Rumors, particularly rumors spread by former friends, were oftentimes vicious.
In his case, they had never been so much vicious as they had been inane and unoriginal.
In one, he had hijacked his father's plane after Jack had threatened to cut him off from his inheritance. In another, he had wrestled Lou Diamond Phillips after Dylan had flirted with Lou's wife. In still another, he had stolen the vehicle of the father of a girl he had impregnated in Paris.
Never had Dylan wished the latter rumor had been true as he did then, failing to figure out how to break into a vehicle holding his girls hostage.
Because contrary to the rumors that had swirled around West Bev, he had never stolen a vehicle, for fun or otherwise.
And the more time they spent searching for a way into the bus, the less time Brenda had to be brought out of it.
"Radiator's cracked," Clare announced, drawing back from the hood as she swiped the back of her hand over her forehead. "We can't fix it."
"You tried, Sweetums," said Steve.
"How's the exhaust valve holding out?" asked Brandon.
The exhaust valve, according to Kai, had begun to burn.
"We need to get Bren out," said Brandon.
"I know we need to get her out. The problem is, no one can get anything on this fucking bus to open! What'd they do, gorilla glue the doors?" asked Dylan. "Donna! Any luck with getting a response out of Bren?"
"Her fingers twitched and her head moved a bit, but she's still pretty much out," Donna reported.
"Were you at least able to crack a window to get her some air?" asked Kelly.
"You try opening a window that's sealed shut," said Donna.
"I am trying," said Kelly.
"If we can't get the doors and windows open, and König couldn't find a roof hatch, then we need to smash the windshield," said Dylan.
"But that could cause flying -" Brandon began.
"Glass shards to land on Bren," said Dylan. "It isn't a great option, but it's the only one we have, B. Glass gets smashed, I go in and carry her out."
"Once you're on that bus, you don't know how long your strength will hold out, D. Take Steve with you."
"I need you and Sanders to get the bus driver."
"You want us to rescue the guy who tried to take Bren from all of us?"
"If you don't, Rawlins and Co. get away with it. We need to know what this guy knows."
Brandon consented and called Luca over to help Dylan.
"Don't any of you have a slab of concrete in your trunk, a cinderblock, hatchet, tire iron, anything?" asked the thoroughly exasperated Val. "None of you have ever stolen a car before? None? God, I'm dealing with amateurs."
Brandon had a tire iron; in his own car, which was back at the house. Dylan's tire iron was in the garage, in the tool compartment Brenda had hung when Dylan had first moved in.
"We've had our cars stolen before," said Steve.
"If you're such an expert, where's your tire iron?" asked Brandon.
"What is iron tire?" asked Luca.
"We didn't take my car," said Val as she attempted to explain a tire iron to Kai and Luca.
"You have one of these iron tires, don't you?" Kai asked Luca.
"Is this an iron tire?" Luca produced one from the back of his car.
"Tire iro - never mind. Hand it over." Val flattened out her palm.
"Get ready," Dylan told Brandon.
Valerie drew back her arm and swung the tire iron into the bus' windshield with as much force as if she had hit a racket against a tennis ball in an NCAA tryout.
Val continued to swing the tire iron, until there was enough space for the men to climb through.
Dylan was the first in.
"Shit, it feels like a fucking boiler in here!" he said, searching each seat for Brenda.
She must have slumped over, as he couldn't see the top of her head.
"Brenda!" he called.
Dylan thought he heard movement.
"Brenda, how close is my voice?" he asked.
He followed the moan and lifted Brenda into his arms.
She should have been warm against his skin.
Instead, Brenda felt cool, moist, and as Dylan checked her over, he noticed goosebumps had risen upon her skin.
"She's - she's freezing," Dylan told Brandon. "How the fuck is she freezing? Do we have time to warm her up?"
"Get out of there now!" they heard Kelly scream.
Followed by Clare.
"Steve! The engine's on fire!"
"You must exit immediately!" said Kai. "There is warning of fires near forests. The ground, it is dry!"
With the driver wrapped around his and Brandon's shoulders, Steve directed his bewilderment to Dylan.
"How the hell are we supposed to get off this bus?" asked Steve.
"The back," said Dylan. "König, help me get the back open."
Dylan would have rather not set Brenda down, but he knew he couldn't hold her whilst he used all of his weight to open the back door.
"Catch!" Brandon tossed the tire iron to Luca, which Luca used to break through the door.
A pungent, acrid smell that chomped at the nostrils with its acidity wafted into the bus.
Dylan bolted back to Brenda.
"Go ahead!" he told the others. "We'll be right behind you."
"You really think I'm going to jump out with you three still on here?" asked Brandon.
"B, we agreed -"
"That was before this fucking bus started to burn!"
"You and König get the bus driver," said Steve. "I'll help Dylan with Bren."
Brandon appeared as if they had asked him to commit a crime he didn't want to commit.
"I will not jump either," said Luca. "I will not leave Brenda behind."
"We'll be right behind you," Dylan repeated. "I swear. Seconds behind you."
"You better be, McKay. Or I'll never forgive you," said Brandon.
He and Luca both dropped down to safety.
Dylan felt around Brenda's stomach as he brought her back in his arms.
"Bren's unresponsive and our kid's not moving," Dylan gasped. "What if we're too late? What if they're -"
He could barely bring himself to think it, let alone to voice it.
