Chapter 3 - The Unknown Secret

A/N: I'll try to make these chapters a little longer.

The truth is revealed--at least to us. Not to Otto, Twister, and Sam, though.

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While Otto and the others were discussing what he had heard, Ray emerged from the kitchen, carrying a tall glass with an ever-famous Shack Shake in it. To make it extra special for his princess "in distress," he added a mountain of whipped cream and a cherry on the top. Reggie smiled as she saw Ray bring his creation in to the living room and set it down on the surfboard table.

No matter what anyone else said, Ray knew how to make a female happy, Reggie thought. It was hard to believe that he had not started dating for 5 years. Sure, it was hard to replace their mother, who brought so much joy to their lives, but as Reggie discovered, life had to go on. In fact, she was happy that Ray was showing interest in the Sunset Surf clothing rep, Breezy, who often poked her head in Ray's shop whenever she was in town. Although Reggie was not clairvoyant, she knew that Ray and Breezy went well together and that, hopefully, their relationship would someday blossom.

"Thanks, Dad," Reggie said softly. She had finally regained a little of her strength to speak and the pain had subsided somewhat, especially after the pain killers that the doctor prescribed had taken effect.

"No problem, Rocket Girl," Ray replied. He leaned down and gave his daughter a big hug, then sat down next to her. "You know, I've been very lucky to have had two very brave women in my life," Ray continued. "When your mother was diagnosed with cancer, although she was definitely upset, she vowed that it would never get in her way of taking care of you two guys. She was as active as she could be up until her final days, no matter how weak chemotherapy and radiation made her. I could tell she wasn't scared; no, she was determined, and although she accepted her eventual fate, as hard as it was, she never let it affect her life until then. You are definitely just like your mother."

"Dad, I'm not that sick. I'm only having my tonsils removed," Reggie reminded him, as she could tell he was a little worried.

"I know, but after all that happened to your mom, it's made me think of all the visits to the hospital we had to make and everything they did to her," Ray reminisced sadly.

"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere. Not if I can help it!" Reggie confidently asserted. "Besides, one good thing is that I get to eat all the ice cream I want afterwards."

"You always know how to look at the positives, Reg. I wish I had your ability," Ray admitted. Then pausing, "I know you are really strong, but tell me, aren't you a bit scared?"

Reggie took a sip of her shake and thought about her father's question. He was right. She had a tough exterior, but deep down inside, she was only human. She was a little scared. She had never been in the hospital for any reason (except for when she was born). Would she feel anything? What would it be like being put under by anesthesia? How would it feel to have a huge stitched opening down her neck afterwards? How long would it take before she completely recovered? Realizing her thoughts about the uncertain, she nodded her head.

"Don't worry, I'll be there right by your side," Ray assured her. That made her smile as his words brought her some comfort.

Squeezing her hand, Ray got up. "Well, I better get back to the Shack and help Tito out. You know how it goes: the moment I leave, things get crazy down there. You remember Beach Break, don't you?"

Reggie grinned. How could the famous "Good 2 Go" reporter forget that wild week? Ray and Tito made tons of money from selling "hotdurgers," cheese fries, and drinks that week, but they were completely wiped by the time all was said and done. They were so tired that they closed up the Shack for 2 weeks and traveled down to Baja California to catch some incredible waves. Those were the days, and Reggie couldn't wait until this whole ordeal was all over so she could have fun without having to worry about the pain that constantly bothered her.

Ray walked out the door, waving as he closed it. Reggie swallowed some more of her shake. It was still kind of painful, and all the talking she had done wasn't making things better. She turned her attention back to the television.

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As Otto, Twister, and Sam were heading to the steps, they heard the door close. They knew that Ray was probably heading back to the Shore Shack. That did not surprise them.

Sam objected to asking Reggie what was going on, thinking that Raymundo would be a better source of information. However, since he had just left, his curiosity caused him to give in to the wishes of his friends. They all walked down the steps to the living room where Reggie was watching cartoons.

"Hey Reg," Sam blurted as they walked around the couch in to her view.

Reggie smiled back. She figured that it would be hard for them to understand her raspy and soft voice, so she didn't even try to talk to them. It did make her happy, though, to see her friends. She knew she could always count on them, no matter what.

"How are you feeling?" Otto asked. Reggie's body language--one hand on her throat and a frown on her face--gave Otto an answer that he'd rather not have heard. He then continued, "Listen, Reg, I was upstairs and I overheard your conversation with Raymundo about what's happening to you. Is all that true?"

Reggie nodded in reply. She had wanted to break the news to them directly with Ray around, but it was obvious that that was now impossible. The three boys gasped in amazement at her response. What Otto had heard must have been true--her days with them were numbered. Otto and Twister wanted to break down and cry right then and there, but they didn't want to make Reggie feel any worse than she was already. So they kept solemn faces but hid their emotions. Sam didn't appear to be as emotional; he was still skeptical, but he couldn't tell if what he felt was the result of rational doubt or emotional denial.

"Aren't you scared, Reggie?" Twister asked.

Reggie wanted to deny her fears verbally so that they wouldn't think any differently of her, but she didn't feel like speaking. Then she came up with an idea that would minimize the amount of speaking that she would have to do. She grabbed the reporter's pad and pen out of her pocket and wrote down her response: "Not really. I'm Rocket Girl. What do you expect?"

When Twister read it, he was amazed. "Man, you're brave. Isn't it going to hurt?" Reggie shrugged her shoulders in reply.

"Well, sis, we're all pulling for you," Otto told her, trying to keep his composure.

Sam, still unsure of what was actually going on, suggested, "In the meantime, we want to keep you as comfortable as possible. It's no fun seeing you like this. How about we go to Madtown and try to forget about all this for now?"

Reggie smiled. The last thing she wanted to do was let the impending surgery impede on her. She really wanted to get out and do what she loved to do.

"Why don't you go get ready and we'll meet you down here," Twister said.

Reggie nodded, took her last sip of her milkshake, and got up, heading to the stairs. When she left, Otto let loose. He couldn't take it anymore. His tear ducts opened as if they were flood gates trying to hold back a tsunami. Not wanting Reggie to come down and see her brother's condition, Sam asked Twister to take Otto downstairs in an attempt to comfort him. In the meantime, he would take Reggie to Madtown, saying that the other two would catch up shortly.

Shortly after the basement door closed, Reggie walked downstairs, roller blades in hand. She had a puzzled look on her face. Sam knew exactly what she was thinking: "Where were Otto and Twister?"

"Oh, uh, Otto and Twister. They, uh...uh...went to his house! Mrs. Rodriguez wanted to see Twister so Otto said they would catch up with us."

Reggie nodded and the two left the house on the way to Madtown.

"So this is how it's going to end?" Sam pondered as he looked at his best friend.

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I love the dramatic irony in this story. The lack of clear communication between Reggie and the boys allows them to think she's dying. When will they discover the truth? Will the truth come before Reggie goes in to surgery? Find out soon.