Timmy

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: BIRTHDAY SURPRISE

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: BIRTHDAY SURPRISE

  “Who is he, Angel?” asked Samuel, softly.

  “He- he’s my cousin.” cried Angel, not looking up.

  “What?” Stunned, Maria asked.

  Angel reached into a pocket of her costume and handed them the photograph Timmy had always kept with him.  Her parent’s eyes widened with shock as they looked at it.  Samuel turned to the child lying motionless on the stage.

  “What- What is name, Angel?”

  Angel sniffed. “Timmy.”

  Then, as if on cue, Timmy’s hand moved, very slightly, and his eyes slowly flickered open. “Angel?”

  Angel turned to him, surprised, then let out a yell of joy and hugged him tight, laughing and crying at the same time while the audience rose with applause.  The paramedics arrived soon after and began to quickly work on Timmy’s injuries as the audience continued their standing ovation.  The boys walked out onto the stage and joined the applause as former boxer Officer Dan Fable gave Stone to his men who escorted him out of the building.

  “Wait!” Seeing Stone, Timmy cried out. “Cruel; he’s still out there!”

  “What about Cruel?” Surprised, Alex asked.

  “He- He’s one of them!”

  “What?”

  “Don’t worry about it, Timmy.” Walking up to him, Officer Fable said. “We have our best men surrounding the old prop warehouse as we speak.” He smiled. “Mamma Beauty told us everything you told her. Believe me, Cruel and his cronies will not get away; you have my word on that.”

  “Timmy is a remarkably strong boy.” said one of the paramedics. “He’ll pull though just fine.”

  Angel smiled, happy to hear the news, and turned to Timmy. “I’d like you to meet your aunt and uncle.” Motioning to her parents, she said. “My mom and...”

  Angel froze, shocked, upon seeing a new diamond ring on her mother’s left hand.  Samuel chuckled then showed Angel the gold ring on his left hand. “Surprise, Angel! Your mother and I have remarried!”

  Maria smiled sweetly. “What do you think about adopting Timmy into our little family?”

  Angel laughed again, with Timmy soon joining, despite the searing pain he was in. “I finally got a happy ending; I have a family!”

  Angel turned to the audience and announced, “He’s going to be alright!”

  The audience cheered as camera flashes were going off everywhere while Timmy was carefully placed onto a stretcher and carried off of the stage. They lowered the wheels and was about to quickly push him down the main aisle when a young woman, carrying a tape recorder and microphone, jumped out from behind, following with a camera man behind her.

  “Timmy, Angel!” she called. “I am Mae Wood from the New York news…”

  Angel gave the woman a dirty look and was about to tell her what she could do with herself when Timmy spoke.

  “I know what you are going to ask.” he said, weakly. “Sorry, I have already promised to tell my story to another reporter.” He smiled and pointed at the stage. “Sue Snoope of the Broadway Bugle.”

  On the stage, Sue looked at Timmy, surprised; then smiled as tears began to form in her eyes.  She turned to her parents, who were sitting in the front row of the audience.

  “We got the story!” she announced.

  Sara and Tom looked at each other, surprised as well, then turned back to Sue and smiled back at her, applauding.  Not only were they happy to have been given their story of the century, but to have witnessed an apparent happy ending to Timmy’s ordeal.

“You- You can talk to me next, okay?” Wincing, Timmy said.

  With that, Timmy was quickly wheeled out of the theater with Angel and her parents following.  The ever ready Blure brothers were quick to jump in and aid the police in keeping the other reporters and on lookers back until Timmy was safely out of the building.

  “Well, Chris.” said Mr. Stravis. “It looks like you may be taking Angel’s place for a few days.”

  Chris smiled. “How could anyone follow an act like that?”

  Mr. Stravis laughed. “You have a point there. Angel and Timmy really brought the house down tonight.”

  “Yes, dear.” Smiling, Brandy agreed. “They certainly did.”

  Even after the ambulance had pulled away from the theater, the audience continued their standing ovation.

**********

Timmy’s tragic story, along with the evidence the young performers had discovered, sparked a full criminal investigation of every theater Stravis owned throughout the country.  As a result, a large number of people were arrested and a powerful drug smuggling operation was permanently shut down.  Fortunately, all of evidence that the police had collected proved that Stravis and his family were completely unaware of any criminal activities within their theaters.  Stone and Cruel’s drug smuggling operation was too deep and involved.  They noted that their illegal activities may have gone undetected for many more years if Timmy had not escaped death four years before.  John Stravis and his family were thus cleared of any criminal charges.

