Hudson River
Hudson River
‘Brian’s been poisoned’, ‘Brian’s in the hospital’, these fear inspiring words ran through her mind, over and over. Unable to concentrate, unable to think straight, Honey somehow managed to get through her morning classes.
Although she’d suggested they wait until he was released before visiting, she knew in her heart of hearts that she had to make sure he was okay—had to see for herself that he really was all right. She understood why the Beldens hadn’t called to let them know what was happening—their focus had been completely on Brian, but she still wished she could have been there: to hold his hand or smooth his brow or hug Bobby—anything.
The Bob-Whites were a close-knit group, and Honey loved each and every member, but Brian was ... special. She didn’t like to say it out loud but it was true. The tall, darkly handsome, oldest Bob-White with his calm and steady nature held a place in her heart that was private, even if her preference was sometimes noted and referred to.
It was lunch time, and normally she would go to the cafeteria and eat with her friends, but today was not a normal day. Now that Brian had been declared safe, Trixie seemed more interested in pursuing mysteries than in sitting at her brother’s bedside, but Honey wasn’t ready to move on—not yet.
Grabbing her sandwich from her locker, Honey glanced at her watch and headed for the school gate.
Owing to the fact that Sleepyside was a small town and that she ran as hard as she could, it did not take her long to reach the small hospital that served the community’s needs. She slipped through the front doors and approached the friendly-faced woman sitting at the reception desk.
“Good afternoon,” she said politely. “Can you tell me what room Brian Belden is in please?”
The woman smiled at her. “Actually, visiting hours don’t start until two.”
“Yes, well I do understand that, truly, I do,” Honey said, knowing that her face was flushed. “But I don’t want to visit. I just want to see.” She saw the way the woman’s brows shot up and hurried on. “He’s my friend, you see, and last night, well, it was his birthday, and they were having a family dinner rather than having all of us Bob-Whites there. I guess that was partly because it’s a school night and partly because, well, Brian doesn’t really like being the centre of attention, though we were going to have an afternoon tea for him today and now we can’t, of course. And his sister told me he’s fine, or he’s going to be fine, but Brian, well Brian is a very special person and I…” she trailed off, finally out of breath, acutely aware she had lapsed into what her friends affectionately referred to as Honey-speak. Luckily, the woman behind the desk was now smiling sympathetically.
“Jerry,” she called to a young man who was sorting some papers into trays behind the counter and appeared to be an orderly, “can you show this young lady to room 304. She just needs to check on a friend of hers.”
“Sure,” Jerry said. He stepped out and indicated for Honey to follow him. When they reached their destination he turned to her.
“It’s not actually visiting hours,” he began.
“I’m not visiting,” Honey explained. “Just looking.” She gingerly moved forward and poked her head around the open door. She saw him straight away; he was in the bed nearest the door and he was facing her. He was asleep though, his eyes closed, his dark hair falling across his forehead and his long dark lashes sweeping his unusually pale cheeks. Of course, from that distance, she couldn’t really see his lashes, but she knew them so well that she could picture them against his cheeks.
“He really is okay?” she breathed, tears forming in her large hazel eyes.
The young man standing beside her smiled and nodded. “Wouldn’t have moved him up here if he wasn’t.”
“Thank you,” she said. “I just had to see for myself.”
“It’s scary when someone you care about is in here, isn’t it?” Jerry observed knowledgably.
Honey nodded. “Well, thank you again. I should get back to school.” She almost ran down the hall but, remembering where she was, forced herself to walk at a sensible pace.
Helen Belden knew that her oldest child was on the road to recovery, but it was a mother’s prerogative to fuss when one of her brood were hurt or injured— especially on their birthday. With Brian sleeping peacefully, she’d taken the opportunity to fetch a cup of coffee and a sandwich. As she headed back to his room, she saw a familiar figure heading down the corridor towards the elevators.
She was too far away to call out, and, when Helen reached her son’s room, a young orderly was removing some laundry from the other bed in the room.
“Did my son just have a visitor, Jerry?” she asked. His nametag was pinned to his uniform and she recalled seeing him early that morning.
“No, ma’am,” Jerry returned. “Just a young lady who seemed to need to see for herself that he was doing okay. She didn’t come into the room,” he added as if he thought she might be unhappy with his report.
“Oh, that wouldn’t have mattered. She’s a friend, a special friend of Brian’s. I should have realized how upset she’d be.”
