"Memories" 
Part 2
A Gadget Hackwrench fan novella.
Story by Robert Noel Hollingshead (robo212@aol.com)
Edited by John Anthony Kazos Jr. (jkazos@rvgs.k12.va.us)

VI- Stroke of Genius -VI

    Every parent faces this one day, but Geegaw had trouble preparing
himself to meet the school principal. But to have it happen in
kindergarten! He couldn't even imagine what happened. She was walking
beside him, and was having trouble reaching his paw with hers.

    "Mr. Hackwrench, good. Please, sit down." The principal offered Geegaw
a seat in front of her noticeably large desk.

    "Kind of reminds me of my High School principal's desk, what with the
diplomas and all." He chuckled.

    So did she. "That isn't a coincidence Mr. Hackwrench." Her smile
softened into a grin, and he began to relax. She pulled the top file from
her cabinet and held it out to Geegaw. "Your daughter, Gadget, is the
brightest student in her kindergarten class. Her grades have remained A's,
A's, and once again, A's. I'm not talking, ninety-five percent on
everything. I'm talking one-hundred percent, absolutely perfect scores. She
even *adds* to the assignments." Geegaw looked stunned. "But that's only
half of the reason that I've called you here. When I asked her teacher to
fill out a form to immediately promote her one grade, the teacher refused.
She said that Gadget has been having peer problems, the most noticeable
being that she has been teased by her lack of a mother. The teacher
believes it would be more psychologically damaging to have the same thing
said in a new situation than in the old one."

    He looked at Gadget. "You said, 'most noticeable.' What are the others?"

    "I'm afraid so. She is ostracized by her peers: no one sits by her at
lunch; at recess, she sits on the ground, gazing at the airport and the
planes, alone; no one will speak to her, and she will speak to no one, but
the teachers."

    Gadget piped up. "They pick on me, Daddy, 'cause I don't have a Mommy."

    Geegaw realized what was happening. Because she had no mother, she was
different from the other children, and therefore they treated her as
strange. ::But what am I to do?:: he pondered. ::No one else is worthy to
be her mother than Helen!::

    He couldn't think of anything to do, but he would try. "Gadget, Mrs.
MacNeille here wants you to go to First Grade, with the bigger kids. Would
you like that?"

    "Really?!? Wow! Yeah! Oh, please Daddy, please!" The principal felt
trapped, and so she agreed. But she made sure, with a single look, that
Geegaw knew that he had to do something. Soon.



VII- The Morning of Change -VII

    The sun started to peek through the viewport that makes up the window
of Geegaw's room. Gadget was still laying on the dust-covered bed, and she
had picked up enough of it to make her wildly messed up hair look a little
like an old orange featherduster. She began to awaken, her eyes still a
little tight from crying. She rolled over, and when she did, her arm fell
off the side of the bed and brushed up against the frame.

    "Yeeeeooooooowwww!" She looked down and saw that she was bleeding
heavily. She ran to the bathroom and, heaving a sigh of relief, tied a
washcloth around the wound, stemming the flow. She looked into the mirror,
an odd feeling crossing her mind. Gently, she traced the curves of her face
with her paw; the feel of her face, the expression on her reflection,
nothing about her seemed like herself. It was as if the person before her
was *not* her, but just someone she met in passing, but who is haunting
her. She slowly stepped back, followed by the stranger, and turned away.
She returned to the bed.

    She had not seen the envelope stuck in the corner of the all-white bed,
but now it was blood-stained and she found it. "My birth certificate?" She
gasped, and read further. Date of Birth, May 20, 1970. Time of Birth,
11:16pm. Excited, skipped to the middle. "Guardians." She thought she would
see Geegaw first, but instead..."Helen Hackwrench? Mom?"  The signature
below it, not her mother's, was instead Geegaw's handwriting. "Why would he
sign for Mom?"

  She saw something else in the envelope, and pulled it out. She had seen
Monty's baby pictures, Zipper hadn't any, and Chip and Dale were apparently
embarrassed, so they didn't show them. Now, she held her own.

    They had faded with time, but it was of a baby, female mouse with
pretty orange hair and a sweet little pink cherry-shaped nose, sleeping
peacefully in a hospital nursery crib. With tears coming to her eyes, she
held the picture to her breast, hugging it. She had found a piece of her
past, and she looked at it for what seemed like forever.

    She turned the picture around to see if there was anything written on
it. "'Dr. Stones, MD, head of Maternity Ward, May 20, 1970, New York
Central Hospital, Animal Division.'" She thought for a moment. "I know
where that is!" She sprinted toward the door, with a last glance back to
see if she had missed anything else. She didn't even look to see how much
of a mess she was; frankly, she didn't care.



