Chapter 54
Kevin left home again the following day and managed to get back to Connecticut early the next morning with barely enough time to make it to his first class. A number of people had heard about a death in the family and when Kevin confirmed that was the case for those that asked, they offered their condolences. Some assumed he must have gone to visit his family but those that knew if family was in Washington asked why he was gone all this time. It wasn't enough time to get to Washington and back to Connecticut. Kevin just told them it was a painful loss for himself and his family, which was in fact true, and he'd been on and off the phone and sending telegrams to his relatives the whole time. Alphonse offered the same condolences, but refrained from asking too many questions. The other students and even some of the teachers had asked enough questions. When they both arrived at Professor Donohue's class, that's when the day took a rather sour turn. When he arrived in class, Professor Donohue wasted no time.
"Ah, Mr. Black. Lovely of you to join us," Professor Donohue said. Kevin chose to ignore him and went to his seat beside Alphonse. "How did you enjoy your long weekend?"
"Not at all," Kevin finally answered and was content to end the conversation there, but Professor Donohue did not relent.
"Would you mind telling the class why you felt the need to leave in the middle of class?"
"There was a death in the family and I needed to make myself available in every way I could," Kevin answered pointedly.
"How can you be there for them when you're on the other side of the country? Frankly, you made a rather farcical show of it."
"You know what, Professor," Kevin went on, losing any ounce of patience he had left. "I don't exact a cold bastard like you to understand, but we suffered the death of a Medicine Man, which in our tribe is a big deal. That's to say nothing of the fact that the man was my uncle. His loss was a horrible time for my family and I needed to be there for them, even if that meant communicating through telegram and phone whenever possible."
"It certainly doesn't take so long to call or send a telegram that you were held up from classes for two days. Purely nonsensical. I'm sure you'll be interested to know I've notified Dr. McCarthy about this little incident."
"And I'm sure you'll be interested to know that I've already left a letter with his office explaining exactly what happened and offered my apologies for the inconvenience it may have caused, seeing as a death in the family seems to be seen by you as a mere, inconvenience. Besides, it was his office that got the telegram explaining to me what happened. He already knew. Frankly, Professor, you can kick and scream and throw as many temper tantrums as you want. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere. So pull your head out of your ass and teach your fucking class."
There was a prolonged silence in the classroom. Some were just staring at their textbooks as if trying desperately to ignore the awkward situation they were in. Some stared at Kevin, unsure what to say or even what to think. If he was being honest, it was Professor Donohue's slack jawed stare lasting at least two minutes that gave Kevin the greatest satisfaction. He'd finally shut the old bastard up. At least for now. He even seemed rather embarrassed. That made it just a little bit better. Professor Donohue eventually recovered and cleared his throat. He went to the front of the class and proceeded as though nothing happened. Most of the students were trying to avoid it too, like putting a blanket over an elephant in the room desperately trying to pretend it wasn't there. Kevin remained rather quiet the rest of the class, assuming Professor Donohue was trying desperately to ignore Kevin more than he already did. He eventually announced the end of class and everyone left their seats to leave.
"You stay there, Black," Professor Donohue said coldly. Everyone looked at Kevin but did eventually leave. Alphonse left reluctantly but when he left the classroom, he was surprised to see the entire class had stayed behind. Back in the classroom, Kevin was in his usual seat while Professor Donohue crossed his arms condescendingly. "That was quite the little stunt you pulled today."
"What stunt are you referring to, sir? The stunt where I tried to ignore you or the stunt where I stood up to you?"
"Don't get snippy with me, boy," Professor Donohue said.
"After actively trying to embarrass me for the sake of embarrassing me, you're not really in a position to address me as 'boy'."
"I'm in a position to call you what I damn well please for disrupting my class, not once, but twice now."
"I received a telegram advising my uncle was dead and left. That's hardly much of a disruption, especially since you seem to think so little of me. As far as today, you were trying to antagonize me. I've allowed you to antagonize me for over a year and I've said nothing until today. If anything, I've been really patient with you."
"Patient," Professor Donohue scoffed condescendingly. "Well, your form of 'patience' will be reported to the Dean and punished promptly."
"What will it be, sir? Tar and feathering or a good old fashioned spanking?" Kevin asked sarcastically.
"You can be as flippant as you want, boy," Professor Donohue sneered. "We'll see how flippant you are when you have to explain yourself to the Dean."
"Indeed we will," Kevin answered and grabbed his things to leave.
"I didn't dismiss you," Professor Donohue said.
"I don't need your permission to be dismissed, sir. I have other classes I need to attend and a meeting to set up with the Dean."
"I'm sure he'll demand to speak to you before long when he finds out about your little stunt today."
"And I'm sure he'll be very interested to hear about your continued vendetta against one of your students," Kevin said.
"Well, I hope you had no intentions of trying for that internship," Professor Donohue tried to jab.
"You know what, Professor, you and I both know you never had any intention of giving me a spot in that internship, so don't try to hold that over my head. Have a nice day, professor."
Kevin walked out of the class before Professor Donohue could say anything else. There was no one outside, so he walked down the hall without interruption, but when he turned the corner, everyone in the class was standing there, Alphonse among them, all appearing amused.
"'Tar and feathering or a good old fashioned spanking'?" one of the men asked with a laugh. "We had to walk away from laughing."
"It wasn't intended to be funny," Kevin said, but he was admittedly smiling a little.
"I'll be honest with you, Black, I've been waiting for you to finally snap at him," one man said.
"Was it everything you hoped for?" Kevin said sarcastically.
"It was everything and more," he continued.
"You'll want to talk to the Dean as soon as possible," Alphonse said seriously. "Lord knows you'll have a lot of damage control to contend with."
"What else is new?" Kevin sighed. "When do you suppose the soonest would be that I could meet Dr. McCarthy?"
"That's a question for his secretary," another man said.
"To his office then," Kevin said and walked away from the group to walk to the old building where the Dean's office was located. When he arrived, a young woman was there fusing over a schedule and, by just a glance, Kevin could tell he wouldn't be speaking to the Dean for a while. "Excuse me, miss," Kevin said and the young woman looked up at him.
"How can I help you, sir?"
"I was hoping I might schedule an appointment to meet with Dr. McCarthy? As soon as possible."
"Oh, dear, you might be waiting a while," the young woman said and looked for an empty slot. "I have a day open later this week actually. Friday is the soonest. At five?"
"Friday's fine," Kevin said.
"And what is your name?"
"Kevin Black," he answered and the woman suddenly shot him a rather stunned look.
"Oh dear," she said. "Let me see if I can fit you in sooner," she mumbled.
"Professor Donohue got me into that much trouble did he?"
"I suppose you could say that," the young woman said. "He's had it out for you since Thursday when Andrew went to his class with that telegram."
"Yes, my Uncle died."
"I'm so sorry," the woman said sympathetically.
"Thank you," Kevin said. "I was actually under the impression Professor Donohue's had it out for me since I got here."
"I've been told he has, but I just started here over the summer. What on earth did you do to make him so angry?"
"I'm Native American," Kevin answered bluntly and the woman looked really stunned.
"Gracious, I would have never guessed."
"Most don't," Kevin said. "I look like my mom."
"Clearly," she said. She took another moment to look through the schedule until she found the slightest empty window. "I think I can fit you in for tomorrow if you don't mind waiting to see him until 6:30. It's when he leaves usually, but given the circumstances, I think he'll tolerate staying a little longer."
"How kind of him," Kevin said with a hint of sarcasm. "I was actually wanting to talk to him about something else entirely, but I suppose dealing with Professor Donohue will have to come first."
"I'd recommend that," the young woman said. She marked his name at the very end of the next day's schedule and took out a little slip of paper and began writing on it. "This is a little reminder note for your use." She handed Kevin the small slip of paper. "If you want my opinion, come in tomorrow dressed very nice."
"He's that sore, is he?"
"I'm afraid I've not spoken with the Dean, so I don't know the full extent, but I do know if you show up dressed very nice it tends to butter him up a bit."
"I'll keep that in mind," Kevin said and walked out of the office to go to his next class, meeting Alphonse there.
After Alphonse and Kevin studied together for about two hours, Kevin finally went back home. He noticed Mrs. Croft through the window at the top floor and they waved a greeting at one another. Kevin checked his mail and was happy to find something to be happy about in the form of a letter from Amber. It was a delightfully long letter about school, her tutors, friends, upcoming Hanukkah, practicing for her Bot Mitzvah and even little tidbits here and there about the current political situation in Germany, although Mr. Dymek only really spoke of such matters when he was with friends, but never with Amber or Mrs. Dymek. She said in her letter, "Papa dit que, «Politique et de l'argent sont tout simplement pas des questions pour une femme à perdre la pensée sur«" (Daddy says that, 'Politics and money are simply not matters for a woman to waste thought upon). She spoke in more detail about her Bot Mitzvah and told him that Mrs. Dymek was already creating invitation and that she promised Mrs. Dymek was sending him one so that he could keep it as a memory. Kevin wrote a reply and started by saying he desperately wished he could be at her Bot Mitzvah but wished her the best of luck. He inevitably explained that his Uncle had passed away and how he'd left Connecticut for two days and a weekend to be at the funeral. He told of one of his Professors being enraged over the incident and so on.
