All characters and places in this story belong to the Disney Corporation, just like Lucasfilm, ESPN, Pixar, Marvel, Jim Henson Productions and ABC do.
The original creators were Mark McCorkle and Robert Schooley.
I receive nothing for the writing of this story.
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A Special thanks to Temporaryinsanity91 for not only Beta reading this chapter, but for her editing.
Time to say thank you to the people that have left reviews for the previous chapter.
Imyoshi, Uberscribbler, CajunBear73, Jimmy1201, Temporaryinsanity91, Shinzochi, Sentinel103, Beckman, ajw1970 and UnknownDescent.
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Previously
"Hello Ann. How are you?"
"Lonnie?!" exclaimed Ann thinking that Ron must have accidentally set it up to the last person he'd talked to, his mother, instead of the person she needed to talk to.
"Lonnie, It's nice to see you and I'm so sorry for the way we've treated you and Donald, but I was really needing to talk to a different person right now."
Ron's mother smiled at his other mother before she said, "Hello. My name's Lonnie and I'm an alcoholic. It's been nine years, five months and nineteen days since I last had a drink."
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Ann stared at the monitor screen not knowing what to say or think. She'd know Lonnie Stoppable for almost twenty years, but with this revelation, she was wondering if she really knew her at all. Quickly doing the math in her head, that time would have put it between the kids sophomore and junior years when they were still in high school.
Ron had spent a lot of time during the first part of that summer around their home. She'd always thought it was because he was helping Kim with their missions. She'd always invited him to stay for dinner, but he managed to hang around the house till very late, almost like he didn't want to go home. Could that have been why?
"Lonnie… why didn't you ever tell me you had a problem?" she finally managed to ask.
"Well," she answered with a rueful chuckle, "I could say that this is my way of telling you, but that wouldn't tell you much." Ann's amusement at the Stoppables'… neglectful… way of announcing major events was obvious in her expression. Glad she could make her friend relax some, Lonnie drew a steadying breath. "Maybe I should start at the beginning and let you know everything. From the beginning." She looked down at her interlaced fingers on her hands for several seconds as she collected her thoughts before she started telling her best friend the story that she'd never shared with anyone outside her immediate family.
"Back when I found out that I was pregnant with Ronnie, it was the happiest day of my life. Both Donald and I come from big families, I have two brothers and five sisters and Don has five brothers and two sisters and we wanted so much to continue that tradition. Plus the whole "Be fruitful and multiply," idea in our belief. We were so looking forward to having a big family that could be there for one another.
"After fourteen hours of labor on the big day, the doctor told us that I had a funnel pelvis, big at the top but it narrowed down at the bottom where the baby would have to pass through. Had Ronnie been small, things would have been fine, but he was an even eight pounds, big and healthy. That's why I had to have a Cesarean. I didn't care what we had to do just so long as my baby would be alright."
Lonnie gave a small chuckle as she recalled telling the doctor to install a zipper in there because she wanted to have more children.
"We'd found that there had been a mistake made on my insurance policy and the extra hospital costs weren't covered. That meant we had to pay twenty five thousand dollars more than we were expecting to. Now don't get me wrong on this. My son is worth more than all the money in the world. The extra cost was just a... surprise... that we weren't expecting and it took us a while to pay it off , so we decided to wait a little bit till we considered trying to have another."
She paused as she stared at her hands when she realized that she was starting to ramble in what she was trying to tell Ann. Ann watched her wring her hands, knowing that whatever it was she trying to say was costing her a great deal.
"Even though we waited before trying again, I knew something was wrong before that. It took four months before I started having my period again and when it did start, it wasn't right. I went back to see the same doctor about it, but he said it was normal for so soon after the birth and it would take a while.
"It wasn't till after Ronnie met Kimberly that we started trying for another baby. After a year of no results, we went back to the clinic to have some tests done to see if there was a problem, but when we got there, it had shut down and the building was empty. Donald did some checking around and he found out that the doctor was being sued for malpractice by several of his patients. He'd grabbed what he could and skipped town; He was a wanted man.
"I went to another doctor at the hospital and that's when we found out that he'd botched up the surgery and tried to correct it without telling us about it. That was when we found out that Ronnie would be the only child I could ever have, that I was barren." She was whispering by the end of her explanation. It was the only way she could maintain any semblance of control over her voice.
Anne swallowed around the lump in her throat. She hadn't known that her best friend had suffered so much. She wished Lonnie had said something… anything.
