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  “O…kay,” Pat said as she placed the picture down on the table and picked up her wine glass and took a long swallow. “Again, my question. Who did it?” TJ could detect an edge of agitation growing in her voice.

  “Guess,” Allan replied, apparently unaware how annoying his little guessing game was to his partner.

  “Rembrandt, Picasso, Van fucking Gogh,” Pat all but screamed, then realizing she was overreacting, she said in a softer, more controlled voice. “I really don’t know, and I’m sorry, but I’m not in the mood for your antics. Please, just tell me.”

  There was a long pause as Allan stared at Pat, a shocked look on his face.

  “TJ did it this afternoon," Kendra finally said to break the strained silence.

  Kendra and Allan had paraded around the house most of the early evening with the printed picture in hand, praising TJ for his artistic talent. TJ hadn’t expected such an outburst from Pat but neither did he expect what came next.

  Pat stared at the picture for a long moment, then turned her gaze in his direction. “You did this?” she asked, slowly nodding towards the picture.

  “Yes, ma'am,” TJ replied, smiling despite himself, but the smile quickly disappeared as he recognized the look of fear and distrust growing on Pat’s face. She opened her mouth, about to say something, when her cell phone rang. She paused for a moment, then took the phone out of the pocket of her slacks. She glanced at the phone, a confused look replacing the fear.

  “That’s strange. It’s my mother. She never calls me unless…Sorry, I have to take this,” she said as she placed the phone to her ear.

  “Hello, Mother. To what do I owe…” She stopped and listened to the person on the other end, a look of anguish growing on her face. She continued to listen for several seconds before finally saying, “Yes, I’ll leave at once and catch the first plane that’ll get me there. Try not to worry. He’s a strong old goat.”

  She ended the call and dropped the phone on the now forgotten picture. “It’s my dad. He had a massive heart attack earlier this evening. He’s in intensive care. I’ve got to go to him.”

  “Of course," Allan said as he leaped out of his chair and went to her side. "I'll drive you to the airport. Kendra, will you call and see when the next flight to…"

  “Alexandria,” Pat finished for him. “I can fly into either Ronald Reagan or Dulles International.”

  TJ noticed her eyes tearing up. So she has a dad who she loves as well, he thought. Maybe she wasn’t so bad after all.

  “Also, Kendra, could you possibly stay and watch over TJ? I know it’s a school night…”

  “Don’t worry about that. I have my books here. I’ll call my mom and let her know. You two get yourself to the airport. I’ll call you when I have the airline information.”

  “Thanks, Kendra," Allan said as he helped Pat from her chair. She wobbled a bit, but it was hard to tell if it was from the wine or the tragic news she'd just received.

  As everyone rushed out of the kitchen, TJ remained in his chair, gazing down at the picture he’d drawn. His mind wasn’t on the drawing but on the look he’d seen on Pat’s face just before the phone call.

  Fathers

  1

  While the main roads had finally been cleared of snow, many of the secondary roads were still covered in a hard packed mixture of ice and snow making driving hazardous for even the most expert driver. Usually, the journey to the Asheville airport could be covered in thirty to forty minutes. Tonight it would take nearly twice as long.

  Kendra had called them with the airline schedule. The only remaining flight was due to leave in a couple hours on the way to Charlotte where Pat could catch another flight to Dulles. It would be tight, but they could make it…just.

  The moonless night limited Allan's visibility. The wet blacktop of the recently cleared highway devoured the headlights, complicated by clumps of snow that kept falling from overhanging trees onto the SUV's windshield, mixing with the muddy spray from the cars in front of them. The tension that had concentrated along Allan's neck and shoulders was nothing compared to the strain inside the cab from the deathly silence.

  Allan knew how close Pat and her father were. She often referred to him and more than once he’d heard them joking with each other on the phone. She must be worried to death, Allan thought as he flipped on the windshield wipers to clear the snow and moisture, only to spread it into an icy mess.

