A few nights later at the Bradford's. Nancy's cold had worsened over the past few days so much so that Tom and Abby weren't so sure that it's just a cold especially since no one else in the house had it. So they call Dr. Max to come over and check her over. After he has examined
her.

"Well Dr. Max." Nancy inquires.

"I think we should go over to the hospital."

"Why? I don't want to I'm too sick to go anywhere." She grouses.

"Because I want to do some chest and lung xrays. It's sounding like pneumonia."

"In the summertime?"

"Cold weather is not the cause of it." He goes to tell Tom and Abby.

"Hi Max." Tom says.

"Hi Tom, can you two drive Nancy to the hospital? I want some xrays done on her."

"What? What's wrong?"

"I believe you two were right when you said it's not a cold, it's sounding like pneumonia." Greg tells him.

"Damn." Tom says.

"Hey if it's that it can be treated with penicillin." Greg assures him.

"I know," he sighs, "but the worrying never ends."

"Been there." Greg says speaking of his own children. "I'll have everything ready at the hospital." He says before leaving.

"OK, we won't be far behind."

Greg then leaves.

Meanwhile in Nancy's bedroom she's getting dressed to go to the hospital for x-ray's and is just finishing putting on her socks when Abby walks in.

"Do we have to go?"

"You don't want to spend all summer in the hospital, do you?"

"No."

"Then we have to go."

"I know." She says still feeling too bad to go anywhere but having to anyway.

"Come on. We'll get you there, do the test, and then get you back home into bed."

She manages a smile. "Ok, lead me to the car and I'll follow."

Abby helps her out and down the stairs, where Tom is waiting for them.

"Ready to go?" he asks.

Nancy nods. "Yes."

"You'll feel better soon." he says.

"I sure hope so." She says while they're leaving.

"You will." Tom says trying to convince Nancy and himself.

Later at the hospital the xrays are done and soon the results come in. "It's exactly what I suspected." Greg says as he writes a prescription for penicillin and also gives Nancy a days supply of what they already have there. "It's not bad enough to hospitalize you." He tells her how
many to take per day.

"So I can go home to bed now?"

He nods.

"We can take her home now," Abby says. "I have to go meet someone; I'll pick up her prescription while I'm out."

Greg hands her the prescription.

Abby takes it and puts it in her purse.

"Who?" Tom asks.

"I told you about it. A PR person from the publishing house."

"Oh...." he says.

"I'll try not to be too long."

"Ok.." Tom says feeling neglected.

"You're such a good husband."

"Sure, you say that now."

"Oh?" Abby smiles, "When would you rather I say it?"

Tom smiles reluctantly, "Go....,I'll tell you later."

Abby gives him a quick kiss.

"Abby, good luck."

"Thanks."

"Break a leg, not really, well you know what I mean." Nancy says.

"I know," Abby smiles at her.

She smiles back and starts to nod off.

"Well I'd better be getting home before Daisy thinks I'm cheating on her." Greg says. "I'll be by tomorrow to check on her and you stay in bed and sleep with your head propped up with pillows." He advises.

"I will." Nancy says. She rests her head on Tom's shoulder.

"Well, let's get you home," Abby says.

"Gladly." Nancy says between a sneeze and a cough.

"You ready?" Tom asks Nancy.

"Yes." She says.

Tom drives her home.

Later at home after Nancy has fallen asleep. David is there to give Tom and Abby some news of his own.
 
"Pneumonia that's awful, thank goodness for antibiotics." He comments making small talk for the moment.

Abby stops packing stuff into her briefcase long enough to take a good look at David. "Yeah. But you didn't come here about Nancy. I haven't seen anyone this nervous since your father the last time my parents came to visit."

"Actually it's not nervousness. The charges against me have been dropped." David grins.

"So why didn't you say so in the first place?" Abby smiles.

"I just did." He replies still smiling.

"Best news I've heard all week." Abby finishes with her briefcase and closes it. "Well, I hate to hear good news and run, but..."

"It's ok, but I do want to thank you both for all your help." David says to Tom and Abby.

Meanwhile Mary goes and knocks on Susan and Joannie's door. "Hey Joannie are you in there?!"

Joannie answers the door

"Hey big sis, what's up?"

"Not a whole lot do you have a pen I can borrow? All mine have chosen this moment to run out of ink."

"Here you are, Mary. Just keep it, I have plenty of pens. We need to go to lunch sometime this week."

"Sure are you free tomorrow?"

"Yes I am. Would 12:30 be a good time for you?"

"Definitely."

"It's a date then. Talk to you later sis."

"See ya." Mary leaves the room.

Joannie knocks on Nancy's door.

"May I come in little sis?"

Nancy groans having been awaken. All she wanted to do was sleep ever since she contracted the pneumonia. "Sure come on in Joannie."

