CHAPTER 37: ONE WEEK
The ensuing week went by quickly for both Cam and Didi, as they both had a lot to do.
Didi took care of the marriage license on Monday, as planned. She was training Lori until 6:30 each evening and doing her packing after dinner. Her father had decided to come over and help her with the inventory, hoping in that way to determine the size of van he would need to rent for the move.
On Monday evening, he brought her a number of good-sized boxes and cartons from his sporting goods store for his daughter to use, as well as a tape measure with which to take the measurements of her furniture and appliances. He then left it there to measure the boxes and cartons each evening as they were filled.
Every night at 10:00 Didi teleported herself to Cam's apartment in Colorado Springs. Her father was always gone by then, and she was tired from putting in a full day's work and then some. She spent an hour with Cam each visit and returned home with his scent permeating her hair.
On Wednesday evening, her mother came with her father and showed her three different styles of wedding announcements/invitations that she and Wendy liked, and asked her to choose between them. Didi requested that she be allowed a day or two to deliberate. Then, that very night, she took them with her when she went to see Cam, so that they could make a choice together . . . although it did take them a while to come to an agreement: Cam liked one that was bolder in look, with a heavy font; while Didi liked one that was lighter and had curlicues. As a result, they chose neither, going with one that was more middle-of-the-road. Already they were learning to compromise.
By Friday night, nearly everything had been packed except for a few things Didi needed to continue using until her departure on Wednesday morning of the ensuing week. Those remaining items she would pack into a single carton, which she would place in her own car when the time came.
"You've got a lot of stuff," Greg said on Friday evening (after he had written down and totaled the measurements of each and every box, carton and stand-alone item), "but not enough to fill a full-size rental van. I think the second-largest ought to be big enough to hold everything."
At that moment, Didi's cellphone rang; she answered it. "Hi, Cam. . . What? . . . Wait a minute. . . Slow down, love. . . My dad's here; we've been taking inventory." She listened for awhile and then said, "All right, I will. Talk to you later."
"Is something wrong, Didi?" Greg asked.
"One of Cam's colleagues is in trouble and he's really worried about him."
"What kind of trouble?"
Didi sighed. "'Eyes only,' national-security kind of trouble," she replied. "He's M-I-A."
"Oh! Why did Cameron call you if it's top secret and you're not allowed to know anything about what actually happened?"
"He wants me to pray for him—for Dr. Jackson."
"Oh, all right. So, what does this Dr. Jackson do?"
"He's a certified genius, Dad. He does a lot of things. Cam can't really go into it."
Greg shook his head. "No, of course not. I understand." He paused and looked earnestly at his daughter; she seemed anxious and antsy. "I guess we're done for now. I'll leave, so you can do your praying for Dr. Jackson (whoever he is) and call Cameron back."
Didi nodded. "Okay, Dad. Thanks for everything. You've been a great help all week."
"You're welcome, Dee." He slid the tape measure into his jacket pocket and headed for the door. Didi followed him. When they got there, he said, "I hope someday I'll have the opportunity to meet this Dr. Jackson."
"If he's found alive, I'm sure you will. Cam'll probably want to invite him to the reception. He's part of the team that Cam's worked with off and on for the past few years. They're a close-knit group, and they watch each other's backs. This time, though, Dr. Jackson was apparently off on a mission of his own and got into some trouble. A lot of people are worried about him."
"I hope they find him, then—alive and well." Greg gave his daughter a hug and then withdrew. "G'night, sweetheart. I'll see you at Sunday brunch."
After her father had gone, Didi asked to see where Daniel was and what he was doing. He was on an alien world with another man Didi didn't recognize. Cam had told her that Daniel had been abducted along with Dr. Rodney McKay from Atlantis. No one had any idea who had taken them, and they were only now being able to piece together the reasons why they might have been taken.
"Show me the aliens who abducted Daniel and Dr. McKay," she commanded. She sighed as the image of an unknown creature wearing an exo-suit presented itself. "Show me what they look like inside the suit."