"We don't have time to think that way," said Steve. "We get Bren out of here, then we'll assess her condition. They're probably both sleeping. This heat could put anyone to sleep."
Dylan hadn't realized how drained he himself felt, until Steve mentioned it.
Flames sprung up near the driver's seat.
Dylan threw his jacket over Brenda.
"No fucking fire is taking you from me," he said.
Dylan attempted to put Brenda into a fireman's carry over his shoulders without repeatedly jolting her.
"You got her?" asked Steve.
"I got her," said Dylan, not wanting to admit that he staggered under Brenda's weight. "Get her backpack and give me a little push towards the door."
A shove to his back had Dylan stumbling and close to dropping Brenda.
"I said, little!"
"My bad," said Steve.
Dylan would never be able to determine how he had done it. Perhaps adrenaline had driven him out that door. Perhaps it had been an element stronger than adrenaline.
Whatever it was, he fell to the grass. Realizing they wouldn't make it away from the bus in time, Dylan covered Brenda.
"Get in!" said Val from the car.
Dylan scrambled up with Steve, both of them bringing Brenda into the car.
Steve was the last to enter, missing his shot to shut the door before Valerie tore up the road.
"Val!" said Steve. "I gotta shut the door!"
"And I gotta get Bren away from that fire," said Val.
Only when she slowed at a nearby stoplight was Steve able to close the door.
Valerie could have easily outdriven a NASCAR racer at the speed she went.
From the safety of Dylan's car, they watched the bus become engulfed in flames.
"I thought there'd be an explosion," said Steve.
"This isn't Hollywood," said Val.
Steve belatedly apologized to Dylan for mentioning an explosion, but Jack was barely on Dylan's mind.
He had more important matters to attend to.
"Hospital," Dylan hacked out as he worked on reviving Brenda. "She won't wanna go, but we're not giving her the choice."
"Brandon?" asked Steve. "Clare? Kelly?"
He continued to list off everyone else.
"Clare took your car and Kai has most of the others. I texted them to meet us at the hospital," said David.
"Please, Bren," Dylan said, a hair's breadth above Brenda's lips. "When I told you I could've been there, that I should've been there, I didn't mean I needed a do-over of the train."
Brenda moaned.
"That's it." An unrelenting floodgate flew down Dylan's cheeks, onto Brenda. "That's it, baby. Follow my voice."
Brenda flinched.
Dylan questioned if Brenda was in pain and if so, where.
When she pointed to her head and to her stomach, it took everything Dylan had to put on a brave face to assure Brenda the hospital would find nothing wrong.
Inside, Dylan was an alabaster statue, abraded to the point that he tottered on his stand.
His family was supposed to be the ones with enemies. The wholesome Walshes from the Midwest weren't supposed to have them; certainly not ones that would have killed Dylan's girls without a single care.
How could he protect Brenda from those set to destroy her family?
Their family?
"No hospital," said Brenda.
"Yes, hospital," said Dylan.
"Feel her?" asked Brenda scratchily.
He couldn't, but he wouldn't be telling Brenda that.
"She just needs to get checked out." Dylan layered his voice in conviction. "Just like her Mommy does."
"Contraction," said Brenda.
Dylan asked if Brenda was experiencing contractions.
"Did," she said.
"Did your water break?" he asked.
Brenda said it had not.
That permitted Dylan a smidgen of peace.
Peace that quickly evaporated as Brenda began to excessively sweat and her breaths became erratic.
Dylan called her name, each time adding more vigor.
He brought Brenda into the hospital, Steve and Brandon standing on either side to hold Dylan up.
"You gotta help my wife!" he yelled to the staff. "Please!"
That Brenda was not Dylan's wife didn't exit anyone's lips.
"How far along is she?" he was asked.
"Thirty," Dylan swallowed as the ceiling threatened to swallow him, "thirty-six weeks."
"Has there been any movement?"
"Some, but we - we can't feel our daughter. She's - she's a future pro-surfer, so she's always splashing around in there. She's been health - healthy, but Bren, she, she missed a scan; we were going to reschedule for tomorrow, except then Bren - Brenda was trapped on a fucking bus and it was fucking humid in there and there was a fire and - and she had contractions, and - and chills - and our baby isn't supposed to be due yet and Bren's been in and out of consciousness and she won't respond and I just - I need you to save my wife!"
David and Steve took over where Dylan's voice failed.
Tempting though it was to grip onto Brenda, Dylan forced himself to allow her to be removed from his grasp.
He fell against Brandon, both taking shelter in the other whilst the gang crowded around them.
Donna sent up a prayer for everyone, without argument. Andrea added a second prayer, in Hebrew, which David closed out.
Kai spoke in Finnish, Luca in German. Whether they had also prayed or gone a different route with their dialogue, no one knew.
The intent, however, was the same.
Dylan continued to grasp onto Brandon.
"She has to be okay," said Dylan. "They just have to be okay."
"They will be." Brandon brought his hands up to Dylan's ears and pulled Dylan's face towards his, in the way of a brother's comfort.
"I can't lose them, Jones," said Dylan.
"You won't," said Brandon. "We won't."
"They shouldn't've been on that bus," said Dylan.
"Don't say it, Val," said David.
"She was on the bus because of me," said Val.
"This had nothing to do with you," Kelly told her.
"There was a fucking bug in my purse, Kel."
"I hate bugs," said Donna.
A tiny chuckle emitted from the others, but not from Dylan or Brandon.
David scooped Valerie into his arms, as Steve did the same with Clare.