The next morning, first thing, Kevin dressed in a nice suit he had on hand and then went to the post office to drop off his letter to Amber. He arrived at school and went about business as usual. Professor Donohue seemed to refuse to speak to or acknowledge Kevin. Fine with him as far as Kevin was concerned. Kevin arrived at the Dean's office at 6:15 and the secretary quietly praised him for his punctuality. Evidently that was another trait the Dean was quite fond of and would work in his favor. He waited twenty minutes before Dr. McCarthy came out personally and seemed to have a face Kevin couldn't really read.
"Sergeant," Dr. McCarthy said formally. "Follow me, please." Kevin nodded and went to Dr. McCarthy's office. Once inside, Dr. McCarthy went to his desk and directed his hand towards the other chair. "Have a seat." Kevin did as instructed and sat in the chair across from Dr. McCarthy. "I'm relieved you came and scheduled an appointment yourself. It spares me having to hunt you down."
"Glad to be of service, sir," Kevin answered. Dr. McCarthy chuckled a little to Kevin's surprise.
"First of all, Andrew explained that you'd left notice with my office that your Uncle passed away, hence why you'd left so suddenly."
"That is correct, sir," Kevin answered.
"My condolences," he said.
"Thank you, sir."
"Now, a little later that day, Professor Donohue came into my office telling my secretary that you needed to be reprimanded for interrupting his class."
"I apologize for leaving suddenly, but it was an emergency."
"I understand," Dr. McCarthy said. "However, yesterday, he came into my office in an even bigger huff because you had, evidently, interrupted his class again and back talked him."
"I acknowledge that I responded poorly, but I attempted to ignore him and he antagonized me, so I snapped at him."
"Yes, that's what your classmates tell me."
"My classmates?" Kevin asked, surprised.
"Yes, a number of your classmates came to my office yesterday and this morning and explained what they witnessed in the classroom and what they heard on the other side of the door. According to them, you had ignored him and then told him to, 'get on with his fucking class' or something along those lines."
"That is what I said to him, yes," Kevin nodded.
"And then, according to your classmates, Professor Donohue demanded to see you after class and in the words of one of your classmates, or so I'm being told, 'Professor Donohue accused Kevin of embarrassing him and would see him punished for it and Kevin said, "will it be a tar and feathering or a good old fashioned spanking?"' I'm also told that student had a rather good laugh."
"I did say something to that effect," Kevin nodded. "Professor Donohue and I argued and if that caused a disruption, then I do apologize."
"Well," Dr. McCarthy said as he got out a cigar. "This is certainly a difficult situation. You and Professor Donohue have seemed to butt heads since you started his class."
"With all due respect, sir, Professor Donohue has been doing all the head butting. I've stayed as calm as possible given his attitude towards me but with my uncle's death and the stress of not being able to be with my family, it put me in a rather short temper."
"Yes, I imagine so," Dr. McCarthy lit his cigar, took a puff, and continued while some smoke left his mouth. "Look, Sergeant, I realize there is a unique situation with regards to Professor Donohue. He's demanded you be expelled, but I'll not do that. You've done well here and I'm impressed with you if I'm honest. But I must insist that you do all in your power not to ruffle the man's feathers."
"I'm not sure what more I could do to that effect, sir. With the exception of yesterday, I've been nothing if not patient with the man."
"That's what I'm being told," Dr. McCarthy sighed. "I'm afraid you're stuck with him for the rest of the semester, but come next semester, you will not be in his class. There are other professors that tackle his subject matters and will be better able to be professional about the matter. I'll ensure your counselor is aware that you're not to be placed in a class with Professor Donohue. I'd prefer this be the last time I have to hear about this nonsense."
"Agreed, sir," Kevin said.
"Well, I'm relieved we got that out of the way. Unless there's something I forgot, I suppose we're done here."
"Actually, Dr. McCarthy, there was something else I wanted to talk to you about. I realize this is a slightly strained time to make a request of any kind let alone what I'm about to ask, but I want to ask."
"What request is that?" Dr. McCarthy said hesitantly.
"Well, it's become rather clear to me that, since I've started coming here, my brother has wished to come. He would never say it out loud, but he does. You see, my uncle was the medicine man and since he died, my mother's taken over and my little brother shadows her. But I know he would love to study medicine here. It would certainly make him a greater asset."
"You're asking me to allow your brother to come here?"
"Yes, sir," Kevin answered.
"After we just got through having a discussion about one of your professors trying to have you expelled?"
"I realize the timing is inconvenient-"
"Inconvenient? That's putting it mildly," Dr. McCarthy interrupted.
"Again, I realize this is inconvenient timing," Kevin reiterated, "but I know Kyle would love nothing more than the opportunity to study medicine here."
"And I would love nothing more than to be richer than Rockefeller, but that's not likely to happen."
"But it is possible," Kevin smiled charmingly. "And I've proven to be an exceptional student here have I not? I guarantee you my brother will do just as well. He's smarter than me, I guarantee you."
"Yes, but your brother never saved my son and brother-in-law from death," Dr. McCarthy took another puff of his cigar. "I admit you've done far better than I'd expected. Hell, even Alex wasn't expecting you to do as well as you've done. But the God's honest truth is the only reason you're here is because my son insisted. A life for a life as he put it."
"I understand that, sir, and I'm grateful for this opportunity regardless of how it was earned. And no, Kyle never did save Lt. McCarthy from death, but what he has done is saved several others in numerous ways. He's essentially been a doctor damn near his whole life. Our Uncle, Dr. Carlisle, certainly taught him some things, sure, but it's not enough. I firmly believe my little brother deserves more than that."
"'Deserves' you say," Dr. McCarthy took another puff. "I'll tell you what, Mr. Black, no one 'deserves' anything. If you want anything in this life, you need to earn it."
"And I've earned my place here in my own way. All I'm asking if for my brother to be given the chance to prove he's just as deserving as me, if not more so. Like I said, Kyle's easily much smarter than me. The only thing he may lack is my way with words. However, his love for the sciences is certainly worth nurturing."
"Many have a love for science that gets left un-nurtured."
"Those people don't have a brother that attends one of the finest schools in the world," Kevin said confidently, hoping to butter Dr. McCarthy up a little more. Dr. McCarthy took another puff and looked thoughtful. Then he placed his cigar in the ashtray and went to a wall to his left, opening a cabinet and revealing a tall bottle of bourbon and four glasses.
"Bourbon?"
"I can't say I've had anything besides wine in my whole life."
"There's a first for all things," Dr. McCarthy said and poured bourbon into two glasses. He handed Kevin one and took his back with him to his seat. Kevin could smell the bourbon in the glass and it was overwhelming, but he took a sip when Dr. McCarthy did. It was terribly strong. Much stronger than he'd ever had before. Yet aside from the initial bite, it was rather smooth.
"I had thought alcohol was illegal."
"Not if you know the right people," Dr. McCarthy said. Then he leaned back in his chair. "Let us entertain the thought of your brother coming to this university. Even if only for a moment."
"Yes, please," Kevin said.
"If I allowed you little brother to come, you said he would wish to study medicine, did you not?"
"Correct," Kevin nodded. "He's been well trained already, but classes here would certainly be enlightening for him."
"And would he be as troublesome as you've proven to be?"
"With all due respect, sir, the only trouble I've had hear is with Professor Donohue and we both know that's no fault of my own. Besides, Kyle's not quite the social butterfly that I am. He's more of what you might call a wallflower. I can't really think what kind of trouble he could possibly get into. I don't think my little brother's ever gotten in real trouble when we were kids. If anything, myself and Nathan are the troublemakers."
"And Nathan is?"
"My youngest brother," Kevin clarified. "Kyle's the middle son."
"And will you request a spot at the university for your youngest brother?" Dr. McCarthy said with a mixture of humor, sarcasm, and irritation.
"No," Kevin actually chuckled. "Nathan's really not the academic type. If I'm being blunt, he's a bit of a black sheep of the bunch of us."
"So it's your middle brother you're requesting a spot for? Nothing more?"
"No one else," Kevin nodded. "Just Kyle. I promise, he'll be as diligent and dedicated as me. More so, even."
