Chapter Fourteen
The Muppets sat in silence in the theatre, as Sara came into the theatre with a bounding leap. She looked around, and smiled a little bit. Her smile fell when she saw Scooter stand up slowly. She sensed something wasn't right, and she walked over to him, and took his hand.
"What's wrong sweetie?" She asked softly. He wrapped his arms around her, and opened his mouth. Nothing came forth, and he leaned his head on her shoulder and cried. Kermit was no where to be seen, Sara noticed. The same with Fozzie and Piggy.
Clifford walked over, and patted Scooter's shoulder, and he just shook his head softly. "I guess...what he's wanting to say is that....a couple of friends of ours died last night."
"...no..." Sara mumbled backing away, with Scooter still on her shoulders. She almost fell backwards, but Scooter grabbed ahold of her before she hit the floor. "...no...no it can't be..."
Rizzo was saddened, but he tapped Clifford on his knee and waved him to lean down. "From what I'm seeing here, Cliffy. She dosn't know that it's Richard and Jim."
Clifford nodded, and looked at her, a very softened frown on his face. "It was Richard and Jim, just so...you know."
Sara nodded slowly, her mouth agape. "...oh god..." She finally fell back onto her butt, and Scooter fell on top of her. She hauled him to his butt, and she just placed her face into his chest, and started to cry as well. She'd known the men for nearly three years then, they were her mentors. "...I...I just...oh...no..."
Scooter stifled his tears after a few moments, and gave Sara a huge hug, cuddling her tightly. It was devastating news. Scooter stood up, and helped her to her feet, and she leaned her head on his shoulder.
"...l-let's go...." She whispered.
"Go where?" He asked her softly, looking at her tear-stained face.
"...the park." She mumbled.
The two of them slowly walked out from the theatre, and started down the road, walking at an easy and slow pace. They saw the statue of Kermit and the children, and they stopped for a moment.
"..I wonder how Kermit, Piggy, and Fozzie are doing." Sara said softly, tracing the words on the plaque with her fingertips. "I didn't...see them in the theatre."
"I'm not sure. They've been gone since last night. We woke up, and they weren't in the house at all." Scooter said, as they started up walking once more. "I'm worried for them, Sara."
They came to the pond, and sat down heavily on a bench. Sara leaned over onto Scooter's shoulder, and he wrapped one of his arms around her waist. The whole town felt slower it seemed. A small group of men were walking down the pathway slowly, Sara noticed them but didn't really think much of it. Plus her glasses were off, so she wasn't able to see easily.
"I just can't believe it Dad..." A young man stated to an older black man, as they walked down the pathway. "They....they never even had a chance it seemed."
The older black man merely shrugged his shoulders a little bit, frowning. One of the other men, gave the young kid a hug. They came nearer to the bench were Scooter and Sara were sitting. The young man saw the long red hair on the woman, and ran forward.
"Sara?!" He yelled, as he ran up towards them, his messenger bag and camera slamming against his side with each thudding step. "Sara...?"
Sara looked up, and she smiled softly. "Oh...hi." She sat up more, and smiled at him. Scooter gave her an odd look. "Don't worry, this is an old friend of mine, from The State, Scooter. Sean, he was my assistant, the photographer I kept telling you about."
"The bumbler?" Scooter replied with a slight smirk. Sara went red then, pursing her lips together, as she slapped him on his shoulder. "What? You've called him that all the time."
"Sorry, Sean. My husband apperently dosn't know when to shut up." She said, smirking over at Scooter. She sighed, and shook her head. "Have you heard?"
Sean sat down beside them, and frowned deeply. "Yeah, I have. It's....I was there, you know."
"You were?" Sara asked, looking over at him with soft astonishment clear on her face.
"Yeah, I took some pictures too." He handed her his digital camera, and Sara flipped through the pictures quickly. She saw a small video in the listings, but she didn't think to look at it. Then she handed the camera back to him, frowning softly.
"It's so hard to think....they...they were so healthy and everything!" Sara replied. As Sara, Sean and Scooter were talking the other men went and sat beneath a large oak tree that was behind the bench.
"We should tell them, Jerry." Dave remarked, watching them closely. "That boy needs to know!"
"Richard wanted to tell them though." Frank said closing his eyes. They were coming back from the morgue, and the images were fresh in his mind. He had been crying the entire time, some of his best friends were gone now.
Kevin, the older black man reached forward and patted Frank's shoulder. They were all mourning, but they knew that Frank was hit hardest by it. "Maybe my boy will tell him."
"Sean? No. He's always honored what I've told him. And I've told him not to say a word about that. It was only supposed to be Richard and Richard only who told that boy that relation to him." Frank said, frowning deeply. He watched the three and wondered just what they were talking about then.
"How's your Mom?" Sean asked, setting the camera back into his bag. "I mean, Dad was going to go and try out the Clifford puppet with her finally. He's not sure if he got the tone right."
Sara looked down for a second. "She died a couple of days ago, Sean."
"Oh no..." He turned around, and saw Frank and the others sitting underneath the tree; he frowned softly for a moment, before turning back to Sara and Scooter. "Have you told Frank yet?" He whispered.
Sara's eyes went wide, she had forgotten to even call him. He was her step-uncle, and she completely forgot to call him about it. She felt absolutely horrible just then. "I...I forgot, Sean. I was so wrapped up in so much, then...it just went over my head. I'd better tell him myself." She stood up from the bench, and walked over to the men, and Frank smiled a little when he saw her.
