Part 3

Adam hadn't made it that day because of clowns. Yes, clowns. He was on the way to the flower shop to get Katie flowers to brighten up her hospital room. But after getting the flowers (he has horrible taste in flowers by the way) on the way back to the hospital at the stoplight in front of him was a yellow v-w bug. And the ludicrous people in the car were doing the chinese fire drill.



He was already impatient because half of his rehersal that day was dedicated to him sitting back and listening to the wood winds play the same stupid measure 20,000 times over and over and over again. And the other half of rehersal was dedicated to him counting 100 straight measures of rest. All making for an annoying day.

Upon another glance he noticed that not only were these people still doing the chinese fire drill and he had a green light, but that they were also all dressed in clown costumes.

The trail of clowns never seemed to end.

How many clowns could be crammed into one small car? Adam figured out the answer, a bunch.

Finally Adam realized that he wouldn't have enough time to go in and see Katie and make it back in time for his tuba sectional.

Since he was the principal tuba player it is was pretty important that he set a good example and got there early, no matter the situation.

**

Meanwhile Katie was watching TV wondering why Adam hadn't come that day. She had heard buzz that a record was trying to be made outside her window.

Something about the record number of people you could involve in a chinese fire drill and how many people you could fit in a car.

The news was covering it hour by hour, the people just had to keep it going for 3 hours. They just dressed up as clowns for extra laughs, make the record even more unbearable to break.

They were talking about the public's opinion of this record being made, most of the people interviewed were just wanting to be on camera, and had nothing good to say. Overall, the message was that the public approved and that no one had any problems finding extra routes.

But Adam knew this was untrue, even after he was driving away he heard the most honks he's heard in a five minute time span. The public was NOT ok with this.

**

After Adams sectionals were over he drived as quickly as he could to the hospital, but when he got in the room Katie was already asleep.

Adam was so frustrated with himself he felt like punching through the wall. No, that's not true, he felt like hunting down those clowns and giving them a piece of his mind.

Today was going to be the day he was going to tell her how he really felt, he had even bought her flowers. But none of that mattered anymore because she had fallen asleep and he knew how important sleep was to her recovery. Besides, visitation hours would be over in ten minutes. He had lost his opurtune moment, and tomorrow he had an exam in the morning and a concert that night.

After realizing that he had even lost the chance to tell her he wouldn't be able to come tomorrow he was even more upset with himself.

Coming up with a spur of the moment idea he sprinted out of the hospital room towards the gift shop, if he were lucky he would get there and it would still be open. Turns out he had some luck left. He purchased a small ugly girraffe looking thing, it was the only stuffed animal that didn't say "It's a boy!" or something of that text. After purchasing it he ran back to her room.

But just before entering her room the nurse pushed him back while telling him that visitation time was over and that unless he was direct family he wasn't alowed inside.

He asked the nurse if she would give her the stuffed animal and note to her, but the nurse must have had some chip on her shoulder because she refused and said that he could give it to the front desk to be delivered every afternoon like everyone else.

Well that was a fantastic end to his day, Adam thought. Adam was so mad that he forgot about taking the giraffe to the front desk and just drove back to his appartment.

***

Meanwhile Katie's parents had just called the french horn players who used to be in her section in high school. They heard and saw how devastated and upset Katie was and they knew the only people who could ever cheer her up was her old "horn family".

They were always the one who when she was so mad would bluntly tell her to take a chill pill, or when she was sad they would comfort her and threaten to make the person pay who did this to her. Or when she was happy they would all just go mentally insane for a little while. And when she was hurt just make her laugh the pain away.

Even though they had parted their ways to different colleges, they still tried to keep up.

Amanda had gone to UCF and was majoring in film, Chris went to FSU to major in music education, Kat the same, Julian and Sam both went to some Ivy league school and are probably making some genious discovery while at the same time making everyone who they meet laugh, Laura joined the FSU circus and is the best one there, Tommy quit band and dropped off of the face of the earth, and Leah is at TCC getting her nursing degree.

But what Katie didn't know was that tomorrow she would get a surprise from each and every one in person.

They airfare and travel arrangements had already been planned. Amanda would drive up to Tallahassee and would catch a flight to New York with Kat, Chris, and Leah. Julian and Sam were getting there somehow, they didn't want us to know how. Laura was already in New York because she was trying out for Cirque du Solei that week. Tommy would get there somehow.