"I'd become a failure to my husband. I'd become a failure for our family that we'd planned, I'd become a failure to myself and to our religion, and I'd become a failure as a woman. But with my husband's help and support, plus our taking care of our one and only son Ronald, I held together, barely.
"I held together, but gradually, after my each of my sisters had their third child, after a friend at the bank had twins and after I saw Kim and her brothers, I started having an evening cocktail or two. And then it didn't hurt so much.
"It became a regular thing. Evening cocktails before bed, then before, during and after diner. Which led to something during my lunch break, which led to something to get me started in the morning. Pretty soon I started hating work because it interrupted my cocktails. So I quit my job.
"Ronnie seemed to be spending more time hanging around with Kim so that just gave me more time to drink. Donald had asked him not to tell anyone because "I was sick." He was right you know. I was. I just didn't know it at the time. Ronnie still loved me, he just didn't want to be around when mommy was 'taking her medicine.' Donald tried to tell me that I needed help, but I wouldn't listen to him. I told him everything was fine and that I could quit anytime I wanted. The problem was, I didn't want to."
Lonnie fell silent as she tried to collect herself for what she was going to say next, not really sure of what the effect would be.
Ann respected her friend's silence as she thought back to all the times Ron has told her his mother had a headache of was laying down, or was taking a class. Those were his reasons for spending so much time with Kim. Ann wished she had known about this thinking she might have been able to help. Then Lonnie started talking again.
"A lot of people that I've talked to agree that before an alcoholic realizes that they need help, something happens to them, sort of like a slap in the face. Do you know what my slap in the face was Ann?"
"No," came her quiet reply.
With a small, warm and gentle smile on her face, Lonnie said, "You were."
The fact that she didn't understand was etched plainly on her face as she looked back at the laptop, just before she started shaking her head.
"Ronnie started talking about you, and the more he talked, the more I saw that you were being a better mother for him in some ways than I had been. That was my slap in the face, the reason I decided I needed help. For my son and husband."
"Lonnie, I never meant to..."
"Please don't think I was… mad… at you. I'm grateful to you, Ann. That was when I tried to quit. I said 'tried' because I didn't last too long that first time. It wasn't till that whole thing about Rabbi Katz having forgotten to sign Ron's Bar Mitzvah certificate that we talked to him about it. He gave me some numbers to call as well as his private cell phone number and that was what got me started nine years, five months and nineteen days ago. Each day was a battle, that's why I keep count.
"Later, it was Don's idea to try to adopt. I remember when we first went to the interview, I was sure they were going to turn us down because I didn't lie about anything on the application. I told them about my problem. When we first met with Mr. Sensei, he took my hand and asked me if I was ever going to lose my daily battle with it and start drinking again. I swear Ann, it almost felt like he was looking into my soul, when I told him no. He patted my hand and said, 'I believe you.' Three months later we had little Hanna and each day I'm reminded why I have to fight the temptation. It's because I have people worth fighting for. "
Ann was silent for a moment, and when she spoke, her voice was rough. "I… I wish you would have told me Lonnie. I might have been able to help in some way. I know I would have wanted to."
"I was afraid I'd lose your respect and friendship… and maybe you might hate me for subjecting my family to my weakness and make them suffer."
"Lonnie," Ann protested, "I wouldn't have done that! You're my friend. I would have done everything I could to help you. That's what friends are for." She wiped her face with the back of her hand and gave Lonnie the most sincere, loving smile she could muster.
Ron's mother paused now, licking her lips a little before she stared directly at Ann. "Aren't those the same reasons you are afraid to tell your fully grown daughter?"
Ann started to protest again, to tell her how that was different but she stopped herself. Kim was her daughter, that would never change, but she wasn't a little girl anymore. She was fully grown and married now and even though they'd just gone through a year from hell, she thought they were friends. Like Lonnie and herself.
Ann's gaze flickered, unable to hold the eye contact. She finally looked away. "You think I should tell her about it, don't you?"
"It doesn't matter what I think you should do Ann. What matters is what you think you should do."
Ann sat there and let the silence grow, thinking. "I'll see," she said at last. "I will talk to her when she can spare a few minutes. I'll tell her right away." She reaffirmed her decision to herself with a nod. A smile came to her lips as she added, "You know, you would make a very good counselor, Lonnie."
