Previously I do not own Molly of Denali, or any of the characters contained within this story. Molly of Denali is the property of Kathy Waugh and Dorothea Gillim.
I look forward to the reviews and criticisms (I know there will be some). I hope you enjoy the story, and just like the cartoon on PBS Kids, I am trying to stay true to the characters as shown each and every day. I am also including real elements like they've done on the show (racism, environmental, life, and death, etc..). I hope you like this when I start to repost the chapters.
Please review all of my stories. Feedback would give me ideas I can use for not only this story but for future ones. Thank you for your time and happy reading.
My story takes place in 2021 when Molly is twelve, Tooey is twelve and Trini is nine.
Chapter Six – Growing Up (Two Perspectives)
Laying on her stomach, a lot of things ran through Molly's mind as she watched Tooey sleep. Looking around the room she knew that as usual the sun was not even close to rising since it was still winter. Molly saw Tooey smiling as he slept. "I wonder what he's thinking or dreaming about."
Molly smiled herself, "I wonder if he's thinking about me, like I am thinking about him? Casually looking up she saw that the clock displayed 7:17am. Looking back down, she started thinking back.
Tooey had a few quirks that made her smile in a good way. One of them was that he always made happy sounds when he was eating something he really liked. Just like their families and Trini, they all thought it was extremely cute and Tooey was always clueless.
She had never really seen him get angry or mad. He was always determined just like her when things needed to get done. As she watched him, she remembered his passion for their heritage when two customers talked down to them about not being "native enough" a year or so ago when they were giving glacier tours.
Molly burst with pride as she remembered his words to those uninformed men, "I am Yu'pik, Koyukon, and Japanese American." Molly smiled to herself thinking, "I smiled for him then and I am smiling for him now."
Still thinking to herself, she remembered that he always told those around us what matters to him, even though he wasn't always right. His conviction were always there for everyone to see. He was not afraid to ask for help, just like the second day he had to be in the chair when his parents weren't available, but she was.
Now her mind turned to a more serious subject. Hearing those three words come out of his mouth the previous evening made her stop and think about their relationship. "Can the person I usually think of as a brother be the person I look to as a boyfriend? Does the word boyfriend fit someone I've known all of her life?" She wondered.
Tossing and turning, she eventually sat up on the top bunk and looked at the sky through the small skylight window. "He seemed to like it when I kissed him. What would happen if I kissed him on the mouth? Would he be disgusted? Would he like it? Would he want to kiss me back? Would I let him? Would I like it?" Her mind was reeling with all of those questions she had been asking herself since awakening about a half hour ago.
"I mean I know he liked it because when I kissed him, I noticed he was excited about it. Was he able to see that I was excited about it too? Probably not, girls are not easy to figure out since I was wearing thick clothes last night.
Had I been wearing loose ones like I am now he might have noticed something." Molly thought as she looked at herself. Telltale signs of her excitement as to what she had been thinking were fairly evident. Feeling the heat in her face, she knew that she was blushing.
Turning over and looking down from the top bunk she usually occupied, she saw the time on the clock was 7:30am. "It's almost time for me to get the chickens and Four-spots fed and exercised." She whispered as she scooted down to the end of the bunks and climbed down quietly.
She padded over to the wardrobe where she had placed her clothes just before going to bed. She picked them up and glanced at Tooey. He fidgeted as he stretched and rolled over facing the wall. She removed her pajama top and bottom. She stopped when she heard Tooey say in his sleepy voice, "You look really pretty Molly."
Blushing again she smiled, without thinking she could feel her face, neck, and chest heat up. She put on her t-shirt, Qaspeg, and jeans. She sat on a chair as she put on her sneakers.
Standing and going next to the bed she admired Tooey a few moments longer. She looked at the alarm clock. The time was 7:33 am on a Saturday. She wished she could sleep in instead of having to leave and then help Tooey when she got back. She knew that he would probably need her well before she returned.
She leaned over the bed and drew circles on Tooey's back. He squirmed a few times, before rolling over. Molly noticed as he turned to face her, his eyes were still closed. She tapped his nose a couple of times.
He wiggled his nose but did not open his eyes. She tapped him a couple of more times with no discernable response. Feeling bold she knelt down beside the bed and hesitantly planted a kiss on his nose.
Even though Tooey was still asleep he smiled and made delicious sounds. The same sound he'd make when eating something he liked. "Maybe it also applies to people he likes as well. Who knew?" She thought shrugging her shoulders.
