Annnd we're back. Warning, warning….those of you who need your meds you might wanna keep them on hand although no more characters will meet their maker in this chapter.
I want to thank everyone who has read along so far. And to answer some reviews here we go: CB73, more pressure coming I'm afraid. Our sweet lil Eric is quite the 'A'hole; Jimmy1201, you're welcome Jimmy. Yeah, but this might have been a blessing in disguise for Dean Stoppable; Bobtrumpet, MY Ron Stoppable is not a white knight, he is more 'gray', so not completely good (maybe from the attudiator) nor completely bad.
King InuYasha, stresses…? That can be taken a couple of different ways, both of which I say thanks for. Plans will unravel a little but remember Hans/Eric is a pro. This is what he does, this is cause strife. Kim is a teen. He has planned for this, she hasn't. Of course, everyone would think if someone was going to be targeted it would be her and her family.
I want to thank CajunBear73 for all the work he has done with me for the last twelve or so years. This site has put out 2.5 million words while the BearSent73 site has put out quite a bit too.
So, anyway let's get this one going.
ST-103
The Hunter: Book Two
Chapter 13
The very recently transparent man looked down at the physicians pounding on the chest of someone he was very familiar with, when the doctor cut into his chest. Then the doctor began to massage the heart of the man he had been, until a few moments ago.
"You are wasting your time doctor.", transparent Dean Stoppable called down to the scene below him. Sadly, taking it all in, "I hope that my family will be fine…Although this is new for me, I am totally fine. I think." His gaze was redirected when, in amazement, a bright light appeared before and drew him to it like a moth to a flame.
As he was engulfed by the light, he felt warm. Comforted. He kept walking until he came to a winged-being who seemed to be waiting for him. Then, keeping its coloration, the being then began to change its form to that of an ox he believed he had once seen on a farm when he was younger. The ox then motioned with its head and began to walk further into the light. The man began to glow in golden radiance as he walked alongside the animal. "So, I assume I am going to the good place?"
The ox moved its head up and down as if saying yes.
"Is my family going to be fine without me?"
The 'beast' just stared at the specter.
"Very well, the Lord knows best.", the once Dean Stoppable said with a smile on his face as wings grew out of his back, as his clothes became a white robe.
XXX
"Ron, you have to come to the table and not just sit here. You have to get moving.", Dave urged his friend after Liz came to him and told the quarterback how Ron had been behaving, "It's going to hit you even worse, but you can't just sit there. You have to be strong for your Mom and Sister, they are gonna need you now more than ever."
Sighing, "I will eventually, but I don't know if I'm ready to be the man of the house…uh thanks Dave. What are we having?", Ron asked although not hungry at all.
"Your favorite, Bueno Nacho…"
Sighing heavily, "That food was Rufus' favorite too, back when he and I hung out with Kim…I don't think I can ever go there again." Ron looked down at his hands again still not rising from the sofa.
Dave knew how much Ron loved the Tex-Mex cuisine, even if it was too greasy for daily consumption, but he knew just how much it was a daily routine for his friend. He even knew what the red head meant to him and it made him feel sick to his stomach at how things changed, "Man, with everything that's been dumped on you I'm not surprised, but don't give up on it yet. Celebrate Rufus every time you eat it."
Sigh, "Yeah I guess…"
Ron rose and followed Dave into the kitchen where Josh was playing with Hanna. The running back tried to joke, but utterly failed, "You know your girlfriend was babysitting Little Intruder at the hospital, between the two of you you're probably ready for triplets now."
Josh snorted, "Not three of these. But man does she have energy. I don't know how you do it."
Ron advised, "No grape juice for her Mankey, Justine shoulda clued you in on that."
"Uh, nobody told me…"
"She can have juice in the morning, but not at night. Water and milk at night. Mom found out the hard way when she and Dad had to walk her all night after a grape juice episode.", Ron explained as he remembered the night in question.
"Sit down and grab some food, Stoppable.", Liz ordered Ron like the author's old drill sergeant when he was annoyed. (And Drill Sergeants were always annoyed, unless you have never been through Basic Training or 'Boot Camp', you haven't lived…AN)
Ron meekly replied, "Yes Ma'am." And did as she 'suggested', sitting down at the table.
