Chapter 9
Max and Becky are talking.
"Wait, wait, what are you talking' about? Disappearing under their noses?" Max asked.
"Look, I know a place where nobody will be able to find you, where you'll be comfortable." Becky said.
"Oh, come on, Becky." Max said.
"No, just listen to me, okay? There's a shed at the back of the property, and it's completely secluded." Becky said.
"How do you know about that?" Max asked.
"My one friends used to one time." Becky said.
"And you want me to use it as a hideout?" Max asked.
"Yeah, just think about it. If you disappear, everyone will automatically assume that you took off to be with your dad, you know? Or went to Europe to be with your friends. But it'll never occur to them to look for you right here in town." Becky said.
"I can't stay in there day and night." Max said.
"Why not? I can bring you food, make sure you have everything you need. Look, it's perfect, okay? You'll never have to leave... and most importantly... I won't have to lose you." Becky said.
With Gosalyn she's breathing very hard.
"Have to find….Becky." She said.
She sits up and pulls the IV and oxygen off of her. Get out of bed and slowly heads to the door. She's breathing very hard and looks out the door. She sees her dad and everybody talking away. Gosalyn grabs a hat and a jacket and walks out of the door.
Out with the others.
"Dr. Duck, with all due respect, I realize you're doing everything you can, but it's not working. Maybe it's time we start looking into other alternatives." Drake said.
"Mr. Mallard, I understand your frustration, but I must warn you.." Dr. Duck said.
The nurse walked up to him.
"Dr. Duck, Gosalyn's temperature is spiking again." The nurse said.
"How high is it?" Olivia said.
"103.2." The nurse said.
"Oh, no, it can't be. It has to come down. Doctor..." Grandma said.
"I've already ordered another antibiotic treatment in case this happened. Please start that immediately." Olivia said.
"Yes doctor." The nurse said.
The nurse walked back into Gosalyn's room.
"Look, just give it to us straight. We're running out of time, aren't we?" Drake asked.
"Drake, don't say that." Grandma said.
"I'm just being realistic." Drake said.
"I don't want to be realistic. I just want my granddaughter to get well." Grandma said.
"And with any luck, she will. We're in a very crucial time frame. Yes, we need to see improvement soon, but there's more we can do. I haven't given up hope and neither should you." Olivia said.
"I'm not. I won't." Grandma said.
"And I won't either, mom. There is no way that I am giving up on my little girl, but…" Drake trailed on.
"Drake, I don't want to hear that, okay? I just want to see my granddaughter." Grandma said.
Back with Max and Becky.
" I can't let you do it, Becky. I can't let you take that risk." Max said.
"Look, I won't get caught, okay? Don't worry." Becky said.
"Okay, you know what? I know you say that now, but what do you think your parents are gonna say if they find out that you were helping me out?" Max asked.
"I know how to handle my parents. Trust me. They won't suspect a thing." Becky said.
"You know, its--its--it's crazy. I mean, I can't just hide out in a shed forever." Max said.
"It'll only be for a few days, okay? Until we can figure out what to do next. And maybe by then, things will have cooled off." Becky said.
"Oh, things are not gonna cool off until I'm behind bars." Max said.
"Max, right now, this is your only solution. So are you gonna do it or not?" Becky asked.
Drake and the others walked into the room only to find a missing Gosalyn.
"Where's Gosalyn?" He asked.
"But she was here a minute ago." The nurse said.
Olivia looked around. "Her IV'S disconnected." She said.
"Well, what does that mean?" grandma asked.
"She couldn't have just gotten up and walked away, could she?" Drake asked.
"I don't know." Olivia said.
"Oh, you don't know. What kind of a place is this! Where is my daughter?" Drake asked.
"Drake, take it easy. I'm sure she's close by" Morgana said.
"I'll find her." Drake said.
"Drake, I'm coming with you." Grandma said.
"No, mom you stay here just incase she shows up." Drake said.
Minutes later Launch Pad comes walking back.
"I can't find Gosalyn anywhere nearby." Launch Pad said.
"She can't just get up out of bed, unplug her I.V. and go walking off! Where is she?" Drake asked.
"I don't know. I don't know, but she has to be in this building. We're gonna find her." Morgana said.
Morgan looked and spotted her jacket was missing.
"Oh, my god. Drake, my coat. My coat is gone. I left it sitting right here... on top of the albums. It's gone." Morgana said.
Drake just stood there.
"We'd better tell Dr. Duck." Morgana said.
"Oh, my God." Drake said.
The two of them head out of the room.
"That's right. Send somebody up to I.C.U. immediately. Security is on the way." Olivia said as she hung up the phone.
