Promises Not Broken (The Monkees: Mike Nesmith & Davy Jones (friendship/fictional personas); Sick)
Title: Promises Not Broken
Author: Crystal Rose of Pollux (rose_of_pollux)
Claim: The Monkees: Mike Nesmith and Davy Jones (platonic/friendship; fictional personas from the show only!)
Table: DIY
Prompt: Sick
Rating: PG
Summary: Sometimes, it takes a long while for a promise to be kept... but a true friend will wait as long as they have to in order to keep it.
Will be cross-posted to FFN and monkeesfic.
Notes: This is one of the stories in the collection that spans more than one point in time; the first half takes place the immediate day after the previous vignette, and the second half takes place during the events of the episode “Hitting the High Seas,” basically to serve as Mike’s side of the story and fill in the gaps between all of the episode’s timeskips. As such, Micky and Peter finally show up in the second half, and while I only vaguely allude here as to how they met Mike and Davy, I intend for the next story in the collection to show that fateful encounter. Also, if part of Mike and Davy’s conversation in the first half seems similar to part of their conversation in one of the chapters of my other ongoing fic, “Red Sky, Take Warning,” it is completely intentional. Also, yes-Mike’s costume that is mentioned near the end of the first half is indeed the same one from 33 1/3-as weird as that show was, that costume was just plain awesome.
*********************************
Malibu, CA; a few years prior:
It was the immediate day after the overtime incident that Mike found something else to worry about in regards to his younger roommate, just when he thought that there had been nothing left to worry about.
Initially, he hadn’t given it much thought; they had both turned in well past four in the morning-even later for Davy, who had taken the time to change out of his wet clothes. Mike had awakened at nearly ten in the morning, still bleary-eyed from the lack of sleep.
“Man, I hope I never have to do that again…” he grumbled, heading downstairs as he yawned.
Davy’s door was still closed, and Mike decided to let him sleep in some more as he toasted some bread for the both of them.
“Brunch is ready when you are,” he announced, knocking on his roommate’s door. “You know, you don’t want to spend the whole morning sleeping; you’ll end up wide awake at night again.”
“…Nothungry…” the weak reply came from within the room, all mashing it together in one word.
Mike stared at the door once again sensing that something was very wrong.
“Davy?” he asked, opening the door.
The English boy was curled up under his bedcovers, trembling as his pale and clammy face winced in discomfort.
“You look terrible!” the Texan exclaimed. He placed a hand on Davy’s forehead and exhaled. “And you’re burning up. …How long were you out in the rain for with just that little jacket of yours last night?”
Davy mumbled something unintelligible, but Mike managed to discern the word “midnight” among it and quickly deduced that he must’ve been out there for more than four hours.
“Well, being out in the rain that long would do a number on anyone,” Mike sighed. He winced again as he felt his roommate’s forehead; he didn’t have a thermometer, but he could tell that the fever was quite high-and that Davy was suffering from it very much. “I’ll tell you what; I’ll make you my Aunt Kate’s special concoction-it’s a family secret. Knocks any cold or fever right out of you within 24 hours and keeps bugs from getting to you; she swears by it.”
Davy just let out a weak groan; he was certainly not in the mood to try any secret family cures.
“I think it’s too late for that,” he said, weakly. “Just leave me here to roast.”
Mike shook his head, heading to the kitchen and soaking a dish towel in cold water, which he brought back to Davy and started using to gently wipe the sweat from his face. Davy sighed as he felt some relief from the cold water.
“I’m sorry, Davy,” Mike said, softly. “It’s my fault you were out there last night in the first place. I didn’t think to figure out a way to let you know that I’d be late…”
“Didn’t exactly give you a reason to think I’d care…” Davy said, shutting his eyes as Mike continued to apply the cold cloth to his face.
“Yeah, well, that’s my fault, too; I had told you that I wanted to be left alone, and I tried to convince myself that you wanted to be left alone to make whatever decisions you wanted to make,” Mike said. “Even though I knew better than to think that was the best idea-both for me and for you. Because the truth of the matter is that you’re just plain too young to be on your own, and, as for me… well…”
He trailed off, not sure how to put his thoughts into words. After eighteen years of being a loner, it was nice to have someone he could call a friend.
Davy looked up at him now.
“You were lonely?” he asked.
Mike managed a wan smile.
“Well, maybe just a little,” he confessed. “And besides that, you really grow on a person, you know that? You’ve got spunk, you’ve got drive, and you’re more than willing to take life by the horns at an age where kids over here aren’t even driving yet, whether or not you’re actually ready…”
Davy blinked.
“You don’t think I’m ready?”
“Well…” Mike said, pausing to consider his answer. “You might be. Of course, you wouldn’t be able to legally-so that’s a moot point, anyway.”
“Well, if I have to be stuck with someone, I’m glad it’s with you.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” the Texan said. “Besides, I’m sure you’ll agree that the only thing worse than being ill is being ill all alone.”
“…You sound like you’re speaking from experience.”
