The citizens of Saint Canard have been derailed by an accident on the bridge. Nobody can get across. Some people that live in the suburbs are forced to wait it out in the city, while a few others that live in the city are waiting it out in the suburbs. It is just after nine 'o clock, and it's been a long day for Drake, his family and his friends.
Drake and Launchpad continue to watch the news hoping the bridge will open soon. Drake has already put Jake and Christian to bed, but MacKena is still awake. She is sitting calmly next to Drake on the couch drinking from her sippy cup.
Gwen invited Beth, Hayley and the kids to stay at her apartment since they are stuck in the city. Beth is already there. Tank and Abby have picked up Gosalyn from rehearsal. Tank and Abby are talking and laughing, but Gosalyn is quiet. She stares out the car window from her back seat, thinking about Javo and what he did to her. The thought of it sends a shiver up her spine. Abby notices Gosalyn's silence and decides to ask her about it.
"Gosalyn, what's up with you? You're so quiet."
Gosalyn is not in the mood to talk, but she knows she needs to answer her friend. "Nothing's up, just a long day that's all."
When they arrive at Gwen's, Skye is happy to see his girlfriend, but not so thrilled to see Tank arrive with Abby. The pair are still talking and laughing as they walk through the door. Skye tries to kiss Gosalyn, but she avoids him. She makes up an excuse about being sweaty from rehearsal.
"Gwen, can I use your shower?" Gosalyn asks as she continues to distance herself from her boyfriend.
"Sure Honey, you know where everything is" Gwen responds as she walks around her apartment to straighten up. Gosalyn leaves the room, leaving Skye to deal with Tank. He asks his friend to help him get drinks for everyone from the kitchen.
"Dude, what do you think you're doing?" Skye asks him.
Tank acts oblivious "What?"
"You and Abby? You said you weren't going to pursue her" Skye is even more upset that he has to point out the obvious.
"I didn't pursue her. But check this out, man. She asked me out."
"No way" Skye waves his hand in disbelief.
"It's true! She asked me out. You can ask your girlfriend, she was standing right there."
Skye's eyes are wide as he watches his friend walk around the kitchen. "How did that even happen? And even if it did happen the way that say it happened, why didn't you just say no?"
Tank takes a sip of his soda before he responds. "In what order would you like those questions answered in?"
"Tank!" Skye yells before he catches himself raising his voice
"Okay, dude chill out, alright? It's not that bad." Tank says as he takes another sip of his soda.
"I told you she's been through a lot. I told you I would break your face if you hurt her Tank. Did you not hear a word of it?"
"I heard you. But I think you are overreacting. Abby's cool. And she's a big girl. She can take care of herself." Tank says has he pours soda into a glass for Abby.
/
In the suburbs, it is nearly ten o'clock. Drake and Launchpad are surprised when Hayley walks through the door. Drake stands up to greet her.
"Hey Hayles? How did you get here?"
"I took the I-9 into Hawksburg. Then drove through the city, took the bridge to Yolktown, took the expressway to Saint Beakensburg and then wound up here."
Drake is surprised "You drove three hours out of your way just to get here? Hayles you could have just stayed at Gwen's."
"I know, but I had to get home to my daughter. My god I've never been away from her this long. Come here Sweetheart." MacKena walks over to her mother's open arms and Hayley picks her up. "Mommy is so sorry, I know it's so late." She says as she holds her baby and rubs her back. "Thank you so much Drake for taking care of her."
"Don't mention it. We just hung out, you know, played with blocks, ate some mac & cheese, drank some juice." Drake says as he gently rubs his hand on MacKena's head.
"We should go change your diaper." Hayley tells her daughter before Drake stops her.
"Already done" He says.
"What, you changed her?"
"I had to. You weren't here and she needed to be changed" He says in his defense.
"Oh my god, did she scream? Was it horrible?" Hayley asks in a panic.
"Take it easy Hayles. You act like I've never changed a diaper." Drake says as he chuckles.