The blond teen picked up a bag while asking, "Anyone else hungry?"
Dave sat down, "I'll take one too…Oh, just empty the bag on the table, Ron."
Ron got up quickly and pulled some cut up vegetables out of the fridge and placed them in a bowl for his sister, "Josh, that will keep Hanna busy long enough for you to be able to join us."
"Thanks Ron, you're a life saver.", the artist responded as the phone rang.
XXX
Wade Load scanned through the files for the hospital records to see if there was anything unusual happening since he was keeping an eye on Ron's parents when he came upon Dean Stoppable's death certificate as the records were being typed into the computer. Rechecking to make sure what he was reading was true he immediately made several calls as he knew his teammate had another layer of crap added to what he was already carrying.
"Global Justice. How may I direct your inquiry?"
"Get me on the line to Doctor Director. This is Doctor Wade Load of Team Possible. We have a problem.", the genius responded.
It took a few moments, but a woman's voice was heard, "Doctor Load, how may I help you?"
"I thought I should notify you, Ron Stoppable's father has passed away a little earlier today, I just caught the death certificate as it was being entered into their computer system. I am going to call him next to see if he needs anything, and then later Kim and her family to let them know.", Wade stated as he glanced on his other screens to make sure that everything else was calm.
Sighing, "Agent Du was at the hospital earlier this morning, Doctor Load. At that time Mister Stoppable had not gone in for his procedure. Do you have any idea what happened? … This could be an attempt on the families and friends of Team Possible…"
"Ma'am at this point there is no indication of anyone being targeted, according to what I have seen, but it wouldn't hurt to check into that.", Wade informed her.
"Very well Doctor Load, I will speak with the hospital staff and Ronald Stoppable tomorrow. Another set of eyes will not hurt."
"Yes Ma'am, I'm going to call Ron next to find out if there is anything I can do and then I'll contact the Possibles. Kim is going to want to know."
"Sometimes ignorance is a bliss Doctor, but I agree, she should know. We don't want her blindsided by this now…Oh, and Agent Du delivered Stoppable's suit to allow him to approach Miss Possible, occasionally."
"Why occasionally, Ma'am?"
"This garment will not allow them to be near each other as often as they used to be."
"Why is that, Doctor Director?"
The head of GJ explained, "Ronald will have to completely seal the suit up and since it is sealed up it will get extremely hot inside. We will have to experiment to see how long he can stand to be in the suit. Also, at some point he may begin to experience claustrophobia."
Wade snorted, "What's one more thing to kick Ron Stoppable's ass? I mean, I thought it would be warm, but not enough to keep him from being around Kim. Is there any way I can get a suit to work on to make it more 'Ron' friendly?"
"I have three more suits being delivered to Ronald this week. I can have one of those diverted to your base of operations Doctor Load, but the other reason we want to limit Ronald's time when he is completely in what the military calls MOPP 5, is that some people experience the condition I alluded to in rather extreme ways. Some almost to the point of rehabilitating to where they end up being in deep anxiety almost to the point of being unable to function."
"Then why did you issue Ron the suit?", asked the genius.
"If Miss Possible is to continue with her missions we will have to make sure she has an adequate partner and Mister Stoppable has proven himself to be that person that she trusts. It would take too much time to develop the coordination between Miss Possible and another person to the same level as it is with her and Ronald.", Betty Director explained.
"I hadn't really thought about that Ma'am…I mean I knew that Kim and Ron worked like a well-oiled machine and that if he was out of the picture she wouldn't be near as effective to the point of it being dangerous for her to engage with some of her foes. So, I see your point and I agree with it.", Wade commented then asked, "Then what do we do?"
"How many of their classes do they share in school?"
The tech-meister replied, "Three."
"I suggest Ronald and Kimberly sit as far away as possible in those shared classes, that should allow Ronald to not have to seal the suit up more than he would have to. I would also suggest that they further limit their exposure to each other until Miss Possible's reactions to Mister Stoppable diminish."
"I can speak with the high school Ma'am, but Ron still needs to have interaction with Kim…they share an emotional bond and I think it would be detrimental for them to break that off even if it isn't as strong as it was before."