“Well… actually, no; I never get sick. Aunt Kate’s brew also serves as an immune booster if you take it before the bugs attack. But I can sure imagine what it must be like-trying to fend for yourself for days and days when your entire body is in utter agony is no cakewalk.”
“Agony is the right word,” Davy said, wincing. “…Whatever it is I have.”
“What you’ve got is probably some little bug you were fighting off fine until you stressed yourself out last night.” Mike sighed. “You know… I never thought I’d ever have someone spend four hours in the dead of night-with a rainstorm on top of everything-just to look for me. I know it sounds weird, but… thank you. I mean, especially since you’ve been telling me that you don’t want any worries to weigh you down…” He smiled again. “And I guess you’re probably thinking the same about me, aren’t you? Well, I think I’ll officially retract that statement I made when I agreed to take you in-that one about pretending that I’m not really here and never to bring any of your troubles to me. You can bother me all you like.”
Davy gave a weak chuckle.
Mike now got to his feet.
“Well, I’ll go see to Aunt Kate’s secret remedy; you sure you don’t want to eat something?”
“Not right now…”
“Well, I’ll leave that toast on the bedside table for you just in case,” Mike said, headed back to the main room of the pad. He was just getting the ingredients together and throwing them into a pot of water on the hot plate when the phone rang.
“Hello?” he asked as he answered it.
He involuntarily cringed when he heard the voice of his boss over the line.
“Nesmith, I need you over here tout de suite!” he said. “That dinner party from yesterday liked the food and the service so much, they’re coming back for lunch and for another late dinner later tonight.”
“Y-You mean come over there now and stay until 1 in the morning again?!” Mike blurted out.
“That’s what I said, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, but… I can’t…!” Mike exclaimed. “Not today!”
You mean to tell me you’ve got something more important to do than your job?”
“Well… yes; as a matter of fact, I do!”
“Well, I’ve got news for you, Nesmith; we’re shorthanded. We’ve got five people out sick; apparently, there’s some bug going around.”
“I happen to be aware of that all too well,” Mike said, his voice dripping with venom.
“Then I expect to see you here on the double; nothing is more important than pleasing this party!”
“Well, I’m going to have to disagree; I think the situation I’ve got here is more important than that!”
“Nesmith, I’m not going to argue!” his boss roared. “Either you get in here on the double, or you’re out of work! Do you understand me?”
Mike was silent for a moment, but then answered, “Yes, I understand.”
“Good. Then I’ll see you here lickety-split!”
“No, you won’t,” Mike retorted. “I quit, you tyrant!”
He slammed the receiver down into the cradle before his ex-boss could respond, and he exhaled. Well, now he’d gone and done it. There was no telling when or if he’d ever find another job, but what else could he have done-wait on a group of loud customers as they stuffed their faces while Davy suffered? No-not now, not ever; even if he and Davy had been still semi-aloof with each other, Mike still wouldn’t have been able to just leave him when he was ill.
Mike sighed and finished up preparing the remedy when Davy peeked out of his room, holding onto the door frame to support himself.
“Mike…?”
“What are you doing out here?” the Texan chided. “Get back to bed!”
“I just wanted to tell you that I’m… I’m feeling much better. You can call your boss up and apologize-maybe he’ll give you your job back. I’ll be fine by myself.”
“…You heard me, huh?”
“It was hard not to,” Davy confessed. “Go on, then; I know you need the money. It’s only for a little bit, anyway.”
“Same thing would’ve just happened tomorrow and the next day and the next,” Mike said. “Look, I don’t regret this one bit. I’d been looking for a reason to quit so I could work more on my music; well, now I’ve got one. So thanks again for that.”
“…You’re welcome?” Davy asked, confused. “But that’s a risk, isn’t it? I mean, what if…?”
“I have a feeling my musical career-make that our musical career-is going to get better once we get this act off the ground. But that won’t happen if you don’t get better.” He snapped his fingers and pointed back inside the bedroom. “In you go.”
Davy fumbled his way back to bed as Mike followed with a bowlful of the secret remedy.
“Mike,” the younger boy said, quietly. “If it ever comes to the point where you’re ever feeling this bad yourself… I promise I’ll be there for you, too.”
“I’ll hold you to that, Tiny. And here’s this,” the Texan said, handing it to him along with a soupspoon. “Down the hatch-all of it.”
Davy cast the concoction a suspicious look.
“What did you say was in this stuff?”
“I didn’t say. You really want to know?”
“…No; I think I’d be better off not knowing.”
“See? You are smart…”
Davy managed a smile and started to drink the remedy; it actually wasn’t half-bad. And, true to Mike’s word, when the next morning dawned, Davy woke up with a clear head and no chills.