"Sorry that I woke you, I just wanted to see how you were feeling. I heard that Dad and Abby took you to see Dr. Max."

"It's all right." She coughs and sneezes. "And would you believe I have pneumonia in the summertime?"

"Poor baby sis. Is there anything I can get you?"

"Not right now but thank you." She falls back to sleep.

"Sweet dreams little sis." Joannie leaves the room.

The next morning Nancy awakens and takes her medication and eats the soup that Mary had made her wishing it was real food. A little while later Max comes to check on her.

"Am I better yet?" She asks.

"Nope not yet it's going to be a few days. So enjoy the getting waited on hand and foot." He says and leaves the room. He goes downstairs and finds Abby in the kitchen. "I thought even teachers got a break from studying in the summer time."

"Not teachers who are also students and who share a house with 8 other people."

"No rest for the weary."

"Exactly. How's Nancy?"

"Still very congested, but she's not getting worse and that's a very good sign. She should be better in a few days."

"That's good. I don't think we can keep her in bed much longer."

He laughs. "Very true."

Abby closes her textbook. "I'm glad we have the only doctor in town who still makes house-calls. If we let her out of bed to go to our office, we'd never have gotten her back in."

He laughs again. "You got that right, well I have to be getting back to the hospital do you want me to call Tom and update him?"

"Yes, please. If I tell him the good news, he'll just call you for details."

"Will do." Greg says and calls Tom once he gets back to his office.

"Hi Tom it's Greg."

"What's wrong?" Tom thinks the worse.

"Tom relax, she's still pretty congested but she's not getting worse, she should be fine in a few days."

Tom sighs with relief. "Thanks Greg."

"Not a problem."

Joannie wakes up and goes to Nancy's room. "Good morning! How are you feeling Nancy?"

"Can you smuggle some real food in here please, and a little better."

"What kind of food do you have in mind little sis? Have I told you  lately that I love you?"

"I love you too." Nancy says. "Nothing too solid, but no soup please."

"How about some oatmeal?"

"Sounds good." She says.

15 minutes later, Joannie returns with the oatmeal. "Here we go kiddo. Eat up."

"Thanks Joannie." She eats what she can of it.

"No problem Nancy, You have had a rough year, and I haven't made any easier on you. I am really sorry with the way I have treated you at times. Do you forgive me?"

"Joannie there's nothing to forgive, we've hashed all that out remember?"

"I remember. Have you seen Holly lately?"

"A week or so ago."

Sam jumps on Joannie's lap. "Hey boy." Joannie turns back to Nancy. "How is she doing? My heart breaks for her."

Nancy scratches Sam behind the ears. "She seems to be ok, she says she still gets sad but she's doing ok."

"How are you holding up? Are You still having nightmares? If you don't  want to answer, I will understand."

She coughs and sneezes. "The nightmares are starting to go away the dreams are mostly about Noah now."

"Good dreams? You really miss him don't you honey?"

She nods.

Joannie gives Nancy a hug. "Whenever you want to talk to someone, I'll be right here for you."

Nancy hugs her back. "Thanks Joannie, and that works both ways."

"Is Abby still around? I need to talk to her."

"I think she's downstairs."

"Thanks."

Joannie leaves Nancy's room and goes downstairs looking for Abby. "Abby are you still here?"

"In here," Abby calls from the kitchen.

Joannie enters the kitchen. "Hi Abby, could we talk?"

Abby closes her book. "Sure. Have a seat."

"You probably going think that I am over dramatic, but some times I feel that you haven't forgiven me for the way I treated you. I just want to let you know how sorry I am." Joannie with tears starting to well.

"Joannie, there's nothing to forgive. I knew coming into this family there would be some rough spots."

"I love you Abby, and I am glad that you are here."

~This week~ Abby thinks, not entirely convinced by Joannie's turn around. "I love you, too."

~I know she probably does not believe that I am trying to change, so I have to prove to her that I mean what I say~ Joannie is thinking to herself. "See you later Abby". Joannie says while she walking out the back door.

"See you," Abby says and goes back to studying, but really to thinking about what Joannie's really up to.

Later, Joannie dials David's phone number. "I hope he is home."

David answers the phone after several rings. "Hello."

"Hi big brother, I heard that the charges against you were dropped."

"Hi Joannie, that they were. It's good to be a free man again."

"Have they arrested that idiot that framed you? Do you want me to beat him up?"

"Yes they have and you can if you want but I rather you didn't."

"Oh gee! You sure know to ruin a girl's good time." Joannie laughs out loud.

"That's what big brothers are for right?" He laughs also.

"I love you David. I have to go, talk to you later."

"I love you too honey." David says. "Is everything all right?"

