into. He pulled on the door, opening it just wide enough to slip inside. There, huddled in a corner behind a table filled with sheets, was a small, sad child. Someone who needed a cockatoo's comfort! Toby gently climbed into the boy's lap, mumbling softly, "Hi . . . Hello . . . Love ooo."
"Birdie!" the surprised boy whispered. He gently patted Toby's head as the bird responded "Love ooo." The child broke into sobs as he held the cockatoo.
o-o-o-o-o
Carter stopped suddenly. "Did you hear that?" he said. "It sounds like a child crying. It's coming from over there."
Danny nodded his agreement as he quietly opened the door and stepped into the small room. "You were right!" he said. "Toby found him."
Dan knelt beside the sobbing boy as Carter retrieved his pet. The young detective gently held the boy, letting him sob out his grief and reassuring him that people were there for him, that his grandparents were on the way.
"Toby can stay with you for a while," Carter added as he squeezed the child's shoulder. "He really likes you," he continued as Danny lifted the small boy and returned him to his own room. The Five-O officer decided to stay with the bereaved child until his grandparents arrived. It may not have been the way he'd planned to spend his day off, but it was the way he needed to, the way little Bobby needed him to.
Pau
Note:Toby's behaviors are based on actual behaviors of his alter ego, my pet umbrella cockatoo. They are extremely sensitive to moods.