That was also the day that their two-man act, Lone Star and Union Jack, was officially formed. The remainder of Davy’s winter break was spent bouncing ideas and songs off one another and practicing. And as December drew to an end, their combination Christmas-and-birthday presents to each other ended up being their costumes for the act; Mike had managed to find a small costume that perfectly mirrored that of the Queen’s Guards for Davy, who, in return, had given Mike a blue-and-white cowboy costume studded with shiny stars, which the amused Texan gladly accepted, regardless of how gaudy-looking it was (Davy was amused and impressed by the replica Guardsman’s uniform, as well, though he refused point-blank to wear the hat). Their first true gig was at a New Year’s Eve party at, ironically enough, the very same restaurant that Mike had just quit working for; Mike’s former immediate boss had not wanted to hire them out of spite, but they went over his head to the owner of the restaurant, who let them play. As to whether or not that first gig had been a smashing success, they never truly found out; the majority of their audience had been smashed themselves-on champagne. But they received enough applause for them to treat it as though it had been a success. And more gigs, some failures and some successes, followed, as did numerous misadventures-one of those misadventures resulting in their expanding their two-man act into a quartet as they ended up taking in two more roommates into their little beachhouse.
Through it all, Davy never did forget the promise he had made, but it turned out that he never got a chance to keep it. Mike just never seemed to get sick; he had been right about the secret remedy doubling as a preemptive strike against any bug. Nevertheless, Davy kept the promise he had made buried in the back of his mind, but still very much in his consciousness, just in case…
*********************************
Somewhere on the High Seas; a few years later:
Sometimes, irony is just unbelievable, Mike thought, cringing as his stomach gave yet another unpleasant lurch. All those years taking Aunt Kate’s concoction, never getting sick… and I can’t even stay on my feet on some dumb old boat?!
He had felt an unpleasant feeling in his gut when he had first stepped aboard the schooner, but had dismissed it as pre-journey nervousness. After all, he hadn’t gotten sick in years! Truth to be told, he had been thinking that he was invincible as far as illness went, but fate just had to deal him a slap of reality; stricken with seasickness, Mike found himself bedridden and nauseous.
Okay, I get it. I surrender. I’ll never tempt fate again…
Mike’s thoughts trailed off as he suddenly became aware of someone’s presence beside him; he had his eyes closed, but he was pretty sure he knew who it was as he felt a hand on his forehead.
“Hey, Tiny…” the Texan said, weakly.
“Hey.”
Mike opened his eyes, looking up at the now eighteen-year-old English boy, idly thinking about irony again as he realized that Davy was now the same age Mike had been when he had first met him as that scrappy, jet-lagged little traveler in the bus depot. Davy had certainly come a long way since then, and after everything that he and Mike had been through during that time, their friendship had only solidified and grown stronger (as had their friendship with Micky and Peter, the two roommates/bandmates they had picked up along the way).
Mike’s thoughts were jolted once again as the schooner rocked, and he was forced to shut his eyes again.
“So what brings you to the sickbay?” he managed to ask, wryly.
“Do you really have to ask me that?” Davy asked. “I made a promise to you years ago, Mike. I intend to keep it.”
“I had a feeling…”
Davy now stood up, and Mike soon heard the sound of something pouring.
“What’s that you’ve got there?” the Texan inquired, as an unfamiliar aroma reached his nostrils.
“Ginger tea,” Davy replied. “I made it myself.”
“That captain let you run around in the galley?” Mike asked, referring to the man who had hired the four of them to work on his ship.
“Oh, yeah. He made me his cabin boy, so I get access to the galley to get him his meals. I don’t think Micky and Peter were too pleased by that though; they’re stuck swabbing the decks.”
“How did you land that cushy job?”
“He’s a superstitious old seafarer. When he heard my name…”
“Don’t tell me… you threatened to send him to your locker?”
“Nah; Micky told him I don’t inherit the locker until I’m 25.”
“He would,” Mike mused, shaking his head at the Californian’s antics. “And that was enough for the old seadog?”
“You aren’t kidding. Mike, he’s absolutely mad!”
“Yeah, well, I know you well enough to know that you wouldn’t send anyone to your locker, if you had one…”
“It’s not that; Mike, I just came from his cabin to try to give him his lunch. He was conspiring with his parrot-something about a fortune in gold! If I didn’t know any better, I’d have thought we got ourselves stuck in some swashbuckling story!”
Mike exhaled.
“Hold onto your hat, Tiny; I think we just might be.” He winced as his insides did a somersault again. “And, unfortunately, it’s looking as though I’m going to have to sit this one out.”
“Well, that’s why I brought this ginger tea for you,” Davy said. “Your aunt’s recipe helped me; maybe this brew of my grandfather’s will help you.”
“Oh, your gramps came up with this? When did he get seasick?”
“You mean I never told you? Guess it never came up in the conversation… Well, my grandfather was a spy for British Intelligence during the Second World War.”
“…Say what now?”
“I didn’t know myself until recently; he spent a lot of time traveling around in submarines, and his stomach didn’t take to it so well. He said that ginger tea really helped him with that, so…”
“I’ll try anything,” Mike said, sitting up slightly.
Davy handed him the teacup, and, slowly, the Texan sipped at the tea, hoping it would stay down; thankfully, it did.
“…Davy, look,” he said, as he drank. “I know you want to stay here and keep that promise you made, and I know I said that I’d hold you to it, but if there is something up with that captain, you need to let Micky and Peter know as soon as possible.”
“I know. I’ll tell them.”
“So, go do it.”
Davy nodded, getting to his feet again.