"I'm sorry, I didn't…. It's just that she screams bloody murder anytime someone else tries to change her." Hayley says as she continues to hold her daughter.
"Who can blame her? She has a cherry red rash on her bottom the size of Texas."
"Oh no, it got worse? We should go take care of that." Hayley says as she starts to walk toward the stairs again. Drake stops her again and grabs her arms.
"Hayley! Breath, okay? MaKena is fine. I got her cleaned up, gave her some cream, she's okay, I promise. But you've had a long day and you need to eat something. So why don't you let me take MacKena, and you go eat some leftovers from the dinner that nobody came home to eat?" Drake says as he takes MacKena from Hayley.
Hayley covers her beak with both hands. After a few seconds she puts one of her hands over her heart. She is so tired and so relieved that she has her brother here to help her. She starts to relax and touches his arm. "Thanks Drakey."
"You're welcome. Now, MacKena and I are going to go read a book in the nursery, and after you consume the delicious dinner made by yours truly, you can come up and tuck her in." Drake says as he walks by Hayley and starts up the steps.
/
At Gwen's apartment, the ducks are conversing in the family room while Gosalyn is in the shower. She allows the warm water to run through her fiery red hair and down her exhausted body. Her eyes are closed and all she can hear is the sound of the shower water running and hitting the shower floor. She runs her hands through her hair as her thoughts take her back to her rehearsal with Javo, when he started dancing with her. She can hear the music playing in her head as her body sways back and forth in the shower. After a few seconds, she is reminded of the moment that he groped her. She gasps in the shower and her eyes shoot open. Her arms are wrapped around her chest as though she were hiding her naked body from the world. She is ashamed for allowing Javo to do that to her. She catches herself getting upset and immediately tries to calm down. She knows that everyone will be wondering where she is. She knows she needs to finish up and join everyone before someone comes looking for her. She turns off the water, grabs a towel and quickly wraps herself in it.
In the family room, Gwen and Skyler check on everyone to make sure they all have a drink. They each take a seat when they are satisfied. Gwen wastes no time asking about the sudden pair that is Tank and Abby.
"So, when did this happen?" She asks
"Well, nothing happened really. We're just hanging out." Abby answers casually. Tank nods in agreement. Skyler gives Tank a look that he doesn't see. He is really concerned for Abby. He doesn't want her to get hurt.
Bree notices Skyler's facial expression and attempts to cause a distraction. "Skye, how is rehearsal going with Bailar?"
"Good, we uh I think we work pretty well together."
"I had no idea you were working with a different dance partner." Gwen says as she holds her small pregnancy belly.
"Yeah, Aunt Bree decided to switch things up this season." Skyler confirms.
"Isn't it tough for you and Gosalyn to work with different dance partners?" Gwen asks as she repositions her body to get more comfortable.
"Not at all. It helps that Bailar and I are both involved with other people. Instead of worrying about feelings getting in the way we get to laugh and have fun."
Everyone continues to talk as Gosalyn slowly emerges. She's not really in the mood to talk to anyone. But she knows she can't avoid it. She's not in her own home. She can't hide in her room. And she can't hide from her boyfriend, who is the first to notice her. He immediately walks over to her and puts his arm around her. "There's my girl. We were just talking about our new dance partners."
Gosalyn grimaces. This is the last thing she wants to talk about. Skyler leads her over to the couch to sit down. Abby is not looking at Gosalyn, so she doesn't notice her discomfort. Her focus is on Tank, and his on her. Gosalyn notices their fast growing fondness for each other, which is a short lasting distraction from the topic at hand. Javo.
"Gosalyn's partner is this jet setting award winning professional who has studied at some of the top schools in the world." Skyler brags as he keeps his arm around his girlfriend. She takes a sip of the water that Skyler got for her earlier.
Beth notices that Gosalyn is uncomfortable and immediately asks her about it. "Gosalyn dear, are you alright? You're looking kind of pale."
"I'm fine. It's just been a long day" Gosalyn says as she dismisses Beth's question.