"Oh, my! . . . Asgard? That can't be!" She called Cam and told him. "It looks like Daniel and Dr. McKay have been abducted by a rogue faction of the Asgard. I haven't been able to ascertain why as yet, but—"
"Are you sure it was the Asgard, Dee?" asked Cam.
"Yes, Cam, I'm sure. Sam and I worked very closely with Thor to help her get to Jack O'Neill, remember? I know what the Asgard look like. . . But they're wearing these big, bulky exo-suits. I doubt if even Daniel and Dr. McKay know they're Asgard."
"Jackson's gonna be miffed when he finds out," Cam stated. "He's always had the highest regard for Thor and his ilk. If these guys really are a rogue faction—and since they left the Milky Way, set up shop in the Pegasus Galaxy and abducted Jackson and McKay, it's a good bet that they are—there's no telling what they might do to those guys if they don't get what they want from them, whatever it is."
"Do you think they'd kill them?" Didi asked in alarm.
"It is a possibility, but I certainly hope they wouldn't."
"Just keep me informed of any updates from Atlantis, Cam," said Didi. "If there's anything I can do to help that won't draw attention to me or my Power—and that won't be against the rules—I'll do it."
"I'll call you if I'm kept apprised of any new developments. . . Although," he said as an idea came to him, "—if you really are concerned, you could watch everything go down . . . see how it plays out . . ."
"I could," said Didi, "but I'm afraid I'd be tempted to intervene at some point; and that's not something I'd be allowed to do—I know that. Unless Daniel's about to die and I'm given permission to prevent it, I won't do anything except heal him a little after he's returned from his ordeal, whenever that might be."
"Fast forward to the future, then," Cam suggested, "—like you did with the demise of the Chak-tuk: We didn't wanna wait around to see what was gonna happen later, so you skipped ahead to the finish. You could do the same thing now and tell me what you see; at least then I'll know if he's gonna be okay."
"All right, love. I'll do it. I don't want Daniel to die. Even in this universe, I still consider him a friend, and I'd like him to come to our wedding reception, along with the rest of SG-1."
"Yeah, so would I . . . Now go, so you can see what's gonna happen to Jackson."
"And Dr. McKay."
"Yeah," said Cam with a sigh, "I guess we'd better make sure McKay gets out alive, too."
"You don't like Dr. McKay?"
"He's egotistical as all get-out while being insecure at the same time. And he's very . . . annoying. He was infatuated with Sam for years. He even named a whale-like fish he discovered on the original Atlantis planet after her."
"Really? That's interesting."
"She's the only person he knows who's smarter than he is, and he only admits that grudgingly."
"I'll be interested in watching both of them, then," said Didi with amusement. "I'll call you back when I find out something."
"All right, hun. Talk to you later."
Didi brought up a holographic projection of what was going to happen when Daniel discovered that his captors were rogue Asgard. He was, as Cam had predicted, "miffed." His disappointment with their behavior—coupled with irritation at the way they rationalized their motives—caused him to be more forthright than was probably wise, and he incurred the annoyance and disfavor of the head Asgard. He was, nonetheless, returned to the company of Dr. McKay, who—while Daniel was gone—had come up with an escape plan. After that, things got really complicated. . ..
Didi called Cam and told him what she had seen and what she had learned. "Apparently, Janus developed some kind of device that targeted the hyper-drive on Wraith ships, causing them to lose power and to be stranded wherever they happened to be in space," she said. "Daniel and Dr. McKay unwittingly activated a component of some kind that was necessary to make the device operational. The activation of the component alerted the Asgard to the locations of both it and Janus's device, so they took Daniel and Dr. McKay (along with the component) and forced them to activate the device, because they wanted the Wraith wiped out. . ..
"From what I was able to ascertain, Janus abandoned the project because it had the unfortunate side effect of causing massive amounts of energy to build up in the Stargates; which, in turn, caused them to overload and explode when activated. From what I saw, only a few of the 'gates in the Pegasus galaxy were affected before the device was destroyed; but still . . . thousands of people died on the planets where those 'gates were located, and the one on Atlantis exploded, too. Colonel Sheppard was injured in the explosion, but his wounds were minor, so he insisted on leading the rescue mission."
