LUCK OF THE PARTRIDGE, PART 5
Shirley and Reuben were amazed at how full an emergency room could be on a Friday night. There were literally hundreds of people milling around, patients, would-be patients, teenagers, children, old people…it was utter chaos.
Shirley managed to find a seat in a corner and Reuben stood nearby, waiting for some word on Keith. From the looks of it, it would be hours before they heard anything! Shirley had called Dr. Bentley and he'd promised to meet them there, which he had, but once he disappeared through the swinging doors of the treatment area, it seemed all but over.
"Reuben, you can go ahead and go home if you want. I can wait this out. Laurie will be here with the insurance papers soon, anyway," Shirley looked up at the manager.
"Are you kidding, leave you here in the lions den? I'm just waiting for the press to get wind of this. I should be here to handle it," he said firmly.
Shirley smiled, grateful for his loyalty. Looking up, she saw Dr. Bentley's familiar face looking for her among the crowd. She jumped to her feet.
"Ah, there you are. I have some news on Keith, but I'd like to talk to you back in the treatment area. Believe it or not, it's not so hectic back there." The doctor smiled.
Reuben and Shirley followed him through the mass of people, back to the end of the hallway and through the doors.
"Busy night, huh?" Reuben asked as they passed several rooms filled with various patients with various problems.
"Fridays always are. Here, here's an empty room where we can talk." The doctor led them into a tiny examination room.
"I thought we were going to see Keith," Shirley looked worried.
"Keith is upstairs, getting prepped for surgery." At Shirley's gasp, Dr. Bentley went on. "Keith's spleen has been ruptured. He's been bleeding into his stomach, probably from the moment it happened. He told me he was playing football."
Horrified at this news, Shirley nodded, her eyes wet with tears. "This morning, he and some friends were. Can you stop the bleeding?"
"That's what we're going to try and do…I do have to tell you that, since the bleeding has been occurring for such a long time, he could have some very serious complications. He's just lucky he didn't get peritonitis, although I must be truthful and warn you that he still could."
Shirley looked up at Reuben. "Oh, dear Lord!"
Dr. Bentley put a hand on her shoulder. "We'll do the best we can. The odds are with him. I'll be doing the surgery myself, so I'll be able to tell you first hand what I find when I go in there. He still has a few minutes before they actually put him under, if you'd like to see him."
"Yes, oh, yes," Shirley nodded.
"Uh, want me to wait here for Laurie?" Reuben asked.
"If you don't mind…"
Reuben smiled, giving her a quick comforting hug.
===
Keith lay on a gurney in the hallway outside the operating room. An orderly was fussing with the I.V. that was attached to his hand, finally laying the bottle on top of the blanket that draped him.
"He's coherent, but quite sleepy, due to the blood loss. You'll have a little less than five minutes before we have to take him in," the doctor told Shirley as they approached.
"Thank you." Shirley told him, moving towards her son.
He was lying there with his eyes closed. His face, surrounded by the dark hair and lashes, was very pale. In fact, his eyelashes looked almost black there against his ghostly countenance. Shirley swallowed, gently putting her hand on his shoulder. "Keith, honey."
His eyes fluttered open and he looked up at her, a little fear in his eyes. "Hi, Mom."
"How are you feeling, darling? Have they at least stopped the pain?"
"Yeah…" he swallowed. "I have to have surgery."
"I know." She petted his forehead. "Now do you see why I hate football?"
He smiled tiredly. "Yeah. I'm sorry, Mom."
Her tears were escaping, now. "Oh, Keith, I just want you to be all right."
"Me, too," he swallowed. "I'm scared." He said it so softly, she barely heard it.
"Don't be…you just concentrate on getting better. Let me do the worrying."
He nodded, gulping.
From the corner of her eye, she saw the nurse and orderly coming, and she leaned down. "It's time for you to go in, sweetheart. I'll be there when you wake up…I love you."
"I love you, too," he stared longingly up at her as she gently kissed his face.
Stepping back, she let them take him away.
===
Chris and Tracy found themselves pretty much alone. Laurie was still upstairs, searching for Keith's insurance papers, and Danny had come in with another paper, dashing right past them, up the stairs.
