CHAPTER 4: POST-SURGERY

Monica was in recovery after her mastectomy. Mary was by her bedside. The surgery was successful at removing most of the cancer, and now she had to do chemotherapy to kill what remained of it. Mary, for her part, was glad things went smoothly for Monica. While she wasn't out of the woods yet, the cancer was slowed down enough so it could be dealt with. Pat walked in and visited the lovebirds.

"How are you doing, Mon?" she asked.

"Not bad for someone who lost a breast," said a groggy Monica.

"Did you do your ultrasound, Pat?" asked Mary.

"Yeah," Pat answered. "Chuck was supposed to be with me for it, but had to deal with something at the brig where that soldier that went AWOL was being held. He actually committed suicide last night."

"Holy shit!" gasped Mary.

"How's Charlie holding up?" asked Monica.

"He's pretty worn from all of this," said Pat. "We're going to St. Paul for a couple of weeks to take his mind off of all of this stuff that happened. He's even put in for some extended leave from the recruitment center. He's pretty shaken from what he witnessed."

"I would be too, Pat," agreed Mary.

"Anyway, what's next on your agenda, Monica?" asked Pat.

"Well, I start chemo in about a week," said Monica. "I still have to heal from my surgery before they can start."

"Makes sense," agreed Pat. And the women continued to chat for a while.

At the Brown household, Charlie was sitting on his deck. His mind was still reeling from what he witnessed when he saw Kevin dead from suicide. He was at a loss for words. Linus came up to him on the deck for a visit.

"How are you feeling, man?" he asked.

"Been better, Linus," Charlie replied, dryly.

"Want to talk about it?"

"Not really, but I know I will have to."

"You're not blaming yourself, are you?"

"Oh no, I know I'm not the cause of this. I just wonder if anyone knew how fragile Kevin's psyche really was. Did his parents know? His old girlfriend? The recruiters? The drill instructors that was in charge of his basic training?"

"Charlie, I don't think anyone could have known what he was going through, least of all you."

"I know, Linus. Still doesn't make it easier."

"Pat told me you have some time off coming. She told me about the trip you two are going on. After you get back, you and I can do something together. Halloween is coming up, you know."

"Linus, I swear, if you, at your age right now, bring up the goddamn Great Pumpkin…"

"No Great Pumpkin talk, scouts honor! I gave that up a long time ago. I was actually talking about helping out with handing out candy to the kids at the library for the trunk-or-treat event that's coming up."

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that. I'm game for that. I'm sure Pat would do that, as well."

"Cool. In the meantime, you want me to brew some coffee?"

"Yeah. Black and strong." And Linus went into the house to brew some coffee for the both of them. Charlie continued to look into his backyard. Scotty was sound asleep inside the doghouse. He had accepted Snoopy's old house as his own. Charlie smiled at the scene. He was glad the new beagle was getting more comfortable with his surroundings. With some time and some help from his friends and fiancée, he would be alright.

THE END