I decided to call Patti tomorrow and see if she would like to get together. That'll be the perfect time to see if I could propose to her. She'd be surprised to be Mrs. Douglas Funnie. Ever since I moved here to Bluffington, I had a secret crush on Patti before I even met her. I was a new kid in school back then.
I heard the phone ring as I was still going through my journals to see if there could be a story somewhere that has nothing to do with Quailman.
I had fun writing for a superhero like that when I was growing up. I ran to answer the phone before the answering machine picked up.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Doug."
"Skeeter? What a surprise to hear from you. I wasn't expecting to hear back from you," I told my best friend.
"I know, Doug, but could you help me out with something?"
"What?"
"I'm in the hospital and need somebody to give me a ride. Could you do that for me?"
"Sure. What's going on at the hospital?"
"Long story, but easier to share with you in person."
"I understand. I'm on my way. What room are you in?"
Skeeter gave me the number as I wrote it down.
"Thanks, Skeeter. I'm on my way," I repeated.
"Thanks, Doug. I appreciate it."
End of conversation.
I showed up at the hospital within fifteen minutes. That's how long it is from where I live.
I headed straight to the elevator so I could get to the room number he gave me over the phone. I knocked on the door before letting myself in. I saw a red - headed nurse open it.
"Are you family?" she asked.
"No. I'm his friend."
"Just stay for a few minutes and then you can leave."
"I don't want to bore you with a long story, Doug, so I'll just give you the shorter version."
"You can tell me the long version. I don't mind."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course," I answered as he started the story.
Before he did, I asked, "Where you driving?"
"Of course not."
That's when he began.
Flashback:
"I was out taking a walk since it was a nice day out. I was walking near the Honker Burger and thought about popping in and have something when I heard a police car, along with an ambulance behind.
"I looked all over myself, but there was no sign or anything. Well, maybe one person who was ahead of me. The person wasn't aware of knowing the police and ambulance were heading over.
"I stopped walking when a policewoman joined me.
"What's your name, sir?" she asked me.
"Skeeter Valentine."
"She didn't look like she recognized me or not, but I really don't care much about that.
"Somebody called in from this place by stealing cash. I thought it was you at first."
"No, ma'am. This has always been my favorite place to eat after so many years. Why would I steal money? I have never done such a thing."
"That's when the paramedics joined us.
"Is anybody hurt?"
"I don't think so. I was only going to stop here for a while, and then you showed up."
"The person in front of me turned over their shoulder and decided to run so there wouldn't be any faster for us to catch him."
End flashback
"That's all I remember, Doug. Then they took me here. I don't have anything wrong. They said I'm free to go home since there's no reason to stay."
"That's smart, Skeeter. I agree."
"What have you been doing?"
"Nothing much. Trying to look for a story and see if it's worth publishing."
"Oh, yeah. We talked about that. This is why I called and asked if you could pick me up here at the hospital."
"I guess they were only playing safe in case something happened to you," I said.
"Guess so, but I guess it didn't really matter who showed up."
"Now let's get out of here, Skeeter."
"That's a good idea."
Now it was time to head back home. I didn't see any reason to have Skeeter stay and help me with finding a story idea from my old journals.
"Do you want me to help you look? I don't mind," he said.
"No. I have it under control. I'm glad I kept most of them."
"So am I. Let me know if you want any help, Doug."
"You'll know. I'm just happy you're safe."
"Me too. I'll talk with you again soon," he said as I dropped him off at his house.
Good thing Skeeter's story didn't scare me too much. Now it's time to get back to those journals.