And so, a little confused with the goings-on around them, the two smallest Partridges in the nest just huddled together there on the sofa and watched television until they couldn't watch anymore.
Upstairs, though, Danny couldn't think of television or anything else as he sat cross-legged on his bed, writing furiously. He only had until midnight - just 3 hours - to get ten copies written, stuffed with a dollar and mailed or, Punky had ominously informed him, the Partridge Luck would take its toll and Keith would possibly die as a result.
The letter was nearly two full pages long, and Danny copied as fast as his chubby little hands would let him, ignoring the writer's cramp he was getting from clutching the pencil too tight. Keith's life was more important than a little discomfort, he told himself. So, on he wrote; on and on and on. It was hard to see the letter through the tears in his eyes, but he kept writing. After all, should Keith die - heaven forfend! - it would be all on his freckled little head!
Laurie peeked in the room. "Danny, I found the papers, and I'm going to the hospital, now. You'd better go downstairs and keep an eye on the kids."
He replied with only a loud sob, and Laurie frowned. "Danny?" She pushed the door open farther. Seeing him in near hysterics on the bed, she went to him. "Danny, what's wrong? Oh, honey, are you worried about Keith?"
He just nodded, not daring even look up, or he would lose it. Besides, he was only on the fourth copy! Still six more to go!
Laurie put a sisterly hand on his head. "Look, I know you're worried, we all are, but it'll work out okay. Keith's been through a lot worse."
"No! Not this time, not with all this bad luck I brought him!" Danny shouted, trying to write even faster.
"What?" Laurie frowned. Now she leaned over, trying to see what he was doing. "Danny, what are you talking about?"
He looked up at her with the look of a raving maniac. "The letter! The chain letter! I threw it away this morning. I didn't answer it, and now Keith's gonna die!"
She gaped at him. "Chain letter?"
He picked it up, nearly pushing it in her face, his eyes still wide with fright. "I still have six copies to make or Keith will die!" he cried. Why didn't she understand?
Her expression softened. "Danny, answering - or not answering - a chain letter doesn't have anything to do with Keith being sick. He got hurt playing football."
"Yeah, after I threw the stupid letter away!" He shook his head and continued writing.
Laurie's heart swelled with love for him. How could she make him understand? "Danny," she took his right arm, so at least he would stop writing. "Listen to me."
"Let go! I have to get these finished!" He tried to wriggle out of her grasp, but she was firm.
"No! No, you don't!" She held his wrist, her eyes locking into his. "Leave these letters here and come with me to the hospital. Keith is going to be okay, Danny, I promise. He needs us there, to pray for him and to be there for him, to love him. That's what will make him pull through. Love, Danny, not luck. There is nothing in this world stronger than love!"
Her words oscillated around him. He stared at her, saw the determination on her face, and blinked.
She stared back, unwavering, but knowing now that he finally understood.
He began to cry all over again, and she pulled him to her, holding him as tight as she could.
===
The emergency room had quieted down considerably by the time Laurie and Danny arrived. They found Shirley easily. Reuben was off making a phone call, and Shirley was almost dozing in a chair when they approached.
"Mom!" Laurie called, hurrying toward her with Danny in tow.
Shirley looked up, surprised to see the both of them. "Laurie, Danny! Where are the kids?" She stood up.
"Mrs. Monahan's watching them. They were asleep when we left," Laurie explained.
"How's Keith? What's happening?"
"Well, he's in surgery right now. You were right about his spleen, it's been ruptured."
"But he's gonna be okay, right?" Danny asked anxiously.
"Of course he is, honey," Shirley said gently, putting her hand on her head. To Laurie, she said, "Did you bring the papers?"
Laurie produced them from her pocketbook. "They're right here. Mom, I need to talk to you."
"Let's go turn these papers in, first, okay, honey? Danny, you wait here for Reuben. He just went to make a call."
Danny nodded, sitting down as his mother and sister moved off.
After they gave the desk clerk the insurance papers, Laurie pulled Shirley aside. "Mom, did you know that Danny thinks all this happened to Keith because he didn't answer a chain letter?" Laurie glanced back at her little brother.
Shirley's mouth opened. "A chain letter?"