“I will be coming back,” he promised, as he left the room. “You just relax until then.”
*********************************
Davy was, once again, true to his word, and when he returned to see how Mike was doing, he had brought news that he, Micky, and Peter were planning to sneak into the captain’s quarters to find out more about the plan. Later that night, as Mike was finally managing to fall asleep, Davy left again to implement the plan.
The Texan wasn’t sure how long he had managed to sleep for; he awakened to whispers.
“I’m telling you, we must’ve imagined the whole thing!”
“But Davy and I were there, too, and we weren't imagining it; how do you explain that?”
“Mass hallucinations?”
“Come off it, Micky,” Mike heard Davy whisper back. “We were wide awake, and you know it. Besides that, Mike was willing to believe that we were in another one of our escapades when I told him about it.”
“Funny, how we always seem to get into those escapades, no matter what we do…”
“You ain’t kidding, Pete,” Micky whispered back. “Heck, the four of us met because of one of those escapades…”
“And while I’m grateful for that chance meeting,” Mike now drawled. “I’d really appreciate it if y’all kept it down while you reminisce.”
He opened his eyes, seeing three guilty-looking faces staring back at him.
“Oh, man; sorry, Mike!” Micky said, apologetically.
“We didn’t realize we were so loud…” Peter said, shrugging.
“You feeling any better?” Davy asked.
“Actually, I think I am,” Mike said. “That ginger tea really worked.”
“Then you should probably have another cup,” Davy said, getting him a refill.
“Thanks,” Mike said, accepting it. “So what was this riveting conversation you were having before I woke up?”
The other three launched into an explanation of what had transpired in the captain’s cabin-how Micky had impersonated the captain’s parrot, getting him to reveal his plan to lay siege to the Queen Anne the next day and steal the gold aboard it.
“He’s a pirate!” Davy finished.
“And I’m saying that he had to be kidding,” Micky said.
“Let’s hope so,” Peter sighed.
Mike thought for a moment.
“Well, regardless of whether he was being serious or not, you guys might be in for a lot of trouble if he does a bed check or something, and you’re not there,” the Texan said. “You don’t want to make him suspicious, after all.”
“Yeah, good call…” Micky said, as he and Peter got to their feet. “You coming, Davy?”
Davy looked back at Mike for a moment, and then looked back to the others.
“I think someone should look after Mike,” he said. “And since I’m the captain’s favorite at the moment, he wouldn’t say a thing about it if he saw me missing.”
Micky and Peter exchanged glances, but nodded; they turned to go after wishing the others good night.
“Hey, Guys?” Mike said, prompting them to pause and turn back. “Just in case this nutcase of a captian is serious… be careful-all of you.”
“Hey, aren’t we always?” Micky grinned. He turned to exit the cabin-and promptly smacked his face on the door frame as the schooner suddenly tilted forward. “Don’t answer that,” Micky added, in a now-nasal voice.
The other three cringed in sympathy.
Peter placed a hand on Micky’s shoulder as they now departed the cabin (Micky gingerly rubbing his nose). Mike shook his head, unable to put his thoughts into words as he finished his tea and went back to sleep.
*********************************
The tea had worked its magic; Mike slept well-in fact, he had been awakened by Davy sometime midmorning. The Texan had to do a double-take as he registered that Davy was now wearing some sort of clichéd pirate’s outfit.
“…He was serious?” he asked.
“Right in one,” Davy said. “We’ve got very little time to spare, but I felt as though I had to tell you what was going on; Peter is up on deck, inciting the crew. Micky’s going to lead them into mutiny against the captain.”
“Mutiny?!” Mike repeated. “That’s it; I’ve sat this thing out long enough…”
He made an attempt to get up, but Davy placed his hands on his shoulders.
“You can’t afford it-what if you get sick again?”
“I can’t have the three of you running around mutinying up there without me!”
“And we can’t have something happening to you because you weren't feeling up to par,” Davy said; he was calm on the outside, but Mike saw the worry in his eyes.
The Texan sighed; he was feeling queasy enough to heed Davy’s advice.
“You’ve got one hour,” he said, pouring himself another dose of ginger tea. “If I don’t hear from at least one of the three of you, I’m going up there.”
“Fair enough. This should all be over soon, anyway,” the English boy promised. “See you in a bit.”
Davy soon left after that. And Mike waited… and waited… and waited. There was definitely a commotion going on up on deck. And though the hour hadn’t fully passed, Mike abandoned waiting for the rest of it, shakily getting to his feet.
It was then that Davy, Micky, and Peter arrived-a little exhausted, but with triumphant smiles on their faces as Davy held up the captain’s sword in his hands.
“The ship is ours,” he announced, and he turned the sword around so that the hilt faced Mike. “Captain Nesmith.”
Mike accepted the sword and looked back at the others, who saluted him.
“I’ve said it before, but you three are something else,” he said, returning the salute. “And I’m grateful for it.”
This comment prompted a group hug, which the Texan accepted and returned. Yes, Mike was grateful-both for Davy, whom he had known the longest, and also for Micky and Peter whom he had come to care for, as well.