"I am aware of their previous closeness although they seemed to have had some problems lately."
"Yes Ma'am, when Kim lost her memories...well she didn't regain the ones about her and Ron being a couple and hasn't yet as far as I can tell.", Wade explained, "And this English transfer student took advantage of Kim's unawareness of what they had and began to date her. This boy…his name is Eric, and basically it seems has, either on purpose or not, tried to drive a wedge between Kim and Ron. Even if he hasn't, clearly the primary members of Team Possible are not and probably will not be a dating couple ever again."
"Ronald should tell Kimberly that they were once a dating couple…"
"Yes Ma'am, I agree, however Stoppable does not wish to remind her on the advice of a prestigious shrink from Austria that was brought in. The Doctors Possible also bought into this this as well as Ron."
"Well, if their relationship is in the toilet then we need to find out which one of them we really want…Cree can have the other.", Betty told her Number One Agent.
XXX
"Ron?", the voice asked over the phone.
"Dave. I'll get him. Just a sec. Who can I say is calling?", the high school QB responded as he handed the phone over to his friend.
"Wade Load…he knows me.", the genius replied.
"Ron here."
"Ron, Wade. I was just going through you, uh Dad's, uh…"
"Going through Dad's records when you ran across it?", the now-patriarch of the Stoppable family in Middleton finished for Doctor Load.
"Yeah, I… listen, I know it doesn't mean a lot, but I'm sorry Ron is there anything I can do?"
"Not sure at the moment Wade and thanks. I called my Rabbi, and insurance agent and funeral home. For right now I think I have things covered as well as I can considering. I mean I know I missed some stuff."
"Listen, everybody does, Ron. Nobody can think right when this kind of stuff happens, that's a good reason to make sure you ask questions. I DO think you have a good start on it though. But did you call Kim yet? … She's going to want to know…"
"No, not yet. A little overwhelmed you know…I was just talking to Dad this morning…now…"
"Yeah, I get it. Do you want me to make an announcement to the press and release it on the site?"
"Yeah, if you can. Try not to give out too much information, I don't want any of Kim's enemies to be able to use anything against her.", Ron advised.
"Yeah, just a notice. Do you want to call Kim?"
"Sorta busy right now Wade, I'll try to call her before I go…uh after I get home from tonight's visit with Mom. Kim is working and I think that she has a date with her boytoy later."
"I could call for you…"
"Wade it would ruin her day and her date tonight. There is nothing she can do at this point, but you might want to notify Doc Possible, though. I might need his advice later anyway."
"I will call their phone, by my estimate he should be home in a few minutes.", Wade offered.
"Thanks Wade, like I said I have a lot of stuff staring at me right now…"
"Think nothing of it Ron. I'll call later tonight and I'll make a list of everything that you need to get done. I don't want anything to bite you in the ass."
Ron sighed, "It will though, I'll call later and make sure you don't burn the candle at both ends too." He then returned the handset to the receiver.
Liz looked over at the former mascot, "You look like shit."
Ron grinned, "Dave, you've been a lousy influence in Liz."
"Can it Stoppable, all cheerleaders swear. We get injured just like you tough footballers do so we also get to recuperate with all the pain that goes along with it."
Ron frowned, "I never said you guys weren't athletes, Elizabeth, my once upon a time best friend has been a cheerleader just as long as you have. And even though she always looks like she never gets hurt, she does. I've gotten ice and wraps for her. She's just as tough as a two-bit steak and I expect that the other girls have similar stories."
Sighing, "We do, there is no cheerleader who does the stunts we do that doesn't have injuries. Did Kim get hurt at that camp?"
"Most likely Liz, but she hardly ever complains."
"Yeah, she doesn't. Neither does Bonnie and Tara…"
"Well, Kim won't talk about it but there were a few times in practice when she was on painkillers from a mission, she could hardly stand and she went out there like it was nothing."
"When was this?"
"When she was dating Josh."
The artist's head snapped around, "I wondered why Kim was acting a little loopy back then."
Ron chuckled, "If you had tried you coulda got lucky."
"No way, that would like be wrong."
"Josh, for a while I thought you were a stuck-up jerk. I was wrong and I apologize. I'm sorry."
