Messages From the Heart
The Delirium Threemen
Don't own the copyright to any of the characters depicted in Emergency they are the property of Universal Studios/Mark VII Productions. Content from the show is the property of the original creators. No copyright infringement intended.
All original characters and story content is the sole property of The Delirium Threemen and may not be used without permission.
The movie The Blob is the property of the respective authors, artists and labels along with the song from The Blob.
Chapter 2
Shortly after 7:30 Saturday morning, Roy woke up and quickly got dressed. After making his bed and brushing his teeth he headed downstairs. His mother and Jim were still sleeping. He went into the kitchen, filled a glass with some milk and quickly downed it. He quietly slipped back up to his bedroom and began working on finishing his letter to Jim.
Roy was so absorbed in his writing he never noticed the normal clattering around of his parents getting up for the day. He was close to completing his letter when he heard his mother calling him for breakfast. He put the letter away and headed downstairs. His mother put a stack of pancakes topped with strawberries in front of him which he quickly doused in maple syrup. It was almost 8:30 which gave him just enough time to eat his breakfast and meet Cuddy and his mother to go shopping.
After finishing breakfast, Jim headed off to his shop and Roy helped his mother clear the kitchen table and do the dishes. When he was finished he headed over to the Cuddahy's where Mrs. Cuddahy, Cuddy, and his little sister Brenda all piled into the car and headed for the local shopping center.
At the men's store Roy provided the neck size his mother had him write down from one of his Jim's shirts to the sales clerk. He looked at some pale blue shirts and white ones. He settled on a pale blue short sleeve dress shirt being the temperature for the next few months would be scorching. He picked out a solid-colored dark blue tie that would go nicely with the shirt.
Once he had paid for his purchases he met up with Cuddy who was still picking out a shirt and tie with his little sister as his mother looked on. Roy still had plenty of his allowance left over so maybe him and Cuddy would go to the movies this afternoon. The had heard from some of their friends at school how great the new horror flick The Blob was and were anxious to see it themselves.
When everybody had completed their purchases they accompanied Mrs. Cuddahy to the grocery store before heading home. It was almost 11:00 by the time they returned. Roy hurried into the house and quickly said hello to his mother before rushing upstairs to his bedroom.
He stashed Jim's Father's Day present under the bed and then sat at his desk to complete his special letter to Jim. He had just finished it when his mother called him down for lunch. Jim normally arrived home an hour after lunch on Saturdays. All he needed to do now was write the letter over again in his neatest handwriting and wrap the gifts stuffed under his bed. He quickly washed up and headed downstairs to the kitchen.
"Mom can I go to the movies with Cuddy and Jo-Jo this afternoon," Roy asked as he finished his lunch.
"What movie are you planning to see?"
"There's a new movie out called The Blob it's about this slimy creature that can get under doors, go through cracks and it devours everything in its path," Roy answered excitedly.
"Oh dear Roy, that doesn't sound too good".
Roy pleaded, "It's really not all that scary Mom, besides we've been waiting to see it for two weeks now".
"Well if you get nightmares, then this will be the last movie of its kind you will see".
"Does that mean yes, mom, I can go?" Roy asked with uncertainty.
Harriett relented, "Okay you can go but the three of you stick together and if it rains then use a payphone and I'll come pick you kids up".
"You're the best Mom," Roy said as he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. Harriett had to admit her son sure knew how to wheedle his way around her sometimes. Even though she wasn't too keen on his choice in movies she knew it couldn't be all that bad if Jo-Jo's mother was going to let her go.
Roy headed towards the door and before he could exit the house his mother issued one last request, "Now don't go filling up on popcorn and soda pop. Maybe the three of you should buy one bag of popcorn and share it".
"Don't worry Mom, I won't fill up on junk," he called back as he headed over to Cuddy's house here Jo-Jo was going to meet them. As soon as Jo-Jo arrived at Cuddy's house the three of them headed to the theatre which was about five blocks away.
They sat at the back of the theater and Roy ended up sharing his popcorn with Jo-Jo. She sat on one side of him and Cuddy sat on the other. It always puzzled him that Jo-Jo always sat beside him whether he was in the middle or not. The three of them sat mesmerized by the movie and after it had ended the three friends headed home.
As they walked down the streets towards home the three of them started singing the catchy theme song from the movie.
"Beware of the blob, it creeps
And leaps and glides and slides
Across the floor
Right through the door
And all around the wall
A splotch, a blotch
Be careful of the blob"
They immediately sang the song again only this time they started added their own sliding and gliding movements as they sang it. They had just finished singing and dancing to the song for the fourth time by the time they reached Jo-Jo's house.
