Author's Note: Thanks to all the people reading. I appreciate the reviews and can't wait to keep going. Since things have settled for the Kellen's, This chapter is more about regular day to day things, and the beginning of the downward spiral for both Murdock and Cassidy. As I told my friend, who has been enjoying this, it's time for them both to realize how much they are going to need each other.
November 1981
Fall had hit Los Angeles as quickly as Halloween came and went. It brought a chill to the air, some leaves from the trees, and Cassidy couldn't help but admire the orange, red and yellow decorations on the stoops of stores. She was walking home from school, the bus having dropped her off two blocks from home. Her evaluation had been excellent and she passed with high enough scores to take some credit classes in her senior year. She wasn't the only student to skip, but she had the highest marks. Murdock had been so thrilled to hear the news he offered to take her school shopping, and with some help from Face, she had a brand new bag full of new math tools, pencils, notebooks and even a newer solar powered calculator. She felt spoiled, but Murdock had told her hard work deserved to be rewarded. The shop had also gotten some good news. Hannibal needed someone to actually do the work for Mr. Lee's Laundry, which the team wanted to use as a business front for reviewing clients, and had offered to pay the Kellen's to do it. The extra pay allowed Steven to hire a woman named Mei Sung during Cassidy's school hours. She would lock up and close when her children got off the bus, and then Cassidy would do the evening work and set up for a few hours after school. Because Mei Sung was Chinese, Cassidy was beginning to learn to speak and read it. Steven and Murdock were able to help her with it by helping her with her pronunciation and dialect.
With so much going right for the Kellens, Steven and Cassidy were able to visit Murdock regularly. And true to his word, he began showing Cassidy a few Maui Thai moves. She was getting to be a regular at the VA every Sunday, and if her Uncle Murdock wasn't there, she spent time with the other mental patients. Helping them to play board games, craft picture frames, and even walking around the more invalid veterans that needed help to walk around outside. Everyone there had stories to tell, and Cassidy enjoyed listening to them all. From the space lords trying to alert the mother ships back in their galaxy, to the historical figures who believed they were working for various governments. The nurses thought she was a blessing, letting her stay past normal hours, walking her to the bus station, and even keeping some of her visits off the logs for when Colonel Lynch stopped in.
Things had gotten much better in the last 3 months, and Cassidy couldn't help but grin as she walked home through the fall decorated streets for home. Even now, she was always going back to the helicopter flight Murdock had taken her on back in August. They almost ran the tank to empty before dropping it back off, and she hung out the car window staring up at the blue sky the whole way home afterwards. Looking up now, the sky wasn't as blue as it was then, hints of red on the horizon because the sun was going down, but she continued to walk slowly and enjoy the weather, the decorations and the memories until she got to the store. It read closed, and she walked past to the alley and up the stairs. Unlocking the door, Cassidy stepped in to the dimly lit living room and hollered as she hung up the camo print military coat that read Kellen. "Dad! I'm home!" She didn't get a reply, but she knew he fell asleep pretty often. The radio wasn't on, so she glanced at the mail on the counter and set her school bag down. Poking through, she saw two bills and a letter from the California Medical Assistance Board. She picked them all up and moved to her father's room knocking gently, and then cracked the door. Steven was just sitting up, grabbing his cane and staring with his milky white eyes. She smiled at him, because he looked healthier without all the stress from before. His hair was beginning to grey near his ears, and he fit his cloths better. Since he wasn't going out, his sunglasses were nowhere to be seen, a hand going to his walking stick, the other reaching out for her. "Casey, welcome home. How was school?" Cassidy stepped forward taking his hand and helped him up. "Good. I have a little homework, not alot. There's two bills and a letter from Medical Assistance." He groaned and stood heading for the door. "Might as well get that out of the way. Come into the living room." She followed opening the letter and waited for him to feel his way around the kitchen, pouring himself a glass of water and using the finger to measure it. She looked over the letter and bit her lip looking up. As if sensing the hesitation, he turned towards her with his glass of water. "Let's hear it hon. What do they say?" She took a deep breath before reading aloud:
"Dear Mr. Kellen,
After review of your medical history and assessing your financial situation, we are unable to grant you full State funded assistance at this time. You may appeal this decision in writing and a hearing will be set up for a judge to review your case. Please submit your appeal within 10 days of receipt of this letter.
Thank you for your submission.
Deborah Davenport
Assistant Secretary"
She looked up frowning and noticed her father was just smiling. "Why are you smiling? This means the state won't help with any treatments to fix your eyes. And they won't help with the medication anymore, which if I'm not mistaken, is pretty expensive just to keep them from shriveling up like raisins." Steven laughed at the image and sipped his water. "The store is doing much better so the medication shouldn't be so bad, and I've come to the realization that I might not get my sight back. At least they said no instead of not replying at all."