"Hey there. How ya doing, my irish sweetie?" Frank said, as she settled down onto the grass between Frank and Jerry. Sara frowned softly, and fiddled with her fingers for a moment, she just wasn't sure how to tell him. "Something's wrong with you. You and Brenda always do that when you're worried." He said softly, looking at her, through his thick glasses.
"U-Uncle Frank? Um..." She stammered, taking her own glasses off again, and rubbing her eyes softly. "My mother...your step-sister, she died a few days ago. I...I completely forgot to call you, I was so wrapped up in trying to get to Sesame Street with my sisters, and then we were too late and she had died, and I felt..well we all felt so horrible, and..."
Frank patted her shoulder, and frowned softly. "...I already know. You need to calm down, sweetie, and take a few breaths. You're gonna hyperventilate or something."
Sara did take a few deep breaths, and she leaned against the tree, taking a deep sigh. "I'm SO sorry! Kim even said something about calling you on the way there, but we were just so....worried and everything, it never crossed our minds after that."
"Heh...kinda ironic." Frank chuckled at something he was thinking of just then.
"What's ironic, Uncle Frank?" Sara asked, looking over at him her wide green eyes barely sparkling with her tears then.
"Scooter apparently realized the way you three girls are, that calling me would just be the last thing on your minds. So he called Richard, and told him about what happened to your mother. He had told us she was in the hospital, after having a heart attack." Frank said, a soft smile on his face. "So, I had a feeling..." He touched his chest, where his heart was. "...in here. Brenda was never a strong woman, even when she was little; she was always sick with something. I knew a heart attack would just do her in most likely. It would have been a miracle if she was alive now."
Sara nodded sadly, and stayed leaned against the tree. Scooter and Sean then came over and joined her. The whole group was quiet, enjoying the peaceful setting of the park, the late fall blossoms falling off from the trees. Along with the early leaves slowly gliding from the sky like small parachuters. Sean had his camera out, taking a few pictures of the scenery, in it's pristine beauty. He saw something green being hurled across the park. He wondered what it was. Then Sean pulled out his longreach lens, and snapped it on, focusing on the other side of the park. He saw something quite interesting.
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"I can't believe it, Kermit!!" Miss Piggy yelled, as she stood over Kermit's body on the ground. "HE TOLD YOU HE DIDN'T FEEL GOOD!!"
"The man's a vegetarian, Piggy! How was I supposed to know he'd drop dead in two hours after that phone call!??" Kermit yelled back, as he stood up. Piggy would have snatched him up by his shirt, except he had none, so she grabbed his collar instead. He winced in her powerful grip.
"If Jim said he had the sniffles, and a sore throat, you should have gone to see what had happened to him! A man that healthy, should not BE SICK IN ANY WAY!" She bellowed at him, then she slung him even farther down the parks lawn. He actually bounced once, before he came to rest on the ground, face down. He was still for a second. The light seemed to turn on in her head, as she realized just what she was doing to him. "...Kermie? Oh no! Kermie!! Are you okay!?" She ran over and kneeled down beside him, picking him up gently.
He coughed a few times, and spat some grass out, but otherwise he was fine. "...Piggy...if you want to hurt someone in retaliation, please...please, pick Fozzie!" He shouted, glaring at her closely. She nodded, and watched as Fozzie ran over to them.
"Where were you?" Piggy asked, as she sat on the open grassy field, with Kermit beside her. "We've not seen you since we came here."
"I was..." He was a little breathless, then he wiped his brow. "Wow, fur and heat do NOT mix! Woah...okay, I was over there, doing some comedy and slapstick for some nice people." He pointed back to a small group of adults and children who were waving at them, before they dispersed to wherever they had to go for the day.
"They actually liked it?" Kermit asked, smiling as Fozzie sat down beside them.
"Oh yeah! They really did, wocka wocka! The little kids loved the slapstick I was doing. They were laughing so hard!" He said smiling. Piggy heard some running footsteps, and saw Sara running full tilt for her.
"Sara! Honey!!! Piggy does that all the time!!! Kermit's FINE!!!" Scooter was yelling after her, running after her, his jacket had flown off now, and he was trucking to keep up with her.
Sara skidded to a halt on her knees in front of Piggy, and glared at her. She grabbed Piggy into a tight hug, and sighed. "You're alive!! You've both alive!!!" She said, as she grabbed Kermit in a hug as well. Scooter stopped short of them, and leaned over placing both hands on his knees.
"What is with you, honey? You act like you're mad at her for...for doing that...then you hug her?" He asked, looking up at her, before sitting down beside them.
"...I was just so worried about Kermit, then I realized it wasn't hurting them. Then I was so relieved to see they were okay. It really...really freaked me out when I didn't see them this morning in the theatre." She said, as she let them go.
Kevin was running behind his son, Sean; and the rest of the muppeters were behind him. They were worried something was going to happen, then like Scooter they stopped short seeing her hug Miss Piggy. Sean smiled, and sat beside his Dad; and the others sat around them.
"I'm going to miss them." Kermit finally said, after a few minutes of silence.
Everyone else agreed quietly, and they laid back on the lawn, watching the clouds pass by. It was something the two men who had infleunced their lives loved to do.
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