A commission from the ever positive  adaoz

A little story - a precursor to Travis' experiences during his suspension. You'd be amazed how much time off and seeing those in need can turn around a person's personality sometimes. All it takes is the right impetus to get someone on a track of helping others who need it.

After all, one good turn deserves another. Or in this case...

---

One Good Tern...
Story by Tazel Sixpaws (Copyright 2014)
Character of Travis Buckner and Arnold Weisson are copyright to  tazel
FBA is copyright to  buckhopper


"Mr. Buckner?"

The koala looked up from his O-phone from which he was texting, and adjusted his glasses. "Yes, ma'am?" he asked the giraffe.

The ungulate nurse smiled. "They're here to meet with you. They asked to meet with you before you can see Arnold."

Travis turned his phone off and slipped it into his slacks pocket, "Thank you, ma'am." he replied in his inimitably clipped and professional tone. He rose to his feet and adjusted the collar of his green polo shirt. He would have worn his standard white shirt and burgundy tie, but at the last minute, decided he didn't want to make as powerful an impression as he usually did. Or at least, as he thought he did.

Something a little more comfortable. And comforting, today.

Travis followed the nurse to a small doored waiting area of the Dale Children's hospital, where there sat an avian couple, a pair of arctic terns, their heads leaning against each other, their winghands holding each other as well. In their mid-40's by their looks. Middle class. Not like they were swimming in money, but enough that they could afford what they needed to. "Mr. and Mrs. Weisson? This is Mr. Buckner." gestured the nurse. "When you are all finished talking, if you still want to allow him to visit, you'll have to sign some consent forms."

The male tern rose up and nodded. "Of course, miss. Thank ya." His was a very practiced southern drawl, as if he knew nothing about states beyond Texas. The nurse left the three together and closed the door, as Travis remained standing, and extended his paw. "Mr. Weisson?" he asked, smiling.

The father took his paw and shook it gently. "Please, call me Robby. And this is my wife, Emma." The female rose up, with striking white plumage around a similar black-topped head, and smiled softly. "Hello." she said, softly.

Travis nodded. "Ma'am. A pleasure to meet you both." He remained standing until the two seated themselves. "I suppose we should get down to business, then?" he asked, pulling up a chair from a nearby table and scooting it closer to the couple.

Robby nodded. "I gotta admit, Mr. Buckner... after what I saw on the news with you punchin' that reporter fella, I'm a bit concerned 'bout you visiting my son." Emma nodded. "It's not that we don't trust you, Mr. Buckner..." she added, her voice placing her from the northwest - possibly Washington. "...it's that we don't want this to be a media circus or anything."

A soft sigh escaped the koala's lips as he bowed his head. He then returned his gaze to the wife. "I understand, Mrs. Weisson. Please believe me when I say I don't want to draw him into anything he, or you two, are uncomfortable with. I don't intend this to be a media blitz, or an attempt to clear my name in the eyes of the populace." Travis took a deep breath. "I just want to meet with one of the Lone Stars' biggest fans."

"But why *my* son, sir?" Robby asked. "There's gotta be plenty of basketball fans you could meet with." His tone matched that of his wife's. A bit worried, but open minded.

"Because he, like me, lost something to cancer when he was young. And I wanted to let him know he wasn't alone in that. And..." Travis subconsciously reached for his other pants pocket. "... I had something to give him. Something another fan made in support of my situation, and I felt it could benefit him, too."

"Can I see it?" asked Robby. Travis nodded, and pulled out the item in his pocket, handing it over. It was a six-pronged tin star, close to the emblem of the Texas Lone Stars, but with Travis' name embossed like the rat-bunny hybrid had made for himself. Travis recalled at that moment, the picture that was sent to his email from the fan - amongst all the hate mail and 'attaboys' he got in his inbox after he punched out that shrew for reporting his eunuch state to the world. He recalled that picture making him tear up, with a smile that, similar to his first day of his time with the Lone Stars, never went away the entire day.