"Sounds like something that hotshot would do," Cam said.
"He's a lot like you in that regard, Cam," Didi said. "If you were in a similar situation, you'd do exactly the same thing, I'm sure."
"Yeah," Cam admitted grudgingly, "I suppose I would. . . So, what happened to Jackson?"
"Daniel and Dr. McKay eventually escaped from confinement and shut down the machine, but Daniel suffered severe injuries in the process and was afraid he was going to die—again. But the Daedalus came and beamed them up. Once they were off the planet, Mr. Woolsey—whoever he is—ordered the base of operations in which they'd been imprisoned to be destroyed, and the device along with it. . ..
"Anyway, because of his injuries, Daniel's going to have to remain in the infirmary for a few days until they can get a new 'gate installed in Atlantis. Daedalus took one from something called a 'gate bridge.'"
"They can't bring Jackson home on board Daedalus?" Cam queried.
"No, they can't. He needs to return to Earth as soon as possible, and it would take too long to get here by ship. Anyway, Daedalus was too badly damaged to make the trip—mostly by some guy named Ronon."
"Ronon Dex?" said Cam. "Why would Ronon damage the Daedalus?"
"Because the Wraith had taken control of it and imprisoned the crew. He didn't know anything about Janus's device or what was happening to Daniel and Dr. McKay. . . It's complicated. I'm sure you'll be able to read the full report after it's filed and transmitted to the SGC; or I could show it to you later . . .
"Anyway, Daniel's gonna be in pretty bad shape and in a lot of pain. Dr. Keller's doing the best she can for him, but I expect General Landry will have him hospitalized when he comes home. I'd like to visit him then and help him to heal up a little bit faster and a little less painfully."
"So, because Jackson's actually going to survive, it's okay for you to do a little clandestine healing, huh?"
"Yes, it is. I'm just not allowed to save the life of someone who's supposed to die."
"You could go to Atlantis, then, and—"
"No, Cam; that I won't do. He'll be on the mend by the time he's hospitalized here on Earth, and it won't seem all that strange if he heals faster than the doctors might at first anticipate. Things like that happen sometimes—especially when people are in familiar surroundings."
"Yeah, I guess that's true."
"So, what're you and the rest of the team doing while Daniel's away?"
"We're temporarily out of commission: Sam's working at Area 51 for a while, and Teal'c's visiting his son and daughter-in-law and spending some time with the Jaffa. Vala went back to waiting tables at a diner she'd worked in for a while when she had amnesia: she liked the owner and didn't mind the work. I expect she'll quit and start spending time at Jackson's bedside once he comes back here. General Landry hasn't told her anything yet, and he probably won't 'til he knows he's gonna be okay. As for me . . . It looks like I might be spending some time honing my skills as a 302 pilot and going through the 'gate with other SG teams that—for one reason or another—are a man short."
"Lucky you," Didi said facetiously.
"Yeah," said Cam without enthusiasm, "lucky me."
"You won't get to be team leader, will you?" It was almost more of a statement than a question.
"Only if the man they're short is the team leader. Otherwise, I'm second chair. I don't think the general will put me on a team whose leader is of a lower rank than I am, though. It would be kind of . . . uncomfortable for a major to give orders to a full colonel." He sighed. "Well, thanks for the heads-up, Dee. I just wish I could tell General Landry and everybody else that Jackson's gonna be okay. But, since they'll find out eventually anyway, I guess it doesn't really matter."
"I'm glad I could put your mind at ease, at least; and I'm glad Daniel's going to be coming back to Earth, so that I can go to the hospital and heal him a little. . . Even though I've been in telepathic contact with our Daniel, I still miss seeing his face. It'll be nice to have a chance to talk to him in person—even if he is a different Daniel."
"Believe me, he's not all that different. All of the Daniel Jacksons I've met are pretty much the same." He sighed. "I'd better let you go. You probably have a ton of work to do."
