CHAPTER TWO
Keith winced as he shut the hotel room door, stepping out into the hall. He nearly tripped over his sportbag in doing so, and gave a quick glance to the door across from him. It was three in the morning, and he knew Jay would be asleep in there, but he didn't want to take any chances. Bending down to retrieve the sportsbag and the softsided guitar case that leaned against the wall, Keith grimaced again, this time from the ache in his back. Damn cancer, anyway. He was doing so good; attending every treatment session the doctor had set up, taking all the medications…and still it had reborn itself. He was beginning to feel just as he had before Chris had diagnosed him. All that puking from the radiation, all the pain and misery was moot; now he was getting pretty much the same thing from NOT taking anything. What was the purpose of that? He'd been lucky to retain a full head of hair; Dr. Shapiro had told him that hair loss would be a given, but he hadn't lost much. A few strands, here and there, and the doctor had marveled over such a feat. Danny had told him that even his hair was stubborn, and that brought a smile to his lips. Danny. And Laurie, Chris, Tracy and Mom. He didn't want to worry them, but he wasn't up to going home just yet. He needed time to think this through. He sighed, moving off down the hallway with his gear, hoping they would understand.
Tears brimmed in his eyes and he could barely see the numbers to push on the elevator as it waited for him and before long he found himself in the lobby, going to the front desk. The girl behind the counter smiled; how anyone could look so pert and fresh at three in the morning was beyond him. He smiled back. "I'm checking out. Could you get me a shuttle to the airport?"
****
Tracy opened the door to Laurie standing on the stoop. "Laurie!"
The girls hugged tightly, and Laurie pulled back, studying her little sister's figure. "You are looking great, Trace…any…news or anything?" she hinted, her eyes sparkling in the afternoon light.
Tracy laughed, shaking her head. "If you mean am I pregnant, no! Gosh, Laurie, it's only been a few months!"
Ken stepped up behind his wife. "It's not for lack of trying, either," he grinned mischievously as Tracy blushed.
"Ken!"
Laurie laughed, giving him a hug, too, and the three of them came into the living room, their arms about one another.
"Where's Mom?"
"On the phone. She spoke to Danny earlier, and now I think she's got Jay on the line," Tracy answered.
"What about Chris? Any word from him? I tried to get through to him all the way up here on my cell phone, but he's still not there."
"Nope, not a word. His roommate said he'd gone to New York, but he thought he'd be back by now."
Laurie sighed. "And Keith…?"
"He hasn't called since he told Mom about the remission. She's going up the wall."
"I knew those brothers of ours were trouble," Laurie shook her head.
Shirley entered, her face blotched with tears. Ken and the girl's hearts dropped.
"Mom?" Tracy swallowed. "What's wrong?"
"That was Jay. Keith took off early this morning." Shirley was about to start crying all over again.
"Took off? What do you mean? Where did he go?" Laurie frowned, going to her and putting a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"He doesn't know. He got up this morning and Keith had checked out of the hotel. The desk clerk said he'd asked for a ride to the airport!" Shirley bit back a sob. "He's trying to find out from the airlines where he went."
Now, Laurie looked angry. "Why did he do this, Mom? Why would he purposely worry you; us? I swear, if I get my hands on him…" She hissed.
"You'll give him the biggest hug you've ever given him, that's what you'll do," Tracy admonished her sister. "Mom, maybe he's heading home."
Shirley sank down onto the sofa arm, looking very disconsolate. "Oh, honey, I hope you're right, but I have this terrible feeling that you're not…"
Tracy stepped forward, hugging her mother as Ken looked uneasily around him.
"Too bad Danny didn't get there in time."
Shirley's head popped up. "Oh, Danny! I need to call him and tell him to forget about Oklahoma City…"
"If it's too late, maybe he and Jay both can track Keith down," Laurie suggested.
"I'm afraid, at this stage, Keith doesn't want to be tracked down. You didn't hear his voice, girls. He didn't even sound like Keith. I thought I was talking to a total stranger," Shirley shook her head sadly.
Laurie, Tracy and Ken watched helplessly as Shirley went back into the kitchen for another game of phone tag.
