Chapter Text
Starting Here, Starting Now a fourth new Lumific by Rielle #4 in the Loyal Hearts series
Starting here,
Starting now
When we walk,
We'll walk together
Year by year,
Starting here,
Starting now
When we talk
We wiII say the
most with silence
When we're near
Starting here
Now when you sleep
You will dream a dream
That's free from care
For now when you wake
I'll be there
So be still
Take my hand
For the greatest journey
Heaven can allow
Starting love
Starting here
Starting now
Now take my hand
For the greatest journey
Heaven can allow
Starting love
Starting here
Starting now...
recorded by Barbra Streisand
Written by R.Maltby, Jr & D.Shire
PART ONE
May, 2005 Dr. Noelle Curtis' office, SUMC
"Will," Lucas pleaded with his son as the ten and a half year old squirmed on the edge of the examining table. " You know why you have to get checked out. German measles are nothing to fool around with when your Mom's seven months pregnant."
Will Brady-Roberts frowned, jutting his chin out in a perfect imitation of Sami's most effective sulking, but he nodded. "She could get really sick, and that could hurt the twins."
"I knew you could understand." Lucas agreed. "We can't take that kind of chance. That's why we have to make sure you didn't pick this up from your classmates, or Benjy, or Stephany while she was visiting. And that's why Noelle has to run these tests. It could be you're just fine and won't even get a spot. And it could be you'll spend a few weeks with well, I'm willing to let you choose. Billie, or my mom, Belle, or Phillip, maybe even Brady or John, just to make sure everythings kewl."
"Billie and Mike are always.." Will squirmed again, "I dunno, looks like getting ready to make it, to me. Yuck!"
Lucas swallowed a laugh and put on a serious-talk-with-Dad-face. "Billie and Mike are in love. In fact, you know they're engaged. And if he can pin her down they might even get married, some year. Play your cards right and you could be best man then. But if they gross you out, you should tell them I said to get a room."
Noelle Curtis walked back into the room and laughed with them both.
"Sorry, I'm running late. It looks like every parent attached to a kid in Will's class is frantic about this measles outbreak. Not surprising, considering early last summer we thought the kids were coming down with flu, and some of them were."
"So, what do you have to stick me with?" Will wanted to know.
"A syringe, kiddo, attached to a vial that the blood flows right into, and then gets sealed and sent to the lab." Noelle answered, holding the item up for him to see. "The stick won't bother you a bit, cos Kaely's the best phlebotomist in Salem, and she'll be in here in a sec. The part I always hated though was the turnicut. It has to go on tight to get the vein to show, okay? I wanted to give you a heads-up. While we're waiting for Kaely, I'm going to take a swab inside your cheek. No big. Open wide for me, big guy."
They were all done and had the test results back stat, because the lab knew exactly how nervous any siege of what were once thought normal childhood illnesses made Salem parents these days. Less than an hour later, Noelle was letting Will and Lucas know that they'd been right to bring him straight from school today. He'd caught the measles and should stay away from his mother for the next three weeks.
"Will, I know its a bummer." the young doctor told him. "But I also know you were brave enough to go to LA without your Mom nearly a year ago. So, I'm guessing you can tough this one out, too. Whatdya think?"
"Can I hang out with you and Todd?" the boy demanded.
"Well, Mom's on tour again." Noelle considered, smiling. "So I think we could set you up okay, but her room's kinda girly for a guy on the brink of junior high. I'll move in there, and you can bunk with my little bro. He's got a foldaway stashed in his closet. That's if your folks say so. Lucas?"
"That'd be great, Noelle. Let me give Sami a quick update and he's all yours, temporarily."
Sami pulled her cell out of its pocket on her shirt and sighed with relief to see Lucas' number. "How's Will?" she asked immediately.
"He's caught the measles, Sami. Noelle ran the tests today and he'll probably be itchy and uncomfortable by tomorrow. About a dozen kids in his class have it too."
"Poor baby. Lucas, put him on for me, please. How are you feeling, little man?"
"Bummed." Will said. "But I'm gonna stay over at Noelle and Todd's place. Sorry, mom."
"Don't be, sweetie. It's not LA, after all, and you and I can talk, even email and chat every day. I love you, soo much, Will."
"Yeah, love you." Will gave his father back the phone and shrugged. "She's bummed."
"Sami, its going to be fine and so is Will." Lucas assured his wife. "And so are the twins. That's what this is about, right?"
"And that's exactly what Will is thinking right now, Lucas. That everything in his world is now about a sister and brother he can't even see yet. I know, I've been there. We have to make sure ..."
"That Will knows our world revolves around him?" Lucas teased her gently. "I think he gets that, pretty much. Don't you buddy?"
Will laughed and rolled his eyes. "I'm not spoiled, I'm the first-born, so I know I'm special."
"Sami, your son's already talking about being first in line to inherit the Brady-Roberts fortune. Where are you hiding it, this week?" Lucas joked.
"My son? Don't worry, its stashed where he'll never look, in the girly-stuff drawer, as Will calls it. Last time I counted it was all of .50 though. What did you spend the other dollar on?"
"Health insurance. Being the father of twins is really doing a number on me these days."
"Oh, right. Lucas, no, never mind, I'm not even going there." Sami laughed. "I want to talk to Noelle. She needs fair warning about the kind of havoc your son is capable of creating."
"Hey, Sami, how's the tiny tennis match going?" Noelle laughed, when Lucas handed her the phone.
"Two-Love. Noelle, I know measles isn't much for a kid, but ..."
"But it isn't. And I've got the test results right in front of me, Sami. That's all he's got. And what's better than to let his own doctor keep an eye on Will while you're getting ready to pop. It might help lower your blood pressure, too."
"Well, he adores you. So, just don't let our son run roughshod over you and Todd, okay?"
"Hey, Mom?" Will asked, after retrieving the phone for himself.
"What bab... What is it, Will?"
"Miss you."
"Miss you like fire, little man. Try not to make ..."
"Todd and Noelle crazy, I know."
"Call me tonight?"
"Mom, I was gonna anyway. You'd never get to sleep if I don't."
"That's about right." Sami sighed. "Hugs, Will."
"Hugs, Mom." Will said and clicked the phone shut.