Dark as Daylight Ch. 01

"And we know this how?"

"I say."

Joe Finch knelt on the floor and said, "You must be Teddy, you can call me Doc, Okay?"

"K."

"How bad is Gordon's tumor?"

"Berry bad, in bad place."

"How big is it?"

Teddy grabbed Joe's thumb to indicate its size.

"Teddy that is a very big tumor, are you sure?"

"Berry sure."

"Delicious, how did you know it was the left center of his head?"

"Teddy was holding his temples and asked me to find a spot on his head that was hot. Gordon has a lot of hair and it took me a while, but that area was at least 10° hotter than the rest of his head."

"I've heard of these things before, but I've never actually been a part of one. Teddy you are a blessing. I can't wait to get my equipment up and running so I can see what I'm up against. As far as you go young man, I am a trained plastic surgeon. I just began studying up on obstetrics, because of all the women who are expecting babies. I can tell you almost everything about vagina's now, but your head is at the other end of the body. I'm going to have to start reading up on oncology, and neurosurgery to treat you, and that is going to take time."

"Doctor, you don't have to worry about me. I will be dead in two days. I asked for a quorum of the ship's company to allow me to die, while my mind is still intact. I know I will not be able to spend six months in solitary confinement, and come out as a rational human being. I am not built that way. I just want to have the privilege of taking my own life in the way I choose. I choose to step off this wonderful vessel, because I thought I was better than everyone else. I could have blown the entire project. On a ship of this kind everyone has a job to do, and everyone has a job to be trained up to do. You can't have people like me, who think they are better than everyone else, and demand to do things their own way."

"Mister Luck, I understand what you're saying, and I agree with you wholeheartedly. However, what you don't understand is you have an illness that is caused by the tumor in your brain. If it is in the area your sister pointed to, the tumor could be pressing on any one of the number of vital nerves or glands that transmit messages throughout the body. I won't let anyone kill you, or let you kill yourself, until I am positive what's happening inside you. It will take 2 to 3 days to set up all the equipment I need. Once we have the MRI, and the CAT scan up, I can tell you what's going on inside your body."

"Doctor, worry about your female patients, because I will not be around in two days. My decision may not make you happy, but my decision is final."

Joann saw what was about to happen but moved too late.

In one fluid motion, Delicious threw a right hand that knocked Gordon out.

She screamed, "You self-centered sonofabitch. All you care about is you."

Doctor Finch was on the floor looking after Gordon. After a moment he looked up at her and said, "Ma'am, he can't hear you, only you can."

"I'll remember to tell him what I said when he wakes up."

Gray said, "I sure am glad it wasn't me on the other side of that right hand."

"Just think Grayson, I was saving that one up for you."

"Remind me to thank your brother."

Joann said "Delicious, I have to arrest you for assault."

"You are joking with me, aren't you?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm not."

"Teddy do you want to spend the night in jail with mommy, or in bed with daddy?"

"Jail. Two rolls get out free."

"Teddy, this is not monopoly."

"Park Place?"

"Yes Teddy, Park Place, we go to jail now. We will see you in the morning Gray."

"Would you please tell me how I'm supposed to explain this to your father?"

"Tell him it was a straight right hand to Gordon's jaw."

"Somehow I don't think he's going to take it so well."

Doctor Finch said, "If it's any consolation to you miss, you may have fractured his jaw. He has four loose teeth, no make that five, and if he was on Earth he could sue you big time."

"On Earth he wouldn't be such an ass."

It was a good thing Gordons' hands were cuffed behind him, because he was livid when he woke up.

"You should be thankful I'm not staying, because pregnant or not, I would take you apart for doing that to me."

"So you don't think you deserved it for that attitude of yours? The size of that tumor means it's been there for a very long time, maybe 10 or 15 years. Am I right to Doctor?"

"If it's as large as Teddy thinks it is, he could have had it since birth."

"So let's say you've had a tumor in your head since your five years old, and as you've grown older it's been pressing on something vital in your head. It makes you argue with dad. When you reach a point you would normally shut the fuck up, you can't, because you the tumor has blocked the messenger telling you to control your mouth. Are you ready to die because of that you fucking idiot? Are you ready to die because there is something inside your head no one knew about until tonight?"