Laurie nodded. "He got one in the mail this morning and Punky convinced him that Keith got hurt because Danny threw the letter away. I found him in his room, hysterical, trying to hurry and make copies before, as he put it, he 'killed Keith.'"
Shirley shook her head in amazement. "Oh, no…all this time, he's been thinking this all his fault? That poor boy…" She shook her head again. "Leave it to Punky!"
"Exactly. I think I've pretty well convinced him otherwise, but it wasn't easy. That kid is determined."
"Thank you, honey, for taking care of it…I honestly had no idea he was in such turmoil. I suppose I was just too worried about Keith myself."
Laurie nodded. "I wonder how he's coming along, anyway?"
Hearing Reuben's voice behind them and they turned, joining him and Danny.
"Any word on Keith?" Reuben asked.
"Not yet," Shirley sighed, sitting down next to Danny and pulling him to her, giving him a quick kiss.
"Hey, what was that for?" A kiss, from his mother, in front of God and everybody?!
"I love you, you know that?"
"Okay, but jeez, Mom…" He nearly rubbed the freckles right off his face, trying his best to look disgusted. Then he looked at her and grinned.
She laughed.
===
Still dressed in his surgical scrubs, Dr. Bentley approached Reuben and the Partridges, only getting about half way to them before being bombarded with questions as they all came out of their seats.
He held up his hands. "Woah, now…I have good news…Keith made it through the surgery with flying colors…we were able to stop the bleeding, but we had to remove the spleen to do it."
"Oh, my, will that give him any problems later on?" Shirley asked worriedly.
"It shouldn't; he should be able to live a normal life without it."
"He doesn't live a normal life, now." Danny just had to chime in. He felt Laurie's nails in the nape of his neck and he winced.
"Can we see him?"
"Well, he'll be in his room in a little bit…give him five minutes."
"Me, too?" Danny looked hopeful.
"Everyone can go up, but only two of you at a time, okay? Don't want to overwhelm him…he'll still be coming out from under the anesthesia." Dr. Bentley smiled.
"Uh, Doc, can you tell me when exactly he'll be able to get back to performing again?" Reuben asked.
"Reuben!" Shirley, Laurie and Danny were horrified.
"Well, I'm sorry, but we already lost out on tomorrow…and I need to know, so I can plan around this!" he explained.
"You know, that's a very good question, and one that I can't answer just right now. First we have to see how fast he begins healing from the incision; without his spleen it will take longer than it would be normally. He certainly won't be able to do anything strenuous for at least six weeks if we want him to heal properly. Then after that, depending on his physical strength and stamina, it could very well be another two weeks."
Reuben groaned. Two months? That was it, his career as a manager was over!
"Thank you, Dr. Bentley, for taking such good care of Keith," Shirley said.
"You'd better talk to Keith before you say that, Mrs. Partridge," the doctor grinned. "He was none too happy with me when I told him he needed the surgery. Just wasn't my lucky day, I guess."
Danny's head snapped up. There was that word again! He felt Shirley's and Laurie's eyes on him and he shook his head.
"Well, come on, let's go upstairs and see your brother," Shirley put her arm around him.
===
Approaching Keith's room, Shirley looked inside to make sure he was there. She saw him there in the bed and looked down at Danny.
"I think Danny and I should go in, first," she said, and Laurie nodded in agreement.
Danny looked up at his mother. "Me? You want me to go in?"
"I think it's a good idea, don't you?"
Swallowing, he nodded, and she nudged him forward. They crossed the threshold, and Shirley stopped, standing by the door while Danny moved toward the bed.
Keith was on his back, an oxygen tube taped to his nose and a sleepy look on his face. His eyes were half-open and he blinked as Danny stepped up to the bed.
"Keith," Danny said softly.
Keith turned his head towards him and Danny stared. There were dark circles under Keith's eyes and he looked so worn! Danny swallowed.
"Keith, I'm sorry you got hurt, but the doctor says you're gonna be okay. I just want you to know that I'll be there for you. If you need anything, you just ask, okay?"
Keith answered by closing his eyes and opening them again. "Thanks, Danny," he whispered.