"Good. We should call the police, too. We think Gosalyn may have left the building." Morgana said.
"What kind of danger would Gosalyn actually be in if she left the hospital?" Drake asked.
"I'm sure I don't have to tell you Gosalyn needs to be on those antibiotics. And with her fever as high as it is, it's possible that Gosalyn could be delirious and not thinking clearly." Olivia said.
"Which means she could be putting herself in danger." Grandma said.
"I'm afraid so." Olivia said.
"We're gonna find her, okay? I know it." Drake said.
A nurse walked up to them.
"Mr. Mallard? The attendant at the front desk saw a girl matching your daughter's description leaving the hospital a little while ago." She said.
"Well, why didn't she stop her?" Drake asked.
"She only caught a glimpse of her sir. She saw no reason to sound the alarm." The nurse said.
"All right, I'm gonna call the Muddle foots and tell them to keep an eye out, Gosalyn might be heading home." Launch Pad said.
With Max and Becky at the shed.
"You sure you want to do this?" Max asked.
"It's the only way." Becky said.
"Okay, I'll give it a shot." Max said.
"Look, you will get through this, okay? You have to. I just don't know what I would do if they locked you up." Becky said.
"You really think it's a good idea?" Max asked.
"Well, it's a lot better than you leaving the country. That can get you in so much trouble." Becky said.
"Hmm, yeah, sure. More trouble than I'm in now, right?" Max asked.
"You would be breaking a lot more laws." Becky said.
"Yeah, but it would be better than being in jail." Max said.
"Max, you would be on the run for the rest of your life. You would never be able to see anyone you care about ever again-- your mom, your dad... me. You would be totally alone. I mean, is that really what you want?" Becky asked.
"I guess I should start packing'." Max said.
With The Muddle foots.
"Herb, it's me. Listen, Gosalyn's missing. She's left the hospital. We think she may be headed to the house, but we don't know for sure." Launch Pad said.
"Did you call the police? You stay right there. We'll be over, okay?" Herb said.
Binki looked at him worried.
"What's happened?" Binki asked.
"Gosalyn's missing." Herb said.
"What! How is that possible?" Honker asked.
"I don't know. Let's go." Herb said.
"Oh, my God." Binki said.
They all ran out there house.
Weber is with them at the hospital.
"I can assure you, Mr. Mallard, I have officers patrolling the neighborhood. If Gosalyn did leave the hospital, they'll find her." Weber said.
"Well, I hope you told them about her condition." Grandma said.
"The officers will respond appropriately, ma'am. They are under explicit instructions to get her back here immediately" Weber said.
"I can't emphasize this enough, detective. Gosalyn's situation is very serious. She just had surgery, and her fever was already too high. If it goes any higher..." Olivia said.
"Okay, I need both of you to think back. Did Gosalyn mention anything she needed to take care of? Anywhere she needed to be?" Weber asked.
"Not to me." Grandma said.
"I can't, for the life of me, even imagine why she would get out of bed. But here's someone who might. Ali." Morgana said.
Ali came walking up to them.
"Mr. Mallard, I was just going in to see Gosalyn. Is that okay?" Ali asked.
"Gosalyn's not here, Ali." Morgana said.
Ali was shocked to hear that.
"Where is she?" Ali asked.
"That's what I'm hoping you can tell me." Morgana said.
"Ali, please, do you have any idea where Gosalyn is?" Grandma asked.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Mallard. I didn't even know she was gone." Ali said.
"Well, did she tell you anything, give you any hint as to where she might go if she were to leave?" Morgana asked.
Ali shook her head.
"No." She replied.
"Are you sure? Because now is not the time to be keeping secrets, young lady." Weber asked.
"That's right. Your friend's condition is very delicate. We need to get her back on antibiotics as soon as possible." Olivia said.
"Please, you're her best friend. I'm sure Gosalyn will forgive you. Anything you could say could save her." Grandma said.
"I really don't know anything, I swear. The only thing I can think is she might have gone to see Max Duck." Ali said.
Drake neared his eyes when he heard that.
"I'll be back." Drake said.
He turned away and walked out of the hospital.
With Max and Becky.
"Okay, I think I've got everything I need. I grabbed my passport, too. That way everyone will think that I left the country." Max said.
"Good thinking." Becky said.
"Yeah, well, you know, it's good to have. You never know what's gonna happen." Max said.
"I just... I wish it didn't have to be like this." Becky said.
"You get to visit me." Max said.
"Yeah, for now. You know, but what if things get worse? And what if you do have to leave town and we can't see each other ever again?" Becky said.
