Bauer BBQ 2017 by Robansuefarm Part 9

Author’s Note: Well, today is the final episode of the Bauer BBQ 2017. I hope that you’ve enjoyed this event and I’m going to get a start on Bauer BBQ 2018 and so should you!

Scene 32

The dripping men attested to the fun both teams had with the tug of war. The games were tappering off and everyone gathered around again for the ice cream contest. Both churns were getting hard to turn. Rick had taken over for Team Bauer and Billy had taken over Team Lewis. It was a hard thing to call because it took time to open the churn and check it might be the difference between winning and losing if it wasn’t done. Finally Rick finally called it. Lizzie came to check Rick’s ice cream and the chocolate was finished. Billy’s continued to churn for a couple of minutes until he too called it and then the vanilla was done.

Lizzie grabbed Rick’s hand and held it up: “Team Bauer wins!” Everyone cheered and rushed forward for the ice cream.

The ice cream brought out more storytelling. Wanda’s laugh boomed out. Alan-Michael had sworn Paul and Hamp to secrecy and told them about how he had messed with Hamp’s batchelor party in exaggerated form that had them laughing loudly. Bridget and Kat had their heads together in one corner. Dylan was talking to Billy consoling him on his loss eating vanilla ice cream. Katie was telling Michelle stories about her aunt Hillary and talking hospital. Rusty was talking police stuff with Frank. Danny had broken out the plastic lids and straws and was sending people on their way with an ice tea or lemonade or a water bottle to go.

Lillian and Buzz had creeped out back into the woods where Buzz had earlier hidden an air mattress for their own Bauer BBQ tradition.

Scene 33

Rick headed into the kitchen to do one last fill up on the food before everyone who took one more plate before they left or grabbed some snacks for the road. He started digging around in the refrigerator trying to decide to bring. Kevin Marler followed him into the room. “Rick? Can we talk a little bit?”

Rick turned around stopping what he was doing to give Kevin his full attention, “Sure, Kevin. What do you need? You having problems since you got back from college?”

“In a way. I want to thank you for keeping in touch while Jason and me were away at boarding school and now college. It really has meant a lot….during that bad time when Mom was in a coma especially we felt kind of forgotten about, but you always kept in touch. It was appreciated.”

Rick gave his half-smile. “Well Kevin there is a lot of history between us…” silently Rick thought more than you’ll ever know Blake hadn’t felt it was a good idea to fill them in on a lot of the drama that has spun around them when they were young “….I’ve always felt that in a small way you belonged to me…I mean all the baby sitting our family used to do for you guys and everything.”

“I don’t forget it….right now I have another favor to ask you though.”

“What’s that?”

“While I’m back here this summer I’m hoping to get a little hands on experience in the hospital. I’m really looking at research within neuroscience, rather than practice, but how things fit together with patients might really be helpful.”

“I’m sure I can arrange that.”

“I know you’re probably too busy today, but I’d like to bounce some ideas off you for my honors thesis. Can you think of a topic that would be useful from your perspective as a practioner?”

“Hmmmm.” Rick thought for a couple of minutes. “Something that has been bothering me has been the problem of addiction and heredity. There has been a lot of adicts in my family, my Grandpa Bill, my dad, and I’m an addict, I’ve had two bad periods of addiction even though I’ve been clean for decades now. On the other hand, Danny has self-medicated with alcohol at a couple of bad points in his life, but he’s never become addicted. As my kids have gotten older, I wonder if I have to worry about them because of our genetics. If you’re interested I’d be glad to collaborate with you on a project, if you’d like.”

“Are you kidding? That would be great! Thanks, Rick. I know I can always count on you.”

Scene 34

The party was breaking up. Billy picked up Vanessa’s new painting to carry it out to their car.

Bill came up. “Don’t worry about it, Dad. I’ve got this.” He took the painting and lead the way to the car.

Danny was taking out his first load of stuff to take home out to his car.

A man none of them knew started working his way towards them through the parked cars. He seemed a little drunk weaving a little bit, but presumably heading for the door. He wore a polo shirt and cargo shorts and big sunglasses that covered half his face. Suddenly he veared and quickly ran up behind Bill. He hit him with something on the back of the neck, knocking Bill to his knees, and yanked the painting out of his arms. Billy grabbed Vanessa and spun her around to keep her out of the fray.

Danny dropped the box he was carrying and ran over. He yanked the painting back, tripping the man who stumbled back. He quickly revaluated the situation and ran off.