"You seem confident in you Mr. Kyle."
"I assure you it's not unfounded, sir," Kevin answered, presenting his charming smile yet again. Dr. McCarthy and Kevin looked at each other a moment while Dr. McCarthy seemed to contemplate.
"I will have to take this to the board," Dr. McCarthy finally said. "I can't make you any promises."
"I only ask that you try," Kevin said.
"And what do I get, if I might ask, for obtaining a spot at the university for your brother?"
"My undying gratitude?" Kevin offered and Dr. McCarthy chuckled.
"I mean besides that," he said. He thought another moment, and then smiled. "I'll tell you what. You're right when you say that you're a charming young man. You could be a snake oil salesman if becoming a lawyer doesn't work out. I'll ask you to put that charm to good use."
"How so, sir?" Kevin asked.
"I have a co-worker that I had loaned money to some time ago. About $1000. He insists he does not have the money, but he does. Perhaps you might be able to woo him into getting me my money back."
"I suppose I could see what I can do."
"Excellent. I will arrange a meeting with the board for two weeks' time. That should give you plenty of time to get the money. If you do, I'll ensure your brother obtains a spot. Do we have a deal?"
"Absolutely," Kevin held out his hand and the two shook on it. Then Dr. McCarthy raised his glass.
"To your brother's education," he said.
Kevin raised his glass, "To Kyle's education," and the two of them drank the last of their bourbon.
Afterwards, Dr. McCarthy provided Kevin with the name of the man and where best to locate him on school grounds. He was one of the political professors. He was not a professor Kevin had, but he knew the man in passing. The following day, Kevin attended his classes as usual. He noticed Professor Donohue looked especially sour with him, but he ignored it and did his work. And after the incident that had happened in class, all his piers seemed to adore him. By now, it seemed everyone knew about what happened between Kevin and Professor Donohue and he was quickly becoming an underground sensation in a manner. He felt more accepted than he ever had. Anyone that recognized him or had heard who he was would always say hello to him. It was actually rather nice.
"You've become popular," Alphonse said as the two walked to their next class.
"I suppose so," Kevin said. "I admit it's a nice change."
"Indeed," Alphonse agreed. "You must have made one hell of an impression on the Dean."
"I did, actually," Kevin smiled proudly. "I'll never take a class with Professor Donohue again, but that's alright by me. I also got him to agree to allow my little brother to come here, assuming I can get one of the professors to pay a debt he owes the Dean."
"Wait, really?" Alphonse asked, stunned.
"Really," Kevin smiled. "If I can get Dr. McCarthy his $1000 back, then Kyle's as good as a student."
"And how do you plan to make this professor give you that $1000?"
"I don't know yet," Kevin said. "I haven't had a chance to speak to him. I'll try finding him after classes and see what I can do."
"Reduced to a loan shark," Alphonse chuckled. "Perhaps you should go to him with a bat as a means of persuasion."
"No need," Kevin said confidently. "All I have to do is make him see things my way."
"And you know for a fact you'll be able to do that?"
"Positive," Kevin said.
After their class, usually Kevin and Alphonse would study together, but this time Kevin went looking for the professor that owed Dr. McCarthy money. Eventually, he found the professor in his office in one of the buildings. He appeared to be going over a deposition. Kevin knocked on the man's door and made him look up.
"Professor Ralph?"
"Can I help you?" he asked Kevin.
"I hope so," Kevin said and stepped inside. "I'm Kevin Black."
"Ah," the man smiled and chuckled a little. "You're the redskin Donohue's got his panties in a knot over."
"Yes," Kevin laughed. "I'm afraid that would be me."
"No need, young man. Donohue's not a particularly pleasant individual. I've detested the man since I began teaching here if I'm being truthful. And that was 10 years ago. Anyone that can ruffle that man's feathers that much and get away with it to boot is alright by me. So what can I do for you?"
"Well, to get right to the point, I was asked by Dr. McCarthy to speak to you regarding a loan he had given you some time ago."
The professor lost his smile. "And here, I was really liking you."
"I'm sorry to dampen your opinion, but I hope we can reach some sort of agreement. I know money is the last thing anyone wants to talk about when it's owed or is in short supply."
"Indeed," he said. "Yet you bring it up. On Dr. McCarthy's order no less."
"Well, if I'm being honest, I do get something out of you paying him back. You see, I want to give my little brother the opportunity to study medicine here. Dr. McCarthy assured me that he would secure a spot for him if I got you to pay him back."
"I suppose your intentions are noble at least," Professor Ralph said. "However, your noble intentions hardly soften the topic."
"Yes," Kevin said. "I realize it's not necessarily your problem, but surely you can empathize."
"Empathy doesn't really do me much good. I don't have the money to pay Dr. McCarthy back."
"Yes, he says that is the reasoning he's received. The problem is he doesn't believe you."
"Well, he can 'not believe me' all he wants. It doesn't make the matter any less true."
"Perhaps there might be some way I could help you come up with the money?"
"I don't know how you plan to do that. Even if you could help me come up with the money, it wouldn't be going to Dr. McCarthy. It would be to keep the sharks at bay."
"I don't understand what you mean," Kevin said. Professor looked at Kevin momentarily, then glanced at his door.
"Close the door," he ordered. Kevin did as he was told and closed the door, then returned to the seat he'd been in. "I'll be blunt with you. But what I'm about to tell you is not to leave this room and it's especially not to get back to Dr. McCarthy."
"I'll not say a word," Kevin agreed.
"Alright," Professor Ralph sighed. "I had told Dr. McCarthy the money was to pay an outstanding bill. I didn't mention that outstanding bill was money I owed in gambling debts. Unfortunately, I've still not made any of that money back."
"I assume you're still gambling, then?"
"Mary made me quit. My wife did, I mean," Professor Ralph mumbled. "I haven't been to a track in over four months. But I still owe some debts to them. I'm still paying those debts off. So the blunt truth is I just don't have the means to pay Dr. McCarthy back. I'm still paying off those gambling debts."
"You mean horse racing?" Kevin asked.
"Yes, horse racing."
"What if I helped you make that debt go away?"
"Pardon?"
"Perhaps I could find a way to get rid of the debt you owe. Would you be able to pay Dr. McCarthy back then?"
"Well, sure, but it would still have to be in payments. I'm assuming if you want a chance of your brother getting into school, he wants to be paid back in full."
"He probably would," Kevin was thoughtful. "How about I find a way to eliminate the debt you owe and get that $1000 you owe and give that to Dr. McCarthy? That way, you can just pay me back in payments like you said."
"Go from being indebted from one person to another? That doesn't sound like a very good deal to me."
"I assure you it's a better deal than what you're currently finding yourself in," Kevin said.
"And how do you plan to pay my debts and Dr. McCarthy, young Sergeant Black, if you please?" Professor Ralph said with a hint of sarcasm.
"You let me worry about that. I'll find a way to pay your debts and Dr. McCarthy and you can just pay me back the $1000 when you can. Really, I'm whipping out the majority of what you owe."
"I owe a lot, kid," Professor Ralph said. "And frankly, if I'm going to go from owing Dr. McCarthy to owing you, I think I'm better off leaving it as is. Besides, are you planning to pay out of your own pocket?"
"I won't need to," Kevin said confidently, even if his confidence was a bit of bravado.
"How about we make a slightly different deal?" Professor Ralph said.
"What did you have in mind?"
"You're a second year, right?" Professor Ralph asked and Kevin nodded. "I know Professor Donohue hosts an internship for a select few in his class in which students assist him with one of his cases. I don't think it's a stretch to say your chances of being selective are pathetically slim to say the least."
"He has made that rather clear to me," Kevin answered bitterly.
"Well, luckily for you, I teach the same class and offer the same type of internship. The only difference is you would be assisting in my cases. I still have a spot open and I don't mind telling you, I've already selected all the young men in my class that are worthy of assisting me. If you can erase my debts and help me pay back Dr. McCarthy and completely forget about me owing you any money, that last spot is yours."
"No shit?" Kevin asked a little stunned.
Professor Ralph chuckled, "No shit. You do this for me and the spot is yours. Then you can secure a spot at the university for your little brother. I erase all my debts, Dr. McCarthy gets his money back, and everyone can get what they want. What do you say?"
"You've got yourself a deal," Kevin smiled. The two stood from their seats and shook hands.
"It was a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Black. If you manage to pull this off, you'll be my hero."
"Don't you worry," Kevin said. "I'll pull this off." Kevin left Professor Ralph's office well aware that the man started shaking his head at Kevin, assuming there was no way Kevin would be able to fulfill his end of the bargain. Kevin ignored it and went right for the library where he knew Alphonse would be. When he found Alphonse, he leaned against the table where Alphonse was sitting and got his attention.
