I had been duped into helping with Dorothy's pet project at the clinic. I hate speed chess moves. It honestly feels like cheating. But a deal's a deal, and as a gentleman, I must honor the agreement we made. I just hope I don't mess this up.
Roger helped carried the art supplies from the car into clinic's conference room, which they had converted into a stage for the play. The children were happy to see Dorothy as usual, but got excited when they saw Roger. The children had always been struck by his cool demeanor and appearance from the times he did stop by. Normally, Roger would be busy with cases and would rarely come down to the clinic as he would be tied up. But with the lack of a case load, Roger had free time, and he could help Dorothy.
Roger set the supplies down, looking at what Dorothy had accomplished. Dr. Plebanski was busy painting trees on a large scroll of paper to be used as the background, Carlye was finishing up sewing one of the costumes. Dorothy was looking over some stage props that had been made. and figuring out where to move them.
"Wow, you got a lot done in two weeks," complimented Roger.
"Yes, but we still haven't mounted the background and we have a bunch of sewing to do on the costumes. And we have three days…" Dorothy blew her bangs upward, frustrated. Roger went over to Dorothy, looking at the area that was to be a stage.
"How big is the background?" he asked, studying the stage.
"20 x 10 feet. Dr. Plebanski is painting the trees on it, right now."
"Since it's paper, maybe try tacking it up?"
"The walls are concrete and won't allow tacks. So, we needed create the frame to hold it up. Speaking of which…"
Dorothy looked around, then turned over to Carlye. "Did we get that delivery for the wood today?"
Carlye stopped sewing and pointed over in the corner by the door. "Yes, Norman called to make sure the delivery was on time today."
"Good! Roger, come with me."
"Why am I getting the feeling I'm not going to like what you're going to ask me to do?"
"Building the frame for play?" She lowered her voice for the next part, "But you know how to destroy so many buildings."
"That's different. I have…my Big friend for that and it allows me to do those things of which you speak," said Roger, quietly, raising an eyebrow.
"This shouldn't be too hard. Besides, with the way the play is going, it's going to work out."
"And I'm telling you it would be easier to hang it on the wall, but if you want to frame it…"
Roger pulled some pieces of lumber and began laying them out to form a structure. Dorothy left him be while she went to check on the children in the corner who were practicing their lines. Roger scratched his head, trying to figure out how make Dorothy's request into a reality.
If I put this here… but then I would need to adjust here for counter-balance and weight. But I think I would need cross joints at the bottom…
"Excuse me, Mister?"
Roger looked at one of the kids, who had pulled on his jacket to get his attention.
"Mm? Yes?"
"The one-eyed space pirate is here to see you."
"One-eyed space pirate?"
The child pointed toward the entrance, where Norman stood, carrying a large picnic basket.
"Master Roger, forgive the intrusion," Norman said with a short bow, "But seeing as you were here this evening with Miss Dorothy, and seeing that I made a generous pot of stew to be frozen for leftovers, I decided to bring everything with me and have dinner here."
"Uh… yeah. Thanks Norman," said Roger, caught off guard by his butler's appearance, "Actually, it might be a bit early for dinner, and I think you're here in the nick of time. Could you help me with something?"
Norman sat the picnic basket down a table, nodding, and went over to assess Roger's work of the frame. Norman took off his overcoat and Roger took off his suit jacket, and they both began working on putting the frame together.
**************************************************
Three hours later and after a lot of work, Roger was enjoying a bowl of hot stew with Dorothy, Norman, Carlye, and Dr. Plebanski. The children, ten in all, were sitting in a corner, happy to be enjoying a hot meal.
"This is absolutely wonderful, Norman. Thank you for this," said Dr. Plebanski. She checked to make sure the children were preoccupied in their corner. "You know, this will probably the heartiest meal they'll have all day," she said quietly.
"I'm well aware," Roger said, looking at his bowl. He waited until he was last to serve his portion and didn't serve much for himself. The times at the orphanage weighed heavily on his mind. "Do you need more money?"
"No, no, no! I didn't mean it like that, Roger. Your donations have been more than generous to our clinic. It's just… even with their parents working late hours on the docks or warehouses, they barely have enough to feed their families and provide shelter, especially now when it's so cold. I'm sure the families will appreciate your generosity, Roger, and for that I'm grateful."