“BILL!” Vanessa was only a few steps behind Bill and she dropped to the ground. “Bill, are you OK?”

Bill groaned and raised a hand to his head. “What hit me? A truck?”

“Don’t move, darling, something might be broken.”

“Hell woman, don’t smother the boy. He knows how to take a fall. Here.”

Billy extended his arm and Bill clasped it and pulled himself up to his feet. Shaking his head, “Yes Mom, I’m fine.”

“Well, let’s head back in and let Rick take a look.”

Bill ignored that one and turned his attention to Danny. “What happened?”

“A man came up and hit you and tried to grab that painting. I saved your bacon as usual.”

Bill snorted. “Oh, don’t make me laugh, my head isn’t up for it.”

Ray had come up in time to hear the exchange. “Why would anyone go to all that trouble for a painting nobody knows anything about? This was the ‘mystery’ painting, right? It shouldn’t be really worth much.”

Billy said “Shoot! That guy was probably just drunk. You saw him weaving. You think a lot of stupid and dangerous things are funny when you’ve downed a few. Trust me. I have the scars to prove it….We probably should tell Frank about it though. He should put out a call to round him up – wouldn’t want him driving in that shape.”

The suggestion to report it to Frank and get some sympathy from his wife struck a better chord with Bill than seeing Rick so he let the group lead him back to the house.

Danny thought back over what he’d seen. Danny had been relaxed and focused on his task to really click in before the attack, but as he thought back now the man’s movements had been too deliberate for him to have just been pulling a drunken stunt. Danny picked up the painting from where it had fallen in the driveway and dusted it off. He looked it over carefully. He felt around the frame. He sniffed it to see if he recognized any drugs. He didn’t. He didn’t see one thing would make this painting worth stealing. He had understood Billy and Matt competing for it to get Vanessa’s attention, but that woman who had given him such a danger signal had bid on it too. $10,000. He was sure she intended to get something other than a pleasant painting for her money. Was she connected with this attempted theft? Either way, what did they know about the painting that none of the Lewis family nor their connections did not? Danny scanned the driveway area and slowly carried the painting back in the house. He had a bad feeling that this wasn’t over yet.

Scene 35

Buzz was leading Lillian out of the woods hand in hand. Before they broke from the tree line, Lillian laughed. “Buzz, stop a minute.” Buzz paused and turned around. Lillian laughed again and pulled him around to kiss him again. “And they always say that marriage drives the passion out of a relationship.”

“Not if you do it right, honey.”

“You’ve certainly proven that.” She pulled him in for another kiss and then they came out of the trees.

Just then there was a very loud motorcycle coming up the road. A rider in black leather came up weaving between the parked cars. It pulled right up in front of Buzz and Lillian. He stopped and pulled off his helmet. His focus bored in on Buzz.

“Hello, Dad.”

“Rocky?”

Scene 36

Rick had checked Bill out and while he had a nasty bump on his head, he didn’t have a concussion. He left them fussing over Bill and headed out to the side patio. He wanted to get the flag down and properly folded away before they headed out for the fireworks. He walked over to flagpole and looked up at the flag he thought he could feel his family his Grandma Bert, his Aunt Meta, his mother Felicia. He was proud he had pulled off another great event to help the town to celebrate the great country they lived in.

As he started lowering the flag a young man with sandy blonde hair stood by the side of the house. Almost seeming to hold his breath. Rick unhooked the flag off the pole and the kid approached. “Do you want some help folding that?”

Rick grinned at him and said, “sure.” They folded the flag.”Thanks for the help. Glad you just happened to be here.”

“I wasn’t. I mean I spent most of the day trying to get up nerve to talk to you.”

“Well, I AM awfully intimitating.” Rick smirked.

The you man took a deep breath. “Are you…..Are you the Frederick Bauer who was married to Annie Dutton until October 1995?”

Rick sobered. “Yes, I am. Who….”

“My name is Matthew Wilson and… I think I’m your son.”

 

Friday’s Episode Ends

 

Robansuefarm is the handle of one of Manny and Guiding Light‘s biggest fans following in her family’s footsteps of Guiding Light fandom since 1939. This blog is an effort to make it easy to find Guiding Light and especially Manny online. Check back here for her blog, find fanfic previews and fake WSPR newscasts on her YouTube, find podcasts that look back to old shows and audios of her fanfics on Blog Talk Radio, and finally follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

Tags: Bauer BBQ, Bauer BBQ 2017, GL, Guiding Light, Guiding Light fanfic, Guiding Light fanfiction