The Partridges walked slowly back toward their home. Some of the kids chattered among themselves, but Keith was lost in a reverie of thought. Laurie giggled to her mother as Keith strolled on ahead.
"Keith just fell for Kimberly," Laurie remarked.
Shrilly sighed. "I was getting the feeling that Joseph didn't really approve of Keith taking an interest in Kim, though I think Megan really didn't mind. Joseph just seemed really uptight about the idea that Kim would associate with Keith.
"Why?" Laurie asked. "Keith is a really nice guy at heart, even if he is awfully unlucky in love sometimes."
Shirley shook her head. "Look at your brother from Joseph's point of view. Look at his hair, the way he dresses. Remember that he is the one that keeps making the cover of the teen magazines."
Laurie sighed. "He looks like a teenage Casanova."
"Precisely," Shirley replied. "I'm afraid that Keith will just have to prove himself-- or cut off his hair and quit the band to please Joseph."
"He wouldn't actually cut off his hair and quit playing music just to please Kim's father, would he?" Laurie asked, horrified.
"I don't know, but I doubt it. Keith feels a lot of duty to the family. But Joseph's expectations of an 'acceptable' boy to date his daughter may cause Keith a lot of heartache."
By the time that Shirley and the three other Partridges returned to the house, Keith was already home and taking a shower. Shirley settled on the couch and tried to take her mind off the haunting girl who had captured Keith's heart. After the shower shut off, Shirley headed upstairs t have a talk with her firstborn. She found Kieth in his bedroom. He had donned a T-shirt and a pair of pajama pants and was sitting on his bed strumming his guitar.
"Keith, I noticed that you were interested in Kim this evening."
"She's stunning." Keith said, but then his eyes went downcast. "But I don't think her father likes me."
"Just be careful, Keith," Shirley said wth a sigh. "I don't want to see you get hurt over this."
Keith nodded. "But I can't just abandon her. She looked so alone, and she's left all of her friends behind in New Jersey. And I doubt that her father will want to move back to New Jersey after her treatment, since he's making more money from his job out here."
Shirley gave Keith a brief hug. "I love you, Keith."
The next afternoon, the Partridge kids were walking home from school as usual. As tey passed the old Kellerman house where the Hamills now lived, Keith noticed that Kim was sitting on the porch, looking distant. She wasn't paying attention to the world around her, that much was clear. From the textbooks and notebook restng on the wicker table by the swing, Keith could see that she had been working on her schoolwork.
"Tell Mom I'll be home in an hour!" Keith called out to Laurie as he turned up the brick walk that led to the proch of the stucco house.
Laurie just shook her head. Her brother was smitten. Totally and utterly smitten.
Keith trotted gently up the stairs to the front porch. Kiem was resting on a swing suspenede from teh roof of the porch. Keith sat donw on the wide ledge on top of the low front wall of the porch and leaned back against one of the columns of the porch.
"Hi," Keith said softly.
Kim looked up and gave him a winning smile. "Hi Keith. Im glad that you decided to stop off and see me."
Keith's smile grew slowly. "It's nothing. I just figured that you would be getting lonely."
Kim smiled softly. "With my mother hovering over me and checking on me every ten minutes? Not truly lonely. Just lonely for someone new to talk to."
Keith flicked a loose lock of his shaggy brown hair back over his shoulder and loosened his collar a bit. "I'm glad that I can brighten up your day."
Kim allowed her eyes to wander over Keith's slender body. With his shaggy locks tidily combed back and dressed in a button-down shirt and dark trousers, he really no longer looked the part of a young teen idol. The night before, he had been every inch a sensual teen idol in his formfitting jeans and chest-revealing shirt. Now he lookd like an innovent neighborhood boy.
Keith smiled a bit as he recognized that Kim was checking out his body. He started to sing softly, half to her and half to himself. "Will there come a day when you and I can say we can finally see each other..."
Kim's face lit up as she smiled. "That's beautiful!"
"Thanks," Keith said, blushing modestly. "It's a song that my family performs. We recorded and released it a few months ago."
"How wonderful. Did you write it?" Kim asked.
Keith's flush deepened. Shyness began to creep into his voice and demeanor. Kim was beautiful and genuinely interested in him. It was not a situation that Kieht was used to. He was used to being dumped and rejected; this was a new experience.