Danny grinned, his heart leaping in his chest. He hesitated, reaching over and squeezing Keith's hand. That brought a weak smile from his brother, and Danny grinned even wider.
Shirley stepped up behind her middle son. "Feel better now, Danny?"
He looked up at her, his eyes back to their cheerful selves. "Yeah, Mom, thanks."
She smiled, pulling him towards her.
===
It was a good five days before Dr. Bentley determined Keith was strong enough to go home.
As Laurie and Shirley slowly helped him into the back door, he was surprised to find a small party going on in the kitchen. There were pizza boxes on the table and a hand-lettered sign taped to the shutters above the counter that read: "WELCOME HOME, KEITH!"
"Surprise!" Danny, Laurie, Tracy, Reuben and Chris stood by the table to greet him.
Keith smiled. "Wow, this is groovy! Pizza and everything!" He looked over at Shirley. "Is pizza on my diet, I hope?"
"I already asked Dr. Bentley. He said as long as it's not too spicy," she said as she and Laurie sat him at the table.
"Good thing we didn't have Mr. Kincaid make it, then," Danny said, to Reuben's sneer.
"Oh, yeah, right. By the way, Reuben, the doctor asked what I had to eat that day. When I told him about your chili, he almost blamed my pain on you." Keith looked up at the manager.
Reuben nearly bristled. "It wasn't that bad."
"No, it wasn't, but he said it didn't help."
Danny grinned at Reuben. At least he wasn't going down alone!
Keith looked down at his place setting. Seeing a stack of mail there, he asked Laurie, "What's all this?"
"Get well wishes from your fans and friends. There's a whole sack load in the living room. These are the ones that came today." She grinned. "Mrs. Monahan is baking you a cake and knitting you a sweater. She said she'll be over today to get your measurements."
Keith moaned, shaking his head. "Just what I need," he laughed along with everyone else.
"Go ahead, honey, read your cards. There really have been some lovely ones. You have a lot of friends out there," Shirley urged.
He took the top one. Pulling the card out, he read the front, then opened it. Inside sat a furry rabbit's foot keychain. He looked up.
"Now, who would send me a rabbit's foot?" he looked perplexed. "They didn't even bother to sign the card."
Laurie and Shirley both looked at Danny. He grinned, shrugging. "Looks like they just wanted to send a little luck your way. You really could use some, you know."
"That's for sure," Laurie said, looking out the kitchen window. "Here comes Mrs. Monahan with her cake."
Danny followed Laurie's gaze. "And her tape measure," he added.
Keith looked up. "Oh, no…"
"Quick, rub the rabbit's foot! Maybe the earth will open up and…" Danny began.
"Kids," Shirley's voice had a warning tone to it as she opened the back door. "Mrs. Monahan!"
"Hello, Shirley…I saw you drive up…where's that poor little Keith?" The woman, shorter, darker and stockier than Shirley almost pushed her way in. "There you are, darling! How do you feel? You don't look so good, honey. Here's my prize winning fudge cake. That will put spring back into your step!"
Her words were in a rush, not giving Keith a chance to even answer. He just smiled and nodded politely as she sat the cake down on the table in front of him, looking at Shirley.
"He can have cake, can't he? I wasn't sure, but now I see you're feeding him…what's this, pizza? Oh, Shirley, bad choice…it'll ruin his complexion!" She took Keith's chin in her hand. "And he's got such a beautiful face! Those eyes, look at those eyes! The sweater I'm knitting will really bring out those eyes! But first I need your measurements. Can you stand up, darling? No, of course not, you're still weak from your operation, aren't you? Well, we can do it from here. Here, honey, give me your arm."
She pulled his right arm out straight and ran the tape measure from his shoulder to his wrist as he looked pleadingly up at Shirley.
She, Reuben and the others were doing their best not to laugh out loud, watching as Mrs. Monahan continued to measure. She flipped the tape around his neck, telling herself the measurements as she went, then reached down, slipping it around his chest.
The rabbit's foot was in his right hand and he glanced at Laurie, who had to turn away before she burst. Shooting her a withering look, he sighed, tossing the rabbit's foot behind him. All he could do now was let Mrs. Monahan keep measuring as his family watched in near hysterics.
So much for luck!