"Every thing is ok. I just some time wish that Mom was still here. Don't get me wrong. I do love Abby, but it still hurt not to have mom around. Us older kids will have memories of Mom, but I'm not sure that Nicky going to have as many memories of her."

"Yeah I wonder about that too with Nicholas."

"At least we can keep her memory alive for Nicholas. Do you think Abby has really forgiven me for the way I had treated her? I wouldn't blame her, I really wasn't very nice to her for a while there. I'm just glad that she has made Dad so happy."

"Maybe you should be asking Abby this?" David suggests.

Joannie and David talk for a few more minutes. "David, I have to go. Mary and I are having lunch. Talk to you later." Joannie hangs up the phone.

David stares at the phone for a few seconds. "This family is just getting stranger every day." He then hangs his phone up.

Joannie and Mary arrive at the new Mexican restaurant. "Mary, I am we are able to have lunch together."

"Yeah me too it's been awhile."

"How is school going for you?"

"Pretty good now that it's summer time, how are you doing?"

"Pretty good myself, next week I have a audition coming up."

"That's wonderful, for which production?"

"Grease! I am going to be trying for the role of Sandy."

"And who's playing Danny?"

"I don't know, this play is a real professional play, unlike the plays I have done at college."

"Joannie that is wonderful, I'm proud of you."

"Thanks big sis. I just hope I don't fall on my face." Joannie laughs.

"You won't you'll be fine." Mary smiles.

"Mary, this morning I talk to Abby. I apologized to her for all the crummy things I done to her. for some reason I don't think she believes me or not. I guess I can't blame her for being suspicious of me."

"Joannie that will take time."

"I know!"

Later that day upstairs.
Nancy puts her robe on intent to venture downstairs and watch some tv. ~It wouldn't go over very well if I walked down the stairs by myself.~  She finds Tommy in the hallway. "Tommy I want to watch tv can you walk down the stairs with me in case I start feeling woozy and need someone to make sure I don't stumble and fall."

"Sure, take my arm."

"Thank you." She takes his arm and they head down the stairs. "So how's the band thing coming along?"

"Ok...I am still trying to decide who to let play."

"Your friend Lee is a good drummer."

"Good ear." Tommy says.

"Thank you." She answers.

"Anything else?" Tommy asks.

She lies down on the couch. "Not that I can think of right now for members of your band."

"No, I meant, anything else I can do for you?" Tommy laughs.

She laughs also and then coughs. "Can you get me something to drink?"

"A Beer?" he winks at her.

"Maybe back in the day but a sprite or 7up would be better."

"OK." She turns on the tv and by the time Tommy returns with the soda she's asleep again at that point Tom comes home.

Tom quietly clicks the TV off.

"She wanted to watch tv, but I guess her sleep cycle had different plans." Tommy whispers to his dad.

Nancy mumbles Noah's name in her sleep.

Tom sighs. Not knowing to wake her or not. "She having trouble sleeping?" Tom asks.  Tommy shrugs and goes back upstairs.

Tom covers her up.

She mumbles his name again.

"Nancy?" Tom says while gently shaking her.

She awakens. "Hi Dad."

"Hi Honey, you all right?"

"I think."

"You were mumbling Noah's name."

"I've been dreaming about him a lot."

"That doesn't surprise me." Tom says with a far away look in his eyes.

"But they're good dreams now."

"That's good." he says.

"Dad can you get me something to drink please?"

"What would you like?"

"A soda."

Tom returns with a soda.

"Thanks Dad." She drinks some of it.

"You are welcome."

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah, why do you ask?"

"Just wondering."

"Just tired, worrying about you and David took a lot out of this old man." He jokes.

She smiles. "I guess we'll know when we have our own kids right?"

"You never know." he says and smiles.

She smiles back and soon falls back to sleep.

Tom covers her and kisses her forehead. He goes upstairs to his room.

Abby is in there, reading.

"Hi, what's up?"

"Oh, nothing," she says in a tone of voice that means something is definitely up. "You look worried."

"Just tired." Tom says. "When you say 'Oh, nothing' , it usually means something. So tell me?"

"Why don't you sit down and I'll rub your back?" Abby suggests.

"Uh oh, when you offer to rub my back, something is definitely up," Tom says. "But I won't pass on a back rub."

Abby sits him down and starts rubbing his back. "It's Joannie again."

Tom closes his eyes. "Now what?" he sighs.

"She apologized and told me that she loves me. Sudden turn-arounds worry me."

~Brother, what next.~ "Think its a ploy?"

"Ever notice how in this family when things are going well, it's a prelude to disaster?"

"Calm before the storm." He states. "We better batten down the hatches." He jokes.

Abby sighs and kisses the back of Tom's neck. "Think it'll ever be smooth sailing?"

"Only when we are on our cruise." Tom says. "Speaking of which, have you said anything to the kids yet?"

