Sergeant Denny Brosh was slogging his way home after another hectic day at Central Headquarters. It was near the end of the year, so everyone was absolutely swamped with paperwork. It didn't help that the frequent snow and ice made it almost impossible for everyone to get to work on time-or get there at all, really. He sighed tiredly before perking up slightly at the thought that at least he'd been able to see his beautiful partner Maria. Anything was worth seeing Maria.
"Excuse me. Sir, excuse me! I've got a bit of a problem. Could you help me out?"
He turned, surprised at the sudden interruption in his daily routine, and spotted a slightly frantic brunette walking quickly towards him, waving her hands around, making certain that she had his attention. He started when he really looked at the woman. She was probably in her early thirties, and she was an absolute beauty. But not as beautiful as my darling Maria, he thought loyally. Her lustrous hair swung around her shoulders, and her slightly pointed face was wearing an expression of worried concern. Her brown eyes were bright and it looked as if she were close to bursting into tears. Her shapely form reminded him again of Maria as she walked quickly, but carefully towards him.
"What's the problem Miss? Something wrong?"
"I'm so glad you came by when you did, sir. My son and I were just taking a shortcut home when he fell and hit his head. I tried to pick him up, but he..he's just too heavy for someone like me. Can you help me get him home? Please? I don't know how much longer he can last out here…he's so cold…And I can't just leave him there! Please. You're my only hope." By the time she reached the end of her plea, tears were snaking their way down her pinched face, and Denny was one seriously flustered guy. He hated it when beautiful women cried. Especially beautiful women that reminded him of his lovely Maria.
"O-Of course I'll help! Um. Don't…don't cry. Don't worry, I'll have him up in a jiffy. And then we'll take him to the hospital, so…so don't cry, okay? Just tell me where he is, alright? Can you take me to him?" The woman looked slightly panicked when he mentioned the hospital, but she spun around and strode towards a nearby alley.
"He's right over here. But…he hates hospitals. It's probably better just to take him home. Yes…I think that's best for my little Edison. There he is. My poor little Eddie…"
The boy in question was slumped awkwardly against the alley wall. His large white coat was bunched around his waist and revealed a small, lithe frame. Half-melted snow dusted his blond hair and was caked onto his tight black pants and matching boots. Denny bent over and checked the limp, pale form for injuries before gently scooping him up in his arms. Denny staggered a bit when he stood up with the kid.
Jeez, how can such a little kid weigh so much? It's like he's made of metal or something!
"Okay, I think I've got him. I didn't see any bumps on his head, so he'll probably come round in about an hour. So, uh…you're sure you don't want to get him checked out first? No? Um. Alright then…I guess I'll just take him to your place. How far away do you guys live?"
The woman had finally stopped crying by this time. In fact, she almost seemed too calm.
"We're just on the other side of the train station, but if you can just carry him into one of the shops, we'll be fine. I just need to call my husband and tell him where to pick us up."
"Hm? Well, if a phone's all ya need, why don't I just take you over to my place? I'm just down the street and I'm sure it'll be more comfortable for you both than some old store. Come on, just follow me."
Denny lurched toward his house, ignoring the lady's faint protests and objections. It was a good thing his house was so close. He didn't think he could carry this kid for longer than five minutes without a break- and he wasn't exactly a slacker when it came to weight lifting.
That's it- I'm definitely stepping up the weight training. If I'm having so much trouble with a shrimp like this, there's no way I could carry my lovely Maria. And if I can't carry my darling across the threshold, our marriage will be miserable and I'll never get to see all the cute little Marias we could bring into the world together!
Denny's thoughts preoccupied his mind the rest of the short journey to his front door. And then he realized he had a problem. His arms were full of unconscious kid, his door was locked, his keys were in his back pocket, and the only way to get them would be to dump the kid on the ground. That, or ask the lady to reach into his back pocket and unlock the door for him. Crap. If Maria ever found out about this, he was dead.
"Ehe heh. Umm. Sorry bout this, but d'you think you could get my keys out of my back pocket for me? I don't wanna drop the kid, and the door's locked." She looked a bit surprised before giving him a mischievous grin that lit up her eyes.