  “I had a thought during dinner.” Allan finally broke the silence. “Want to hear it?”

  “I guess,” Pat replied unenthusiastically.

  “I think it's time we enroll TJ in school. Clearly, he's smart enough to handle it. I wouldn't be surprised if he made the honor club, though I guess they don't have that until they get a little older."

  There followed a long pause. Allan thought Pat hadn’t heard what he’d said and started to repeat it when she replied.

  “You’re kidding, right?” The condescending tone of her voice was unmistakable.

  “I don’t know. It’s been a few years since I was involved with school. They might have some kind of honor thing…”

  “That’s not what I’m talking about,” Pat interrupted. “You can’t be serious about enrolling TJ into school.”

  “Why not?" Allan replied. "You know he's smart enough. The picture proves that not to mention how curious and interested he is in learning."

  “Let me ask you a question,” Pat said with just a little less edge. “How old is TJ?”

  “I’d say he’d pass for five easily. Probably even six or seven.”

  “No, that’s how old he looks, but how old is he actually? How long has he been alive?”

  Allan thought about the questions and suddenly realized where Pat was going with her question. “Oh, yeah, I guess we’d have to work around that somehow.”

  “What? Like changing schools every few weeks because he’s obviously growing so fast that no one could help but notice?” Pat said with such sarcasm that Allan could feel his hackles raise. “And there’s at least one other little matter you’d have to ‘work around.’”

  “What’s that?” Allan finally asked though he was pretty sure he wasn’t going to like the answer.

  “He’s an alien!” Pat shouted.

  “Oh, we’re not going to start that again, are we?” Allan shot back.

  “Start it again? No, because we never ended it in the first place. You asked me to give it some time. Well, I have, and yet nothing has changed. That thing back there you call TJ is still not of this world. You're still refusing to deal with reality, and I'm still unwilling to live in your fantasy world where deceased boys come back to complete the happily ever after fairy tale."

  Allan suddenly swerved the car to avoid a tree limb that had fallen onto the edge of the road. He fought to bring the SUV back under control. When he finally did, he turned and glanced at Pat.

  “Why don’t you tell me how you really feel?”

  “Good try, but humor isn’t going to work here,” Pat replied a little calmer. “It’s not going to have this issue magically disappear. It’s going to need to be dealt with. You even thinking for a moment about enrolling TJ into school demonstrates how out of touch with reality you are. Maybe it’s a good thing I’m being called away right now. I think we could use a little break. Our lives have certainly been overwhelming lately.”

  Allan could feel Pat staring at him even though she appeared as only a silhouette in the dark cab. She sighed. “I really can’t deal with this tonight though. Just get me to the airport and, after this crisis with my dad is over, we’ll talk. Until then, how about a truce?”

  “Yeah,” Allan replied. “Fair enough.”

  2

  Pat strolled down the hallway of the Inova Alexandria Hospital on the way to ICU. The determined look on her face was matched by the gait of her walk.

  I swear if one more nurse or orderly asks me where I'm going, I'm going to punch them out, she thought as she rounded the corner and saw a
sign for her destination. A kind, matronly nurse looked up from her paperwork has Pat approached and gave her a warm smile.

  "Good morning, dear," the nurse said as she stood up and walked around the counter. "You must be Pat."

  "That's correct," Pat replied, momentarily taken aback." How did you know my name?"

  "From your father. He described you right down to your walk," the nurse replied with a chuckle. "He warned me that if I tried to stop you from seeing him, I would be taking my life in jeopardy. So if you would please come with me, he's waiting to see you."

  As of two of them walked through a set of swinging double doors, the nurse said, "We have a dumb rule here of no visitors in ICU, but since you are family if we keep this discreet it shouldn't be a problem. Besides, the older I get, the more I seem to enjoy bending or even breaking such stupid rules."

  She pointed to a door they were approaching. “He's right in there."

