"Hello?" Beitiris answered it with a surprising amount of insouciance.

Tegwen stirred on the couch. Avoiding laying on the cast on her right arm proved to be extremely difficult. It almost didn't seem worth it just to see the big red digits on the cable box blaring the current time; 10:55 in the morning. It's probably Dad, Tegwen realized, sitting up slowly. Calling to check up on me, I bet.

"Well . . . Yes, she is," Beitiris replied slowly. "May I ask who's calling, please?"

Tegwen frowned. Okay, I guess it's not Dad, then.

"Oh!" Beitiris gasped slightly. "Yes, she's okay, so to speak . . . Okay . . . Well, let me check, Mr. Crackshell, but I think she's still asleep."

Tegwen quickly stumbled to her feet from the couch. "I'm awake!" She cried. "I'm awake!"

Beitiris glanced over at her daughter. "She's awake, Mr. Crackshell. Hang on just a moment." Beitiris covered the mouthpiece with her hand. "He must be calling on his lunch break," she whispered, handing the phone over to Tegwen.

"Knowing Mr. McDuck, I'd better make this quick, then," Tegwen replied, taking the phone from her mother.

"Hello?" Tegwen spoke into the mouthpiece nervously.

"Tegwen! Are you all right?" Fenton sounded anxious on the other end of the line.

Tegwen set his jacket down on the island in the kitchen and laid her head down on it. "I'm okay. I have a fractured bone in my right arm and I've got more stitches than I'd care to think about. Lots of bruising. I don't even know what injuries I got from what bully." She carefully didn't say what she needed the stitches for and prayed he wouldn't ask. On the list of things she didn't want to talk about, that was paramount.

"Aww! I wish I could help . . . Well, I'm glad you're okay, though!"

Tegwen sighed. "My dad probably made it sound worse than it really is." While that may have been true, it couldn't have been much of a stretch. Not unless he'd said she died in the gym. Although she had dreamt that scenario a few times too many.

"I'd have to judge that for myself . . ."

Slowly, Tegwen realized what he was getting at. "Yes. Yes, you would, wouldn't you?"

Fenton chuckled. "Well, I don't want to get on Mr. McDuck's bad side . . . He's not been too pleased since finding out about the accident."