Feeling brave she leaned over again and planted a kiss on his lips. His tongue licked his lips like he was savoring the taste. His eyes fluttered and then opened. He was not surprised when he saw Molly in front of his bed. "I thought I dreamt that. Feeling it let me know that this was not a dream." Tooey admitted scooting up in bed.
Molly saw him wince as he tried to move his legs. "Are your legs hurting Tooey?" She asked as he removed the blanket that was covering him. "Just like mom had said, they feel stiff, I can't move them without causing pain."
"I'll get the braces?" she mentioned, standing up and retrieving them from the nightstand behind the chair that was nearby. He tried to sit-up further but winced again. "Ow, that hurts." He remarked.
"Will it help if I lift them and let them dangle off the side of the bed so I can put your braces on?" Tooey noticed she was alarmed and concerned about how he was feeling. "Yes, it would, but it is going to hurt really bad. At least until I can work out the stiffness."
She reached for the chair, unlocked the wheels, and pulled it closer to Tooey. Very gingerly, she lifted Tooey's legs and slowly eased them until they were over the side of the bed. Looking at Tooey as she held them up, he nodded. She then lowered them just as slowly.
Noticing that he was gritting his teeth. Molly felt really bad that she was causing him pain. She continued until they were safely dangling on the side of the bed. Reaching for the braces, she rolled them like Atsaq had shown her. She looked at his legs. She saw that he was still wearing his pajamas.
"Will removing your pants cause more pain? You think we can put them on without you having to take them off right now?" she asked with trepidation in her voice and expression. "The pajamas I have on are loose, you should be able to put them on without hurting me." He ensured her.
"Ok, brace yourself then." She warned him, as she placed each brace over his legs and over his pajamas. Unrolling them as gingerly as she could, the braces were brought up to his knees. She watched as he stood up before bringing them up the rest of the way. He then sat down again and began tightening the latches over his knees while Molly did the ones below.
"I'm glad that didn't cause you any pain while I was putting them on." She remarked. "I never said what just happened was pain-free." Molly blanched when she heard his admission. "It hurt just like it does when you remove them. I just held it in until it was over with." Tooey told her.
"I am so sorry, Tooey?" I didn't mean to hurt you. Tooey just shook his head. "You're fine Molly, no worries." He told her.
"Do you need the bathroom?" She asked him standing up. "Yes, I do." Tooey stated.
She wheeled him into the bathroom and left. Knowing he didn't need her until he was finished. In the room she retrieved her phone before returning to the bathroom and waiting outside until Tooey called her. After washing his hands, Tooey let her know he had finished.
She walked back into the bathroom and asked, "Where do you want to go now. I have to leave in a few because I have…."
"I know, Trini has you taking care of the chickens while she is away in the hospital. Don't worry I have no chores to do because I need to use this chair for the next six weeks. I can't even feed the dogs that saved our lives, but mom said not to push myself, she'll be there when I need her."
Molly listened then interjected. "I think she meant whoever is available can help you while you're in the chair for the next few weeks." Molly told him smiling.
Tooey smiled, "I am glad you're one of the people that is available to help me. I would return the favor if you ever needed it." Tooey admitted. "I know." Molly said, returning the smile.
"Molly, can you get my toothbrush from the room? I keep it there because Jay and John are always taking it. It's in the desk." Tooey advised her. She nodded and walked into the room and straight for the desk. After finding the toothbrush she walked back in and found him standing by the sink.
"You can freshen up as well, I believe you just woke up too." He said as he put toothpaste on the brush. "Sure thing." She walked back into the room and went to her bag and took out her kit and returned to the vanity where Tooey was waiting. "You could have started."
"I know, I was just waiting for my company to join me." She flushed but pulled out her favorite toothpaste and put some on her brush. They brushed their teeth side-by-side. After rinsing he placed his toothbrush back into Molly's hand before sitting on the chair.
She took a towel off of the towel rack and handed on to Tooey. They both dried their hands and faces. He passed the towel to her, and she put it onto the rack to dry. She dried the toothbrushes and placed them in their holders. She then handed them to Tooey.
He kept them in his lap, as she got behind the chair and pushed him out of the bathroom. Suddenly more thoughts entered her mind. "We just shared the vanity, and a towel and brushed our teeth together. I've seen mom and dad do that sometimes. Does this mean that us being boyfriend and girlfriend could work since we are comfortable with each other?"
As she was thinking, Tooey angled his head upward and looked at Molly while she was pushing him and thinking. "Molly, what are you thinking about? "I was just thinking-" She looked at Tooey and immediately stopped talking. They stared at each other for a few seconds. "What makes you think I'm thinking about something?" she asked hesitantly.