"I hope he's not working you too hard" Skyler says as he tightens his arm around her.
"No, he's not. He's…." She looks at Bree, who's been waiting for Gosalyn's take on Javo. "He's an amazing dancer and I'm… really lucky to be working with him." Bree is very excited that her ideas for this dance season seem to be working, unaware that one of her young dancers is being sexually abused. Gosalyn puts on a fake smile for everyone as they converse about other topics.
/
At the Mallard house, Hayley joins Drake and MacKena upstairs in the nursery. She peaks in and sees Drake sitting in the rocking chair with MacKena on his lap. He is reading a story to her and making the noises of each animal in the story. She laughs softly from the doorway and covers her beak. Drake looks up at her and smiles as he ends the story and closes the book.
"Are you ready to take her?" He asks her.
"Why don't you do the honors?" She responds with a smile. With that, Drake stands with MacKena in his arms and walks over to the crib. He slowly and gently lays her down on her back and rubs the top of her head. She immediately closes her eyes and drifts off to sleep. Drake and Hayley watch for a few minutes before they leave the nursery.
Drake slowly closes the nursery door behind him. The house is quiet, except for the news report on the television in the family room. Drake and Hayley walk down the steps to join Launchpad.
"You're really great with her. She doesn't usually take to other people, you know?" Hayley says as she smiles at her brother.
"Well, I am her uncle. Maybe she can sense that I am someone that is extremely important to her mother." Drake says with a hint of his ego resurfacing.
"Hey, any news about the bridge?" She asks Launchpad.
"The bridge is still closed. They're talking about it now." Launchpad turns up the volume on the television so that they could hear Tad Sonar's news report.
"The big story tonight is the serious car accident on Audubon Bay Bridge. KRB reports that a truck heading eastbound has collided with an SUV headed westbound. The SUV was driven by an adult female who was taken to an area hospital with serious injuries. Five of the occupants of the SUV were children. One child was pronounced dead at the scene. Three of the children were taken to the hospital and are in critical condition. The fifth child was taken to an area hospital and is reported to have minor injuries. We are withholding the identities of the victims until the family of the deceased child is notified. The truck driver was reported to have minor scrapes and bruises. His name is Mandelor Holten. Monica Featherstone is live at the scene"
"Thank you Tad. Now the Audubon Bay Bridge is the only bridge that connects the suburbs and the city of Saint Canard. The accident happened just after rush hour when there were still many cars on the bridge. Those cars needed to be redirected in the other direction so that emergency personnel could help the victims and clean up the mess from the wreckage. The family in the SUV was headed toward the suburbs when they collided with the truck. The police are still investigating what happened here. They are currently examining what is left of both vehicles and taking pictures. They anticipate the bridge being closed for the remainder of the evening and are working to have it open by six o' clock tomorrow morning. Live on the scene for KRB this is Monica Featerstone. Back to you Tad."
"Thank you Monica. The police will be investigating this accident for the next couple days which will include toxicology reports on both drivers. As Monica had mentioned, we expect the bridge to be open at six o' clock tomorrow morning. We encourage you to stay away from the bridge until then. There are many hotels in the city that are quickly being booked. If you or anyone you know is displaced for the evening, please call the number on the bottom of this screen for assistance. This number is also being broadcasted on local radio stations."
Drake, Hayley and Launchpad are silent as they think about the accident on the bridge. That could have happened to any of them, or any of their kids. Drake feels uneasy about his family being in the city. He just wants to hold them tight after what he had just heard. A child lost his or her life in that accident. He feels the need to do something, take action. He immediately stands up and picks up the phone to dial the stationhouse. Hayley and Launchpad watch him thoughtfully.
"This is Detective Drake Mallard from Missing Persons. I heard about the accident on the bridge and was wondering if there is anything I can do to assist in the investigation."
The duck on the phone with Drake turns him down, and it is obvious in his facial expression.
"Are you sure…. Okay, well, can you please take my number and keep me posted?"