It was identical to the badge that Travis had seen in the picture sent to him by Mr. Zhao, with Travis' name on the top, embossed in the metal. Travis gestured to the badge. "When the Cancer Connections group leader told me about Arnold and what happened to him..."

Emma perked up. "Amanda told you about Arnold?" she asked. "She didn't have the right to..." she started to say, her feathers ruffling.

"No, no. She didn't name names, ma'am. She just told me about a young man who lost an important body part to bone cancer, and that he was a big Texas fan who could use a visit." Travis looked a bit confused. "Didn't she set this meeting up with you two?" he asked.

Robby nodded. "Oh, she did alright. But I wasn't too keen on havin' a big hullabaloo about Arnie."

"I hope she didn't insinuate there would be a camera crew, or this was an official Lone Stars function?"

Emma spoke up. "No, she didn't. We were just told you wanted to meet with him, and with us. We were afraid of reporters coming to our house..."

Travis smiled. "Believe me, ma'am. I have no interest in making this a media 'thing'. I haven't told any news organizations about this meeting, and I believe the hospital wouldn't let them in anyhow without your sayso."

This made the two terns relax a bit, Emma's feathers smoothing out a bit. "But why th' star?" Robby asked, handing it back to Travis, who put it back in his pocket.

"Well, I thought about giving a signed jersey, but I thought this was more meaningful. When I heard from Amanda what had happened to Arnold, it seemed appropriate." He looked back to the couple. "A fan had made this - a rabbit/rat hybrid named Ada. He sent me a picture of him wearing it when I had my... mistake. To show support"

Travis stopped abruptly, still not wanting to give any unnecessary thought to his violent eruption on camera. The tern couple seemed to agree with this decision, not prompting him to go further until he was ready to continue.

"When I found out about your son, I asked him if he would make and send me two more. One for myself - which I have framed in my den, now - and the other...for Arnold. To also, show support."

Robby looked down on the badge he held in his hand. For some reason, it shined brighter for him in that moment. He smiled around his beak, and handed the badge back to Travis, who put it back in his pants pocket. "I think Arnie'd be in heaven to get somethin' like this." He looked to his wife. "Whaddya think, Em?"

The wife nodded, also smiling around her beak. "It would mean the world to him. And he just came out of surgery a few days ago. I think it would be perfect." She looked to the ballplayer. "You have our permission."

Travis smiled softly. "Thank you, folks. I'll go get the nurse, then. Let's not keep him waiting any longer, hmm?"

---

The inside of the recovery room was cheerful enough. A children's hospital would make sure of appropriate decorations for the recovery rooms of certain ages and genders. The Dale Hospital of Austin had a lot of resources to allow for various themes in various rooms.

Arnold Weisson's room was definitely sports themed. Basketball, football, baseball, hockey, all surrounding his bed where he laid. He had his schoolbooks nearby on a stand, where also sat his mediciation, paperwork and some of the equipment monitoring his vitals.

His television was flipped between cartoons and the sports channel, where he could listen in on some of the more recent FBA developments. It was abruptly turned off with a knock at the door. "Yeah, come in!" came his reply.

The giraffe nurse poked her neck in just a bit. "Hi Arnold. How are you feeling? How's the arm?"

The young tern sat up in his bed and looked to his right side. He remembered before the operation how much it hurt to even move the arm, much less try to do anything with it. But a month ago, he had been submitted for a surgery he desperately needed. Bone cancer had eaten through most of his humerus, which was causing his pain. In order to save his life, they had to amputate it.

But in doing so, he also qualified for one of the newest prosthetic limb developments. It wasn't a wing, but his right arm up to the shoulder was replaced with a hybrid plastic and metal arm. Poseable and very strong digits on the hand, so that he could make holding positions, and push a button to 'lock' the fingers for strength in grasping. Alas, the cool idea of a superhero cyborg arm was nowhere near possible here, but it was still better than having a fake beige hook on a prosthesis.

Arnold ratcheted his shoulder into place - he'd been trained on its use for a while, and wiggled it about. His 'hand' had been put in a horizontal, fingers-out position, so by wobbling it, it looked like a 'so-so' gesture. "It's alright. Still getting used to it."

