The Flu

"Andrew, where are you?" Melinda asked when her ex husband answered his phone. She was having absolutely no luck with getting her mother to reply but thankfully Andrew was a different story.

"Looking for your mother." Andrew told her. "Which I'm afraid hasn't been very successful so far."

"Andrew, I really think you should go back to your hotel and see about finding a way back to Culver." Melinda told him. Her mother had already dropped in on the hotel. Surely she wouldn't return there. Unless she thought they would all be thinking that and…. "Is there some way you can change hotels to be safe?"

"You think your mother might try dropping in?" Andrew said with a slight laugh. "That would be just like her, I know, but she did say in the note to give her a call when I was in town again. I don't think she would have put things like that if she had any ideas about turning my hotel room into a hide out." Although, it might not actually be a bad thing if Lian and Peggy did drop in. He really didn't like how that poor woman they had kidnapped had hit her head and it didn't seem like Nick had been in the greatest shape either in what he had been able to see from that kidnapping. Maybe he should stop by the drug store for supplies just in case.

"No one knows where they are so who knows what they might do." Melinda told him. "Maria's got Romanov looking for them. She's going to head into town to start searching places as soon as she clears the Triskellion."

"Well, she might have a chance against your mom and Peggy. Let her know I checked out your mom's place. No sign of them there. Of course, they could always double back, but right now it's empty. Andrew said.

"I'll pass it along, but Andrew, I really think that you need to get back to your hotel. John suggested that Dottie Underwood might turn up in this disaster and…."

"With how this has been airing on tv, I would be seriously wondering what she was up to if Dottie didn't show up." Andrew said. "Hasn't your mother worked with Dottie before, too? Not just Peggy?"

"Yes my mother has. She says Dottie is interesting, which is something that I am finding extremely alarming at the moment." Melinda told him. "Andrew, if Dottie gets involved in this….."

"If Dottie gets involved in this, I think the police are seriously in trouble." Andrew said. "Melinda, I know Dottie, or I know enough about her. I know your mom. I know Peggy. I know to fear any and all senior citizens at this point. I'll be fine."

"Andrew, Dottie is…."

"Dottie is Romanov, only more likely to kill you. I've heard about her. If she does get involved in this mess, someone should probabley warn Stark that he needs to lie low for awhile. Does she still want to kill him?"

"She wants to kill Stark's father, not him. She'll just settle for killing him. And at the moment Stark is here."

"Stark's there and you're worried about me?"

"We're hoping some sort of lesbian sisterhood will keep Dottie from attacking Victoria's building." Melinda told him. "Andrew, if Dottie is out there, she's dangerous, no matter how old she is. If you run into her….."

"Melinda, I know very well that all three of the senior citizens currently on the loose are dangerous. I'm not underestimating them at all because they're older, trust me." Andrew told her. "I know what all of them can do and I'm not going to take any chances with them. If I see one of them. I'll call Maria and let her know before I do anything else. I'm not going to take any chances. Believe me, I know what those three are capable of."

Melinda frowned. If Andrew ran into her mother and Peggy, while frightening, at least she didn't think her mother would do anything to purposely hurt him. Accidentally injuring him like that poor woman had been injured though, that concerned her, and if he met Dottie…. "Andrew, I know you know my mother and Peggy but Dottie…."

"If I run into Dottie Underwood, which would honestly surprise me unless she's seriously slipping because I don't have a clue where she could be like I might have ideas with your mom, I will avoid mentioning Starks, or if she is complaining loudly about the Stark family, I will totally agree with her about any and all objections she has to their continued existence." Andrew told her. "Melinda, it's fine. I know I don't have the type of training you have. I don't have any sort of training. But I really don't like the way that woman they took hit her head. She really needs some sort of medical attention and Nick was looking shaky. If I can find them and do something to help them, I need to try."

"My mother likes you, but you know that doesn't mean that she wouldn't happily kidnap you, right?" Melinda told him.

"Your mother knows that I'm in town. Even if I was locked up in my hotel room, do you think that would keep her from kidnapping me if she and Peggy decided that they wanted to?" His mother in law knew where he was. Could she show up for him? He wasn't really the sort of doctor they would need if that poor woman got worse but still…. "I'll go by the drug store just in case. It will be fine."

"Andrew, I don't want you to get in the middle of this. With people underestimating Peggy…."

"Anyone who's underestimating Peggy are the ones who are going to be in trouble." Andrew told her. "Melinda, let me do this, okay? That poor woman and Nick need help, not to mention poor Sharon after being in the car with her aunt. The odds are I won't be able to find them, but I feel like I need to try to do something to help."

"Andrew…"

"Anyway, your mom knows where my hotel room is. It might be safer if I'm not there at the moment in case she comes looking for me. If I can not be where she expects me to be and if I can look for her at the same time, doesn't that seem like a better idea?" Andrew told her.

When he put it like that, it did make sense. She didn't like it, the very notion of Andrew mixed up in this after the pain Shield had caused him, but keeping him out of his hotel room and moving might be better. "If you see them, call Maria. If you even think you see them, call Maria."

"Believe me, I will. I know what they're capable of, Melinda. I won't underestimate them, I promise." Andrew told her.

"Just be careful." Melinda told him before ending the call. Careful. Surely he would be careful. He said he would be careful but…. She dialed her mother once more. "Mother, where are you?!"