"You just rolled me into mom's room." Tooey stated nonchalantly as he smiled at her. Molly blushed as she pulled the chair backwards and turned around. Paying attention, she walked into the room they had been sharing. "Sorry about that, some things just crossed my mind when we left the bathroom."
"Can I ask what those things were?" he asked, watching her reaction. She looked at the desk, then the bed and then the wardrobe and back to Tooey. "Unless you feel that what you were thinking is private and none of my business…." He trailed off. She leaned forward to lock the wheels and was caught off guard when Tooey leaned forward and planted a kiss on her lips like she had done in his dream earlier.
She looked at him. Tooey watched for her reaction again, this time to see what she would do instead of what she would be saying. She walked over to the desk and pulled a chair close to the wheelchair. "Tooey, can I ask a question?" He paused a second and while smiling said, "You just did." This caused Molly to gape at him before she smiled as well, even though she really didn't want to be smiling right now because her heart was going about a hundred miles an hour.
Watching her fidgeting, Tooey waited for her to say something. Before she could say another word, she ran out of the room.
* Alaska Native Medical Center, Anchorage, Alaska *
Trini looked at the breakfast tray as it was placed in front of her. She lifted the cover and found oatmeal, orange juice, and applesauce. "Dad why do they keep bringing me the same thing. I thought they would be bringing different things like we do at home." Daniel looked at what Trini was provided. "Texas, this is because of your injury. Atsaq and the doctors told me that when we get home, I am to give you soft foods until the staples come off, and then I can add in harder foods."
"Oh, I thought they only knew how to make oatmeal." She said. "No sweetie, they make all kinds of foods depending on what treatments the patients have and what they are able to eat and drink." Daniel explained as he opened a bag, he had beside him.
He pulled out a sandwich that had eggs, sausage and cheese enclosed in an English muffin. Trini watched as he took a bite. Lifting an eyebrow, she observed as he chewed. Noticing her scrutiny and feeling bad. He wrapped the sandwich up again and said something about needing to talk to the nurse.
She smiled because she knew he didn't want to talk to the nurse. He was bothered because he knew she would have preferred the same thing he had in the bag instead of what was in front of her. "That might have worked when I was five, but not when I'm nine, dad. I know better than that." She thought as she began eating her breakfast.
She finished the oatmeal, and juice. "It's a good thing I like applesauce." Trini said to no one in particular. "They gave me applesauce too." Trini turned her head at the sound. Robbie had stopped in front of the door and commented on what she had said.
"Hi, are you going home right now." she asked, picking up her spoon. Robbie shook his head, "Not yet. The doctors are talking about some things with mom and dad. I really didn't want to listen to all of the medical words. I decided to take a little walk to the room number of the only person I know. Hope that's okay?" He asked grinning.
"Sure, it's okay, my dad just stepped out because he wanted to talk to a nurse. Which was code for something else he really wanted to do." She explained.
"What was that?" Robbie asked from the doorway. "He brought something different than I was eating. I guess he felt guilty, so he left so I wouldn't be bothered that he was eating it." She relayed pointing to a chair with her spoon.
Taking the hint, he walked in and sat down next to her. "Did they just take the IV out of your arm?" he asked, seeing the pole beside the bed. "Yep, that was why I was able to take a shower because I didn't have to bring that with me.
As she was talking, Daniel walked back into the room. He saw Trini talking to someone. "Who's your friend, Texas?" Trini ate another spoon of her applesauce, then gestured with it, pointing at Robbie. "This is Robbie Ataloo, Atoola," She stopped and looked at him.
"Hello sir, my name is Robbie Atalawa, which is what TRINI was trying to say." He said smiling looking from Daniel to Trini who was smiling.
"Sorry, some of the Alaskan names give me trouble." Trini explained. "True, but I remembered your name." He countered. "Nice to meet you I'm her father Mr. Mumford."
"Did you remember my name?" Trini asked, finishing her applesauce. "Actually, I read it on the door before I said something to you about the applesauce." He whispered loudly. Both of them laughed.
"Did you meet when Trini was on her way to the bathroom earlier?" Daniel asked. "No sir, I met her in the bathroom. She walked in when I was in the stall." Daniel looked from Robbie to Trini. "You walked in on him when he was in the bathroom. You were supposed to knock before entering a bathroom, you know that honey."
"When I first went there was no one in the bathroom. I saw the shower then came back here to get my clothes. Then I went back to the bathroom. I went in because I didn't know he was in there when I had returned."
