August 2027: The End of the Month.
Thad arranged a suitable date and time with Hayden so that he could conduct the kind of physical that he proposed, and having done so, the doctor made to leave. Thad however stopped him before he could enter the hallway and crept quietly to the front door of his apartment. He turned back to Hayden and placed a warning finger to his own lips, then turned back to the door and said at the top of his voice, "Oh, I do agree with you doctor; I think that the boys could benefit from a more disciplined regime. I think that cold showers at all times of the day would be a very valuable start, and yes, even if it is only swimmers that normally remove all body hair below their neck, if there is a chance that doing so will improve their vocals as the article you found in that French medical journal claims, then we should try it!"
Hayden was by now looking at Thad as if he had gone quite mad, but then he heard a crash in the corridor right outside Thad's door, a noise which was followed by a smirk on the teacher's face. "I don't think that there will be any need for hearing tests to be conducted, however," Thad said loudly, "although perhaps some of them need to work on their balance…" Hayden heard the sound of feet then, moving away from the door fast, and Thad started to chuckle. "I don't know who it was, or whether it was one boy or several, but I am guessing that their days of spying for certain ladies are at an end. I will decide tonight whether or not I will mention that it is my intention to lower the water and heating thermostats to them all at breakfast tomorrow…"
"Yes, that is just on the right side of being evil," replied Hayden. "I can't believe that Mrs Carmichael would stoop to having one of the boys spying on you!"
"It might not have been her that put them up to it, it might well have been Principal Lefevre, as she has also been keen for me to go for a physical. They both mean well, but it is an invasion of my privacy, which hopefully has now been brought to an end. I think that my history classes this week might include a little something on espionage in the period that I am lecturing on and start a discussion about just how much of a disaster it can be when the spy is deliberately fed misinformation; those times when they have been identified, but not apprehended as they will be too valuable in spreading falsehoods. As it is the Second World War that is the topic right now, I could refer to the whole of Operation Mincemeat…" Seeing the look of confusion on the good doctor's face, Thad invited him back into the sitting room, and then proceeded to give him a summary of one of the most devious bits of misinformation ever used in warfare…
The following morning, Thad headed to breakfast with a determined look on his face and had to do his best not to chuckle when he saw that they all looked slightly terrified as he approached their table in the refectory. Before he could reach them though, he was beckoned over by Principal Lefevre. He smiled at her, then after telling the boys he would be back and had an important message for them all, he headed across to see what she wanted.
"We don't often see you in here at this time in the morning," he remarked before she could speak. She looked a little shocked at his words, but he went on, "You will be glad to hear that I have booked a physical exam this weekend; I have been putting it off for far too long. Also, I wanted to advise you that I have decided to add a few words about espionage into my lessons this week; I think it is vital that the boys learn all of the dangers of the practice, even in a time of peace, and how it can take place in the most trusted and unlikely of settings…"
"I suppose that would be pertinent," the Principal responded, looking a little troubled.
"I mean, it is so easy to spread misinformation and falsehoods in that way, and that in turn can lead to panic, followed by recriminations. It will be a valuable lesson for them all in this time of the internet, and even more so for those that are intending to head into the cutthroat world of business. The number of online frauds is always growing…" continued Thad, smiling.
"Your point is noted," Principal Lefevre replied.
"Now, you wanted to speak to me about something?"
"Did I?" she said, "Well, it can't have been all that important or it wouldn't have slipped my mind now. I am glad to hear that you have made that appointment though."
