Derrick's goodbye

“Pumpkin, time to wake up.” The soft, sweet voice of his Mommy awoke Bailey as he felt a hand on his shoulder. Opening his eyes just a fraction Bailey could see her hovering over him in her silk bathrobe. He did not want to get up, it felt too early and just being this much awake made him remember pieces of his dream. “No.” He said, closing his eyes, pulling the stuffed bear in his arms tighter to his chest and scooting a little more under the covers. Well with all the changes, at least some things stayed the same, Amanda thought growing a little looking down at Bailey who had never been one to be an early riser. “I could let you sleep longer, but I cannot imagine Candi being happy about you making her late for you and her appointment at the DMV. Bailey rolled over to face the woman that he disliked just a little bit at this second and opened his eyes, glaring at her for a second before letting out a lip-trill. “Brbrbrbrbr” The sound caused by Bailey flapping his lips as he blew out some air. “Fine! I’m getting up.” Bailey finally said when the woman hovering over him didn’t say a word and only stared down. Pulling the covers off, Bailey sat up and put President Bear on top of his pillows. “I also wanted to talk to you a little bit before the Connors arrive.” Amanda said, watching Bailey stretch and rub the sleep from her eyes.

He really had to pee, but judging by her face it was important. “Oh like fer sure.” Sliding the cushioned bench out from under the vanity Amanda sat down to be eye level with Bailey. “I wanted to answer the question you asked me last night, it caused me to get a little emotional and I never responded. I have always wanted a daughter and having Bailey Ann around has been like living a dream that I thought would never happen.” Amanda took both of Bailey’s hands in her own. “I need you to know I love you and what you are doing for me.” Amanda hesitated for a second, she wanted to ask Bailey if she truly was having fun. She thought that is what she saw in her, but needed to make sure even after Bailey had already told her as much. “I love you too Mommy.” Amanda gave a small smile, the words feeling like a little bit of magic. “That is clear to everyone, pumpkin, but I need to ask you about a few things. About your breasts.” Bailey pulled his hands away and crossed his arms over his swollen sore chest. “I like don’t have tits!” He said with as much firmness as he could, though he had long ago stopped using his masculine voice. Leaving him sounding more like a whiny teen than an upset adult. Nodding just once at the outburst Amanda thought it best to move on from the topic, rather than try to **** her to talk about something she obviously wanted to avoid. “Okay honey, we do not have to talk about that if you do not want to.” She said making it clear she didn’t accept the answer, but was willing to move on. “In your drawer I saw the purple sex toy.” A wave of panic moved through Bailey, he had really hoped she didn’t see it. “Did Megan give you that in case Candi looked in your drawer to help with all of this like April did with your room?”

Bailey’s stomach started to settle and the panic subsided, he wasn’t sure how he was going to explain it or if she would believe Aunt Megan had given it to him. “She said all girls should have one, I like didn’t know it was there till I saw it in the drawer myself.” Peaches that was close! Bailey thought, so relieved to be given an out. “I can tell that talking about that makes you uncomfortable, it just surprised me to see it. You know honey, you can tell me anything. If you are upset or want to talk about your feelings, I am here for you.” Bailey searched her face, trying to see if she knew something he did not want her to know about. If she knew about some of the things he has had to do, she would look disgusted or angry, but he saw no sign of that. “Ahh.. umm. Oh!” Bailey perked up, thinking about a topic from the previous night about getting her to cancel the date with August… Auggy. His body shivered a little thinking about what Miss April wanted him to do, but if they couldn’t go on dates then nothing could happen. “Yeah like, the double date that you said would have to happen here on Thursday night.” Amanda leaned a little forward putting her hand on Bailey’s leg, wishing she didn’t have to make Bailey do more, but if she wanted to stay the course with this ruse then there would be things like this that come up. “Honey, we talked about this. It would look suspicious if you canceled a date after you had already agreed to it.” Bailey stuck out his lip a little pouting and recrossing his arms, unconsciously mimicking a common thing he had seen Candi do when told something she hadn’t liked. “But, but what if he tries to kiss me!? Or umm wants more?”