Just like Maria's. Crap. I'm gonna die if she finds out about this! And she always finds out. I'm so screwed!
"Are you sure this isn't just an excuse to get me…" She'd taken a step with every word and by now, Denny could feel her warm, moist breath on the back of his neck. She emphasized her next words by roughly shoving her hands into his back pocket, making him squeak and nearly drop the kid. "Close to you?" Denny blushed furiously and opened his mouth to deny that the thought had ever crossed his mind, only to squeak again at the thought of Maria getting his keys from his back pocket. The pretty brunette only laughed as she pulled her hands (and the keys) out of his pockets and nudged the crimson faced sergeant out of her way.
Door finally unlocked, an extremely embarrassed Denny Brosh practically fell into his home, eager to be away from the woman that reminded him so much of his darling Maria. He placed the blond boy on the couch just across the room and busily rearranged him into a more comfortable position, directing his female guest to the phone down the hallway.
Now that he had the time to look more closely at the boy, Denny realized there was something hauntingly familiar about him. Maybe it was the darker color of his eyebrows, or the stubborn set of his mouth, but the kid reminded him of someone. Who was it? It certainly wasn't Maria. No male- no matter how pretty- could remind him of Maria. Especially not a blond runt like this. He looked nothing like her!
Having successfully distracted himself from his original purpose, Denny moved towards the hallway in time to hear the mysterious brunette finishing up her conversation.
"Yes, I'm sure. I know. Of course, you idiot. Just shut up already! I have everything under control. Look, just hurry up and come get us. Don't call him that! ...Fine. I'll see you then." Click.
That was weird. I've never heard anyone talking to their husband that way. Wonder what he did to make her so upset. Huh. Well, at least she got him on the phone.
"So, I guess your husband's on his way? How long do ya think it'll be before he gets here? You gave him the address, right?" The woman jumped at the sound of his voice and whipped her head around, looking for the source of the words. She spotted him near the entrance of the hallway and giggled in embarrassment. She nodded to answer his question and swept past him into the living room where she sat next to her son.
"He had to work today, but his office is pretty close. It won't be long."
She turned to her son with a smile, caressing his face while cooing to him. It was almost creepy how close she got.
Definitely one of those over-protective chicks. I wouldn't wanna be that kid when he finally hits puberty. Jeez, that'd be a nightmare! She probably won't give the little guy any privacy. Especially not with the ladies! I bet she'll keep calling him Eddie, too…glad she's not my mother!
After a few more minutes of musing to himself and generally feeling awkward in his own living room, Denny heard the unmistakable sound of a gas motor and tires crunching carefully through the snow. He walked over to the front door and opened it in time to see a tall, muscular man with bleach blond hair getting out of his car. Denny closed the door behind him and waved the powerful man over with a broad grin.
Man, this guy has to be related to Armstrong! There's no way that two big guys- two blond guys like that could be in the same city and not be related!
"Hey. I'm Sergeant Denny Brosh. You must be Mr…uh Mrs…Um. Edison's father. He and his mother are inside, but he's still out cold. So, uh…I guess you'll want to see them now. Um…come on in. By the way, I didn't catch your name?"
"The name's Jim. Jim Curtis. So, the runt's inside?" The big man's voice was much higher than Denny expected. It was all he could do to keep from laughing outright at the man.
Maybe he's not related to Armstrong after all. I can't imagine anyone in his family sounding like that! Heck, even his sister's got a pretty deep voice! Not to mention Olivier would probably disown anyone who *did* sound like that. ...Wait a minute. Did he just call his son a runt? What kinda father calls his kid a runt in front of a perfect stranger? Whatever, it's none of my business. But jeez, these people just keep getting weirder and weirder!
Denny nodded an affirmative and opened the door for the strange man, lost in thought for what had to be the fiftieth time that day. Jim marched into the room and glanced around before spotting his wife and son on the couch together. Denny came out of the fog in his mind in time to see the giant separate his child from his wife's stranglehold and throw him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
"It's time to go, darling," he sneered.
"Of course, dear," she snarled.
The couple stalked out the doorway, limp kid over shoulder and slammed the door shut on a very confused Denny Brosh. By the time it occurred to him to see them off the street, car, couple, and boy were gone.