Thanksgiving Day had arrived, and the Belchers would soon be reunited. Tina and Gene would spend the entire weekend with their parents and Louise. Well, they would only see Louise during visiting hours and when she was not in treatment, but after not seeing her for three entire days. They were very eager to be reunited. Even if it was just for a few days. They were supposed to go over the night before, but Louise had a poor reaction to her chemo and did not want visitors.
Gene zipped his suitcase closed and tossed it onto the bed. He walked through the apartment. Teddy was still in Louise's room taking apart the loft bed. Tina was in her own room getting ready to go. Not wanting to bother anybody. He sat on the couch, until Big Bob exited the bathroom.
"When are we going to see Louise?" Gene asked.
"In about an hour. I have to run something to the diner for our Thanksgiving potluck. We will go as soon as I get back." Big Bob replied.
"You are open on Thanksgiving?" Gene gasped.
"Well no. We just have a potluck for my employees and their families. Plus, if anybody in the community doesn't have anyone to celebrate with or finds it hard to celebrate." Big Bob explained.
"Oh" Gene sighed.
"Do you want to come with me?" Big Bob offered.
"No" Gene replied.
"OK just make sure you are ready to go. Thanksgiving dinner is at two sharp." Big Bob explained.
"Thanksgiving dinner?" Gene questioned.
"Yeah, at Ronald McDonald House. That's where your parents are eating, and they have enough for us." Big Bob explained.
"Dad isn't cooking?" Gene gasped.
"Nah he didn't really have time to prepare with Louise being sick. Not to mention he probably is not feeling up to it." Big Bob replied.
Gene nodded but Big Bob's answer still did not sit right with him. Bob always wanted to celebrate Thanksgiving. Even that one year he was sick with the flu. He had to want to celebrate this year. Surely, he wanted to be distracted from Louise's illness. Gene certainly did. He decided to take matters into his own hands. He walked to the kitchen to see what he could do. He didn't have a real turkey, even a turkey breast, but he did find frozen turkey nuggets. That Linda had bought from "Fresh Feed" during her last health kick. He read the directions, put them on a pan and stuck them in the oven. He then grabbed the instant mashed potatoes. "Just add boiling water" the directions read. Gene poured the potatoes straight into a Tupperware dish, then put the tea kettle on to boil. He found some stove top stuffing in the pantry. Something that was forbidden by Bob for Thanksgiving, but Linda used it for chicken. Unfortunately, it had mold growing on it. He sighed and tossed it down on the stove. He found the cranberries Bob had bought. he knew they needed to be cooked on the stove too, but he couldn't remember which burner was tricky. He poured the cranberries into a microwave safe bowl, poured a little cranberry juice on top and stuck them in the microwave for three minutes. Due to lack of counter space, they microwave was on top of the fridge. Gene had to climb on a chair to reach. He heard the microwave ding and climbed back on the chair. He opened the microwave door and a billow of smoke poured out. The fire alarm was blaring, and Gene could see a fire on the stove! Forgetting he was on a chair. He took a step back. The chair slid out from under his feet, and he fell hard to the ground. Teddy raced in with the fire extinguisher. While Tina ran for the first aid kit.
"What's going on in here?" Big Bob cried.
"I just ruined Thanksgiving." Gene sniffed.
"Gene? What happened? Why is there so much fire?" Teddy asked.
"I wanted to make Thanksgiving dinner. I put some turkey nuggets in. Then I tried to make mashed potatoes. I guess I forgot the tea kettle. Then the stuffing was bad. So, I… Oh God! I threw the box on the stove!" Gene cried.
"And the cranberries?" Big Bob questioned.
"I wanted to make cranberry sauce. I guess cranberries and juice in the microwave for three minutes isn't a good idea." Gene sobbed.
"The important thing is are you OK?" Big Bob asked.
"No" Gene sniffed.
"Where are you hurt?" Teddy asked.
"I am not hurt. I am sad." Gene clarified.
"About Louise?" Big Bob questioned.
"Yes, and the fact that I couldn't save Thanksgiving. I even managed to make it worse. We are going to need new appliances now." Gene cried.
"They can be replaced. The important thing is you are OK." Tina assured.
"You know Gene. Your dad wasn't much older than you. When your grandmother got sick. She was so weak she couldn't even always get out of bed to go to the bathroom. Let alone make Thanksgiving dinner. The medical bills were pretty high. So, I kept the diner open that year to bring in some extra cash. Well, your dad decided to take matters into his own hands and almost the exact same thing happened. Except I didn't have to come back because I forgot the cheesecake for the potluck. No, I get a call there is a fire at my house. I come home to find your grandma on a stretcher and your dad covered in food, with burns on his shirt, crying." Big Bob explained.
"Dad did the same thing?" Gene gasped.
"Yes, about gave me a heart attack. I wanted to hug him and never let go, but I also wanted to kill him for being so reckless." Big Bob explained.
"I've started a lot of fires too Gene. It happens." Teddy assured.
"But what about Thanksgiving?" Gene asked.
"I will stay back and clean up. I was kind of supposed to meet Kathleen for a late dinner anyway. You guys go and see Louise." Teddy offered.
"Is dad going to be mad at me?" Gene asked.
"Probably a little but he will forgive you and I will tell him the story I told you if he overreacts too much." Big Bob assured.
