"Abby?" Benton Fraser called as he hung his coat in the closet. There was no answer, which was unusual. His daughter sometimes stopped at a friend's house after school, but she was always home by the time he was. He went into the kitchen and checked the answering machine, but its light was steady. No messages. No notes on the table or the fridge, either. He called again as he headed for the bedroom he shared with Ray, unbuttoning his tunic as he went, but there was still no response. Finally, after changing into jeans and a dark blue shirt, he knocked on her bedroom door and opened it.

Abby was asleep on the bed, curled up with her knees pressed almost to her chest. Relief turned quickly to a new kind of concern as Ben went into the room and gently laid a hand on her forehead. It was warm, but no warmer than normal for a sleeping person. She stirred under his hand, and green eyes blinked sleepily up at him.

"Hey, Dad." She yawned.

"Hi. Are you all right?"

"Yeah. I don't feel great, but I dont really feel sick, either. I thought it might help if I took a nap."

"Did it?"

"A little, maybe."

"Can I get you anything?"

She thought for a few seconds. "Could you turn on the radio?"

"I think I can handle that." Brushing the dark curls away from her face with his fingers, he gave her a sympathetic half-smile and got up, pressing the button on her radio as he passed. A woman's voice came out, singing something about darkness and being lonely. With a mental shrug, he added, "Call me if you need anything," and went back downstairs to the living room.

~Wednesday, October 12, 2016, 5:48 pm~

"Hey, Benny." Ray closed the door behind himself, hanging his tan overcoat between the navy-blue peacoat and dark green school blazer that were already there. Kicking off his shoes, he sank down onto the couch beside his partner. "Where's Abby?"

"In her room. She's not feeling well."

"She OK?"

"I think so. She was asleep when I came home, and she doesn't have a fever."

"You think I should check on her?"

"Ray, I just checked on her fifteen minutes ago. I'm sure she's fine; she just needs her rest."

With a worried glance at the stairs, Ray turned his attention to the stack of envelopes Ben was sorting through on the coffee table. "Anything good in the mail?"

"Bills, mostly." A door opened upstairs, and footsteps padded toward the bathroom. They didn't sound distressed, so after a pause, Ben continued. "And the Readers Digest, and Cricket for Abby."

"Maybe that'll make her feel better." Ray picked up the childrens magazine and leafed through it, then stood up. "I'll go take it up to her."

Abby was still in the bathroom when Ray reached it, so he knocked on the door. "Abby? You OK in there?"

"Daddy?"

"Yeah, honey, its me. Your dad said you weren't feeling well."

"Oh."

There was a moment of silence as she neither confirmed nor denied the statement. "Your new Cricket's here. You want me to pass it to you?"

"Okay." Ray opened the door a crack and stuck his arm in, withdrawing it as he felt the magazine taken from his grasp. "Thanks, Daddy."

"No problem. You need anything else, or should I go back downstairs?"

"Um..." Her voice was hesitant, and his heartbeat sped up as he waited for her answer. "Daddy? I... um... I think I started my... my period."

Ray jerked as though hed been shot. "You what? Are you sure?"

"I think so."

With great effort, he managed to keep his voice steady and no more than an octave above its normal pitch. "Okay, honey. We'll take care of this. You just... you just stay right there, and well get you what you need."

Her answer was faint, embarrassed and trusting. "Okay."

*****

Ray didn't remember the trip down the stairs. Slowly Ben's voice filtered into his mind, and he realized that he was asking about Abby. "She's fine," he answered. "Benny, can you run to the store?"

"Of course, Ray. What do we need?"

"Abby just started her period."

Ben stopped dead in the act of placing his newspaper on the coffee table. "Her menstrual period?"

"You know another kind?"

"And you want me to go to the store and buy... Ray, I wouldn't know what she needs."

"Well, neither do I. Just get whatever looks good. Or ask the saleswoman for help, youre good at that."

"Ray, thats not fair. I had to take her to get her first brassiere."

"Can I help it if you're better at this stuff than I am?"

"Ray..."

"Look, fine, you don't have to go. We'll call my sister."

Ben sank back in relief. "Good idea."

~Wednesday, October 12, 2016, 6:35 pm~

There was a knock on the door, and the two men scrambled to let in the angel of mercy who came bearing salvation in her hand.

"Hi, Benton, Ray." Francesca gave them each a kiss on the cheek. "I got here as fast as I could. Is she still in the bathroom?"

They nodded in confirmation, and watched with adoring eyes as she went up the stairs, purse in hand. "Thank you kindly, Francesca," Ben called after her.

"I owe ya one, Frannie," Ray added. They collapsed back onto the couch, heaving a unified sigh of relief.

Five minutes later, she was back, sinking into an easy chair with an amused smile as Ben offered her tea and her brother volunteered to hang up her purse and jacket. Finally she shook her head and laughed. "You guys are so pathetic. *Men* are pathetic. You can run a police station-- or a consulate-- you can solve murders and kidnappings, you think you can do everything, but give you a period and you're helpless."

"We're not helpless. We knew exactly what to do. We called you," Ray answered.

"See, that's exactly what I mean. Well, not anymore. Abby's changing, and when she gets down here, the four of us are going shopping."

"Shopping? You mean for... oh, dear."

"You mean you didn't bring the stuff with you?"

"Nope, just one.  Sorry, bro, you boys don't get off that easy. Sooner or later, youre gonna to have to face this, and you've got to be there for your daughter. I mean, starting her period is a big thing. She's a woman now. She's going to be going through a lot of changes, and you guys are going to have to be prepared..." She stopped as she caught sight of their faces, which were growing progressively greener. She laughed. "Come on, it'll be all right."

~Wednesday, October 12, 2016, 7:02 pm~

It was an odd little procession that marched into the appallingly-well-lit supermarket that evening. Francesca, self-assured and matronly, led the way, followed closely by Abby, embarrassed but excited, and trailed by Ben and Ray, doing their absolute best to become invisible. They reached the "Feminine Needs" aisle, and Francesca turned to face her students like a museum docent with a favorite exhibit.

"Okay. Now, feminine protection is divided into two basic types, your tampons and your pads. Since youre just starting out, youll probably want to stick to pads, because theyre easier and youve got enough to worry about right now. Now, these..." She picked up a package, explaining its special features, pointing out pros and cons, then moving on to the next.

Unbeknownst to the family, a small crowd was forming around them as men gathered in the adjoining aisles. Pretending to study the relative merits of name-brand and generic muscle rubs and deodorants, they listened in for the true explanation of what exactly a "wing" was and how many blue dots meant what on the absorbency rating. When Francesca moved on down the aisle to extol the virtues of Pamprin, three unattached males developed a sudden and intense interest in toothbrushes. Two more, who had been studying antacids in the opposite row, now found themselves faced with Gas-X and Metamucil. And when the basket, loaded with pads and pills and an electric heating pad, was finally pushed to the cashier and thence out into the night for a celebratory round of chocolate sundaes, five men trickled one by one into the deserted aisle. A girlfriend, three wives, and a daughter would be pleased with their choices.

~END~