Mar-Mar
Anneack
Paul Blaisdell entered his precinct still silent swearing after his
meeting with the powers that be. Freezing saleries due to budgets
this year would not make his men happy in the least.
He smiled as he passed a white haired woman with a walker talking to
Brodric. Poor old dear was probably trying to get a grandson out of
some kind of mischief. Paul sighed, he saw too many such things, he
once more sent a silent thank you to go that his children were
raised, and that particular aspect of his life was over.
"Kermit is there something you need?" Paul asked seeing his detective
and best friend had taken up residence in his chair as he walked into
his office.
"I'm looking into some technical problem," the dark haired man with a
white streak answered, sliding behind the captains desk as the little
old woman was helped past Paul's door.
"Kermit, my computer is working fine. What possible technical issues
could you be solving in here?" Paul asked, knowing that with Kermit
the answer would be unique.
"The lack of technology is the technical issue," Kermit replied
almost sliding behind the desk. "Listen, Paul, could you like, close
the door?"
"Kermit, what is going on? I know it can't be some international
killer because if it was you would be out there not in here." Paul
said as he did not move to close his door.
"Paul, Hide me please," Kermit pleaded as he sneezed explosively.
"Are you getting that cold virus that's going around?" Paul inquired,
having just got over the nasty bug himself.
"Puddins! there you are!" the senior citizen with the walker stopped
in front of Paul's office.
"Hi Marmar," Kermit smiled and sighed, coming out from behind the
captain's desk.
Paul raised an eyebrow.
"Excuse me young man," The woman said, as Paul stepped aside to let
her go in and greet Kermit.
"I told you that you should be home in bed with that cold! Now you
just come with me, dear," She said reaching out and grabbing hold of
the ex-mercenaries arm.
"Fine, Looks like I'm going home a little early here, Paul," Kermit
responded, looking like a child trying to be good in order to not get
in worse trouble then he already was. Paul had seen Kermit giving
him that look before over the years.
"Is this the Paul that you mentioned before, Puddins?" the old woman
looked at the older man with bright eyes.
"Paul Blaisdell, this is my grandma, Marion Griffin. MarMar this is
Paul Blaisdell my captain, and yes, he's the same one I told you
about."
"Puddins?" came a chuckle at the door.
"Peter, I will be forced to terminate your life if that is ever
mentioned again," Kermit growled.
"It won't be Kermit, I assure you," Paul said glaring holes in his
foster son.
Kermit felt a whack on his shin. "Don't you go threatening that nice
boy, Kermit. I can still put you over my knee!"
"Yes ma'am," the ex-mercenary quietly submitted.
Paul hid his grin behind a sudden cough he was covering up.
"Now, with that cold, I'm taking you home right now and making you
some nice chicken soup, she said leading the senior detective out
past a silent squad room. if she could cow Kermit the group
shuddered at the idea of what she could do to them, even if she was
in her nineties to judge from appearances. Wisely, no one wisely said
a word.
"Now on the way home you can tell me about that nice young lady that
left you a message this morning,"
She smiled as Kermit helped her into the Corvair.
"Reese is back in town?" he perked up. A cold would be bad at all
with his favorite doctor around, to well, play doctor.
"Reese? No it was someone named Annie. Are you two timing some nice
lady that called to check up on you? If you break that nice ladies
heart, I really will give you a strapping!" She huffed.
"Annie is a happily married woman, Marmar," Kermit started to explain
while stifling a laugh.
"You're involved with a married woman? Kermit Elijah Griffin! You
were raised you better then that!" She howled indignantly, whacking
him with her purse.
"Marmar, I'm trying to drive here! besides I assure I am not involved
with Annie, she's Paul's wife. If she called me it was out of
sisterly concern," Kermit said pulling into his apartment parking lot.
Marion Griffin harrumphed as Kermit got her out of the car.
"Oh, I'm sorry, but I had to lock that vicious animal in the
bedroom," She said as her grandson helped her to the elevator.
"You locked Dobie in my bedroom? She's gentle as a kitten and you
should not have broken into my apartment, Marmar," Kermit gently
scolded. At least with Reese out of town she would never know her
dog had been locked up.
"Well, how else was I to know you were at work; and the dog was fine,
it was the cat that I had to lock up," She huffed.
Kermit tried not to think of what Merc, he barely reformed feral
alley cat, had probably done to his bedding.
"Kermit?" a voice that he knew instantly caused him to hit the door
open button on the elevator.
"Reese!" He smiled as his friend, and favorite doctor came on the
elevator.
"Hi, Paul called me and said you had come home early. He also
something about your grandmother was wanting to meet Puddin's lady
friend?" she smiled.
Paul, you are going to die slowly for that! Kermit mentally chided
his friend.
"You're Reese? Kermit's friend that lives on the other side of the
adjoining apartment?" the old woman looked at the still attractive
fourty something year old in the wheelchair.
"That would be me," the younger woman smiled.
"Did you know that Kermit had gone to work sick? He should never have
been out of the house like that!" Marion could not believe this nice
seeming woman had neglected her grandson so shockingly.
"As it just so happens, I'm a doctor and was heading up to see that
Kermit was taking care of himself," Reese explained.
Kermit followed quietly as the two women headed into his apartment
chatting like old friends.
"I'm doomed," Kermit groaned.
Within ten minutes Kermit was laying on his couch getting a back rub
while Marmar made chicken soup in the kitchen.
"I could definitely get use to this," Kermit moaned happily.
"Dearie, do you have any chicken stock in your kitchen? I swear
Puddins only has processed stuff in his," Mrs. Griffin called out.
"Uh, Marmar, much as I love Reese, her cooking is lethal. she trades
back rubs for my cooking for her," Kermit explained.
"Well, not times like the present to learn, honey. You just leave
him to sleep, and come on in here," Marian called out again,
motioning Reese into the kitchen.
"There goes my nice clean kitchen," Kermit thought as Reese left him
on the couch and joined the senior Griffin.
It only took half an hour more for the old woman to decide that Reese
really was hopeless. by that time Paul and Annie had dropped by with
some goodies that when combined with the soup, made for a wonderful
meal.
"So tell me, what was Kermit like as a little boy?" Reese asked all
innocence.
"Well, there was a time he tied a towel around his need and jumped
off the top of the garage thinking he could fly," the old woman
chuckled.
"He still thinks he's invulnerable," Paul chuckled at the mental
image of one of his oldest friends.
"I was four grandma," Kermit protested.
"I know Puddins but it was so typically you," she smiled.
"You mean that Kermit's hero complex has been a lifelong thing?"
Reese asked raising an eyebrow.
The subject of the question groaned again and settled in for a long
night of Kermit stories.
T
hanks goodness his Marmar was only here for a week. Of course, by
then she would probably have planed out his and Reese wedding. Under
that table his ladylove took his hand, and suddenly he was thinking
that maybe, just maybe he could survive this visit, if she stayed
away from the precinct!