"Not really. I've packed almost everything—except the essentials I use every day." She paused momentarily before saying, "You know, Cam, something just occurred to me . . ."
"What's that, hun?"
"Today is the twenty-sixth." She said it meaningfully.
There was a moment of silence on the other end. "You're right, it is," Cam said at length, "—the exact same day that we left the decommissioned SGC and came to this universe. . . Little did we know what was going to be in store for us in the here and the now."
"And, in connection with that, I've wondered something for the longest time . . ."
"What might that be?"
"You persuaded Colonel Ellis not to attack the Chak-tuk after we were beamed aboard the Apollo. If you hadn't been there to talk him down—if he had simply acted out of anger over what happened to the real Cam and Didi—would he have gone ahead and tried to nuke them?"
Cam blanched. "Oh crud! I never even thought of that! Come to me, Dee, and let's take a look. We may've done more than keep our parents from knowing they lost their son and daughter."
"All right," she agreed. A moment later, she was there. Cam greeted her with a warm embrace and a passionate kiss; they then sat down on the sofa together.
"It's a good thing it's Friday," she said. "I won't have to get up early in the morning."
"Yeah, me neither. . . Now, c'mon—let's do this. Let's see what happened the first time around, before we changed the timeline."
"We knew more about the Chak-tuk," said Didi, "—about their Power and their attitudes—than the SG-1 from this universe did, since we spent more time on PX5 452 than they did. I don't know if—without you there—Sam or any of the others would've spoken up and told Colonel Ellis to leave well enough alone."
"Show me," Cam insisted.
Didi nodded mutely and made the command. She grimaced as she saw the decapitated corpse of the other Cameron Mitchell and the skewered body of her own double beamed onto the bridge of the Apollo. Teal'c volunteered to beam down to the planet to retrieve Colonel Mitchell's head. A contingent of Marines went with him to protect him.
Once Teal'c and the Marines returned to the ship with the head, Colonel Ellis gave the command to launch a nuke at the citadel. A group of Chak-tuk elders, aware of the launch, used their Power to send the nuke back to its berth and then detonated it, destroying the Apollo.
Didi was in tears as she cried, "End it!"
Cam wrapped his arms around her and kissed her head tenderly. "It looks like we made the right decision, Dee," he said. "As difficult as it's been to live apart, we saved lives . . . lots of them. We kept other people besides our doubles' parents from having their hearts and lives broken by tragedy. All those people . . . all their families . . . and no one would ever know why."
"Don't let go, Cam. After seeing that, it's going to take a while before I feel secure again."
"All right," Cam said tenderly. "Just snuggle up against me, Dee."
She was vulnerable now—more than she had been in several days. Although they had prevented the tragedy they'd just witnessed, it was still a horrible thing to see, and Didi was a sensitive woman. It was too much for her to bear.
Cam held her in his arms and hummed soothingly. He couldn't sing worth a darn, but he could hum. As she listened, Didi realized that he was humming "Lean on Me". She smiled softly, closed her eyes and drifted away, secure in the arms of the man she loved.
When Didi awoke, it was after midnight according to the digital readout on the VCR. Cam was sound asleep, his head tilted back against the sofa, his mouth slightly open. She smiled at him, slid out of his limp embrace and got to her feet. She then used her Power to teleport him to his bed and undress him, as she had done the previous Thursday night back in Kansas. After making sure he was well covered, she leaned down, kissed his cheek and whispered, "G'night, Cam. I love you. Thank you for holding me." Then she teleported herself home.
Cam called her as soon as he woke up on Saturday morning, sounding sheepish. "You had to put me to bed again, didn't you?" he said. "I'm sorry, Dee."
"It's okay, Cam. It was a little after twelve when I woke up—after one o'clock here in Kansas—and I was in much better spirits by then. I didn't mind at all putting you to bed. In fact, I rather enjoyed it. I love you."
"I love you, too, Dee. . . So, are you working hard today?"
