Daria: Winter Is Coming. Ben Is Immobilized
DISCLAIMER: I do not own the property rights to either Daria or to A Game of Thrones. Characters, plot, background and details belong to their respective creators. This work is written for recreation and ego gratification, and the author neither expects nor deserves financial compensation for this work, although positive reviews would be nice. Those readers interested in finding out more about Daria and/or A Game of Thrones should seek out the creator's official books and videos.
Daria: Winter Is Coming* Daria: Winter Is Coming* Daria: Winter Is Coming
"So what's up with you?" asked Jane when Daria was able to sit down with her at lunch. The morning had been rainy, but Jane had gotten a ride to school with one of her team-mates. The two friends had been able to do little more than wave at each other all morning.
"Life has gotten interesting at Schloss Morgendorffer," Daria replied. "My cousin Erin is getting married and my mother has drafted me to be one of the bridesmaids."
"Just by yourself?" said Jane. "Won't Princess Grace get jealous?"
"No," said Daria. "Quinn's going to be a bridesmaid, too. What's more, I think Mom has also found a role for Rikka. She'll get to be the ring-bearer."
"A wedding," said Jane. "Will it be a fancy one?"
"I suspect so," Daria replied. "Mom said that the wedding will be held at the Windsor Hills. That's a fancy resort near Leeville."
"Ooh, I'm jealous," said Jane. "All those people in fancy clothing."
"I'm going to be one of them," Daria said grimly. "I'm going to have to shop for a bridesmaid's dress with Quinn."
"Don't feel too bad," said Jane. "You'll probably have to go shopping with Rikka in tow. Seeing what the Warrior Princess does will be interesting."
"There's that," said Daria. "Speaking of which, Rikka's already made a commotion concerning the wedding. She asked Mom if American weddings include a Westerosi-style Bedding Ceremony."
Jane grinned from ear to ear. "She didn't?" she said.
"She sure did," said Daria. "You should have seen my family's reaction. Dad sprayed coffee, Mom and Quinn juice and coffee. It was glorious."
"I'll bet it was," laughed Jane. "So who got to tell the Warrior Princess that there wasn't?"
"Nobody," said Daria. "I think she already knew the answer. She just wanted to see how Mom and Dad would react."
"I guess she knows now, hunh?" said Jane.
"That she does," said Daria, "That she does."
-(((O-O)))—
Ben had gotten up late that morning. It had been raining outside, so he spent the first part of the morning getting dressed and moving some of his things from the upstairs guest room to the dining room. Moving downstairs grated at him—even though Jake and Helen ate most of their meals in the breakfast nook, it still made him feel like an exhibit in a zoo. Around 10:00 AM, he decided to take a break and take a drive around Lawndale before the furniture delivery company dropped off the rental furniture at the house. He figured he could spare the time: the furniture delivery guys had said that they wouldn't get to Jakey's until mid-afternoon. He spent much of his time driving around Lawndale. Lawndale didn't have a main drag per se: instead it had several roads that handled east-west and north-south traffic. It looked a lot more boring than Las Vegas had been, but it looked like a good place for a kid to grow up in: certainly better than a couple of the places he and his wives had lived in before their divorces.
He stopped for gas and to his annoyance, he discovered that he had trouble moving his legs. Even so, he was able to walk over to the gas pump and fill the gas tank. You're getting old, Ben, he told himself. He then got back into the car and drove around some more. He drove by the Cedars of Lawndale again: deliberately this time. He drove some more, going partway into Oakwood before turning around and heading back to Lawndale.
He stopped at an old-style burger place that had drive-in parking. He had a burger, fries, and a drink, then started his car and drove away. He decided to make a stop at a grocery store and get some snacks for Rikka while he was there: his step-daughter liked a certain brand that he hadn't been able to find at a convenience store. His legs were giving him trouble. He couldn't move his left leg. Maybe it went to sleep? Maybe it would respond if he could stand up.
He then undid his seat belt, opened the car door and tried to stand up. That was when he discovered that he couldn't get up. He tried again. He still couldn't get up.
This was not good. It was time to call for help. He called Jakey's cell number. His younger brother didn't pick up and he got his voice mail. He left a message. He then called Helen's cell. Helen's cell went immediately to voice mail. He left another message.
OK, Ben, next stop: Cedars of Lawndale, he told himself. He was still able to use his arms and torso. He closed the car door, fastened his seat-belt, and tried to start the car. The car started fine. Then he found that he couldn't move his right foot to work the gas pedal. "Shit!" he said to himself.
Well, there wasn't anything more he could do. He pulled his cell phone out of his jacket. He'd kept it charged and within reach ever since he'd passed out at Temple. He dialed 911 and asked for an ambulance. He then made another call to Jakey.
-(((O-O)))—
Jake Morgendorffer ushered the prospect out the door and frowned. This one was a no-go: who in their right mind would want to market Confederate-themed clothing to Afro-Americans? Jake wasn't the wild-eyed radical he'd been back in his hippie years, but he was still sensitive enough to know that Confederate gear only appealed to racists and a clueless minority of white Southerners. "Geez!" he muttered, shaking his head.
He picked up his cell phone and saw that he had messages. The first was from another prospect who'd been playing coy. The second and third ones were from Ben; he recognized the area code. He picked up his phone, selected Ben's first message, and hit the PLAY button.
"Hey, Jakey," said his brother's voice. "I'm over at the parking lot of Lloyd's Grocery off Merrimack. My legs just gave out: I can't move them. I think I need to go to the hospital.
Shit, thought Jake, feeling the first wave of panic settling in. He then played the second message.
"Hey, Jake," said Ben's voice. "I just called 911 and asked them to take me to the hospital. Could you go over to the elementary school and pick up Rikka? I expect that I'll be over at the Cedars of Lawndale."
Jake heard his heart drop through the floor, then started swearing. Ben's in the hospital and it's all my fault. I should have foreseen this, I'm a bad brother and a sorry uncle and little Rikka's going to be stuck at school all by herself with nobody to pick her up and God knows what will happen next. He felt the wave of panic crest, then took several deep breaths.
OK, Jake, get a grip, he told himself. He checked the time, then checked his appointment calendar. He was going to have a very busy afternoon. He started by making phone calls to his clients to cancel their afternoon appointments. Then he called Helen at work and left a message.
-(((O-O)))—
Rikka Morgendorffer stood under the portico waiting for Dad to pick her up. Today was going to be special: Dad said that he'd an ice cream shop and they'd have have cones together. Rikka looked forward to it: that was one of their favorite things to do together.
To her chagrin, Dad wasn't there and waiting when she came out. Back in Vegas, he was almost always one of the first parents to drive by when school let out. Not today, though. Rikka had a scary thought that he'd hurt himself, then dismissed it. Dad would be by soon.
At a quarter til four, the line of cars to pick up kids had thinned considerably. Rikka was fidgeting and wondering where Dad was. She was looking down at the concrete and scowling when she heard a car honk. She looked up and saw Uncle Jake.
"Rikka!" he said. "I'm here to pick you up!"
Rikka picked up her book bag and walked over to Jake's car. She opened the door on the passenger side and got in. "Where's Dad?" she said. "He was supposed to pick me up."
Jake turned to her with a sad face. "Rikka, I have some bad news for you."
"What?" she said.
Jake told her. She started crying.
Daria: Winter Is Coming*Daria: Winter Is Coming*Daria: Winter Is Coming
Author's notes:
This situation may seem a little far-fetched, but it's not. It is very similar to what happened to someone I knew and cared about deeply, save that it happened to him while he was at home, not when he was driving.