[Authors Note: Much of this chapter (and the next) are set in the Museum of Science and Industry. I've never been there. So the content is based on a combination of info from their website, my own overactive imagination, and a healthy dose of dramatic (or comedic?) license.]
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"What time did you go to bed last night?"
A cheerful voice; a thud and a jar as Alex threw himself onto Luka's bed -- or rather, Sam's bed. Luka opened to his eyes to see Alex's equally cheerful face.
"At my own bed time," he said.
"Well, you need to get up if we're going to do all that cool stuff you promised."
Luka looked at the clock. 9:30. He had fallen asleep on the couch while watching his movie -- which hadn't been nearly as exciting as he'd hoped. After waking up again at around 2, he'd gone to bed, and had some rather more interesting dreams involving Sam in a red latex catsuit....
He sat up and cleared his throat. "Ok. Let me get a shower and dress, then we'll have breakfast and make our plans." He couldn't help noticing that Alex was already dressed, and bouncing not only on the bed, but off the walls. It couldn't be that he was excited about the prospect of spending time with him? No ... Alex bounced off walls as a matter of course.
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As Luka stepped out of the bathroom, he heard Alex say, "Hey, I thought you said this was a chick flick -- a romance. It looks more like a medical drama. Does it have some cool, gory ..." And Alex hit the play button on the remote.
"Ah ... no ..." Luka crossed the room in three long strides, grabbed the DVD box and remote out of Alex's hand, and hit the off button before the screen had a chance to change from blue to -- blue.
"Can't I just watch until breakfast is ready?"
"You won't like it," Luka said firmly.
"Aren't there any cool hospital scenes? I am going to be a doctor when I grow up, you know."
"None whatsoever." Luka slipped the DVD into the case and put it on top of the book case, well out of reach, and kicked himself for having forgotten to do it last night. He hadn't realized that he had to 'childproof' for a ten year old. "Now, what do you want for breakfast?"
"Just cereal, I guess."
Luka rummaged in the cabinet, searching for corn flakes or something similar. "All I can find is this sweet stuff," he said.
"I have that for breakfast all the time."
Five minutes later, Luka was doing his best to manfully choke down his own bowl of Honey Frosted Sugar Wheaties. No wonder the kid was in DKA on a regular basis, Luka thought, if Sam let him eat this crap for breakfast.
"So ... how about we go to the zoo today? It's supposed to be nice out."
"The zoo? Boring!"
"They have wolves. And a new baby polar bear."
"Sooo boring," Alex said again. "I haven't been to a zoo since I was five. I hated it then. I'll hate it twice as much now."
"Ok. How about the museum? There's lots to see and do there. Even some medical exhibits."
Alex gave an exaggerated sigh. "I guess ..."
"What did you have in mind?" Luka asked. "Besides the morgue, which is definitely out."
"I dunno. Canoe across Lake Michigan? Go to Six Flags? Or Disney World?"
"In your dreams. It's either the museum or the laundromat."
"Ok. The museum, I guess."
"You'll enjoy it, Alex."
"How do you know? Have you ever been?"
"Nope. Never had anyone to take. Have you ever been there?"
"No. My class went last fall, but I arranged to be sick that day."
"Well, I'm sure it will be wonderful. Now finish eating so we can get moving. There's a lot to see there."
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The main lobby was packed. Sundays usually were, Luka guessed. He kept a death grip on Alex's shirt collar while buying the tickets and picking up the maps. He then steered Alex to a slightly less crowded patch of floor so they could consult their maps.
"Where to first?"
"The gift shop? You'll buy me stuff, won't you?"
"We'll see."
"You're a doctor. You're rich. You can afford it."
"I said we'll see. After we've seen the museum."
Alex looked at the map thoughtfully. "Lets see the human body stuff first. This 'human body slices' stuff looks pretty cool. Did they really slice up a real person?"
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Luka was delighted to discover that, despite Alex's initial misgivings (and his own), Alex seemed to quickly come to enjoy the museum. More than once Luka moved on from one exhibit, thinking that Alex was following him, only to find himself alone at the next one; and Alex still staring engrossed at the previous display. Luka found himself enjoying himself as well; expanding on -- and expounding on the exhibits, supplementing the information provided with his own selection of gory ER stories for the entertainment of Alex, and a growing audience of other parents' children.
Luka was especially surprised to see how much Alex seemed to enjoy the baby chick exhibit. He would never have guessed that a child who proclaimed zoos to be 'boring' and had never shown the slightest interest in puppies or kittens, would stand for 20 minutes watching a chick peck its way out of its shell -- and still be standing there when Luka had moved on to the next exhibit.
Realizing that he was once again alone, this time with the spaceships, Luka retraced his steps to the chicks. "Alex!" Damn ... Sam would kill him if he lost Alex in the museum. "Alex!!" No sign of him. Just then, Alex appeared through a door at the back of the exhibit.
"What were you doing back there?" Luka scolded. "The sign says 'authorized personnel only.'"
Alex shrugged. "I don't read so well. I'm only 10, you know. We haven't learned what 'authorized' means yet." Then a smile. "I just wanted to get a closer look. That was really cool."
"Well, we need to stay together. This place is too big and too crowded for you to keep wandering off like that."
"Sorry. I won't do it again."
"Come on, lets go check out the flight simulators."
"How about lunch first. I'm starved."
"Flight simulator first. Then lunch."