"Yes, I am. I'm doing the bulk of my laundry today, and some of the cleaning that needs to be done if I'm going to get my deposit back. I'll need to finish the last of my packing and apartment cleaning on Monday and Tuesday (since Dad and Mike and I are leaving at eight on Wednesday morning), and I'll give the place one last quick sweep with the vacuum cleaner before Dad packs it in the truck on Tuesday night. I can get some of the cleaning done today, though—areas of the apartment that I don't use much and that are currently vacant."
She then changed the subject. "How's Daniel doing? Any word yet?"
"Yeah, you were right. He's on the mend in Atlantis and will be coming home as soon as they get the new 'gate hooked up to the system."
"How'd they get a message through to the SGC without a 'gate?"
"You know, I'm not sure," said Cam. "Maybe some kind of . . . piggyback radio relay system."
"Whatever. . . Anyway, I've gotta go. My dryer's beeping."
"Could you come see me again tonight?"
"No, Cam, I'm sorry; I can't. Tomorrow's Sunday and I need to prepare myself both spiritually and physically for Sabbath worship—it's very important to me. Because of the barbeque and everything last weekend, I didn't do that; and I had my mind more on you and your quibbling about wearing your uniform than I did on the Lord and the meaning of the Sabbath."
Cam sighed. "You really are one of a kind, Didina Steadman. I miss you."
"I miss you, too, my love. Have a good day and don't drink too much beer."
Cam guffawed. "You found me out!"
"I guessed. I'm not there, I'm not planning to come tonight, and you're bored. Therefore, you're going to watch sports on TV and knock back a few beers while doing it."
"I'll try to stay sober, just in case you change your mind about dropping in later."
"I won't, but thanks for the thought. I love you. G'bye, Cam."
"Bye, Dee." Cam sighed. Nothing was as much fun without Didi . . .
(*)
Didi had her final Sunday brunch with her parents the next day, during which time she, Mike and their parents solidified their plans for the move on Wednesday. After much discussion, it was decided that both Mike and Greg would take Tuesday thru Thursday off from work. (Greg would leave the store in the capable hands of his assistant manager, and Mike's band mates would have to muddle through rehearsals without him until he returned.) Greg would reserve a van in advance and pick it up as soon as the rental place opened on Tuesday morning; Melinda would go with him and drive their car home afterward.
Greg would call Mike when he was finished with the paperwork on the rental and would then pick him up at his home, after which Mike would call Didi on his cellphone and let her know they were coming. They would get all of her belongings loaded into the truck on Tuesday, with the exception of the few items she needed to take with her in her car. Then, after Didi completed the last little bit of packing and cleaning she needed to do, Greg would drive the van to the Steadmans' house, Didi would take Mike home, and she would spend Tuesday night in her old room at her parents' house.
It was then decided that Didi would drive ahead of the truck because (as Greg had told Cam) he had never driven anything as big as a moving van on the Interstate before and it would probably take him a while to get used to it.
Didi would stop for lunch somewhere along the way, and when she reached her destination, she would call Mike on his cellphone and tell him where she was. The two men would eventually join her there. Even if she were to hit the road again before Greg and Mike finished eating, at least they would have a table to sit at when they arrived. . . After lunch, the trip would be completed and Didi would contact Cam the moment she reached the outskirts of Colorado Springs.
The plan having been agreed upon by all concerned, the conversation then turned to, not surprisingly, the merits of Cameron Mitchell. Didi ate quietly and listened to her parents talk glowingly about the man she loved. She would be seeing him soon. She smiled.
(**)
"How was brunch with your family?" Cam asked when Didi appeared in his apartment later that day. (She had contacted him while driving from church to her parents' house and told him she was coming, so that he would be prepared to receive her.)
"Not bad," Didi replied to his question as she sat down beside him on the sofa. She had changed out of her "Sunday best" and into a pair of white cotton slacks and a short-sleeved, goldenrod pullover, with a matching scrunchy in her hair. But, not planning to go out of doors, she had left her feet bare.