“She seemed pretty glad to see him, I’ll say that. Still, you’ll have him home before you know it, and all of his friends can see and talk to him.”
“I am certainly looking forward to that, once he’s fully recovered. Thank you, Jerry.” Helen resumed her seat by her son’s bed and drew the magazine she’d purchased from her purse. Her fingers reached out to gently brush the lock of Brian’s dark hair back from his forehead.
How afraid she’d been seeing him on the floor, pale, unmoving, unconscious. They’d all been scared. Brian was usually the one who tended to his family’s scrapes and bruises. He made Bobby hot drinks when he was sick with a cold. He did the same for her. It had seemed so very wrong to see him that way. And of course the rest of the Bob-Whites would be concerned. A half-smile crossed her face as she imagined the way Trixie would have blurted out the news. Relieved that her brother was out of danger, her only daughter would not have wasted time being diplomatic.
That Honey had broken school rules by coming out on her own at lunch to check on Brian said something. Unless being dragged into some new mystery by Trixie, Honey was almost unfailingly responsible, willing to follow rules and regulations and more inclined towards caution than impulse. But then Helen knew that her sweet natured next-door neighbour had special feelings for Brian. Feelings she was fairly sure her steady, cautious son returned.
Brian stirred in the bed, his eyelids fluttering. He opened his eyes and frowned. “Moms?” He blinked several times before he focused on her.
“Yes, darling,” she said reaching for one of his hands.
“Did I miss my birthday?”
Helen couldn’t help but laugh “Yes, you did, but I promise we’ll make it up to you.”
“Moms says maybe we could hold off on a Bob-White visit until Brian gets a bit stronger,” Trixie announced as she settled into her seat on the bus the following morning. “She wasn’t sure if he’d be home this afternoon or tomorrow.”
“As long as he knows we’re all thinking of him,” Diana said.
“And that we’re here if he needs us,” Dan added.
“And you can tell him from me that I’m making an extra set of notes for any classes he missed,” Jim said.
“Great,” Trixie nodded satisfied. “Mart and I are going to take care of his chores, aren’t we?”
Mart lifted his sandy brows. “If by that, you mean you’ve rattled off a long list of things I can do, then yeah.” He couldn’t hide his grin though. He was definitely relieved to know his brother was on the mend.
Only Honey did not comment. She could hardly admit it, but she was longing to see Brian. She knew he was recovering well, but, the truth was, she missed him. She thought of the carefully made present tucked in the back of one of her bureau drawers and of the card she’d painstakingly lettered. Maybe it was selfish, but she wanted him to have them, to know that he was appreciated, especially after what he’d said about being a doctor. That had really worried her. He’d had a horrible birthday and she wanted to make up for it in some way.
The day flew by and neither Trixie nor Mart spoke to their mother, so there was no new information available to the group. As the two got off the bus at Crabapple Farm, Trixie turned and waved. “I might call you later,” she said. “Give you an update on Brian.”
Honey nodded and watched her friends race up to the cosy white farmhouse. She and Jim were at the Manor House minutes later, and he reached out an arm and draped it across her slender shoulders. “You okay, sis? You seem kind of distracted.”
“I’m fine,” she said swiftly, wishing her face wasn’t so quick to reveal her mood. “There’s just lots happening at the moment.”
Jim nodded. “Brian’s going to be fine, Honey. You know that, right?”
Honey felt her face grow hot and ducked her head.
“I know you’ve been worried.”
“We all have,” she returned, hoping she sounded casual.
“True,” Jim admitted. “But you’re the nicest of all of us, so it makes sense you’ve probably been more worried.”
This made her laugh. “I am not nicer than the rest of you!” she protested. “What a thing to say.”
“Hey, I’m the big brother and I know best,” he said with a grin.
She shook her head, still laughing, and arm and arm they went into the house.
After a glass of orange juice and some crackers, Honey forced herself to go up to her room, pull out her algebra book and work through several problems. The trouble was that Brian regularly helped her with algebra, so that just reminded her of him. Eventually she put her schoolwork aside. There was nothing wrong with running down to Crabapple Farm and leaving her present for Brian with his mother. That way when he did come home it would be waiting for him.
