Chapter 16
"I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious Ambiguity."-- Gilda Radner
As the weeks went on the hope faded. Thanksgiving went by and then Christmas. New Year's came with hope for a new year, but for the three women, no good news about the men. Frannie went into labor and Claire was with her. She delivered a baby boy and named him Peter Goldsmith-Redman. Frannie was fine but the baby had come down with Captain Trips a day later.
George Richardson was able to give his full time to the baby since a new doctor had arrived. His name was Dan Lathrop and this pleased Claire as well. He took a load off of Claire and she worked in the lab most of time. She took a break and sat with Frannie.
"How's Peter, Claire?" Frannie asked, her eyes swollen and red from all the crying.
"He's hanging in there, Frannie." Claire said, "I'm trying so hard to find a cure for Captain Trips but the flu mutates so fast. It's like it was designed to counter any form of antibiotic." Claire noticed that Frannie was about to cry again, "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have told you that."
"No, it's not that, it's not just for Peter. For your baby, Lucy's…all the babies. I know that you're trying to stop the flu for all of us. It's got to be just as hard on you as it is on me. Knowing that what I'm going through, you and Lucy will have to face it too."
Claire started to cry, "I'm trying so hard to save our babies and I can't find the answer." Claire thought back to the time with the bacteria, how things seemed so hopeless then at the last moment she found the cure. She smiled.
"What?" Frannie asked.
"Oh, I was just thinking of a time back at the agency when we were all infected with a bacterium that made us ill, very ill. It was going to be a scientific breakthrough." Claire paused and started to laugh, "Bobby had eaten a hamburger from this less than clean restaurant. Later he had come down with food poisoning. As it turned out, his illness prevented him from getting sick like the rest of us."
"So, what did you do?" Frannie sat up in bed. She enjoyed Claire's stories and they always seemed to have a happy ending.
"Well, it was the mayonnaise that was on the hamburger. I ordered another agent to grab the mayo tub and bring it to the lab. So, Darien, the Official, and myself ate the mayonnaise. We got food poisoning, vomited for hours, but we recovered. My little science project was taken away and destroyed." Claire smiled, "I stumbled across something and I let it get out of hand and it nearly cost us our lives. I guess I need to prove to myself that I can find a cure to Captain Trips so it doesn't claim our children or anybody else again."
"Claire, you're smart, I believe in you." Frannie touched Claire's hand.
"Please, Frannie, I don't need anymore pressure. I was hoping since both you and Stuart were immune that you would pass that immunity off to Peter. I'm still hoping that it's something temporary." Claire patted Frannie's hand, "I'll keep you posted. I still have my notes from when I was at the CDC with Darien, so I know the answer is in there somewhere. I just need to keep running tests." Claire stood up, "In the meantime, get some rest."
"You too." Frannie said with a smile.
Claire smiled and walked out of the room. She headed back to the lab to continue her research.
"Well, I guess we should have left before the snow fell, huh?" Darien watched the snow fall from the window. It was night time and the fireplace was going. Casey sat on the couch bundled under a blanket. They had been at the house Hobbes found for a couple months during Darien's recuperation.
Hobbes put another log in the fire, and grunted at Darien, "You know what you're problem is, you complain too much. Enjoy life, my friend. You've been given more second chances than anyone I know. You're like a freakin' cat, but with twenty lives."
Darien smiled. He helped Hobbes with another log. Darien poured water into a kettle and hung it over the fire, "Okay, prepare your taste buds for a Fawkes treat, hot cocoa with marshmallows, although it tastes better with hot milk, but water will have to do." Darien paused and thought for a moment, "Do marshmallows go bad?"
"Fawkes, you talk too much," Hobbes rubbed his hands near the fire to warm them up.
"The little marshmellows or the big ones?" Casey asked.
"The little ones," Darien answered as he got under the blanket with Casey. "So, how do you expect us to get back to Boulder in this weather?"
"Snowmobiles, my friend." Hobbes said as he got under the blanket next to Darien. "Okay, Fawkes do that thing you do."
Darien let the quicksilver flow over their bodies. In a moment they were invisible and surrounded by an insulating polymer. The protective coating acted like an insulator trapping their body heat.
"Well, one thing is for sure. I can tell Claire that her theory that the poly thingy does protect us from freezing temperatures and keeps us warm." Darien said.
"It's like having our own thermal blanket," Casey said. She snuggled up closer to Darien.
"Except a thermal blanket doesn't fall asleep on you and then flakes off leaving you exposed to the cold air." Hobbes said.
"Hey, I need my sleep too you know." Darien sneered.