She told Cam the plans that had been solidified between herself, her dad and her brother, and he nodded. "So, you're going to contact me—I'm assuming telepathically—the minute you reach the edge of town, huh? All right, then. If you're feeling insecure about finding your way to the Grenadier Arms on your own, let me know and I'll meet you somewhere."
"Oh, I'll definitely be insecure," Didi told him. "I have a lousy sense of direction. I'll need you to lead me in . . . Maybe I'll just pull into a gas station, or something."
"That'd probably be the easiest way to go; and when I find you, the first thing I'm gonna do is drag you out of your car and kiss you passionately . . . and I won't care who's watching."
"Just hold that thought, love," Didi said with a soft smile. Then she turned sideways, putting her feet in Cam's lap. "Would you massage my feet for me please, Cam? They ache so bad right now . . ."
Cam smiled softly. "Be glad to, hun." His thumbs and fingers worked magic and she sighed with sheer contentment.
"Oh, that feels good!" she sighed. "I'm glad I came."
"Did you bring your cellphone, just in case?" Cam queried.
"Yes, I did. It's in my pants pocket. I doubt I'll get a call from anyone, though. My parents and I said pretty much everything we needed to this afternoon, and I'll have a chance to say goodbye to Mom on Wednesday morning before I leave."
"What about Thé?"
"She's invited me to dinner on Tuesday night: she wants one last chance to spend some time with me before I go."
"Are you going to miss your nieces and nephews?"
Didi nodded and a mist of tears came to her eyes. "Yes," she said. "I love those kids more than I ever thought possible. I absolutely adore being an aunt."
"Imagine how much more you're going to love being a mom," Cam said, gazing at her tenderly.
"I know," Didi said chokingly. "I can't believe I may actually get that chance—that blessing—of being a mother." She pulled her feet out of Cam's lap, turned around and cuddled up next to him, putting her head and her hand on his chest. "I have so much to be thankful for, Cam! . . . It wasn't that long ago that I thought my life was meaningless, since I was no more than a clone—with no home to go to and no family or friends to call my own. But now, we're here together, able to stay together; to get married, to have the people from our memories that we love most, and . . . to actually try to have children."
Cam looked down at her. "We're going to do more than try, Dee. We will have kids. I know it."
She placed a hand on his cheek and said, "You're gonna be the best dad ever." She kissed his lips briefly and then laid her head back on his chest.
But Cam shook his head. "No, Dee. That privilege goes to my dad. I'll never be half as good a father as he's been."
Didi had tears in her eyes again. "I love your dad, Cam. He's a wonderful man—a great man. But if my opinion means anything, you'll be as terrific a father as he is." When Cam opened his mouth to protest, she put a finger to his lips. "I won't accept any argument from you. I'm entitled to my opinion. You can disagree if you want to—that's fine. It's part of your self-deprecating nature to do so. But I still think . . . Scratch that . . . I know that you're going to be the best dad our kids could possibly have."
"I love you, Dee," Cam mumbled past her finger.
Didi removed the finger and smiled softly. "I love you, too, Cam." She sighed. "This is what I'm most looking forward to after I move: cuddling up on the sofa with you, talking, making plans, going with the flow and letting our feelings out . . . And to think it all started back on Planet Max—all those hours we had together with nothing to do but talk. We learned how to do more than just talk; we learned how to really communicate with each other."
"That we did, hun; that we did." He kissed her sweetly, lingeringly. In the middle of the kiss, her stomach rumbled. His lips broke contact with hers and he sniggered. "You hungry, Dee?"
"Well, I didn't exactly have a big dinner tonight. I ate a lot at brunch and I wasn't all that hungry when I got home."
"How late did you stay at your folks'?"
"'Til about four. When I got home, I just grabbed a granola bar and ate it while doing a little scripture study."
"And then you came here."
"Yep."
"I have some chocolate chip ice cream in the freezer . . ."
Didi smiled broadly, showing her teeth. "Ice cream!" she said.
