Chapter twenty-one
Jimmy’s face fell as he looked around. “I don’t see him,” he muttered. He pushed through the crowded room to where Leaper was sitting with most of their children. “Have you seen Robin?” he asked.
Leaper looked around. “No,” she said. She stood up and followed Jimmy back to where Kermit and Maggie were standing.
Ripples of worry were already spreading through the room as each frog turned to the next and asked where Robin was.
“He’s gotta be somewhere in the hospital,” Maggie said as Jimmy and Leaper approached. “I mean, we saw him come in, right?”
Kermit stood up on a nearby couch to get a better view of the room.
“Right,” Jimmy said.
“But where would he go?” Leaper said. “The vending machine is right there, the bathroom is right over there, and everyone is here! Where would he go?”
Kermit hopped down from the couch. “I know,” he said quietly as he pushed his way out of the waiting room, keeping his eyes on a sign.
Jimmy noticed the sign and understood. He turned to Leaper and said, “Stairs.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Kermit quietly pushed the door to the stairwell open. Sure enough, he could hear the small familiar voice, quietly trying to sing between sniffs and tears.
“
It isn’t... in the nursery...
It... isn’t in... the town...”
Kermit silently walked halfway down the stairs, stopping just behind the young frog.
“
And... all sorts of... funny thoughts...”
He sat down next to his nephew.
“
Run... ‘round my... head.
It ... isn’t really... any... where...
It’s...”
But he was crying too hard to continue.
“
It’s somewhere else instead,” Kermit finished for him. He put a hand on his back. “Robin?” he said. “Tell me what’s wrong.” Robin shook his head. “Please?” Kermit said. “I might not be able to fix it, but it helps just to talk sometimes.”
Robin wiped at his tears and looked up. “Uncle Kermit?” he said, “Is Grandma gonna die?”
Kermit hugged his nephew close to him and sighed. “We don’t know, Robin,” he said. “And we won’t know for a little while. But the doctor is a very good man, and he’s going to do everything he can to make Grandma better.”
“But,” Robin wiped his eyes, “But what if he
can’t make her better? What if she still dies?”
Kermit’s frown deepened. “Then... We’ll just have to hold onto our memories of her,” he said. “And be grateful that we got to know her.”
“But,” Robin pushed away from his uncle. “But Uncle Kermit,” he said, “I
don’t know Grandma. I never talk to her. Whenever we come to the swamp, I just play with my brothers and sisters and cousins.” He shook his head. “I know who Grandma is, but... I don’t really
know her.”
Kermit hesitated. “Oh.” He looked down at his lap. “I see.” He felt his nephew snuggling against his side, and pulled him closer. “I... I guess I didn’t realize that,” he said quietly. He thought for a moment. “Well- how about this,” he said. “Why don’t you talk to her later today, when she’s making dinner?”
Robin looked up at him. “But I thought Grandma likes to be alone then,” he said.
“She does,” Kermit said. “But at the same time, she’s always ready to listen then. Kind of like your dad and I in the evenings.”
Robin looked down and squirmed a little. “Okay,” he said quietly. He looked up at his uncle again. “Will you go with me?”
“I could, if you want me to,” Kermit said. “But you can talk to her by yourself, too. She won’t bite.”
Robin looked down again. “Okay.”
Kermit nodded. “Good. In the meantime, let’s go tell everyone you’re okay and get some food. We were all getting ready to go, and we couldn’t find you. We were worried.”
Robin looked up. “You were?”
Kermit nodded. “Yup. Very worried. So next time, tell someone if you’re going to go off by yourself, okay?”
Robin looked confused. “But I do it all the time at the theater,” he said.
“I know,” Kermit said, “But the theater’s different. I know my way around the theater, and I know where I can find you. But neither one of us knows the hospital that well. So unless we’re at the theater, the swamp, or the boarding house, it’s very important that you tell an adult where you’re going to be. Understand?”
Robin nodded.
“Good,” Kermit said. He took his nephew’s hand and stood up. “Let’s go get some lunch.”
They walked hand in hand to the top of the stairs, where Jimmy had been waiting and listening.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
As they sat and ate at Juhl’s Pizza Place, Kermit kept his eyes on Robin, so caught up in his thoughts that he didn’t even notice that Maggie was slowly adding more and more pepper to his water. Frustrated that she wasn’t getting a reaction, she finally banged her fist against the table.
“MIT!” She said. “Welcome to planet Earth! You’ve got some nice spicy water in that glass of yours!”
He looked at her. “Huh?”
“I said, have some water, you look thirsty,” she said with a devious twinkle in her eye.
He scrunched his face up. “What did you put in it?”
“I’ve
been putting pepper in it, and you’ve been drinking it!” she laughed. “How’s it taste?”
He stared at her. “Well I don’t know,” he said as he picked up the peppershaker and sprinkled some in her glass. “Why don’t you tell me?” He turned back to Robin, carefully watching him from across the room.
Jimmy noticed the shadows of concern on his brother’s face, and he knew why they were there. He put a hand on Kermit’s shoulder. “Brother,” he said quietly, “When we were his age, we didn’t talk to Granny, either.”
Kermit shook his head. “It’s not right,” he said. “He should know his own family.”
“He does,” Jimmy said.
“Not as well as he should,” Kermit said. He looked back at the young frog. “Not as well as he would if... if he lived here.”
“He knows us pretty darn well for someone who doesn’t live here,” Jimmy said. “I think what you should be asking yourself is if he wants to live here. As far as I can tell, he’s pretty darn happy living with you.”
Kermit thought about it.
“You said yourself, he has a lot of friends out there,” Jimmy went on. “And he’s doing well in Frog Scouts. You weren’t lying, were you?”
“No,” Kermit said.
“Well then, he’s happy,” Jimmy said, “And why make him change from that?”
Kermit kept his eyes on Robin, deep in thought. “Still,” he said, “He should know his family.” He took another sip of his pepper-filled water, and nodded. “He should know his family.”
Jimmy shook his head. “Brother, you’re one stubborn frog,” he said. “Take your mind off it for once, and make a phone call.”
“That’ll make me think about it more,” Kermit pointed out.
Jimmy shrugged. “You’ll probably wanna call anyway,” he said.
Kermit nodded. “That’s true,” he said. He stood up. “Excuse me.”
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