  As for Timmy, he became an instant celebrity. Far before his incredible story reached the pages of the Broadway Bugle, every television and newspaper reporter wanted to interview him.  Not only as the elusive Broadway Specter but as the orphan boy who helped take down a dangerous drug lord. Scores of people tried to gain access to the hospital where Timmy was recovering from his injuries.  Jeff was in the same boat, being in the hospital with a broken arm and concussion from his fall from the fire escape. The same was with Jason, Angel, and the other performers in the hotel. Reporters stormed the lobby to speak with them only the every ready Blure Brothers were ready for this; being made the new heads of security for John Stravis’ theaters. Still, this raised serious concerns. The hospital staff was forced to reassign Timmy and Jeff isolated rooms, away from the public view. John Stravis paid to have guards outside the rooms of the performers at the hotel. It was a necessary step to protect their privacy and their lives.

  At the hospital, a rush of letters arrived every day from people wishing Timmy and Jeff well and from couples wanting to adopt Timmy into their family.  It was the fast work of Angel’s lawyer that placed her family first in line to argue their case to adopt him.  Despite it all, Angel and her family knew that it was going to be a long and costly legal battle. Fortunately, the Stravis family gave their word to fully fund their effort.  John Stravis came through on his promise and more.

  Inside his hospital room, Timmy sadly stared out the window in front of him at the sun slowly setting behind the high buildings of the city.  A large portion of his body had been bandaged to help all of his injuries, old and new, to heal faster.  Only the police had ordered him tied to his bed during the night in fear he may try to flee from the hospital. He was not permitted to leave his room alone for any reason and two armed guards had been posted outside his door for his protection. A single tear ran down his cheek as he looked back at the last few days.  He was no longer held by the promise he had given to his parents and he no longer needed to hide from the police, social workers, or Stone’s men.  Yet, he was still a prisoner; being hidden from reporters and possible hit men, trying anything to get to him for his story or for his life.  It bothered him more to know that Angel and all of his friends from the theater production had all been placed under similar forms of heavy protection.

  “I hope I get well soon so they’ll let me out here.” he said. “At least then, I’ll be able to see all of my friends again.”

  The door to his room quietly opened and an armed guard entered and turned to him.

  “You have a visitor, Timmy.” he said.

  Timmy did not speak to the guard; he merely nodded and waited as the man motioned for his late visitor to enter. Timmy was not interested in talking to anyone; he was hurt and tired and was angry with the hospital for tying him down to his bed.  He turned his head away from the door, hoping his visitor would get the hint and leave him alone.

  “Timmy?”

  The soft, feminine voice reached his ears and he whipped his head back around to find Angel standing inside the room.  She was wearing a long hospital gown and a paper bracelet on her wrist. In her hands were two small teddy bears.

  “Angel!” Surprised, he said. “What are you doing here?”

  Angel opened her mouth to speak but she was interrupted by two nurses wheeling in an empty bed.  They secured it next to Timmy’s bed and politely motioned Angel to join them.

  Timmy raised an eyebrow, confused. “What is going on?”

  Smiling, Angel stepped forward and placed one of the teddy bears onto Timmy’s bed, next to his hand before jumping up onto the bed next to his and lied down, facing him.  “I just couldn’t bear the thought of you having to stay locked up inside an isolated room, all alone, for who knows how long.” Smiling slightly, she said. “So I talked my mom, my dad, and Mr. Stravis into putting me in here with you, under protective custody until you can get back onto your feet.”

  Timmy smiled at her, grateful tears forming in his eyes.  But then, he became concerned and asked, “What about the musical?”

  “’Orphans on Broadway’ has been put on hold until the police say it’s safe to perform again.”

  Angel then placed the second bear into her hand and nodded at the nurses who then began to tightly strap her arms and legs to the side rails of the bed.

  “Hey!” Annoyed, Timmy protested. “What are you doing to her!?!”

  One of the nurses quickly pulled a high curtain between them, blocking Angel from his view.

  “Angel!”

  Timmy dropped the teddy bear Angel had given him and began to struggle violently against his bonds, fearing that Angel might be in danger.  He had managed to break all of the straps, holding his right arm to the side rail of the bed before Angel’s soft voice again reached his ears.