"I thought you would be, and I am sure that Mrs Carmichael will be just as overjoyed," Thad replied, before he headed off to get himself a coffee. He sipped it as he walked back over to the table where his dorm of boys all sat, in anticipation of his words. He walked past, then at the last moment, spun round and addressed them. "I trust that you all enjoyed a nice hot shower last night; steam is a good thing for your vocal cords I am led to believe. It is why I am most insistent that none of you will ever be placed into a cold showers only situation…"
As all the boys looked firstly at him, and then in the direction of one young man in particular, Thad carried on, "Might I also suggest that a career in the CIA is not advisable if you cannot distinguish between truth and misinformation, particularly if you then spread the latter like wildfire… There will be a joiner in the dorm later to install a spyhole in the door of my apartment and we might even have a CCTV camera installed there for security too. See that it doesn't happen again, or the supply of treats in both the dorm common room and the Senior Commons might well be decidedly depleted in future…"
Thad would relate all of the events of the previous evening to Sebastian over coffee during his free period that morning, and his fellow Warbler was not at all pleased with what he heard. "I think that the boys need a sharp reminder of exactly what it means to be part of the Warbler brotherhood; that we trust each other, and we do not spy on each other for anyone, or act behind each other's back. Maybe they need to be reminded of the full story of Hunter Clarington once more and hear what he created when all of those principles were cast aside; how he manipulated people through his own variety of espionage and blackmail and forced all of us into an impossible situation."
"I think that my little salvoes last night and then this morning might be enough to have convinced them of the perils of mistreating others and not respecting people's right to privacy," Thad replied, knowing that Sebastian still found talking about the events of his senior year hard at times. "What I do need to do, much as I hate the prospect, is sit down and have a serious chat with Mrs Carmichael about her role in all of this. I know that she meant well in getting Hayden involved, and that she cares for me and did it out of love, but that doesn't alter the fact that it was a severe invasion of my privacy. She needs to know that and how it makes me feel, so that it doesn't happen again."
Sebastian nodded, knowing that the conversation would be a difficult one to even begin. "I guess that she had her reasons to interfere… We are her family; because you are the nearest one to her, and because you have no members of your own family nearby that you are close to…"
"I know, but if she and Principal Lefevre, who I believe was also involved in it all, do try something like it again, then I will be forced to reconsider my position here; there are other schools and other show choirs."
The depth of feeling in Thad's words, and the very fact that he would consider leaving Dalton and all it meant to him behind startled Sebastian. "Well, I am sure that it won't if you tell them that," he replied. Then, after a pause, he added, "Can I just say though that I am also quite glad to hear that you are finally going for a physical. You mean so much to all of us, and even the thought of you being unwell is enough to make us all worried…"
Thad would receive an apology from Mrs Carmichael at lunchtime; she walked into his office looking worried and contrite. "I take it that Sebastian has been speaking to you," he said when he saw her face, his tone slightly annoyed.
"Yes, he has been, and don't be angry with him because he sat me down and told me a few home truths. He was correct in doing so; I went much too far when I invited Dr McLeod to dinner, with the sole intention of having him talk about the importance of physicals. He called me last night to say that you had agreed to him doing one with him…"
"I wished to save you all from the bother and expense of finding a hypnotist," Thad replied sharply, but instantly regretted that tone when he saw the lady flinch. "Look, I am grateful that you show such concern over my health and welfare, but the truth is that I am not a teenage boy entrusted to Dalton's care anymore. I am an adult male, and hence I have to be allowed to take my own responsibility for those sorts of things. I am afraid that I will never be good with doctors, because of the awful experiences I had with my parents and my dad in particular growing up; I have since found out other people had similar issues with my dad, and that does nothing to increase my trust in the profession as a whole. Hopefully, given that he is aware of it, my experience with Hayden will be good, and he can help me overcome some of my qualms…"
"The school doctor is a nice man too," said Mrs Carmichael, but she said no more; now that Thad was going for a physical, she did not wish to antagonise him with her own opinions on a man he had never seen.