  Pat thanked her and slowly pushed the door open, suddenly frightened by what she might see on the other side. Her father lay propped up in bed with a myriad of tubes and wires running from him that included an IV in his left arm and a small tube running up his nose to supply him with oxygen. Pat could hear a rhythmic beep beep that matched the squiggly lines on one of the monitors. Her father's face was turned towards the door. Pat was alarmed to see that his normally vibrant tan complexion had been replaced with a gray pasty mask.

  As she walked into the room, her father's eyes fluttered open, and he smiled weakly. "I hope this doesn't mean that the hospital is going to have to replace its ICU head nurse."

  "No, she heeded your warning," Pat replied and laughed. It was good to see that her father still had his sense of humor.

  "Come over here where I can see you," her father said in a voice just slightly above a whisper. "And don't mind all these wires and tubes. I'm thinking of auditioning for a part in one of those hospital shows on TV."

  Pat rushed to him, jumping on his chest to give him a big hug. Realizing what she had done, she pulled back.

  "Oh, I'm sorry!"

  "No need to apologize, my dear," her father replied." I'm sure if my doctor were here he would prescribe a big hug from my daughter. It's exactly what I need right now."

  Pat gave him a second hug but more gently this time. Seeing him like this, she realized how much he meant to her and how much she had missed him. Oh sure, they spoke on the phone every couple of weeks, but it wasn't the same as being face-to-face. In years past, she had rationalized not visiting more often by telling herself she was just too busy. She had her business as a private investigator to manage, and of course, in this past year, there'd been the small matter of stopping an alien from taking over the world. The thought reminded her of the argument she had had with Allan just a few hours ago. Could his relationship with TJ be anything like the relationship she and her father shared? After all, in Allan's world, TJ was the son who he loved dearly and would do anything for. Was that really all that different? Yes, came the answer. I am the product of a union between two humans. TJ is not.

  “You know, dear, I'm going to be fine," her father said as he gently rubbed her hair.

  His words brought her back to the present, and she stood up. She put her hand to her face to rub an itch and was surprised to find it come away wet with tears, a response she hadn't had in a long time. When she had gotten the call about her father's condition, it had scared her more than anything else she'd experienced over this past year, and that had been a lot. For her entire life, her father had been her staunchest supporter through thick and thin, never giving up on her and always finding the positive even in the darkest of times. Just like Allan is there for TJ flashed in her mind, and was immediately refuted with a loud no, it’s not the same.

  Pat sat on the edge of the bed, careful not to disturb any of the tubes and wires. She reached out and grasped her father's hand, surprised by its coolness. She studied his hand and was surprised once again. She had always known her father to have the strongest hands of anyone she'd ever met, but the ones she now looked at were those of an old man. Where had those age marks come from, and when had the skin become paper thin? When had all that changed? When had her father grown old?

  Little Helpers

  1

  The following afternoon Allan made it a point to leave the office a little early so he would have time to talk to Kendra about enrolling TJ into school. When he opened the door and walked into the great room, he noticed Kendra in the midst of transforming the room into a Christmas Wonderland. She was arranging a garland around a metal frame. Several boxes of Christmas decorations sat on the floor, waiting to be unpacked. Allan glanced around to find TJ dressed in a forest green outfit complete with a Santa Claus hat and shoes with turned up toes. “Well, TJ, aren’t you something? I don’t know what exactly but something,” he exclaimed.

  “He's Santa's little helper," Kendra said as she turned around and walked over to Allan. Then in a softer voice, she said, "Someone had to introduce him to the Christmas season. Besides, my mom isn't all that into Christmas these days, so I didn't want these decorations to go to waste. I hope it's okay with you."

  "Sure, I guess. It’s fine. No, more than fine. It's a great idea. I've had my mind on so many other things. In fact, that's why I'm home early. I want to run an idea by you."

  “Okay," Kendra replied. “Is it alright if TJ and I continue to decorate while you talk?"