"It's what I do at the AA meeting now. Speaking of which, Donald was able to get us plane tickets for tomorrow. As soon as we get back to Middleton, I will call Rabbi Katz and see if I can set up a meeting for a friend to discuss a 'problem' they have, if that's alright with you."
"A friend?"
"Yes, a friend. A very good friend and that's all I'll tell him till the meeting. The second 'A' does stand for anonymous after all," she finished with a grin.
The rest of their conversation dealt with them talking about what Ann would have to look forward to, at the meetings and in her real life trying to cope. When they'd covered everything they could at that time, Ann said goodbye to Lonnie since she had to go talk with her daughter about something she would need her help with in the future.
xxx
Wade would have been able to break the encryption the Center's doctors had used for her father's files, but after thirty minutes of using every trick she'd been taught by the team of computer experts of Global Justice and every program they had, she was almost ready to admit defeat.
Almost.
It wasn't a matter of hubris or pride that she'd never failed at finding hidden clues to solving a mystery by going through files exactly like these. This was a matter of need. She didn't know why, but after reading what she'd been able to uncover in studying the past twenty five years of paper work of her father's life, that wasn't organized chronologically, she was starting to feel desperate in her search. Desperate to find him before they were to late.
She had verified what Dr. Wong had told her mother and then herself was true first thing. She hadn't really doubted the woman, but she just had to confirm it. She'd also found some written request from scientists heading the various divisions at the Space Center, requesting that any additional manpower that was added to their projects not include James Possible. They felt that his presence would be an unknown and detrimental to its success. These requests came from some of the same people that her father had trained and helped become departmental heads... people that she knew and would have sworn that they were his friends.
Everything that she'd already read, she thought her father was letting his life slip away from him and in some way, maybe he was even pushing it. Even though she felt because this was because of something that she'd started, she kept pushing that idea to the back of her mind so she could focus on the most import thing right now. Finding and talking to her father to try and heal the hurt she'd caused him.
Her husband had been watching her hold herself together by sheer strength of will. She wasn't thinking of herself, but of someone else so it was easier for her than after that day being focused on the files trying to decipher the best way to get a hold of James. Ron wanted to help relieve the tension he could see building up in her, but he also knew that wouldn't work when she was as focused as she was. The best thing for him to do was keep quiet and wait to help when she was ready.
His efforts into understanding the way the Center's payroll system worked hadn't helped. He had no idea what the SL, VL or GARN were that appeared on the copies of the check stubs were. He knew a quick question to his wife would probably give the answers, but he didn't want to distract her just yet. That came from a different source.
"Kim?" came her mother's soft voice from the doorway.
Something in her voice caught Kim's attention as she quickly turned to her mother and said "What is it mom?" her own voice giving a hint of worry, like expecting her mother had just gotten a phone call asking her to identify a body.
"Nothing urgent Kim," came her quiet reply. "I'd just like to have a private word with you please. If you can spare the time." She then shared a knowing look with Ron and saw him give a slight smile and an almost imperceptible nod of his head.
Quickly checking the progress indicator for the program, Kim saw there was still a five minutes left till it was complete. Also since she'd been at it for over an hour without a break, Kim said "Sure mom. Out in the hall okay?"
"How about down in the living room?"
"That'll work. It'd give me a chance to stretch my legs a little."
"KP, I have a quick question before you leave." said Ron.
Kim had noticed the unspoken words between her husband and mother, but knew that whatever is was that they'd been hiding form her, she also felt that she was now going to be included in whatever it was.
"Sure."
"On government paychecks stubs, what do the abbreviations SL, VL and GARN stand for?"
"Ah, sick leave, vacation leave and garnishment."
"Garnishment?" He held up a finger and opened his mouth, and then closed it. "Go ahead and talk with your mother. It might be something important," he said thinking he knew what Ann wanted to talk Kim about.
After he heard the ladies go down the stairs, he noticed that a screen had popped up on her laptop.
Complete Processing
Using Remaining Files?
[Yes] [No]
Not wanting to call her back up for this and knowing that she wanted the program to finish, he moved the cursor over and clicked on the 'Yes' button. The timer then reset itself to twenty minutes remaining.
"Oops," he muttered, hoping he hadn't screwed up. "Hope they take longer than twenty minutes."
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As she left the room following her mother downstairs, Kim tried to do a little stretching to loosen up her muscles that had started getting stiff part of the problem from staring at a computer screen for too long without a break, but when she reached the living room and her mother turned around to face her, she might as well have saved herself the effort as all of her muscles tensed up again. Her mother looked worried to the point of tears.