Glad to have made a decision, she grabbed a jacket and Brian’s card and present and dashed downstairs. “I’m just going for…a walk,” she said to Celia who she found setting the table in the dining room. “I won’t be long if anyone asks.” It wasn’t a lie, she told herself— she was walking down to Crabapple Farm.
She knocked on the kitchen door, even though she knew it wasn’t necessary and Helen Belden called out.
“Come in.”
Trixie’s mother was the only person in the kitchen. She lifted out a tray of cookies from the oven, and smiled when she saw who her caller was. “Hello, dear. Trixie’s not here just at the moment.”
“Oh, I didn’t come to see Trixie,” Honey said quickly. “I didn’t come to see anyone.” She saw the flicker of confusion on the older woman’s face and hurried on. “I just wanted to leave this for when Brian comes home.” She waved her gift. “We were going to have an afternoon tea for him on the day after his birthday, which was yesterday, yesterday was the day after his birthday I mean,” she paused. “Of course you know that, being his mom.”
“Indeed,” Helen said, smiling.
“Anyway, if I could just leave this for him. I thought it might cheer him up.”
“That’s a lovely idea,” Brian’s mother said. “And I’m sure you’re right. Why don’t you take it up and give it to him yourself? We brought him home a couple of hours ago.”
“Oh, well…I know you don’t want him bothered with lots of visitors…”
“You’re just one visitor, aren’t you? I know he’ll be pleased to see you, and I know I can count on you not to tire him out.”
“Really?” Honey found she was both pleased and a little nervous—which was silly.
“Yes, why don’t you go on up, and I’ll be up in a little while with some tea?”
Honey nodded and a minute later was standing outside of Brian’s room. Although the door was ajar, she raised her hand and knocked.
“Bobby, you really don’t have to knock each time you—” Brian broke off when he saw who his visitor was. “Oh, hi.”
“Hi,” Honey said, wondering why she felt awkward. She’d been in this house more times than she could count and she’d been in Brian’s room before, too. Still, he hadn’t been laid up in bed recovering from poisoning at the time, so maybe it did make a difference. “Your moms said it was okay for me to see you, but if you’re too tired…”
“No. I’m glad to see you. Come on and sit down.”
Probably in deference to the situation, someone had dragged the desk chair close to the bed and Honey went to it. She couldn’t help but think that Brian’s room was always the neatest of any of the Belden offspring and, even now, although his night table held a jug and glass of water, and alongside them, a book and a couple of other items, they were all neatly stacked.
“How are you feeling? Honey asked then realized how often he must have been asked that question in the past day or so. “I suppose you’re sick of people asking that question?”
“I’m feeling so much better and I’m so sorry. I know I must've given you all a horrible fright,” Brian answered.
“But it wasn’t your fault,” Honey cried, leaning forward and reaching for his hand.
He squeezed hers in return and smiled. “I still know it must have worried everyone, especially you…because you’re so caring,” he added and she could have sworn there was a faint blush in his abnormally pale cheeks.
“I just wish we’d realized something was wrong before you got so sick. They still don’t know what caused it?”
“No. And poor Moms is going crazy with guilt, so keep an eye on her for me, will you?”
“Of course,” Honey said, thinking she should have realized how Mrs. Belden would be feeling.
“I’m almost relieved to find I have been poisoned actually,” Brian continued, smiling at the look of surprise on Honey’s face. “I was telling Trixie when she got home that I know now that’s why I was so grumpy, did badly on that test, and worried you both by doubting my future plans, which are back on track.”
“Oh,” Honey said, eyes shining now. “That’s wonderful news, Brian. I’m so glad.”
“I really appreciate the support you and Trixie offered me, too. And the fact that the two of you kept it confidential.”
“You’re always there for us,” Honey said swiftly, thinking that she wouldn’t mention that both she and Trixie had regretted not saying anything when he fell ill. “And just so you know, you’re entitled to be grumpy or worried sometimes, even when you’re not being poisoned.”
Brian laughed at this.
“That came out wrong, didn’t it?”
He shook his dark head. “No. It came out just fine.”
There was another knock at the door. “Room service.” Mart Belden barged in carrying a tray. “Hey, Honey.”
“I guess I should get going,” Honey said, but Mart waved her back.
“No, Moms has sent up tea and crackers for two. Bobby has been told one visitor at a time and he’s okay with it being you. He says you’ll be good medcin for Brian.”