“Honey, you need to set up expectations. If you do not want him to kiss you then you can tell him so or turn your head when he tries. In fact you should tell August you do not like him like that and how you just want to be friends.” Amanda could see Bailey’s eyes start to glaze over, she was losing her attention. “Would you like me to talk to April about this for you?” She asked, thinking what she could do to help with the younger man that seemed to like Bailey. Shaking his head vigorously Bailey looked into her eyes. “NO, oh sugar no. Please don’t talk to Miss April.” Amanda could understand the fervent refusal with April knowing Bailey was really a boy and a discussion about her brother being romantic with Bailey. “Okay, then well then you will have to talk to him about this and honey you have nothing to worry about with August wanting more. You will not be alone, Candi, Ryan and I will be around. Though I will try and give you four some privacy in the living room.” She thought for a second before giving Bailey a smile. I will make sure you have some snacks, but it will help with expectations if you insist on paying for half of whatever you order for dinner. We can talk about an allowance for you so that you have a little spending money, but that will dependant on you doing your chores.” Bailey let out a groan at the thought of a chores list and being handed an allowance like a child. “I do not want to hear you groan and whine about doing chores young lady. One of the first things you will need to do is wash all of your clothes. Yes, that means I will give you back your dirty things. You will need to start washing them when you get back from the DMV. If everything goes right I will let Candi drive the two of you home and then I will let you know when I am done at work. Sadly I was only able to take the morning off this morning.

Bailey looked at her in confusion, his eyes moving around the room trying to think why he couldn’t drive them around. It made much less sense for Candi to drive Mommy’s car. “Ah, like I can drive us home.” Bailey was disappointed to see her shake her head. “Bailey Ann Best does not have a learners permit, it is normal to get that before a driver's license. I understand being eighteen we could skip that step, but let me ask you honey. Would you feel okay with handing over a license to a police officer when you are caught speeding or changing lanes without using your signal?” His mind flashed back to the two police officers and how they looked at him dressed like a little girl at Aunt Megan’s house and how hostile they were. At that thought Bailey quickly shook his head, knowing the possibility of some sleuth finding out the truth and hauling him in and throwing him in jail. “I did not think so. You will have to rely on your older sister to get you around like I once had to, but you should pull up the road rules booklet to study real quick for the test today.” Bailey made a face in her direction that showed his dissatisfaction at both of those thoughts. “I totes know how to drive and what signs and junk mean.” Amanda patted Bailey’s thigh before standing up and pushing the padded bench back under the vanity. “Well you should start getting ready for the day before the Connors arrive.” Giving Bailey a smile she turned to leave the room, but stopped in the doorway. Turning back around she leaned on the frame. “Honey, you have lost a lot of weight. You can stop drinking those shakes and the diet.” She considered her sister's words about Bailey enjoying this, and how it was Bailey’s idea to get her lips and eyelashes done. “Unless you want to, I mean.” Sugar that was the best news he had heard all morning. “Thank you Mommy!”

When Bailey was alone he looked in the mirror on the back of the door and frowned a little. In his dream he was wearing this babydoll and even with no makeup and bed hair he hated that he found himself attractive. Those puffy lips and long curled lashes were more alluring than he liked. Opening the door Bailey went off to the bathroom to relieve himself. He had been sitting to pee for a while now, but it was vastly different now that things changed between his legs. He really wasn’t sure if he should push his fingers in with toilet paper to make sure he was clean or maybe that was just one of the reasons girls wore tampons. Not liking that train of thought one bit he thought it best to take a shower. With the hot water running over his body Bailey was starting to feel relaxed, running the soapy pink luffa over his stomach, but had to suck in air through his teeth as he washed his swollen chest. It was really bothering him today and the way they looked he wished he could take a needle to them and pop them like some kind of pimple. The relaxing mood ruined so he moved on to washing the long hair and conditioning it as he thought about how much time he had to spend getting ready now compared to a few weeks ago. After the shower Bailey made sure to moisturize, before wrapping a fluffy towel around his chest and turning on the hair dryer. A few quick knocks came to the bathroom door, Bailey turned off the hair dryer not able to hear what was said. “What!?” He yelled back instead of opening the door. “I said they will be here soon, move your butt young lady.” Snarling a little in the mirror Bailey turned the hair dryer on again. “Move your butt young lady.” He said mimicating the words in a mock tone. It is always young lady this, pumpkin that, but at least it was better than when Derrick called him princess. “Ugg!” Bailey said as he rolled his eyes thinking about being called Princess Bailey the night before.

