August 2027: Worries and Hopes.
Sebastian had just finished grinding up the last of the DVDs when his cellphone started to ring; he checked it, and the ID of the caller came as a surprise. He answered the call from the Carmichaels home immediately, expecting to hear Edith, but it was her husband Aaron instead. "Sebastian my boy, I'm afraid that we have a bit of a situation here; could you possibly come to Dalton right now as we require your assistance?" the former Principal said as soon as he spoke.
"I suppose that I can, sir, but is it not something that Thad could deal with for you far better and quicker than me?"
There was a pause, and then Aaron replied, "I am afraid to say that he is the situation; I can't say any more on the telephone, but we really do need you to come now. You won't be alone, as I will be calling Skylar as soon as I end this call and asking him to come over too."
Sebastian suddenly felt his blood running cold; the fact that Thad was the cause of a situation that required the presence of the two closest former Warblers to the Academy was a major cause for concern. The Head Warbler was never the cause of an issue, at least not since the day of the memorial service for Wes… With that day in his head, Sebastian said he would be right over and hung up. He hurried down the stairs, pausing only to tell Dave that he had to head to Dalton as something was wrong with Thad; he did not know what, but he had a very bad feeling about it. Dave at once offered to come with him, seeing the look on Sebastian's face, and after only a few seconds of thought, he agreed. Dave's father and stepmother had taken the children out for the day, so there was no worry about finding a sitter…
Dave offered to drive, and Sebastian was happy to let him do so for once; his mind was elsewhere, his head filled with a strange sensation of dread, plus a series of worst-case scenarios playing all too vividly one after another. Dave drove quickly, and they were soon turning into the gates of Dalton; a glance at the rear-view mirror as they did so showing Skylar's car right behind them. They parked in the lot nearest to the dorm that Sebastian had only visited the day before; Thad had seemed fine, his usual self then, but now all he could wonder was if he had missed some small sign…
He left Dave to follow as he hastened towards the building, being joined by an equally worried looking Skylar at the external door. They took the steps up to Thad's apartment two at a time and found the door wide open. They stepped inside and immediately saw a red-eyed Edith Carmichael standing at his bedroom door…
Sebastian turned to Skylar and saw that the younger man was thinking exactly the same thing that he was at that moment; that sometime between Sebastian's departure the night before and Mrs Carmichael arriving that day, Thad had suffered some mishap and had passed away. How it had happened he did not know, because the Head Warbler had not been complaining of any illness, had been very cheerful, and had not alluded to or shown any signs of pain. Something sudden and deadly had obviously then been waiting in the wings to strike him down…
"He was fine when I left him yesterday…" Sebastian uttered in a grief-stricken voice, as beside him tears started to run down Skylar's cheeks, for whom this turn of events was all too reminiscent of Seth's passing for his liking…
"And I am just a little tired today!" came a familiar voice which made the two former Warblers in the hallway gasp in both shock and relief.
It was that reaction that made Edith Carmichael gasp too, before saying in an apologetic tone, "Did you think that he was…" she began, before pausing and shaking her head. "I told Aaron that the word situation wasn't ideal and look where we have ended up! I only called the two of you to come here because someone is refusing to see sense when I make a suggestion, and I thought that he might listen when the advice is coming from two of his peers…"
"If I am refusing to listen to you, do you really think I am going to listen to them!?" came Thad's voice, loaded with exasperation.
"Fascinating though this argument is," said Skylar before Mrs Carmichael could retort to his statement, "I think that we need to know exactly what is going on here before we can form any sort of judgement over who is right and whose side to take."
Sebastian nodded, and then they both heard Thad say in a huffed tone, "Fine! I went to bed early last night because I was feeling tired, and also as if I was coming down with a cold. That is it, combined with the fact that for once in my life I overslept."
Edith scoffed at that, and retorted, "It most certainly is not it! You failed to mention the pain in your back, the fact that you have had very little appetite for the last few weeks, the slight jaundice to your skin and the loss of weight. I want him to see a doctor to be checked out properly, because contrary to what he keeps saying, it is not just a virus!"
"And I don't need to see one, because this has happened before, more than once, and I will feel fine again in a day or two!" yelled Thad.
At that point, realising that anger was building on both sides, Sebastian made his way past Mrs Carmichael and into Thad's bedroom. His first appraisal was that Edith was right; there was a yellow tinge to his skin, and he did seem thinner that he normally was…
"Honestly, I am fine; you have been dragged here on a Sunday for no reason whatsoever, and I can only apologise for it," Thad said; but then he tried to sit up, and he let out a yelp of pain and winced.