  “Yes. I may even help you," Allan replied as he opened one of the boxes and looked inside. "While I may have missed introducing TJ to the Christmas season, I have been thinking about other aspects of his education." Allan paused for a moment, then dove into his well-prepared speech intended to convince Kendra into helping him with the idea. He continued to lay out his plans, including the conversation he had had with Pat on the way to the airport, leaving out the details of why Pat was opposed to his idea.

  “So you see, Kendra, I'm going to need your help with this plan. I thought we would wait until after school starts back in session the first of the year. It might be a good idea for TJ to take a placement test to see which grade to start him in. What do you think of my idea?"

  Kendra put down the string of lights she was untangling and glanced over to TJ. “Honey, could you give your father and me a minute alone? Why don't you take that box of decorations there to your room and decorate it?”

  TJ did as he was told and after he had left, Kendra turned back to Allan. She picked up the lights again and fidgeted with them for a minute before finally looking directly at Allan. “I’m afraid, in this instance, I have to agree with Pat."

  “You what?"

  “Pat is right. It would be a really bad idea to enroll TJ in school and here's why. You and I know TJ is an extraordinary little boy, but unfortunately children his age won't see him as special. They will only see him as strange, weird, different, and kids can be very cruel when they want to be. I'm afraid TJ would be taunted and bullied."

  Allan slowly nodded. “I hadn't thought about that," he admitted.

  “However," Kendra continued, “I agree with you that TJ needs an education, and there is more than one way for a smart boy like him to be educated."

  "What did you have in mind?" Allan asked.

  “We could homeschool him," Kendra said smiling broadly. “It’s really a perfect solution. I've been thinking seriously about going into teaching after I graduate in a couple of years and my helping with TJ's homeschooling would be perfect training for me. I've been doing some research on the internet while at school and there are a lot of resources available for homeschooling families and more coming online every day.”

  “Homeschool him? I have to admit I don't know much about what's involved in homeschooling, but it sounds interesting and probably much more practical for TJ, given his special situation."

  “Speaking of which," Kendra added. "While I was on the internet, I did some additional research about conditions that result in rapid growth among children, but I co
uldn't find anything that would cause the rate of growth that I've witnessed in TJ."

  “Like I said, his condition is quite rare and…"

  Kendra held up her hand to stop him. "You don't have to say anything else, Dr. Allan. I know you're just trying to protect him, but you don't need to protect him from me. I don't know what's going on here with TJ and, to tell you the truth, I don't need to know. You see, I love that little guy as though he were my own. There's nothing I wouldn't do for him, and that includes protecting him from those little monsters that he would run into in a public school. So can we agree that homeschooling is the best route to go?"

  Allan nodded, walked over, and gave Kendra a big hug.

  2

  It was time for Aeo to proceed with the process of reconstructing a body for the consciousness formally known as Homlin. For that, it would use a pupal stage of the FreeForm and a surrogate. Aeo just needed to select the best pupa to grow the body, but what animal could it find to implant the pupae in for gestation? It started by analyzing the skeletal remains of the large animal it had found in the cave and determined it to be a black bear. Another of this species should do nicely as a surrogate.

  While such a surrogate could be either female or male in a pinch, the process was simpler in a female so Aeo went about formulating pheromones that would attract a fully grown female. It took only a couple of days before Aeo sensed one sniffing around outside. Aeo determined from the remains of the bear in the cave that the species particularly enjoyed the taste of fish, so it added the smell of brown trout to the mix. As the bear strolled into the cave with its nose high in the air, Aeo gently entered its mind and instilled a calming effect on the bear, which yawned but continued to walk in the direction of the enticing smells.

  Aeo slowly took over the motor functions of the bear, directing it to lie down on the cave floor near the stainless steel receptacle that held the pupae. Unfortunately, it had underestimated the bear’s size and weight as well as its ability to control the unfamiliar body which came crashing down to the floor, almost overturning the container.