Getting dressed for the day was more difficult than Bailey would have thought with such a limited wardrobe. Most of his clothes were still in the other room, while he was now allowed to go get them, they still needed to be washed. All of his tops were dirty, the drawer of skirts was vacant, and while he technically had a single pair of pants they were not ones he wanted to wear. Bailey’s collection of pants consisted of a pair of low rise ultra tight jeans and two pairs of workout legging, one grey the other red and right now only the red pair remained. Like the grey pair they were designed in a way to lift and separate his rear to enhance the look of the wearer. In the past he loved seeing them on girls, but now he hated that a pair of workout pants were made to help him look more attractive. That meant he had to pick a dress from the closet and what was left hanging was a green velvet mini dress, a dress that would look out of place anywhere except a night club and a purple sun dress with a flower pattern. “Good thing I just love… flowers.” He said taking it from the closet and laying it out on the bed. Looking in the mirror after putting on a lace halter bralette, Bailey frowned. The thing was too tight and he had to remove half the padding that he had been using. “Stupid girls sizes, they can’t even be consistent with a bra size.” He complained blaming the manufacturer sizing, rather than thinking about his chest. “BAILEY WE ARE HERE, GOOOOOD MORNING!” The voice of Candi carried through the apartment. Pulling himself away from the mirror, Bailey shimmied into the purple sundress seconds before his bedroom door swung open. “Like don’t you think you should knock?” Candi stood in the doorway to Bailey’s room, holding the handle of two large roller suitcases in either hand. She looked at the door handle and then back to Bailey, scrunching up her nose for a second. “No I didn’t think about it, why?” He wasn’t sure if the chipper girl was messing with him or not and just let out a sigh and turned around to face away from her before looking over his shoulder. “You are here, so like you might as well help.” Candi moved over to tie the loose fabric into a bow behind Bailey so that the dress cinched in. “You should knock when coming into a room with a closed door Candi.” Bailey said grouchily. “Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t know it would bother you.” Bailey closed his eyes thinking about how no one should have to interact with people before eight in the morning. “No…, It is totally okay.” Bailey said, not wanting to have the girl moping about.

Candi wrapped her hands around Bailey from behind and leaned her chin on Bailey’s shoulder. “Is it because you love me and sisters don’t hide anything from each other?” The girls breasts pushing into his back made Bailey think of his dream from the previous night and he shook his head to both tell the girl no and see if he could shake the memory loose. “No, I just don’t like want you to be all mopey and sad.” The embrace from behind hadn’t gone away with the rejection and he heard the girl making a contemplative noise. “Did you say THAT because you love me and sisters don’t hide anything from each other?” Lord give me strength he thought letting out another sigh. “Yes, that is exactly why.” With that he felt Candi pull away and when he turned to look at the girl she was already starting to walk out the open bedroom door. “I knew it! But come on, we have to say goodbye to Daddy before he leaves for his flight.” Looking at her Bailey took in how she was dressed more casually than him once again. She had on black sneakers with a white swoosh on their side and tiny white socks, black jean skimpy shorts, and a light blue shirt with a glittery version of Captain America’s shield on it. She had accessorized with a few bangles on her right of blue and black, a tiny leather banded watch on her left, small red stud earrings and the dog tag style necklace she was given the previous Friday night. “She gets a t-shirt and shorts and I get a dress.” Bailey mumbled to himself before following her out.