"I wish they would tell us something," said Clare.
"You work here," Valerie said to Luca. "Can't you get us an update?"
"They do not give medical reports to pediatricians," said Luca.
"Hannah, she - she's supposed to - Jesse's supposed to bring her in," said Andrea.
It was unsettling to hear Andrea's tone. Normally full of certainty, it had come out slathered in timidity.
"Go." Brandon pecked Andrea's lips, as had been their custom for years. "We'll keep you updated."
Andrea's forlorn gaze landed on Dylan.
"Go," he gave a barely perceptible jerk of his head, not wanting to see the sympathy that lapped through Andrea's eyes.
To see sympathy would be to admit that Brenda had permanently abandoned him.
That she had taken their child and sprinted through a long tunnel Dylan could not reach, when Brenda had sworn off sprinting.
That journey, Dylan would not accept.
"I won't be long." Andrea slid her hand across Dylan's back. "Give Brenda my best," she added, locking her arms around his neck.
Dylan imagined Brenda's arms in place of Andrea's and toppled into despondent rumination over whether Brenda would have the opportunity to touch him again.
Dylan scolded himself for allowing his doubt to take control.
"I will," he said. "Give Hannah our love and be sure to tell her all about the brownies Bren wants to bake with her."
"Will do," said Andrea.
Wanting to be of some use, Donna offered to contact the parents.
Dylan had almost forgotten about them.
He braced himself for the worst, whilst hallucinating the best.
"Mr. Walsh?" A doctor scanned the room.
"Here." Brandon walked himself and Dylan over to receive whatever news sat in store.
Brenda's energy had slightly improved after her body temperature had changed. She was given liquids to stave off her dehydration, as the doctors had worked on raising her blood pressure to fight against Brenda's heat exhaustion.
That fucking bus. They had just managed to get Brenda to a place where her blood pressure had stabilized.
Dylan wondered if karma had mixed up him and Brenda, and if the shit the universe kept throwing at her should have been the shit it threw at him.
Can't you just give her one fucking break?! he thought.
"You may see your sister now," said the doctor.
"I'll go after Dylan does," said Brandon.
Dylan tightly embraced Brandon and followed the doctor.
"This seems familiar," said Brenda as she took careful breaths. "Except I wasn't quite so big, and you were still unknown to me."
Dylan threw himself on her.
"It is good you are healing," a nurse told Brenda. "Your husband; he was quite frantic."
"My husband?" asked Brenda, in Spanish.
"Wonder where they got that idea," said Dylan, in Spanish.
Brenda absentmindedly twirled Dylan's hair.
Her action caused a tiny amount of peace to enter in.
Dylan wasn't truly at peace until he stood beside Brenda as she was examined; her head first, followed by a pelvic exam that showed her cervix had opened.
"Is our baby okay?" asked Brenda.
"You are dilated at three centimeters." Snapping off her gloves, their OB removed her hands from Brenda's legs.
"Then she's coming?" asked Dylan. "There's no way to stop Bren's labor?"
He leant into the hand Brenda set on his cheek.
Brenda was not in labor, they were told.
How could she not be in labor with a dilated cervix, they wanted to know.
"We will keep Brenda here to ensure labor does not start, but a dilation at three centimeters does not automatically mean labor will immediately follow," said the OB. "It could be weeks yet. It is difficult to tell. Some will feel the dilation occurring, as Brenda did. Others will not."
"They weren't contractions?" asked Brenda. "If those weren't contractions, then I don't want to know what contractions feel like."
Dylan set his nose to the side of Brenda's hair.
"We just want to know how she is," he said.
"See for yourself," said the OB, showing them the screen they had become accustomed to watching.
"I think she's waving," said Brenda.
Brenda's voice cracked, as did Dylan's.
"She's letting us know she's okay," he said. "Our girl is tough, like her mother."
"And her father," said Brenda. "Will you stay with us?" she asked.
"Nothing could pull me away," said Dylan, prior to confirming whether it was permitted.
"Anything before I leave you to rest?" asked the OB.
"Yes," said Brenda, "I would like to request a change in my records."
Brenda signed the paperwork with a flourish.
"You made me your emergency contact?" asked Dylan, flabbergasted.
"I moved Brandon down to my second emergency contact and added Val as my third," said Brenda.
"I'm your first." Dylan set the tip of his finger on the paper. "That's my information, right there as your primary emergency contact."
"This way, if I go into labor without anyone around and have to go to hospital, you'll be the first to know," said Brenda. "Although I'm still really hoping we can have her at home."
"Oh, I'll be around," said Dylan.
Brenda sat up and searched the area.
"Where is Luca?" she asked. "I thought he was here, the way the nurse described those waiting for me."
Dylan told himself to not become perturbed by Brenda's question, attaching on a mental reminder that Luca had been the one in possession of a tire iron.
Would they have been able to save Brenda without it?
"You want to see König?" asked Dylan.
"I - I had to tell him something," said Brenda. "And you. I had to tell you something."
"Whatever you had to tell us can wait," said Dylan. "You heard the Doc. You need to concentrate on resting. For your sake, as well as for hers."
"I'm really starting to hate hospitals."
"As am I, baby. As am I."
At Brenda's request, Dylan lay beside her and framed both of his hands around her stomach.
"I know you're as impatient to see us as we are impatient to see you, baby girl, but we just need you to stick it out a little longer." Dylan tucked his lips into Brenda's stomach. "Mommy and Daddy just want to ensure you're given every opportunity to be born healthy."