"Well, you're not exactly Sleeping Beauty."
"You snore like an elephant in heat."
"Boys, I think the water is boiling." Casey said interrupting the argument.
Darien and Hobbes looked at each other. "Rock, paper, scissors?" Hobbes asked.
"You're on," Darien replied. Casey shook her head in disbelief.
Darien lost and had to get the water. They enjoyed hot chocolate with marshmallows while they discussed the trip home. They planned on leaving in the morning to get the supplies they needed. Hobbes had found a ski shop with everything they would need for the trip. He hoped that they would be in Boulder in two days or less.
Tom and Stu were already on their way and were only an hour away from Boulder. Tom was excited to be so close to home. Stu was anxious to get back to Frannie.
They pulled up to a road block a short time later. Stu was told that Frannie had the baby and he was taken directly to the hospital. He walked into Frannie's room. Stu stopped and stared at her.
Frannie turned her head and her eyes went wide, "Stu? Please tell me I'm not dreaming?"
"You're not dreamin', darlin'," Stu approached her and they hugged.
Claire came running in, "Oh my God," she covered her mouth with her hand, "Please, Stu tell me," Claire prepared herself.
Stu shook his head, "I didn't see 'em, but Tom did. They were in Las Vegas," Stu got up to hug Claire, "Tom left before the explosion, so we don't really know for sure if they were still there."
Claire shook her head, "I understand…" Claire swallowed hard, "But they would have been back by now." Claire turned to walk out and then turned around, "Welcome back, Stu." She left and ran down the hall.
Stu turned back around and saw that Frannie was crying. "Oh darlin'," Stu took her into arms.
"I feel so guilty," Frannie looked at Stu, "You came back, why didn't Bobby?"
"Look, we don't know for sure. My dreams stopped the night of explosion. Tom still had his but later they stopped for him too."
George Richardson came in, "Welcome back, Stu."
"Doc Richardson, how's Peter?" Frannie asked with a fearful tone.
"That's what I came to tell you, Frannie. Peter is fine; looks like the worst had passed. He's going to be just fine."
Stu helped Frannie up and they both went to see the baby. Lucy walked in with Joe a few moments later. Stu told her what had happened and she accepted the news.
The following day, Claire decided not to go in to work. She sat in the basement looking at the new dentist chair Hobbes had brought in. Darien of course was disgusted about the chair. Claire smiled at the makeshift lab the three of them had put together in secret. She didn't know why she kept it up but she still had that feeling deep down inside. Even though at times her hope faded, she still held on.
Claire was startled from her daydream when she heard a car horn. She ran upstairs and put her coat on. Claire opened the front door and saw a car leading three snowmobiles. She thought that at first someone had been injured. She walked down the steps carefully towards the street.
"Claire!!!"
Claire stopped, she recognized that voice. At first she didn't move, she was frozen right where she stood. She watched as the one who called out her name pull down the parka hood to expose his face.
"Claire!!" Hobbes started to run.
"Bobby!?! Oh my God!!" Claire walked quickly to him.
Darien and Casey watched and smiled at each other. They hugged each other and decided to join Hobbes and Claire.
Some people came out of their homes and ran across the street. Tom had heard the car honking and wanted to check it out. When he saw Hobbes his face lit up. He knew that Darien had to be close by. He yelled out, "Bobby!!"
Darien turned his head in Tom's direction and pulled off the hood on his parka, "Big guy!!!"
Tom stopped dead in his tracts and stared. He snapped out of it and ran towards Darien. "Oh crap!" Darien exclaimed as he was snatched up in a bear hug. Casey laughed.
"Tom Cullen is happy, laws yes! I thought you were dead…m-o-o-n that spells dead." Tom squeezed Darien even tighter.
Darien coughed, "I will be if you don't let up."
"I saw you in the cage, Darien. It scared me, laws yes." Tom looked sad.
"What? Wait…you were in Las Vegas?" Darien questioned.
"I'll have Stu explain that one," Claire said, "Now come here and let me hit you for leaving."
"It's okay, Keepie, he learned his lesson," Hobbes said. He hugged Claire again. This time he didn't want to let go, he wanted to hold her forever.
"Okay, this is great and all, but I've spent the last day and half on this thing and my butt hurts. Can we take this inside?" Darien said rubbing his rear.
The whole group went inside. Darien introduced Casey and Claire was happy that another doctor had arrived. Claire took her parka jacket off and Hobbes eyes went wide, "Claire!! You're…"
"Yes, Bobby, I'm pregnant," Claire said smiling.
"Is it…am I…?" Hobbes stuttered.
