The Chilly November Night
By Ms. Kinnikufan
Disclaimer: Pixar owns Scott, Thunderhead and Rick Dicker. The kids are mine though.
Scott has been sitting on the sofa all night. The kids have been waiting too, but they have fallen asleep. Little Holly was able to still awake the longest, but even she nodded off about two hours ago.
Nick (better known as Thunderhead) left at 3:33 pm yesterday. It' was now 2:34 AM. He should have been home by now.
He's stuck with paperwork, Scott tells himself. Nick has always been bad at reading and writing.
The doorbell rings. An ominous sign. Nick doesn't need to ring for he does live here after all.
Scott hesitates. He stares at the door, as if would erase the bad news that Scott is almost sure that it brings.
The doorbell rings again. Scott stares blankly.
Holly wakes up and rubs her eyes. The doorbell rings again, this time more impatiently.
Holly runs up and grabs the doorknob, standing on her tippy-toes.
"You're suppose to get the doorbell when it rings." Holly admonishes.
Outside the household of Scott Angierston, Nick Thor and the five children, stood a stoney face Rick Dicker.
"Ummm, Rick, I guess I better let you in." Scott pushed his slipping glasses back up.
Scott and Rick found themselves in the kitchen, the place where major tragedies are usually revealed.
Rick held the cup of coffee that Scott had just poured for him with both hands.
"Scott..." Rick hesitates as he feels the stares of Elizabeth, Sarah, Craig, Darash and Holly penetrate his very soul.
"Maybe the kids should go in the other room." Rick continues.
"No." Scott voice is firm despite the many worries running through his mind.
"If it's bad news, the kids deserve to know it."
"Nick is dead. Children, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Rick's voice shakes with every word.
"Kids. Go to bed. Now." Scott commands.
"What shit is this? We've just been told that Dad's dead and you tell us to go to bed?" Darash was oldest (15 years) and yet the second youngest (adopted after Craig, but before Holly).
"Don't use that language with me, young man. Go to bed. All of you. Right now or so help me-" Scott did not speak the word "God" out loud , it is not appropriate for his religion. Scott's tone is emotionless, which unnerves Darash.
Elizabeth, Sarah, Craig, and Holly obediently slink off to their respective bedrooms, still very confused and upset.
Darash stood his ground.
"Don't you care, you bas-" Darash screams, making his younger sibling hide under their blankets in their respective bedrooms.
"Go. To. Bed. Now. Darash!" Scott screams each word individually. The children are now hiding under their beds and some of the neighbors turned on their lights.
Darash goes upstairs, but not before giving Scott the finger.
Scott started to unload the dishwasher.
"Scott are you okay?" People aren't suppose to start unloading the dishwasher when you tell them that someone has just died.
"The dishwasher didn't get all the gunk off this one. Damn macaroni and cheese." Scott tried to scrape a stuck on particle of food off a plate. It's a useless effort.
"Scott?"
Scott went into the laundry room. Rick followed him.
"Scott, We really should talk."
Scott dumped a load of laundry in the washer, followed by the detergent.
"How do we amass so many dirty socks?" Scott asked no one.
The washing machine went on with a shrill beep and a wish-wish.
"Scott we really should talk. Simon said he would help make sure you retain custody of the children."
"You told, Gazerbeam, the man with the personality of a pine cone, before you told his own family?" Scoot does not take his eyes off the washing machine.
"We wanted to make sure he was actually dead before we told anyone. Simon was one of the people looking for his-"
"Remains? Where is his body?" Scott still faces the washing machine.
Rick coughs uncomfortably.
Scott finally turns to face Rick.
"There is a body, right? Because we need a body to have the funeral!" Rick thought Scott sounded like a little boy seeking mommy's reassurance that things would be okay.
"Scott, I'm sorry. He was caught in the missile's explosion. There wasn't enough of him to bury. He probably didn't feel any pain-"
"But we have to have a funeral! We have to have a place to visit him! To remember him! It's like he never existed at all if he doesn't have a damn gravestone, Rick! He existed! He had importance! Great importance!" -
As the Thor children listen to Scott's screams, they all shared one thought: what's going to happen to me?
Next Chapter: Further ramifications of Thunderhead's death are explored and we learn how all the Thor Children came to be adopted.