Cassidy looked like she was going to reply when the phone rang. Since Steven was closer he picked it up. "Hello?" She waited and set the letter down but the next few words turned her entire attention to her father. "Yes this is he. Is HM alright?" Silence. "I see. Is it possible for myself or my daughter to come right now?" Cassidy was already moving for the coat again, not waiting for the answer. "I understand, but one of us would like the be there when he wakes up. My daughter is almost 17, she can legally stay with him." The tension grew as Steven listened on the phone and then nodded to himself. "Absolutely. I will have her go right now. Thank you for calling." Steven hung up and Cassidy stepped to the counter that served as their kitchen table. "What happened? Is Uncle Murdock alright?" Steven held up a hand and set down the glass reaching into his pocket for his wallet. "It seems Murdock had a violent episode and was sedated. They think it was a mix of new medication and something on the television but they are still getting all the facts." Cassidy frowned and nodded as her father handed her twelve dollars. "Take a cab and make sure he's ok. Call me if something comes up. I think you'd be the better option when he wakes up than me on this one. I won't be able to see differences or notice things visually." She gave him a hug and a peck on the cheek before grabbing the house key and hurrying downstairs. Steven waved the stick back and forth heading for the front window and heard her holler for a taxi down below.
Cassidy nervously chewed her thumbnail through the entire cab ride to the VA. She didn't really try to make small talk with the cab driver, and after giving him the fare and tip, she skipped up the stairs into the building. She looked out of place wearing jeans and a bright red shirt. Her father's military jacket and a polka dot sash tied into her hair. Once she got to admittance she knocked on the window to get someone's attention. "Hello?" The aid finally looked up and leaned forward. "Yeah? What can I do for you?" She smiled and showed her state ID. "I'm Cassidy Kellen, here to see HM Murdock. They called my father and he sent me." She aid took her ID and wrote something in a book before handing it back with a visitor badge. "You'll need to check in at the nurses station, but go through those doors and it's to the left." She nodded and was buzzed through the doors, walking briskly to the nurses station. She smiled seeing one of the regular nurses at the desk and waved as Nurse Diane stood to greet her. "Hello Cassidy. Your father said he was sending you down." Cassidy nodded looking towards Murdock's room. "Is he alright?" The nurse grabbed a clipboard and led her down the hall. "It wasn't so much he was violent. One of the other patients had an attack and when Mr. Murdock tried to help calm them down, they hit him with a lamp. He tried to tackle them and both men were sedated and restrained until we figured out what was going on. I'm going to take the restraints off now so he won't have them when he wakes up." Cassidy nodded looking worried. "I was about to say, Uncle Murdock isn't really violent, even when he is acting out." The nurse unlocked his door and held it open for Cassidy to walk in. Looking around, she saw him laying on his cot, head lolled to the left, and sound asleep. He had a yellow shirt that read 'Absolutely Terrifikly Awesome' and had white soft restraints on his wrists and ankles. The nurse removed them and disconnected the straps completely from the bed before writing a note and smiling on her way out the door. Cassidy moved a chair to the side of the bed and sat down gently brushing some hair from his face and smiled waiting for him to wake up. After a moment she went and got a glass of water in case he was thirsty. As she sat back down, she noticed he was twitching and mumering. He seemed to be stuck in a nightmare, and Cassidy took his right hand holding it gently in both of hers. "Uncle Murdock. I'm here Uncle Murdock. It's ok." She felt him squeeze her hand and she brushed her fingers along his forehead trying to give him some comfort. Murdock calmed a little, but he was still twitching a little here and there. Cassidy leaned forward and waited, holding his hand and telling him she was there for as long as she needed to.
Murdock felt thick and foggy. He knew he was laying down, but he didn't know what he was holding onto. Last thing he remembered was trying to stop Frederick from attacking everyone in the movie room. He had gotten hit with a lamp and made a rush to pin Fred down when he felt a prick and. Oh. He knew what that meant. Normally he woke up feeling stiff though. He took some time to assess himself as the thick blanket of sedation started to wear off. He was on his side, not back. That was different. He was holding onto something, which never normally happened. He gave it an experimental squeeze and it felt soft and warm. A hand! The hand squeezed back and he heard a gentle female voice calling his name. He struggled to open his eyes, and when he managed to blink them open, albeit unfocused, he saw Cassidy sitting by his bed smiling. "Hey Uncle Murdock. Welcome back to the world." He blinked confused and she used her free hand to brush more hair from his face. "You need a haircut soon. This has got to be annoying." As the fog lifted even more he looked around his own room and then back at her. "Casey? What are you doing here?" She still smiled but offered a glass of water that she had gotten while she was waiting for him to wake. Sitting up with her help he drank half the glass, and she set it back down realizing he hadn't let go of her hand. "The nurse on duty called dad and told him you probably needed someone here when you woke up." Murdock remained sitting up and watching her as he tried to process what she said. "Thank you." Cassidy smiled and tilted her head watching him. Murdock scooted to the right so he was sitting on half of the bed and patted the spot next to him. Smiling more she crawled next to him and cuddled into him as he put his arm protectively around her. "You ok Uncle Murdock?" He nodded kissing the top of her head. "I will be darlin. Once the fuzzy wobbles clear out of my head. Feels like cotton balls." She grabbed his free hand and held it tight. "I wish you could stay with me and dad. Let us take care of you so this doesn't happen. Do they do it often?" He shook his head. "No, usually it's meds to make me loopy or relaxed. They don't do alot of sedation." She sighed and they both talked quietly, comfortable and safe with each other.