They were worth more than a captaincy and a fortune in gold anyday.
Author: Crystal Rose of Pollux (rose_of_pollux)
Claim: The Monkees: Mike Nesmith and Davy Jones (platonic/friendship; fictional personas from the show only!)
Table: DIY
Prompt: Sick
Rating: PG
Summary: Sometimes, it takes a long while for a promise to be kept... but a true friend will wait as long as they have to in order to keep it.
Will be cross-posted to FFN and monkeesfic.
Notes: This is one of the stories in the collection that spans more than one point in time; the first half takes place the immediate day after the previous vignette, and the second half takes place during the events of the episode “Hitting the High Seas,” basically to serve as Mike’s side of the story and fill in the gaps between all of the episode’s timeskips. As such, Micky and Peter finally show up in the second half, and while I only vaguely allude here as to how they met Mike and Davy, I intend for the next story in the collection to show that fateful encounter. Also, if part of Mike and Davy’s conversation in the first half seems similar to part of their conversation in one of the chapters of my other ongoing fic, “Red Sky, Take Warning,” it is completely intentional. Also, yes-Mike’s costume that is mentioned near the end of the first half is indeed the same one from 33 1/3-as weird as that show was, that costume was just plain awesome.
*********************************
Malibu, CA; a few years prior:
It was the immediate day after the overtime incident that Mike found something else to worry about in regards to his younger roommate, just when he thought that there had been nothing left to worry about.
Initially, he hadn’t given it much thought; they had both turned in well past four in the morning-even later for Davy, who had taken the time to change out of his wet clothes. Mike had awakened at nearly ten in the morning, still bleary-eyed from the lack of sleep.
“Man, I hope I never have to do that again…” he grumbled, heading downstairs as he yawned.
Davy’s door was still closed, and Mike decided to let him sleep in some more as he toasted some bread for the both of them.
“Brunch is ready when you are,” he announced, knocking on his roommate’s door. “You know, you don’t want to spend the whole morning sleeping; you’ll end up wide awake at night again.”
“…Nothungry…” the weak reply came from within the room, all mashing it together in one word.
Mike stared at the door once again sensing that something was very wrong.
“Davy?” he asked, opening the door.
The English boy was curled up under his bedcovers, trembling as his pale and clammy face winced in discomfort.
“You look terrible!” the Texan exclaimed. He placed a hand on Davy’s forehead and exhaled. “And you’re burning up. …How long were you out in the rain for with just that little jacket of yours last night?”
Davy mumbled something unintelligible, but Mike managed to discern the word “midnight” among it and quickly deduced that he must’ve been out there for more than four hours.
“Well, being out in the rain that long would do a number on anyone,” Mike sighed. He winced again as he felt his roommate’s forehead; he didn’t have a thermometer, but he could tell that the fever was quite high-and that Davy was suffering from it very much. “I’ll tell you what; I’ll make you my Aunt Kate’s special concoction-it’s a family secret. Knocks any cold or fever right out of you within 24 hours and keeps bugs from getting to you; she swears by it.”
Davy just let out a weak groan; he was certainly not in the mood to try any secret family cures.
“I think it’s too late for that,” he said, weakly. “Just leave me here to roast.”
Mike shook his head, heading to the kitchen and soaking a dish towel in cold water, which he brought back to Davy and started using to gently wipe the sweat from his face. Davy sighed as he felt some relief from the cold water.
“I’m sorry, Davy,” Mike said, softly. “It’s my fault you were out there last night in the first place. I didn’t think to figure out a way to let you know that I’d be late…”
“Didn’t exactly give you a reason to think I’d care…” Davy said, shutting his eyes as Mike continued to apply the cold cloth to his face.
“Yeah, well, that’s my fault, too; I had told you that I wanted to be left alone, and I tried to convince myself that you wanted to be left alone to make whatever decisions you wanted to make,” Mike said. “Even though I knew better than to think that was the best idea-both for me and for you. Because the truth of the matter is that you’re just plain too young to be on your own, and, as for me… well…”
He trailed off, not sure how to put his thoughts into words. After eighteen years of being a loner, it was nice to have someone he could call a friend.
Davy looked up at him now.
“You were lonely?” he asked.
Mike managed a wan smile.
“Well, maybe just a little,” he confessed. “And besides that, you really grow on a person, you know that? You’ve got spunk, you’ve got drive, and you’re more than willing to take life by the horns at an age where kids over here aren’t even driving yet, whether or not you’re actually ready…”
Davy blinked.
“You don’t think I’m ready?”
“Well…” Mike said, pausing to consider his answer. “You might be. Of course, you wouldn’t be able to legally-so that’s a moot point, anyway.”
“Well, if I have to be stuck with someone, I’m glad it’s with you.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” the Texan said. “Besides, I’m sure you’ll agree that the only thing worse than being ill is being ill all alone.”
“…You sound like you’re speaking from experience.”
“Well… actually, no; I never get sick. Aunt Kate’s brew also serves as an immune booster if you take it before the bugs attack. But I can sure imagine what it must be like-trying to fend for yourself for days and days when your entire body is in utter agony is no cakewalk.”
