When Things Start to Happen

And when things start to happen,
Don't worry. Don't stew.
Just go right along
You'll start happening too.

 

“I need to see Dr. Belden immediately!” she insisted to the nurse.

“For the last time, Dr. Belden is with a patient. When he’s finished, I’ll tell him you’re waiting. Please, Ms. Frayne if you’d just take a seat.”

Trixie’s dismay was apparent.

“Is something wrong, Ms. Frayne?” the nurse asked noticing the look.

“No, but please. Just make sure he knows it’s important.”

Trixie reluctantly moved away from the desk and walked slowly towards the waiting area of the clinic area. Ms. Frayne. That’s the first time anyone ever called me that! Trixie mused as she plopped ungraciously into the hard plastic chair. She glanced over at the nurse, frowning as the woman still sat in the chair. When is she going to tell Brian I’m waiting? It seems like a person’s only sister would get some kind of priority treatment.

Her hand drifted to her purse and she fingered the folded envelope, sighing as she remembered its contents.

“What brings you to the clinic on a day like today?”

Trixie jumped. Her thoughts had drifted and she had failed to pay attention to the goings on around her. Now Brian was standing right in front of her. Scrambling to her feet, she pushed a nervous hand through her tangled curls.

“Brian! I need to talk to you.” She looked around nervously. “Do you have some place we can talk? You know – privately?”

He gave her an odd look, but nodded. “Yeah, there’s probably not anyone in the doctor’s lounge. Doctor’s never have time to lounge. Let’s try there.”

Trixie followed him through a maze of hospital corridors and around several mirrored corners. They passed a few gurneys, some technicians and the harried nurses and doctors hurrying from one patient to the next. Brian stopped in front of a door with blind-covered window. He cracked it and peered in. Looking over his shoulder at Trixie he nodded and pushed the door open, motioning for her to come in.

Trixie absorbed her surroundings and still could have told anyone who asked everything that was in the room and its approximate location an hour later. From the locker on the end that was cracked open to the three blue mugs sitting next to the sink.

Brian motioned her to one of the comfortable chairs centered around a low table. He sat, ready to be off his feet for a few minutes. “What’s so important Trix that you couldn’t wait and talk to me tonight?”

“You’re the only person I know that I can talk to about this, Brian,” Trixie started. Once the floodgates opened, it was full speed ahead. “I don’t know what to do. It’s the very last thing that I expected and it really took me by surprise. In fact, I’m disappointed that you or Honey didn’t warn me this could happen, at least I would’ve been better prepared,” she gave him a reproachful look without slowing down. “Now I’ve got what I’ve got and no idea how to handle it. I don’t know how to talk to Jim about it or even if I should talk to Jim at this point. He knows, but I don’t know if he approves or not. Dammit, Brian. This is a real fix, what should I do?”

Brian blinked. He was used to his sister, but this was utter nonsense. “Trixie Belden, what are you talking about?”

She frowned and sniffed. “My name is Trixie Frayne.” Sighing, she continued. “You know Brian. It’s what happens to people when they get married!”

“So help me Trix, if you’re here to tell me that you’re pregnant, I’m going to strangle you for not telling Jim first.”

“Or course I’m not pregnant!” she complained. “Whatever gave you that idea? I’m not stupid Brian. I’ve known how that happens for years. But you could have told me about this!” She reached into her purse and pulled out the crumpled envelop and waved it in his face.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Trixie,” Brian managed to get it out through clenched teeth. “For the last time, what are you talking about! “

“This check!” she wailed. “Mr. Wheeler gave me a check for twenty thousand dollars. What am I supposed to do with it?”

“Oh!” Brian leaned back. He understood completely. The memory of the strained conversation he had with his father-in-law late last year was fresh in his mind.

“Then you got one as well?”

Brian nodded sympathetically. “Yes, back in October. The weekend you went to Syracuse with Jim and the school.”

“Did you keep it? I mean, cash it and everything?”

Brian was quiet. The money had created its own set of problems between him and Honey in their courtship and the hefty check from his father-in-law had been the last thing he’d expected that weekend.

“You didn’t keep it, did you?”

“Yes,” he looked at his sister, meeting her questioning blue eyes. “Yes, I kept it and deposited it into my saving account.”

“Oh!” Trixie sagged. She expected Brian to tell her he hadn’t accepted the money.

“Trixie, you understand the money is a gift?”

“But Brian, I could never, I mean you might be able to someday being a doctor, but I could never give the Wheeler’s that kind of gift.” Trixie slid her right hand up and down her left arm and rocked back and forth.