"I don't doubt that he is," Thad said after a moment of silence, "but I don't know him well enough to judge. I do know Hayden and I trust him to treat me with the kid gloves and compassion that I need. By the way, I shall only be sharing the results of the tests that I have on my physical with people if I believe that it is necessary; if I get a clean bill of health from him, then you will hear no more about it. As you will no doubt recall, they say that no news is good news…"
"I promise you here and now that I will not pester Hayden for details either. I have only ever done what I have done because of how important you are to both me and Aaron. Wes would have wanted us to look out for you as he would have done himself, had he been around…"
"I admit that he would, and you do a great job, but he does keep a watch over me… I also need a degree of freedom to only bother the doctor if I feel it is necessary. I promise that if I feel really sick again, then I will summon Hayden…"
"As long as you do, I will be happy!" Edith Carmichael replied. With that said, they hugged and the subject of Thad's health was dropped, for now at least…
As that was happening at Dalton, that Tuesday lunchtime also saw Beats heading out of the office to walk the few blocks to his optician for an appointment he had made quietly the previous morning. He had decided with everything else that was going on that he would not tell Elliott that he had been having bother with his eyes; it was an unusual decision for him, as his husband was normally the first person he turned to about such matters. However, his husband was preoccupied with other matters, mainly the welfare of Dante, who had now been discharged from hospital along with Lachlan…
That had apparently been an event in itself, and Beats was grateful that he had the excuse of being needed in the office when it had all been taking place. Elliott had overseen it all beside Mrs Rosenfeld, the move back to Greenwich Village having taken place in a cab rather than a dedicated ambulance. He had contributed in his own way later the same day when he had been the one to head to Penn Station to meet his mother off her train, before escorting her to the West Village, and the guest apartment that had only been vacated an hour or so before by Joan Crawford. Jeff had been in specially to ensure that the place was spotless, not that he had been left to do anything, as Adam and his grandmother had seen to it that the place was pristine.
Having dropped off her bags and partaken of some refreshment, he had then walked his mom the short distance to the apartment in the back garden of a house in Greenwich Village that Dante called home. She had fussed over them naturally, before she had been taken into the house by Ruth Rosenfeld for a discussion. That allowed him to see how the two young men really were after a few hours of being in Lachlan's mother's care. They were glad to be out of the hospital and back in their own home, but they were frustrated by the pain they still felt, the things they could not do, and by the constant watch that Ruth was keeping on them…
He and Elliott had not had much time to discuss things that night, as he was tired after a long day, and had the early shift again at the diner the next day; even if he had wanted to mention his eye problems to him, Beats would not have been able to find a good moment.
As soon as he was sat in the chair at the opticians, Beats told the older man the truth and he had begun a series of tests to see just how bad things were. In the end, he came to the same conclusion that Beats had reached himself; the stress of the previous week had been a key factor in causing the slight deterioration of his eyes. However, he was more concerned about what he saw in his left eye, as that was where the damage seemed to be the most significant.
"I would like you to come back and see me again in two weeks, and we will repeat all of the tests that we did just now. I am hopeful that your eyes will have recovered by then all on their own. If I see a good improvement in the left eye too, then we will leave it there, but I will have no option but to refer you back to your ophthalmic consultant at the hospital if it is lagging behind. I would like a second opinion on it in those circumstances…"
Beats had nodded at the opinion of the optician, and prayed the man was right. He himself did not hold out all that much hope that his left eye would have improved as much as they would like by then…
He returned to the office to find Matthew waiting for him at his desk, a big smile on his face. "I thought that you would like to know, although I suspect you might know already, that I have been officially made your full-time assistant on the New Jersey expansion project. My current work on the cross-borough transit project over in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx has come to an end really; they might need me to pop back in and clarify a few things in due course, but as of now I am officially yours and itching to get started on a bold new project."
"I did know that I was getting an assistant, but they had not told me exactly who," Beats replied. "I am glad that it is you, though, as we work well together. It will certainly be a complex project, as we will be having to keep two sets of 'clients' happy; I find it best to refer to the councillors as such. So just to get you up to speed, I might have had a look over things at the weekend, and I might have a trio of projects that will not only strengthen transit ties to New Jersey, but in one case will actually achieve the Holy Grail too…"
Matthew looked at him in confusion for a moment, and then the penny dropped. "Staten Island! Now to put that borough on the subway map would be quite something! I am guessing that the route you are proposing would be going via New Jersey?"