After dropping Jo-Jo off, Cuddy and Roy continued on their way home still singing the song from the movie. Jim chuckled as the two boys got closer. Harriett came out on the porch because she recognized the voices of the two singing boy with the unusual dance movements. Harriett looked at Jim and commented, "What on earth are those two boys up to?"
"Must be the latest dance craze sweetheart," Jim replied back.
"They look pretty silly, don't you think?"
"Would you rather they gyrated around like that Elvis kid?"
Harriett frowned, "I already caught Roy in front of his bedroom mirror trying out those moves". As both boys neared them she gave them both a quizzical look over the strange song they were singing.
Both boys stopped singing and Roy said, "It's the song to The Blob, Mom, not the 'Beans' song".
Harriett smiled at the two boys and shook her head. "Time for you to come in, set the table and wash up for supper, young man. You better not have ruined your appetite with junk food either," Harriett said giving Roy her 'angry' eyes.
"No Mom, Jo-Jo ate most of the popcorn and drank half my soda," Roy replied as his mother's expression changed to one of approval.
"See you later, Cuddy, and thank your Mom again for taking me shopping with you," Roy said to his friend as he scurried into the house.
"You kids have a good time at the movies?" Jim inquired as he prepared supper. Jim loved to cook and of course years of being a confirmed bachelor he learned to fix his own meals. He did a lot 'experimenting' with different foods and spices in the kitchen he actually was quite an accomplished cook. He was teaching Roy a few things about cooking but he knew it would be a couple of years before either he or Harriett would actually let him use the stove by himself.
"Jo-Jo thought the Steve guy in the movie was cute," Roy said and then added in a high pitched voice mimicking Jo-Jo, "He's got such gorgeous blue eyes".
Jim laughed and then replied, "Maybe one day she'll say that about your gorgeous blue eyes".
"I'd rather face The Blob instead," Roy said and then began quietly singing the catchy song again.
"One day you just might find Jo-Jo has enchanting green eyes," Jim couldn't resist teasing his stepson.
"EEeewww," Roy shuddered and made a sour face.
Roy began telling Jim about the mass of 'red jello' that came out of a meteorite and slowly devoured the old man who found it. Then he continued on about how the red slimy mass terrorized a movie theater and finally the Blob met its end at the diner where a guy named Steve used a fire extinguisher to freeze it. Then after they froze the Blob they dropped it off at the North Pole.
Jim laughed to himself, he had never heard of a more ridiculous movie. He continued to put the finishing touches on supper as Roy headed for the living room to let his mother know that supper would be ready in a few minutes before heading upstairs to wash up.
Once supper was finished and Roy helped out with the cleanup he was allowed out for a couple of hours to play with his friends. When the sun was beginning to set he was called in to take his bath and get his pajamas on. He took this time to rewrite his letter as neatly as possible. He folded up the letter neatly and then pulled out the gifts he had purchased earlier. He placed the letter in the front pocket of the shirt.
He then pulled out the wrapping paper and wrapped up his gifts taping the Father's Day card he made at school on top. He then put everything back under his bed and headed downstairs for his evening snack.
Harriett gently woke her son up the next morning before going downstairs for fix breakfast. Every Sunday they spent most of the morning attending church services. After wolfing down his breakfast he hurried back upstairs to clean up and put on his dress pants, shirt and tie. He grabbed his comb and headed to the washroom where he brushed his teeth. He then wet down his hair with the comb and neatly styled it the way his mother liked it before heading downstairs.
Roy wasn't crazy about sitting still for two hours in a pew and on hot days like this it felt even longer. Roy could see the Cuddahy's sitting a few pews in front of him and noticed Cuddy and his little sister Brenda elbowing each other. Near the front of the church sat the Johnson family. Eunice Johnson made sure her family sat near the front. Jo-Jo was wearing a pretty light blue dress with a matching ribbon in her neatly styled hair. She didn't look half bad all dressed up Roy thought. Jo-Jo's sister sat beside their mother and held her head in the same high and mighty way her mother did. Norman Johnson the consummate hen-pecked husband sat stoically with his family.
It was customary for Roy and his parents to go out to the local diner for an early lunch after church. A lot of other families from their church usually headed to Rollie's Diner after wards. At a nearby table sat the Cuddahy's and often times Cuddy would sit with the Finley's where he and Roy would make plans for their Sunday afternoon. Jim had the hedges to trim that afternoon so the boys couldn't finagle him into taking them fishing.
"Looks like you're going to need a hair cut soon," Harriett said to Roy as she brushed his bangs away from his eyes.