"Ron, don't worry about this, if it means anything I am certain Kim belongs with you and someday our kids will be going to school together.", Josh assured his friend.
"Don't count on it, Josh. I am done with relationships of the romantic kind."
"You'll change your mind after Eric drops Kim and moves on.", Tara's boyfriend retorted.
"Kim can date someone else if she and Eric breakup then. I'm through, I had my five minutes of fame. It's someone else's turn. I wonder what Reiger is doing?"
"Reiger? Are you an idiot? There is no way Kim would ever go for him.", Liz pointed out.
Ron now grinned, "No?"
Liz confirmed, "I'm sure of it Stoppable."
"She went for me for a while. Now I admit I was probably the rebound from the synthodrone and probably the safe choice, but she did make that choice. So, in my mind, Regier is in play.", Ron explained.
Josh said, "I don't like where this is going, do you Hanna?"
The tot squealed and grabbed a pea and stuffed it into her mouth.
XXX
"Hello, Doctor Possible?"
"Yes." I've heard the voice, but I don't remember who it belongs to.
"Wade Load, Kim's tech guy.", Wade identified himself.
"Go ahead Wade. What do you need? Kimmie isn't home right now."
"Uh, I'll talk to Kim a little later. Now, are you sitting down, sir?"
James was suddenly was very concerned, "No, do I need to?"
Wade suggested, "It would help."
"One moment please…okay, go ahead."
"There's no easy way to say this, but Mister Stoppable passed away today in the hospital during a procedure.", Wade just spit it out.
"Is this a joke? Ronald's Father has died, if it is a joke it isn't funny…"
"Sir, I wish it was a joke. I didn't want to bother Kim at work…that and she has a date after…Ron didn't want her told right away. He's at home with his sister and some friends. He plans on going back up to the hospital again later to see what more he can find out and to check on his Mom.", Wade informed the rocket scientist.
"I should go over there…"
"Sir, why don't you have dinner first, that's what Ron is doing."
"Ronald has friends with him right now?"
"Yes sir, he's already talked to his Rabbi, his insurance agent and a funeral director. Right now, he is trying to get his mind together…Later I expect him to fall apart. When things slow down, he'll have time to contemplate everything and he won't like what he sees."
James thought for a moment, "I'll get the boys fed and call over to the Stoppables and see if they need anything right now."
"Yes sir, that's a good plan. Thanks for taking this call…uh when Kim gets home tonight you might want to break the news to her…Oh, and GJ issued Ron a suit which should keep Kim from having a reaction to him when he seals it up tight."
"Good, it will let them have something of a normal relationship…I w…was concerned, you understand."
"I understand Doctor Possible; the suit will not allow them to just sit next to each other for hours on end."
"I do not understand, Doctor Load."
"Doctor Possible, the suit is impermeable very unlike some of the high-tech garments people use for being outside. It will be very hot since it does not breathe, so GJ said to limit how long Ron is what they call MOPP 4." (MOPP - or 'Mission Oriented Protective Posture' Levels 0-4 are what the Army calls being fully enclosed in gas mask, special NBC suit, boots and gloves. It is extremely freaking hot and although I have been enclosed at MOPP 4 for more than forty-eight hours at a time….it sucks. You cannot eat although you can get water through a special 'straw' that goes from your canteen to your mask…at least with the old style mask which was in use for thirty years…AN)
Wade continued, "Ron will wear the suit under his normal every day clothes and mission gear, but he will not completely seal the suit up unless he has to be around Kim. Worn like so Ron can wear it like long underwear, but when he seals it up…"
"Kimmie could wear a mask instead…"
"We might have to do that as well Doctor Possible, but well, Kim is around people all the time and they would notice if she had to wear something like that…and maybe it would allow her enemies a chance to take advantage of her wearing that. It's better if Ron wears his suit since he tends to stay in the background most of the time. We are also not sure if Kim's reactions only from breathing the air around Ron, there might be some absorption through her skin too. We really do not want to experiment at this point since we found something that will work for now. The scientists at GJ will continue to work on a better solution for the problem.", Wade explained.
"Very well Wade, thank you for calling, I will speak with Kimmie when she gets home. I'll call Anne as well, she should be informed about this."