The nurse nodded. "We have another session with the physical therapist this afternoon, but I wanted to tell you, you had a visitor!"

"Is it my parents?" asked Arnold, smiling a bit around his beak. This question was met with a wink by the nurse. "Oh, no, someone else. Someone you might know that wanted to come visit you."

Arnold was bouncing around in his bed, the suspense building. "Who? Tell me who!"

The nurse opened the door, and the professional basketball rookie player made a nondescript entrance, ducking a bit under the door frame. At the arena, Travis always felt like he just fit, with things being built bigger than normal to accommodate the large size of the average player. A size that Travis was shorter than normal for, given his preferred area.

But here, he was a monster of height. Towering over the quickly widening eyes of the room's patient, the koala let out a small smile, with a basketball tucked under his arm. "Hey there, champ." he said, keeping the smile as the nurse closed the door behind him, for privacy.

Arnold's beak wouldn't move, but the eyes got wider as he realized who was in the room with him. "Y-y...you...you're..."
Travis, amused, cocked his head. "I'm what? A koala? Yeah, I've been told that before." he said, the smile still on his face.

"No! You're Travis Buckner!"

A casual shrug. "Oh, that. Yeah, I've been told that too." Travis grinned a bit. "Mind if I sit down?"

"Wow! Yeah. Oh yeah! Sure!" He started to get up to get a chair, but Travis put up a hand. "It's okay, Arnold, I can get a chair. You just relax."

This was apparently impossible for the fledgeling, having an FBA player in the room with him! "Wow! I have a Lone Star Player here! Man, I wish Eddie could be here, he'd shed his scales!"

Travis pulled up the chair to the tern's right side, where the arm was. "Eddie is your... friend, I assume?" he asked, placing the basketball on the floor temporarily.

"Yeah! He's a komodo dragon, and he's been my best friend since kindergarten!"

"Well, you must be a good guy to keep a friend that long, then!"

This made Arnold blush a bit around his cheeks, but the smile never left. "Hey, are you going to play soon? I really hope so!"

Travis rubbed his chin. "Well, the coach and the manager think I'll be in when the Bikers come back."

"Ooooh. They're a tough team, but I'm sure with you there you can beat them!" The bounce was omnipresent, making the bed sway a bit.

The koala couldn't help but really appreciate the optimism of this youngster. There were more than enough memories of his own childhood, with a similar boundless feeling that things were going to be alright.

"Hey, Mister Buckner? What's a ... Eunuck?"

"A what?"

"You know, what that shrew called you... a Eu-nuck?" voiced Arnold, trying to get his beak around the word.

Travis cleared his throat. "I... uh... let's just say I lost something when I was a kid, too. About your age, if I recall."

"Oh! Is it like my arm, then?"

"Ehhh..." Travis adjusted his glasses and tugged on his collar. "Something like that." he said, with a blush. Seeing an out, he tapped the left side of the bed. "How's your arm doing?" he asked.

Arnold blinked, and looked over to his arm. "Oh, that!" He wiggled his right shoulder, the arm very stiff as it was locked into position from previous. "It's alright. I miss having a real arm though, but hey! Check this out!"

The tern took his other hand and clicked something underneath his fake one. He then rotated his fake hand a full 360 degree rotation. Travis had to admit, he didn't know anyone who could do that. "Wow!" said Travis. "So you can do something nobody else can do, huh?"

"Yeah! I'm gonna make all the guys at school jealous!"

"Are you going to play ball when you grow up? Gonna be a Lone Star yourself?" asked Travis, trying to ride the enthusiasm.

Arnold's smile fell. "I can't really play sports. The doctor says this arm will prevent it." Travis' smile fell as well, thinking he had overstepped his bounds. "Hey, Arnold?" he asked, with the tern looking up in response.

"When you come of age, you don't let anyone tell you that you CAN'T do something. You put your heart and your soul behind everything you do, and you'll beat the odds. You stay straight and professional, but you take chances and get yourself known."