Coming into the living room Bailey saw a third large suitcase that matched Candi’s and that Derrick was in conversation with Mommy, standing by the table and that he had a large grey suitcase in hand. Bailey didn’t need to wait long to find out why he had brought his luggage up when he was leaving. “Thanks again for letting me store this suitcase here till I get back.” Amanda took the handle of the rolling back from him, her fingers lingering on his for a second. “It is no trouble at all, besides it hardly makes sense for you to keep a hotel room you are not paying for or bringing clothes back to California, just to bring them back here again.” Well at least something hadn’t changed and he was going to stay here. Candi rushed over to her Dad, wrapping her arms around his waist in a tight hug that he returned with a chuckle. “We will miss you Daddy, you need to be safe and take your medicine.” This was the first Amanda had heard about him taking medication, it made sense. Who doesn’t have some sort of problem they needed to take something for, but he hadn’t mentioned it. “Medicine?” She inquired as he was freed from the clutches of his daughter. “I take an over the counter anti-inflammatory, maybe once a week.” Derrick said defensively to the question, but it was more directed at his daughter. “You are old and need to take your medicine. Doctors orders!” Derrick motioned to Candi while looking at Amanda. “Do you see what I’m dealing with here? You are going to have fun with her I’m sure and Candace you are not a doctor.” Candi glared at her father for a second and then touched her index finger to her chin like she was thinking, though Bailey could tell she clearly knew what she was going to say. “Maybe I will one day. Nurse Connors? Nurse Candi? Doctor Connors? Oh, oh! Doctor Candi.” She let out a giggle. “You follow future Doctor Candi’s instructions.” Derrick loved his daughter dearly, but didn’t think she had it in her to earn any type of medical degree. He was ready to agree with her that yes he would take his medicine when Mandy started to laugh. Derrick hardly noticed Candi whispering something to Bailey when he narrowed his eyes at the beautiful blonde woman. “Sorry, sorry.” She said catching her breath. “Best you agree with her before she gets Bailey to join in on you.”

He felt little recourse other than to smile at her and the girls. “I will promise to follow Doctor CONNORS strict instruction, no need to get Nurse Best involved.” He said emphasizing their shared last name to his daughter. Derrick looked at Bailey as she gave him a quick hug, she didn’t look to be wearing any makeup, no jewelry or even shoes. “Looks like you aren’t ready to head out for your appointment at the DMV. I figured you would have been up early bouncing off the wall like Candace. I swear she was yelling for me to hurry up an hour before we had to leave.” Candi made eye contact with Amanda as she made several quick nods. “He was so slow, but like Bailey will be ready in a jiffy.” Bailey felt a little nudge from Candi, he wanted to tell her to stop and that he would do it, she didn’t have to prod him, though he really would have just let the conversation drift away from goodbyes to not have to talk to him. “It like… wont be the same with you gone. Hurry back.” Derrick looked at the girl who had a light blush to her cheeks and was avoiding eye contact. Thinking about how she was holding him the previous night and calling him Daddy he wondered if she was feeling guilty about wanting him to stay with how close they had grown and her obvious abandonment issues. Derrick gave Bailey a kiss to her forehead and motioned his daughter closer so he could put his arms around both of them at once for a hug. “I will be back before you know it, you two will have so much fun you will hardly notice I’m gone.” Bailey just stood there letting the hug happen, while Candi embraced him. “We will notice, everyone notices when the people they love are gone.” Derrick was a strong man, he made sure to go to the gym to be healthy. He had weather his wife passing, though admittedly not in the best way and had spent the years since being a simple parent to a girl that blossomed into a young woman, but no matter how strong he thought he was, when she said things like that it made his heart feel weak and tears come to his eyes. “Also you need to ask Miss Best or Bailey and I will do it for you.” Bailey heard Candi whisper to him, not sure what exactly she was talking about or what she was roping him into now. Derrick nodded, kissed both girls on the tops of their head before shifting his attention to the blue eyed woman who had the most captivating smile on her face as she watched him with the girls.