Laurie's eyes flashed anger once again. She reached into her purse and brought out her portable phone. "Well, I'm not going to stand around here and watch Mom hurt like this."
"What are you doing?" Tracy wanted to know.
"I have some friends who work at the airlines. I'm going to see if they can't tell me just to where our pigheaded brother flew the coop!"
Ken and Tracy exchanged impressed glances.
****
The desert air permeated Keith's lungs. Even for March, it was hot in Las Vegas, and he quickly shed the jacket he was wearing, tying its sleeves around his waist. He saw a bus pulling up to the curb and he quickly gathered his bag and guitar and hurried toward it. Putting one foot on the stair, he smiled at the driver. "Do you go to the strip?"
"Sure do. It's fifty cents." Came his answer and Keith stepped into the bus, digging in his front jeans' pocket for the money.
As he deposited two quarters into the fare box, he noticed he was attracting stares from some of the passengers, and he kept his head down, sitting behind the driver as if he would protect him.
The doors closed and Keith sat back in the seat. It had been a long time since he'd ridden in a bus; a public one especially. The sound of the diesel engine as the bus pulled into traffic brought back a flood of memories. If only it were fifteen years ago; half a life ago. His mother would be up front managing their psychedelic monster as best she could with five normally loud, misbehaving children in the back trying to play a game of License Plate Bingo or having a sing-a-long as Keith would try to teach the others the words to his new song with just a guitar and tambourine accompaniment. He longed for those days; he felt safe, then. No worries about venues; Reuben was the best manager in the business. Not that Jay was any less a competent manager himself, but Keith didn't feel the camaraderie with Jay that he'd had with Reuben. Reuben had practically watched him - all the kids - grow up. He knew their likes and their dislikes, their fears and their sorrows; he'd even come to memorize their middle names.
And now, that everyone had grown into adulthood, things were never going to be the same again. Tracy was married, Chris was becoming a full fledged doctor, Danny was still talking and getting paid for it, Laurie was doing what she loved best and protecting women's rights with due process of the law, and Keith, well, Keith was doing what he loved best, too. Performing, writing music; it was in his blood; it was meant to be there, in every fiber of his being. Unfortunately, something else was there, too, something unwanted. He'd come here to forget the cancer, so why was he thinking about it? Damn it, why didn't it just leave him alone?!
"Here's the strip, son. What hotel did you want?" The bus driver turned to him.
Keith looked up. Gathering his belongings, he tried to shake off the despondency that threatened to overcome him. "This will do, thank you." And with that, he bolted down the stairs.
****
He was completely unaware of it, but Chris Partridge was feeling almost exactly the same flood of emotions as his eldest brother who was a good 2200 miles away.
He hadn't done well on his latest batch of college exams, and that was only the beginning. Ever since he'd diagnosed Keith's Hodgkin's Disease, Chris had been thinking twice about his choice of profession. Yes, Keith's diagnosis had a personal attachment to it, and it upset Chris to have to tell Keith just how ill he really was. But, suppose the next awful diagnosis he made was upsetting, too, and the next…he didn't know if he could handle it! Perhaps he was too sensitive to be a doctor. His mother had always said she loved him for his sensitivity. But, a doctor had to be thick skinned; tough. Unemotional, at least to a point. He wouldn't be able to show his sorrow and his own pain for the people he treated.
He sighed, looking pensively around him. He was on 42nd Street, for Pete's sake! One of the most fabulous places in the world! Neon signs glowed around him, announcing award winning plays and offering him two hours of sheer drama, comedy, excitement, but Chris wasn't buying; not right now. He caught a glimpse of himself in a storefront window. A rumpled, unshaven vagrant stared back at him and Chris gasped at his own reflection. Was this really him, looking as if he'd slept in the subway (despite Petula Clark's melodic warning)? Disheartened once more, the twenty-two-year-old reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a five dollar bill. He wondered just how much liquor he could get for it, here on 42nd Street….
****
Danny Partridge was surrounded. Ken had gone to the market, leaving him alone with three hysterical females, and it wasn't pretty.
"You have to get a flight to Vegas!" Tracy was begging as Danny found himself literally backed into a corner.
"Please, Danny, you're the only one Keith will listen to!" Shirley was saying, as he looked up and saw Laurie on the phone.
