Chapter 9 - Back to Good

A/N: Thanks to "salsipuedes" for the suggestions regarding Ray's conversation with Otto.

Since this is the last chapter, I reset the story description on the main page to what it originally was.

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Two weeks had passed since Reggie's surgery. Initially, Reggie was instructed to stay indoors in order to minimize her exposure to germs that could lead to infection. Such orders, to Reggie, were like confining a dog to a cage. She hated being cooped up in the house and yearned to get back on her feet, skating and surfing with her friends. She was still in pain, but unlike the pain of the sore throats, this pain was to go away. The doctor had prescribed pain medications, but the narcotics caused her to become nauseated, sending her running to the bathroom several times.

Thankfully, Otto, Twister, and Sam stayed around the neighborhood while Reggie was recovering. They would play board games, watch TV or movies, or use Twister's Playstation 2. Sure, they wanted to be out tearing up Madtown as much as Reggie did, but they felt it would only be fair if they stayed. Besides, Otto was worried that Reggie would become so bored that she would go crazy and start bothering him when he was at home. In addition, it was the least that Otto and Twister could do after the huge mix-up that had haunted their lives the previous week.

Speaking of the whole misunderstanding, Otto and Twister had a rather large mess to take care of. Although they did not deliberately falsify their reports to Reggie's friends, they had no idea how they would treat the two boys after being put through so much emotional distress. The thoughts of the reactions of Trish, Sherry, and Trent, in particular, made them wonder if they would ever be allowed to see the light of day again. While they knew they had to tell the truth, they wanted the advice and support of someone they could trust. Otto agreed to tell his dad what had happened.

"You WHAT!?" blurted Ray, somewhat shocked. He had not heard Reggie and Sam's conversation in the car and was still completely unaware of the previous week's events.

Otto quickly defended his actions, fearing that his father's anger was flaring up. "I know it's kind of crazy. But it was an honest mistake. Twister and I were truly fearing for Reggie's life. We thought this was the end for her, and we wanted to make sure that if it was, her final days would be comfortable and happy in the company of her friends. I know Sam tried to tell us the truth, but we were too focused to even consider what he had said."

Ray thought for a few moments. Otto was right; he and Twister meant no harm. On the other hand, this was not the first time that either of them had jumped to conclusions rashly. There was the time that they thought Twister was being evicted from his house and being sent to live with his Aunt Cleotilda. Of course, nobody could forget the time they thought Tito had murdered Ray at the Shore Shack and had taken matters in to their own hands, locking Tito in the walk-in freezer and calling in the local SWAT team. Their rashness had gotten them in enough trouble. Ray was in a dilemma; should he scold Otto for his mistakes or should he take a calmer approach? He decided that with the topic of death, especially in light of what had happened to Otto and Reggie's mother, he decided that discipline wasn't the answer.

"So, Dad, are you going to ground me?" Otto asked shamefully.

"No, Otto. What you did was indeed unintentional. Not knowing what's going on can be scary, and time and again, it's caused people to do all sorts of weird things. From what I've been able to piece together, I can understand that you and Twister were genuinely frightened for Reggie. Given what little you knew, it's becoming easier for me to understand. Even in your error, Reggie tells me that you guys were very kind and thoughtful about this whole thing. In that sense, you guys did a great thing for her. What concerns me, however, was how quickly you guys acted. You took what you heard from the staircase as being the whole truth, and didn't come down to completely confirm what you had heard. Now that I think of it, you did ask something after that, but it implied that you already knew the actual truth."

"You're right, Raymundo. I should have asked. I guess my emotions took over at that point. That's my fault, and I'm sorry about that."

Ray drew a breath. He scratched Otto's head, then gently picked him up and sat him down on the counter so they could look each other in the eyes. "Otto, in a sense, this whole thing was my fault. For my part, in all my haste to see that Reggie was properly taken care of, I should have been more forthcoming with you," Ray apologized. "It turns out you are big enough to handle the truth after all; so if ever you find there's anything serious going on in your life - or that of anyone close to you - that confuses you or scares you, I want you - no, I order you, to ask me about it, and when you do, I promise to give you an honest answer to the best of my knowledge."

"That I will, Dad," promised Otto as he gave Ray a squeeze. "I love my sister to pieces, and I don't know what I'd do without her..."

"I know you do. I don't know what I'd do without either of you guys," Ray replied as he returned Otto's hug. "Now, you said that you had told a bunch of her friends that she was going to die. Since you're not a kid anymore, I'm going to leave that part up to you."

"Don't worry, Dad. I know I've got to tell them the truth. In addition, I've got an idea to help make it up to everybody, but I'll need your help." With that, Otto whispered his idea in to Ray's ear.