"You know what? You know what? Don't even think about that. Let's just take this one day at a time and see what happens, okay?" Max said.
His cell phone rang, Max grabbed it.
"It's my mom again. This is the third time she's calling me. You think she gets the hint that I don't want to talk to her" Max said.
"Well, maybe you should answer it, 'cause it could be important." Becky said.
Max sighed and answered it.
"Hello?" Max asked.
"Max, I'm glad I got a hold of you." His mom said.
"Whoa, whoa, Mom, Mom, easy. What's up?" Max asked.
"Um, things just got more complicated. Gosalyn has left the hospital. She's missing." Diana said.
"Gosalyn's missing?" Becky asked.
Max nodded his head.
"That's what my mom just said on the phone a minute ago." Max said.
"So what does this mean?" Becky asked.
"I don't know, but it can't be good for me." Max said.
"No, no, no, this could be good, 'cause if she's out of bed walking around, that means she's getting better, right?" Becky asked.
"Yeah, I guess you could be right." Max replied.
The doorbell rang and Max answered it. Drake was on the other side.
"Have you seen Gosalyn?" Drake asked.
"No, no. Why? Why? Did she say she was coming to see me?" Max asked.
"She left the hospital without saying a word, but it's possible she's looking for you." Drake said.
"How would she know where to look?" Max asked.
"I found you twice." Drake said.
"Yeah. How?" Max asked.
"Don't worry about that. Now I'm gonna ask you this one time, and you better not lie to me, kid. What is going on between you and my daughter?" Drake asked.
Back at the hospital.
"Are you sure they didn't change security guards at the front entrance?" Morgana asked.
"I'm very sure. The shift isn't over for another two hours." The nurse said.
"Okay, well, when that does change, you tell them that she was wearing a trench coat. She might even have my hat on her head to hide the bandage." Morgana said.
"We've told security. We're keeping an eye out for your daughter." The nurse said.
"Thank you." Morgana said.
Herb, Binki and Honker walked into the hospital.
"Any news?" Herb asked.
Morgana shook her head.
"No, no, no. Everyone keeps saying they're doing their best, but no one can seem to find Gosalyn." Morgana said.
Gosalyn is on a bus, she's shaking and rocking back and forth feeling out of it.
A lady looks at her.
"Are you okay, Miss? Are you cold?" She asked.
"What, um, bus is this?" Gosalyn asked.
"I'm taking the 125 to Market Square. Where are you trying to go?" The lady asked.
Gosalyn was starting to lose it.
"That's, uh, that's okay. I'm fine." Gosalyn said.
Back with Drake and Max.
"I'm not really sure what you're asking' me." Max said.
Drake narrowed his eyes at Max.
"Don't you play games with me. You know exactly what I'm asking you. What is the deal between you and my daughter?" Drake asked.
"There is no deal." Max said.
"You are lying. Gosalyn's friend Ali told me that she has a big crush on you, and if she left the hospital, it's probably so she could find you." Drake said.
"Why?" Max asked.
"That's what I'm trying to find out." Drake said.
"Okay, Mr. Mallard, I can see you're freaked and I understand that, but I can't help you. I have no idea where Gosalyn is." Max said.
"What were you doing at the hospital today?" Drake asked.
"I was trying to tell Gosalyn that I'm sorry." Max said.
"That's it?" Drake asked.
"Okay, you know what? This may come as a surprise to you, but I hardly know your daughter. I see her at school and we've said hello a time or two. Every now and then, I run into her at the coffeehouse when I'm with my friends, but there's nothing going on between us. We are not close at all." Max said.
"And yet, you talked her into skipping school with you, and you gave her a lift home. So you can see why I'm not believing you." Drake said.
"You know, I don't think I should answer any more of your questions." Max said.
"Is that because you have something to hide?" Drake asked.
"No. Because my lawyer wouldn't want me to." Max said.
"All right, let me tell you something, punk. My daughter is in serious condition and if she doesn't get back to the hospital soon, she's gonna die." Drake said.
"What?" Becky said.
"That's right? So if you're hiding anything.." Drake said.
"I am not, I swear. I hate that this happened, but I have no idea where your daughter is. If you want me to help you look for her, I will." Max said.
"No. I think you've done enough already." Drake said.
Gosalyn is on the bus still breathing heavily.
"I got to find Becky. Tell her that Max tried to rape me. Got to find Becky tell her that Max tried to rape me…" She kept telling her self.
Drake comes walking back into the hospital.
"Anything?" Drake asked.
"No." Morgana said.