Roy looked horrified, "But Mom, you can't cut it. I need it longer so I can comb it the same way Elvis does".
"Roy your hair is too fine to comb it that way. It won't stay in place after it dries".
"That's what Byrlcream is for Mom," Roy argued back.
"Roy when you're in high school then you can do what you want with your hair, until then you will keep it neat and trim," Harriett said assertively.
Roy gave her a defeated look, "You just don't understand Mom. Help me out Jimbo".
Jim decided to end the argument, "Roy, don't argue with your mother it's only hair". He agreed with Harriett on the issue of Roy's hair. He noted that rough kids like Eddie Boyle tended to sport that type of hair style. He thought the ducktails the older boys sported made them look ridiculous. He had heard a couple of his mechanics complain about their teenage sons spending more time in front of a mirror than their daughters.
The Finley's and Cuddahy's continued with their lunch as their children chattered away. Roy and Cuddy were making plans to build a fort on the empty woodlot. Brenda was pestering her brother to let her help. Big tears formed in Brenda's eyes when her brother told her it was a 'Boy's Only' club. Len Cuddahy reminded the boy's that Jo-Jo wouldn't put up with them excluding girls from their club.
"Don't worry peach, Jo-Jo will sneak you in," he reassured his daughter. That seemed to dry up the tears in her eyes; Brenda looked up to Jo-Jo who often would spend time with her instead of her older brother and Roy.
Once they had arrived back home, Roy bolted into the house and up to his bedroom to change into his play clothes. He hung up his good clothes back into the closet for next Sunday. He quickly pulled out the Father's Day presents for Jim from under the bed and scurried to his parent's bedroom and placed them on top of the bed. He felt a little guilty about not putting Jim's gifts out this morning; he hoped that Jim didn't think he had forgotten about Father's Day.
He hurried off outside to met with Cuddy at the old woodpile at the edge of the empty lot. He knew Jim and his mother would shortly be changing out of their 'Sunday Best'. He was somewhat unsure about what Jim would think about the letter he stuffed inside the gift. A Jim had been a great father figure to him, but there was still a small little part of him that felt a little embarrassed about writing such a 'mushy' letter.
Jim had just finished changing from his suit to clothes more suitable for yard work. He noticed the gift Roy had left on top of the bed with a card on top. He had felt somewhat hurt over lunch when Len mentioned the Father's Day gifts his children had given him. Harriett had whispered reassuringly that Roy didn't forget about Father's Day. He was a little puzzled that Roy didn't leave these items out before church but sometimes Roy did things according to his own brand of logic. As with most children, their logic didn't always make sense to the adults in their world.
He picked up the handmade card and read it.
To Jimbo,
Happy Father's Day
Love Roy
He chuckled at the card with the picture of a frazzled looking man that Roy had drawn on it as he put it back on top of the gift wrapped box. Roy had taken to calling him Jimbo whenever he accompanied Jim to his shop. Jimbo was a nickname Roy had given him while he was dating his mother. Even his employees at work referred to him by that name thanks to Roy, he thought in amusement. He was also touched be the sentiment Roy had expressed in his card towards him.
Jim removed the wrapping paper from the gift and opened the box to see what was inside. He looked at the nice dark blue tie on top and then the light blue dress shirt underneath. He noticed the bulge in the pocket of the shirt and reached inside to find a piece of paper folded inside the pocket and took it out. After unfolding it he began to read it:
Dear Dad:
Shortly before you came into my mother's life I always wondered what it would be like to have a Dad that would take the time to show me things and want to spend time with me. When I first met you I wasn't sure if you would want to have me around. I wondered if I was just an inconvenience you had to put up just so you could be with my mother.
At that time, I thought all men were like my father. You know that story and I'd rather not revisit that part of my life because today is Father's Day and I'd like to honor the man who has been such a great father to me.
I know I was a little tough on you when Mom first introduced us but you hung tough and eventually you wore me down. You are probably the most patient man I know and I finally did see what a great guy you were for my Mom. You've also been good for me as well.
You married Mom knowing that I was part of the deal. I remember right after the wedding you were telling everyone what a great bargain you got; a pretty wife and a new son to boot. I loved how you and Mom made your honeymoon into our first family vacation together. Not many newlyweds would care to bring an 8-year-old along on a Hawaiian honeymoon. It was during those two weeks in Hawaii that I actually started to feel that the three of us made a pretty great family. You have been the person to complete this family.
Mom is much happier living in this house rather than the small apartment we had together. It was pretty cramped there for the two of us and I know she worried about me being alone after school until she returned home from work. Even Mrs. Snapps promised to watch over me, Mom knew she couldn't always rely on her at times. It's also great not having to listen to the neighbors downstairs fighting all the time.