They all smiled, and Mart deposited the tray on the desk and carried mugs over to his brother and Honey. “Can I leave the food to you?” he said, addressing the latter.
“Do my ears deceive me?” Brian raised his brows. “Or did Mart Belden just offer to leave food?”
“Funny. You’re obviously feeling better,” Mart said, though he smiled at his brother. “You and Honey enjoy your rice crackers and cheese. I’ll be in the kitchen eating double choc cookies, which Moms says you’re not up to digesting yet.”
“Fine with me,” Brian said.
After Mart had left, Honey fetched the plate of light crackers and cheese and placed it on Brian’s night table. He took one, ate it, took several sips of tea then put his mug aside.
“Thanks for coming down. I have to tell you, you are a far more restful visitor than my siblings.”
“You’re welcome.” Honey took a deep breath. It was now or never. Well, honesty compelled her to realize that wasn’t strictly true, but it gave her the courage to forge ahead. “I did actually want to give you this,” she said, holding out his present and card. “The Bob-Whites all put in for a gift but I wanted to give you something just from me.”
Brian took the prettily wrapped package and smiled, his dark eyes warm. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“I wanted to.”
“Is it okay if I open it now?”
“Of course.” She sat back and waited while he untied the raffia ribbon she’d wound around the dark brown and cream paper. She’d told herself that raffia wasn’t girly, just festive.
Brian, being Brian, was careful not to rip the paper. When he lifted out the long, latte coloured hand knitted scarf, his smile widened. “Honey, I love it.” He fingered it gently. “Did you really knit this yourself? It’s so soft.”
“It’s alpaca,” she explained, pleased by his reaction. “It’s lovely to knit with.”
“It’s so fine, and with this pattern, it must have taken ages,” he said.
“I wanted something you could wear out. You know, maybe to college interviews, things like that. I know you have lots of heavy scarves, for outdoors on really cold days, but I thought this was a bit different.”
“It’s terrific, but you shouldn’t have.”
“I had fun doing it and I used my own money.” It was important he know that. “I did some extra mending. A sort of special project.” In actual fact she’d painstakingly reworked a badly damaged quilt for the mother of one of their classmates. She’d overheard the woman complaining about how much it would cost to restore it and, surprising herself with her boldness, stepped forward and offered to take a look.
It had helped that one of the women present had been on a committee with Madeleine Wheeler and had seen some of Honey’s exquisite needlework first hand. It was a difficult job and it had taken more hours than she’d originally anticipated, but the end result had delighted the woman concerned, and she’d been more than happy to pay well for the work. Taking that hard earned money and going to the store to choose the wool for Brian’s scarf had been one of the most satisfying moments of Honey’s life. She knew most people would find that silly, but she simply didn’t care.
Brian was wrapping the long scarf around his neck. “How does it look?”
“Wonderful,” she said.
“Thanks, Honey,” he said again. “Am I right in thinking whatever it was you were doing to earn the money for this was the reason you missed our last couple of movie nights at the Cameo?”
She nodded.
“I knew it didn’t make sense when you said you were behind on a project. You’re good about your school work.”
“I didn’t say it was a school project,” Honey pointed out. “You just thought that’s what I meant.”
“Very true and very clever. Oh, gosh. How rude am I? My card!”
“You can open that later if you like,” Honey said quickly, suddenly not sure how he would react when he read it.
“I should have opened it first.” He slit the envelope as he spoke and pulled out the card. It was a fairly standard design, simple, yet attractive and he flipped it open, his expression slowly changing as he began to read.
17 reasons Brian Belden would make a wonderful doctor. (Or anything he chooses to be)
1. He’s compassionate
2. He’s dedicated
3. He’s analytical
4. He’s intelligent
5. He’s tender
6. He’s dependable
7. He’s good in a crisis
8. He’s selfless
9. He’s curious
10. He’s determined
11. He’s brave
12. He’s calm
13. He’s considerate
14. He wants to help
15. He’s reassuring
16. He’s passionate
17. He doesn’t give up
Dear Brian,
I hope you have a wonderful birthday.
You certainly deserve it.
Much love always,
Honey
He read in silence, and Honey watched with a growing sense of unease. She’d done the wrong thing, interfered, been too personal. She worried at her bottom lip. Finally he raised his head and, to her horror, there was a faint sheen to his dark eyes.
“I shouldn’t have,” she began before he leaned almost out of the bed to wrap his arms around her and hug her tightly.