"I went to see Max. He swears he has no idea where Gosalyn is or why she would have been looking for him." Drake said.
"Like I believe anything that jerk says. Drake, our daughter's out there. She's probably alone, she's delirious. What if her temperature goes up? Without her antibiotics..." Morgana said.
"You have to go back out and keep looking." Grandma said.
"Wait a minute. I left my cell phone in the trench coat that she's wearing." Morgana said.
"You did?" Drake asked.
"I don't know why I didn't think of that before. My cell phone! My cell phone!" Morgana said.
"Go to the phone right now and call her. Call that number right now." Grandma ordered.
"Yes of course." Morgana said.
With Gosalyn her cell phone rang, she gets off the bus and stands there.
Gosalyn pulls it out of the pocket and turns it on.
"Hello?" Gosalyn asked weakly.
"Gosalyn! Gosalyn!" Morgana exclaimed.
"Morgana?" Gosalyn asked.
"Gosalyn? Honey is that you?" Morgana asked.
"Morgana.." Gosalyn trailed on as she was feeling dizzy.
"Oh, dear God. Sweetie, where are you?" Morgana asked.
"I don't feel so good." Gosalyn said.
"Well, honey, you have to be here in the hospital. We'll come get you. Where are you?" Morgana asked.
"I have to find Becky… I have to warn her." Gosalyn said.
The phone went dead.
"Gosalyn? Honey, what did you say? Honey, I couldn't hear. Gosalyn! Oh, God, I think I lost her. Gosalyn!" Morgana exclaimed.
Max and Becky are at the coffee shop.
"There's no way Gosalyn's gonna be here. I'm telling you, her dad is gonna have this whole town on red alert by now." Max said.
"We should at least check it out. She does come here a lot." Becky said.
"You've got a point." Max said.
They walked up a guy.
"Hey, uh, have you by any chance seen Gosalyn Mallard?" Max asked.
"It's an emergency." Becky said.
"Last I heard she was still in the hospital." The guy said.
"No, no, she ditched." Max said.
"What!" The guy asked.
"She got up and walked out earlier tonight. Look, she is in big trouble, okay?" Max said.
"And no one knows where she is." Becky said.
"Look, if you see her, can you call 911?" Max asked.
"Yeah, absolutely, man." The guy said.
"Thank you." Becky said.
With Morgana and the others.
"Oh, God, now I'm just getting voice mail. I heard her. It was Gosalyn. She sounded weak, and she sounded confused. Oh, God! What am I gonna do!" Morgana said.
"She didn't say where she was?" Launch Pad asked.
"She was just about to and then the phone went dead." Morgana said.
"Give me the phone. Give me the phone." Drake said.
Morgana handed the phone to Drake.
Gosalyn is walking around town.
"I have to find Becky. I have to find Becky." She said.
Some guy bumped into her as she tried to catch her breath.
"Hey watch it girl." The guy said as he walked by.
'My head, it's killing me.' She thought to herself.
Back in the hospital Weber walked to them.
"Paul Williams got a hold of the cell phone company. They located the area in which Gosalyn is. Now it's a rather large area, but they're on their way now, okay?" Weber said.
"Oh, God, I just pray to God that she doesn't move and they can get to her in time. One day, we're gonna look back on this with Gosalyn, right? I'm about to explode. My daughter's out there somewhere all by herself. She needs to be in here in the hospital hooked up to that I.V. and on her antibiotics" Drake said.
Gosalyn is standing by a building breathing very hard.
"Becky.. Becky.." Gosalyn trailed on.
Some body else walked up to her.
"Are you okay Miss? Should I call somebody?" The person asked.
Gosalyn shook her head. "No thanks, I'll be fine." She said.
A nurse walked up to them.
"Mr. Mallard just called he found you're daughter. They're bringing her back to hospital." The nurse said.
"Oh, my God. Is she okay?" Grandma asked. asked.
Gosalyn found Max and Becky.
"Becky, I have…" Gosalyn said.
"Gosalyn?" Becky asked.
Drake ran up to her.
"You stay away from her!" He exclaimed.
Drake glared at Max.
"Come on Gosalyn. You need to go back to the hospital." Drake said.
"NO! I can't leave! I have to talk to Becky." Gosalyn said.
"Gosalyn, you need to go back to the hospital. We can talk later I promise." Becky said.
"Sweetheart, you're gonna be just fine. I just got to get you to the hospital right now." Drake said.
"No, no." Gosalyn cried.
"Come on, come on." Drake said.
"No, don't let him take me! Please don't' let him take me." Gosalyn said.
"Gosalyn, you got to go with your dad. He's just trying to help you." Becky said.