"What?" Alphonse said.
"You want to go to the track?" Kevin asked off handedly. Within an hour, they were at the horse tracks in town and Kevin verified the debt Professor Ralph owed: $5000. All he could think was thank God Mary had made him stop. That plus the $1000 owed to Dr. McCarthy meant that Kevin had to win at least $6000.
"I don't know what makes you so sure this will work," Alphonse said, having had the whole story told to him (in absolute confidence of course). "You could easily just end up just as deep in the hole as he is."
"I have no idea if this will work," Kevin said. "But if I can, that means I'll be able to pay off the creditor, pay off Dr. McCarthy, get my brother in school and earn an internship spot."
"IF being the operative word," Alphonse sighed. "Frankly, if you pull this off, I'll need to carry you with me as a good luck charm and hope it rubs off on me."
"I would think it already had," Kevin said. He pulled out all the cash he had, $10,000, and bet $100 initially.
"Starting slow I see," Alphonse said. "I can't believe you brought that much."
"I wasn't sure how much I'd be dealing with," Kevin said. "This is just to test the waters."
"And if the water's no good?"
"Then I go to plan B."
"And what is plan B, exactly?"
"I don't have a plan B yet," Kevin said and Alphonse just sighed heavily and didn't say anything else. Kevin bet the $100 on a random horse and he went to the bleachers with Alphonse and Kevin immediately located the horse. "There he is."
"What's its name?"
"Cherry Blossom," Kevin said. "Let's keep our fingers crossed."
"You'll need more than that," Alphonse sighed. Another ten minutes passed before the race finally started. Kevin immediately zeroed in on Cherry Blossom. He had no idea if this would work, but he knew horses hated fire. So he pushed the thought of fire into the horse's head. The horse released a loud whiney and Kevin feared he may have screwed Cherry Blossom for the race, but she started running faster. So Kevin kept the image in her mind. Cherry Blossom ran faster and faster until she was in the lead. Alphonse started going on the edge of his seat when he realized Cherry Blossom was coming in first. Then when she crossed the finish line, the announcer screamed that Cherry Blossom was the winner and Kevin let out a loud cheer.
"YES!" he screamed, so relieved it worked. He knew they would all race again, so Kevin would just bet on Cherry Blossom again, put down $6000, and win all the money he needed.
"Too bad you didn't bet more," Alphonse muttered to himself more so than Kevin.
"Beginner's luck," Kevin smiled. "I'm going to place another bet."
"Don't bet on the same horse again," Alphonse said before Kevin left.
"Why not?"
"That's how it always goes. People bet on the same horse because they won once and before you know it, you lose your momentum and your winnings."
"Okay," Kevin said. "I'll bet on a different horse."
Kevin went back to the booths where people were already there to collect their winnings and place new bets. Kevin went to collect his money and learned he'd earned about $500, so he felt a little more confident. Kevin realized a bunch of people were now betting on Cherry Blossom. So he looked through the list of horses racing next and decided to pick another flower: Daffodil Daydream. She was a black horse with a little white patch on her chest and forehead. Kevin bet $6000 and returned to his seat next to Alphonse.
"Who'd you bet on?"
"Daffodil Daydream," Kevin answered.
"Let's hope she's a winner."
"For $6000, I really hope so."
"What happens if you lose?"
"Haven't thought of plan B yet, remember?"
They waited about 30 minutes before another race went on and the horses were put in position. Kevin located Daffodil and kept his eyes on her. She seemed rather calm at the moment. The announcer finally announced the beginning of the race and the horses sped out of their stables to start. Daffodil actually got a decent start, but she was behind three other horses. Kevin waited a moment, then put the image of fire in Daffodil's mind. She spooked and ran a little faster, but she only sped up to be just behind the horse in the lead. Kevin waited until they were approaching the finish line and Alphonse was standing and staring in anticipation. Kevin put the thought of fire in Daffodil's mind one more time. She spooked again and ran just fast enough to be nose to nose. Kevin was shaking, but Daffodil made it over the finish line, just barely ahead and the announcer proclaimed Daffodil won by the narrowest margin he'd ever seen and Kevin cheered again.
"Sweet fuck, you did it," Alphonse mumbled as he plopped in his seat.
"Let's go collect my winnings before I test my luck any further," Kevin said and grabbed Alphonse's shoulder and dragged him with to the booths to collect. From that win, Kevin earned $13,586, over double what he'd bet.
"I still can't believe you did that," Alphonse said as Kevin put $5000 of his winnings to pay off Professor Ralph's debt, clearing it completely. Kevin demanded a receipt just to be sure with the Bookie's name and everything as well as date and time.
"So that's one debt paid. Now to get the rest to Professor Ralph."
"And have money to put away to boot," Alphonse said.
"Here," Kevin handed Alphonse $1000. "Thanks for coming with me."
"You don't have to pay me to spend time with you Kevin. I'm no cheap whore," he said and the two laughed.
"If that's what whores are being paid these days, than frankly, I'm getting into the wrong business. Just think of it as a present."
"If you insist," Alphonse smiled and finally accepted the money. "It's late, so I don't think you'll be able to catch the professor."
"That's fine. I can bring him the money and his receipt tomorrow. I'll do it first thing."
"And you had how long to pull this off?"
"Dr. McCarthy gave me two weeks."
"And you get it done in an afternoon. You sure you don't want to bet just one more time?" Alphonse teased.
"No," Kevin said adamantly.
Kevin and Alphonse parted ways for the day and Kevin returned home with the money he left with and more. He stowed his money away where he'd had it before and kept out the $1000 to give to Professor Ralph. He'd personally make sure he delivered the money to Dr. McCarthy if he had to. The next morning, Kevin was up bright and early and went straight to the university and went to Professor Ralph's office. He wasn't there when Kevin arrived, so he waited about thirty minutes. Professor Ralph finally arrived and looked stunned to see Kevin.
"What brings you in so early?"
"Are we alright to talk out here or do you want to go to your office?"
"My office," Professor Ralph said and the two went into his office and closed the door. Once inside, Kevin placed the $1000 on the table and Professor Ralph just stared at it.
"$1000 as promised. And your debt to the track is paid off. They gave me that receipt to prove it."
"How did you….." Professor Ralph mumbled in awe as he grabbed the money and receipt.
"Two very lucky horses. So now you can pay back Dr. McCarthy. I don't suppose you could give it to him by the end of the day could you?"
"I think I can fit that in," Professor Ralph said. "And consider yourself an intern, Mr. Black."
"It was a pleasure doing business with you sir," Kevin smiled. The two shared another hand shake and Kevin left the office feeling proud of himself before barely making it to his first class for the day. When he made it to Professor Donohue's class, the man was still extremely sore with him, but Kevin continued to ignore him. Class went on until someone came into the classroom and interrupted the lecture.
"Kevin Black, the Dean wishes to speak with you," the man said. Professor Donohue smiled cruelly while the other students stared at Kevin as he left. Alphonse was the only one in that room that wasn't suddenly nervous.
Kevin walked with the man back to the building where the Dean's office was and Kevin was barely in the door before the young woman from before smiled at him and told him to go meet with Dr. McCarthy. Kevin went to Dr. McCarthy's office and the man already had a cigar lit and two glasses of bourbon on the table. Dr. McCarthy told Kevin to take a seat across from him and to take the bourbon. Once Kevin had done both, Dr. McCarthy smiled a little brighter.
"Guess who just came to visit me with the $1000 he owed me," Dr. McCarthy said.
"Would it happen to be Professor Ralph?"
"Most certainly was," he smiled. "I don't know how you did it, but you did. I also hear he's making you his intern."
"A favor for a favor," Kevin said, making sure to be brief.
"What favor did you do for him?"
"I'm afraid he'd not given me liberty to say. But rest assured, everything's sorted out and you have your money back."
"Indeed," Dr. McCarthy said, taking a sip of his bourbon. "In light of recent events, I've moved up the meeting with the board for this afternoon. Your brother starts in the fall."
"I'm happy to hear it," Kevin smiled, resisting the urge to do cartwheels. "When can I have all the paperwork and pamphlets? I would like to give this to Kyle as a Christmas present."
"I'll have that for you by Friday. Just stop in and speak to Linda and she'll give you everything you'll need."
"I appreciate it, sir," Kevin said.
"You've done me a huge favor. I'm happy to return it. You keep this up and I might let your sister into the University," Dr. McCarthy let out a jubilant laugh. "That wasn't in the cards I hope."
Wanting to take advantage of his mood, Kevin just smiled and shook his head. "Of course not sir. That would be silly."
"Indeed," Dr. McCarthy said. "And thank you again."
"You're very welcome sir. I'll come back Friday for the paperwork."
