The Distraction: Chapter 7

I.

Barbara gently set the phone back into its cradle. "Dean, we've got trouble"

Dean came down the stairs from Ron's room. "Trouble? What kind of trouble?"

Barbara's face twisted in a wry grimace, "The worst kind, Possible trouble."

"That's what I'm asking, what's the…" Dean's eyes opened wide, "Don't tell me, that was Anne."

"Right."

"Kim is awake and demanding to be let out."

"Right again."

"And as soon as she's released she's coming over here."

"Almost a home run," Barbara grinned at her husband, "You missed one base. Anne is coming with her."

"Why?"

"Ron bled on the sheets."

"Did you tell her it was off of his shirt; that he was all right?"

Barbara pinned Dean with an exasperated look. "Of course. But the blood was too fresh, after all this time any blood he got spattered withduring the fight should have dried on his shirt. She's worried and thinks Ron wouldn't tell us or her. He 'wouldn't want to worry us'."

"Ok, what do we do? I'm just a broken down old corpsman, Sicarri, you're the specialist."

Barbara grinned lewdly, "You didn't seem too broken down last night, Hagana." She hugged her husband tightly. "What we are going to do is let Ron sleep. Anne said they would be over in a couple of hours. So we wake Ron up and get him downstairs right before they get here. Three adults standing around should keep Kim from being too demonstrative."

"What if Anne wants to examine him? There is no way she'll miss those stitches."

"I hate to make him do it, but Ron will just have to give an academy award performance. Will the IV be out by then?"

"Yeah, honey, the blood expander will be through, I just wish we could have given him whole blood, he needed it."

II.

"Mom, can't you hurry this any more?" Kim's voice was muffled by the crop top she was pulling on.

"Kimmie, settle down." Anne Possible scolded her daughter. "Ron may have a small cut, but he can't have been injured too badly."

Kim's frowning face popped out of the neck of her shirt. "How can you be sure, you didn't examine him, did you?"

"Honey, I don't see how he could have been injured very badly. He walked out of here, after all."

"You don't know Ron as well as I do, Mom."

"I would hope not," Anne teased, "I'm a married woman after all."

"Mom!" Kim glared, "That is so not funny."

"Kim, when he walked out of this room, he was upright, coherent, and moving well. A little slow, maybe, but I had just awakened him, and you know Ron takes a while to really get moving."

Kim paced the room, frowning. "I know that, Mom, but that blood just spooks me. Why wouldn't Ron say anything?"

"I don't know, honey, maybe…"

A knock on the door heralded the arrival of a nurse with the results of the last tests Dr. Possible had ordered. After the nurse left, Anne perused the tests with a steadily more somber face. Kim watched her nervously until Anne raised her gaze.

"What? Am I getting out or not?"

"Kimmie, I…" Anne's smile broke through, "Yes, as soon as we check you out, you can leave and we'll both go over to Ron's"

Kim's red hair almost betrayed her but she managed to rein her temper in. "I will get you for that, Mom, so not the time to be playing me."

Anne gathered up Kim's few belongings, smiling slightly, "I'll worry about that later, let's go."

III.

Dean and Barbara stood in the doorway, observing their son. Ron lay on his back, his chest tightly bandaged, breathing heavily. His color was pale, his blonde hair wildly unkempt. He occasionally muttered or groaned.

Holding Dean's hand firmly, Barbara whispered, "If I ever meet whoever came up with that fabric, I'm going to kiss them. A shirt that acts as a bandage, triple the absorbent power, self repairing, and constricting automatically to support the ribs." She shook her head slightly, "That shirt saved his life."

Squeezing her hand, Dean just stared at his boy. "I really hate to do this, but we have to get him up and dressed before they get here. Let's get him dressed before we wake him."

The two parents gently pulled trousers up Ron's legs, put his arms in his shirt, mock turtleneck already inside his jersey, then lifted him and pulled the clothes over his head and torso. "Now comes the hard part," Dean murmured.

Dean reached to the bedside table, securing an ammonia ampule. He held Ron's head and snapped it under his nose. Ron snorted and choked, fighting to get his nose away.

"Wha…what…Dad...Mom?"

Dean took the ampule away. "Ron, you have to get up, Kim is on her way over."

"K-Kim? Here?" Ron's eyes were vacant and glassy.

Barbara eyes were misty as she stroked Ron's damp forehead. "Ronnie, you have to get up, you have to convince them you're all right."

"No, no problem, Mom, I…" Ron's attempt to sit up failed as he collapsed back on his pillow, his eyes rolling up.