“That is the best present I’ve ever been given,” he said, and there was a faint crack in his voice.
“It’s all true,” she said as he released her and settled back against the mound of pillows. “Only, I suppose you don’t really need it now.”
“Don’t you believe it,” Brian corrected. “I not only need it now, my guess is there are going to be moments in the future when this will get me through times of doubt.”
“You really don’t mind?”
“Honey, how could I mind? It’s one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me.”
“I’m glad you like it. Brian?”
“Yes.”
“It is okay for you to have doubts sometime. I mean, like I said before, even when you’re not being poisoned. It’s normal to worry about the future— a little. You can always talk to me if you want. I know I’m not family and I’m pretty young, but I’m a good listener.”
“You’re a great listener,” Brian amended. “And it means a lot that I can come to you. Honestly, it’s hard for me to tell my family when I’m struggling with something. They seem to expect me to cope with anything that comes along and…”
“We all put too much pressure on you to handle everything, Brian. We don’t mean to, you’re just so…”
“Dependable? Good in a crisis?” He teased.
“Among other things,” Honey demurred. This was easier than she’d imagined, which shouldn’t be a surprise. For all that she was drawn to Brian, she found him easy to be around. “I guess I should go. I promised your moms that I wouldn’t tire you out, and I told Celia I wouldn’t be gone long.” She rose from the chair.
“Honey. Can I ask for one more thing for my birthday?” Brian’s voice was husky.
“Of course.”
He beckoned her closer and she leaned down bending her head toward his. Brian leaned forward too and his lips brushed her cheek with a gentle kiss. “Thanks,” he whispered. “For everything.”
Honey nodded. He was smiling; his dark eyes warm, and impulsively she returned the kiss before drawing back. “Keep getting better,” she said. “I’ll see you soon.” She hurried out without a backward glance, hardly able to believe what had just happened.
Once, when she and Trixie had very narrowly escaped death, Brian had dropped a couple of kisses on the top of her head. The gesture had comforted her, as she was sure it was meant to, but it had been reassuring rather than romantic. Not, she hastened to tell herself sternly that what had just transpired was necessarily romantic, but it had been closer.
She tripped happily down the stairs, hoping for once not to run into her very best friend. Trixie would see from her face that something had happened and she would not let up until she found out what it was. To her relief, Mrs. Belden was still alone in the kitchen, now preparing a salad for the family’s evening meal.
“Thank you so much for letting me visit with Brian, Mrs. Belden. He does look better doesn’t he?” Even as she spoke Honey realized she wasn’t supposed to know how Brian had looked when he was in the hospital. She flushed and hurried on. “I’ll get going now.”
“Thank you for coming, Honey dear, it was very thoughtful.”
Honey nodded, smiled and, leaving by the back door, headed on home.
Helen finished slicing peppers and then washed and dried her hands before going up to check on her son. The door was open and she could see even from the hall that he was looking more like his usual self. He was propped up against his pillows and appeared to be reading some sort of card.
“I thought I’d come and collect the tray and see if you need anything else,” she said, crossing the room to sit on the end of Brian’s bed. “You seem brighter. Is that from Honey?”
Brian fingered the card carefully and nodded his head. “And this scarf.” He held it out for her to see. “It’s so fine and soft. I don’t know much about knitting, but I’m guessing this took a while. Honey said she did some extra mending to buy the wool.” He sounded proud of his friend and she nodded.
“I think she worked on an old quilt for one of your school friend’s mothers.” In fact, Helen had seen the quilt in both its before and after state and knew the kind of time and effort that must have gone into it.
“Would you like me to put your card with the others?” she said, nodding towards the row of cards on the desk.
“No, thanks,” Brian said, holding the card close to his chest. He could just imagine what Trixie and Mart would say. He saw the look in his mother’s eyes and, after a moment, held it out to her.
“You are entitled to some privacy, Brian,” she said, though honesty made her admit to herself that she was curious. Trixie was not her daughter for nothing.
“I know, and I don’t want to go into what brought this on because that’s resolved now, but…”
His mother took the card and opened it. “Oh, Brian, that’s…” she handed it back to him, “perfectly lovely.”
“Pretty special, huh?”
Helen nodded her blonde head.
“Don’t look like that, Moms.”
“Like what?” His mother blinked her blue eyes several times, increasing her resemblance to her daughter and causing her son to laugh.