Sebastian shook his head and walked over to sit on the edge of the bed. "So, what exactly hurt there?" he whispered to his friend. "And don't dare say nothing, or I will side with Mrs Carmichael and there will be a doctor brought here to see you in double quick time."
"Okay, my back does hurt, but that is probably down to the fact that I was sleeping in a twisted position. A few decent painkillers and I will be fine. The last thing that I need is a doctor poking and prodding me. I also don't want this getting back to Ollie or my beloved parents and siblings closer by…"
Sebastian knew that Thad's relationship with his family, other than Ollie, was fractious to say the least, and he replied, "Of course not; I understand exactly where you are coming from."
"Good. Now if you don't mind, I am going to get up and get my day back on track…"
"I will leave you to get dressed then," replied Sebastian, getting up of the bed once more. Thad smiled at him, and as the actor made his way towards the door, he tried to sit up, only to end up howling in agony once more. It felt as if someone had taken a knife and was cutting into his spine…
Sebastian heard the noise and shook his head, before heading straight back into the room. "I don't think that you will be getting out of bed today after all. You have obviously done something to your back; maybe you have pulled a muscle during the night, turning awkwardly in your sleep. I did that myself once and it was sheer agony…" He paused and then in a louder voice continued, "It doesn't need a doctor's visit, just bed rest until the pain subsides. Mine only lasted for the day, but a teammate of Dave's did the same thing, and he ended up confined to his bed for two weeks."
"I still think that we should call in a doctor, just to be on the safe side," came Mrs Carmichael's voice from the hallway.
Thad opened his mouth to snap back at her again, but before he could, Skylar spoke up. "I have a compromise suggestion. Why don't you and I go and call Julia; as a nurse, she has seen a lot of people with back pain and all of the other symptoms Thad has, so she might be able to tell us what it is and whether a call to a doctor is absolutely necessary…"
There was silence for a moment, and then Edith said, "Well, that is an idea, and we can do that, on the proviso that if she says that we need to get a doctor involved, then we will be calling one…"
"Then I might consider it, if only to keep you happy," Thad replied with a note of resignation in his voice.
Mrs Carmichael sighed, knowing that was the best she was likely to get, then announced that she and Skylar were going to make the call, but that she would be doing it from one of the phones in the school offices rather than Thad's own. Thad and Sebastian then heard footsteps and the sound of the voices of Edith and Skylar dying away as they headed out, leaving the two alone.
"I wonder if Julia would agree to come and examine me," Thad pondered out loud.
"I doubt it, and even if she did agree, she would not just say what you want her to; she wouldn't say it was nothing to keep Mrs Carmichael happy just for your benefit," Sebastian replied.
"I won't see a doctor though, not for anyone. I am fine apart from the pain in my back."
Sebastian sighed, then said, "What if we asked Hayden to pop over and take a look at it if Julia does deem it necessary? I think that he could be convinced to tell a few white lies if it was to keep Mrs Carmichael happy…"
"No, I don't want a doctor at all, not even one that I trust, because they talk to each other, and it would get back eventually to either Ollie or one of my family. My dad would not be happy at all to discover that I was sick in Ohio and not being seen by one of his little clique; it would be even worse if he discovered I was under the medical supervision of a young man he threw out of it…"
"As long as that is the only reason for your reluctance to see a doctor, then I will accept it. I do get it; if my family were all doctors and all but one of them had disowned me, I wouldn't want to go anywhere near a member of that profession either."
"That family of doctors is another reason why I know that I do not need to see one. Even when I was in my first days of elementary school my father and mother were busy teaching me so much medical stuff. I would literally have been the only 7-year-old in my class at school that would have been able to perform CPR and use a defibrillator; I could also have diagnosed several common ailments without any fear of getting it wrong. Some kids would have enjoyed that; my oldest brother ended up bearing the nickname Doogie Howser from his sophomore year onwards in high school… Junior actually saw that as a compliment!"
"He wasn't a Dalton boy though…"
"No, and neither was Ollie. I was the only one to be sent to Dalton, and my dad to this day blames the school for my decision to give medicine the shove. He actually threatened to sue the school at one point… That is how I know enough about illnesses to know that what is afflicting me is a combination of a viral infection, stress and a pulled muscle in my lower back. I do not need to have a doctor come over and charge the earth to tell me that!"
Sebastian nodded, but at the same time…
"I know what you are thinking, but if there was anything really wrong with me, wouldn't my husband be here, backing up Mrs Carmichael to the hilt?"