"Get his shoes, Barbara, we shouldn't have tried this until we got him downstairs." Easing his wife out of his way, Dean placed one arm under Ron's back, and the other under his knees, lifting him like a child. Ron's head collapsed weakly onto Dean's shoulder.

"Go ahead, hon', we'll try again when we get him on the couch." With Barbara glancing anxiously over her shoulder, the two parents went downstairs.

Setting his son upright on the couch, Dean waved the ampule under Ron's nose. The lolling head tried to avoid it, but Dean's strong right hand held Ron's headin place.

Coughing and choking, Ron batted weakly at the stinging smell. "I-I'm all right, I can make it."

"Are you sure?" Dean questioned.

"Yeah, I can make it. D-did you say Kim is coming over?"

Barbara placed a cool damp cloth on Ron's forehead. "Yes, and Anne is coming with her."

"Not good." Ron managed, "I have to get up."

"Wait until they get here, Ron," His father told him. "You don't have much strength yet, and you'll need it."

"Yes…Yes sir, you're right." Ron leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

IV.

"Mrs. Dr. P. I'm fine." Ron told her with a wide grin. "I'm sorry about the sheets, but it must have been this." He pulled back his jersey sleeve to reveal a long shallow gash on his right fore arm. "The doc checked me out when he took care of Kim. He said that I had some bruised ribs, and he taped them. But other than a bunch of cuts from the lair blowing up, I'm fine."

Kim watched her mother and her boyfriend with anxious, worried eyes. "Ron, are you sure? I don't remember the doctor seeing you."

Ron gave her his biggest goofy grin. "Sleeping beauty, I don't think you'd remember if Club Banana had offered you free shopping for life."

Kim giggled self consciously, "I think I would have remembered that."

"So now I know where I fit in your priorities, "Ron huffed mockingly.

Kim went to him, hugging him tightly, "Don't even think it, you know you're my number one."

"Ribs, KP, ribs." Ron gasped.

"I'm sorry, Ron." Kim reached up to kiss his cheek, then replace her lips with her hand, softly stroking. "I'm just so glad you're all right."

"I'm good, as long as you're all right." Ron beamed.

"Ron, about those ribs and cuts." Kim puzzled.

"What about them? Not like it's the first time." Ron asked warily.

Kim played with his shirt, looking down, "I vaguely remember hearing you fight the henchmen."

"Me? Kim, Kim, you're the fighter, I'm the distraction, remember?"

"Are you trying to tell me you didn't fight?"

"Well, if you want to call knocking out guys who were all ready almost out cold from debris strikes, I guess I did."

"That's what happened?"

"Yeah, had to make sure they were out until GJ got there. I didn't dare move you, and I couldn't chance them waking up and attacking. Y'know, Dementor always has bigger henchmen than any of your other enemies." Ron looked thoughtful, "I wonder why that is. Does it have anything to do with his height, or does he pay better than the rest, or…"

Kim laughed, placing a finger on Ron's lips. "Now I know you're all right if you can ramble like that."

"Ramble? Just working to a conclusion, KP."

"Yeah, right. I'm going home and get some sleep, you do the same."

"Go home?" Ron's eyes brightened.

"No, silly, get some sleep." Kim reached up and gave him a quick kiss. "Promise?"

"Ok, KP, as long as you promise the same."

"I swear. Mom, are you about ready?"

Interrupting her discussion with Barbara and Dean, Anne glanced at the two teens. "Are you tired, Kimmie?"

"Now that I'm not worried about Ron, I feel like someone cut my strings."

"All right," Anne walked over to Ron, kissing him lightly on the cheek, hugging him softly. "Thanks for taking care of our little girl, Ron."

"Ahhh…no problem, Mrs. Dr. P., you know, anything for my KP."

"I know," Anne smiled at him, "but I think my daughter has a good idea. You both need sleep and rest. So we'll be back later or tomorrow."

"No problemo, I'll be over for breakfast in the morning, if that's ok?"

"I'll even make your favorite, pancakes."

From upstairs, they all heard a loud squeak, "Pancakes!"

Kim laughed, "I wondered where Ruffie was."

"Sound asleep, like you two should be." Barbara replied, "I promise I'll take good care of Ronnie, Kim."

Kim blushed, "I know, Mrs. Stoppable, I never doubted it. It's just…"

"I understand," Barbara smiled, escorting the Possibles toward the door, "You had to make sure he was all right."

Kim just smiled apologetically and took her arm from around her boyfriend. "Sleep, Ronnie, and I'll see you later."

"You got it, KP."

The two women walked through the door, the Stoppables standing, listening intently. When they heard the car start, Dean smiled, "Well, glad that's over…Ron!"

He barely managed to catch his son before Ron's head hit the floor.