Chapter 11: Of Moms and Men

"You mean to tell me I'm the only one who didn't know that Otto was surfing in disguise?" Ray asked. His gaze swept the hospital waiting room and there seemed to be no one brave enough to meet it head-on. Twister looked down at his hands, while Sam feigned the study of a plastic, potted plant. Reggie chewed her lip nervously.

"I only found out just before you did, brudda." Tito shrugged. "But I guess we really should have known."

"I wanted to tell you, Raymundo, but…" Reggie's voice trailed off. "I don't know. I kept thinking that you knew. I mean, it was pretty obvious to me. But I guess you were a little preoccupied."

"Preoccupied?" Ray sounded incredulous.

"Yes, preoccupied," Reggie said firmly. "All the signs were there, you just had other things to think about." She rolled her head to the right indicating the place where Lola sat quietly next to a dozing Lars. Ray started to answer, but as Reggie's words sank in, a measure of hurt crept into his eyes.

At that moment, a doctor walked purposefully into the waiting area.

"Excuse me, Mr. Rocket?"

"Yes." Ray got to his feet.

"I'm Dr. Akeo. You can see your son now, if you'd like."

Ray began to follow the doctor down the corridor when he noticed that the rest of the gang was trailing him.

"I'm sorry," Dr. Akeo said. "But only family is allowed in at this time."

There was a murmur of disappointment.

"Can you at least tell us if Otto is okay?" Twister asked.

"He's fine," the doctor replied. "He hit his head on a rock when he wiped out, so he's got a concussion and we had to give him a few stitches for the laceration in his scalp. We've given him medication for the pain, and he's resting comfortably, but it's important that we keep him awake and observe him closely over the next few hours to make sure there are no complications. Now, Mr. Rocket, if you'll please follow me."

"I'm coming, too," Reggie spoke up. "I'm his sister."

Dr. Akeo nodded and led them along the hall. They came at last to a small, private room and just before entering the doctor said, "I should warn you that between the concussion and the meds, your son might be a little…loopy."

"Loopy?" Ray repeated. "Is that a medical term?"

The doctor simply grimaced and opened the door to let them in. Otto was sitting propped up in bed, grinning as a nurse adjusted the pillows behind him.

"Thanks," he smiled up at her. "Will you marry me?"

"Otto!" Ray barked.

"It's okay," the nurse smiled. "The medication does that sometimes." She finished with the patient and left the room.

"I'll be back to check on him in a little while," Dr. Akeo said and closed the door.

Otto's eyes where at half-mast, but he had no trouble focusing them on his father and sister. When he saw the look on Ray's face he sobered immediately. Even through the faint euphoria of the pain medication he knew when he was in trouble.

Ray simply stared at his son for a few moments. Otto had given him quite the scare earlier today. He'd been terrified when he'd realized how close his son had come to actually drowning. Then there was the fact that Otto had lied and entered the senior competition in disguise. He'd completely ignored the rules, deliberately broken them in fact, without the slightest thought to his own personal safety. This kid had a monster pair of cajones. He'd raised both Otto and Reggie to take risks, but in responsible ways. Otto, it seemed, was still learning the difference between a responsible risk and one that was completely irresponsible!

Ray sighed. Was this what Otto's teenage years held in store for him? It was one of those rare moments when he truly felt… old.

Otto lowered his eyes, almost as if he could sense what his father was thinking. Finally he said, "I'm sorry, Dad."

"Well, that's a start," Ray replied.

"It was completely out of line. I was wrong. I guess I just didn't think."

"That's what worries me, Otto. The part about you not thinking." Ray pulled a chair up to the side of the bed and sat down. "I'm going to try not to lecture. You know you broke the rules and you know those rules were put in place to protect you."

Otto nodded.

"Well, at least your conscience is working. Score one for good parenting. But after that I'm at a loss. I don't know how to make you understand how important it is that you consider your actions and their consequences before you act. You're so talented, Otto. You're special, and that's all the more reason why I want you thinking all the time. With your talent comes responsibility for yourself and for others."

"I understand, Dad."

"Do you?"

Otto nodded again.

"Good, 'cause I want to be able to trust you. I want to trust you like I trust your sister. She wouldn't sneak around behind my back like that."

Reggie coughed in silent acknowledgment of her own guilt.

Ray mistook the action.

"Okay, okay," he said. "I'm done now. No official punishment. I think that bald spot is punishment enough."

"What?" Otto asked, touching a hand to his head. The doctors had had to shave a small patch of his hair in the front near his hairline to properly set his stitches. "No way!"

"Way," Reggie snickered, barely stifling a smile.

"My locks!" Otto said.

"You're still pretty, Otto." Reggie smirked. "Or should I say, Rocco."