"That is true, and as he isn't around…"
"Exactly, so if it turns out that Julia does suggest that I need to see a doctor, can you point that out to Mrs Carmichael? Heck, if all else fails, then I will summon Wes to pronounce his judgement on the whole debate about my need to see a doctor."
"I will do my best and if we still can't stop her from getting one in, then I will ensure that it is Hayden for you as a compromise…"
Sebastian stopped talking then as he heard footsteps approaching; to their surprise, Skylar walked in on his own. That seemed like a good sign to both of the men in the room, but the other shook his head at their hopeful expressions. "Don't get overexcited yet. I sent a text to Julia discretely as we walked over to the office, filling her in on the fact that you are determined not to see a doctor. She replied that she could understand that, as she has worked with a few nurses since we moved back here that have experienced working under your father. I therefore thought that she would just listen and tell Mrs Carmichael not to worry, that it sounded like a simple muscle strain combined possibly with a viral infection. She actually did, but then Mrs Carmichael started to badger her, and we all know how persuasive the lady in question can be when she wants something…"
Thad groaned, then said, "So what did she end up saying to her?"
"That she would come and examine you herself, because she could only be certain of her diagnosis in person. Mrs Carmichael wasn't best pleased with that until Julia stated that she was doing it for the sake of her professional reputation. She will want to examine you, but she won't allow anyone else to be in the room, and she will only summon a doctor if she thinks it is critical, trust me."
"And if she does deem it necessary, then we can ensure that the doctor in question is Hayden and not some overcharging old quack," said Sebastian, making Thad smile just a little.
"You'd better not mention that in front of Mrs Carmichael before Julia gets here, or she will smell a rat and have someone else here before you can blink," remarked Skylar.
"I will just turn on all of the old Smythe charm and point out that he is close by, fully qualified, and totally unbiased towards either party in this argument. Of course, it would help if we all forget the number of the school doctor when she asks us to phone…"
Thad chuckled, then winced as his back twinged as a result. "A good try there, but unfortunately that is doomed to fail, as she will make the call herself, and alas, the school doctor is also her personal MD…"
When Julia arrived, Mrs Carmichael cleared both Sebastian and Skylar from the room; indeed, she suggested that Sebastian could now head off home. "As much as I would love to, I can't bring myself to go until I find out how he is now," the former Broadway man replied, knowing what she was doing. "He is my colleague as well as my friend these days, and if it transpires that he is seriously unwell then I will need to start thinking what the consequences will be for Dalton with the start of the new school year so close. For a start, how can he be the housemaster of the dorm and fulfil his normal duties if he is sick?"
"Plus, he is also the Head Warbler," added Skylar, aware that had Julia not been his wife, he would be getting pressured to leave as well. "A serious diagnosis would mean that it would be our duty to ensure that the others were immediately informed, especially David, given how close they are."
"You are right about that, both of you, but I don't think that it is all that serious…," replied Mrs Carmichael.
"Says the woman that not so long ago was wanting to summon half of the doctors in both Franklin and Delaware counties…" joked Sebastian.
"I just worry about him, that is all. He works far too hard, and he doesn't eat as well as he did when he was younger…"
"None of us do, Mrs Carmichael! If we all ate as much as we did when we were boys here now, we'd soon all be the size of houses," Sebastian replied.
"Even allowing for that, you know as well as I do that he has lost weight recently. I saw the expression on your face when I mentioned it earlier…" Sebastian did not respond to her words, which made Edith realise that she had scored a direct hit. However, before she could continue, the door to Thad's room opened and Julia appeared.
"Well, in my opinion, Thad is suffering from a back strain, something that has been brought on by a combination of heavy lifting and bending yesterday, along with the terrible design of aeroplane seats. He has also picked up a particularly nasty virus, which I believe is currently doing the rounds in New York; he likely picked it up at the airport or on the plane home. He does recall that the woman in the seat immediately behind him was coughing and sneezing for most of the flight, and she was not covering her mouth or nose as she did. What he needs now is a period of bed rest until his back is better, along with paracetamol and plenty of fluids to get over the viral infection. A doctor would just tell you the same thing and would charge you for the privilege, so I don't believe that we need to summon one…"
Mrs Carmichael studied Julia in silence for a few moments, and both Sebastian and Skylar half expected to hear her say something involving the phrase 'second opinion', but to their enormous relief, she just nodded. "You are quite right my dear to say that a doctor would charge us to tell you what you just have and would do less examination than you probably did. Very well, I will see that he is kept fed and rested. What he needs is good, wholesome food, nothing too spicy or rich. I will make him some of my chicken soup for a start…"
"Excellent choice; a lot of people think that the whole chicken soup thing for colds and the like is an old wife's tale, but it is proven to work. He would benefit from some hot lemon and honey too," reassured Julia.