"It's nothing. Don't worry about it," said Roger, who finished his bowl and went over to the pot, stirring the stew with the ladle. "Who wants some more?" he called over to the kids and various cries of "Me!" rang out into the room. Dorothy gave a small smile, as a young girl ran up to Roger and he began chatting with her. Their conversation seemed to take a while as she stood off to the side, while the other kids got another serving.
"Roger and Sheila have been chatting for some time. What's Roger's connection to her?" asked Dorothy.
Carlye exchanged looks with Dr. Plebanski and Norman. "Wait, you never told her?"
Norman nervously brought his fingertips together, while Dr. Plebanski wiped her mouth with a napkin.
"Norman, do you want to tell her or should I?"
"I was hoping Master Roger would, but it has always been a delicate subject with him. I'm not sure if I should be the one."
"Then let me do it. I can at least provide some details and you can stay out of trouble."
Norman nodded.
"To begin, Roger and I go way back. He's always been reckless, and I have to patch him up sometimes when Norman can't. There have been times when I need his assistance to navigate the quagmire of the Paradigm government with keeping this clinic open. But there's a particular time that comes into mind."
Dr. Plebanski took a deep breath
"Well, a couple of years ago, probably before you came into the picture, Sheila's grandfather died. He contracted Roger while on his deathbed, indicating that he had a lost memory return to him. He told Roger that his daughter was still alive, but had gotten involved with a bad sort of people, calling themselves the Mafia. Sheila has never known her father and was possibly a product…well… it wasn't her mother's decision, let's put it that way. But she decided to have the child anyway once she found out she was pregnant. Once Sheila was born, her mom surrendered her over to her grandfather, hoping to give her a happy life, but fate had other plans. Roger had just recently negotiated on our behalf to keep our clinic open after the Paradigm Health Bureau tried to shut us down for having an illegal operation with a wrecking robot. He brought me in to see if I could extend the old man's time, in exchange for his services. But Sheila's grandfather was a scientist for many years, and had exposed himself to who knows what. I did what I could while Roger raced around the city to find her mom. Well, Roger did find her. How he managed to do it is still a miracle to me. But the only way she could be freed was by buying her freedom or fighting for it."
"So, Roger, what did he do?"
"He negotiated the price for her and haggled it down, he deciding to cover it. Well, the leader of this Mafia gang felt like he got swindled, and despite shaking on it, he decided to renegade at the last moment. He figured he could keep the money and the girl. He sicked his goons on Roger, plus himself. Roger was outnumbered five-to-one. Roger… won the fight, but barely. He got cut pretty badly and took some hits in the ribs. He was in a bad state for a while. Even so, he managed to get Sheila's mother over to her father one last time to say a goodbye, and sign over the guardianship over to her before he passed. In the meantime, I patched up Roger. Roger knew there would be backlash from the gang, so he got the Military Police involved. He was able to convince the MP to put Sheila and her mother under protective custody, in exchange for providing evidence to take down the human trafficking ring the Mafia gang had been using as income."
"And… what happened after that?"
"Well, Roger, from what I understand, was working with the MP to help with the investigation, but the gang got a tip the MPs were closing in on them. So, they requisitioned a giant robot, and decided to go after the MP and Roger on the day they raided their hideout. And that's when the Black Megadeus comes into the picture. According to the newspaper, tore the thing to smithereens and destroyed the hideout, wiping all the will to fight from the Mafia for good. I believe they're serving life sentences as the Paradigm Justice Bureau manage to make the attempted murder with a robotic vehicle and attempted murder on a public servant to stick, am I right, Norman?"
Norman nodded.
"Master Roger was determined, even after that fight with the men, to make sure Sheila and her mother had a decent life. He found a job for her down at the docks, processing fish. I remember you had ordered bed rest, but he refused to obey your orders, Dr. Plebanski. It was only after calling in a few favors to find them a home and her mother a job, that he finally sat down and rested. I believe I had to call you as he had re-fractured a rib."
Dr. Plebanski nodded. "He's always been stubborn like that. When the Paradigm Health Bureau tried to shut us down, he fronted the money to make sure we had the equipment to qualify as a legal operating clinic outside the domes. With his monthly donations, Roger has made sure the PHB can't ever touch us again."