  “I’m okay, Timmy.” Soothingly, she said from the other side of the curtain. “The hospital agreed to put me in here with you only if I agreed to be strapped down to my bed during the night as well.  I guess it’s so I will not be tempted to untie you.  They’re just getting me all set up for the night.”

  The curtain was eventually pushed back and Timmy eased his struggling.  He breathed a low sigh of relief as he found Angel, unharmed, lying under a sheet with her teddy bear in hand.  One of the nurses walked up to his bead, picked up the teddy bear he had dropped in his struggle and placed it back into his hand.  She then retrieved a number of straps from a drawer and tightly secured his free arm to the side rail.  When she was done, she motioned the other nurse to leave and followed her out, quietly turning off the light and closing the door behind her.

  Once they were gone, Angel raised a finger and pointed it at the teddy bear she had given Timmy in the dim light of the room. “These are interactive bears. If you ever need a hug in the middle of the night, all you have to do is to give your bear a squeeze. It will send a signal to my bear, causing it to shake and light up.”

  Timmy shook his head. “But wouldn’t that wake you up?”

  Angel smiled sweetly. “Yes, so we can talk about it.  But these bears work both ways.”

  Timmy thought about it for a moment. “So, if you really need a hug in the middle of the night, you will give your bear a squeeze and it will make my bear shake and light up.  I will wake up and we can talk about it.” He smiled. “I like that.”

  Tears began to form in Angel’s eyes. “I won’t let you be alone any more, Timmy. “We will get through this, all of this, together.”

  Timmy nodded at her, his tears now flowing. “Together.”

  The two squeezed their bear and giggled as they lit up and gently vibrated in their hands.

  Weeks later, Timmy and Angel were finally released from the hospital. They were retrieved by the witty, ever ready, Blure brothers. They easily whisked the two passed the large mob of reporters into a limousine where John and Brandy Stravis were waiting for them with Angel’s parents.

  “Welcome back to the outside.” Politely’ John said. “Jeff was released after about a week, he’s just fine.” He paused, smiling. “How does a good old fashioned home cooked meal sound to the two of you?”

  Timmy and Angel turned to each other and smiled before turning back to John Stravis, giving him a nod.

  John laughed.  “I figured you two were getting sick of that hospital food. Jeff and Jason suggested we take you to have dinner with an old friend of theirs.”

  Timmy knew who Stravis was talking about and turned to him, smiling. “Grandma Pizano’s Italian restaurant!”

  Angel turned to Timmy, surprised. “You know grandma?”

  Timmy looked at Angel, surprised as well. “She’s your grandma?”

  Maria sighed. “My sister did not approve of our mother’s choice in a second husband; that is why you never met her.”

  “Why are we going there?” Still curious, Angel asked.
 
  “Sorry, kids.” Mischievously, John said. “It’s a surprise. You will find out when we get there.”

  Angel and Timmy turned to each other, uncertain. “Do you have any idea what this is about?” Curious, Angel asked.

  Timmy shook his head. “No. I guess we will have to wait and see.” He smiled. “All this time, I was calling Mrs. Pizano ‘Grandma’.”

They did not have long to wait.  The limousine soon turned off of the main road, passed an open steel gate, onto a familiar lot of closely placed buildings.  As the limousine came to a stop, the two looked out the window on both sides but there were no signs of anything special going on around them.

  The doors were opened for them and they piled out of the limousines to be led to a large, single level, building. Above the front door was a large plague with fancy letters etched onto it which read, Grandma Pizano’s Italian restaurant. Inside, to Timmy and Angel’s surprise, they found that the entire lobby had been beautifully decorated.  There were several different colored paper banners, ribbons, and balloons hanging everywhere on the walls, ceiling, and tables.  The two of them smiled but, before they could take it all in, the lights in the lobby went out, except for one light above them, leaving them in the dark.

  “What is going on?” Worried, Timmy asked.

  Mr. Stravis slowly stepped forward, ahead of them before turning to face them.  “My wife and I did a little investigation work of our own Timmy.” he said. “Together, we discovered something about you and Angel; something very special.”

  Timmy and Angel turned to each other, curious.

  “What was that?” asked Angel.

  Mr. Stravis and his wife smiled as Angel’s parents quietly giggled.

  “What?” Curious, Timmy asked.