VIII- A Birthday to Remember -VIII

    Gadget had waited a whole year for another one; she was practically
bursting by May! This was going to be a special birthday: her tenth! Her
dad had said that, once she was ten, he would let her ride in his plane,
and maybe he'd teach her how to fly it!

    A nice, bright, clear day was ahead of them. The air was fine and the
wind was cooperating nicely for a rookie flight. Instead of taking her
home, Geegaw took her to his hangar, and showed her the Ultra Flite. The
advanced two-prop mouse-sized airplane sat, charged and ready for takeoff.
She was always amazed at the size of it.

    Taking a moment to admire the machine, she turned to greet her dad who
had quietly walked up behind her. "Golly, Dad! You tried that once before,
last week."

    He gave her an innocent smile. "Oh, yeah, I did." He kept smiling. "So,
is my little princess ready for her first flight?"

    Her eyes grew wide, then she blushed. "Yes, Dad."

*-*-*

    Taxiing down the runway was as exciting as the actual flight; she
watched Geegaw intently, remembering what he pressed, when he did it, and
what he told her when she asked why. She was bursting with questions, but
wisely waited until they were up in the air. Suddenly, the world dropped
from underneath her, and they were flying. They were flying!

    Geegaw's insides were in as much turmoil as their trailing wind. How
could he let her fly the plane? She could die! She was all he had left of
Helen. If he lost her, he would have no reason to live. ::But how can I
keep the joys of flight, of soaring faster than the wind, from her?:: So he
began to tell Gadget how to fly.

    He was astonished at how quickly she was picking it up. The complex
instruments and numerous displays didn't even phase her. "Golly, Dad, this
is great!" she said in a completely confident tone.

    Gadget felt connected to the plane; it obeyed her every command, and
she felt as free as if all that was flying was herself. "Daddy, I saw you
take off, and I think I can land. Can I try?"

    His first sense of danger melted with her confident voice. "Sure, go
ahead. Can you see the runway?" Ten minutes later, they landed, more
smoothly than the ride began. "Okay, now turn off the engines."

    Geegaw had to help after she had managed to turn on the windshield
wipers and turn off the wheel brakes. When everything was straight, they
heard a voice calling. "Geegaw, ol' pal, 'ow'd th' ride go? Still alive, I
see. 'Ow many times you going t' fly that rusty bucket o' bolts?"

    "Monterey!" "Uncle Monty!"

    Geegaw jumped out of the plane. "Well, if it isn't old Cheezebread
Cheddarhead! Stepped on any Brie lately?"

    Monty mumbled something incoherent, but probably not flattering. Then
he said, "Geegaw, could I talk t' you for a minute?"

    He sent Gadget home with some money for take-out for dinner. "What is
it, Monty?"

    "Well, do you remember that air race you signed up for?" "Yeah, why?"
"Well, do you remember the old mouse behind you?" "Sure, we talked about
his plane." "Well, he just crashed yesterday. He's *DEAD*, Geegaw! I'm
worried about you. Who's going to take care of Gadget if you go to the big
mousehole in the sky?"

    Geegaw laughed. "Monty, Monty, Monty! Air racing is my greatest dream.
I can't give it up! Besides, that was just a coincidence. I'm not going to
let Gadget fly until she's at least twenty, anyway. Don't worry about us."



IX- The Doctor is In -IX

    Gadget hurriedly walked to the Ward of the New York Animals' Hospital.
After trampling two other mice in her haste, she made it to the front desk,
almost braining the nurse on duty when she slipped on the rug made of
National Geographics from 1963. "Nurse, I'm here to see Dr. Stones. Is he
in?"

    After she recovered, she said, "You're lucky; he's just about to end
his shift. Do you want to wait while I fetch him? Okay." She left, and
returned five minutes later. "Miss, the doctor is in his office." She led
Gadget down three hallways, around a corner, and finally to an open door.

    "Dr. Stones?" she hesitatingly asked, afraid that she had the wrong one
after all.

    "Yes, may I help you?"

    "Yes, um, my name is Gadget, and..."

    "Gadget? Your name is Gadget? Gadget Hackwrench?" His face lost all
expression. "Miss Hackwrench, yes, I remember you. I...I delivered you many
years ago, twenty perhaps? No, it was twenty-seven. Yes, twenty-seven years. 
I have your file right here. I've kept it up-to-date as much as I could...I 
just knew you would be special, so I kept your file available. One moment...
we really do have an excellent system here. One moment..." He fumbled the 
latch on the drawer and leaned down to it to hide his face; he couldn't keep 
the sadness off of it anymore. "One moment...great system, bad cabinets. 
They really need to fix these things...Ah." He pulled out her file. "Here 
you are, literally." Now composed, he turned toward her.