"You are correct Doctor Possible.", Wade then disconnected.
XXX
"I need to speak with Hans.", Micky Robertson told Ralph Dickeson.
"About?"
"Just put him on if he's around."
"Okay, but he's having a couple with Otto right now, can it wait?"
"Not really, but he'll want this info."
"I'll get him then."
X
A couple minutes later:
"What is it Micky?", the guy who was a spitting image of the Synthodrone Nine-Zero-One, asked.
"A little while ago the office was informed of the kid's old man croaking and that the office will be receiving a death certificate as soon as it's available. This will undoubtably add pressure to your girlfriend's ex."
"Bridgestone hasn't notified me that anything has happened at the hospital. We can talk about it before I take my date out to dinner this evening. Thanks for letting me know."
"Since this data hasn't been in the papers yet I wouldn't bring it up. Even that red head might find that unusual.", Robertson suggested.
"I'm not stupid, but I will let little Kimmie bring it up and then I will act the supporting boyfriend while I continue to undermine everything that they ever had."
"I agree Hans and it looks like most of your plan is working. Too bad I couldn't sabotage their insurance though. Do you still want me to keep working on that?", Micky inquired.
"No, too much of that will draw attention and right now we don't need regulating agencies looking into our activities. If they think something is wrong they could call in police forces and then we may not be in a position to complete our operation without getting caught.", Hans slash Eric responded.
"I'll let it slide then, you know if we could get into their bank accounts."
Hans chuckled, "Ahead of you, already have one of the guys working on it. We almost have the identities and pin numbers figured out."
"Well with one of them going to be placed in a casket, you might want to hurry.", Micky advised.
"We are, but I want some of the guys to study a little job for me. Otto will explain it tonight over dinner since I am otherwise engaged at that time."
"Enjoy yourself tonight Hans, I know I would.", Micky chuckled.
"I'll get mine before this is over…"
"And you'll have evidence, right?"
"Of course, our clients will each get a copy for their own viewing pleasure, that should toss a wrench into Kimmie Possible's goodie-two-shoes reputation."
"I have to get back to work Hans."
"Thank you for the information Micky. When Kimmie mentions it, I'll be able to have the correct response so that I don't look callous."
The line disconnected, Hans set the receiver down and whistled as he walked back to where the other two men where.
Otto inquired, "What was that about nephew?"
"Our target's father died in the hospital today.", Hans/Eric informed them as he picked up his glass.
Otto smiled, "First your girlfriend's ex loses his job after his girlfriend forgets they had a relationship, then she strikes him and then leaves him behind on a rescue mission where he ends up walking hundreds of kilometers through a blizzard. Now both of his parents are injured in an accident on an icy highway where they were going to pick him up at the airport…Then his father dies. It seems to me that the boy has very poor luck. And if that kind of luck rubs off on other people he should be a shunned for having bad luck."
Hans rolled his eyes as he took a sip of beir, "That clown's deplorable luck will be the talk of the town for the next twenty years. Now Otto, about that little problem that I had with that person…We need some data."
"What kind of data, Hans?"
"Where he lives. Does he have a job? Who his friends are? I feel that since he is close to the Stoppable boy we would put even more pressure on the buffoon if this person we are getting information on has…an accident….Maybe a tragic accident…But take care, we do not want to be apprehended by the police especially now.", Hans informed his uncle.
"I'll talk to the guys tonight while you are wooing the girl."
Sigh, "It's just for dinner, oh and speaking of Possibles make plans with Doctor Possible the scientist. Although there is no great hurry, I want to find out more about the workings of 'Team Possible' along with their 'Tech' person. Also, while we are at it maybe we need to find any secrets that we can get so we can sell them on any classified projects he is on."
"Ahhhh, good old fashion espionage. What I cut my teeth on thirty-two years ago. It's been a while nephew, but I think the good doctor needs to sit in our special chair that we have for exploring secrets. It has been a while since we last checked to see if it was in working order.", Otto replied as he raised his own glass to his lips.
"As long as we get some information we can sell to increase our profit, I am happy with the results Otto."
XXX
Ron was getting Hanna into her snowsuit as the doorbell rang. "I'll get it.", the former mascot called out to his friends who were getting ready to go home.