Cam laughed, took her hand and got to his feet, pulling her to hers as he said, "C'mon, hun. Let's get you some ice cream."
They chatted some more while eating the ice cream. Afterward, they watched a movie—Didi's choice. She picked Somewhere in Time with Jane Seymour and Christopher Reeve. She sent for it from her apartment—along with a Milky Way. The movie was a real tearjerker, but the premise, Cam thought, was a bit thin.
"It doesn't make sense!" he declared with annoyance. "Where did the pocket watch come from originally? It's a complete and total paradox! And the guy was an idiot! Starving himself to death so that he could be with her again? And all because he left a single, solitary coin in his pocket!"
"Cam," said Didi quietly after he was through ranting, "if you and I had been separated in time and you knew you couldn't get back to me again, what would you do?"
"I'd find a time and a place where we could be together—like Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves did in The Lake House."
"Oh! I love that movie! —although it was unrealistic, too."
"People would say that about our lives if they knew the truth," Cam pointed out to Didi. "And at least The Lake House had a happy ending. . .."
"Okay; from now on, I won't show you anything with a tragic ending—and the same goes for you. If we watch an action flick, it better not have all the good guys and innocent victims getting killed!"
"Deal," said Cam, holding out his hand. Didi shook it, smiled and chuckled softly.
She sighed. "I think I'd better head home. I'm feeling much too comfortable here with you like this . . . and that's dangerous."
Cam shook his head. "No, it's not, Dee; I haven't broken my promise to your dad yet, and I don't intend to . . . But, I'm glad you came. It's been a great three and a half hours. Do you think you could come again tomorrow night?"
Didi nodded. "Yes—just like I did all last week. I'll come at ten, after I know my parents and everyone else will pretty much be in bed." At that moment, her cellphone rang. She dug into her pocket, pulled it out and opened it. "Crap!" she whispered, holding her thumb over the mouthpiece. "It's Mom!"
Cam sighed. "Be careful what you say, Dee."
Didi removed her thumb, put the phone up to her ear and said groggily, "Hi, Mom."
"We got a call from Frank and Wendy. They were in Topeka having dinner with family and decided to drop by your apartment for a visit before heading home. They didn't think you'd mind. Where were you?"
"Oh, um, I was taking a nap. I had my bedroom door shut and I didn't hear anything. I'll call them and apologize."
"You'd better! The Mitchells have been very good to you . . ."
Didi sighed. "You're right. I'll call them immediately. Thanks for letting me know."
"If they have anything . . . pertinent to say, call me later and tell me what it was."
"I will, Mom. I'd better go. Bye!" Didi exhaled. "Crud!" she said, putting the phone away.
"What was that all about?" Cam asked.
"Your parents were apparently in Topeka having dinner with some relatives, and they dropped by to see me while they were in town. When I didn't come to the door, they called my parents—I guess to ask them if they had any idea where I might be. Mom wants me to call them right now and talk to them."
"Yeah, my parents often go visiting on Sundays . . . And they probably just wanted to see you one more time, since they know you'll be leaving in a few days and will be pretty busy until you do . . ."
Didi nodded. "I'll call them, then, and chat with them. If they really want to see me, I'll drive to the farm and spend some time with them."
"I wish I could go with you," Cam said sincerely.
Didi gave him a soft, sad smile. "I know you do; I wish you could, too." She got to her feet and put the DVD into its box, sent it back to her apartment, picked up the Milky Way from where she'd put it on the coffee table, bit into it, and sent it home, too. She then held out her hands and Cam took them, getting to his feet.
"I love you, Dee," Cam said. "Thanks for being here with me. Tell my folks I said 'hi.' They'll probably just ask if you spoke to me today. You can honestly answer 'yes' to that question." He released her left hand, put his right hand on her cheek and lowered his head to kiss her. "G'bye, angel," he said when the kiss had ended. "I'll see you tomorrow night." He released her and backed away.
"Bye, Cam. I love you." She put her fingers to her forehead, closed her eyes, and was gone.