"It was an honest mistake sir. I know Trini didn't mean to come in when I was there. If the nurse had been at the station, she would have told either of us if the bathroom had been occupied." Robbie mentioned watching Daniel. "Okay Robbie, are you parents here?"
"Yes sir, there are in room twenty-three talking to the doctors." Daniel stood, "You kids keep talking, I'll be right back."
"Yes sir," Robbie said.
"Yes dad," Trini said.
"Why were they watching you here, you can't drown here? What would they have been looking for?" Trini asked, pushing her tray table away. Robbie looked from Trini to the door. He stood, walked towards the door, and looked into the ward they were in.
Trini wondered what he was looking for. She watched as he looked for a few seconds and then came back in. He sat back down. "What I am about to tell you goes no further than this room."
The look Trini was giving him almost made him sigh. "It means what I am going to tell you is not something I want you to ever tell anyone else unless I give my permission. Got it." Trini looked at him still with a confused look. "How would I get your permission?" she asked.
"I'll give you my number if you would like to talk to me when we're out of the hospital. Kind of like a friend that's a pen pal, would you like that?" Trini brightened immediately. "I would love that. She reached over and got a pen and gave him the number to the phone the family used. In turn he gave her his number. She placed it in her notebook, and then got more comfortable. "What was it you wanted to tell me?"
"What the doctors were talking to my parents about is me getting therapy." He said and stopped. "Why would you need therapy for?" Trini wondered watching him as he looked down and hung his head.
"They want my parents to put me in therapy for trying to kill myself." Trini nearly choked when she heard what Robbie had said. "What!? What does that mean? Why would you want to kill yourself? I have never known anyone that wanted to do that. What do the-"
In a serious tone through gritted teeth Robbie interjected, "I am not trying to kill myself, but the doctors seem to think I was. Nothing I said seems to be able to change their minds. My parents are believing them. I'll be starting when I get back home. I have to see our village doctor."
Trini watched as he got angrier and angrier as he was talking. She reached forward and placed her hand on his arm. He stopped talking and looked at her. "What?" he asked. "I am sorry they aren't listening to you. I am listening, if you want to talk about it, you have the number. If dad answers just ask to speak to me, I should be available unless I'm with my friends. Okay?"
Looking from Trini to the door. She imagined he was looking at his parents listening to the doctors. He turned back to her, and a tear was trailing down the right side of his face. She reached for a tissue and handed one to him.
He looked at her face. He hesitated before accepting the tissue. "Why did you look away before taking it." Trini asked, moving the blanket off herself, and moving her legs until she was sitting up and crossing her legs as best she could.
In a quiet voice he asked, "Are you serious about talking with me about this or anything else we can think of?" Trini smiled, "Of course we can, I love talking to you, even though we just met. I think you're a nice person. Do I believe you were trying to kill yourself, no. I just don't want you to have to deal with that and everything else by yourself. Is that okay?" Robbie smiled, "Sure, I would love that too."
"Do you have any friends in Nenana?" she asked. "I have a couple of people that I talk to, but I don't think of them as friends. Mostly because they don't live in Nenana." Robbie admitted. "I don't live in Nenana, but I would love to be your friend." Trini offered smiling.
Robbie hesitated as he considered Trini's proposal. "Come on, you have to. You have already almost seen me naked and saw how badly they cut my chest. So, I guess you have to say yes." Trini told him as she smiled.
Not being able to keep a straight face Robbie also smiled. "You got yourself a deal Trini Mumford." he said, extending his hand. "You also have a deal Robbie Atwoolo, Atoolo. Huh, one of these days I'll remember your name." Trini stuttered as they both smiled while shaking hands.
* Ookami Residence Qyah, Alaska *
Tooey wondered if he had said something wrong. "Why did she run out of the room? Did she leave? I hope I didn't scare her away." He thought to himself. His thoughts were interrupted as a few moments later he heard the toilet flushing. He breathed a sigh of relief since he knew Molly was still in the house.
He heard the water running, wondering if she had to use the bathroom suddenly. He waited patiently as she walked back into the bedroom and sat in the chair next to him. He leaned forward and propped his head on his arm that was on the right-side armrest.
As she was sitting, she kept her head down looking at the ground. When she was situated, she looked up at Tooey and nearly burst out laughing at the way he was sitting and looking at her. "Teekkone, you are not making this easy." She said laughing lightly.