==THE END==
Thanks for reading!
Shirley and Reuben were amazed at how full an emergency room could be on a Friday night. There were literally hundreds of people milling around, patients, would-be patients, teenagers, children, old people…it was utter chaos.
Shirley managed to find a seat in a corner and Reuben stood nearby, waiting for some word on Keith. From the looks of it, it would be hours before they heard anything! Shirley had called Dr. Bentley and he'd promised to meet them there, which he had, but once he disappeared through the swinging doors of the treatment area, it seemed all but over.
"Reuben, you can go ahead and go home if you want. I can wait this out. Laurie will be here with the insurance papers soon, anyway," Shirley looked up at the manager.
"Are you kidding, leave you here in the lions den? I'm just waiting for the press to get wind of this. I should be here to handle it," he said firmly.
Shirley smiled, grateful for his loyalty. Looking up, she saw Dr. Bentley's familiar face looking for her among the crowd. She jumped to her feet.
"Ah, there you are. I have some news on Keith, but I'd like to talk to you back in the treatment area. Believe it or not, it's not so hectic back there." The doctor smiled.
Reuben and Shirley followed him through the mass of people, back to the end of the hallway and through the doors.
"Busy night, huh?" Reuben asked as they passed several rooms filled with various patients with various problems.
"Fridays always are. Here, here's an empty room where we can talk." The doctor led them into a tiny examination room.
"I thought we were going to see Keith," Shirley looked worried.
"Keith is upstairs, getting prepped for surgery." At Shirley's gasp, Dr. Bentley went on. "Keith's spleen has been ruptured. He's been bleeding into his stomach, probably from the moment it happened. He told me he was playing football."
Horrified at this news, Shirley nodded, her eyes wet with tears. "This morning, he and some friends were. Can you stop the bleeding?"
"That's what we're going to try and do…I do have to tell you that, since the bleeding has been occurring for such a long time, he could have some very serious complications. He's just lucky he didn't get peritonitis, although I must be truthful and warn you that he still could."
Shirley looked up at Reuben. "Oh, dear Lord!"
Dr. Bentley put a hand on her shoulder. "We'll do the best we can. The odds are with him. I'll be doing the surgery myself, so I'll be able to tell you first hand what I find when I go in there. He still has a few minutes before they actually put him under, if you'd like to see him."
"Yes, oh, yes," Shirley nodded.
"Uh, want me to wait here for Laurie?" Reuben asked.
"If you don't mind…"
Reuben smiled, giving her a quick comforting hug.
===
Keith lay on a gurney in the hallway outside the operating room. An orderly was fussing with the I.V. that was attached to his hand, finally laying the bottle on top of the blanket that draped him.
"He's coherent, but quite sleepy, due to the blood loss. You'll have a little less than five minutes before we have to take him in," the doctor told Shirley as they approached.
"Thank you." Shirley told him, moving towards her son.
He was lying there with his eyes closed. His face, surrounded by the dark hair and lashes, was very pale. In fact, his eyelashes looked almost black there against his ghostly countenance. Shirley swallowed, gently putting her hand on his shoulder. "Keith, honey."
His eyes fluttered open and he looked up at her, a little fear in his eyes. "Hi, Mom."
"How are you feeling, darling? Have they at least stopped the pain?"
"Yeah…" he swallowed. "I have to have surgery."
"I know." She petted his forehead. "Now do you see why I hate football?"
He smiled tiredly. "Yeah. I'm sorry, Mom."
Her tears were escaping, now. "Oh, Keith, I just want you to be all right."
"Me, too," he swallowed. "I'm scared." He said it so softly, she barely heard it.
"Don't be…you just concentrate on getting better. Let me do the worrying."
He nodded, gulping.
From the corner of her eye, she saw the nurse and orderly coming, and she leaned down. "It's time for you to go in, sweetheart. I'll be there when you wake up…I love you."
"I love you, too," he stared longingly up at her as she gently kissed his face.
Stepping back, she let them take him away.
===
Chris and Tracy found themselves pretty much alone. Laurie was still upstairs, searching for Keith's insurance papers, and Danny had come in with another paper, dashing right past them, up the stairs.