"Yes, I did write it," Keith said. "I write most of the songs that we perform."
Kim looked downward. "I wish that I had talent like that."
Keith's heart immediately sank, and he wished that he had said something differently. "I didn't mean to upset you. I'm sure that you have a talent of your own. I just happen to be musical."
Kim didn't look up. "I can draw, but my father didn't think much of that. So I never got to take any art classes to develop my talent tge wat tgt you have developed your musical talent."
"I wish I could help you," Keith said, feeling decidedly helpless. "But I get the distinct feekubg tgat your father doesn't approve of me."
"I know," Kim said, her face paler than usual. Her skin appeared almost gray and she clutched at her stomach.
Keith left his seat on the porch rail and ran to Kim. He slowly helped her to lay down on the seat of the swing. "What's wrong?" Keith asked frantically.
"It's... okay, Keith," Kim said. "I just get... abdominal cramps sometimes..... From the tumor... it's pressing... on a nerve," Kim's voice broke, and she was gasping for breath.
"Stay here, don't try to get up," Keith said. "I'm going to get your mother.
Keith dashed into the house, desperately heading for the kitchen. He hoped that Kim's mother was in the kitchen and would know how to help her daughter. He burst through the kitchen door and startled Megan Hamill.
"Something is wrong with Kim!" Keith said desperately.
Megan set down the canister of salt that she had been using to season the pot of soup on the stove. She followed Keith back out to the porch.
"She said that it was just abdominal cramps from...." Keith couldn't quite bring himself to mention Kim's growth. "But she looked absolutely terrible. Her face turned gray."
Keith's voice trailed off as they reached the porch. Kim's face was almost green, and cold sweat dampened her brow. She had curled up into a fetal position and was trying to stifle her moans.
"Oh, Kim!" Megan said, as she bent over her daughter. "You're getting worse."
Kim's breath was coming in gasps. "I didn't... want... to make... you worry..."
"Keith, can you help me carry her?" Megan asked. "I want to get her inside, onto the couch."
Keith nodded, before kneeling down and helping Megan lift Kim's shaking body and carry her in. They laid Kim down on the couch. After Kim was resting securely on the couch, Keith stood by, feeling helpless.
Megan sat down next to Kim on the couch. "Sweetie, why didn't you tell me that the cramping was getting worse?" Megan asked.
"I don't want you having any more reasons to worry about me!" Kim said, as her body began to relax. "It would only make you and Dad restrict my life even more."
"You know that we only want to help you get better," Megan said.
"No!" Kimberly snapped out. "Every time that I get worse, you cling to me tighter, and restrict my life even more! Every time that I get worse, you take away more of my life!"
"That's not true," Megan replied. "We just don't want you to overexert yourself and make yourself worse. As you go through your treatment, you'll need all of your strength to fight the cancer. You can't afford to waste your strength."
"I need a life too!" Kim said.
Keith quietly edged toward the door before speaking. "I should be going. I've got homework to do, and I haven't been home yet."
"Can't you stay a bit yet, Keith?" Kim asked.
"Kim, you need to rest right now," Megan said.
"It's not like Keith is going to take me out for a night on the town or anything. Stop trying to drive him away!" Kim said.
Keith cleared his throat. "I really do need to get home. I told Laurie to tell my mother that I would be home in an hour, and it's already past that. We need to rehearse in the afternoon too. I really can't afford to miss that."
"Will you come back tonight?" Kim asked hopefully. "I'm so lonely here in San Pueblo. I haven't gotten to meet much of anyone else yet, and I just want to talk."
"I'll try to come back after dinner," Keith said, although Megan was scowling at him a bit. "If it's all right with your parents and I can finish my homework quckly enough."
Megan thought a bit. "We should be done with dinner by seven-thirty. You can stop in for awhile then. I can't very well cut Kim off completely from her friends."
Keith nodded. "I'll try to get my homework done and the band whipped into shape quickly."
Kim looked hopefully up at Keith. "Can you bring your guitar along when you come back? I'd love to hear you play."
"I can," Keith said. "But it'll have to be the acoustic, not the electric. Unless I can convince Danny to haul my amp along, and besides, I doubt that your parents want me playing it in the living room."
Megan nodded. "The regular guitar is fine, but we can live without the electric one."
"I'll come back later then, " Keith said, before heading out the front door and down the sunlit sidewalk of Sycamore Lane.