"Oh yes; I intend to service the bridge from there to Ellis Island on the way, to save people having to use the rip-off ferries to get there from Manhattan, then after a stop at the top left corner of Staten Island, we will head back to New Jersey and Newark Airport. That would make the line even more valuable to the commuter…"
As the new work team discussed all of their future plans, Roderick was sitting patiently in the waiting area of the Ob-Gyn department of the hospital where he worked, awaiting the arrival of his wife for a routine check-up. He had spoken to Nurse Crane the previous week, before he had temporarily headed upstairs to nurse Dante and Lachlan, and she had at once offered her sincere congratulations; then she had informed him that he would need to give her Hillary's exact due date so she could be sure of being on duty when the time came, always assuming that she had not booked another nurse of her own preference…
"She hasn't, because she wants the best; as far as I am concerned, no other nurse is good enough for my wife in her first labour…" he replied, which made the older nurse and midwife blush…
Hillary had heard only good things about Nurse Crane from Kitty too, who had remarked, "She is old school, and is most definitely the one that is in charge of everyone in that room. At first, I wasn't sure if that was what I wanted, but when the time came her no nonsense attitude is exactly what you need. If she happens to be free on your due date, book her now!" Such words from Kitty were all it took to persuade Hillary that Nurse Crane was definitely the way to go…
She walked into the waiting area a few minutes later than she had intended and a little flustered thanks to a subway delay caused by another passenger, but that was no issue; as Roderick explained to her, Nurse Crane always handed out appointments to new mothers that were 10 minutes before the time she was actually going to see them… "That is sneaky, but I bet that no-one has ever complained about it," she laughed.
"I have a funny feeling that if anyone ever did, they would be finding themselves seeing a different midwife pretty quickly," admitted Roderick. He said no more as the lady in question emerged from the room she used as an office; she knew them both of course, which meant that there was no need for long formal introductions.
"Now, I hope that you don't mind, but I have one of the young student doctors observing with me today; as it happens, you know him as well. Lawrence is taking an interest in obstetrics, which is no bad speciality to have; women will always have babies…"
Roderick looked to Hillary, as the decision was really hers, and smiled as she replied, "I have no issue whatsoever with Lawrence being present. In fact, I feel quite privileged to have three people that I know and trust playing the key roles in bringing my first child into the world." Nurse Crane smiled at her, and then guided them both into her room where Lawrence was waiting patiently for them…
It was with a great deal of paternal pride that Roderick posted the ultrasound image that he had been sent onto his and Hillary's Facebook page around an hour later; he had been desperate to do so for quite some time. He was now able to let the world know just how happy and proud he was about his impending fatherhood. Appropriately enough, the first person that would leave a comment on the post was Barnaby, who had embraced the role of future uncle every bit as wholeheartedly as the parents-to-be. He was secretly desperate to know what the sex of the child was, but he respected the fact that his sister and brother-in-law had decided that they did not wish to know in advance, and he had to allow it to remain a secret…
A suggestion that he could find out who the nurse, midwife or Ob-Gyn doctor were and offer them something to make them reveal the truth to him by Audra that evening would be greeted with laughter and derision. "There is absolutely no chance of that; in fact, I wouldn't even try it! The midwife that they have selected is from England, and she is blessed with the same name as the older midwife had on that BBC show you used to watch. She has the exact same rules, attitude and standards as well. As for the doctor, well according to Roderick they are all just a little bit scared of Nurse Crane, so they would never tell either for fear of incurring her wrath afterwards…" Audra had nodded her head and smiled, then complimented him on his perfect taste in his selection of an adorable little baby suit he had purchased in white with character decorations, something that would be suitable for either sex…
Mason had been left smiling at the post as he checked it just before he commenced rehearsals for the day of The Mousetrap, although he was aware that seeing it would make Jane even more broody than she had been already, and keener than ever that they should think about bringing a second child into the world…