"Please don't," Otto groaned. He sneaked a glance at Ray to see how his father would react to what was sure to be a sore subject for a while despite the fact that a parental verdict had already been passed down.

Ray couldn't help but smile at the ridiculous name.

"What am I going to do with you, Otto Rocket?"

Otto shook his head.

"I don't know, Raymundo. I am a little surprised that you weren't on to me earlier, though. I thought for sure Reggie would blab."

"Whatever." Reggie rolled her eyes.

"Ah, yes," Ray began. "There is the matter of your sister's silence in all this."

"Okay, there is my silence," Reggie admitted. "But with all due respect, Dad, there's also your… not knowing."

Ray was quiet. He looked at his stubborn daughter. They were back to the subject they'd broached just before going to Otto's room.

Otto looked from Ray to Reggie and back to Ray again. It was a standoff. He nearly expected a bale of tumbleweed to… well, tumble across the floor between the two of them.

"You first, Rocket Girl," Ray said calmly.

"I just mean," Reggie hesitated, "that with Lola around, you've been thinking about other things… maybe before us." It had been really hard for her to say that. For some reason she felt embarrassed or maybe even a little ashamed of feeling that way. But she'd had to say it.

It stung Ray. And the reason why it stung so much was that deep down he knew it was true. He let out a deep breath.

"I think that's fair to say. Hurts to hear it, hurts more to admit it, but I guess I have been thinking about Lola a lot."

"What's going on with you two?" Reggie asked. She glanced at Otto who looked decidedly uncomfortable with this subject, but she knew that he wanted answers, too.

It was Ray's turn to be embarrassed.

"Well," he said slowly. "I like Lola a lot."

"Is this serious?" Reggie pressed.

"I… don't know. What do you mean by serious?"

Reggie gave him a bold look.

"You took us out to dinner with her, Dad. You wanted us to know her better. So when I say serious I mean serious. Like marriage."

There was a lengthy silence. Otto fidgeted with the bedcovers. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore.

"For God's sake, Raymundo! Are you gonna marry her?" he asked.

"Otto, I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about it. But don't freak out! We haven't even known each other that long. I do know that I want to spend more time with her and I'd like her to come visit us in Ocean Shores. Are you two okay with that?"

Both Otto and Reggie looked away from him. After a moment, Otto nodded slowly. It was Reggie who exploded.

"I'm not okay with it!" she shouted. "I'm so not okay with it!"

"What's going on, Reg?" Ray studied his daughter. "I thought you and Lola got along."

"We do, and it's not really Lola I'm objecting to. I just can't believe we're going to have this whole conversation without once mentioning her!"

"We are talking about her," Ray said, confused.

"Not Lola! For crying out loud, not Lola! It's hard enough for us to talk about Lola, but it's even harder to talk about her. About Mom!"

"Reggie…" Ray exhaled heavily.

"What!" she said her voice full of defiance, "We never talk about her. I mean, really talk about her. It's like she didn't exist. But I know she did! Because I loved her!"

"Oh God," Ray murmured. He looked to Otto trying to gauge his son's feelings. Otto's eyes were downcast.

"Say something, Dad," Reggie said softly.

"I loved your mother, Reg. I loved her, too. And if I don't talk about her… it's because it hurts. That's no excuse I know. I just never realized that you wanted me to talk about her… that you needed me to."

"I can't remember…" Otto whispered, his voice trailing off.

"Otto?" Reggie prompted.

"I can't remember what she looked like."

"You were only four when she died," Ray said gently.

"I know, but I should remember," Otto insisted.

Reggie shook her head.

"Sometimes I forget, too. And they're no pictures, none of her things."

"I have them." Ray spoke just above a whisper. "They're in storage." He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "The last time I saw her, she was going to her mother's. Woman hates me, you know."

Reggie bit her lip.

"I guess you don't know," Ray said. "How would you? You've never met your grandmother."

"Why did she- does she hate you?" Otto asked.

"Good question, kid. I mean, there were the obvious reasons: she thought I was a surf bum, that I'd never amount to anything, that I wasn't good enough for her only daughter. But I always felt like there was some other reason, too. Never figured it out, though." Ray paused. "God, I haven't seen her since before your mother and I were married. She didn't come to the wedding. Well, there wasn't really a wedding."

Otto's eyes grew large.

"Oh, we were married," Ray said. "We just kinda eloped."

"You ran off?" Reggie said, shocked.

"Yup. It was a nice little piece of deception, too, I might add. Tito was there. By the time your grandmother found out we were married it was too late. She stopped speaking to your mom, though."

"You never told us," Reggie whispered.