“Well I need to head out, but as I have been reminded I have something to ask you. This weekend, Saturday actually… and this is short notice so I would understand if you said no. My assistant, Monica Wells is getting married. I was going to take Candace, but I was hoping you would be willing to be my plus one. Ah… and I of course would take care of our tickets.” Amanda put her hand over her mouth to cover her smile. This man was confident and in control of any room he walked into, but asking her to go to a wedding with him and he suddenly acted like a highschool boy asking a girl to a dance. It was beyond cute! “That depends, are you asking me to go as an assistant to help you remember names? Or, as your date?” Her playful voice helped him relax and he glanced at the girls knowing they wouldn’t know what she was talking about. “I would like both, but the least I’m willing to accept is a date.” Amanda raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms under her large chest. “The least? So me turning you down is not on the table.” She watched the man nod like he was accepting she had a point, but that familiar little smirk came to his face before he held up one finger. Leaning over to whisper something between the girls, he looked back up to make eye contact with her and then suddenly there were three pairs of green eyes on her. “Please Miss Best, please go with Daddy!” Candi said holding her hands out in front of her like she was praying to her or begging. “Yeah Mommy, I like know you love weddings.” Bailey added to help sway the woman he loved to accompany a man to a romantic setting like a wedding. This is in character, I have to do this. Bailey thought to himself, thinking she was going to do it anyways and if he didn’t his friend would ask why. He thought about the two weddings he had accompanied her to, the first was when they were dating for just two weeks, he felt like he had to in order to impress her. She had even caught the bouquet of flowers, making him have to fight some much bigger guys to get the garter. He had to bribe a jerk for it when they struggled to pull it from one another. That night in the hotel was amazing, he recalled calling down to room service for some sports drinks to help revitalize. The second was nothing special, and when a third of her old friends got married he pretended to have a stomach bug so he didn’t have to go with her. Faking being sick was a far cry from pleading with her to go with another man, but after the last few conversations about her willing to end this he felt more secure in where he stood. “Both of you, really?” Amanda put her hand on her hip and pretended to be upset that Derrick would pull the girls into his schemes. “Well I guess I could go and help you remember a name or two, but you are going to dance mister and I mean every song I’m on the floor for, so will you.” Derrick gave wonderful a wink a smile he felt was wide enough to rival the grand canyon with how happy he was. “As you wish.”

Candi hopped up and down clapping rapidly for a second before turning to Bailey. “That was a reference to the Princess Bride movie.” Her green eyes looking her friend up and down, she had gotten caught up in the moment and forget they were on a schedule too. She grabbed Bailey by the wrist and stated to pull her friend toward her own bedroom, looking over her shoulder at the adults. “Bye Daddy, love you. Miss Best we will be out in a jiff!” Derrick’s eyes followed his daughter into the room before the door was shut behind her. “She will be fine here.” Looking away from the he smiled again, this one much smaller. “She just turned eighteen and is about to get her license, I wont be there for it and before I know it she will be getting married.” Amanda stepped closer to the man, putting her hand on his forearm. “Shhh, none of that now. You do not need to be thinking of such things. I am sure you have years before that will happen, you have plenty of time ahead of you with just the two of you. Well, she is an amazing girl. I am sure you have at least a month or two before some buy puts a ring on her finger.” Derrick put one hand around her waist and the other coming up to cup her chin, then kissed her. The kiss wasn’t some deep passionate kiss, but a soft lingering one. When pulling back he smiled looking into her gorgeous eyes. “Funny, would you like it if I said the same for Bailey?” Still in his arms Amanda looked back at the closed bedroom door before turning back to Derrick. “Oh, I’m betting your daughter gets married before mine.” She said thinking about how Bailey Ann won't be around forever and how Bailey had told her how he didn’t believe in the need for marriage. “A bet? Sure I will take that bet. Say the loser has to buy the wedding cake.” Derrick said, thinking of Bailey and the Gates boy. “Then prepare to buy and eat cake!” Amanda exclaimed with laughter, that was cut off shortly when Derrick pulled her in for another kiss.