It's kind of nice coming home and hanging out with you until Mom finishes work. By the way, your cooking is pretty good too. I know both you and Mom think I'm to young to leave alone after school for an hour or so (even though I disagree with that), it's very thoughtful of you to rearrange your work schedule so Mom can still do her job at the bank which she loves.
I'd like to thank you for everything you have given my mother and me over the last year. I know my mother is very happy having you as a husband and that means a lot to me. I have no doubt you will keep the promise you made to me when you asked for her hand in marriage. You have given us more than just a bigger and better roof over our heads. You have given us your love and devotion.
When we first met, you never resorted to spoiling me with tons of gifts to win me over. However, there is one special gift that you have given me; you have given me the greatest gift of all – a dad. In every sense of the word, you have been a great dad to me since we have gotten to know each other.
You have been someone I can go to if I have a problem or in need of some help. When I do something wrong you correct me and explain why it was wrong. When things are going good or something great happens you are there to share it me.
I just wanted you to know with this letter how much I admire you and to show my appreciation for all you have done for me as a father. No matter how small my problems may seem to you, you always take time to listen and talk to me about them. I am the luckiest boy in the world to have such a caring and loving man in my life to be my Dad.
Thanks for choosing to be my father.
Love,
Your son Roy
Jim sat down on the bed after reading the letter. He was so touched that Roy had written this special letter to him. He felt his eyes mist over at the sentiments the young boy expressed in the last few paragraphs of the letter. He knew that Roy had put a lot of thought into what he wrote and he also knew how tough the boy's own father was on him and his mother in his early years. This was one letter he knew he would put in a safe place and keep with him for the rest of his life. He was overwhelmed with pride and love over the heartfelt feelings Roy had expressed towards him.
Harriett entered the room and saw her husband sitting on the bed holding the letter. She sat down beside him and asked, "Everything okay sweetheart? You look like...like you might be upset".
"Not upset dear, just a little touched by something Roy did", Jim said and he handed the letter to Harriett, "It was tucked in the pocket of the shirt he gave me. Here, why don't you read it?"
Harriett read the letter and handed it back to Jim when she was finished. She put her arms around him and placed her head on his shoulder. "Well it certainly looks like he made this Father's Day special for you".
"Yeah, he sure did. I never thought being a father could be so rewarding", he replied as he wrapped his arms a little tighter around his wife.
"I guess he did understand what we talked about the other day," Harriett said softly to herself.
"What do you mean sweetheart?" Jim inquired.
"Roy was asking me about what type of shirt and tie he should buy you for Father's Day and I tried to explain to him that you would rather he save his money instead of spending it on you," Harriett explained, pausing before continuing, "Anyway I tried to explain to him that expressing his feelings in a card is sometimes treasured more than the actual gift. It looks like he went a little farther than that, huh, dear".
"Well he certainly did didn't he?" Jim was pretty overwhelmed that Roy would spend some thought and time to write something so special for him. It wasn't going to be the shirt and tie he remembered from this Father's Day. "So where did our little scamp take off too," Jim finally asked noticing how quiet the house was.
"I think he's over at the lot waiting for Cuddy. They were talking about building a fort at lunch," Harriett answered.
"Well I wish he would have stuck around so I could have thanked him for his gift".
"I think Roy wasn't sure how you would react to...how would he put it…I know…getting such a 'mushy' letter from him".
"He's pretty special, just like his mother," Jim chuckled.
"His mother is married a man who happens to have the insides of a marshmallow. Face it Jim you're pretty soft and gooey on the inside," Harriett teased.
Jim gave her a smoldering look, "Mrs. Finley that sweet talk of yours is going to keep the hedges from getting trimmed".
Harriett winked at him while wagging a finger, "Your going to have to wait until later. I've got baking to do and you have hedges to trim as you just pointed out". She pulled herself from his embrace and stood up extending her hand to him. Once he took hold of her hand, she helped tug him onto his feet. Jim groaned in disappointment as he followed his wife out of the room.
"You want to be the one to tell Roy he can't build a fort on the empty lot or would you rather I do it. It's a shame the owner of that lot doesn't do something with it," Jim asked.
Harriett sighed, "I'll handle that when he comes back this afternoon. No sense you being the bearer of bad news today".
"I do appreciate that, honey," Jim replied as he gave Harriett a quick kiss before heading to the garage to get the clippers.