"Yes, I need to book a roundtrip ticket from San Pueblo to Las Vegas…" she was saying.
"Wait a minute!" Danny cried, reaching over and snatching the phone from Laurie's hand while fending off his little sister and his mother with the other.
He slammed the receiver back into its cradle and suddenly there was a welcomed silence. He put his hands out, waving them back away from him. He'd been in the house ten minutes and they'd ambushed him at the door, saying something about Keith being in Las Vegas and telling him to go get him.
"Jeez, you guys just won't let up, will you?" he shook his head. "Look, I didn't say I WOULDN'T go to Vegas and find Keith, I said I doubted I COULD find him. It's a big town, you know!'
"Keith is a very well-known figure, Danny. SOMEBODY'S bound to know where he is," Laurie frowned, putting a hand on her hip.
"Yeah, and who's to say he's still there? He could be anywhere; L.A., or Honolulu...I'm sorry, but I am NOT going to go on a wild goose chase."
Tears glistened in Shirley's eyes. "Danny, he's not well. He's not thinking clearly. And he's your brother."
Seeing her break down, Danny's heart ached. "I know, Mom, but…okay, suppose I DID find him. He wouldn't listen to me, not when his mind is already made up. The guy is stubborn beyond words. We all know that." He put his arm around her shoulders, trying to get her tears to stop, but it only made it worse.
"Danny, please." She swallowed.
He winced, pausing, then, "Okay, but don't be surprised if I come home without him."
Tracy and Laurie hugged him at the same time, and when they were finished, Shirley went into his arms and he smiled, rubbing her back as she whispered a thank you into his ear. It was usually Keith getting all of this attention; this was nice in a sad sort of way.
"But let's try and get hold of Chris first, okay? If I have to go to Vegas and play detective, I want the other half of Partridge and Partridge with me," Danny smirked.
Laurie bit her lip. "No one's heard from him, not in a week."
Danny lifted an eyebrow. "If you think I'm flying all the way across country to find CHRIS, too…"
Tracy smiled. "His roommate thinks he's just living it up in New York. But if worse comes to worst…?"
Danny moaned.
Keith winced as he shut the hotel room door, stepping out into the hall. He nearly tripped over his sportbag in doing so, and gave a quick glance to the door across from him. It was three in the morning, and he knew Jay would be asleep in there, but he didn't want to take any chances. Bending down to retrieve the sportsbag and the softsided guitar case that leaned against the wall, Keith grimaced again, this time from the ache in his back. Damn cancer, anyway. He was doing so good; attending every treatment session the doctor had set up, taking all the medications…and still it had reborn itself. He was beginning to feel just as he had before Chris had diagnosed him. All that puking from the radiation, all the pain and misery was moot; now he was getting pretty much the same thing from NOT taking anything. What was the purpose of that? He'd been lucky to retain a full head of hair; Dr. Shapiro had told him that hair loss would be a given, but he hadn't lost much. A few strands, here and there, and the doctor had marveled over such a feat. Danny had told him that even his hair was stubborn, and that brought a smile to his lips. Danny. And Laurie, Chris, Tracy and Mom. He didn't want to worry them, but he wasn't up to going home just yet. He needed time to think this through. He sighed, moving off down the hallway with his gear, hoping they would understand.
Tears brimmed in his eyes and he could barely see the numbers to push on the elevator as it waited for him and before long he found himself in the lobby, going to the front desk. The girl behind the counter smiled; how anyone could look so pert and fresh at three in the morning was beyond him. He smiled back. "I'm checking out. Could you get me a shuttle to the airport?"
****
Tracy opened the door to Laurie standing on the stoop. "Laurie!"
The girls hugged tightly, and Laurie pulled back, studying her little sister's figure. "You are looking great, Trace…any…news or anything?" she hinted, her eyes sparkling in the afternoon light.
Tracy laughed, shaking her head. "If you mean am I pregnant, no! Gosh, Laurie, it's only been a few months!"
Ken stepped up behind his wife. "It's not for lack of trying, either," he grinned mischievously as Tracy blushed.
"Ken!"
Laurie laughed, giving him a hug, too, and the three of them came into the living room, their arms about one another.
"Where's Mom?"