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Otto, feeling incredibly guilty, called everybody that he and Twister had misinformed. The responses were what he expected, and what he didn't:

When Otto told Cleo the news, she promptly replied, "What?" After groaning in anger and frustration, she continued to scold her cousin (who wasn't there to hear a word of it): "Wait until I get my hands on that Maurice! He shouldn't be blurting out stuff like that. Who knows what he'll do to himself in the future."

Trish and Sherry were not happy in the least, either. After all, Reggie was a close friend. They were quite scared when they heard the news and weren't happy that Otto and Twister had "cried wolf." Despite Otto's sincere apology and explanation, he definitely didn't want to be around the next time the three girls got together; at least without Reggie in a good mood or with Raymundo around.

The boys, however, took the news much more lightly. Kioni, although he was a little upset, assured Otto that he "could never be angry at his ohana." At least Reggie was OK; that's all that mattered to him.

Otto expected Trent to completely turn against him. After all, he and Reggie seemed to possess some romantic attraction. Surprisingly, he responded, "That's OK, mate. The important thing is that Reggie is doing well."

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With the truth out, Reggie's friends began to visit her quite frequently. If they had learned anything from this whole ordeal, it was that life should be treasured and enjoyed because it would not last forever. Trish and Sherry came by and brought her some familiar company, "girl" conversation, and smoothies. Trent came by one night with a movie and his favorite dessert from New Zealand: pavlova (A/N: pavlova is similar to American "angel food" cake; it's a fat-free meringue that goes well with just about anything from fruit to ice cream), topped with fresh tropical fruit and whipped cream. It was the best food she had eaten in weeks, especially since her diet had been limited to mashed potatoes, luke-warm soup, ice cream, and other soft foods. In fact, it was one of the best desserts she had ever tasted, especially with the tropical fruit. They sat down and watched the DVD. Trent pulled up a chair right beside Reggie's recliner, and he placed his arm around her while she rested her still somewhat-swollen neck on his arm. At that moment--with the food, the movie, and the wonderful boy who had brought them, she felt like she really was in heaven.

While Cleo and Kioni were too far away to visit immediately, they made plans to come down as soon as possible. After all, it was summer, and both had family to visit anyway in Ocean Shores. Otto helped them plan the right time to visit, making sure that Reggie was unaware of the plans.

Finally, after a brief checkup, Reggie was given the green light to resume her normal activities. That afternoon, she changed in to her surf attire, grabbed her board, and headed for the beach. Otto, Twister, and Sam were to meet her down there; they had something to take care of beforehand and would meet her at the Shore Shack.

When Reggie arrived, the metal doors to the Shack were closed and locked. Wondering what was going on, she proceeded to the back door, opened it, and walked to the front. She could not believe what she saw.

"SURPRISE!"

Standing in front of her were Ray, Tito, the three boys, Trent, Trish, Sherry, and even Kioni and Cleo. There was food abound, tropical music playing through the sound system, and a line of boards against one of the metal doors, waiting to be used.

"This party is for me? But why?"

Ray walked up to his daughter, placing his arm around her. "Because, Rocket Girl, we're glad that you've recovered so well, and we're proud of you for how you remained strong."

Then, another male voice cut in. "But most of all, we're glad that you're here with us, because we all think you're one cool girl." Yes, it was the unmistakable voice of Reggie's little brother.

A humbled Reggie replied, "Thanks guys."

Cleo smiled and spoke for the group, "Don't thank us. Thank your brother. He organized all of this."

Reggie walked up to Otto, and hugging him, said, "Little brother, you're the best."

"No problemo, sis," Otto assured her, returning the hug.

"Well what are we waiting for?" Kioni shouted, causing Otto and Reggie to pull apart and look at him. "Let's hit the waves!"

Everybody cheered as they grabbed their boards, raised up one of the doors, and ran out to the beach. That night, the biggest "party wave" ever to be seen in Ocean Shores was formed. From that day forth, nobody could ever beat, in size or in enthusiasm, the "Reggie Rocket party wave." (A/N: The huge party wave in "Spot Remover" happened in the Secret Spot, which is outside of Ocean Shores, so it doesn't count in comparison).

"Uh, Reggie, can I have my necklace back?" a timid Twister asked.

Reggie rolled her eyes and shook her head. Everything was back to normal. Not much had changed. "Twister!" she exclaimed.


Fin (THE END)

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Hope you enjoyed this story.

I might revive another Nick.com story, but that may not be for a while. Boy has time flown. It's back to school I go (on Sunday at least).

Later...much :)