"Kim," she started off but then stopped as she lost the courage to continue.
"Mom?" Kim asked as her worry started growing from seeing Ann's face and from not knowing what it was that was causing her so much discomfort.
Finally, her mother asked her to sit down while she stood there trying to work her courage back up. After Kim sat down, Ann took a deep breath and let it out slowly along with her fear of the "what if's," and "maybe's". Time to face reality.
"Kim, what you said to me and what you felt about me this morning was...It was all based on a lie."
Kim sat there so confused that she didn't know what to say.
"You said that you were proud of me and I was a special person that you were glad to have back in your life, all because I left that damn bottle in the cabinet. I thought I could get by without it. That I could stop anytime I wanted to, but after we got home this afternoon, I found out that I couldn't just stop. While you were upstairs working hard to help us find your father so we could talk to him, I was in the kitchen halfway to drowning my sorrows again. If Ron hadn't caught me when he did, I'd probably be passed out on the floor by now." After she paused long enough to take another deep breath and before Kim could interrupt her, she continued. "I'm not the woman you thought I was, Kim. I'm a cheap imitation, covering someone that has a drinking problem. I'm sorry I'm not stronger and I'm sorry that I tried to hide it from you when I asked Ron not to tell you. I guess that means I lied to you again." She wanted to say more to her daughter, but she now felt like someone had pulled her plug as she tried to sit in the chair facing Kim but almost collapsed into it instead.
Before she could hang her head down in shame, she found that she couldn't since her daughter's shoulder was under it as Kim hugged Ann tightly, her own head resting on Ann's shoulders.
"Mom... Mommy." cried Kim through her sobs, "You don't understand. I didn't say those things because you didn't take that drink. I said them because I love you." Pulling back so she could look her in the eyes, Kim said, "You're my mother. The one person I could always talk to about anything; when I started having my period, the first time I kissed a boy, falling in love, falling out of love, how I felt about Ron, the first time I wanted to...
"No matter what our family's motto is, some things don't happen just because we want them to happen, no matter how much we want them to, and I knew that it wasn't going to be easy, but I want to help you, anyway I can, if you'll let me."
Ann pulled her daughter back into her arms, hugging her tightly. Lonnie had been right about how Kim would feel. The last of her fear at her daughter's reaction melted away, leaving tears in its place. "You have no idea how much you just helped, Kimmie."
They held each other in silence for a long moment before Kim whispered, "Ron will want to help too."
Ann smiled slightly. "I know. He already has. Thanks to him I'm in contact with someone else that's been there and they can point the way out for me."
Sniffling, her voice came out with tears and laughter. "He's good about that. Helping and not knowing how much he helps." Then with a smile, "I think I'll keep him."
After a few more minutes of their loving embrace, Kim said, "Come on. Enough about my husband. Let's go find out about yours and see if we can start the healing for real, yours and his."
xxx
When they got back to the study, Kim was ready to begin the search using Wade's program, but looking at the monitor, it still had ten minutes left. Looking to her husband that was trying to avoid her gaze, she said, "Ron? What's going on? It was supposed to be finished."
"It wanted to know of you wanted it to finish the files so I told it to go ahead and finish. I didn't want to bother you about it."
"That meant it wanted to know if you want it to scan the rest of the files on the drive," she said, exasperated and frustrated with the man she loved. "If you told it to go ahead and do that then it's scanning the files for Global Justice as well."
"Kim I'm sorry. I just wanted to..."
"Oh. It's okay Ron," she waved off, trying to reassure him. "Those files won't interfere… too much. I hope. And it will only take another ten minutes to finish," she finished, as she was really hoping to find out something more than she already knew.
"But Kim, look what I found. Four months ago, his pay switched because he was being paid because he was on sick leave."
"Sick leave?" echoed the two women as Kim went over to look at the receipts that Ron had examining.
"Maybe he checked into a clinic to get the helps the doctors at the Center thought he need." Kim said hopefully.
"I don't know Kim. After four weeks, his sick leave changed to vacation leave which is on all the rest of the check stubs to date. That would mean he's been in there for four months but still hasn't contacted your mother or anybody else."
"Ron!" she quietly chided him, only wanting to give her mother good news.
"No Kim. He's right. We have to face facts, whatever they indicate. Candy coating them won't help us when we talk to him and they won't help locating him now either. Something I've become painfully aware of recently."