The moment Didi returned to her own apartment, she got on her landline and called the Mitchell farm—a number she now knew by heart. Frank answered the call. "Hello?"
"Hi, Frank, it's Didi. Mom called and said you stopped by. I'm really sorry I didn't answer the door. I was sound asleep in my room and didn't hear a thing. I apologize. Was there something you and Wendy wanted to discuss with me?"
"Not really," said Frank. "We have some family in Topeka who invited us to Sunday dinner, and we thought we'd stop in and visit you before heading home. It wasn't a big deal. We were just worried when you didn't answer the door. I'm glad to know you're all right. Have you heard from Cam today?"
"Yes, I have. He told me that, if I talked to you at all today, I should tell you 'hi.'"
"I don't know why that boy can't pick up the phone and call his own parents once in a while . . ."
Didi smiled to herself. "I'll castigate him for you, if you'd like," she said. "He could use a little chastisement every now and then. . .."
"He'd probably call us if you did," said Frank. "You're better at making him feel guilty without his getting annoyed about it than anyone I know."
"I think it has something to do with the fact that he loves me, and he'll take anything from me—especially since I'm not generally ornery about it. If I tell him he should call his parents more often, he'll admit that I'm right, stew about it for a while, and then make up his mind to call. . . If you're not going to bed anytime soon, I'll call him now and give him an earful."
"We'll be up for a couple more hours."
"Okay, then. Expect to hear from Cam sometime within the next hour or so—if I'm persuasive."
"Thank you, Didi. Wendy and I appreciate it. Take care and make sure you stop in and see us at least once more before you leave."
"How about sometime tomorrow afternoon or evening? I have a few loose ends to tie up during the first part of the day, but I'm free after that. . . I'm going to be kind of busy on Tuesday, what with helping Dad and Mike pack the van and having dinner with my sister Theresa and her family. (They want a chance to say goodbye. Since my brother Mike's family was at my parents' house for Sunday brunch yesterday, I've already had the chance to say my goodbyes to them)."
"Come tomorrow afternoon and stay for dinner. I'll whip up a freezer of homemade ice cream and a gallon of homemade root beer and make you the best tasting root beer float you ever had!"
"Mm! Sounds yummy! I can hardly wait! I'll give you a call before I leave."
"Well, I'll start making the ice cream and root beer as soon as we hear from you. Depending on what time it is, they should be ready for consumption either before or after dinner."
"All right, then. Thank you for the invitation. . . Oh, by the way, I'm going to bring the marriage license with me and leave it with you guys. I don't see any sense in taking it to Colorado Springs with me, when the wedding's going to take place there, in Auburn."
"We'll put it in a safe place," said Frank. "You can count on it."
"I trust you," Didi said. "I'll let you go now and then give Cam a call. Have a nice evening, Frank, and tell Wendy I said hello—and that I'm okay."
"I'll tell her. God bless you, Didi."
"You too. Bye." Didi sighed as she hung up the phone. She then auto-dialed Cam's number on her cellphone.
"Hey, Dee! What's up? What'd they want?"
She told him what she had learned and about the rest of her conversation with his father. Cam sighed. "Okay, okay. I'll call them."
"They miss you, Cam."
"Yeah, I know. But I think a lot of it has to do with you."
"How do you mean? You're their son and they've always missed you when you're away."
"Yeah, but . . . not this much. As I said, I think a lot of it has to do with you being in my life. You've made life more interesting for all of us—given us more to talk about."
Didi blushed slightly. "Just call them, Cam. They deserve to hear from you at least once a week. They're your parents and they love you so much . . ."
"I know they do. And I should be a better son when it comes to keeping in touch."
"It's my job to see that you are," said Didi. "Now do it, Cam!"
"All right! I'm calling, I'm calling. I'll see you tomorrow night, hun. Bye."
Didi sighed again as she closed her phone. She then put it on its charger, took her Milky Way to the refrigerator, popped some popcorn, poured herself a glass of lemonade and sat down to watch a holographic projection. It was one of her favorites. She called it Cam and Didi vs. the Dinosaur.