"Yes, Bobby, you're going to be a father." Claire hugged Bobby.
Hobbes let go of Claire to feel her tummy. "I don't believe this…me…a father."
"You the man!" Darien low fived Hobbes. "Whoa…check it out…a little Hobbesy."
Stories were swapped about what happened in Boulder and in Las Vegas. Hobbes and Darien left out the more confidential parts of their story. Some more people come over for the reunion including Stu. They sat and talked for hours. By midnight the whole town knew that Darien and Hobbes had returned safe and sound.
Stu had been put back in charge of the new committee and he called for a meeting to be held the following evening. The town had grown so much that they could no longer meet at the small lodge they had before. Now the town meetings were held at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Stu got up and shooed everyone out so that Claire and Hobbes could spend some time alone. Claire was grateful; she didn't want to be rude and kick people out. Claire sat back down and saw that Darien was in deep thought. "Darien, what's on your mind?"
Darien looked around the room, "What if Captain Trips wasn't completely the military's handy work?"
"What you talkin' about, Fawkes?" Hobbes asked.
"Okay, look, Allianora tried to warn me that something was going happen, but she died right? And we know that Chrysalis was freezing the scientists. I mean, what if this is what they were planning?"
Claire was taking in every word that Darien spoke, "Darien, I don't think…" Claire paused, she thought about it some more, "At first I'd say it was far fetched, but I think you're on to some thing."
"There you go." Darien said pointing to Claire, "I mean think about it…Captain Trips kills what…maybe 80% or less of the population. Now Chrysalis has only 20% of the population to contend with, but they also have all the smart people frozen."
"Yeess…protecting them from the flu." Hobbes said, "But if they unfroze the popsicles, wouldn't they be exposed to the flu like the rest of us?"
"Yes, Bobby they would…unless they were inoculated before the freezing process. That would mean that Chrysalis would have a vaccine." Claire said.
"Bingo…now that's what I'm talking about," Darien said. "Allianora said that something big was going to happen and that's why they were taking the scientists. Just look at the ones they took, they were from any and every specialty under the sun."
Claire shook her head, "The ones they would need to start a society all over again."
"Yeah, but a society based on Chrysalis doctrine." Darien said.
"Okay, I know I'm late in the game but I don't understand a thing you are talking about. Who's Chrysalis?" Casey asked. She had sat and listened to the whole exchange. The things she heard though worried her.
"I'll have to explain that one to you later," Darien said as he patted Casey on her leg.
"Well, there's only one way to find out if what you're saying is true, my friend," Hobbes said. "We'll have to go back to San Diego and investigate the cocoon people."
"When do we leave?" Claire asked.
"ASAP, we shouldn't sit on this too long. Can you travel?" Hobbes asked Claire.
"Yeah, I can travel." Claire said.
Hobbes filled in the missing parts of their story that they told earlier to Claire. He told her everything from Flagg putting Darien into QSM to him shooting Hobbes and then taking off for Boulder.
Claire looked at Darien, "What were you supposed to do here?"
"Do as much damage as I could in a month, like poison the water, you know, your run of the mill mayhem and then get out. He was going to send in the planes to blow this whole city off the face of the earth." Darien looked down at his hands that were folded on his lap. He didn't want to tell Claire the things he imagined he would do to her when he arrived. All of that was still fresh in his mind. "The weird thing is the madness wasn't like before. This time it was like I could see his mind. Not read his mind like ESP, but see it. All his plans, what he wanted to do. This dude was not stacking a full deck."
"A french fry short of a happy meal," Hobbes added.
"The lights were on but nobody was home."
"The elevator didn't reach the top floor."
"He was a sandwich shy of a picnic."
"He made as much sense as a screen door on a submarine." Hobbes winked.
"Okay…I think we got it!" Claire exclaimed. Her head fell into her hands as she moved her head back and forth.
Casey sat back and laughed, "They do this a lot don't they?"
"Yes," Claire said through gritted teeth, "And it's very annoying."
After they spent some time together, Darien and Casey decided it was time to leave. They went to Darien's house next door. When they walked inside it was nice and warm. He was thankful that Stu had gone over and turned the furnace on. Darien picked up Casey and carried her upstairs and into his bedroom. He set her down, they hugged and he held her close. "I don't want to let you go," Darien whispered in her ear.
"Then don't," Casey pressed her mouth against his.
Hobbes and Claire undressed and got under the warm covers. "That was some story, Bobby."
"Yeah, that part is over, but it looks like what's left of the agency is still in business." Bobby turned off the light and held Claire close.