When the room fell into an uncomfortable silence, Ann said, "Why don't you go ahead and hook up the big monitor to your laptop Kim. That way we can all see the results and not have to worry about how they might affect others."
The family had a large flat screen TV with touch controls installed in the study just to use as a computer monitor and avoid the discomfort of staring at a small screen for too long at a time. It also gave them a chance to stand up and walk around while still focusing on it. Kim had been so intent on what she was trying to do that she hadn't thought about hooking it up.
She completed the hook up just as the program completed incorporating the additional files. As they all stood in front of the large screen monitor, the message popped up,
DO YOU WISH TO USE
THE ADVANCED FEATURES?
[YES] [NO]
She'd never used the advance features before for this program, but it was one that Wade had written and if she ever could have used anything he had to offer, it was now. Reaching over, she touched the YES option.
VOICE RECOGNITION PROGRAM ENGAGED.
PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME
Remembering Wade's obsession with computer security she said, "Kim Stoppable."
INCORRECT PASSWORD.
PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME.
"Kim," her husband said, "remember that when Wade gave you this program, it was before he went and got himself sequestered, along with the Tweebs. You name wasn't Stoppable then."
Nodding to him as a quick thanks, she said in a clear voice, "Kim Possible."
PASSWORD ACCEPTED.
PLAYING MESSAGE.
"Hey, Kim. This is Wade. Along with other features, this program uses a voice recognition interface so you won't be stuck typing in your request. Call it 'Wade.' Just ask it out loud and it will take care of it. It will also answer you with my voice. I sort of borrowed a program from your father that will mimic mine. Makes it friendlier for you to use since I'm not there to help. I hope this helps you. Wade, out."
"I wonder what program he borrowed from daddy?" Kim wondered out loud.
"Vocal simulation program VS 14," came Wade's voice from the speakers of the TV. "It required a 3D model of Wade Load's vocal chords to resonate cavities in his head creating a lifelike sound and replication. It was originally designed to give a more human voice to Fredrick and other research animals like him."
"Okay...ah...Wade. Please display any documents concerning Dr. James Possible's medical status."
Several appeared on the screen which Kim quickly looked over. Most very the doctor's notes that she'd already read but one stood out. Tapping its image to bring it up to full size she saw it was the completed doctor's report that she'd been unable decrypt. Wade's program proved it was better at breaking passwords and encryptions than those from Global Justice. Knowing Wade, this didn't surprise her too much.
The document itself confirmed some of what they had just surmised. James Possible had agreed to seek psychiatric help and would be taking a prolong sick leave. If he or the psychiatrist didn't feel he was ready to return to work by the time his sick pay ran out, his pay would be switched over to any available vacation time he had. There was a note attached from the Center's Human Resource department agreeing to it due to his past services and many breakthroughs that he had contributed in the past. Both were signed by Dr. Wong giving her official OK.
"Kim. Ask him about the garnishment on his paycheck." suggested Ron, curious about what it was.
"Oh. Right," she agreed since that was the only money from his check that didn't get deposited to her parent's bank account. What had he been living on and where?
"Wade, please display any information about my father's living arrangements over the last six month period."
Two documents replace those about his medical status. One was an approved request giving him permission to live in one of the several single apartments the Center maintained for visiting scientists, temporally. The other was an order for what amounted to a six month supply of military grade MRE's or meals ready to eat, with payment to be a garnishment of one hundred dollars per pay period from his bi-weekly paycheck. It had been signed by James Possible.
"So he'd cut himself off from everybody." whispered Kim to herself. "He kept to himself at work, he lived by himself in that single apartment as well as eating by himself. He didn't mingle or even talk to anybody unless he absolutely had to and from the looks of his car, he never even left the Center after he got there."
"This still doesn't help us find out where he is now, Kim." said Ann.
"Wade. Is there anything to indicating what psychiatric clinic or hospital James Possible went to?"
A little spinning hourglass appeared on the screen for about five seconds, till Wade's voice said, "Absolutely nothing about that subject in these files."
Tapping her chin, she then said softly to herself, "Okay. Then where could he possibly be?"
The monitor came alive again as it displayed a map of the continental United States and its borders. On it, five dots along with their map coordinates started flashing. One was in the state of Washington, one in Arizona, one in Florida, one across the border in southern Canada and one in Montana.
"More than probably, he is at one of these locations." came Wade's reply.
"What led you to these locations?" she asked, slightly astonished she got an answer from the program.