And so, a little confused with the goings-on around them, the two smallest Partridges in the nest just huddled together there on the sofa and watched television until they couldn't watch anymore.
Upstairs, though, Danny couldn't think of television or anything else as he sat cross-legged on his bed, writing furiously. He only had until midnight - just 3 hours - to get ten copies written, stuffed with a dollar and mailed or, Punky had ominously informed him, the Partridge Luck would take its toll and Keith would possibly die as a result.
The letter was nearly two full pages long, and Danny copied as fast as his chubby little hands would let him, ignoring the writer's cramp he was getting from clutching the pencil too tight. Keith's life was more important than a little discomfort, he told himself. So, on he wrote; on and on and on. It was hard to see the letter through the tears in his eyes, but he kept writing. After all, should Keith die - heaven forfend! - it would be all on his freckled little head!
Laurie peeked in the room. "Danny, I found the papers, and I'm going to the hospital, now. You'd better go downstairs and keep an eye on the kids."
He replied with only a loud sob, and Laurie frowned. "Danny?" She pushed the door open farther. Seeing him in near hysterics on the bed, she went to him. "Danny, what's wrong? Oh, honey, are you worried about Keith?"
He just nodded, not daring even look up, or he would lose it. Besides, he was only on the fourth copy! Still six more to go!
Laurie put a sisterly hand on his head. "Look, I know you're worried, we all are, but it'll work out okay. Keith's been through a lot worse."
"No! Not this time, not with all this bad luck I brought him!" Danny shouted, trying to write even faster.
"What?" Laurie frowned. Now she leaned over, trying to see what he was doing. "Danny, what are you talking about?"
He looked up at her with the look of a raving maniac. "The letter! The chain letter! I threw it away this morning. I didn't answer it, and now Keith's gonna die!"
She gaped at him. "Chain letter?"
He picked it up, nearly pushing it in her face, his eyes still wide with fright. "I still have six copies to make or Keith will die!" he cried. Why didn't she understand?
Her expression softened. "Danny, answering - or not answering - a chain letter doesn't have anything to do with Keith being sick. He got hurt playing football."
"Yeah, after I threw the stupid letter away!" He shook his head and continued writing.
Laurie's heart swelled with love for him. How could she make him understand? "Danny," she took his right arm, so at least he would stop writing. "Listen to me."
"Let go! I have to get these finished!" He tried to wriggle out of her grasp, but she was firm.
"No! No, you don't!" She held his wrist, her eyes locking into his. "Leave these letters here and come with me to the hospital. Keith is going to be okay, Danny, I promise. He needs us there, to pray for him and to be there for him, to love him. That's what will make him pull through. Love, Danny, not luck. There is nothing in this world stronger than love!"
Her words oscillated around him. He stared at her, saw the determination on her face, and blinked.
She stared back, unwavering, but knowing now that he finally understood.
He began to cry all over again, and she pulled him to her, holding him as tight as she could.
===
The emergency room had quieted down considerably by the time Laurie and Danny arrived. They found Shirley easily. Reuben was off making a phone call, and Shirley was almost dozing in a chair when they approached.
"Mom!" Laurie called, hurrying toward her with Danny in tow.
Shirley looked up, surprised to see the both of them. "Laurie, Danny! Where are the kids?" She stood up.
"Mrs. Monahan's watching them. They were asleep when we left," Laurie explained.
"How's Keith? What's happening?"
"Well, he's in surgery right now. You were right about his spleen, it's been ruptured."
"But he's gonna be okay, right?" Danny asked anxiously.
"Of course he is, honey," Shirley said gently, putting her hand on her head. To Laurie, she said, "Did you bring the papers?"
Laurie produced them from her pocketbook. "They're right here. Mom, I need to talk to you."
"Let's go turn these papers in, first, okay, honey? Danny, you wait here for Reuben. He just went to make a call."
Danny nodded, sitting down as his mother and sister moved off.
After they gave the desk clerk the insurance papers, Laurie pulled Shirley aside. "Mom, did you know that Danny thinks all this happened to Keith because he didn't answer a chain letter?" Laurie glanced back at her little brother.
Shirley's mouth opened. "A chain letter?"
