My Master Howard Chapter 9 Changes Afoot, an i dream of jeannie fanfic

CHAPTER 9 – CHANGES AFOOT

"You have not told him yet! And why not?" Patty was aghast over something Howard had just told her.

"I never had the opportunity – I didn't know how."

"And now we have got this other to tell him," Patty lamented. "Well, get Patrick's diaper bag and we will go now."

"NOW? But-"

"We will go by BLINK, Master. My powers have been back since Patrick was a day old," Patty reminded him. "He is now 8 days old and I am able to blink us long distances. No more excuses. We will go NOW."

"But-"

She grabbed the diaper bag and the baby, stood next to Howard before he could object any further, and blinked them from the Chicago apartment to the front of Howie's home in Minneapolis. She handed the diaper bag to Howard and rang Howie's doorbell.

Barbara answered the door, with a 16-month old boy toddling behind her. She noticed Patty first, and then looked up at her father-in-law. "Howard! Patty? Why didn't you tell us you were coming? Come in, please!"

"Thank you," Patty answered, and the three came in.

"Howie! Your dad is here!"

Howie bounded down the stairs, picking up his son so he wouldn't dart outside. "Dad? You didn't tell us you were flying in."

"Well – it was a – last minute decision. I hope it's all right," Howard ventured. "You remember Patty, right? Patty – you remember Howie and Barbara? And this is my grandson, Nicholas." He picked up Nicholas. "Oh! You're heav – you're getting heavier!"

"He's a big boy for his age," Howie bragged. "Hi, Patty, good to see you again."

"We have two pieces of news, Howie, Barbara – that's what we came to tell you. Well…three."

"Let's all go in the living room," Barbara said, trying to see if that was a baby that Patty was carrying. They all went in and sat down. Howie put Nicholas on the floor in front of some of his toys.

"You all haven't been told … Patty and I were married in June," Howard dropped that bombshell first.

Howie and Barbara just stared at first. "Why didn't you tell us, Dad? Or invite us?"

Patty answered that one. "We were married overseas. I am from the mid-east, and the ceremony is quite private in my country."

"Eventually we'll have a ceremony here in the United States, but we've been a little…busy," Howard continued. "Um – Howie…" Howard picked up Patrick from Patty, and brought him over to his oldest son, "this is your brother, Patrick." Howie's eyes grew huge as he took his baby brother from his father.

"DAD? You're both a grandpa and a new dad at the same time?"

Howard grinned from ear to ear, and Patty said, "It will seem strange at family reunions, to hear two little boys crying "Daddy!" and having both of you answer."

"Then … this would be Nicholas'…" Howie was trying to figure it out.

"Patrick is Nicholas' uncle," Howard answered.

Barbara shook her head in shock. "I figured you two would get married, but I thought Howard wouldn't want to be playing Daddy into his 70s."

"We think Patrick will be our one and only," Patty told them.

Howie sat on the sofa, looking in awe at his little brother. "He looks like Nicholas did as a baby, Dad."

"Which means he looks like you, because Nicholas looked just like you, son," Howard was a proud dad and grandpa.

Howie passed the baby to Barbara. Nicholas tried to see. Barbara said, "Nicholas, this is Patrick. You two can play together when he's a little older. Patrick what?"

Patty smiled. "We took a tip from you. Patrick Howard Borden. It will keep that name in the family."

Barbara suddenly thought of something. "Gee, Howie, now we know where all those outgrown clothes and toys can go – Patrick will get them!"

"Sounds good to me! So…Dad…." Howie was a little afraid to broach this, "…what's the third thing you wanted to tell us?" He was afraid his dad might tell him there was another baby somewhere, or maybe bad news.

"Oh. We're … moving."

"Moving? Are you finally getting out of that apartment and buying a house? You should have done that, years ago, Dad!" Howie was relieved.

"Well…we ARE going to buy a house … but it will be in Houston." Howard said.

"HOUSTON! As in Texas?"

"Yes. I'm not going to fly regularly any more. I made one big mistake, son, one I don't want to make again. I didn't get to see you grow up. Your mom once accused me of letting our marriage break up because I was always gone. She was right. It split our marriage, and I didn't get to see much of you. I'm not going to make that mistake with Patrick." That was a long speech, for Howard.

"So what will you do in Houston?"

"That's my airline's headquarters, you know. I've got a new position there in the downtown corporate office starting in May. I'll fly often enough to keep up my qualifications, but most every night I'll be home."

The Sr. Bordens left the home of the Jr. Bordens a few hours later, blinking home to the apartment in Chicago. Barbara looked out the window to see them leave, and was surprised to see them gone. "Howie – they've already gone. How could they leave so fast?"

Howie shook his head. "Things have happened so fast – my dad married a third time, a new baby at HIS age – gosh, he'll be 54 next week – and they're moving. If they just … pop out … I don't think it would surprise me." He was still mulling everything over. "And my dad not flying? He's been flying since long before I was born! My mom says she didn't think I'd even exist if it weren't for the airline strike of 1964. I wonder how Dad knocked Patty up so fast!"

Back in Chicago, Patty tucked a sleeping Patrick into a crib that was in the living room, rubbed his back and said, "Goodnight, my sweet one." Howard added his loving backrub. He took his wife by her hand, and in the middle of the living room, he pulled her into an embrace.

"Patty, thanks."

"For what?"

"For helping me tonight. I don't know why, but I was so scared to tell Howie about Patrick, and about our move. But he took it so well … I think it was your magic."

"ME! I did not blink!"

"Not that kind of magic, honey. You have a way about you that makes people feel good. I think it happened tonight." Howard hugged his wife and kissed her. "You make me feel so young – you and Patrick."

"Oh, Howard – you ARE young."

"Not compared to you. I love you."

"I love you."

Author's Note: There are four correlations between this story and the private life of actor Bill Daily, who portrayed Howard Borden in The Bob Newhart Show during the 1970s. Two of them were accidental; the others were planned.

As the story took shape in plans, Howard's genie's name was derived from a place in southeast Asia. "Patna" became "Patty" to Howard. It was not until the story was about 3/4ths written that I remembered that Bill Daily's first wife was Patricia. Whether he called her Patricia, Pat, Tricia, Trish, or Patty is unknown. But the naming of this genie for him was coincidental, not purposeful. When "Patty" gave birth to a son, "Patrick" seemed the logical name – and I realized too, belatedly, that Patrick Daily is Bill's son.

Nicholas Borden was born on November 11th in this story. Purposefully, I gave him Patrick Daily's birthday, in fun – before remembering the Patricia/Patna connection.

The second purposeful correlation was giving Howard Borden a very young genie. Not only did I feel it would suit his character quite well, but Bill Daily's current wife is much younger than he. Why did I choose a 28 year difference? Because that's the number of years difference between Bill and his current wife.

For those who are The Bob Newhart Show purists, you may object to the fact that in my story, Howard has become a co-pilot. Yes, he was a navigator in the 1970s series. But research shows that navigation has gone the way of computers (as was hinted at in a second season episode, "The Jobless Corps"), and I would assume that a flyer would qualify to do something else if your job becomes completely extinct.

Jeannie purists might wonder who I picture when I write Haji into a story, since the show and the reunion movie used different men to portray Haji. Frankly, I still picture Abraham Sofaer, the original Haji, even though by 1988 he had died of congestive heart failure at the age of 91, and this story starts in 1989 and ends in 1991.

Finally, for those that are reading this story and wonder where the other I Dream of Jeannie characters come from (Kashi, Tracy, Skylar, Janae, and so forth), this story ties in with the IDOJ fan-fiction series located on The Jeannie Sisters website (see home page).