“Agony is the right word,” Davy said, wincing. “…Whatever it is I have.”
“What you’ve got is probably some little bug you were fighting off fine until you stressed yourself out last night.” Mike sighed. “You know… I never thought I’d ever have someone spend four hours in the dead of night-with a rainstorm on top of everything-just to look for me. I know it sounds weird, but… thank you. I mean, especially since you’ve been telling me that you don’t want any worries to weigh you down…” He smiled again. “And I guess you’re probably thinking the same about me, aren’t you? Well, I think I’ll officially retract that statement I made when I agreed to take you in-that one about pretending that I’m not really here and never to bring any of your troubles to me. You can bother me all you like.”
Davy gave a weak chuckle.
Mike now got to his feet.
“Well, I’ll go see to Aunt Kate’s secret remedy; you sure you don’t want to eat something?”
“Not right now…”
“Well, I’ll leave that toast on the bedside table for you just in case,” Mike said, headed back to the main room of the pad. He was just getting the ingredients together and throwing them into a pot of water on the hot plate when the phone rang.
“Hello?” he asked as he answered it.
He involuntarily cringed when he heard the voice of his boss over the line.
“Nesmith, I need you over here tout de suite!” he said. “That dinner party from yesterday liked the food and the service so much, they’re coming back for lunch and for another late dinner later tonight.”
“Y-You mean come over there now and stay until 1 in the morning again?!” Mike blurted out.
“That’s what I said, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, but… I can’t…!” Mike exclaimed. “Not today!”
You mean to tell me you’ve got something more important to do than your job?”
“Well… yes; as a matter of fact, I do!”
“Well, I’ve got news for you, Nesmith; we’re shorthanded. We’ve got five people out sick; apparently, there’s some bug going around.”
“I happen to be aware of that all too well,” Mike said, his voice dripping with venom.
“Then I expect to see you here on the double; nothing is more important than pleasing this party!”
“Well, I’m going to have to disagree; I think the situation I’ve got here is more important than that!”
“Nesmith, I’m not going to argue!” his boss roared. “Either you get in here on the double, or you’re out of work! Do you understand me?”
Mike was silent for a moment, but then answered, “Yes, I understand.”
“Good. Then I’ll see you here lickety-split!”
“No, you won’t,” Mike retorted. “I quit, you tyrant!”
He slammed the receiver down into the cradle before his ex-boss could respond, and he exhaled. Well, now he’d gone and done it. There was no telling when or if he’d ever find another job, but what else could he have done-wait on a group of loud customers as they stuffed their faces while Davy suffered? No-not now, not ever; even if he and Davy had been still semi-aloof with each other, Mike still wouldn’t have been able to just leave him when he was ill.
Mike sighed and finished up preparing the remedy when Davy peeked out of his room, holding onto the door frame to support himself.
“Mike…?”
“What are you doing out here?” the Texan chided. “Get back to bed!”
“I just wanted to tell you that I’m… I’m feeling much better. You can call your boss up and apologize-maybe he’ll give you your job back. I’ll be fine by myself.”
“…You heard me, huh?”
“It was hard not to,” Davy confessed. “Go on, then; I know you need the money. It’s only for a little bit, anyway.”
“Same thing would’ve just happened tomorrow and the next day and the next,” Mike said. “Look, I don’t regret this one bit. I’d been looking for a reason to quit so I could work more on my music; well, now I’ve got one. So thanks again for that.”
“…You’re welcome?” Davy asked, confused. “But that’s a risk, isn’t it? I mean, what if…?”
“I have a feeling my musical career-make that our musical career-is going to get better once we get this act off the ground. But that won’t happen if you don’t get better.” He snapped his fingers and pointed back inside the bedroom. “In you go.”
Davy fumbled his way back to bed as Mike followed with a bowlful of the secret remedy.
“Mike,” the younger boy said, quietly. “If it ever comes to the point where you’re ever feeling this bad yourself… I promise I’ll be there for you, too.”
“I’ll hold you to that, Tiny. And here’s this,” the Texan said, handing it to him along with a soupspoon. “Down the hatch-all of it.”
Davy cast the concoction a suspicious look.
“What did you say was in this stuff?”
“I didn’t say. You really want to know?”
“…No; I think I’d be better off not knowing.”
“See? You are smart…”
Davy managed a smile and started to drink the remedy; it actually wasn’t half-bad. And, true to Mike’s word, when the next morning dawned, Davy woke up with a clear head and no chills.