  Brandy placed a soft hand on both Angel’s and Timmy’s shoulder. “You were both born on the same day.”

  Just then, as if on que, the lights in the lobby came back on and Timmy and Angel were both taken back to find the entire cast from the musical sitting at the tables.

  “Surprise! Happy Birthday!” they declared in unison.

  Angel smiled, blushing slightly. “With everything that had been going on, I had completely forgotten about my birthday!”

  Angel’s mother and father blushed slightly as well. “To be honest, it had slipped our mind as well.” said her mother.

  Timmy smiled, tears forming in his eyes. “It has been so long since I had a birthday party.”

  “That was why we all got together and put this party together for you and Angel.” said Brandy.  “You both deserve it.”

  Timmy and Angel hurried into the lobby of the restaurant and began to look for a vacant seat.  Their search was cut short, however, as the sound of a woman clearing her throat reached their ears.  The two turned and found a plump, elderly woman standing inside the lobby with the aid of a cane.  Beside her was a tall, muscular aged man in an expensive looking black business suit. He was nearly six feet tall with short black hair, blue eyes, and a powerful square jaw. He reminded Timmy of a gangster from an old poster he had seen but he thought it wise not to say as such. Seeing grandma Pizano, Timmy hurried over to her with Angel at his side and greeted her with a hug.

  “Grandma Pizano!” said Timmy. “It’s good to see you again!” He paused, turning to the man. “Who is this?”

  Rita laughed, giving him a quick hug. “It’s good to see you too, my little Pizano.” she said. She motioned to the man. “This is my husband, your grandfather, Ricardo Pizano.”

The man smiled gently and offered his hand. “It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Timmy.” His voice was deep but soothing; Timmy felt no fear in his presence, he felt safe.

“It’s good to meet you too.”

Rita then turned to Angel, smiling mischievously. “You must be the beautiful young lady Timmy told me all about.”

  Angel turned to Timmy and smiled, seeing him blushing. “That’s strange; he seemed to have a liking towards Stephanie.”

  Timmy blushed more while, in the lobby, Stephanie blushed as well before giggling slightly. Angel giggled as well before sighing. “We still have to face Mr. Dan Fable in the courts to adopt Timmy.”
  Rita smiled and shook her head. “No, my dear; Mr. Dan Fable and I had a heart to heart; he has dropped his case to adopt Timmy. He agrees that Timmy deserves to be with you and your family.” She turned to Timmy. “I sincerely hope the judge rules in your favor, Timmy; good luck.”

  Angel smiled then became curious. “Just out of curiosity, how did you convince Mr. Fable to drop his legal fight to adopt Timmy?”

  Rita blushed slightly.  “Well, he and my husband sort of made a little deal with him.”

Maria shot Rita a concerned look but Mr. Fable stepped up. “After a long talk, I agreed not stand in your parents’ way of adopting Timmy so long as they agreed to name me his legal godfather.”

  A smile began to form on Timmy’s face. “Then, if the judge lets Angel’s parents to adopt me, we will all be a family.”

  Rita smiled. “That was the idea, Timmy. Everyone will get their happy ending.” she giggled. “Let’s not be standing around, I have a table reserved, just for the six of us.”

  She pushed open the concealed door and ushered the two inside the secret booth where the four of them sat down at the table with their parents soon joining.  Once they were all seated and they had been served their meals, Rita leaned her elbows onto the table, looking into Timmy’s and Angel’s eyes.

  “Now then, my little ones.” she said. “I have read all of the articles the newspapers had on both of your stories but I know that there is a lot more to it than what they had printed.  I want to hear every last detail; including this Stephanie Timmy did not mention.”

  “So do we.” remarked Maria.

  She winked at Timmy and Angel, who looked at each other for a moment, blushing, then began to giggle.

  “This might take some time.” said Angel.

  “It’s sort of a long story.” added Timmy.

  Again, Rita smiled. “That’s okay.” she said. “As far as I am concerned, we have all the time in the world. We are family.”

  “Grandma Pizano is right, kids.” said Angel’s father. “Win or lose tomorrow, we will always be a family.”

  Timmy smiled.  He liked the idea of a family.  He gazed up at an Orphan on Broadway production poster that had been hung upon the wall inside the booth.  A small smile touched the corners of his mouth as he then heard a smooth talking voice echo within his mind.  “Happy endings come to those who keep their dreams alive.”