"I'm sorry. I… try not to… but this is where I go wrong, huh?" Ray stood and stretched. He began to pace the room. "When you were born, Reg, they started talking again. Your mom wanted her to see her grandchild, but she wouldn't visit us and I was stubborn. I didn't want Lauren to take you to see her. I said she couldn't, that if her mother wanted to see her grandkid she'd have to see us all together as a family. The next year Otto came along and still she didn't visit. It went on for years. That last night…" his voice broke, "your mother was going to see her for the first time since we'd eloped. On the way back, a car jumped the median and hit her head-on."

Another long silence stretched out between them.

"Hey, Dad," Reggie began hesitantly, "Mom was a really awesome surfer, huh?"

A wide smile spread across Ray's features.

"Nobody could rip like your mom. She even gave your old man a run for the money."

"So she was better than you," Otto said.

"I wouldn't say better, but she did teach me a few tricks."

"Too bad she didn't teach you how to make a decent burger," Otto muttered.

"What are you talking about?" Ray said. "You're lookin' at the owner of the Shore Shack!"

"Yeah, the owner, but Tito is definitely the cook." Otto grinned.

Reggie suddenly broke out into a fit of giggles and her laughter was contagious. The three of them laughed for a good five minutes. It was a great relief to have her there again, Reggie thought. She felt closer to her mother just by talking about her and, oddly enough, the prospect of Lola seemed less threatening.

They had created a place for Mom again in their family, a special space just for her memory. Lola couldn't touch that space, but that didn't mean that they'd run out of room. That was the thing about families, and about the Rockets in particular: they were exceedingly flexible and notably obliging; there was always room for one more.

"Does Lola surf, Raymundo?" asked Otto.

"She does, Rocket Boy. Even showed me some of her trophies."

"I bet she could give you a run for your money." Reggie smiled.

Ray realized in that instant that his kids had given him their blessing.

* * *

It was a nice, warm night so the gang decided to walk home from the hospital to the hotel. Twister and Sam walked ahead of the rest of the group talking quietly.

"I'm glad we finally got to see Otto," Sam said. "Even though he kept asking me to marry him."

"Otto asked you to marry him?" Twister asked.

"Yeah. Tito, too. I guess it was his medication. He'll be all right when they release him tomorrow."

"He didn't ask me to marry him and I'm his best bro." Twister was hurt.

"Uh, Twist, I didn't think Otto was the Rocket you were interested in."

"He's not. I guess I just feel left out."

Twister glanced over his shoulder to see Reggie walking beside Raymundo. She didn't seem to notice him. He sighed and turned back to Sam.

"You think Otto will get grounded?"

"I don't think so," Sam answered. "That injury's probably punishment enough, not to mention he's probably been kicked out of the competition."

"Yeah," Twister agreed.

"He's lucky, though. I mean, if Lars hadn't gotten to him, who knows what might've happened."

Twister frowned.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked.

"I'm not sure," Twister said. "It's just… Lars helping Otto. It's so weird. Those two hate each other."

"Well, they do have something in common."

"What?"

"You," Sam pointed out.

"Me?"

It was enough to keep Twister speechless all the way back to the hotel.

* * *

Reggie couldn't sleep. She'd spent almost an hour tossing and turning with the events of the day playing over and over again in her head. She'd tried reading, but that hadn't made her the least bit tired. She'd even paced her room hoping to wear herself out, but it was no use. She was wired. Reluctantly, she gave up on sleeping and gave into the fact that she was wide-awake.

Well, as long as she was awake, she might as well do something. Reggie quickly pulled on a bathing suit, grabbed a towel and set out for the pool. The halls of the hotel were empty. Most everyone was asleep at this hour. Luckily, the pool area was still open, though there was a sign warning guests to swim at their own risk, as there was no lifeguard on duty after hours. Reggie decided to take that risk. She dropped her towel by the edge of the pool near the deep end and dove in.

The water was cool against her skin and Reggie found it soothing as she made her way to the shallow end with quick, even strokes. When she reached the wall she turned easily, using her feet to kick off from the edge and start another lap. It was nice to do nothing but use her arms and legs, to concentrate on her breathing without having to think about Otto or Twister or Lola or anyone.

After a few more laps Reggie swam back toward the deep end. As she reached the edge of the pool she looked up expecting to find her towel, but it wasn't there. Instead there were two feet planted on the pool deck. Lars was looking down at her with a half grin on his face. He was holding her towel.

"Thought I heard somebody in the pool," he said.

"I decided to go for a swim."

"This late at night?" he asked.

"You're still awake."

"True," Lars sighed. "So are you coming out or are you gonna prune in there?"

"That depends. Are you gonna give me my towel?"

He shrugged.

Reggie rolled her eyes and pulled herself up out of the pool. She could feel Lars staring at her, but he did turn over the towel albeit grudgingly. She wrapped it around her shoulders and walked away from the edge of the pool.

"So, I guess I oughta say thank you," she said quietly.

"For the towel? No sweat."

"Not for the towel. For Otto."

Lars snorted. "Rocket Dork's always getting himself into trouble."