That was also the day that their two-man act, Lone Star and Union Jack, was officially formed. The remainder of Davy’s winter break was spent bouncing ideas and songs off one another and practicing. And as December drew to an end, their combination Christmas-and-birthday presents to each other ended up being their costumes for the act; Mike had managed to find a small costume that perfectly mirrored that of the Queen’s Guards for Davy, who, in return, had given Mike a blue-and-white cowboy costume studded with shiny stars, which the amused Texan gladly accepted, regardless of how gaudy-looking it was (Davy was amused and impressed by the replica Guardsman’s uniform, as well, though he refused point-blank to wear the hat). Their first true gig was at a New Year’s Eve party at, ironically enough, the very same restaurant that Mike had just quit working for; Mike’s former immediate boss had not wanted to hire them out of spite, but they went over his head to the owner of the restaurant, who let them play. As to whether or not that first gig had been a smashing success, they never truly found out; the majority of their audience had been smashed themselves-on champagne. But they received enough applause for them to treat it as though it had been a success. And more gigs, some failures and some successes, followed, as did numerous misadventures-one of those misadventures resulting in their expanding their two-man act into a quartet as they ended up taking in two more roommates into their little beachhouse.
Through it all, Davy never did forget the promise he had made, but it turned out that he never got a chance to keep it. Mike just never seemed to get sick; he had been right about the secret remedy doubling as a preemptive strike against any bug. Nevertheless, Davy kept the promise he had made buried in the back of his mind, but still very much in his consciousness, just in case…
*********************************
Somewhere on the High Seas; a few years later:
Sometimes, irony is just unbelievable, Mike thought, cringing as his stomach gave yet another unpleasant lurch. All those years taking Aunt Kate’s concoction, never getting sick… and I can’t even stay on my feet on some dumb old boat?!
He had felt an unpleasant feeling in his gut when he had first stepped aboard the schooner, but had dismissed it as pre-journey nervousness. After all, he hadn’t gotten sick in years! Truth to be told, he had been thinking that he was invincible as far as illness went, but fate just had to deal him a slap of reality; stricken with seasickness, Mike found himself bedridden and nauseous.
Okay, I get it. I surrender. I’ll never tempt fate again…
Mike’s thoughts trailed off as he suddenly became aware of someone’s presence beside him; he had his eyes closed, but he was pretty sure he knew who it was as he felt a hand on his forehead.
“Hey, Tiny…” the Texan said, weakly.
“Hey.”
Mike opened his eyes, looking up at the now eighteen-year-old English boy, idly thinking about irony again as he realized that Davy was now the same age Mike had been when he had first met him as that scrappy, jet-lagged little traveler in the bus depot. Davy had certainly come a long way since then, and after everything that he and Mike had been through during that time, their friendship had only solidified and grown stronger (as had their friendship with Micky and Peter, the two roommates/bandmates they had picked up along the way).
Mike’s thoughts were jolted once again as the schooner rocked, and he was forced to shut his eyes again.
“So what brings you to the sickbay?” he managed to ask, wryly.
“Do you really have to ask me that?” Davy asked. “I made a promise to you years ago, Mike. I intend to keep it.”
“I had a feeling…”
Davy now stood up, and Mike soon heard the sound of something pouring.
“What’s that you’ve got there?” the Texan inquired, as an unfamiliar aroma reached his nostrils.
“Ginger tea,” Davy replied. “I made it myself.”
“That captain let you run around in the galley?” Mike asked, referring to the man who had hired the four of them to work on his ship.
“Oh, yeah. He made me his cabin boy, so I get access to the galley to get him his meals. I don’t think Micky and Peter were too pleased by that though; they’re stuck swabbing the decks.”
“How did you land that cushy job?”
“He’s a superstitious old seafarer. When he heard my name…”
“Don’t tell me… you threatened to send him to your locker?”
“Nah; Micky told him I don’t inherit the locker until I’m 25.”
“He would,” Mike mused, shaking his head at the Californian’s antics. “And that was enough for the old seadog?”
“You aren’t kidding. Mike, he’s absolutely mad!”
“Yeah, well, I know you well enough to know that you wouldn’t send anyone to your locker, if you had one…”
“It’s not that; Mike, I just came from his cabin to try to give him his lunch. He was conspiring with his parrot-something about a fortune in gold! If I didn’t know any better, I’d have thought we got ourselves stuck in some swashbuckling story!”
Mike exhaled.
“Hold onto your hat, Tiny; I think we just might be.” He winced as his insides did a somersault again. “And, unfortunately, it’s looking as though I’m going to have to sit this one out.”
“Well, that’s why I brought this ginger tea for you,” Davy said. “Your aunt’s recipe helped me; maybe this brew of my grandfather’s will help you.”
“Oh, your gramps came up with this? When did he get seasick?”
“You mean I never told you? Guess it never came up in the conversation… Well, my grandfather was a spy for British Intelligence during the Second World War.”
“…Say what now?”
“I didn’t know myself until recently; he spent a lot of time traveling around in submarines, and his stomach didn’t take to it so well. He said that ginger tea really helped him with that, so…”
“I’ll try anything,” Mike said, sitting up slightly.
Davy handed him the teacup, and, slowly, the Texan sipped at the tea, hoping it would stay down; thankfully, it did.
“…Davy, look,” he said, as he drank. “I know you want to stay here and keep that promise you made, and I know I said that I’d hold you to it, but if there is something up with that captain, you need to let Micky and Peter know as soon as possible.”
“I know. I’ll tell them.”
“So, go do it.”
Davy nodded, getting to his feet again.
“I will be coming back,” he promised, as he left the room. “You just relax until then.”