"On the phone. She spoke to Danny earlier, and now I think she's got Jay on the line," Tracy answered.
"What about Chris? Any word from him? I tried to get through to him all the way up here on my cell phone, but he's still not there."
"Nope, not a word. His roommate said he'd gone to New York, but he thought he'd be back by now."
Laurie sighed. "And Keith…?"
"He hasn't called since he told Mom about the remission. She's going up the wall."
"I knew those brothers of ours were trouble," Laurie shook her head.
Shirley entered, her face blotched with tears. Ken and the girl's hearts dropped.
"Mom?" Tracy swallowed. "What's wrong?"
"That was Jay. Keith took off early this morning." Shirley was about to start crying all over again.
"Took off? What do you mean? Where did he go?" Laurie frowned, going to her and putting a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"He doesn't know. He got up this morning and Keith had checked out of the hotel. The desk clerk said he'd asked for a ride to the airport!" Shirley bit back a sob. "He's trying to find out from the airlines where he went."
Now, Laurie looked angry. "Why did he do this, Mom? Why would he purposely worry you; us? I swear, if I get my hands on him…" She hissed.
"You'll give him the biggest hug you've ever given him, that's what you'll do," Tracy admonished her sister. "Mom, maybe he's heading home."
Shirley sank down onto the sofa arm, looking very disconsolate. "Oh, honey, I hope you're right, but I have this terrible feeling that you're not…"
Tracy stepped forward, hugging her mother as Ken looked uneasily around him.
"Too bad Danny didn't get there in time."
Shirley's head popped up. "Oh, Danny! I need to call him and tell him to forget about Oklahoma City…"
"If it's too late, maybe he and Jay both can track Keith down," Laurie suggested.
"I'm afraid, at this stage, Keith doesn't want to be tracked down. You didn't hear his voice, girls. He didn't even sound like Keith. I thought I was talking to a total stranger," Shirley shook her head sadly.
Laurie, Tracy and Ken watched helplessly as Shirley went back into the kitchen for another game of phone tag.
Laurie's eyes flashed anger once again. She reached into her purse and brought out her portable phone. "Well, I'm not going to stand around here and watch Mom hurt like this."
"What are you doing?" Tracy wanted to know.
"I have some friends who work at the airlines. I'm going to see if they can't tell me just to where our pigheaded brother flew the coop!"
Ken and Tracy exchanged impressed glances.
****
The desert air permeated Keith's lungs. Even for March, it was hot in Las Vegas, and he quickly shed the jacket he was wearing, tying its sleeves around his waist. He saw a bus pulling up to the curb and he quickly gathered his bag and guitar and hurried toward it. Putting one foot on the stair, he smiled at the driver. "Do you go to the strip?"
"Sure do. It's fifty cents." Came his answer and Keith stepped into the bus, digging in his front jeans' pocket for the money.
As he deposited two quarters into the fare box, he noticed he was attracting stares from some of the passengers, and he kept his head down, sitting behind the driver as if he would protect him.
The doors closed and Keith sat back in the seat. It had been a long time since he'd ridden in a bus; a public one especially. The sound of the diesel engine as the bus pulled into traffic brought back a flood of memories. If only it were fifteen years ago; half a life ago. His mother would be up front managing their psychedelic monster as best she could with five normally loud, misbehaving children in the back trying to play a game of License Plate Bingo or having a sing-a-long as Keith would try to teach the others the words to his new song with just a guitar and tambourine accompaniment. He longed for those days; he felt safe, then. No worries about venues; Reuben was the best manager in the business. Not that Jay was any less a competent manager himself, but Keith didn't feel the camaraderie with Jay that he'd had with Reuben. Reuben had practically watched him - all the kids - grow up. He knew their likes and their dislikes, their fears and their sorrows; he'd even come to memorize their middle names.
And now, that everyone had grown into adulthood, things were never going to be the same again. Tracy was married, Chris was becoming a full fledged doctor, Danny was still talking and getting paid for it, Laurie was doing what she loved best and protecting women's rights with due process of the law, and Keith, well, Keith was doing what he loved best, too. Performing, writing music; it was in his blood; it was meant to be there, in every fiber of his being. Unfortunately, something else was there, too, something unwanted. He'd come here to forget the cancer, so why was he thinking about it? Damn it, why didn't it just leave him alone?!