Dorothy looked at her bowl of stew, stirring it around distractedly. She wondered why Roger had decided not tell her about this, but, she thought, it sounded personal. And with the holidays around the corner, she wondered if she should bring it up at all as it did sound like a mood killer, and Roger had been in the holiday spirit, even though he had been trying to hide it. Instead, she turned her thought to another question.
"So, Dr. Plebanski, why did you decide to set up your practice here, outside the domes?"
Dr. Plebanski smiled. "Let's just say I was a different person a long time ago. I had someone open my eyes to what I could be doing with my life, and they gave me the courage to speak my mind. When I got my license to practice medicine, I told the bureaucrats off. And, then all of a sudden, no one would take me in. Hospitals, clinics… you name it. So, I said screw it and looked around for my own practice. When I found this building, I found it had a bunch of toys, so I decided to run a daycare as well to help generate funds to keep the lights on. It turns out I like where I'm at. I may not be making the funds like those docs inside the domes, but I make enough for a comfortable living. And well, knowing that I can help people like Sheila and her mom, well, I think that's what matters in the end. Carlye feels the same way, doncha?"
Carlye smirked. "Those Paradigm politicians can go… well I can't say it with the kids present, but I think you catch my drift. But I just finally got my nurse practitioner credentials, thanks to you, Dr. Plebanski."
Roger had finished serving the kids and turned to look at the adults. "Anybody else want another serving?"
"I do!" A kid sitting next to Sheila stood up and ran over to Roger. Roger chuckled.
"We need to make sure everyone has a turn, kiddo," he said, gently, ruffling the child's hair.
"Aw… but I wanna be a one-eyed space pirate, like him!"
The child pointed at Norman, who smiled in return. Roger chuckled again, shaking his head.
"I have no idea what that is, but I trust your judgment in your career choice."
The child gave Roger a grin and Roger gave a playful tap on his back, encouraging him to go sit back down with his friends. He turned to the adults once more, gesturing to the pot of stew. The adults shook their heads no, and Roger shrugged, going back to sit back down.
"Norman, I have to ask. Why are they calling you the one-eyed space pirate?" Roger asked while sitting down, mildly amused with his butler's alter ego.
Norman chuckled, his mustache twitching. "Well, it's a funny tale, sir. You see, I had some free time a while ago and I had made cookies for their story time. After dropping off your donation like normal to Dr. Plebanski, I went to check on Miss Carlye and the children. They were trying to figure out what story to read and I saw this comic in the corner on top of stack of other comics that Miss Carlye had found that day. It seems someone collected the old comics from prior to forty years ago and they were avid collector. This particular comic, it was called 'Buck Rodgers in 25th Century,' and the particular story I found was when the hero, Buck Rodgers, goes after a space pirate who kidnaps a princess. Well, I sort of got into the story, acting out the various parts, Miss Carlye playing the princess of course, and the children loved it. They said I was a great space pirate."
Roger snickered. "So that's why they call you a space pirate."
Roger looked at the frame that he and Norman built. They had built the stands for it, but now needed to finish putting it together.
"Ready for the last part, Norman?"
"Of course, sir. If you will excuse us ladies…"
Norman bowed his head and got up, along with Roger, to finish the frame. Dorothy smiled.
If I didn't know any better, I think he's enjoying himself, Dorothy thought, as Roger grabbed a saw and began sawing a piece of lumber while Norman held it steady.
**************************************************************
It was 8 p.m. and many of the adults were starting to come pick up their children for the night after getting off work from the nearby factories and docks. Roger and Norman had finished the frame, and along with Dr. Plebanski, Carlye, and Dorothy's help, they mounted the backdrop in place. The stage was set and ready for rehearsals. Dorothy, while Roger and Norman were finishing up the frame, moved back and forth from watching the kids practice their lines to helping Carlye with her sewing of the costumes. The costumes, while not elaborate, were coming along nicely. They just needed to finish the band of merry men from Robin Hood's gang.
"Well, I feel better with our progress now," said Dorothy. Carlye, who was finishing sewing a hat together, smiled.
"So, I have to ask. How's it going with your knight in shining armor over there?" She nodded over in Roger's direction. Dorothy blushed.
"Come on. You live with him and you're telling me you guys haven't done anything, at all?" Carlye said, laughing.