Drake provides his phone number and puts the phone back on the receiver. His back is still toward Hayley and Launchpad. Hayley knows that Drake is thinking of his kids and walks over to give him a hug.
Drake taps his sister's back and immediately pulls away from the hug. "I should call Beth and the kids"
/
At Gwen's apartment, the ducks are still conversing as though nothing were wrong. Beth's phone rings and she answers it to talk to her husband. Her mood changes as he tells her about the accident on the bridge. She stands up and takes a couple steps away from the group. "That's awful" She says as everyone looks at her. She continues to listen as her husband tells her that a child has died and other children were taken to the hospital.
"Beth, are you there?" He asks her after a few seconds of silence.
"Yes I'm here."
"You and the kids should get some sleep, okay? The bridge isn't going to be open until tomorrow morning. Launchpad and I will bring some clothes for you and the kids after the bridge opens."
"Okay. I'll miss you tonight." Beth says lovingly.
"I'll miss you too. I love you Bethy."
"I love you too." Beth says as she ends the call. "That was Drake. He told me about the accident on the bridge. It was really bad" Beth sits back down on the couch and tells the group about the accident on the bridge.
/
Hayley walks up to Drake and puts her hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine. I wanna check on the kids though." Hayley and Launchpad both watch as Drake walks up the steps.
/
As the ducks at Gwen's apartment prepare to go to sleep, Beth decides to try her talk with Gosalyn again. They will both be sleeping in Gosalyn's old room along with Abby, so she knows she needs to clear the air with her. Now's a good time since Abby is taking a shower. "Gosalyn" she startles her when she calls her name. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."
"It's okay Beth" Gosalyn says as she goes back to straightening out the covers on her bed.
"I need to talk to you… about Jack."
"What about him?" She asks. She's been so preoccupied with the drama in her own life, she completely forgot that she caught Beth kissing another guy, until she brought it up again.
"I told you that nothing happened with him, but I got the feeling that you didn't believe me." Beth begins as she plays with her hands.
"Does it matter?" Gosalyn asks the only question she can think of at the moment. Beth gives her a funny look so Gosalyn elaborates. "What I think, does it matter?"
"Of course it matters. Honey I don't want you to think that I would cheat on your father." She still feels Gosalyn's distance, so she feels the need to explain. "What you saw was Jack kissing me. What you didn't see was me pulling away from him and slapping him. I didn't want him to kiss me. It was offbeat, it was unexpected and if I knew he was going to do that I would have stopped him before he was able to do it."
For the first time since they've been in the room, Gosalyn looks at Beth, but she doesn't say anything. She wants so badly to confide in someone about what is happening with Javo. She thinks for a moment that that someone could be Beth. Their situations are similar, except Beth is telling her that she does not have any feelings for Jack. Gosalyn is not sure if she has feelings for Javo. She decides to keep her mouth shut about Javo.
"I need to know what you're thinking" Beth says.
Gosalyn looks down for a moment and then responds. "I think that people make mistakes. I know that you love my Dad, and you would never intentionally do anything to hurt him."
Beth is satisfied with that and smiles. Gosalyn smiles back at her and goes back to preparing her bed. Although she doesn't anticipate getting a decent night's sleep.
/
Drake finishes checking on the kids. He closes Jake's door and walks down the third floor attic steps and is joined by Hayley. She wants him to talk to her, but he is avoiding the conversation. Drake is a proud man and only confides his fears in one person, his wife. But she is not here right now. Hayley blocks him from walking past her.
"Drake, can we please talk?"
Drake looks at her for a second as he comes up with an excuse. "I need to get some blankets and pillows for Launchpad."
"That can wait" She says as she blocks him again.
"You don't give up do you?" He asks her as he finds a way to walk past her. She follows him.
"No I don't, so talk. Let's have it."
He turns to face her. "I'm… I'm going crazy Hayles. I see this tragedy and I feel helpless. I'm anxious, I feel like I need to do something."