“Like you think I’m planning the rest of my life right now.”
“You’re far too sensible for that,” she said evenly. “Far too many things, just as your card says.”
“Exactly,” Brian returned. “But this matters to me, Moms. She matters to me. And don’t say all of the Bob-Whites matter to one another. It is true, but it’s not the same thing.”
“I know that, Brian. And we’ve discussed the various relationships between you young people before.”
“We don’t have a relationship,” Brian corrected gently. “Just feelings, and we’re both aware we’re too young to explore them or at least…Honey’s too young and that’s that.”
“Good, well. I think that sounds very wise.”
“I can still enjoy this though, can’t I?” He said holding up the card. “After all, my actually birthday was kind of lousy.”
“Right on both counts,” she said, bending forward and kissing his forehead. “Now, I am going to get back to our dinner. Let me know if you want anything.”
“Thanks, Moms.” Brian watched his mother go, and then sank back against his pillows. It wasn’t the first time they’d broached the subject of the dynamic within the group, and he guessed it wouldn’t be the last. He was practical enough to know that teenage infatuations rarely lasted. But, in so many ways, what he felt and what Honey seemed to feel, too, was far from infatuation. He sighed, knowing that the future might hold any number of surprises in store. Sliding open the drawer of the night table, he slipped the card inside, under several pairs of boxers—one thing Mart never ‘borrowed’ was his underwear. Whatever else the future held, he and Honey were friends and he could never imagine that changing. And for that he was very grateful.
§
“Brian, you really shouldn’t have gone in that cold water.” Helen Belden had insisted on her son taking a hot shower before coming down to dinner. After all, he had only just recovered from being poisoned and playing rescuer to two young boys could not have been good for him.
He’d eventually agreed on the condition that Honey follow suit. “She may not have been poisoned recently, but she was in that water longer than I was, handled the bigger kid, and was left to shiver while her best friend fussed over me.”
Honey had promptly assured everyone she was just fine and added that Trixie had to take care of Brian first under the circumstances. However, when both teenagers were freshly scrubbed and in totally dry clothes, Mrs. Belden allowed that the experience did not seem to have adversely affected them.
While Thea was upstairs reading to Bobby, Brian walked Honey as far as the bottom of the path that led to the Manor House.
“You need to rest,” she said. “And I do know my way home from here.”
“Fair enough, Miss Wheeler,” he said, his expression softening. “You did a great job out there today, Honey. I wouldn’t have been able to take care of those boys on my own.”
“Anyone would have done it,” Honey said, blushing.
“Not everyone could have,” Brian amended. “And it was only fitting that the best swimmer lead the way.”
Honey smiled, knowing he was referring to a different rescue some months earlier. “I think the most important thing was how you explained the importance of safety. You really are very patient and good with people.”
“Thanks…Honey?”
There was an unfamiliar hint of uncertainty in Brian’s tone and she moved a little closer, regarding him carefully. “Yes.”
“I showed Trix and Mart the scarf you made me, but…I was thinking maybe the card could be…private. Just between us.”
“I think that’s a good idea,” Honey said swiftly. She had been more than a little apprehensive thinking about what Mart and Trixie might say. She didn’t really mind being teased but it had taken a lot for her to share the way she felt with Brian, and even though she knew his brother and sister would probably agree with most of what she said, she also knew they would love to tease Brian about it— especially Mart.
“I’ll stay here until you get up the hill,” Brian said.
Honey nodded. She could have said “don’t bother” or “I’m fine” and she was fine, too, but she liked the fact that he wanted to look out for her. She shone the flashlight he’d lent her onto the path ahead. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Brian.”
“Good night, Honey, sweet dreams.”
They would be sweet, too, she thought, smiling into the darkness, because she was almost sure they would be about him.
Biggest thanks to the fabulous Vivian, who took the time to edit this for me (hugs). Luckily, we share a love of the oldest Bob-White and she is willing to jump in and take care of some of my missing moments. All errors are mine and mine alone. I know not everyone loves Hudson River, but I do. I love it being Brian-centric and showing another side to him. I also believe that while Honey would be glad that Brian's back to normal, she'd want him to know that stumbling occasionally is perfectly fine.
Trixie Belden et al belong to Random House (though Honey and Brian insist they belong in part to me and my fellow H/B shippers) No profit is being made from these scribblings.