"They are the unexplained destinations that the five Mark V hover-jets went to approximately three months ago."
The answer stunned them into a brief silence until Kim demanded, "What leads you to believe that James Possible had any involvement in that?"
"After processing the remaining files into the data matrix, it was found that Dr. James Possible had clearance to both the Mark V's and their computer systems. He also had the ability to reprogram them to fly to the several specific locations, return and erase any interior surveillance records of that time from their memories. The date they disappeared also coincides with other records showing it was the last sighting of Dr. Possible. "
"Wait a minute. He went on sick leave four months ago, but you said that the jet thingies didn't make their flights till three months ago." added Ron.
"Housekeeping records show that James Possible didn't vacate his assigned apartment till three months ago. The night before the incident with the Mark V's occurred."
"Okay," said Kim slowly, pacing as she reassessed the information the program had just given. She would have to change her line of thought about what happened with her father. "What is located at these coordinates in Washington?"
"That location is one half mile from the reclusive scientist's colony founded by Dr. Zeruda consisting of scientists that have turned their back on modern technologies and only deal with abstract math and theoretical possibilities and ideas."
"I remember him." muttered Kim. "He was a part of the group that developed Project Phoebus. Daddy wouldn't have gone there. He thinks squirrels are cute and not for stew."
"I recognize the one in Canada." she said as she pointed to it on the map. "That's where Dr. Drakken was going to put the capital of Drakkanada when he tried to take over Canada. He has a lair near there. I wonder if dad tried to move in with his old college pal since he apologized over that BeBe thing in college."
"I doubt it Kimmie." Ann interjected. "Your father apologized to him for that and was forgiven, but then he said something about Drew having switched to botany since his robotics sucked so much and the feud was on again. Drew told your father he could go and do some things that are anatomically impossible. They haven't spoken since."
"Besides," added Kim, "even though Drakken has been pardoned, he's still kept under rigid surveillance by GJ. I'd have known if daddy or anyone else had visited him. All of those reports have to be filed though my department."
"What about Shego?" asked Ron.
"Shego and Drakken parted company less than half a year after they got pardoned. She said his vines started touching her in ways she didn't like so she moved to this location in Arizona. The same thing about surveillance applies to her as well. But she'd probably love to get her hands on daddy just to spite us though."
"Why's that Kim?" asked Ann.
"She just the kind of skank to try and come between you two, just so she could show up at the family reunion to try and get me to call her my new mother and humiliate you," Kim spat, glaring acidly at the coordinates on the screen. "That damn bitch—"
"KP!" Ron yelled in surprise at the same time Ann gasped, "Kimmie!"
"Sorry guys," she muttered, still agitated. "She just knows where I keep my goat and how to get it anytime she wants. She's sent me a few letters over the years telling me..." Ron laid a calming hand on her shoulder, and his expression made her take a deep breath. "Well, never mind about them for now. Let's get back to the matter at hand. This location in Florida, isn't that near the retirement home where Nana lives, mom?" asked Kim trying to change the subject.
"Yes it is." answered Ann as she wondered what had been in those letters Shego sent. "But I talked with your grandmother a couple of weeks after James moved out and told her what had happened. She told me if she talked to him or saw him, she'd tell him to get his butt back here where it belonged, that or she'd drag him by the ear and march him back here herself. He's not at his mother's. I'm sure of that. Not in one piece anyway."
"Well, the location in Montana is near Uncle Slim's Ranch. Have you spoken to him lately?"
"Well, yes. I spoke to him the same day I spoke to your nana and he said..." Her voice trailed off as she remembered something.
Back after Slim's wife, Ann's twin sister Emily, was killed in a car crash, he asked them to take care of his infant daughter Jocelyn for a few months. He was having a hard time dealing with things and needed some time to grieve for her. James agreed and took care of their children as well as Jocelyn by himself since Ann was also grieving for her lost sister, Em.
It took Slim two months of staying in an old line shack cut off from the world while his ranch foreman took care of things till he had it out of his system enough to be ready to face the world again. When he came back to gather Joss up and act like the father he should be, he thanked James and said, "If there's anything I kin ever do ta repay ya, Squirt, consider it done. Anything."
Anne brought herself back to the present and turned to her daughter. "Kim, who did your father list as his next of kin when he removed my name?"
"Timothy James Possible. I didn't know why Tim and not Jim."