Arnold nodded, taking it all in as best he could. "And don't punch anyone." he added.

Travis couldn't help but laugh. "Don't punch anyone. That was a mistake I made. I don't want to see anyone as bright as you get pulled in the same trap."

"I won't, Mister Buckner."

With that, the door sounded a knock, and the long necked head of the nurse came back in. "Sir? The family would like to spend the rest of visiting hours with their son." Travis looked behind him at the giraffe and nodded. "Can I have two more minutes?" he asked. The nurse nodded and closed the door.

He looked back at the tern. "I have to go, Arnold. But it was great meeting with you. Hey - when you get out of here, I want you to have your parents call the arena and talk to Mr. Hector Louis. Tell him I sent you, and I think he can get you guys some floor tickets to a home game. Would you like that?"

Arnold almost peeped in excitement. "A REAL FBA game? I've never been to one! Yes sir! Wow! I can't wait to get out of here!" He bounced even more, then sat back against the recline of the hospital bed. "I wanna see you out there dunking the ball again! It was neat seeing you do that!"

Travis hmmed. "Tell you what I think - I think YOU can dunk the ball just as well if you can practice enough, and work up that other hand. Or maybe, by the time you make high school, there will be ways they can make that arm move better!" A little white lie - he doubted robotics would do that for him in a few short years, but it was something for the kid to dream about. And dreams were vital.

"Oh! Before I leave, I got a couple of things for you!" said Travis, bending down to the ground and picking up the basketball. "Here. This is for you, so you can tell Eddie you weren't making this up!"

Arnold made huge eyes of wonder at the ball, which was a regulation FBA basketball, and had Travis' signature on it. The young tern made the longest 'WOOOOOOOOOOOW' sound Travis had ever heard. That is, until he gave the second gift.

"And this..." he continued, bringing out the badge he had shown Arnold's parents a while ago. "Now, this isn't silver or anything, but it's very rare. There are only three in the world. A fan who made these has one, and I have one. And now YOU have one, too."

The tern's beak went wide, opened up in wordless excitement and appreciation. He looked at his badge, and slowly back to the koala, his smile a mile wide. "Th...thank... oh wow... This is the greatest day of my LIFE!" he stuttered, his feathers becoming a bit unruly.

Travis smiled, and put his paw on Arnold's fake hand, wrapping it around the basketball to his side. "Just remember, you've got the rest of your life to live. You'll find an even better day! That I'm SURE of."

"Thank you Mister Buckner! Thank you VERY MUCH! WOW!"

Travis let go and rose up, still smiling. "Alright, Arnold, I'll see you at the game sometime, hmm?"

"You bet! Thank you!"

Travis nodded, scooted the chair back, and went to the door, his ear still picking up ecstatic whimpers from the young bird. He opened the door and closed it behind him, finding him face to face with Arnold's parents again, looking on interestedly. "How'd he behave?" asked Robby.

"He's a great kid, sir. You've got your work cut out for you in calming him down right now, though."

The tern couple beamed smiles to the ballplayer and extended their hands to Travis, who shook them one at a time. "Thank you, Mister Buckner." said Emma. "I don't think he's going to stop talking about this for months."

Travis smiled, went neutral in his muzzle. "He's got a long road ahead of him. Trust me, I know about that. But I think his personality will be enough to win out. Better to have him focus on the good things than what he's lost."

"The psychologist told us the same thing. We will, sir." continued Emma, still beaming.

"Well I'm glad I could help. I'll leave you all be. Thanks for letting me visit."

The family nodded, and moved towards the door, opening it as Travis left. The koala could still hear the excited trills of the young tern as his folks came in, showing off his badge and the ball.

Travis smiled back to the closed door, and walked down the hallway. He felt better than he had been for months. Perhaps it was time for him to do more, while he could, to help lift spirits of those in need. He would always support people being self sufficient, but those who had a hardship, might need an extra nudge.

And he thought about it, not because it was in hopes people would forget his terrible behavior, but because he felt it was right.

And that made the feeling all the better.