"I'll even tell Linda to wrap it all pretty for you."
Kevin and Dr. McCarthy laughed again and made another toast to Kyle's education before downing their bourbon. When Kevin stepped out of Dr. McCarthy's office, he realized the whole class was waiting outside.
"So what happened?" one man asked.
"My brother starts at the Yale School of Medicine in the fall," Kevin said proudly and started walking past everyone.
The whole group was gob smacked while Alphonse just chuckled. One of the men suggested that perhaps they should celebrate and, being in such a good mood, Kevin agreed and took everyone to a dive in down that one of the men knew served alcohol as long as you knew the password to give to the bouncer. They all offered the password and spent a chunk of the evening drinking and having dinner, cheering to Kevin's little brother, regardless of not knowing him. That Friday, as promised, Kevin returned to Dr. McCarthy's office and the receptionist, Linda, had the paperwork in a little manila envelope for Kevin with a big bow on it. Kevin laughed and thanked her for it. The envelope had Yale's stamp, so Kevin would need to wrap it differently. He'd worry about that later. When he returned home, Kevin decided to write a letter to Amber. He provided an update on what had happened with Professor Donohue and reassured that everything was alright now. Then he proclaimed that he even got Kyle a spot at the University. He even told her the whole story of how he did it.
As Kevin was writing, he realized it would be Hanukkah/Christmas soon and he didn't have a present for her. He finished writing his letter, but he didn't get it ready for sending just yet. Rather, when he had time the next day between classes, Kevin went to a few stores to look for something. At first he thought he might get her a toy, but that seemed like something she may have out grown by now. A dress was out of the question since he had no way of knowing what would fit her. But after some searching, he found a beautiful fountain pen made from wood. For an extra $15, he could have it embroidered really quick, so Kevin requested they embroider Amber's name into the wood and he bought several ink cartridges for her pen. He paid yet more money to have everything packaged tastefully and suitably for travel. He also purchased a tiny teddy bear. After seeing the tiny teddy bear, Kevin wound up buying 7: one for Amber and one for his sister and all Embry's sisters. He'd worry about getting gifts for everyone else later. And Kyle's gift was already in order. He would search around for gifts for everyone else later.
After he had all the gifts, he brought them back to his house and returned to school for the day. When he returned home, he collected the gifts and letter for Amber and got them tied up fancily so they would look pretty when she took them out of the box. The next morning, he took all the gifts to the post office and had them mailed to Germany. Weeks later, he met with his counselor and got his classes set up for the following semester, getting set up with Professor Ralph's class for which he was guaranteed an internship spot when the semester started. In all this time, he'd not changed to a wolf once. He didn't want to risk Kyle finding out his plans. Shortly after his meeting with his counselor and setting up his classes for the following semester, Kevin packed all the gifts and some spare clothes before starting the trip back home in his vampire form so no one would hear into his mind.
When he arrived home, he went straight to the Cullen house where they had the tree and placed all the gifts he'd gotten everyone under the tree. The Cullens were visiting for the season and, knowing what Kevin had done, Edward and Kevin exchanged a look and Edward gave Kevin a knowing smile. After all his gifts were dropped off, he went home and went to bed in the wee hours of the morning. He finally woke up the next morning when he heard movement in the bedroom and opened his eyes to Kyle getting dressed for the day.
"Morning," Kyle smiled. "Why didn't you greet us when you got here?"
"I don't want to spoil Christmas," Kevin said. "And don't you dare try to read my mind."
"Wasn't going to," Kyle sighed. "How was the run?"
"Long," Kevin said, "but the night sleep helped. How was patrol?"
"Uneventful," Kyle said, "as it should be."
"How has everyone been?"
"You'll just have to ask them," Kyle said. "I'm sure will have a few words for you since you didn't let him know you got here."
"He'll get over it," Kevin chuckled.
"You had better hope he does," Kyle joked and they shared a laugh. When they started laughing, Nathan stirred and started to grown.
"Will you two keep it down? I'm trying to sleep," Nathan said.
"Nathan, it's morning. It's time for you to get out of bed anyway," Kyle said.
"Five more minutes," Nathan mumbled and started dozing off again. Kyle and Kevin smiled and left the room so Nathan could sleep some more. He'd wake up once he knew breakfast was ready. Kyle and Kevin went downstairs, made coffee and took that coffee outside with them to the porch with toasted bread slices covered in apple butter.
"You know what would make this taste better?" Kevin asked and Kyle shook his head. "Peanut butter," Kevin answered.
"Nuts aren't allowed in this house, remember?" Kyle chuckled.
"They're allowed in my house and Mrs. Croft's house," Kevin mumbled jokingly.
"How is Mrs. Croft doing by the way? Is her husband still a ghost?"
"She's doing well, and yes her husband's still a ghost. She insists he exists and I'll hear him upstairs sometimes if I'm up late enough, but I've not once met the man. I haven't even see him on campus."
"He sounds like an elusive man," Kyle laughed. "Does he study law?"
"I think he's taken classes in law before, but his focus is religious studies. He's a Pastor or wants to be a Pastor. Mrs. Croft told me, but I don't remember."
"And they have a daughter Lillian, right?"
"Yup," Kevin smiled. "I want to say she's about 8 now. Don't quote me on that."
"Have you heard from Amber recently?"
"A few weeks ago," Kevin nodded. "She was telling me about friends, family, her Bot Mitzvah studies and Hanukkah. I wrote her about Uncle Sokajili and a few things at school. How are you doing by the way? Since Uncle Sokajili died I mean?"
"Better," Kyle sighed sadly. "I miss him a lot. So does mom. But we're starting to get into a grove. We have three couples come to us in the span of a week requesting moon ceremonies. One little girl came to us with a loose tooth that was hurting, one kid had burned his hand because he touched a hot pot. It's been really busy."
"Did your headaches stop?"
"Haven't had a migraine since you made me change," Kyle smiled. "Patrol hasn't been so bad. Dad usually lets me nap through most of the night. I think he woke me up once and it was for a nomad we ultimately ran out of town."
"Dad's usually rather lenient," Kevin agreed. "Where is dad by the way?"
"Upstairs with mom," Kyle answered. "So has anything interesting happened at school?"
"Professor Donohue tried embarrassing me in front of the class for leaving suddenly," Kevin said, though he was smiling just a bit knowingly. "I told him to move on with the class, and when he pulled me aside after class to yell at me, I just told him I couldn't be bothered with him essentially and now, because all my classmates overheard the whole thing, not only did they stand up for me when the matter was brought to the Dean but I'm now the unspoken hero of Professor Donohue's class. I will never be taking Professor Donohue's class again. Dr. McCarthy did put his foot down on that point. I'll be in Professor Ralph's class instead."
"At least someone finally put their foot down," Kyle sighed. "I'm glad everything worked out alright."
"Don't worry, it worked out spectacularly," Kevin smiled.
"Certainly did by the sound of it," Kyle said and Kevin just continued to smile.
Later that afternoon, Jacob told the boys that Jacob and Embry Sr. would handle patrol themselves for the remainder of the year stating that they all needed to spend time together since Kevin was home. In part, this was because Edward had insisted Jacob put this into place, though he refrained from explaining why, but Jacob did agree that it would be good for the boys to just spend time together. The weather was rather tame compared to other winters. It snowed and it was chilly, but they'd certainly suffered worse. A few days after Kevin returned home, all the children from Embry down to the triplets went into the woods together to look for a little creek they all liked so they could all catch up. They spent roughly an hour out there talking before Nathan excused himself momentarily to address an urgent bodily matter. He walked farther into the woods so he would have some privacy and when he was on his way back to the group, he overheard something. It was a high pitched sound. Eventually, he realized it was a dog whimper. He followed the noise until it got louder and eventually, he found the source of the noise. It was a tiny little wolf cub alone in the snow trying to cuddle up to some leaves and shivering. Nathan looked around desperately trying to see if there were other cubes or a mother or a pack of any kind nearby. But he couldn't find anything. Not wanting to jump to conclusions, Nathan ran back to the group really quickly.
"Hey!" Nathan said when he returned, getting everyone's attention. "There's a wolf cub alone in the woods. We need to see if we can find the mom."
"The cub's alone?" Embry asked.
"Yeah, there weren't any others and the mom or pack don't seem to be immediately close by."
"Nathan, since you found the pup, stay next to him and make sure he's alright. We'll spread out and see what we can find," Kevin said. They all agreed on the plan and started looking through the woods.