Congratulations would come in from all around by the end of the day, and still basking in the glow of them, Roderick would settle down to write his latest column for the nursing journal he was employed by. He started by announcing that he had passed his latest examinations with flying colours, before reflecting on the complex nature of the new role that they enabled him to attain, not to mention how much more responsibility came with it. He then went on to share the news of his impending fatherhood, stating that he had every intention of being in the delivery room with his wife for the entire labour. That led him into a comment on the debate about whether male midwives should be permitted; he stayed resolutely on the fence on that one, pointing out that a large percentage of Ob-Gyn doctors and consultants were male for a start. Then in a shot at those that said a man could not do the job as he had never given birth, he pointed out that many female midwives had no experience of child-bearing either, and hence that argument had to be roundly dismissed…
He had also already prepared his answer for the question that someone would no doubt pose online in the comments on his piece; would he ever consider a full-time career in the maternity wards himself? His answer was no, not because he could not perform the role – he had helped to delivered Grace's twins after all – but because he enjoyed his work in the emergency department too much…
"I do not know exactly what I will be faced with on any given day. Yes, there will be the mundane round of fractured bones, the victims of auto accidents and sadly, those of knife and gun crime. There would be hearts that he needed to keep beating or help restart. There would be patients in all stages of human life from birth to death, from across the entire spectrum of society. From time to time, we do have to bring new life into the world in the ER, because the mother cannot be moved in time…"
Roderick decided then to admit the truth about his own life experience all those years ago. "I had already been present and assisted in bringing two new lives into the world before I even took my first nursing course. It happened one memorable summer evening when I was the only one able to assist my landlady when her waters broke unexpectedly, and I was talked through the processes over the phone by an experienced nurse. It was that experience that made me decide that I would like a career in nursing, for which I am grateful every day, as it is such a rewarding one. However, if I was only delivering babies, day in, day out, I would be concerned that I would tire of it. Some do not, including many of my remarkable colleagues, and they deserve to be lauded; we would all be lost without their tireless work and their dedication to our mothers and children…
The month of August 2027 had been a significant one for the world, but even more so for the group of Warblers that lived side-by-side in a street in the West Village and their close friends and family. The world had witnessed the first British Coronation in 74 years and had marvelled at each moment that they had been privileged to watch in their homes, live and in glorious colour. A new era had begun at that moment, but they all knew that it would be a transitory one, shorter than the one that had proceeded it by many decades. Most people had already accepted the fact that there would be another Coronation in their lifetime, one that would in all likelihood come before those in the close circle of friends reached their sixties. That seemed a long way off, but as Nick had pointed out to his husband one morning, they were already more than halfway to that age now.
He had gone on with a sardonic tone and a smile. "Of course, before any of that happens, we will have had to deal with teenage temper tantrums from our son, followed by all the expense of a college education. Who knows, by the time we reach sixty, we might even be grandparents…"
"Where does the time go, Nicky?" asked Jeff with a sigh. "It seems like only yesterday that we were boys at Dalton…"
"In reality, my darling, that was almost half our life ago," replied Nick, before he reached across to take Jeff's hand in his own. "One thing that hasn't changed since then, and will never change, is just how much I love you… If I could change anything in my life, it would be to have myself realise just how much I loved you sooner; we could have had so much fun together at Dalton…"
Jeff smiled and leaned over to kiss his husband on the cheek. "I do wish you had realised sooner too, but I don't know how everyone else would have felt about that! I suspect that poor Wes would have been left pulling his hair out if every time he tried to get us to sing, we'd been all loved up. Then there is Hunter; I think he would have treated us ten times as badly if we had been a couple then…"
"He would have tried, that I do not doubt, but I am hopeful that you would have chosen to be completely honest with me and told me the truth about who he was and how he was blackmailing you. We could have walked out of the Senior Commons, with Trent right behind us…"
"Oh no, Nicky, that would never have done! We'd have used our power as a couple and told everyone what was going on, and had Hunter removed from the Warblers instead. That would have been the better result. Let's face it, had all four of the musketeers been fighting together against him, because Sebastian would have sided with us, I hope. We could easily have defeated the evil and denied our common enemy any hope of success."