Laurie nodded. "He got one in the mail this morning and Punky convinced him that Keith got hurt because Danny threw the letter away. I found him in his room, hysterical, trying to hurry and make copies before, as he put it, he 'killed Keith.'"
Shirley shook her head in amazement. "Oh, no…all this time, he's been thinking this all his fault? That poor boy…" She shook her head again. "Leave it to Punky!"
"Exactly. I think I've pretty well convinced him otherwise, but it wasn't easy. That kid is determined."
"Thank you, honey, for taking care of it…I honestly had no idea he was in such turmoil. I suppose I was just too worried about Keith myself."
Laurie nodded. "I wonder how he's coming along, anyway?"
Hearing Reuben's voice behind them and they turned, joining him and Danny.
"Any word on Keith?" Reuben asked.
"Not yet," Shirley sighed, sitting down next to Danny and pulling him to her, giving him a quick kiss.
"Hey, what was that for?" A kiss, from his mother, in front of God and everybody?!
"I love you, you know that?"
"Okay, but jeez, Mom…" He nearly rubbed the freckles right off his face, trying his best to look disgusted. Then he looked at her and grinned.
She laughed.
===
Still dressed in his surgical scrubs, Dr. Bentley approached Reuben and the Partridges, only getting about half way to them before being bombarded with questions as they all came out of their seats.
He held up his hands. "Woah, now…I have good news…Keith made it through the surgery with flying colors…we were able to stop the bleeding, but we had to remove the spleen to do it."
"Oh, my, will that give him any problems later on?" Shirley asked worriedly.
"It shouldn't; he should be able to live a normal life without it."
"He doesn't live a normal life, now." Danny just had to chime in. He felt Laurie's nails in the nape of his neck and he winced.
"Can we see him?"
"Well, he'll be in his room in a little bit…give him five minutes."
"Me, too?" Danny looked hopeful.
"Everyone can go up, but only two of you at a time, okay? Don't want to overwhelm him…he'll still be coming out from under the anesthesia." Dr. Bentley smiled.
"Uh, Doc, can you tell me when exactly he'll be able to get back to performing again?" Reuben asked.
"Reuben!" Shirley, Laurie and Danny were horrified.
"Well, I'm sorry, but we already lost out on tomorrow…and I need to know, so I can plan around this!" he explained.
"You know, that's a very good question, and one that I can't answer just right now. First we have to see how fast he begins healing from the incision; without his spleen it will take longer than it would be normally. He certainly won't be able to do anything strenuous for at least six weeks if we want him to heal properly. Then after that, depending on his physical strength and stamina, it could very well be another two weeks."
Reuben groaned. Two months? That was it, his career as a manager was over!
"Thank you, Dr. Bentley, for taking such good care of Keith," Shirley said.
"You'd better talk to Keith before you say that, Mrs. Partridge," the doctor grinned. "He was none too happy with me when I told him he needed the surgery. Just wasn't my lucky day, I guess."
Danny's head snapped up. There was that word again! He felt Shirley's and Laurie's eyes on him and he shook his head.
"Well, come on, let's go upstairs and see your brother," Shirley put her arm around him.
===
Approaching Keith's room, Shirley looked inside to make sure he was there. She saw him there in the bed and looked down at Danny.
"I think Danny and I should go in, first," she said, and Laurie nodded in agreement.
Danny looked up at his mother. "Me? You want me to go in?"
"I think it's a good idea, don't you?"
Swallowing, he nodded, and she nudged him forward. They crossed the threshold, and Shirley stopped, standing by the door while Danny moved toward the bed.
Keith was on his back, an oxygen tube taped to his nose and a sleepy look on his face. His eyes were half-open and he blinked as Danny stepped up to the bed.
"Keith," Danny said softly.
Keith turned his head towards him and Danny stared. There were dark circles under Keith's eyes and he looked so worn! Danny swallowed.
"Keith, I'm sorry you got hurt, but the doctor says you're gonna be okay. I just want you to know that I'll be there for you. If you need anything, you just ask, okay?"
Keith answered by closing his eyes and opening them again. "Thanks, Danny," he whispered.
Danny grinned, his heart leaping in his chest. He hesitated, reaching over and squeezing Keith's hand. That brought a weak smile from his brother, and Danny grinned even wider.