Nathan returned to the pup, who was just as he'd left it: tightly coiled in a ball shivering in the snow and whimpering. He approached very slowly, not wanting to startle the pup. The pup didn't move or growl, rather it kept whimpering and shivering. Eventually, Nathan was close enough to sit down next to the pup. What surprised him was when the pup reached up its head to sniff him, then immediately retreated to his lap for warmth. When the pup was in his lap, Nathan removed his jacket and wrapped it around his lap to help the pup warm up. It continued to cry just a little, but it was warming up at least. Nathan started petting the pup to try and warm it and calm it down and it seemed to be working. The pup was still whimpering a little, but it wasn't near as much. Nathan sat against the tree with the pup on his lap for about thirty minutes before everyone reconvened.
"Did you guys find anything?"
"Yeah," Kevin said. "We found a dead wolf further up the way. It smells like she'd gotten into a fight with a bear for one reason or another. She must have gotten separated from the pack somehow. I don't know how this pup got here, but it looks like the mother was killed."
"What should we do?" Rae asked.
"We can't just leave it," Sharisa said. She looked at how snuggled up to Nathan the pup was. "Do you think Aunt Renesmee will let one of us look after it?" Nathan stared at the group, gently nudged the pup to the side, and then looked at them again.
"She," Nathan said.
"Do you think Aunt Renesmee will let us look after her?" Sharisa corrected.
"I guess all we can do is ask," Natalie said. She walked a little closer and kneeled down to pet the pup. She moved her head just a little so Natalie could start scratching under her chin, but when Natalie tried to pick up the pup, she buried her head in Nathan's hip. "Looks like she really likes you."
"Yeah," Nathan said. "When I sat down, she just crawled into my lap and stayed there."
"Well, let's get her to the house so she can warm up," Embry said. Nathan wrapped his jacket securely around the pup and they all made their way back to the tribe. A few people saw them enter appearing to carry something. Embry Sr. and Jacob realized there was a unique smell that smelled woodsy. Jacob approached them and noticed the pup Nathan was cradling.
"What happened?" Jacob asked.
"I found this wolf pup in the woods. I stayed with her while everyone tried to look for the mother and pack, but all they could find was a dead wolf."
"It smelled as though she'd lost a fight with a bear," Kevin spoke up. "And we tried finding a pack or other pups, but we couldn't find anything else. It looks like the pup's orphaned."
"You're sure there weren't any others?" Jacob asked.
"Positive," Embry Jr. said.
"Do you think mom will let us take her in?" Nathan asked.
"I suppose go and ask her," Jacob said.
"Can you help us convince her?" Natalie asked. "We can't just abandon the poor thing and I think she's really warmed up to Nathan."
"Let's go to the house and we'll talk to your mother."
The kids followed Jacob back to the house where Renesmee was. She wasn't seeing anyone at the moment, rather she and Caevia were cleaning up the back room of the house and cleaning some clothes. Caevia was helping fold clothes while seated in one of the chairs so she could relax. Jacob went to the back room first with the kids following so he could talk to Renesmee first.
"Renesmee," Jacob got Renesmee's attention. "The kids found a pup in the woods."
"Oh no," Renesmee put down the shirt she was folding and went to Nathan who she realized was the one holding something. The pup was snuggled to his chest and was finally no longer shivering. "Where's the mother?"
"It looks like she was killed by a bear," Kevin said. "And we couldn't find any other wolves, so we're not sure what happened to the rest of the pack."
"We couldn't just leave her, so we brought her home," Nathan said.
"She seems to really like Nathan, so maybe we could all keep her here and look after her," Jae suggested.
"You mean keep it in the house?" Renesmee said, suddenly a little hesitant.
"I'll look after her," Nathan said. "I'll make sure she stays out of the back room and I can always let her go once she's old enough."
"She probably wouldn't leave," Jacob corrected. "Her pack's gone, so we would be all she has. She may wander around, but she'll come back here."
"I can keep looking after her, then," Nathan said.
"I don't know," Renesmee said hesitantly. "She's not like a domesticated dog, Nathan. She's wild, so she'll probably be hard to manage."
"I could train her," Nathan suggested. "She's still a puppy, so as long as we start early, it shouldn't be a problem."
"She looks old enough to be on solid food," Jacob said. "So that should help a lot."
"And you plan to take care of her?" Renesmee asked Nathan.
"We'll all take care of her," Nathan said. Renesmee looked down at the puppy and saw how snuggled up to Nathan she was. She clearly saw something in him. So Renesmee took a deep breath and nodded.
"Alright, we can keep her," she said. "But she's your responsibility. I mean it," she continued before the kids could get too excited.
"We'll take care of her, mom," Nathan said.
"Well, go and feed her," Renesmee said. "The poor thing's probably starving." The kids all agreed and took the puppy with to the kitchen to rummage for some food to give her. Jacob stepped closer to Renesmee and smiled.
"Thanks for that," he said.
"What else could I do?" Renesmee said. "If her pack's gone, telling them to leave her would be a death wish for the little guy. I can't do that in good conscience. After all, killing a wolf is a crime in the tribe is it not?"
"Yeah," Jacob nodded. "I imagine once word about this gets around, it'll be seen as a good omen. Some might even claim it's Sokajili coming back to guide the family."
"I didn't realize the tribe believed in reincarnation."
"Sure we do," Jacob said. "It's just rare."
"Do you have stories? I've not been told them."
"I only know of one. Legend has it that a chief that had lived long before Taha Aki had lost his wife to childbirth and he'd been devastated by the loss but his son lived through the delivery. The story goes that just days after his son's birth, a raven landed on their teepee and would never leave. The raven would caw for attention when the chief and his son were outside and the raven would follow them everywhere. It's said this raven was with them through the son's childhood looking after him and the chief. According to the story, when the chief died, so did the raven and the raven was buried with the chief on that island out there."
"That's a sweet story," Renesmee smiled.
"It is. It's said that when the chief's wife died, the trickster raven Bayak was watching and he was sad for them. So he followed the wife's spirit into the afterlife after her body had been burned. She'd cried and cried because she couldn't watch her son grow up and she was sad that she had left her husband. Bayak told her that her body was burned, but he could bring her back as a raven so she could be with her son and husband."
"Did the chief ever remarry?"
"No," Jacob said. "According to the story, the Chief was sure the raven was his wife and he refused to remarry. He'd had his son and didn't need to anyway. It's also said that the chief's son was Taha Aki's grandfather. Or great grandfather. We're not sure."
"Does the story know the raven's name?"
"No," Jacob said. "Unfortunately not. Sadly, a number of our chiefs' names get lost to history, with the exception of chief's that suffered a great tragedy or made history like Taha Aki or his youngest son Suerro. Our chiefs' wives end up the same way"
"Do you think that pup is Sokajili?"
"I don't know," Jacob said. "I would think if it were Sokajili, the pup would have gravitated to Kyle."
"Perhaps," Renesmee said. "All the same, I expect them to take care of the pup."
"I'll make sure they do," Jacob smiled.
Nathan and the others fed the pup in the kitchen. Nathan made up a plate of potato and salmon jerky that the pup was slightly hesitant about at first. But with Nathan's soft encouragement, the pup started eating and ate the whole plate. After she'd eaten, she was pepping up a little, but she was still squeamish and would stick around Nathan. Natalie and the others would pet her and try to hold her, but when they held her too long, she'd start squirming and go right back to Nathan.
"She really does like you," Kevin said.
"It looks like it," Nathan smiled and petted the pup. "Now we need to name her."
"What do you want to name her?" Rae asked. "It's a rather apparent that she's picked you," she teased.
"I'm not sure," Nathan said and thought. She was currently black, white and grey all over from her winter coat. Her little tale was partially brown though and her coat very clearly hadn't grown in much yet. But he could tell she'd be a beauty once she was older. "I think Roxanne suits her."
"Roxanne?" Natalie asked. "What's that from?"
"Nowhere in particular," Nathan said. "I just think it's a good name for her."
"Roxanne," Kyle repeated. "That is a really nice name."
"Roxanne it is," Sharisa smiled. She kneeled down and petted Roxanne's little head. "Do you like that name?"
Roxanne didn't make much of an utterance, but she did lift her head and start panting. The group smiled at Roxanne. As Jacob predicted, once word got around that the kids had rescued a wolf pup, people came to see the puppy and spread theory after theory about how and why the pup came to be found. All the while, Roxanne stayed close to Nathan. It wasn't until people calmed down that she really started wandering around the house and playing and feeling better. From the day they brought her home, Roxanne would sleep at the foot of Nathan's bed and snuggle up to his feet. Usually, she was buried under the covers and Nathan was appreciative for the foot warmer. Renesmee made a habit to keep the back room barricaded from the rest of the house so Roxanne wouldn't get into anything she shouldn't like the herbs and medical equipment.