    He looked at her with a look of sympathy as she flipped through the
pages, coming to the one dated May 20, 1970. When she saw his face, she
knew he knew. She began to feel light-headed. "Gadget, do you know what
happened to your mother?"

    She tried to respond, but she couldn't do anything but squeak.
::Funny,:: she thought, ::I seem to be doing that a lot lately.::

    The doctor responded to his own question. "I'm going to tell you the
whole truth; you'll have to hear it some time anyway. One week before your
birth was expected, your mother contracted a disease that weakened her
immune system and muscles. Her condition worsened steadily, and we were
worried about you, and so we attempted a Cesarean, but her body wouldn't
take it. We induced labor chemically, and gave birth to you. However, she
used so much energy saving your life that she had none left for herself.
She went into cardiac arrest, and died, three minutes and twelve seconds
after you entered the world. But she had seen you, and had heard you cry.
She took her last breath with a smile on her face."

    By now, she was sobbing uncontrollably, and the doctor moved to hug
her. "Your father left a package here for you, if you ever happened to come
back. Here." He handed her an envelope. "Take it home. Take your file too;
we have a backup copy we'll keep." He hesitated. "Your father loved you
very much, Gadget. More than his plane, more than himself, more than his
very life. Your mother died, but you lived. Your father died, but you
became a success, and have helped countless people *and* animals. You have
led a life with more goodness and accomplishment in it than any man, beast,
or God could ask. You have become a very special person, my dear. Just
remember that." He squeezed her one last time, then released her. She stood
up, shook his hand, and found her way out, thanking him as she closed the
door.

    He listened to her footsteps as they faded with distance. He buzzed the
nurse. "Take messages for my calls, and don't bother me until I start my
shift tomorrow, please. I have some things to do."

    "Yes, Doctor," said her voice, tinny through the tiny box on his desk.
"Have a good evening."

    "I'll be leaving shortly; I have a few things to tidy up here. Good
night, Mrs. Flanagan."

    "Good night, Doctor."

    He plopped down onto his chair, spent. All the emotions he had been
holding in now broke out. ::Why did it have to be this way? I'm a Doctor!
I'm sworn to protect and preserve life, not death and sadness. Dammit, I
couldn't save her! WHY!::

    He cried himself to his car, and sobbed his way home.

*-*-*

    Gadget began making her way back to headquarters. She had found her
father's room. She had found her birth certificate. She had found the
doctor that delivered her. She had found the truth about her mother. At the
bottom of the envelope was an address and key to a safe-deposit box. In it,
she might find even more about her past. But she still had not found the
answer to her question. She knew how, and when, and what, and who, and
where. She knew the facts. But...

    Why?

IX- Was She My Mother? -IX

    The roaring of a huge jet plane overhead made Gadget jump out of bed.
She was normally used to it but this one was particularly low, add to that
the rain outside.  She made her way out of her bed and walked lazily over to 
the viewport-window of her room.  She could not see out because of the rain  
hitting the window.  Occasionally, lightning would strike outside, and she
would see a sillouhette of some object she just happened to be focused on.
    Her ears perked up when she heard something stirring down the hall.  The
door was pulled to, so she assumed that her father must have awoke to check
up on her, and couldn't go back to sleep.  She made her way to the door and
opened it up.  Lightning struck outside and she could see her shadow on the
other wall.  She started to make her way down the hall to the kitchen.
    She stopped and peered around the corner.  Her dad was sitting in a chair
next to the kitchen table, reading something small.  A little red book with 
a brass border that almost looked like a diary. She had never seen it before,
and she doubted her father kept a diary.  All he was interested in keeping  
was a pilot's log so he could qualify for his upcoming air race.  She tried 
her best not to make a sound as she watched her father tenderly turning the 
pages as if something delicate was on them.  "Oh, Helen"  He slowly 
closed the book and and turned it over.  "Why did you have to leave so soon?"
    Gadget could not keep from talking any longer.  "Daddy?"  Geegaw wasn't 
startled by her young voice, since he was very used to it.  He slowly turned 
around in his chair.  "What princess?"  She walked in and sat on the other 
side of the table.  "Who's, Helen?"  Geegaw couldn't think of anything to 
say.  He was too afraid that, if he told her, she would think her mother's 
death was her falt.  "Well..."  Geegaw paused for a slight moment to think
about how to word what he was about to say next.  "Princess.  Helen was a
woman who was very close to me."  
    "Where is she now?"  Gadget could tell that her father was very upset, 
but she had to ask.  Geegaw looked at the diary.  "She's, gone, and she will
never be back."  Geegaw was expecting another barage of questions, but he
noticed how tired she was, she was yawning every minute and having trouble
keeping her eyes open.  "You need to get back to sleep princess.  Wouldn't
wan't to start your first day of the sixth grade without some shuteye now 
would you."  She tried to nod her head in agreement, but she was too tired.
She slowly stood up and started walking to her room, almost hitting the wall
in the process.  Geegaw stood up and followed her into her room to tuck her
in.  
    Geegaw took the sheets and laid them gently over her body.  She was so
tired her she had her eyes closed and never opened them.  Geegaw was just
about to get up to walk out when Gadget asked a question that made him stop
dead in his track.  "Daddy, was Helen, " she yawned weakly ", my, mom?" 
Geegaw turned around.  Gadget had just made it easy for him to answer.  Now
would never be a better time.  But he was still afraid that she would ask
more questions.  But then his consious told him he should.  He opened his 
mouth to speak, but he was too late.  Gadget had already fallen asleep.    
    He slowly made his way out of her room and turned around.  Just then,
after a flash of lightning once more and a crack of thunder, the rain stopped.
Geegaw grinned a little.  "Princess, you'll find out soon enough."  He slowly
closed the door.  