"And you're not?"

"Me? Trouble? I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm a hero around here."

"Yeah," she said softly. "I guess you are."

Reggie sat down on the side of a beach chair.

"Oh, hey, Reggie Rocket, don't look at me like that!"

"Like what?"

"Like… like… I'm some kind of lousy, goody-two-shoes or something."

"But you just said you're a he- "

"- I didn't really mean it okay. In fact, I kinda wanna keep this whole thing on the down-low."

"But there's a whole beach full of people who saw you save my brother."

Lars tossed up his hands and threw himself down beside her on the chair.

"Look," he began seriously, "We're in Hawaii, and what I do in Hawaii stays in Hawaii."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning that once we get back to Ocean Shores it never happened."

"You think Pi and Sputz will remember that it never happened?"

"Dunno," he said. "They might need me to jog their memories." He pounded a fist into his palm threateningly.

Reggie laughed.

"I don't see why you're so dead set against anyone knowing. After all, didn't you tell me you're a changed man?"

"I am, but not everyone needs to know that."

"Just me."

"Yeah, you."

"Why?" she asked.

"Because." He shrugged, not quite meeting her gaze. "Because… you're special. I don't just go around saving anyone's brother you know."

"You didn't save Otto because of me."

"Sure I did."

"No, you didn't. You saved him because it was the right thing to do. You're a good person, Lars."

"Can it, Reg."

"No, I mean it. And if you saved Otto for anyone's sake, it was Twister."

"That little runt? I don't think so."

"Okay, have it your way." Reggie shrugged. They sat side by side in silence for a moment, an oddly friendly kind of silence. Suddenly Lars groaned.

"You still like him, don't you?" he ground out.

She nodded.

"Even after he broke up with you?"

"Yeah."

Lars took a deep breath. "Okay. I can't believe I'm doing this, but okay." He stood up and took a step back from the chair. "You just remember this, Reggie Rocket. If that little dweeb brother of mine can't treat you right, I will."

He turned to leave, but Reggie was on her feet and caught him by the arm.

"Lars- " she began but stopped. Reggie leaned up and kissed him on the cheek.

It was sweet, it was sisterly, but it still made him dizzy.

"Thank you," she said gently.

Lars sighed and turned away from her.

"Fuckin' Maui," he muttered, and was gone.

* * *

"Huh? What?" Sam asked groggily. Someone was shaking him.

"Come on, Squid. On your feet!" Twister whispered urgently.

"Five more minutes," Sam muttered and rolled over in bed away from the hands that were shaking him.

"Now, Sammy. This is important!"

Sam couldn't have cared less. He was just about to drift back into dreamland when something hard came into contact with his skull. There was a sonorous crack and then an odd humming, almost like the humming of guitar strings.

"Owww." Sam clutched his head. He rolled and slowly pushed himself into a sitting position. The light beside his bed clicked on and he could barely make out the fuzzy image of what looked like Twister looming over him. He groped the bedside table for his glasses and pulled them on. It was Twister all right, and he was holding…

"Is that Tito's ukulele?" Sam asked.

Twister nodded.

"Why did you have to hit me with it?"

"'Cause you sleep like the dead. Now, come on. I need your help."

"Help?" Sam glanced over at the clock on the nightstand. "It's like 1:30 in the morning! What could you need help with?"

"Reggie."

"What?"

"I'm gonna… you know."

"Ewww! T-M-I!" Sam screamed. "Too much information!"

"No, Squid, get your mind out of the gutter! I'm just gonna serenade her and… and see if she'll take me back."

Sam looked at the ukulele clutched in Twister's right hand. "Can you play that thing?" he asked.

"Kinda."

"Well, what do you need my help for?"

"Because you're smart, Sammy. You know how this should work."

"This is between you and Reggie, Twist. You're smart enough to handle it. Believe me."

"But… but… I guess I'm nervous. Come on, will you come with?"

"This is about moral support then?" asked Sam.

"Yeah."

"Oh, okay," Sam relented. Twister had done a hell of a job waking him up and there was no way he was going back to sleep anyway. He dragged himself from bed, pulled on a t-shirt and shorts and followed Twister to the door of their room.

"Wait a minute," Sam said. "What if this actually works and there's kissing? I don't want to be there if there's kissing."

"You think there'll be kissing?" Hope lit up in Twister's eyes. "Maybe I should brush my teeth."

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the delay in updating. Blame it on the holidays and all that. Also, I think I'm dragging my feet 'cause I know this story is almost over. Sigh. I took some liberties with the story of Rocket Mom. Klasky Csupo has never really explained what happened to her or the fact that Otto and Reggie have never met their grandparents on either side. I find that a little disturbing, but I'm counting on KC to address that in the next Rocket Power TV movie. Anyway, as always thanks for the reviews!