"Mommy use bad word."

"I'm sorry Teddy, I pray to try harder."

"K."

"I'm still going to punch you in the jaw."

"You can't, you're not going to be here."

"We will see what Doctor Finch says about the tumor, and then I'll punch you in the jaw."

"You can't."

"Why can't I, you hit me?"

"Teddy and I will be in jail for assault."

"Why I'm not pressing charges."

"You don't have to Gordon, I saw her hit you, and I have to file a report. That means she goes to jail."

"How many cells do we have?"

"Four, but they are normally used for storage. Every time someone gets arrested we have to clean another one out."

"Let's see if we can fill up all four cells with members of the Luck family. It will show everyone onboard that were not being selective, or vindictive when we arrest them."

Teddy took Delicious hand. "Come mommy, we go Boardwalk."

Delicious picked her up and kissed her nose. "Boardwalk, then pass go, collect $200.00."

"No can't, we in jail."

***************

"Dad, it's Gray, it's only 4:30 AM Earth time, but I figured I would tell you now so you can sleep on it, because that's what I'm going to do."

"What's going on Gray, what happened?"

"Delicious knocked out Gordon. She's in jail for assault. Teddy's with her, she thinks she is in Boardwalk and gets out in two rolls."

"What was Gordon doing out of his cell?"

"According to Teddy, and Doctor Finch, Gordon has a tumor in his head the size of a thumb. When Gordon said it didn't matter what was in his head, and he was still going to kill himself, your daughter took exception, and leveled him. Not only did she knock him out, she may have broken his jaw. She definitely loosened five of his teeth. As I told her, I was very happy I wasn't on the receiving end of that punch."

"You can't say I didn't warn you about her at the very beginning Gray."

"Yes, I know, but they put dynamite in such pretty packages."

"I will agree with you on that son. They don't come any prettier than she is. What is Gordon going to do now?"

"He still wants the quorum, and he will wait until he sees what his options are. Then, maybe, he will have Joe have a look at that tumor."

"Thanks Gray, go to sleep."

Jennifer asked, "What's going on Even?"

"Teddy's in jail."

"Would you care to try that again?"

"It's the truth, Teddy's in jail."

"She'll be three years old next month, nobody puts a child that young in jail, unless of course she's with her mother, who did something extremely irrational."

"Our son will be going to the quorum, but if he wants to he can get out of his requested death sentence."

Jennifer jumped on top of me, and began pummeling the back of my head. When I had enough I turned over, and began pinching her nipples.

She began screaming, 'That's not fair. You have information I want, and you're playing hard to get."

"Okay, Delicious knocked Gordon out for being an ass, and also may have knocked some sense into his head. Apparently he's had a tumor in his brain for a very long time. I don't know if it has anything to do with the way he's been acting; actually I don't believe it has. If he wants to use it as a defense for a way out of this problem, he can."

"What do you mean it's a way for him to get out of this problem gracefully? You mean you won't do it for him?"

"No I won't. He is the one that will have to go before the people of this ship and apologize for his behavior. I'm sure Joe has told him that it's going to be a long time before he will be able to operate on him. Maybe I should get a facelift just to make him feel better. The poor man studied to be a plastic surgeon, and the only thing he'll never get to do is a boob job."

"Oh I forgot to mention one thing, Delicious is in jail for assault on Gordon. The reason Teddy is with her, is she thinks it's Boardwalk. Two rolls and you get out free."

"What idiot made up the rule we can't bring cameras?"

"We did tests, they interfered with the electronics."

"Men, you're all idiots."

"You didn't say that when you married me."

"It was because my son liked you, and unfortunately he is a man."

"We will discuss this when the sun comes up."

"Can I sleep until then?"

"You are going to get awfully hungry."

*******************

Chapter 2. The Quorum

"You are the talk of the ship Gordon. I had a few of my agents take a rough sampling of the members, and it looks like you are going to get your wish. No one wants anyone to be special. They all want to be equal under the law. They all have their jobs to do, and they know some jobs are less important than others. They want the law to be applied equally for everyone. If Doctor Luck doesn't make an example out of you, the law means nothing. Everyone has signed up to be there, everyone except the 13 children on board, who cannot vote. That leaves us with 57 voting members. 27 makes a quorum, and also the number of votes you need to have your wish approved. If it's a 26/26 tie, it will be your vote that decides your fate."