*********************************
Davy was, once again, true to his word, and when he returned to see how Mike was doing, he had brought news that he, Micky, and Peter were planning to sneak into the captain’s quarters to find out more about the plan. Later that night, as Mike was finally managing to fall asleep, Davy left again to implement the plan.
The Texan wasn’t sure how long he had managed to sleep for; he awakened to whispers.
“I’m telling you, we must’ve imagined the whole thing!”
“But Davy and I were there, too, and we weren't imagining it; how do you explain that?”
“Mass hallucinations?”
“Come off it, Micky,” Mike heard Davy whisper back. “We were wide awake, and you know it. Besides that, Mike was willing to believe that we were in another one of our escapades when I told him about it.”
“Funny, how we always seem to get into those escapades, no matter what we do…”
“You ain’t kidding, Pete,” Micky whispered back. “Heck, the four of us met because of one of those escapades…”
“And while I’m grateful for that chance meeting,” Mike now drawled. “I’d really appreciate it if y’all kept it down while you reminisce.”
He opened his eyes, seeing three guilty-looking faces staring back at him.
“Oh, man; sorry, Mike!” Micky said, apologetically.
“We didn’t realize we were so loud…” Peter said, shrugging.
“You feeling any better?” Davy asked.
“Actually, I think I am,” Mike said. “That ginger tea really worked.”
“Then you should probably have another cup,” Davy said, getting him a refill.
“Thanks,” Mike said, accepting it. “So what was this riveting conversation you were having before I woke up?”
The other three launched into an explanation of what had transpired in the captain’s cabin-how Micky had impersonated the captain’s parrot, getting him to reveal his plan to lay siege to the Queen Anne the next day and steal the gold aboard it.
“He’s a pirate!” Davy finished.
“And I’m saying that he had to be kidding,” Micky said.
“Let’s hope so,” Peter sighed.
Mike thought for a moment.
“Well, regardless of whether he was being serious or not, you guys might be in for a lot of trouble if he does a bed check or something, and you’re not there,” the Texan said. “You don’t want to make him suspicious, after all.”
“Yeah, good call…” Micky said, as he and Peter got to their feet. “You coming, Davy?”
Davy looked back at Mike for a moment, and then looked back to the others.
“I think someone should look after Mike,” he said. “And since I’m the captain’s favorite at the moment, he wouldn’t say a thing about it if he saw me missing.”
Micky and Peter exchanged glances, but nodded; they turned to go after wishing the others good night.
“Hey, Guys?” Mike said, prompting them to pause and turn back. “Just in case this nutcase of a captian is serious… be careful-all of you.”
“Hey, aren’t we always?” Micky grinned. He turned to exit the cabin-and promptly smacked his face on the door frame as the schooner suddenly tilted forward. “Don’t answer that,” Micky added, in a now-nasal voice.
The other three cringed in sympathy.
Peter placed a hand on Micky’s shoulder as they now departed the cabin (Micky gingerly rubbing his nose). Mike shook his head, unable to put his thoughts into words as he finished his tea and went back to sleep.
*********************************
The tea had worked its magic; Mike slept well-in fact, he had been awakened by Davy sometime midmorning. The Texan had to do a double-take as he registered that Davy was now wearing some sort of clichéd pirate’s outfit.
“…He was serious?” he asked.
“Right in one,” Davy said. “We’ve got very little time to spare, but I felt as though I had to tell you what was going on; Peter is up on deck, inciting the crew. Micky’s going to lead them into mutiny against the captain.”
“Mutiny?!” Mike repeated. “That’s it; I’ve sat this thing out long enough…”
He made an attempt to get up, but Davy placed his hands on his shoulders.
“You can’t afford it-what if you get sick again?”
“I can’t have the three of you running around mutinying up there without me!”
“And we can’t have something happening to you because you weren't feeling up to par,” Davy said; he was calm on the outside, but Mike saw the worry in his eyes.
The Texan sighed; he was feeling queasy enough to heed Davy’s advice.
“You’ve got one hour,” he said, pouring himself another dose of ginger tea. “If I don’t hear from at least one of the three of you, I’m going up there.”
“Fair enough. This should all be over soon, anyway,” the English boy promised. “See you in a bit.”
Davy soon left after that. And Mike waited… and waited… and waited. There was definitely a commotion going on up on deck. And though the hour hadn’t fully passed, Mike abandoned waiting for the rest of it, shakily getting to his feet.
It was then that Davy, Micky, and Peter arrived-a little exhausted, but with triumphant smiles on their faces as Davy held up the captain’s sword in his hands.
“The ship is ours,” he announced, and he turned the sword around so that the hilt faced Mike. “Captain Nesmith.”
Mike accepted the sword and looked back at the others, who saluted him.
“I’ve said it before, but you three are something else,” he said, returning the salute. “And I’m grateful for it.”
This comment prompted a group hug, which the Texan accepted and returned. Yes, Mike was grateful-both for Davy, whom he had known the longest, and also for Micky and Peter whom he had come to care for, as well.
They were worth more than a captaincy and a fortune in gold anyday.