When Ron opened the door a slight blonde grumbled, "Get out of the way Stoppable. Don't you have somewhere to be?"
After the blonde genius got inside, a larger than life human squeezed his way into the entryway.
Ron chuckled, "I knew we shoulda put in double doors."
Dave Alberts joked from behind, "Mike needs to come in through a garage door. Anyway, second shift is here."
"Second shift?", Ron asked.
Justine smirked, "Hi Hanna, tell your brother to get his ass to the hospital to see your Mom."
The tot responded, "Pfffffft." Then she giggled.
Justine rolled her eyes, "You make more sense than the sidekick slash mascot most of the time."
Justine, being on a roll, instructed her BF, "Escort Stoppable to the door and make sure he takes his coat, I don't want him getting sick on us…"
The bigger-than-life lineman grinned as he shoved Ron towards the door and told him, "You heard Justy, she'll take care of your sister, Ron."
Ron muttered, "I'm going, you don't have ta push, big guy." The former mascot then picked up his coat, made for the garage and called out, "I should only be a few hours, I think I have a lot of paperwork to fill out."
The blond sidekick opened the door to the garage and closed it behind him then opened the garage door to the outside. It took him only a couple minutes till he was backing out onto the street and then he pushed the button on the remote and closed the door. 'Guess, I'd better start taking care of business…', Ron then thought, 'Mannnnn, I am so screwed up. Dad died today and all I can think about is taking care of the paperwork, what's wrong with me?'
Not getting an answer, our hero put his Mom's car in drive and carefully turned up the street since it was icy.
X
Twenty minutes later:
Ron pulled into the almost deserted parking lot since the whole place was pretty icy and snow was still falling. 'It looks pretty, but this weather is what got Mom and Dad hurt in that car wreck…No coming to get me at the airport was what killed Dad. How am I gonna break the news to Mom?'
XXX
The Possible home:
"Yes Anne, I am quite sure that Dean has passed away.", James Possible informed his surgeon-wife over the phone as he picked up a glass with amber liquid in it. He had a favorite bottle of the stuff he was drinking, clear soda (think 7UP), a tall glass (along with the one he was using) and some ice on the table beside his chair.
"How is Kimmie taking it, Jimmy?"
"She doesn't know yet unless someone got a hold of her. She worked and then she went out for dinner with Eric."
"You should tell her when she gets in…You might want to 'fortify' her like you did when Ron went missing after their rescue mission.", Anne suggested.
"Knowing her she'll want to run right over there to speak with Ronald immediately, and with her allergy condition it might not be very safe for her to do that honey.", James said, "But getting to the booze, I have already taken care of that and I think Kimmie will get two this evening…I want her out and not overthinking this.
"I suppose until we find a cure or at least a way to allow Kimmie to be in close contact with Ronald we need to call the school and make arrangements for them to sit as far apart as possible…Oh, and make sure she has some painkillers by her bedside table and a couple bottles of water to knock down any hangover."
"I will. Now Wade called me earlier this evening, they gave Ronald a suit to wear under his clothes which will let them get close to a least do their missions…"
"A suit? That's nice, but why such limited contact between them Jimmy?"
James explained, "Ronald will get very hot in the suit because of the way it is constructed Annie. He will have to seal it shut and the only air he will get is filtered. Both in and out…I will call the school an inform them of the situation, however, to see what other precautions we might be able to take."
Anne groaned out loud, "Do you want me to come home? I could just give up on this, Jimmy…"
"No, no Annie, we'll get through this somehow."
James heard, "Dad, I'm home."
"Annie, stay on the line and speak with Kimmie. But don't tell her about Dean, though, I'll do it."
Then James called out, "Kimmie! I'm in the family room. Could you come in here please?"
"Sure Dad, let me say good night to Eric."
X
The red headed teen entered the family room while she removed her snow-covered coat.
The rocket scientist smiled, "Do you wish to speak to your Mother honey?"
"Sure Dad.", Kim replied as James handed her the phone, "Hi Mom, how is Denver?"
X
After James hung up the phone he called back out to his daughter (who had gone upstairs to shower and change into her pajamas), "Kim could you come down here please?"