"Timothy James Possible is your uncle Slim's full name, Kim. Not his nickname. That's where he went. To Slim's ranch," she said as a hint of urgency crept into her voice.
"Okay," said Kim, meaning to reassure her. "I'll make the arrangement tomorrow to use a GJ Mark IV to..."
"No Kim," interrupted Ann. "We need to go as soon as possible. Tonight if you can make it happen."
"Mom, You're scaring me."
"I didn't tell you because I didn't want to worry you, but your grandfather left two things to your father when he passed away. One of them was your father's car. The other was in a walnut case and we kept it locked in the safe. It's not there now so he must have taken it with him."
"What was it mom?" fear tinting Kim's voice.
"It was a souvenir your grandfather had from WWII, when his company liberated a town in Belgium. The town was forced to produce items for the Germans. They gave your grandfather the last one they made before destroying the factory." The severity and urgency in Ann's voice made both Kim and Ron afraid.
"Kim, It was a P35 pistol. Fully functional. And it had a box of shells."
Kim swallowed hard. "Mom, are you afraid daddy might… try and use it on himself?"
"Madame Curie once said, 'There is nothing in life to be feared, it is only to be understood.'" Ann spoke the words as calmly as she could.
Failing that, she sunk into a seat. "Yes, Kim. I'm afraid."
Hoping to rule out that possibility, Kim asked, "Wade. Is there anything else indicating out of the ordinary behavior on Dr. Possible's part or anything that might be linked to him?"
The map disappeared from the monitor's screen and was replaced with several documents, most of which were the write ups from James personnel file, but two weren't. One was a report that two bottles of dextroamphetamine were unaccounted for.
"What's dextroamphetamine?"
"A psychostimulant drug or amphetamine, normally referred to as "go pills" by the USAF. They are given to pilots on long missions to help them remain focused and alert. Also sometimes use by the scientist at the Center during rocket testing or launches. "
"Why would James be taking 'go pills?'" asked Ann.
Kim relayed the question to "Wade."
"From follow up investigations into the several write up he'd received for sleeping and then waking up screaming, all witnesses reported him yelling about nightmares, blood, a baseball bat and killing someone. The short term use of amphetamines would keep him awake to avoid the re-occurrence of the nightmares. Over use or overdose systems include restlessness, tremor, hyperreflexia, tachypnea, confusion, aggressiveness, hallucinations, and panic. All of the symptoms fit his profile when he went on sick leave."
After the group let the new information soak in, Kim looked at the remaining document. It was a citation against him for downloading a music file onto his company issued laptop computer, something that was strictly prohibited. He hadn't turned the small computer back in when he went on sick leave like he had his cell phone.
"What song file did he save to his laptop?"
"The End by a musical group called Pearl Jam."
"Find it and play it please."
"Downloading it now."
"Playing."
What were all those dreams we shared
those many years ago,
What were all those plans we made,
now left beside the road.
Behind us in the road.
More than friends, I always pledge,
cause friends, they come and go.
People change as does everything.
I wanted to grow old.
Just want to grow old.
Slide on next to me,
I'm just a human being.
I will take the blame, but just the same,
this is not me, you see, believe,
I'm better than this.
Don't leave me so cold.
I'm buried beneath the stones,
I just want to hold on and know I'm worth your love,
enough, I don't think, there's such a thing.
It's my fault now, I've been caught,
a sickness in my bones.
How it pains to leave you here
with the kids on your own.
Just don't let me go.
Help me see myself,
Cause I can no longer tell,
Looking up from inside of the bottom of a well,
it's hell, I yell, but no one hears before, I disappear,
whisper in my ear.
Give me something to echo in my unknown future,
ya see, my dear, the end, comes near, I'm here,
but not much longer.
After the music finished, the three of them were frozen in shock till Kim's mother, thoroughly shaken whispered, "Hell yes, I'm afraid. Kim..."
Kim was already trying to call headquarters to make arrangements for immediate transportation to be available, but dropped her cell phone three times while trying to punch in the numbers because her hands were shaking so badly.
On the fourth try, Ron gently took the phone from her shaking hands, dialing the number and holding his wife close.
Ann desperately dialed her brother in law. Once, twice, three times. Each time, the result was the same:
"Howdy. Y'all've reached Slim Possible's voice mail box. Unfortunately, I am busier'n a horse in a hayfield, but I can call you back as soon as Possible."
Just a pre recorded message. That was all.
xxxxxxxxxx
TBC
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