"Why is me sitting in this chair making you flustered all of a sudden?" he asked with a wry grin on his face. She ignored him and leaned forward like before but not close enough for him to reach her. "My question is, um do you like me?" Tooey's answer came a second later, "No."
Her countenance changed instantly as her greatest fear was realized. Moving the chair closer to her a few inches. He tapped her on the knee. She raised her head and looked at him. He saw that her eyes were glistening.
"I love you. I said no because that was not strong enough for the feelings I have been having for you since I have known you." He reassured her. He reached forward and took her hands in his. He pulled her closer to him. She scooted until she was nearly hanging off the edge of the chair.
Tooey never moved his gaze from hers. He just watched as several emotions went through her mind. "Two years ago, when mom and dad explained the birds and the bees to me. I was confused about what they meant by some of what they had been saying. This last week made a lot of what was told to me noticeably clear." He began.
He cleared his throat before continuing, "I have always had feelings for you. Maybe that's why we always hangout together. It could also be why we trust each other so much. I mean your great-uncle even told us that we complete each other because of our closeness." He stopped because he had no idea what to say next.
Before he could say anything else. Molly stood before him leaning down, "Can I kiss you again, this time when you're not dreaming about it?" Tooey's smile brightened the room as he opened his arms, "Sure, but I have never tried how mom said boyfriend and girlfriends' kiss." he admitted.
Molly smiled as she scooted the chair alongside the wheelchair. "Neither have I, but let's see how this feel before we go that far okay?" she asked. Tooey, watching her noticed that just like him she was visibly nervous. "Are you nervous," he quickly asked. "Extremely." She breathed out slowly.
They leaned closer to each other, not knowing what to do with their hands they remained in their laps as their lips touched and maintained contact for a few seconds. Molly having her eyes open saw Tooey blink a few times. Tooey saw that she had kept her eyes open. The kiss broke and they stared at each other.
They each smiled but didn't move away from each other. "What do you think." Molly asked him. "I liked it. Can we do it again, but can I try opening my mouth a bit and see what happens?" Tooey said. Taking a deep breath Molly nodded.
This time when they approached each other they each opened their mouths a little and feeling brave Molly stuck her tongue out. Tooey had the same idea, and their tongues touched. They each stopped moving and experimented on how touching their tongues felt to each other.
Backing away, Tooey mentioned, "I kind of like it. It's different, and strange but I can get used to it. If that's the way you want to kiss" Molly nodded since words failed her as she was savoring the sensation they had just tried. "It's like what you did when I kissed you on the bed. I thought you were tasting it when I kissed you." Molly informed him.
"I was, but I thought it was a dream then. This is not a dream, and I am enjoying what we're learning and experimenting." Tooey told her as he smiled. "I am enjoying it too, but I have to go to Trini's place and take care of the chickens and Four-spots. I should be back in about an hour. Hopefully, you won't need me before then, okay?"
Tooey leaned back as Molly stood up. "Okay, but can you please bring me downstairs first? I might be able to get some breakfast done when you get back. I can reach everything except the dishes. If you would like?" he asked, showing his teeth.
"You are so lucky, I love you Teekkone Ookami." As she pushed the chair by the stairs and locked the wheels. She helped him to stand and like before she supported his right side. He used his left hand to hold onto the handrail as they descended the steps.
Once downstairs, she led him to the living room couch and placed him on the sofa. She then went back upstairs, retrieved the chair, brought it down, and left it opened and against the side of the sofa. She then leaned down and gave him a kiss on the nose. He smiled as she stood up and walked to the door and retrieved her parka.
A moment later she was dressed. She waved to him as she opened the door, the howling wind assailed her as she stepped out into the cold wind. As she was closing the door she could have sworn she heard Tooey say something. She leaned back inside, "What did you say?" Tooey, still facing the door smiled again. "I said that I love you, Molly Mabray."
She returned the smile, "I love you too. See you in a bit." She closed the door and made her way to the Mumford home to take care of the animals.
Yupik Dictionary
Waquaa! – Hello
Aana – Mother
Tua-Ingunnituq – Goodbye
Tuntuvak – Moose
Quyana – Thank you
Quyana Tailuci! – Thank you for coming
Gwich'in Dictionary
Sheggoya – My grandchild
Ti'yaa – My father
Dak Niighit – "She rises into the air" Layla Mabray's Native name.
Shchada – My grandfather
Dinjik – Moose
Khoh t'án - Rose
Shahnyaa – One who informs us – Molly's native name
Qaspeg – Tunic length, (falling between hip and knee length) hooded overshirt with a large front pocket