Nick smiled, but he didn't have the heart to point out to Jeff that Hunter had the trump card in the whole affair. They could fight all they liked, but nothing would have altered the fact that his uncle was the Principal of Dalton…
Of course, the Coronation had only been one event that had impacted on the lives of those that lived in the street that month; they had welcomed two older ladies from England, one invited well in advance, and the other invited by herself. The trepidation that they had all felt about the arrival of the former, Lucy's grandmother had turned out to be misplaced, and they had all come to the conclusion that she was every bit as much of a victim in the whole sorry saga as Drew had been. Of course, now there was a new threat from his ex-wife, namely that she might try to call Drew and her second ex-husband to be witnesses in her defence in the court case she was now facing in the Middle East. Neither was prepared to go there and say that she was not a killer when they suspected that she was. All the threat had done had been to seed a possible new friendship, as Dr MacAndrew need support and sympathy; he bore physical as well as mental scars from his time with Lucy. Drew knew one thing though; he was not going anywhere no matter what they tried to do.
Joan had swept into their lives like the film star with the same name, and her eccentric ways had won them all over quickly too. Of course, by the time that Adam had waved her off in the departure area of JFK, he had been in need of either strong drink or strong medication. There was the added complication of course of how he was going to handle his newly discovered family connection to Burt Hummel. He and the politician had discussed things, and both came to the conclusion that they probably only had a short while before the information became public knowledge. There would be a Woman's Institute meeting in Surrey within the first week of the month, and Joan would be bound to boast about her new American relative to the assembled company…
That would be the start; the gossip would snowball from there into the city, and before they knew it, they would be hounded by the press. Just as a precaution, Burt had sent the President a memo in which he told him all he knew. Adam meanwhile had arranged a private meeting with Ms Kudrow; she understood, but was a little disappointed that they could not have revealed the secret by making him the subject of an episode of Who Do You Think You Are?
On that Tuesday night, with only hours of August left, Wes found time to visit his husband at Dalton. He had made a promise to himself that he would not mention his upcoming physical exam with Hayden, even if he was rather unhappy that it would not be a full one. He trusted his husband, but still was not entirely convinced that Thad was telling the truth when he said that he was fine. He also could not read his husband's mind, unlike with other people with whom he was not quite so close, so he just had to take his word for it.
He suspected that one day he would find himself in the same situation as Elizabeth Hummel had so long ago now; he would walk into his office one morning and discover that his husband was seriously ill from a note attached to the list of collections that needed to be undertaken in the next few weeks. He could not admit that either to Thad, of course; a strong relationship was built on an implicit contract of trust between the two people involved in the partnership. He knew that if he pushed Thad into having a more complete physical it would only annoy his husband, and he did not want to find himself like Mrs Carmichael, on the receiving end of the righteous wrath of the man he adored…
As they snuggled on the sofa that night, Thad seemed restless, and eventually Wes just looked at him in the way he had that basically said, 'alright, tell me what it is…' Thad looked back, then said in a low voice, "Wessie, do you think I went too far when I threatened the boys with cold showers and full body shaving?"
Wes thought that the latter suggestion might have been one too far, but he did not want to upset Thad right now. "I don't actually think that you went too far, because it regained you the privacy you deserve; in fact, it gave that privacy back to both of us. If you hadn't nipped the spying in the bud, then us snuggling like this would be impossible; after all, they wouldn't hear me, so they would think you had gone quite mad and were talking to a ghost. I know which one of them it was, by the way; I will not divulge, but suffice to say that Mrs Carmichael has called him off for good."
"I am glad, because that draws a line under the whole chapter for now; I do not want to hear any talk of medical stuff for a very long time now, not from anyone," Thad replied, and Wes was smart enough to realise those last words were for his benefit. "Okay, enough talk, I need my snuggles. They are the one thing that I can predict having in the future…"