Brian stepped forward and took her hand. He studied it, and the scar that had started to fade from where Jonesy had stabbed her. “A gift is about more than money, Trixie.” He squeezed her hand gently and waited until she looked at him. “What about the gift of Jim? How much do you think that’s worth to Matthew and Grace?”

“What do you mean?” she stammered.

“You found Jim in his uncle’s mansion. As I recall, the idea for Honey’s family to adopt Jim was yours. You pushed Honey to ask her parents and in the end, they received a gift, a priceless gift at that. Matthew and Grace have the son they were never able to have together, and Honey has a brother, a brother that she adores maybe as much as you adore me.” His eyes twinkled as he shrugged slightly.

“Oh, that was just as much Honey’s idea as it was mine!” Trixie protested. “I wanted Moms and Dad to adopt him.”

“Yes, and if they had done what you wanted then you’d have to explain to people why you were marrying your own brother! You could be on one of those crazy television programs.”

Trixie laughed.

Brian noticed some of the tension leave her tense shoulders. “What about Thanksgiving?”

“What you mean that I could repay them by hosting Thanksgiving dinner?”

“No, silly! I mean that maybe you gave them more than they could ever repay you for when you saved Jim’s life.”

Trixie flushed and her eyes filled with tears at the memories. She brushed them away in frustration. “We saved each other,” she said softly.

“Okay. Just remember there are all kinds of gifts in the world. Many of them are without price. You’ll give to the Wheelers every day you love their son. You’ll give when you show up at one of Grace’s parties in a dress you hate wearing with heels and stockings because you know they want you to be there, even when you don’t want to be there. Maybe you’ll give them grandkids one day. Trust me they definitely want grandkids!” He gave the hand he was holding a squeeze.

“Why did you decide to keep the money, Brian?”

“Because my very wise mother-in-law had a conversation with me, very much like this one,” he answered. “I was ready to throw the check in Matthew’s face when she intervened. You know how she is.”

Trixie nodded. “The only person who comes close to her tact is Honey.”

“Well she put it to me much like I’ve just put it to you.”

“I see,” Trixie sniffed. “You think I should accept the money.”

“Yes.”

Trixie remained unconvinced, sitting there with a familiar stubborn expression.

“Come on, Trix. Mr. Wheeler must have explained about the taxes and inheritance tax, and trust funds and it was how things were done to escape you paying taxes on the money in the future, right?”

“You know he did. He almost made it sound like Jim marrying me was a good investment for him!”

Brian laughed. “And then Grace intervened and told him he was being silly. But it was a way for them to show their love and stick it to the tax man at the same time.”

Trixie gave a watery smile. “I love them both already.”

“Me, too!” He moved to give his sister a comforting hug. “Give the money to charity if you want to, Trix, but don’t belittle the gift. Trust me; you’ll be giving them plenty of gifts that are just as good, if not better than that one.”

 

 

Matthew’s expensive fountain pen tapped the leather desk blotter anxiously, as he hung up the phone with his bank. He was worried that Trixie had yet to cash the check he gave her. He tapped for a moment as his mind processed things, and then picked-up the phone and called the Belden-Wheeler Detective Agency.

He waited impatiently as the phone rang, but he hated to ask his secretary to make the call for him. In short order, Jason answered.

“Trixie Frayne, please,” he said rather shortly. “It’s Matthew Wheeler calling.”

“Ms. Frayne is out of the office,” he replied. “May I help you?”

“Is Honey, uh, Madeleine Belden available?” he asked.

“One moment, please.”

“Dad!” the call was answered quickly. “What’s going on?”

“Why isn’t Trixie working today?” he asked. “I was looking for her.”

“She won’t be in the office until she gets her license reinstated,” Honey explained. “She’s working from home until then. Did you need something, Daddy?”

“No, I guess not. I’ll just call Trixie’s cell. By the way, I thought that license thing was taken care of.”

“No. Trixie talked to them for hours yesterday. It’s a real mess. There isn’t an investigation open, but they can’t return her license until the investigation is complete. She’s pretty frustrated.”

“I can imagine. Who handle’s that license stuff anyway?”

“The state has a licensing board,” Honey replied. “Anything else, Dad?”

“No, go get some work done. I’ll talk to you later, sweetie.”

Matthew hung up the phone and thought for a moment. Standing up, he bellowed for his secretary. “Marilyn! Marilyn! I need you to look up the licensing regulations for private investigators in New York.”