Leah and Hailey left for Port Angeles shortly after Kevin had arrived. Leah and Hailey's mother were still on poor terms at best, but it was civil at the very least. Leah continued to spend most of her time with Leslie anyway, who's children had gotten so big since they'd last seen them. Back in Forks, the Cullens continued to prep the house for Christmas. The Denalis had joined this year as well, so the Cullen house was packed with people. On Christmas Eve, anyone that was celebrating with the Cullens went to their house and spent the night. Nathan brought Roxanne with and, as she always did, she slept at Nathan's feet. She very nearly had a few accidents in the house, but Esme got Roxanne outside any time while Nathan was asleep and when Roxanne was done with her business, she'd put her back at Nathan's feet so she could go back to sleep.
On Christmas morning, everyone woke up to the smell of pancakes made in a special way that Natalie would eat as well as bread with jams, but no nut butters. Nut butters were banished by decree of Natalie's allergy. Everyone at the house came downstairs and helped themselves to the breakfast Esme and Bella had made. Then they got into their groups and started distributing presents. When they all sat down, Kevin started getting really giddy. He was eager to see Kyle's reaction. When they all had their presents, they each took turns opening their gifts with Jacob and Embry's families sitting together in a large group. Roxanne sat in Nathan's lap while William and Sara started with their gifts and they all worked their way down from oldest to youngest. Kevin had given everyone little trinkets such as pens, books and anything that seemed like they would appeal. He'd managed to get a hold of a few medical charts from school that he gave to Renesmee and she promised they would be hung proudly in the back room. After the parents opened all their gifts, Kevin and Embry were next. They both got clothes and other miscellaneous useful items and when they were done, it was finally Aidie's and Kyle's turn to open their gifts. Kevin had gotten Aidetzi a teddy bear like the others, but he focused on Kyle. Kyle received roughly the same things that Kevin and Embry had: clothes, a book and so on. Finally, Kyle got to Kevin's gift.
"So this one's from you?" Kyle asked Kevin after glancing at the label on the wrapping.
"Yeah, that's from me."
"I hope it's those diagrams you gave mom," Kyle smiled. "Those were fascinating."
"It's better than diagrams," Kevin said.
"Oh yeah?" Kyle chuckled and continued to open. "What's-" he'd continued, but stopped when he saw a manila envelope with the Yale stamp. He ran his finger under the lip to tear the envelope open and pulled out all the documentation. Everyone went quiet while Kyle read through everything. Edward finally smiled, revealing to the Cullens and Denalis exactly what he'd been smirking about when Kevin dropped off his present and had refused to speak of.
"Tell them what it is, Kyle," Edward said when he'd been silent so long.
"Kevin got me into Yale," Kyle managed.
"You got him into Yale?!" Renesmee said.
"How?" Embry Jr. asked.
"Favors," Kevin said bluntly. He looked back at Kyle who still appeared in shock. "You start in the fall. Your class list is there, a calendar, required material, so on. I told them not to worry about living arrangements. I figured it would make more sense if you just stayed with me-" Kevin stopped when Kyle suddenly hugged him. Kevin just chuckled and patted Kyle's arm.
"Seriously, how did you do that? Lt. McCarthy had a hard enough time getting you into school and you saved the Dean's son and brother in law."
"Like I said: favors," Kevin smiled. "I went to Dr. McCarthy and told him that Kyle wanted to go. Short answer is he said no initially. But I told him how much it would mean to Kyle, how smart and dedicated he is, how he's been in medicine his whole life and this seemed like a logical next step for him. I started to weigh him down a little and I knew I'd gotten his attention when he got out the brandy. Or Bourbon. Whatever it was."
"Kevin, alcohol's illegal," Renesmee scolded.
"Not if you know the password," Kevin joked. "But anyway, Dr. McCarthy told me that one of the professors had a delinquent debt to him and that if I could get that professor to pay him back, Kyle was as good as enlisted. So I went to that professor and tried to get him to pay what he owed. Turns out, the man had gambling debts that prevented him from paying Dr. McCarthy back. So I told him that I would get rid of his debts and make sure he could pay Dr. McCarthy back."
"And how exactly did you erase gambling debts?" Emmett chuckled.
"Gambling," Kevin said and made Emmett and Jasper laugh. "Turns out, all his debts were to this horse track, so I took Alphonse with me to find out how deep in the hole Professor Ralph was. The answer was $5000 in case you were curious."
"Good lord," Carlisle muttered.
"Anyway, what I did was I picked a horse, bet $100 just to make sure my plan would work and I bet it on a horse named Cherry Blossom. I made the horse think of fire and she ran faster and ended up winning the race. So I bet a lot more money on another horse named Daffodil Daydream and did the same thing. I swear, that horse won by the hair on her nose! But I won, so I paid off Professor Ralph's debt, gave $1000 to Professor Ralph to give to Dr. McCarthy, I earned an internship spot with Professor Ralph for getting rid of his debt and Dr. McCarthy got Kyle into school."
"So you cheated?" Embry Jr. teased.
"And I'd do it again," Kevin said proudly. "If you want, Kyle, I can try meeting your instructors and get a feel for what they're like."
"You don't need to," Kyle said, finally pulling away and looking at everything. "I can't believe you did this."
"You deserve it," Kevin said. "And it'll do us all a world of good. Think of it. Two of the chief's sons go to university; one for law, the other for medicine. It doesn't get much better than that."
"Two of the Chief's grandsons," Jacob corrected.
"You know what, Nathan, if you want to go to school for business or something, it would be that much better," Kevin joked.
"I'll pass," Nathan said with a laugh. "You didn't get me into Yale did you?"
"Calm down, I only got Kyle in," Kevin said. "And Kyle, maybe once you're moved in, you can help me solve the mystery of Mrs. Croft's phantom husband."
"I'm sure it'll be solved before the end of the day," Kyle smiled and kept looking through all the paperwork. "So this was why you were refusing to go on patrol."
"I couldn't very well ruin the surprise, now could I?" Kevin said.
"When did you decide to do this?" Kyle asked.
"On the run back to Connecticut," Kevin answered. "I know you've really wanted to go and I really did mean it when I told Dr. McCarthy that if there's anyone that's smart enough to deserve to be there, it's you. And don't worry if people don't like you at first. Just schmooze until they can't help but like you."
"I don't know if I have your talent for 'schmoozing' but I'll definitely try," Kyle said.
Compared to that gift to Kyle, all the teddy bears and trinkets seemed so small, but everyone was pleased with Kyle getting the opportunity. The Cullens spent the remainder of the afternoon planning for Kyle going to Connecticut. Jacob commended Kevin for what he did and made him promise to look out for Kyle and make sure the both of them stayed out of trouble. Kevin stayed home as long as he possibly could, enjoying the holiday with everyone and spending some much needed time catching up with Embry. He was still working at the General Store for Hailey. Jae was helping here and there, but he still wasn't taller than Hailey. He was certainly getting there, though. He was at that age where he was growing like a weed. All the kids were. And Caevia and Claire were both getting all the more pregnant as the months wore on, but neither of them were due until spring. Henry was excited about his first brother or sister. Caevia's children were excited about the new baby, but there wasn't quite the expression of excitement among them seeing as they'd been through this so many times before. When Kevin finally did leave, it wasn't until the last week before school continued and he ended up running back the weekend before school started, barely managing to return by Sunday night and get some much needed sleep.
A few weeks after Kevin returned to Connecticut and school started up, he did make sure to meet all the professors Kyle would have. They knew of Kevin in passing and through word of mouth. His reputation around the school made the instructors rather intrigued that they would be teaching his brother soon. In February, Kevin finally received a letter back from Amber. When he'd opened the letter, out fell a little invitation entirely in German. He was able to read it and realized it was an invitation to her Bat Mitzvah in June. June 25th at 11:30 at the Synagogue her family attended. In her letter, she explained that she'd received both his first and second letter simultaneously and she was relieved that everything worked out and happy to know his brother would be going to school with him. She spoke about upcoming Hanukkah, or this past Hanukkah, and she explained the invitation enclosed. She expressed that she wanted him to have one even if he couldn't come. She also promised that she would send him as many pictures from the celebration as she could. She spoke of other things, but mostly she spoke of her Bot Mitzvah and how much she'd been practicing and how nervous she was and how the whole family and the entire synagogue would be there, etc. etc. Kevin wrote his reply after reading her letter and told her of his holiday and expressed how desperately he wished he could go to her Bot Mitzvah, but wished her the best of luck knowing she would do wonderfully. He sent the letter the following day.