"Actually, I was thinking of telling them only as we're on the way out the door. Less chance of something going wrong that way."

Tom laughs. "I like the way you think."

Abby kisses him again. "I've noticed."

"Seriously, do we dare leaving them alone for a week?"

"I hate it when you get serious....I don't know. I don't think so."

"I wish my mother was still alive." Tom says. "and forget about V."

"There's always my parents," Abby says.

Tom laughs. "Think they do it?"

"Maybe. I don't think my father could take time off, but maybe my mother could come up, or we could send some of the kids down to Pasadena."

"Oh, they would love that." Tom hears his kids objections in his mind.

"In other words, call the travel agent and cancel."

"Not on your life." he says. "Call your folks, I am ready to battle, if you are."

"What will we do with the older kids? They'll never agree to go to Pasadena."

"We will send Tommy, Elizabeth, Nicholas down to Pasadena." Tom says. "At  least they will be out of harms way of whatever happens up here."

"And that'll be enough for you?"

"Well, I am hoping they will grow up sometime." He sighs. "As long as nobody  goes to jail, hospital or morgue and the house is still standing, I can deal with it."

"If that's your criteria, maybe we'd better leave the younger kids at home and try to get the older ones to go to my parents."

"Ha Ha." he says. "Well then what do you suggest?"

Abby shrugs. "I don't know. But considering the kids' records with hospitals and jails..."

For a split second Tom considers canceling. "No we aren't going to do this, we are going and that's that."

"And the kids...?" Abby asks.

"If the older kids wind up in jail, then they will have to wait until we get back."

"You say that now....I don't know how you ever managed to balance a private life with these kids we've got."

"Private Life? What's that?" he jokes.

There's a knock on the door.

"I see what you mean," Abby whispers so that whoever's on the other side won't hear her.

"Come in." Tom says.

"Dad, Nancy's hogging the couch." Mary complains after she enters.

Tom counts to three before answering. "Mary she is ill, can't you cut her a little slack?"

"Can't she be ill in her own bed?"

"Mary where is your compassion?" Tom says. "If you are going to be a  doctor....."

"They haven't taught us bedside manner yet, ok I'll be nice to her."

"Thank you." He says shaking his head.

"You're welcome." She says and leaves the room.

"What was it we were saying about a private life?" Abby sighs.

Tom hugs her.

"Now what was it that has you looking so tired?"

"I don't know, between David and Nancy...Stress I guess."

Abby returns to rubbing Tom's back. "We really do need to get you away from here for a while."

"And you too." He says.

"Oh, I'm ok. You're the one who's exhausted."

"Uh huh...Right."

"Really. I thrive on pandemonium."

Tom laughs.

"Why else do you think I married you?" Abby teases.

"My good looks and fortune?"

"Well, maybe your good looks."

"Honey, thanks anyway."

Abby leans forward. "You know I'm just teasing. I would have married you even if you'd only had--oh, six or seven kids."

"Not nine?" he kids.

"Bite your tongue."

"You mean you would have walked away if I had nine kids?" he badgers her jokingly.

"No, but I might have if you had eight and said you wanted nine."

"I would have myself committed if I had said that too."

Abby laughs. "If you go to the funny farm, I'll follow right behind you. Might be the only way we ever get any privacy."

"Hmmm....Wonder if they have co-ed rooms?"

"Don't worry. I used to be pretty good at sneaking in and out of dorms. I bet it's a skill you never lose."

Tom rolls his eyes.

"Don't worry. Yours is the only dorm I'd sneak into."

Tom smiles. "I love you."

"I love you, too. No matter how many kids we've got."

He kisses her. Soon there's another knock on the door.

Abby groans and rests her head on Tom's shoulder. "Come in."

Nicholas comes in. "What's for dinner?"

"Guess that's my cue to get back into the kitchen," Abby whispers to Tom.

Tom sighs.

"Besides, didn't you say you wanted to do some work tonight? Start getting ahead so you didn't have to worry about the column while we're away?"

Tom nods.

"Away?" Nicholas asks. "Where are you going?"

"Little pitchers, Abby, little pitchers," Abby mutters to herself. "Hey, I thought you wanted to know what was for dinner," she tries to distract Nicholas.

"Yeah, I do." Nicholas says forgetting about the conversation. Tom gives Abby the eye.

"What's done is done. Just take things one day at a time."

Abby gives the look right back to Tom and asks Nicholas, "You have any suggestions?"

"Spaghetti?" Nicholas suggests.

"With?"

"Meatballs?"

"You going to help me roll them?"

"OK." he agrees.

"Then spaghetti and meatballs it is."

She leans down and kisses Tom. "We'll continue our discussion later."

"Promise?" he says.

"Cross my heart."

Tom smiles and goes to his study.

Abby heads down to the kitchen with Nicholas

Part 2