"I told her she couldn't come without you around." Brenda stretched out her hand towards Dylan's.
Dylan stuck his hand in Brenda's.
"Guess one of us listens to our parents," he said, kissing her knuckle.
"I don't know how much longer I can keep her in, Dylan." Brenda's lips trembled.
"You've done a great job, baby." Dylan's thumb rubbed against the back of Brenda's ear. "If she decides to come out before she's supposed to, then we'll let the doctors do their thing and take care of her like they've taken care of you. In the meantime…"
"You'd prefer if I stayed close, and off my feet as much as possible."
"That would be ideal, yeah. Except it might just be me around."
"It would?"
Brandon had to fly out to Buffalo, said Dylan, and Valerie might be needed to go along.
"Do they have to fly out now?" asked Brenda. "Can't they wait?"
"Baby, there are some dangerous people we think might be after your family and they've decided your condition makes you the easiest person to target." Dylan smoothed a hand over Brenda's hair, as the other hand remained firmly on her abdomen. "The sooner they fly out, the sooner we know more about how to keep you and our tiny surfer safe from hijacked buses."
"But what if she comes while they're gone? I assume David will be going with them."
"We'll have Steve and Clare here, Andrea too, and Donna's willing to stay, if you want."
"Will Kelly be here?"
Dylan asked if Brenda wanted Kelly to stay there.
"I want her to go with Brandon," said Brenda. "He needs to have someone around who will keep him out of trouble."
"Says the girl who just got out of it," said Dylan. "Kai offered his place, so you can be nearby and still have your own space. Clare would've offered hers, but Sanders is planning to move in and she thought that might be a little awkward. Your other options are to stay with Andrea or," Dylan forced out the next part that clawed him in his own stomach, "or König, but whatever you choose, you don't get to be alone right now. Not after today."
"You aren't an option?"
That surprised Dylan.
"With Val and Brandon both being gone, I figured…"
"You figured I wouldn't want to be alone with you. Because I was cruel and cold."
"You weren't cruel and cold."
"So it's kind and warm to tell someone they're a liar?"
"You were only being honest."
"No, I was being cruel. And because of my cruelty, I could've harmed me and her."
"You are not about to blame yourself for being on that bus."
"I chose to be on that bus."
"A bus you thought would take the normal route, not catch on fire," said Dylan, emphasizing the last three words.
"I could've harmed you. You risked your life to save mine."
"I had help. Brandon and Steve. Val; you should see that girl's swing. Clare and Kel and Donna. Andrea. Kai. And König."
"You all could have been gravely injured, because of me. If I hadn't fled…"
Refusing to listen to Brenda continuing to blame herself, Dylan interjected.
"We saw your flowers, on the side of the road."
"I'm sorry about that," said Brenda.
"Why are you sorry?"
"They were lovely flowers, and you paid for them -"
"Bren, your quick thinking to toss out those flowers may very well have saved both of your lives. It let us find the bus, find you. The money doesn't mean anything. I can always buy another bouquet. I can't buy another set of my girls; nor would I want to, if it were possible."
"I think your girls would prefer to be at home," said Brenda.
"I think I would prefer to have my girls at home," said Dylan.
He had been convinced Brenda would choose to stay with König.
"I think you are our home," Brenda mumbled.
Dylan whipped his head down towards Brenda and saw that she had lapsed into sleep.
"Damn right, I'm your home," he told her.
Her subconscious has realized it, thought Dylan. It's only a matter of time 'til her conscious does.
He drew his hand along Brenda's curves.
We're so close. So close. I can feel it.
"König may have helped us save you and I'll always be grateful to him for that," Dylan muttered, "but there's nothing between you and him, Bren. He's just a stumbling block. You're letting go of him and starting the route back home. She's helping lead you there, because she wants us back together as much as I do. I found my way back. You'll find yours."
We'll get there, baby girl, he telepathically communicated with his child. By the time you get here, we will be there. Daddy swears.
You just gotta stay in to give Daddy more time to work on Mommy. He's got a lot to make up for. And stop trying to push us together by scaring us, okay? Your parents can't handle another scare like this one.
Dylan woke to find himself the object of Brandon's and Valerie's scrutiny.
"That is not how friends sleep," said Val.
"You would know," said Dylan. "How's that whole sleeping arrangement between you and that friend of yours? Silver, I think his name was?"
Val huffed.
"How's she doing?" asked Brandon, taking a backwards seat on a chair.
"She's three centimeters dilated," said Dylan. "Docs wanted to keep Bren under observation until they were sure they could send her home."
"If she's three centimeters dilated, shouldn't she be in labor?" asked Val.
"Apparently, you can be three centimeters for a while," said Dylan. "As long as she doesn't get over that, we're in the clear. They were less concerned about the dilation and more concerned about the fact that Bren came this fucking close to heatstroke."
He formed a tight circle with his thumb and index finger.
"I'm getting real sick of transport putting my girls' lives in jeopardy, B," said Dylan. "If you find out Rawlins had anything to do with this, anything at all, I want you to take him for all he's worth. After the train victims win their negligence case. We'll crush Rawlins until he has nothing left."
Brandon said he would.
"Should I tell Jim?" asked Brandon. "He still thinks Rawlins is the good guy."
"Which puts your father in the perfect position to be a double-agent," said Dylan. "Let him play Rawlins' game. Rawlins won't know we're helping Jim choose the cards."