"The only issue that I can foresee imminently is the return of the boys to the dorm over the course of next week. They require so much attention, and if he is still incapacitated…" began Edith.
"I can come and oversee things during the day," said Sebastian, which earned him a look of surprise from Skylar, who still recalled the days when the actor had said he could never handle the teaching profession and all that came with it. "Thad is meticulous in his organisation; he will already have drawn up the dorm allocation plan and have the mentor list for the freshmen we have arriving prepared too. As for the 'Welcome to Dalton' speech, that will be no problem as it has not changed in word or syllable since I was given it all those years ago…" He paused, as by his side Skylar nodded and failed to stifle a chuckle. "I know who the senior boys are, and I believe that the two most practical and trustworthy can be set up as temporary heads of dorm in place of Thad himself. They can handle pretty much everything that might occur, and should there be an emergency at night, they can call on you or one of the resident staff to assist."
"I think that Thad would still be able to deal with an emergency where only talk was required; only something that involved him having to be there physically would be off limits," added Julia.
"Oh, I am certain of that too, but I also know Thad, and he would forget his limits in the heat of the moment and be up and about trying to sort things out by himself," replied Sebastian with a knowing smile. "No, it is best that we get the things I suggested set up before he objects, or your patient will be making himself sick again in no time at all…"
By the time Thad was advised of all that had been suggested, it was a fait accompli. Having said that, he knew that he had to go along with it all, no matter how much he detested the idea, as he did feel terrible and not capable of very much at all at the moment. Before they headed off home, he asked his two fellow former Warblers for a favour, and they assisted him out of bed and along to the bathroom, where they waited outside as he performed those necessary functions that could no longer wait. As he stood there, Sebastian realised that this task would fall to him over the next few days potentially, but he did not balk at the idea as he might have as a teenager. It was the least that he could do for his friend in his time of need.
They settled Thad back in bed, and he asked them one more favour; that they did not tell the others what was going on, or he would have a string of calls and messages to deal with. They agreed in the end on the condition that he did tell David, and Thad agreed that was for the best. Then the two young men headed home, leaving Thad to await the return of Mrs Carmichael with the chicken soup…
As it happened, he was not alone for long; a draught in the room almost as soon as Sebastian and Skylar shut the door to his apartment behind them indicated the arrival of the man that he had married on his 30th birthday…
"I am not happy about this at all," said Wes, standing by the bed. "Don't get me wrong, Julia was completely right about the back strain and the virus, but I think that there is something underlying it all that needs to be investigated…"
Thad smiled, and replied, "Yes, there is something underlying it, Wessie; it is called the aging process. For us poor mortals, even in our thirties our bodies start to fail us from time to time…"
Wes did not look at all convinced by his husband's words, and said, "When did you last have a full physical? You really should be having one every year, particularly as you are getting older… I know that you have a dislike of doctors, but…"
"Yes, I do, but I love you enough that once I am feeling better and have recovered from this, I will schedule one. I promise you that, my love…"
Wes nodded, but he was aware that Thad saying he would do something was not the same as actually doing it; and scheduling something was not the same as actually going when the time came…
Whilst all of the drama had been playing out at Dalton, there had been drama of a very different sort taking place in New York. In the city the day had dawned sunny and warm after overnight rain, and after the stress of the previous day, Ethan and Drew had been able to relax a little, now that it appeared that Mrs Mackenzie approved of Ethel; indeed, she had said as much to her son when she brought Evie home after their time alone together…
"From what you and Drew have told me, and what Evie has added this afternoon, I feel that she is not a threat to the happiness of any of you, now or in the future. I also hear from Evie that you had a meeting with Lucy's other ex-husband on Friday night…"
"Yes, we did, and I apologise for not mentioning it to you myself. Drew has a lot of sympathy for him, as the scars he was left with are much more easily seen. I am going to have him checked out fully though before…" began Ethan.