Finally, in March, Caevia and Claire gave birth to their children within days of one another. Caevia gave birth to a little boy they named Zephyr and Claire gave birth to a little girl they named Isabella who they decided would be nicknamed Izzy. The usual jokes came following Zephyr's birth: is this the last one? You're still a few short of an army. Etc. etc. Yet Embry and Caevia were only focusing on the new addition while Quil and Claire did the same. Around that same time, the internships began for Kevin and those that had been selected. As it turns out, Alphonse had been selected to intern for Professor Donohue which came as a surprise for both of them. Alphonse was convinced it was almost certainly only to get under Kevin's skin given he'd earned an internship with Professor Ralph. Kevin knew Professor Ralph didn't like Professor Donohue, but he'd not realized the feeling was mutual.
Professor Donohue was having the interns assist him with a dispute between a landlord and a tenant. The landlord was claiming the tenant was guilty unacceptable misconduct while the tenant accused his landlord of much the same thing. It was, unfortunately a case of he said I said and it would never actually see a courtroom. Professor Ralph, on the other hand, was having his interns assist him with a business case. It was a case of two business partners that had started a business together and one had been stealing money from the company, or so the other claimed. Professor Ralph was defending the man that claimed he had not stolen any money and had, if fact, accused his partner of stealing money. It was certainly an interesting case to say the least. When Kevin received a letter from Amber, he wrote her back and told her little details about the trail he was working on. The internship would be over long before the case went to court given the situation, but he would be assisting with the research that would build his Professor's case and that was exciting.
As it got later in the year, Kyle became more and more nervous, yet simultaneously excited about starting up at University. He kept wondering what he could do to make it up to Kevin. Getting him into school was no small task, especially given the hoops Kevin had jumped through to make sure Kyle got in. He wanted to do something just as big for him. But then, he remembered something Kevin had been thinking about on patrol now and then. The moment Kyle had the idea, he told Jacob he would not go on patrol for the remainder of the season, explaining he wanted to relax before starting school. He also said he wanted to go up to Alaska to visit the Cullens. When asked why, he only said that he wanted to make arrangements for a thank you. After that, Kyle got some things together, turned into a vampire and started the run up to Alaska. Thankfully, he'd heard the route from a couple people in the family, so he was able to find his way. It was finding the house the proved to be a bit of a challenge given that it was hidden within the mountains. When he did arrive, though, the whole family stepped outside to see him.
"Kyle? What brings you here?" Edward asked.
"Is everything alright?" Bella asked.
"Everything's fine," Kyle said. "Grandpa, do you mind if we talk? You can take me on a tour of the area."
"That sounds nice," Edward agreed. "I haven't been hunting in a while anyway." Everyone returned inside while Kyle and Edward ran off to look for bears. "So what did you want to talk about?"
"It's about Kevin," Kyle said. "You know he got me into school and everything."
"Yes, we're all very proud of you," Edward smiled.
"I haven't done anything to be proud of yet," Kyle chuckled. "All the same, I know he really stuck his neck out for me on that and I wanted to return the favor."
"How so?"
While they ran together, Kyle told Edward what he wanted to do. He couldn't afford to make the offer, but he wanted to at least try to get help with it. Upon hearing the plan, Edward agreed that it was a wonderful idea and that it would make Kevin very happy. So they returned back to the house, explained what they talked about, and then Edward put together a large sum of money in an envelope and a little letter. Kyle stayed in Alaska for a few days to visit before finally returning home, ensuring that he didn't tell anyone, save for Renesmee, what he was doing. Renesmee was initially hesitant about the idea, but did agree that it would make Kevin happy. When summer came closer, Kevin and all the other interns compiled all the work they'd done and Professor Ralph ended the internship exceedingly pleased with their work. Their other classes concluded with exams and, the last day of exams, Kevin, Alphonse, the men that had become his friends after his tiff with Professor Donohue and all the men from Kevin's internship went out to eat together to celebrate a very productive semester. Kevin couldn't believe that all he'd needed to do to get people at school to love him was to back talk Professor Donohue. Eventually, Alphonse walked back to Kevin's house with him and when they arrived, he saw a cart attached to an automobile with a few moving men getting things into the house.
"I didn't realize you were expecting movers," Alphonse said.
"Neither did I," Kevin said and they went closer to the house. He noticed Mrs. Croft was outside with Lillian talking to one of the moving men. She glanced Kevin's way suddenly and smiled and waved.
"Kevin!" she said, making Kevin and Alphonse come closer. "There you are! We were wondering where you were."
"What's all this?" Kevin asked.
"Why, your relatives are here with your little brother. Kyle was his name, correct? I believe Embry's here too. That was your friend's name right?"
"They're here already?" Kevin said, surprised.
"Oh, yes, they're inside right now getting some things arranged. You and your little brother look so much alike! It reminds me of when you first came here. You've grown so much since then."
"Thank you Mrs. Croft," Kevin smiled. "You're welcome to come inside."
"Oh no, dear, that's alright. I just wanted to come down and see what was going on. I'd best take Lillian back upstairs and get back to making dinner. And congratulations on another semester over."
Kevin said goodnight to Mrs. Crosby and then walked to the house with Alphonse. A mover walked out while Kevin and Alphonse stepped inside. Just about everyone was in the living area with the tiny dining table. The people in the group included Edward, Bella, Jacob, Renesmee, Embry Jr. and Kyle. Edward and Bella were the first to look at Kevin and the rest of the group immediately followed suit and went to Kevin to hug him. They took a moment to introduce themselves to Alphonse before Kevin finally got to his question.
"What are you doing here so soon? We're going home to the summer anyway."
"I wanted a chance to get to know the area before school started. You have other plans for the summer anyway," Kyle smiled.
"I do?" Kevin asked, a little surprised.
"As a matter of fact, yes you do," Edward said and pulled out a thick envelope. Kevin noticed everyone was smiling as he took the envelope. He opened it and saw $10,000 in it.
"What's this for?"
"It's boat fair going both ways, train fare, hotel accommodations and extra money for anything else you'd need. I warn you, though, the Mark has lost a lot of value since the Great War. That should be enough to get you through the trip."
"My trip?"
"To Germany," Edward clarified. "Seeing as you arranged for Kyle to come to University, he had the idea to help you go to Germany for the summer to visit Amber. He said her Bat Mitzvah is in June correct?"
"Really?" Kevin looked at Kyle.
"Really," Kyle said. "You'll want to leave soon, though, so you can reach Munich in time."
"Yeah," Kevin said quietly, staring at the money. "Are you sure you'll be alright here by yourself?"
"I'll be fine," Kyle said. "Mrs. Croft was kind enough to offer me a tour of town and I'll get to know where all my classes are. You just enjoy your trip. You've earned it." Kevin stared at the money a moment and finally smiled at Kyle and Edward and went over to them to hug them.
"I can give you a tour of the campus now, actually," Kevin offered when he stopped hugging Kyle. "Did you want to come, Alphonse?"
"No, you two have fun," Alphonse smiled. "It's been a long day and I'm desperate for some sleep."
"You're going up state to visit your parents right?"
"Train leaves tomorrow," Alphonse said. "They're still getting adjusted to moving to a new country, but they should be used to it here by next year."
"Well, I know they don't know who I am, but tell them I said hello anyway."
"I will,' Alphonse laughed and finally left.
After a moment, Kevin, Kyle and Embry started walking to the campus to give Kyle a tour and too talk. It was still barely sunny out when they all got to the campus and Kevin showed Kyle around and showed him where on campus his classes would be according to the map. Kyle's and Kevin's classes were consistently on other sides of the campus, but they could always meet in the library after classes or just meet back home. The library was still unlocked, so they went inside and explored a little. Kevin showed Kyle where he and Alphonse usually studied and they looked around to find out where all the medical literature was typically kept. Unfortunately, the librarian was gone for the day, so all searching had to be done themselves.
The family ended up staying two days before saying their goodbyes, wishing them both good luck, wishing Kevin a good trip, and finally leaving to return to Washington. In that time, Kevin had obtained a ticket for the next available boat to Le Havre, France from which he would take the next available train to Munich, Germany. He was so excited that he was shaking. And just in time before he was set to leave, he received a letter from Amber. She congratulated him on his internship, told him all about her practice for her Bat Mitzvah and told him about the little party her mother would be throwing for her. After the ceremony, everyone attending was invited to join them in a little park near their house to enjoy food and dancing. Her letter expressed how nervous she was yet how excited she was. Kevin smiled when he read the letter and would normally start his reply. However, given Kyle's gift, he decided he'd be better off making a reply in person. He put the letter in his luggage so that he'd be able to read it again if he chose and the next morning, Kyle went with Kevin to the harbor in New York and saw him off. The last time he'd been on a boat, he was going to war. He remembered the mix of emotions at the time: excitement, nervousness, desperation for his plan to work, etc. Now, he was on a boat to visit his imprint. He'd never been so excited to leave home.