Dorothy shook her head. "We're taking it slow. We've been through a lot. I guess, we just want to make sure, well… I guess make sure this is what we want. Because if it isn't, it'll make things… awkward."
Dorothy began gathering the costumes to put them up for the night. Carlye helped her as well, following Dorothy over to the storage closet they were using to hold them.
"I can tell he cares about you. And you care about him. Honestly, you guys seem like a perfect fit. I'm happy for you."
She looked around to make sure no one was around, before lowering her voice, asking, "You haven't… sealed the deal with him yet, right?"
Dorothy thought over her words for a moment before realizing what she was asking, turning red in the face. "No, no… like I said, moving slow."
Carlye nodded. "I know we checked you over a while ago and you're in great health. You've been keeping an eye on your cycles, right, to make sure everything is good down there?"
Dorothy nodded.
"Good, in case things do get… I guess pick up speed, just watch yourself. Protection out here is hard to come by and Paradigm has pretty much made sure that only the married dome dwellers get it. Monitoring cycles has saved some of our patients, but it's not always successful. I say this because, you mean a lot to me and Dr. Plebanski, and not just with helping us out with the kids. Whatever you choose, we'll respect your choice, but be safe. How long have you guys been together?"
"Two and a half years. But the last half or so, we've been officially going out." Dorothy purposely failed to mention that the last two years she was an android, figuring it would open a can of worms related to the reset.
"Wow, colored me impressed. Two and half years together and Roger hasn't made a move… well, then I feel better. I guess you mean something to him…so… well… when it does happen, it'll be special, so enjoy it. Most men would've made a move by now, even if you've been official for five months, but he's truly a gentleman. I know this seems out of the blue, but lately it has been hard to get a hold of medical supplies. And I just want you to be safe. So, I hope you're not mad at me for saying all of this."
They finished stacking the costumes in the closet and shut the doors. Dorothy smiled at Carlye.
"Thank you Carlye, for your concern. It's nice to know I have friends here too."
Carlye hugged Dorothy.
"Well, I better go help Dr. Plebanski with getting the kids out. I'll see you tomorrow?"
Dorothy nodded once again and exited the conference room. Dorothy went to go find Roger. She never understood the physical rituals with love, but then again, she had been an android, so there was no need. However, Dorothy found herself thinking over Carlye's statement. Why hadn't Roger made a move? Was he supposed to make a move or was she required to do it? Was he holding back? She shook her head. She was happy now and happy with the pace. If things were meant to happen, then she would deal with it then. Dorothy walked down the hallway to the entrance hall. She found Roger there, talking to a woman who was holding Sheila and shook Roger's hand very enthusiastically. Roger smiled, said something that Dorothy couldn't hear, and watched the woman nod, walking away with her daughter. Dorothy found her coat and Roger's, walking over to give it to him.
"Roger, who was that?" Dorothy asked, knowing the answer already.
"Hmm? Oh, her? That was a former client of mine. Actually, they were two former clients of mine." He looked at his watch for a moment as he put his coat on. "You got anything to do tomorrow?"
"If you're asking about cases, then no."
"You care to stay up late then while I tell you their story?"
Dorothy nodded as she put her coat on.
"Dr. Plebanski gave me her version."
"I see. I guess I better tell you mine then."
Norman came out with the picnic basket.
"I drove myself here, sir. Do you need anything before we go?"
Roger shook his head. "Not until we get home. Some tea would be nice. Dorothy and I will be staying up late tonight."
"Very well, sir." Norman bowed, and then put on his helmet, taking the picnic basket with him.
"Shall we then?" asked Roger, offering his arm to Dorothy.
Dorothy grinned, accepted his arm, and walked out to the car with him.
*******************************************************************
Roger and Dorothy sat in the living room, their roles now reversed on the couch. Roger was stroking Dorothy's hair absentmindedly while Dorothy laid on his lap and listened to the story of how Roger met Sheila and her grandfather. Apparently, Beck had funded research for Sheila's grandfather to explore bugs making electricity. Sheila's grandfather wanted to use his research to solve the energy crisis for Paradigm, but Beck had exploited the old man's research to take on Big O. Beck lost, with Big O frying the bugs to a crisp with his electric arm generator extensions. Roger had promised Sheila that he would negotiate with the Megadeus and in exchange, he took her drawing of the bugs as payment for his services. He then told her about the grandfather's dying wish, going into detail how he found Sheila's mom. Most of the details Dr. Plebanski had mentioned were correct, but Dorothy didn't say anything, letting Roger talk. He skipped over the details of the fight, stating that it only served to reevaluate his skill in taking on armed men.