At the hospital Louise was feeling horrible. Chemo was kicking her ass bad. She couldn't keep anything down. When her stomach was settled enough to eat. She was too tired to even be fed soup. She had lost about fifteen pounds since first got sick. She was a skinny kid. So drastic weight loss was not a good thing. That's how she earned a new accessory on Thanksgiving morning. A feeding tube that went through her nose. Despite being a tiny tube. It felt like she had a fire hose down her nose. The tape itched and pulled at her skin. When Bob saw her with it for the first time he cried.
"Oh, My Baby! My poor sweet baby! This is not how you should be eating Thanksgiving dinner!" Linda cried.
"Well, it's how it's happening!" Louise snapped.
"That sounds like my Louise. Are you feeling better?" Bob asked hopefully.
"Oh yeah! I feel great! Better than I have in months. I…I think the cancer is gone. We can go home and celebrate properly!" Louise cried.
"Louise I am glad to see your old self coming out, but maybe don't be sarcastic about your cancer going away." Bob requested.
"So just be miserable and focus on the fact that I am dying? Got it." Louise sighed.
"Louise you are not dying." Bob insisted.
"Yes, I am!" Louise retorted.
"Louise" Bob pleaded.
"Just leave me alone!" Louise snapped.
The rest of the Belchers arrived to the hospital. They found Linda standing in the hall outside Louise's room, tears flowing down her cheeks. Tina looked up at her mother with concern on her face. They were too late. She just knew it. The reaction to her chemo was worse than anticipated and Louise had died in the time that Tina took to pet that police horse when they stopped so Gene could pee.
"Oh no! Why! Oh Louise, I am so sorry I stopped to pet that horse!" Tina cried.
"Tina? What on Earth is wrong with you?" Big Bob questioned.
"Louise is dead!" Tina cried.
"Honey Louise isn't dead. She just got a little cranky. Because well cancer can make you cranky. She said somethings that upset me. I didn't want to cry in front of her. So, I stepped out here." Linda assured.
"So, she's alive and acting like Louise again?" Tina asked hopefully.
"Oh yeah" Linda sighed.
Gene looked up at his mom. He knew that Linda loved him more than anything. Unless cancer had changed things. He knew that he was her favorite. He knew his dad loved him too. Bob was just a little sterner. Especially when it came to Thanksgiving and also when it came to messing with his things. Gene had ruined both. Both his dad's favorite holiday and most of their kitchen. Everybody had assured him that it was OK and that mistakes happened. That all Bob and Linda would care about was that he was OK, but he could not accept that. He was certain that they would be disappointed in him because he was so disappointed in himself. He was trying to be strong but failing. His lip began to quiver, and his eyes were now watering.
"Genie Beanie what's wrong? Didn't you hear? Louise is fine." Linda questioned.
"I ruined Thanksgiving! I ruined the kitchen! I almost ruined the whole house!" Gene cried.
"What?" Bob asked exiting Louise's room.
"Gene tried to make Thanksgiving dinner and there were some mishaps." Big Bob explained.
"How bad?" Bob questioned.
"You are going to need a new microwave and probably a new stove as well, but the damage is minimal." Big Bob explained.
"So, fire?" Bob sighed.
"Yep" Big Bob confirmed.
"But Gene is, OK?" Bob asked.
"Yes" Big Bob assured.
"Are you?" Bob questioned.
"No but not because I am hurt. I just feel bad." Gene replied.
"Well don't because I did the same thing. Except ten times worse actually." Bob assured.
"Pop-Pop told me." Gene recalled.
"Yeah" Bob sighed.
"Mommy? You aren't saying anything. Are you mad at me?" Gene wondered.
"You tried to save the holiday! You started a fire! Oh, you could have been hurt! You could have ended up in the hospital! You could have died! I could have lost you! Like we are probably going to lose Louise!" Linda cried pulling Gene into a tight hug.
Louise heard the entire story from her hospital bed, and it made her feel ten times worse. Gene had nearly burned down the apartment and he could have killed himself. Because of her. Because she was so sick in the hospital. That Bob could not celebrate his favorite holiday. So, Gene had stepped up to help. God Tina, Teddy, and Pop-Pop were all home at the time. If the fire had been much worse. She could have lost most of her family and it would have been her fault. She was the one that was stupid enough to get cancer. Seriously how does a nine-year-old get lung cancer. It was probably one of the stupid things she did. Wracked with guilt she buried her head in her hands and started to cry.
The rest of the Belcher family missed Louise's breakdown. They had headed to the Ronald McDonald House for their first dinner together in weeks. Even before she was diagnosed. Louise was still too sick to join them in the kitchen. As a result, Bob always ate with her in the living room. As delicious as the meal was. It was bland and boring. Clearly just made quick and to feed a bunch of people. Of course, that was the goal, but it was not what the Belchers were used to. At least they were together. Except they weren't together. Louise was stuck back at the hospital. Too sick to even eat a real Thanksgiving dinner. Where was the justice?
"I know this seems sad and it is, but Louise would not want us to be sad. She wants us to be happy and enjoy ourselves." Tina declared.
"How can we though?" Bob asked glumly.
"Oh no! I pead my pants!" Gene cried a little too loudly after accidentally spilling his peas onto his lap.
"Gene" Bob warned.
"Oh, come on Bobby. It was funny and look he's laughing, and Tina's laughing. When was the last time any of us laughed?" Linda pointed out.
"All the cool kids are peaing their pants." Bob joked in his terrible Adam Sandler impersonation. Everybody laughed even other families. Gene's behavior was often inappropriate but at least he could always cheer his family up. Even in the worst of time.