Brenda shifted in Dylan's arms until their stomachs lined together.
"Do you think she'll forgive me?" Valerie brushed her hand over Brenda's hair.
"You kidding?" asked Dylan. "After the way you smashed through that windshield so we could run in and grab her?"
"Guess my bad girl ways can be good for something," said Val. "It's the least I could do for Bren after being the fucking tail that caused this."
"You've got to let that go," said Brandon.
"Would you let it go if you'd been the tail?" asked Valerie, to which Brandon could not respond. "That's what I thought."
"He's right," said Dylan. "Let it go. All of us know you didn't purposely walk around with a bug in your purse."
"But I still had a bug in my purse," said Val. "Claiborne used the information he got from me to upset Bren so that she broke contact with all of us and it opened her up for an attack. I'm the reason she's back in this fucking hospital."
"You're harder on yourself than you have to be."
"I have to fix this, and the only way I can fix it is to get Abby to talk."
"I told Bren about Buffalo," said Dylan. "She's opted to move back home."
"We'd prefer to hold off, but…" Brandon trailed off.
"We can't hold off," said Dylan. "Holding off isn't an option. You and Val go. Take Silver with you."
"I don't see why we have to take David with us," said Val.
"Because Silver will be useless here while he's worrying over you," said Dylan.
"And you won't be much better if you're constantly fretting over him," said Brandon.
"Bren wants you to take Kel, too," said Dylan.
"There's no reason Kelly needs to get involved." Brandon lost all trace of his teasing manner.
"There's no reason David needs to get involved, either," said Val. "This is between the Walshes and the Malones."
"And the McKays," Dylan added in a way that they would comprehend he considered both the woman in his arms and the child moving against their stomachs to be McKays.
He didn't need the paper attaching his name to Brenda's; but damn, did he want it.
"Kelly goes with Brandon to keep him out of trouble and Silver goes with Val to keep them both out of trouble," said Dylan. "If it were any other time, I would come along -"
"You and Bren; she'd never let you go without her," Val cut in.
"- but obviously, I'm not leaving Bren and she isn't flying out to New York," said Dylan. "We aren't too sure Little Miss Overeager here is willing to stay in until our due date, and Bren won't be giving birth on a plane, train, bus, car, truck, boat, rocket, or any other fucking vehicle."
"Well, not with this kid," said Valerie.
Dylan couldn't think of how to reply to that.
"Val?" asked Brenda in a tinny voice.
"I'm here, sweetie." Valerie immediately jumped to Brenda's other side.
"I'll understand if you hate me," said Brenda.
"What? Bren, I could never hate you."
"I was so mean."
"You had every right to be."
"Not to someone who has taken care of me as well as you have."
"I lied, Brenda. Kept your baby daddy from knowing about your pregnancy. Didn't correct you when you thought he did know. Anyone would have been pissed about that."
"You were just trying to shield me," said Brenda. "Because that's what you and I do; act as each other's shields from life's cruelties. It's what we've always done."
"Always?" Valerie's head perked up. "Did you get another memory of me, Bren?"
"Not of you," said Brenda.
Brandon glanced at Dylan.
"Think that's our cue to leave," said Brandon. "Let us know when we can send in the others. They're getting restless."
"Brandon," said Brenda.
Dylan kissed away the tears that threatened to spill from Brenda's eyes.
"There's no need, Bren," said Brandon.
"There's every need," said Brenda.
"We'll talk about it later." Brandon kissed her head. "For now, I'm glad you're alright. Although if you could stop trying to give Dylan a stroke, that would be great. C'mon, Val."
Brenda watched them leave before focusing solely on Dylan.
"I think Brandon hates me," she said quietly.
"Not likely," said Dylan.
"He doesn't want to talk to me."
"He doesn't want you to feel like you owe him an apology," said Dylan. "He was pretty close to a stroke himself. The last thing Brandon's dwelling on is an apology."
"I owe you one," said Brenda.
"There's no point in saying it, 'cause I ain't gonna accept."
"Well, I'm sorry anyway," said Brenda. She traced her hand over Dylan's chest. "Do you often wear unbuttoned Hawaiian shirts?" she asked.
"I've worn them a couple times while we've been together." Dylan sought to taper his anticipation. "You - you seemed to have maybe recalled one of those times?"
"I thought I had, but you said we've never been to Hawaii."
"The song," he said, "what song were you hearing?"
"Something about feelings. My brain's all muddled now, so I can't remember the rest of the lyrics."
"I'm guessing it went a little something like this."
Dylan sang in a murmur, so as to not disturb the other patients.
"That was it." Brenda nodded enthusiastically, and then sang herself. "Feelings. Nothing more than feelings. You made faces while you sang it, and you wore a Hawaiian shirt."
"And there were cosmos there, just like you said," Dylan added, trying to contain his joy.
She remembers me! he internally whooped. She remembers Baja!
"Cosmos…" Brenda pulled a face of concentration. "The cosmos you sent, you noted they were imported from Mexico. Were we in Mexico when you sang that?"
"We were. Baja."
"What's Baja?"
"It's a Mexican state, just outside California. First place I took you surfing. Think you fell in love with Baja that day, which is easy to do."
"Why were you making faces?"
"Because I was trying to get you to stop being mad at me and have some fun."
Brenda asked why she had been mad.
Dylan told her about his brief fling with a girl whose name he couldn't recall and whose face had become blurred.
