On their lunch break Dan, Mark, George, and Chuck sat around a picnic table that sat on the edge of the construction site with other picnic tables. Dan was eating a bologna sandwich as the men talked while wearing hardhats.
"I can't believe you were robbed, Dan." Chuck said with a bag of Lays in his hands.
"I can't either. Here I was thinking that my luck couldn't get any worse."
George took a bite of his sandwich. "You're not still staying in the house?"
Dan shook his head. "No, we're staying with Jackie." Dan watched as the same look that Bev had on her face last night crept onto Chuck's face but Chuck tried to hide it.
This was Dan's cue; instead of diving into a topic about the rumors of him and Jackie he took the opportunity to tell his friends about the job offer.
Dan spoke loud enough for all his friends to hear him. "Rocko offered me a job at the hardware store."
All his friends and Mark turned to face him; Chuck was the first to speak. "That's great, Dan." Dan studied Chuck.
"You're okay with me leaving this job?"
Dan looked at all his friends. George spoke too. "Of course we are, Dan."
Dan looked at Mark. "I don't care if you take that job, Dan."
Dan looked at all of his friends again. "Thanks guys." Then he turned to Mark and spoke lower, "Could you not tell Becky about this or the robbery?" Mark shook his head and all the friends started a conversation about the new muscle cars.
Later Dan went to his meeting. Benny offered Dan money after he told him the news but Dan wouldn't take it. Benny had also told Dan that he thought Dan was ready for the amends process. Dan thought about this while he drove to Jackie's.
To his horror he found Beverly, which was weird because Jackie was home. Dan coolly sat on the other end of the couch next to Beverly. Beverly watched him like a hawk and Dan ignored her and pulled Jerry onto his lap.
"Hello Jerry, did you have a good day?" Jerry looked at his dad and smiled.
"Daddy!" Dan smiled, and started to tickle Jerry, both were really happy. Jackie walked into the room from the kitchen and smiled also.
"Jerry learned his first word! And it wasn't the F Word!" Dan yelled extremely excited. Bev just watched, and finally when Dan stopped she made her move.
"Well Dan, I suppose that's sad for you considering that the F Word was Becky, Darlene and DJ's first word…" Bev eyes were screwed onto Dan.
Dan shrugged it off. "Well there is still hope for my grandkid." He stood up. "Now if you'll excuse me I'm thirsty." Dan put Jerry on the floor with Andy and walked to the kitchen. Jackie joined him.
"Dan I was wondering if you wouldn't mind watching Andy tonight." Jackie said as Dan had his hand in the fridge looking for a soda.
"I know. You got a date with Booker." He said pulling out a soda and opening it.
"No, I told Booker I don't want to date just yet."
Dan took a drink of his Dr. Pepper. "You did? Oh well then what do you need a sitter for?"
Jackie was still shy around Dan because of her dream. She had no reason to be, Dan was oblivious to it, but every time she looked at Dan she saw him climbing into bed with her and that made her extremely uncomfortable. "Uh, girls night with Ann Marie."
Dan stared at Jackie. "Have you had one since Roseanne passed away?"
Jackie shook her head. "Well we've gone out but we never have any fun. I think tonight it will be different."
Dan took another drink. "What time? Remember I got to meet that insurance guy at six."
"Eight. Did you ask the guys about that job?"
Dan took a drink. "Yeah, they were fine with it."
"That's good."
Dan shook his head. "Oh yeah, why is SHE here?"
"I don't know. I tried to get her to leave but she wouldn't."
Barney's I Love You song was heard from the TV. "That reminds me Jackie, I came up with a song today at work."
"Oh yeah, what was it?"
Dan took joy as he sang, "I love you, and you love me, let's get together and kill Bev-er-ley with a knife, and a scythe and a bullet to the head. Let's party because Bev is dead."
Jackie laughed. "Now that is one song that I will never forget the words too."
Dan smiled. "How could you? It has a catchy tune."
In the living room, Dan and Jackie found DJ sitting with the babies on the floor and Bev right where they left her. Dan sat at the same spot as before, and Jackie sat at the table.
"So mom, why haven't you left yet?"
Bev looked over at Dan who screwed his Captain Son in Law face on. "I wanted to know if you planned on making any changes to the house."
"Sure I plan on it, but I don't know how much money I'll get from insurance." Bev kept staring at Dan.