"The party! The rape!" Gosalyn exclaimed.
Drake cleared at Max when Gosalyn cried that out.
Just then she fell down into Drake's arms.
"Oh, my God. Somebody help! Somebody help!" Max exclaimed.
The paramedics ran into the coffee shop.
"How longs she been like this?" One asked.
"She just fell out." Drake said.
"I got no radial. She's got a real weak brachial." One said as he checked Gosalyn out.
"Left pupil's blown." The other said.
"What are the previous injuries from, sir?" The one asked.
"A car accident." Drake said.
They put her in a stretcher and carried her away.
They put her in the ambulance and they drove back to the hospital.
Drake is looking at Gosalyn and remembering when Gosalyn first called him dad.
"Can I, Drake? Can I call you Daddy?" Gosalyn asked.
"I'd love that" Drake said.
"Wow. I finally have a real dad. I've always wanted one." Gosalyn said.
"Well, you know what? I always wished I had a daughter. Now I have one." Drake said.
"I can't believe it. I'm gonna be Gosalyn Mallard." Gosalyn said.
Drake snapped out of it and looked at her.
"I don't think any word's ever meant as much to me. You will make it Gosalyn. I know you will. You are not a quitter." Drake said.
They arrived at the hospital.
Morgana and the others saw her.
"Oh, my God. Baby? Gosalyn? Honey? Grand mommy's right here, baby." Grandma said.
"Oh, my God. What is going on in there? Why won't they let us in?" Morgana said.
"I should be in there with her. My granddaughter needs me. She needs to know that grandma is here for her." Grandma said.
"Mom you are here." Morgana said.
"No, but I mean, in the room holding her hand. Gosalyn needs to feel my energy, my love." Grandma said.
"We all want to be by her side. Right now, we have to let the doctors do what they do, okay?" Morgana said.
"I know, it's just..." Grandma said.
Just then the doctor walked up to them.
"Uh… guys. I'm not going to lie to you. But uh..it will be a miracle if she makes it through the night." Olivia said.
They all looked at each other. "My baby." Drake cried.
They all headed into Gosalyn's room.
Drake took a deep breath before walking in.
"Hey sport." Drake said.
Gosalyn just smiled at him and they walked into her room.
Drake walked over to her bed and sat down.
"You know I love you right?" Drake asked.
Gosalyn nodded her head.
Morgana and Grandma, Victoria was crying.
"Would you like me to sing a lullaby?" Drake asked.
She nodded her head again.
"Okay, I haven't sung it in a long time. So I might be little rusty.
Rest you're head little girl blue, come paint you're dreams on you're pillow. I'll be near to chase fear. So… sleep now and dream till tomorrow. I'll be near to chase away fear, so sleep now and dream till tomorrow…" He sung.
Gosalyn slowly closed her eyes and fell asleep.
Drake kissed her on the forehead. "God, please don't take her away from me. I don't know what I'll do if I lose her." Drake cried.
Everybody cried at the end of the song, slowly they fell asleep.
The next morning..
Gosalyn slowly woke up and looked around.
"Man, what a bunch of lazy bones." She said.
She pulls a pillow and throws it at her dad.
"Hey! Wake up!" She exclaimed.
Drake was startled when the pillow hit him.
"What the?" He asked.
He then looked at Gosalyn and gasped.
"Gosalyn!" He exclaimed.
He gave her a huge bear hug.
"Everybody wake up! Gosalyn's alive!" Drake exclaimed.
They all woke up and they too gasped at Gosalyn.
"Oh my god!" Grandma said.
"I'll go get the doctor." Morgana said.
She ran out of the room.
Drake was in tears. "My prayers have been answered." Drake said.
Dr. Duck walked into the room with a big smile.
"Wow, Gosalyn, you sure fooled us." Dr. Duck said.
Gosalyn smiled. "Yeah I fooled myself too." She said.
"Lets check you're temperature." Dr. Duck said.
She walked over to Gosalyn and felt her head.
"You're temperature is down." Dr. Duck said.
"Does that mean that I can have REAL food now?" Gosalyn asked.
Everybody chuckled at that.
"Yes, Gosalyn that means you can have real food now." Drake chuckled.
"Mr. Mallard, do you think you want to sign the release papers?" Olivia asked.
Drake got a big grin on his face.
"All right." Drake said.
Drake and Olivia walked out of the room, Grandma and Morgana sat on Gosalyn's bed.
"You're coming home" Grandma exclaimed.
Gosalyn had tears in her eyes. "I am so happy." She said.
She thought she saw Max looking in her room.
To Be Continued.