"Be right there."
XXX
The hospital:
"Hey Doctor Swashplate. Uh, how are you doing?", Ron inquired.
The chief of staff reached out and pulled Ron into a hug, "Ronald, we are running an autopsy…I am still not sure what happened…but we'll get to the bottom of this. I am so sorry…"
"Doc, maybe it was Dad's time to go. I know you guys will find out…Do I uh, need to fill out some paperwork or something?"
"Yes, but not at this instant. Good news, your Mother seems to be coming out of her coma…"
"I have to figure out a way to tell her. I think I'm going to Temple in the morning. I need some advice from my Rabbi."
"I'll speak with Bernie, Ronald. Now go sit with your Mother and don't worry too much."
"Yeah, I gotta go."
XX
"Hey, Mom how are ya feeling?", Ron asked the form who was asleep in the bed.
"Lil intruder had fun earlier today, she wore Tara all the way out. I think our friendship might be a little strained for a while. You know how Hanna is with grape juice."
XXX
"Yeah Dad?", Kim asked as she sat down.
James placed the glass mostly full of ice and then added the whiskey. "Dad the last time you did this it was because we had left Ron behind. We didn't go anywhere so he shouldn't be left anywhere…What's happening?"
James half-frowned as he filled the glass up with the soda, stirred it and handed it to her. "Drink it all.", he told her.
Kim nodded, went to drinking the libation, then set it down after it was half empty. James continued, "Dean Stoppable passed away this morning."
The heroine's eyes snapped wide open and she popped to her feet, "Ron! I gotta go see him…"
"What about your allergic reaction honey?"
"I…I…I don't know."
"Kimmie, maybe you should call Ronald instead."
Kim nodded and picked up the phone when James suggested, "Maybe after you take a few minutes to think…and finish your drink."
"I…uh, yeah.", and plunked the handset back down in the receiver.
Kim relaxed back into the chair. Sighed, then reached for the glass and muttered after she looked at the ceiling, "I could learn to like this stuff." She then drained the glass and set it down where James began to fill it again.
While James was doing that Kim again picked up the phone and dialed the Stoppable home.
After a moment a girl's voice said, "Stoppable residence, how may I help you?"
"Justine?"
"I go by Brainiac Flanner too.", came the oozing with sarcasm reply. "What do you need, Possible?"
"What are you doing at Ron's house?", Kim asked, being a little agitated now.
"Babysitting…well I'm overseeing Mikie, who's overseeing Hanna…I don't want her to hurt him, ya know?"
"Where's Ron?"
"He's at the hospital. He had to see his Mom and also had to see about taking care of a few things.", Justine informed the red head.
"How is he doing?"
"He's acting normal from what I could tell…I took over from Liz, Dave and Josh. They were taking care of Hanna while Ron was getting a hold of people. Anyway, like I said, Ron's at the hospital for a few hours. But I think he's going to be out of it. Some of us want to stay overnight so he can get some sleep."
"Hasn't Ron been sleeping?", Kim asked.
"Yeah, on the couch. He leaves the door open for Hanna so he can hear her. He doesn't want to sleep in his parents' bed. He had bags under his eyes when we got here."
Kim lowered her voice and noticed that her Dad had finished making her another drink, "I saw Ron at the hospital for a few moments today…We have to stay away from each other because of my allergies, so I wasn't able to get a good look at him…Now…sigh…Ron must be devastated."
"Listen Kim, he hasn't broken down yet, but we have a support group in place if you can't be around him."
XXX
The hospital:
"Anyway, Mom, I'm just gonna sit here for a while, ya know. Just wake up when ya can."
XXXXX
Yeah Dean Stoppable and Rufus are really dead. Good guy body count now two, three if you count the GJ agent. Bad guys; two. Fukushima and Eric's sniper. I hope you guys are keeping a spreadsheet to keep the tally of this one.
Kim Possible, Ron Stoppable, Hanna, the Doctors Possible, Justine, Big Mike and all the other 'canon' characters of the show 'Kim Possible' belong to Bob, Mark and the Disney Corporation and not me nor CajunBear73. We just do this hobby for grins and to make sure our readers take their meds.
We'll see ya down the road,
ST-103