Roy sat by the woodpile at the end of the lot across the street waiting for Cuddy and Jo-Jo to arrive. He had a paper and pencil in hand and was beginning to draw out plans for the fort him and Cuddy wanted to build. He noticed a black spider about the size of a pea on his right outer thigh. He didn't feel the spider bite him before he brushed it off his leg and unknowingly onto the sleeve of his shirt. It was another fifteen minutes before Cuddy showed up and Jo-Jo a few minutes later.
After exchanging some insults with Jo-Jo, Roy noticed that his upper leg felt tingly and prickly and went to stand up thinking it was from sitting cross-legged for too long on the ground. He complained about his leg feeling 'crampy' just before Jo-Jo let out a scream as she spotted the black spider moving along his arm towards his wrist. Roy actually felt the spider bite him this time.
Cuddy quickly spotted an empty tobacco container near the woodpile and grabbed it. He managed to quickly scoop the spider into the container and close the lid. Cuddy just did a science project last month on spiders and he suspected that this one just might be a black widow which is why he though it was important to capture it. It certainly was the right size; however, he wasn't about to chance opening the container to see if it had an hourglass marking on it.
"Jo-Jo run across the street and get Mr. Finley, he's out trimming the front hedges right now," Cuddy said in an urgent tone as he pointed towards Jim across the street.
Roy wondered why Cuddy was sending Jo-Jo for Jim, "It's just a spider bite, its not like it's gonna kill me".
Cuddy looked seriously at Roy, "I think that was a black widow that bit you and you're gonna start feeling really crappy soon".
Roy panicked, everyone knew that a bite from a black widow meant certain and painful death, "I'm gonna die!"
Cuddy knew from information he had read when he researched his project that a lot of people were misinformed about the severity of a black widow bite. Only in rare cases did someone die from a black widow bite; normally anyone that died from a bite was either elderly or a very small child.
Cuddy remembered not being too thrilled about their teacher assigning them a 'killer' science project. He chose to do spiders because he knew most girls hated crawling insects. He made sure to include as much 'gross' stuff into his project as possible hoping the teacher would think twice before assigning another large project to the class. Once he begun the project he actually found it rather interesting some of the facts pertaining to different types of spiders.
He looked down at Roy he was now thankful for the knowledge he had acquired about some of the poisonous spiders. He quickly went through in his mind about the symptoms and basic first aid that could be done.
First he need to try and get Roy to calm down, "Quiet down Roy, you're not gonna die. Very few people die from black widow bites, however, you may start feeling real sick soon".
Roy went to stand up only to have Cuddy half carried him away from the woodpile and sitting him down on the grass. Cuddy looked at the bite mark near Roy's right wrist. He saw the two pinprick marks on Roy's wrist and knew it would be a short time before the surrounding area would begin to swell. He remembered Roy mentioning that his leg was cramping. He knew muscle cramping was one of the side effects from the spider bite.
"Roy did you get bit anywhere else, like your leg?" Cuddy asked.
"D-don't th-think s-so, brushed a s-spider from it before you got h-here," Roy answered. Cuddy wasn't sure if Roy was stuttering because he was scared of if it was another side effect of the spider venom. Roy was known to stutter when he was younger and during times when he was nervous he would also stutter. He noted that his friend was now complaining about a headache and by the time Mr. Finley arrived with Jo-Jo trailing behind him, he had thrown up once.
Jim came running over to the two boys. "What's going on…what's happened to Roy?" Jim said with a hint of panic in his voice.
"I'm pretty sure he got bit by a black widow. I think maybe twice but once for sure. I put the spider in here," Cuddy said as he held up the empty tobacco container.
Jim noted that Roy was now trembling as he picked up the boy and headed towards the house. Cuddy and Jo-Jo followed right behind them. Jim quickly opened the car door and laid Roy down in the back seat.
Cuddy remembered something about placing ice on the bites, "Mr. Finley I remember something about placing ice packs on the spider bites".
Jim quickly instructed Jo-Jo to go into the house let Harriett know what was going on and have his wife wrap ice in some hand towels and to make sure that the oven was turned off before leaving the house. A few moments later a panicked Harriett came running out to the care with some ice wrapped in a tea towel. "What's happened to Roy?" she asked Jim.
"Cuddy says he was bitten by a black widow and he's beginning to show some serious symptoms. We need to get him to the hospital right away," Jim answered noting a change in Roy's breathing pattern. It seem like he was having trouble breathing.
Jim instructed her to apply the ice to the bites on his right outer thigh and arm. Harriett climbed into the back seat of the car and cradled her son against her while holding an ice pack on his leg while another rested on his hand. Cuddy handed Jim the container of the captured spider. Jim quickly pulled the car out of the driveway and headed towards the hospital.