"Do you get amnesia, too?" asked Brenda. "When it comes to women? You seem to have trouble remembering their names and faces."
"Maybe because the only one whose name and face I need to remember is right here in my arms," said Dylan.
"That's not very fair to the other women you've been with." Brenda's voice became raspier with each word she spoke, though she pressed on. "You can't just cast them aside, or your histories with them. Otherwise, you do to them what you did to me, and that would very much be the thought process of a tosser, which you aren't."
"If I tell you you're the only girl I've ever stuck around for this long?" asked Dylan. "And that if I had lost you today or on that train, I'd have lost the only woman that's made my life worth living?"
"That, I'll allow," said Brenda. "I don't need to have the assurance that you love me more than you loved another. I don't need you to shove down what you had with others to make me feel secure, especially not with your wife."
Dylan contemplated interrupting, to encourage Brenda to rest her voice, but realized how imperative Brenda thought her tangent to try as hard as she did to get it out.
"You don't need to pretend your wife doesn't still mean something to you. You have a history; I get that. We have a history, too; a history where we hurt each other."
"A history you're starting to remember."
"It could be in bits and pieces, like with Val."
"Anything is good."
"We don't have to dwell on the bad parts of our history. The important part is whether you love me now."
"I do," said Dylan. "I always have. The only girl I want to stick around for longer."
"Two." Brenda lightly knocked her stomach against Dylan's. "I'm one of two."
"You're a package deal," said Dylan. "Scratch that. The three of us are a package deal."
"The Walsh-McKays," said Brenda.
"Or, you know, we could just go by the McKays." Dylan gave off an air of casual indifference. "Might as well. I mean, Sanders already calls us that. Don't wanna confuse the guy. He's easily confused enough already."
"But I'm not a McKay," said Brenda.
"You could be." Dylan startled himself.
"Sorry?"
Dammit, man. You weren't supposed to bring it up.
"Nah, forget it."
"Is this you lying again?"
Well, if she wants to play it that way…
"I just don't want to force you into something you're not comfortable with."
"Tell me what it is you think you're forcing me into, and I'll decide my level of comfort."
Dylan told her of their third option.
"So if Brandon doesn't get guardianship, then my other option is to marry you," said Brenda. "How long have you known that option?"
"Since I first talked with our attorneys about the case," said Dylan. "Are you mad?"
"I just would have liked to know all our options, that's all."
"Wasn't the best time to bring that up, what with you dating König and all."
"I still would have liked to have known."
Dylan couldn't decipher Brenda's reaction. She didn't seem as furious as she had been, which he took as a good sign.
"So," Dylan hesitated, "what do you think about it?"
"Us getting married so Brandon doesn't have to be my guardian and Jim can't take me to Hong Kong?"
"It's not how I pictured us getting hitched, but as it stands, right now the only right I have is to her, after she's born. If you want our family to stay together and you don't want Brandon to be responsible for you, then this seems to be our only other option."
"How long do I have to think it over?"
"Depends on if Jim drops the case. If he does, then you living in Hong Kong is no longer a notion and this whole thing is moot."
"Would he do that? Drop the case?"
"He might, if Brandon and I can help him figure out who those baddies are and what they want with your family."
"With our family," said Brenda.
"Our family," Dylan agreed.
"You said you would want to marry me in the future. Would you want us to marry this soon?"
"What do you think?" Dylan tilted his head to search Brenda's eyes.
"I'll think it over," said Brenda. "But whether we do or we don't, we both have to swear we won't lie to each other, no matter how much we think it's better that way."
"I swear," said Dylan.
Brenda also swore.
Dylan was torn between contentment that Brenda had agreed to consider marrying him and disappointment that she hadn't asked him to propose right there.
They filed charges against the driver and were assured that should the driver's condition improve, he would be released into the custody of the police.
When Brenda's own condition improved, Dylan gave in to her request to see the bastard.
"I wonder what happened to him," said Brenda as she used Dylan as a crutch to lessen the wobble of her legs.
"Who cares?" asked Dylan. "He could've killed you and our daughter. That's all I care about."
"You don't just wake up one day and decide to be a bad guy," said Brenda.
"Sometimes you do," said Dylan.
"Perhaps he was offered money and was trying to provide for his family."
"By killing mine?"
"Maybe that wasn't his intent."
"Maybe that was precisely his intent."
Their argument ceased.
They called the transportation department, to report the location of the stolen bus and to check up on the real bus driver Jorma.
Confirmed to have remained at three centimeters, Brenda was permitted to return home.
"How does it feel to know you're walking around with an open cervix?" asked Valerie.
"Terrifying," said Brenda. "We need her to stay in for at least two more weeks. Can I stay three centimeters for two weeks?"
"Doc said it's possible," said Dylan.
"I wonder what it would be like to have sex with an open cervix," said Steve.
"That's disgusting, Steve," said Kelly.
"I bet you'd penetrate the baby right out," said Steve.
"That's an image I didn't need," said Brandon.
"None of you need to be talking about my sex life," said Brenda. "Or yours, for that matter," she told Steve.
And Bren doesn't need to be thinking of her sex life, thought Dylan. Not unless it's with me. Then think away.
"My sex life is fantastic," said Steve.
"When you can get it up," said Clare.
"Clare!" said Steve.
"Yes, babe?" asked Clare, doe-eyed.
"Oh, don't play innocent with me." Steve lunged for her.