"Here's the strip, son. What hotel did you want?" The bus driver turned to him.
Keith looked up. Gathering his belongings, he tried to shake off the despondency that threatened to overcome him. "This will do, thank you." And with that, he bolted down the stairs.
****
He was completely unaware of it, but Chris Partridge was feeling almost exactly the same flood of emotions as his eldest brother who was a good 2200 miles away.
He hadn't done well on his latest batch of college exams, and that was only the beginning. Ever since he'd diagnosed Keith's Hodgkin's Disease, Chris had been thinking twice about his choice of profession. Yes, Keith's diagnosis had a personal attachment to it, and it upset Chris to have to tell Keith just how ill he really was. But, suppose the next awful diagnosis he made was upsetting, too, and the next…he didn't know if he could handle it! Perhaps he was too sensitive to be a doctor. His mother had always said she loved him for his sensitivity. But, a doctor had to be thick skinned; tough. Unemotional, at least to a point. He wouldn't be able to show his sorrow and his own pain for the people he treated.
He sighed, looking pensively around him. He was on 42nd Street, for Pete's sake! One of the most fabulous places in the world! Neon signs glowed around him, announcing award winning plays and offering him two hours of sheer drama, comedy, excitement, but Chris wasn't buying; not right now. He caught a glimpse of himself in a storefront window. A rumpled, unshaven vagrant stared back at him and Chris gasped at his own reflection. Was this really him, looking as if he'd slept in the subway (despite Petula Clark's melodic warning)? Disheartened once more, the twenty-two-year-old reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a five dollar bill. He wondered just how much liquor he could get for it, here on 42nd Street….
****
Danny Partridge was surrounded. Ken had gone to the market, leaving him alone with three hysterical females, and it wasn't pretty.
"You have to get a flight to Vegas!" Tracy was begging as Danny found himself literally backed into a corner.
"Please, Danny, you're the only one Keith will listen to!" Shirley was saying, as he looked up and saw Laurie on the phone.
"Yes, I need to book a roundtrip ticket from San Pueblo to Las Vegas…" she was saying.
"Wait a minute!" Danny cried, reaching over and snatching the phone from Laurie's hand while fending off his little sister and his mother with the other.
He slammed the receiver back into its cradle and suddenly there was a welcomed silence. He put his hands out, waving them back away from him. He'd been in the house ten minutes and they'd ambushed him at the door, saying something about Keith being in Las Vegas and telling him to go get him.
"Jeez, you guys just won't let up, will you?" he shook his head. "Look, I didn't say I WOULDN'T go to Vegas and find Keith, I said I doubted I COULD find him. It's a big town, you know!'
"Keith is a very well-known figure, Danny. SOMEBODY'S bound to know where he is," Laurie frowned, putting a hand on her hip.
"Yeah, and who's to say he's still there? He could be anywhere; L.A., or Honolulu...I'm sorry, but I am NOT going to go on a wild goose chase."
Tears glistened in Shirley's eyes. "Danny, he's not well. He's not thinking clearly. And he's your brother."
Seeing her break down, Danny's heart ached. "I know, Mom, but…okay, suppose I DID find him. He wouldn't listen to me, not when his mind is already made up. The guy is stubborn beyond words. We all know that." He put his arm around her shoulders, trying to get her tears to stop, but it only made it worse.
"Danny, please." She swallowed.
He winced, pausing, then, "Okay, but don't be surprised if I come home without him."
Tracy and Laurie hugged him at the same time, and when they were finished, Shirley went into his arms and he smiled, rubbing her back as she whispered a thank you into his ear. It was usually Keith getting all of this attention; this was nice in a sad sort of way.
"But let's try and get hold of Chris first, okay? If I have to go to Vegas and play detective, I want the other half of Partridge and Partridge with me," Danny smirked.
Laurie bit her lip. "No one's heard from him, not in a week."
Danny lifted an eyebrow. "If you think I'm flying all the way across country to find CHRIS, too…"
Tracy smiled. "His roommate thinks he's just living it up in New York. But if worse comes to worst…?"
Danny moaned.