"Have you discussed that with Drew?" his mother interrupted. "I know that you want to check him out because you do not want to see him getting hurt, but at some point, you have to rely on your gut instincts and trust someone. There will be people that come into Drew's life and indeed Evie's over the years that you might not approve of, but you can't go around investigating each and every one of them! I am not saying don't do it, but I would settle for just making a discrete check that everything that he has told you about his life since you brought Drew back from London is true…"
Ethan looked stunned for a moment, then said, "It is not like you to be so trusting…"
His mother laughed, and replied, "No, it isn't. I must be mellowing in old age. I will admit that I have never been totally trusting of anyone involved in your life, and have had them all checked out, starting with the Carmichaels before you went to Dalton, to every one of your closest friends at the Academy…"
Ethan looked at his mother in disbelief, and then whispered, "Even Drew?"
"Yes, even him, and I have to admit that the report on him and his parents was the easiest read that I ever had; he and his parents are the most kind-hearted, law-abiding people that I ever had investigated, with not so much as a parking ticket between them. If you had been a girl, then he would have been the most perfect husband I could find; as it was, he was excellent best friend material. However, when he entered into a relationship with that woman, we lost sight of him. I wish we had kept a much closer eye on him, and maybe we could have stopped her from hurting him…"
"I doubt that. He didn't want to be around any of us once he had started on his mission to save her from herself and fix her. I don't think that even a dossier of evidence from you and a detective would have deterred him," replied Ethan. "I don't know if I approve of what you did, but I understand why, and see that I am doing the same with Drew and Evie. Maybe Drew is ready for a new mission and being there to support Fergus is it. I will have to live with it and support him in his endeavours, but I will be keeping a close eye on him for any red flags…"
Ethan did not reveal any of his mother's words to Drew that night, and there was a chance he never would, as in the grand scheme of things they meant little. In any case, they had far more important things to do that Sunday morning, mainly a trip to St Joseph's Church for morning mass. Ethan knew that Drew, like Ethel, had been brought out in a Roman Catholic family, but his friend's faith was not all that strong, even before everything with Lucy. He had decided early on that he would allow his daughter to choose her own faith in life, and so far, she had not made any decisions on religion. For Ethel, her attendance at church was now more of a social thing, going to mass being a chance to catch up with friends and acquaintances; it had been a group from her church she had been with in the queue when Drew's path had crossed hers once more.
When Ethan had suggested that they attend mass that Sunday, Ethel had looked at him in surprise at first, then said, "I wasn't under the impression that you had a Roman Catholic background…"
"I don't," Ethan replied. "My folks are nominally Evangelical Lutheran, but they decided to allow me to make my own choice as to what faith I would follow, or none at all. I have actually attended a synagogue on a semi-regular basis for a while, going at first to support a friend before he was married, but I have found a welcome and a comfort in the community there, and a friend in Rabbi Hirsch. I have also attended service at a number of Christian churches over my lifetime and have also attended prayers at a mosque as part of my work with the Trust. I know that your faith is important to you, and we will happily come to St Joseph's with you to attend the service."
Drew had been listening to the conversation, and now spoke up. "Of course, what he hasn't told you is that the Mackenzie Trust is also looking to help fund one of the projects that the Dominican Brothers that serve as the clergy there are undertaking. His attendance will sit well with them to, as well as allowing him to see them in action in their normal setting."
Ethel looked at the two men before her and then laughed out loud. "It would be good to attend mass, and not doing so at St Patrick's Cathedral would be a bonus. The Cathedral is beautiful and well known, but to me such places of worship are for tourists; to go to mass at a local parish will give me a much more authentic New York experience…"
So it was that the little group of four set out from the West Village that Sunday morning in their smartest clothes in the direction of the church; after mass, they would have time for a spot of brunch before they headed uptown to the Lincoln Center for the Summer School Show that Mike had invited them to. Evie had not been to many church services, and never to a Roman Catholic one, so she was naturally curious, and she walked with Ethel, asking questions, her father and Ethan following on behind. That arrangement allowed the two men to converse in low voices as they headed along…
"I hope that this is a good idea…," whispered Drew, his desire for Ethel to see her grandson slightly diminished.
"As far as she is concerned, all we are doing is attending a Sunday church service; if Brother Flynn happens to be present, then it will be a bonus. If he is not present then it is no problem, as Ethel isn't expecting to meet him or even see the man in question, so nobody will be upset by it."
"I suppose," replied Drew. Inside his head though there was still a great deal of turmoil though, as the romantic part of him wished that this was a proper heartfelt reunion of grandmother and grandson.
It did not take them long to reach the church, which Ethan pointed out was the oldest church in New York specifically built to be a Roman Catholic sanctuary and was just six years short of its bicentennial year. As they headed in to join the congregation, Ethan gave Drew a nudge, and looking up the latter saw that the Dominican Brother they had hoped to encounter was in the building…