Clare pretended to shriek and ducked behind Val.
"Pretty sure sex is the reason you have an open cervix, Bren," said Val. "Don't be such a priss."
"Sex," said Andrea, "what is that?"
"I miss D'Shawn," said Donna. "Do you think it's been long enough since I broke up with Noah to start dating D'Shawn?"
"We aren't the best people to ask about that," said Kelly.
"Can we please stop talking about my sister's sex life?" asked Brandon.
Any of you keep putting sex and Brenda in the same sentence and I'm gonna take her right here, right now, in front of all of you.
"I still have to talk to Luca," said Brenda.
Brenda thinking of König in relation to sex was something Dylan could have done without.
König had seen Brenda, but by some miraculous stroke of luck that Dylan swore had nothing to do with him, König had been unable to privately see Brenda.
Dylan had thanked him for the use of his tire iron and his climb onto the bus. David had advised König to give Brenda time to recuperate. König had concurred.
Therefore, the blame was David's and, in part, Luca's.
Not Dylan's, though he did benefit greatly.
"I think that's enough sex talk from all of us," said Dylan. "You never know what the kid can hear."
"Not her parents going at it," said Val cheekily.
Dylan somehow managed to avoid giving Valerie the reaction she had aimed for.
"Cup of tea, dear?" asked Iris as she stuck her mass of curls through the door.
Dylan wondered whether his daughter would inherit the curls that he had inherited from his mother, though not nearly to the extent of Iris'.
"More tea, Mom?" he asked.
"This is a very special tea," said Iris. "This recipe is guaranteed to help restless children remain in their mothers' wombs until they are considered full-term."
"I'll take it." Brenda shot out her hand for the cup.
"We don't know that's a true guarantee," said Dylan.
"It's only my second cup of the day," said Brenda.
"Third," said Val. "You're forgetting the one you had before breakfast."
"Bren," said Dylan.
"Tattletale," said Brenda.
Kelly asked if she should start indulging in tea more often.
"You should," said Brenda. "It's very good for you."
"Looks like I need to remind you what happened the last time you drank too much tea," said Dylan.
"I'm in recovery," said Brenda. "Let me enjoy."
"Ooh!" Donna clapped her hands together. "Bren! We could have a tea party for your baby shower!"
Brenda said she thought she wasn't having a baby shower.
"'Course we're throwing you a baby shower," said Donna. "Aren't we, girls?"
Every woman in the room agreed.
"And we're making the guys come," said Clare.
"Guys don't go to baby showers," said Steve.
"Guess you'll be missing out on all that lacy lingerie, then," said Clare.
"Okay, soon as Brando and Silver get back from Buffalo, we're throwing Bren a baby shower," said Steve. "And you owe me the sight of you in some lacy lingerie," he told Clare.
"Wouldn't mind seeing Val in some lacy lingerie myself," said David.
"I could always buy you some for your own wardrobe," said Val.
"If you do, I insist on pictures," said Kelly.
Dylan would also not mind seeing Brenda in her lingerie again; or, better yet, out of it.
He noticed how knackered she had become, though Brenda did her best to pretend otherwise.
"Patients need to rest, guys. Everybody out," he ordered.
"I'd like Iris to stay," said Brenda. "Have my mother come in, too."
"Your wish is my command," said Dylan.
Brenda lay against Iris as Cindy palpated Brenda's legs.
"How does that feel, sweetheart?" asked Cindy.
"Amazing," said Brenda. "I don't know how you managed to carry twins. Carrying one baby is tiring enough."
"I had your -" Cindy stopped herself.
"You had Jim beside you," said Brenda.
"As you have Dylan," Cindy smiled, with a squeeze of Dylan's hand.
"Jim hates Dylan," said Brenda. "Why does he hate my Dylan?"
Dylan said for Brenda to not concern herself with what Jim may or may not have thought about him.
Brenda asked if Iris and Cindy would both be willing to stay until Brenda was certain she could care for her daughter.
"We will be here for as long as you like," said Iris, "but perhaps your mother and I should not overstay our welcome in this house."
"You haven't," said Brenda.
"Does my son agree?" asked Iris.
"You are both welcome to stay here," said Dylan.
Iris said that nevertheless, she and Cindy thought it crucial to allow the younger adults more privacy.
"Will you be leaving, then?" asked Brenda.
"A cottage down the road will shortly be available for home exchange," said Iris. "I have offered my home on my delightful pineapple mountain in exchange for that cottage."
"And I have considered joining her," said Cindy. "It will allow me to be close to my children and grandchild, without encroaching."
"As long as you aren't far," said Brenda.
She asked that Iris and Cindy both be part of the birth.
"This is something you would want, too?" Iris asked her son.
"It's something we both want." Dylan moved closer to Brenda, but still at a distance from their mothers. "We've asked that Brandon and Valerie be there, as well. We want our daughter's first view of the world to be the people her parents consider vital in their lives. And Val."
Brenda swatted at Dylan's elbow.
"You consider me vital?" Iris' own facial expression bordered on the emotion that threatened to overpower Dylan.
His relationship with his mother had experienced its ups and downs; more downs than ups.
He wanted his daughter to know only the ups.
"You are her grandmother," said Brenda. "Dylan would not be here for me to love if you hadn't carried him around for nine months and then spent hours trying to push him out."
"Forty-eight, to be exact," said Iris.
"She exaggerates," said Dylan. "They didn't make you labor for forty-eight hours in the Industrial Age."