"And that's why you called the station." She says.
"Yes, I'm a detective so I thought I'd use my badge to help with the investigation. I know that my family's okay so naturally I want to do something to help the family that's not okay."
"So go" She orders. "Go and help with the investigation. Just go and show up at the bridge."
"You think?" He asks as he considers her suggestion.
"What's the worst that can happen? You show up, and they'll either let you help or send you home. At least you'll be making the effort, right?"
"You're right" Drake says as he smiles. He gives his sister a hug and prepares to leave. "Thank Hayles"
/
Abby emerges from the bathroom at Gwen's and runs into Tank in the dark hallway. He was waiting for her to come out so that he could take a shower. He also secretly hoped to catch her in a towel, but no such luck. She and Gosalyn have both borrowed shirts from Skye to wear to bed.
"Fancy meeting you here" He says to her.
"Yeah, me in an oversized borrowed shirt from my best friend's boyfriend?"
"I think it's cute. This arrangement though, it's not working for me." Tank says as he gets close to her and runs the back of his finger up and down her stomach area.
"What spending the night at Skye's?"
"Spending the night in Skye's room. It's tacky. I was thinking maybe you and I could…" He says as he wraps his arms around her waist.
"What, have a romp on Aunt Gwen's sofa? No way" She says with a smile. She jokingly pokes two fingers on his chest to back him away from her.
"Come on. Why not?" He asks her.
"Because, we'll get caught. And I'm not okay with the whole PDS thing."
"PDS?" He asks as he gives her a curious look.
"Public display of sex" She confirms without blushing, which surprises him.
"But, you'd be okay with sex otherwise?" He asks her.
"Good night Tank" She laughs as she proceeds to the room she will be sleeping in. Tank watches her until he can't see her anymore.
Gosalyn and Beth are already settled. There are two beds and an air mattress in their room. Each positioned toward the center of the room since Launchpad has already started to paint the room for the triplets. Beth has fallen asleep, but Gosalyn is wide awake. She is unable to shake the thoughts of Javo and Skye out of her head. She loves Skye. She is not in love with him but she loves him. Yet she can't stop thinking about Javo. She's not sure if she has feelings for him, but she feels an attraction toward him. He is older, he is experienced, he is cultured and well educated, not to mention incredibly handsome. But then there's the groping. She does not like when he does that. He told her that he did it to get a reaction out of her. He certainly did get a reaction, but that of fright. Was that the reaction he was looking for? She sits up and notices Beth and Abby. They are both asleep. She pulls her knees to her chest and sits awake for the next few hours.
/
Drake arrives at the bridge on foot. He had parked his car a few blocks away since the roads leading to the bridge are closed. He approaches one of the officers and shows his badge that he is wearing on a long chain around his neck. The officer is able to find something for him to do, which makes Drake feel very useful.
As he continues to work, Drake comes upon what is left of the SUV. There are a few booster seats around the SUV, which indicate that some of the children were very young. Another officer approaches him.
"Everything alright Detective?" He asks him
Drake doesn't look at the officer, he keeps his eyes on one of the booster seats. "How old was the child that died?"
The officer looks down before answering his question. "She was eight. She was a triplet."
Drake looks back at the officer with his beak opened. This tragedy just keeps getting worse. The officer continues as Drake looks back at the wrecked car. "Her sisters were both airlifted to the trauma center in Duckburg. Their aunt was driving the car."
"And the other two kids?" Drake asks as he remembers that there were five children in the car.
"They are brothers, the drivers' sons. One was flown to Duckburg and the other is at Saint Canard General Hospital."
Drake continues to stare at the wrecked car. He can't help but think of his family, and how lucky he is every single day to have them.
"Detective, are you alright?" The officer asks him again.
"I'm fine. I'm sorry, I just needed a moment" Drake answers as he turns to face the officer.
"Understood. You'd have to be pretty messed up to not have a reaction to this."
Drake watches as the officer walks away. He turns his attention to the car once more before he continues to help with the investigation.