"I hope you plan on taking a shower." Dan smiled and stood up.
"Well I'm going to take a shower."
Dan had left the boys with Jackie and came to the house alone. He had an extremely sad feeling as he walked through the practically bare house. He stood in the living room and saw a memory of him and Roseanne in a mock wrestling match on the couch.
He saw himself jump over the couch and back on the couch and then pin Roseanne in a half nelson. "One." Dan saw himself kiss Roseanne on her head. "Two." Dan saw himself do it again. "Three." And again.
Then he saw him and Roseanne sitting on the couch with DJ in between them, he smiled as he remembered what DJ said that day. "We played this game. Seven minutes in heaven. I had to go into a closet with Sheila Fry. We just stood there and did nothing for like six minutes" Dan saw himself ask,
"What happened in that last minute, son?" And he saw DJ answer,
"I told you. I touched a boob." Dan smiled. Everywhere in that house he relived memories. When he went into the bathroom he remembered when he, Jackie and Roseanne smoked pot in there and Jackie asking, "IS this the sink? Am I shrinking?"
Finally he decided to call his daughters while he waited for the insurance man. By some miracle the phone was still there, so he dialed Darlene and David's number and sat down on the step in front of the pantry while he talked.
"Hello?" David answered.
"Hi, David its Mr. Conner. How are you doing?" Dan asked in a friendly way.
"Good, I guess."
"Glad to hear it. How is Darlene?" As Dan asked that he heard a loud bang and shattering glass in the back ground. He had his answer. "That bad huh? Lemme talk to her please." David gave the phone to Darlene. "Hi, honey. Its dad. How are you?"
Darlene snarled. "I have a human being growing inside me! How do you think I am?"
Dan brushed this off. "I think you have a human being growing inside you. Listen I called because I have some news."
Darlene rolled her eyes. "What, Dad?"
"Something happened last night and I don't really know how to tell you. So I'll just come out with it. The house was robbed last night. Everything is gone except a few of the crappiest things."
Dan listened to the silence on the other end of the line. Finally Darlene spoke. "Oh uh I'm sorry dad."
"It's okay, Darlene. Listen I need to call Becky. I love you."
"I love you too, Bye." Darlene hung up so Dan stood up and dialed Becky and Mark's number and then sat back down on the step.
The phone rang ten times before it picked up. "Hello?" Becky answered.
"Hi, Beck. Its dad."
"Hi, dad, how are you?"
"Well not good. I need to tell you something."
Becky was instantly concerned. "What happened?"
Dan went quiet for five seconds as he put what he needed to say in words. "The house was robbed. They took almost everything."
Like Darlene, Becky went quiet before she spoke again. "Uh, did you call the police?"
"Yeah, but they don't know who it was."
"Oh, I'm sorry dad."
"It's okay, Beck. Listen the insurance guy is here so I got to go. I love you."
"I love you too, dad. Bye."
Dan back to Jackie's just in time for Jackie to leave for her Girls Night Out.
"Hi Dan, what did the insurance guy say?" Jackie asked, as she was towel drying her hair.
"It was a girl and she said that based on the age of the house and the worth of the stuff that was taken I could get around 20,000 dollars. I stopped by the police department and dropped off the insurance statement."
At the LOBO Lounge Jackie found Anne Marie sitting at a table in front of the bar. As soon as she sat down Anne Marie handed her a Budweiser Longneck.
"So what's the emergency, Jackie?" Anne Marie asked seriously.
Jackie took a deep breath. "Well Chuck told you that Dan's house was robbed last night right?"
Anne Marie nodded, "Yeah, Chuck told me. I can't believe someone would rob his house after all that man has been through."
"I know, it's horrible. Any way I let him and the kids stay with me and well…" Jackie said this next part in the same way that she confessed that she slept with Arnie. "I had a dream that I slept with Dan."
Anne Marie's reaction was serious. "What happened?"
Jackie became extremely shy without a good reason. "Well Dan came into my room and climbed into bed with me."
"And….?"
"And. Nothing that's it, we fell asleep."
Anne Marie stared at Jackie. "Then what are you worrying about?"
"I've never had a dream like that before. I can only guess what it means."
Anne Marie sat back in her chair and talked with her hands. "Well you and Dan are friends and you care for him."
"So you're saying that I shouldn't worry about why I had a dream about Dan?"
"Yeah."
