Ch.5: Painful Goodbyes

Daisy rushed over to the animal hospital as fast she could after she got a call from Donald that something had gone wrong. His words were broken and desperate on the phone, and Daisy could barely calm down the sweat in her feathers as she recalled her boyfriend's somber words.

"Daisy…I need you to come over here and take the boys. Their puppy…I…I can't…Just come to the vet and I'll try to explain."

It wasn't long until Daisy arrived and ran into Donald who stood alone in the lobby, eyes holding a painful gaze. The nephews were still sitting in the waiting room, just a few feet to the left.

"Donald, what happened?" asked Daisy, approaching, her tone laced with concern.

Quietly, Donald explained what he and the boys had discovered not long after they returned home. Poor Alley was found bleeding on the floor, and they had to rush her right to the vet for treatment.

The vet informed Donald that the pup would have to stay at the hospital for a few days, and Donald so wanted to stay to help the boys through this troubling time, but he received an emergency call he just had to respond. There was no other choice, he had to go.

"Can they stay over at your house while I'm gone?"

Daisy wasn't sure what to say at first. From the look in Donald's eyes, it was clear there was more to this emergency call than it actually seemed. Maybe a normal person couldn't have spotted it, but to a reporter like Daisy, it was as clear as day.

However, there was guilt and desperation in that gaze as well. Donald really needed her to do this. There was no time to wonder as to why.

"Alright," Daisy finally said, and then they went into the waiting room to tell the boys.

As expected, their expressions went from sad to stunned the moment Donald announced that he had to leave.

"What? Why?" asked Huey, surprised that their uncle would leave them behind in such a state.

Louie instantly worried, thinking the waterfall might be the cause, but Uncle Donald seemed concerned about something else. Something that apparently had to be kept secret to all their ears.

This was only confirmed when Donald softly answered Huey's question.

"I can't say,"

"Why not?" asked Dewey, suspicion rolling in his mind.

Immediately, the brainiac duck tried to figure out a logical reason as to why their uncle would leave them behind. It didn't make any sense! This didn't fit Uncle D's pattern at all!

Dewey could see the guilt in his uncle's gaze, but the poor duck's mind was left swirling in confusion, battling against the depression and the rage that was growing at the same time.

"Why Uncle D?" he thought " Why can't you tell us?"

Donald just stayed silent, looking down at the floor. He really wished he could tell the Dewey the answer, and have his nephews understand, but there were some things in life they shouldn't know. What would be revealed would be a shock!

However, the biggest shock was yet to come, as Huey hopped off his chair, and glared at Donald in rage.

Emotions were running wild inside of the red duck's mind, as moments of the past flashed by, surging like a storm; his Uncle, Slab's words, and most of all Alley, who was still lying in the medical room.

"Answer us!" said Huey, approaching his unk " Why can't you tell where you suddenly have to go? You would really leave us like this? Abandon us, like you did to Uncle Scrooge the moment you joined the Navy?"

Everyone besides Huey gasped, and Daisy couldn't help but glare. How dare Huey say something like that? Donald never abandoned them! He put them with a responsible relative, and picked them up as soon as he came back.

But Huey wasn't through with his rant, and his eyes grew tearful as his tone grew dark and he accused…

"You're the one who really hurt Alley weren't ya?! You never like the fact that we wanted a dog around more than you!"

"Gasp!" went Dewey, Louie, and Daisy as Donald's eyes opened wide, hurt to the quick by his nephew's words.

"Huey!" Daisy accused, glaring at the red duck.

Realizing to late what he said, Huey quickly covered his mouth and looked down at the floor, feeling really stupid and frustrated that he had let such cruel words slip out of his mouth.

Donald stood silent for a moment more, before the expression on his beak turned sad. Now he knew what his nephews felt. Now he knew they didn't care.

Turning his back to his boys, Donald slowly walked out of the room to go.

"Uncle Donald…I…," stumbled Huey softly, unable to come up with the words.

"Donald wait!" said Daisy, running to catch up with her boyfriend, and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. " I'm sure Huey didn't mean that. Do you really have to go?"

Donald looked upon Daisy with sadness, and Daisy backed up, shocked to see so much depression swelling in his eyes.

"Take care of them toots," said Donald, and then walked out of the animal hospital for good.

Daisy stood behind, crying, knowing that Donald was gone.