Shirley stepped up behind her middle son. "Feel better now, Danny?"
He looked up at her, his eyes back to their cheerful selves. "Yeah, Mom, thanks."
She smiled, pulling him towards her.
===
It was a good five days before Dr. Bentley determined Keith was strong enough to go home.
As Laurie and Shirley slowly helped him into the back door, he was surprised to find a small party going on in the kitchen. There were pizza boxes on the table and a hand-lettered sign taped to the shutters above the counter that read: "WELCOME HOME, KEITH!"
"Surprise!" Danny, Laurie, Tracy, Reuben and Chris stood by the table to greet him.
Keith smiled. "Wow, this is groovy! Pizza and everything!" He looked over at Shirley. "Is pizza on my diet, I hope?"
"I already asked Dr. Bentley. He said as long as it's not too spicy," she said as she and Laurie sat him at the table.
"Good thing we didn't have Mr. Kincaid make it, then," Danny said, to Reuben's sneer.
"Oh, yeah, right. By the way, Reuben, the doctor asked what I had to eat that day. When I told him about your chili, he almost blamed my pain on you." Keith looked up at the manager.
Reuben nearly bristled. "It wasn't that bad."
"No, it wasn't, but he said it didn't help."
Danny grinned at Reuben. At least he wasn't going down alone!
Keith looked down at his place setting. Seeing a stack of mail there, he asked Laurie, "What's all this?"
"Get well wishes from your fans and friends. There's a whole sack load in the living room. These are the ones that came today." She grinned. "Mrs. Monahan is baking you a cake and knitting you a sweater. She said she'll be over today to get your measurements."
Keith moaned, shaking his head. "Just what I need," he laughed along with everyone else.
"Go ahead, honey, read your cards. There really have been some lovely ones. You have a lot of friends out there," Shirley urged.
He took the top one. Pulling the card out, he read the front, then opened it. Inside sat a furry rabbit's foot keychain. He looked up.
"Now, who would send me a rabbit's foot?" he looked perplexed. "They didn't even bother to sign the card."
Laurie and Shirley both looked at Danny. He grinned, shrugging. "Looks like they just wanted to send a little luck your way. You really could use some, you know."
"That's for sure," Laurie said, looking out the kitchen window. "Here comes Mrs. Monahan with her cake."
Danny followed Laurie's gaze. "And her tape measure," he added.
Keith looked up. "Oh, no…"
"Quick, rub the rabbit's foot! Maybe the earth will open up and…" Danny began.
"Kids," Shirley's voice had a warning tone to it as she opened the back door. "Mrs. Monahan!"
"Hello, Shirley…I saw you drive up…where's that poor little Keith?" The woman, shorter, darker and stockier than Shirley almost pushed her way in. "There you are, darling! How do you feel? You don't look so good, honey. Here's my prize winning fudge cake. That will put spring back into your step!"
Her words were in a rush, not giving Keith a chance to even answer. He just smiled and nodded politely as she sat the cake down on the table in front of him, looking at Shirley.
"He can have cake, can't he? I wasn't sure, but now I see you're feeding him…what's this, pizza? Oh, Shirley, bad choice…it'll ruin his complexion!" She took Keith's chin in her hand. "And he's got such a beautiful face! Those eyes, look at those eyes! The sweater I'm knitting will really bring out those eyes! But first I need your measurements. Can you stand up, darling? No, of course not, you're still weak from your operation, aren't you? Well, we can do it from here. Here, honey, give me your arm."
She pulled his right arm out straight and ran the tape measure from his shoulder to his wrist as he looked pleadingly up at Shirley.
She, Reuben and the others were doing their best not to laugh out loud, watching as Mrs. Monahan continued to measure. She flipped the tape around his neck, telling herself the measurements as she went, then reached down, slipping it around his chest.
The rabbit's foot was in his right hand and he glanced at Laurie, who had to turn away before she burst. Shooting her a withering look, he sighed, tossing the rabbit's foot behind him. All he could do now was let Mrs. Monahan keep measuring as his family watched in near hysterics.
So much for luck!
==THE END==
Thanks for reading!