"It's hard to remember what happened, but somehow, I got Sheila's mom back to the clinic. I guess I was drifting in and out of consciousness. With the adrenaline winding down, I didn't realized I had gotten cut so close to my wrist and was bleeding pretty bad. I think I gave Dr. Plebanski a fright. I guess I passed out as I pulled up to the clinic, because the next thing I knew, I was lying on a gurney, and she was patching me up. She had called Norman of course, but I needed to call Dastun. I knew the Mafia gang wouldn't take this lying down and would come after them."
Dorothy sat up and poured herself another cup of tea, along with Roger. She handed his cup to him, both of them taking a sip, before setting the cups down. She curled close to Roger, letting him continue.
"Afterwards, I called Dastun and the few connections I had with the MP. I was able to get Sheila and her mother into protective custody. Dr. Plebanski ordered me to rest, but I wouldn't. They didn't behave professionally with me, so I had to see this through to the end. Of course, when we raided their hide out, they naturally had a giant robot waiting for us, so I called Big O. I won, they lost. And the rest, as they say, is history. I managed to find Sheila's mom a decent job so she could support herself and her daughter, and a place to live. It wasn't the most pleasant work, but it pays well, and they always need people."
"I guess my question is, why did the grandfather remember his daughter on his deathbed?" asked Dorothy, taking a sip of her tea.
"He was probably obsessed with his memories about the electric bugs. People start questioning what they've always known to be true, sometimes reality itself, because they only believe the returned memories. Or maybe he put it in the back corner of his mind, wanting to tell Sheila when she was older about her, and had no choice but to confront it on his deathbed."
Roger took another sip of his tea, having been talking for a while. His mouth felt dry.
"You okay? It's not the best story to tell. It can get… dark. Not the best sort of thing to tell around this time of year."
Dorothy nodded. "I'm fine. I guess I'm used to this sort of thing with you now. Our job can be very strange, but rewarding too, I suppose."
"That's very true." He took another sip. Dorothy took a sip of her tea as well, setting the cup down, and laid back down on his lap. Roger beamed and set his cup down. He began stroking Dorothy's hair again.
"You feel confident about this play for the kids?"
"I think so. We got a lot done today. The props are done, the backdrop is done, and now it's just the costumes and the kids remembering their lines. Of course, one of the kids, you actually talked to him earlier when he wanted thirds, Michael, he made a suggestion for a surprise ending. I thought it was cute, so we decided to go with it."
"Really, what is this surprise ending?"
"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise."
"Dorothy Wayneright, you never cease to amaze me, and also be a pain at the same time."
Dorothy giggled. Roger had started growing fond of that laugh, but he was mildly annoyed about the surprise Dorothy had mentioned. He was not one for surprises.
"Speaking of the play, I wanted to ask you something, Roger. Would you like to attend the opening night as my date? No need to dress fancy."
"You're asking me to be your date on the biggest night of your playwright career, Dorothy?"
"It's a play for kids, Roger. No need to be cute about it."
Roger smiled. "Of course, I'd be more than happy to."
Dorothy returned his smile. "By the way, did you happen to see where the book went? I wanted to look something over and make adjustments to the script, with the surprise ending and all."
Roger shrugged. "I assumed you had it. It's probably lying around somewhere. Don't sweat the details so close to the opening night. You'll be fine without the book."
Dorothy looked at him suspiciously. "You're acting strange, Roger Smith…"
"Really? You know what else is strange? That chess match from earlier…"
"How is it strange, Roger?" Dorothy giggled.
"You've been reading up on different strategies."
"Are you saying you want a rematch?"
Dorothy rose from his lap as Roger got up from the couch and made his way over to the table where the chess set was.
"I'm white this time," he said as he set up the board again.
"Let's get this over with. What shall we wager this time?"
Roger held up a finger. "You're not getting me that easily. If we make a wager, no quick strategies. Actually, draw out this match and make it good."
"Fine, deal on that. So, what are we going to wager then?"