"Thanks Monty; do you know what time my dad has it scheduled for?"

"Ten o'clock ships time, and the quorum call will be at 10:05. Anyone arriving after 10:05 is ineligible to be part of the quorum or to vote."

"That is the way the law reads, and I know my family will be on time."

"Doctor Finch is pissed, and is going to talk vehemently against your execution. So he and Sandy are two votes against you. I guess we'll see which way goes."

"How are the turkeys doing?"

"Nothing yet, not even a cracked shell. It will happen in due time. The heat lamps are on all the time, so they are nice and warm. Janet is going to be in charge of them when they hatch."

"That's cute Monty, giving her your old office as part of the turkey farm."

"If they get out, I'm going to have her chase down each and every one of them. It will be great exercise for her."

"Can you believe all this shit has happened in less than one day?"

"Hell Gordon, I haven't seen my room yet. I've been trying to get everyone situated properly. You don't have any surprises in there for me, do you?"

"Would I do something like that to you?"

"Every day of the week, every hour of the day, every minute of the hour, and every second of the minute. Does that answer your question?" "Your room is pristine. On my honor, you have nothing to fear in your room."

"That's good enough for me. I will speak with you later. Get some exercise, get a lot of exercise, don't go back to sleep."

"Thanks Monty, I will start right now."

"I will have Harvey for you in towel. It better be soaked when I get back."

"It will be, I promise." As soon as Harvey handed him the towel, Gordon stripped, and began exercising like a fiend. He kept hearing Monty's' voice in his head, pushing him along to be better than he was. It was never to be better than she was, only to be better than he was. It was the same thing his mother told him. Who was he, and who was he trying to be better than. It was only to be better than he was, not better than his father. It was what his dad taught him all along him, however, it never sunk in until this moment. What a fool he was not to understand what he was doing all his life. He stopped exercising, put his head against the wall, and wondered what in the world was he thinking? What did he do now? He knew he had to apologize to his father, because he finally understood the error of his ways. It took him 16 years to understand it, but it finally happened. He would tell his mother how sorry he was for not knowing it sooner, and thank her for putting him on the road to realizing how his life was on the wrong road from the very beginning. It wasn't her fault. He would tell everyone at the quorum call what he realized. He would go with their recommendation. He did not want to be considered special, or above the law. No one should ever be above the law.

"Harvey, could you arrange a meet with my dad for me?"

"I don't know, but I will try."

"Doctor Luck state your position?"

"I'm in the infirmary watching them put the equipment in place."

"If you have a moment your son has requested to speak with you."

"I will be right there."

"Gordon, you got lucky, he's on his way."

"Thanks Harvey, when he gets here could you give us a little privacy?"

"I believe your father is trustworthy, and I can leave my post for a few moments."

"Thanks again."

***************

With a touch of anger in my voice I asked, "What do you want Gordon?"

"I don't want to fight dad. I just wanted to tell you something I realized a few moments ago. Every time I trained with Monty, from the time I was a little boy until now, she always pushed me to be better. What I realized just now was she never pushed me to be better than anyone else, she just pushed me to get better than I was. Mom was here last night and she asked me the same thing. She asked me if I was trying to be better than you were. However, all the years you trained me, you never said you wanted me to be better than you were, or Gray, Delicious, or even Einstein. You only pushed me to be better than I was. If I had a problem with a formula, or anything else, your answer always was, 'What do you think?' Then I would sit down next to you and work it out, without your help. You would look at me and say, "What did you need me?" Then we would both laugh." That's when I realized, you only wanted me to be better than I was, not better than anyone else. It took me all this time to realize it, and I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am I caused you all the aggravation and pain throughout the years, and especially today. I walked around thinking I was smarter and better than anyone on the planet, because of my accomplishments. It turns out I was the dumbest person that ever existed. I ask for your forgiveness, and your understanding of what I must do to cleanse myself of this attitude."