X- The Figure In The Mirror -X

    After a she had hitched a ride on a bus that took her near central park
and a little bit of a walk thereafter, Gadget stood looking at RRHQ.  The
big Oak tree's shadow stood directly beneath it, the hot sun being blocked
by the leaves.  "Funny, that's why Chip never said we needed an Air 
Conditioner," she thought to herself and grinned. 
    She was trying to hide the emotions that were causing her to be sick to
her stomach.  Her mother died because of her.  How could she forget that,
how would she live with herself?  She slowly made her way to the foot of
the massive tree, she slowly opened the door at the root and made it in.
Chip and Dale had no problem climbing trees but Monty and Gadget didn't have
tough enough claws to attempt the feat.  She could remember Monty trying
once but only making it a foot up before falling on his back.  So they 
spent a month tunneling out a spiral staircase and a Garage for the 
Rangers land vehicles that Gadget had made.  She slowly walked up the 
staircase and opened the door.
    "Hiya Gadget."  Dale stood up from the couch and walked over to her.
"Hi Dale," Gadget said this with such a low tone that even Dale could 
tell she was depressed.  Gadget looked down and walked around him with
a frown on her face.  "Where are the others?"  Dale answered with a small  
frown on her face, "They're gone, they said something about getting something
for you for when you get back.  Are you okay?"
    Gadget paused for a second then answered.  "Yes Dale, I just have alot
on my mind that's all."  Dale thought for a moment and then had an idea to 
cheer her up.  "How could you have alot on your mind when all I see on your
head is your goggles?"  Gadget looked up at him with sort of a semi-sarcastic
look on her face.  She patted him on the shoulder with her paw.  "Good try,
but it didn't work.  Thanks for trying though."  She quietly got up and left.
    After a nice long shower she reached out for a towl on the rack.    
Putting it on, she walked out of the shower.  The water in her hair, and on
her arms and face, suddenly cooled off and she shivered a little.  She walked  
over to the sink and looked at herself in the mirror.  She picked up the
comb beside the sink and started brushing her long hair.  
    She could hear shouting in one of the other rooms.  It sounded like the
two chipmunks were at it again.  She grinned a little and continued brushing  
her hair.  It was not until she noticed her face in the mirror that she 
stopped.  She slowly put down the brush and looked at herself in the mirror.  
There she was again.  That face in the mirror.  Like before, Gadget gently
moved her paw against the damp curves of her face.  Again, it didn't feel
or look like it was her face.  Who was it, or, who was she.  She slowly
stepped back to look at her whole towl covered figure in the mirror.  Sure
enough, even her figure looked unfamaliar.  She turned to look at her from
her side.  Still, again, it was unfamaliar.  
    "What's going on?" She thought to herself.  The ghostly image, which she
knew was her own, but did not seem to be, was staring at her.  Her expression
changed, so did the expression of the figure in the mirror.  "Am I going 
crazy?"  She thought to herself.  The cold water had dried by now and  
her shivers went.  She noticed this in the figure on the mirror as well.
She shook her head and went to her closet.  She opened it.  "What to wear?"
She smiled a little bit, she always weared coveralls.  But this time she
felt like wearing something different.  She had other clothes that she had
barely worn so she decided to try them on.  One by one, until she found one
that she liked.