"By trying to age me, you have aged yourself," said Iris. "That would make you at least two hundred years old."
"Jeez, woman, take a joke," said Dylan in a playful manner.
"Brenda and Brandon used to say Jim and I were from the Iron Age," said Cindy.
"I am not pushing this baby out for forty-eight hours," said Brenda.
She asked how long it had taken Cindy.
"Fourteen," said Cindy, "in the middle of a terrible blizzard."
"Fourteen?" asked Brenda. "Dylan, what have you gotten me into?"
He almost retorted with how much Brenda had enjoyed exactly what he had gotten her into, but decided that would not be the most appropriate conversation in front of their mothers.
"Will Nat be coming back?" asked Brenda.
"He's going to try," said Dylan. "He wanted to stay longer and wait until you were back with us, but -"
"But he has a family and a diner to run," said Brenda. "Perhaps we can visit him."
"You'd want to go out to LA?"
"When she's old enough. We should take her to see Baja."
"We can have a second home in Baja, if you want it."
Iris exchanged a glance with Cindy, as both excused themselves with kisses to Brenda's head.
"Can I have my phone?" asked Brenda.
"Why do you want your phone?" asked Dylan.
Brenda said she had to call Luca.
"Let me instead tell you why Brando and Val are going to Buffalo," said Dylan.
He launched into the entire story Jim had told them.
"I wish I could help," said Brenda. "They've targeted my mother. No one targets my mother."
"They've targeted you, too," said Dylan. "The best thing for you to do is continue focusing on your health, on her health, and staying away from potentially dangerous situations."
"There must be some way I can help."
"Our job is to get Cindy to open up. The others will work on Abby."
"Valerie shouldn't have to see Abby."
"Val volunteered. She thinks she can get the story out of Abby."
"I suppose if anyone can, Val can." Brenda scooted down on the bed. "Thank you for telling me."
"I've decided you'll be told everything from this point on," said Dylan.
"Including your surprises?"
"Excluding my surprises."
"You know, Essi was pretty sure daffodils and jonquils are part of the Narcissus genus."
"So I might've misunderstood that part of Iris' spiel."
Brenda said she had asked Donna about upping her hours, which Donna said was unnecessary.
"I don't like not having more work to do," said Brenda. "I'm grateful for mat leave because I know I'm lucky to have it, but I like being able to work. I don't like sitting around, doing nothing. I've done enough of that this year."
"Convincing her to stay inside you isn't exactly nothing," said Dylan.
"You know what I mean," said Brenda.
"I do know what you mean," said Dylan, "which is why I have invited an improv troupe here thrice a week."
"You did?" Brenda instantly cheered.
"The backyard's plenty big enough for you to flex your acting muscles," he said.
Brenda launched herself at Dylan.
"Can I talk with Luca now?" she asked in his shoulder.
"Yeah." He reluctantly pulled away. "Yeah, I guess."
"You did say he helped to save me," she said. "I should at least thank him privately for that. I wasn't awake enough when I saw him."
"I just think it might be better to wait until after you've rested."
"You said that yesterday."
"One day isn't enough time to rest after all the excitement you and our daughter had."
"They didn't say I had to be on bed rest."
"Should I list off all the treatments you underwent?"
"I suppose I could rest."
"Could use a nap myself."
"Okay, we'll rest, but then I'm going to call Luca."
Except, entertained by various members of the gang, Brenda forgot to call König.
Dylan didn't see a reason to remind her.
He may have suggested König call back at a later time when Dylan picked up Brenda's phone to hear König's voice.
Dylan didn't plan to keep them separated for long.
Just maybe for a few more naps.
Just long enough for Brenda to recognize that she loved being in Dylan's embrace far more than she could ever love being in König's.
Long enough for Brenda to decide to break it off with König.
Dylan couldn't help it if their friends chose, in unspoken agreement, to aid in the distraction.
He had four weeks, likely less, to follow through on his vow to his daughter.
If that meant ensuring Brenda couldn't be alone with König, then so be it.
It hadn't been König's chest that had splintered when he had seen a flame dancing its way towards Brenda. It hadn't been König who had yelled out for help in a hospital abuzz with activity. It hadn't been König who Brenda had selected as her emergency contact. It hadn't been König's place Brenda had chosen to stay at, or König's mother Brenda had requested to stay.
Dylan had waited for Brenda to speak with him, for Brenda to remember him.
Dylan had learnt how to be patient with Brenda Walsh.
Luca König could do the same.
-x
In that weird Wild Horses episode in season three, Dylan claimed he was stealing cars in 1985, but as he would have been nine and ten in that year, I've chosen to tweak it into being a rumour spread around his fellow classmates that Dylan didn't mind spreading around himself.
Sources: Google and the websites for Arrive Alive, BabyCenter, BabyCentre, Britannica, CBS News, Cleveland Clinic, Differencebetween, The Driven Mama, Family Education, Motor Advices, Motor Biscuit, News9, the New York Post, the NHS, Parents, Popular Mechanics, Romper, Sky News, SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden, Walter Reeves, What to Expect.
(Shout-out to KJ and Crystal to express my continued gratitude and appreciation, as well as those of you I can message directly. KJ, I'm not sure! The scenes just play out in my head, and then I try to write them down. Perhaps it is due to the influence of the media I've enjoyed. Poor Val, indeed! Crystal, thank you for the information.)
Thanks a million! x