I stood in front of him, stunned by his pronouncements. It never occurred to me that he was in a race with anyone else. He was just a young man trying to do his best, and he was the best at what he was doing. I had to get away from him to think, but I had to say something before I left.

"Gordon, from the bottom of my heart I forgive you. However, I cannot go along with the last part of your statement. I will vote against it, not because you are not guilty of the crime, but because you are my son. I cannot put you to death by my own hand. Your mother and I have talked about it, and we will both resign as captain's if the vote goes against you. I cannot pull the lever that will put you to death. I have other duties to perform now, and I will talk to you later. I love you son, don't you ever forget it."

"I love you too dad."

I immediately found Jennifer, and told her what happened.

Her reaction was succinct. "Oh Fuck!"

"That helps me a lot; what do we do now?"

"You go to work, I'll handle it."

"I don't like the sound of that Jennifer."

"What you don't know can't hurt you."

"You are going to start spreading lies throughout the ship aren't you?"

"You know I would never stoop so low as to do something like that."

"Jennifer, don't make me put you in jail with Teddy."

"They are already out of jail. Monty took care of that this morning."

"Well, Teddy has Boardwalk. She will probably go after Park Place, and the utilities next."

"No, she will go after the Orange ones after jail, and then the Green ones."

"Don't you think we have more important things to do rather than talking about Monopoly?"

"You started it."

"I was trying to get your mind off lying."

"I am not going to lie, much."

"I will make sure I get conjugal visits, and you get a bed."

"It's very kind of you captain."

"You are welcome captain."

**************

Jennifer called Sandy Finch and asked if they could meet in private. Sandy agreed, and they met in her room.

"Tomorrow is going to be a terrible day for you Jennifer. I hope your son loses the vote."

"That's why I'm here Sandy. I need your help. I know Joe is vehemently against executing my son. Monty's people have done a poll, and it looks like they're going to vote to execute him. I want to start spreading a little white lie about Gordon's health. People don't know about the tumor in his head. If they hear about it from our family, they are going to be suspicious, and discount it. If they hear it from you, 'THE DOCTORS' WIFE', and some of your friends, and acquaintances, it will hold more weight. They will believe you got the information from your husband, and it is true. Will you help me with this?"

"Help you tell the truth about Gordon's cancerous tumor, absolutely." Sandy winked Jennifer, and the ball started rolling downhill.

Sandy sat down at lunch with three women she knew, and during the course of conversation, she mentioned that Joe examined Gordon, because he fainted in his cell. It turns out he has a cancerous tumor the size of Joe's thumb in his brain, and that is why he has been acting so irrationally.

All other conversation stopped, and wrapped itself around this one bit of information. Had the tumor ever been located before? Did he ever have symptoms? Is it operable? Is Job capable of operating on it?

When lunch was over, and the women separated to go to their jobs, and they passed the word to their teammates. Their mates were shocked by the news, and asked the same questions the women asked Sandy. It went around the ship like wildfire, except for the bridge crew, because no one wanted the captain or the flight deck crew to know what was going on. It was a very difficult task, especially since there were husbands, and wives involved.

***************

"If you promise you're going to be a good boy I will not put the handcuffs on you."

"I promise to be a good boy Monty. Can I take a quick look at my turkeys?"

"We have time, let's go."

Janet was there checking on her charges, when Gordon and Monty arrived.

"Do we have any newborns yet Janet?"

She looked over her shoulder, and saw Gordon standing there.

"Please don't tell me you broke out of jail to look at your turkeys."

"He's good you imbicile, but he's not that good."

"Hi Monty, I didn't hear you break anyone bones on the way here."

"You are very close Janet, be nice."

"Any turkeys yet?"

"We have 5 cracked shells, and one opened top. Someone wants out."

"Cool!"

"Shit, look here, this little guy is breaking out. He/She choose life Gordon, so should you, IDIOT!"

"Let's go Janet. We have to be in the auditorium in five minutes so we can help Gordon kill himself."

"He can count on my vote. Anyone this stupid deserves to die. As a matter of fact, I will pull the switch."

Thank you Janet, I know my dad couldn't do it."

"What are friends for Gordon?"

Gordon had a huge grin on his face, because he decided to drop a bomb. "Congratulations Captain Janet, may you live long enough to enjoy it."