8

Tennyson

Tennyson hated going to the dentist with a burning passion. He hated the sound of the metal instruments scraping against his teeth, hated the coppery taste of blood in his mouth, and worst of all, hated when the dentist asked him questions with both hands in his mouth. How the hell was he supposed to answer and how on earth did the dentist understand what he was saying? It was one of life's great mysteries.

With the kids put on the bus and Ezra dropped off at Nana Kaye's, Ten had a few minutes to himself. He settled onto the sofa and turned on the television. He switched from Sesame Street to the morning news and was met with a sobbing man. "You have to help me find her. It's cold out at night and Aunt Effy Lou Josephine hates being cold. Please, if anyone has seen my great-aunt, call the Salem Police Department. I love you, Auntie,"

the man said with a hint of southern accent before sobbing loudly into his hands.

Ten's alarm began to ring on his phone, telling him it was time to head off to his appointment. He briefly considered cancelling to join the search team to help find the missing woman, but knew he'd only have to face the dentist again later. Everly hated going too and he needed to set a good example for his daughter.

Climbing into his SUV, Ten couldn't help thinking about the missing woman. He reached out with his gift to see if he could catch a glimpse of the missing woman and what happened to her. It was a missing persons case that had brought Ten and his talents to Ronan's attention eight years ago when he'd helped locate a kidnapped child. His entire life had changed in that moment. Unfortunately, Ten wasn't getting any inclination of where Effy Lou Josephine had gone. It could have to do with the fact that his anxiety was on the rise thanks to his upcoming appointment.

The trip to the dentist was just a six month cleaning. There was nothing wrong, at least, not that he knew of. He'd seen a commercial a few weeks back for a dental practice that sedated patients before their appointment. Ten couldn't help but think that would be the way to go. He'd be footloose and fancy free while Doctor Pulaski did his work. Of course that would mean Ronan would have had to take time out of the office to drive him, stay at the office and take Ten home. He'd probably miss an entire day of work as well. Come to think of it, Ten could use an entire day off to be home alone. He could eat whatever he wanted, read a book, take a nap, and, for once, have complete dominion over the remote control.

Pulling into the office parking lot, Ten sighed. His dream of a day to himself would have to wait for another time. Getting out of the car, he felt the warm, late summer sun on his face. He would guess the temperature was in the low seventies, and hoped the weather would be this warm for Ronan's turn in the dunk tank.

What Ten hadn't told his husband was that he hadn't volunteered Ronan to be the dunkee, the new elementary school principal, old friend Max Preston, had requested Ronan personally. They'd met Max back in the spring when the kids did an exchange concert with their sister city, Salem, New Hampshire. Everly had sensed something awful had happened in the school and had worked with Ten, Ronan, and the rest of the cold case team to solve the forty year old murder of a school teacher.

Max hadn't been happy with the conservative family values and what those parents thought of their kids having a gay principal. It wasn't as if the man broke into showtune montages in the school's hallways. Ten knew Everly's school had been looking for a new principal and told their friend to apply. He'd already known the outcome, but didn't tell Max, not until the job offer had been made.

Sighing when he saw it was time for his appointment, Ten got out of the SUV and headed into the office. The smell of pumpkin spice assaulted him when he opened the door. Ten loved fall and pumpkins as much as the next guy, but it was a little too soon for his taste. September was for apple picking and making pies. October was for pumpkin spice, corn mazes and all things spooky. Not that he'd voice that opinion out loud, after all these people were going to come at his mouth with sharp instruments. He didn't want anyone to be on edge, most of all himself.

"Good morning,"

he greeted brightly when he reached the front desk. "I'm Tennyson Grimm and I have an appointment with Doctor Pulaski."

"It's good to see you, Ten,"

the receptionist greeted. "Are you and Ronan all set for the fundraiser?"

Ten had been so nervous he hadn't noticed the woman sitting at the desk was Deb Brightman, who was the mother of one of Everly's classmates. The woman was best known for her homemade caramels. She'd sold out of her stock of candies within the first two hours of last year's fundraiser. It was hard to picture a woman who'd dedicated her life to periodontal health being a purveyor of sweets. Maybe she made the candies so that more people would need to see the dentist.

"Ten?"

Deb asked. "Are you okay?"

Ten shook his head. Obviously he'd missed something Deb said while his mind had been wandering. "Yeah, I'm good. Saw a sad story on the news this morning about a missing woman and I can't get her out of my head."

Deb shook her head sadly. "I saw that story too. Poor Effy Lou. Do you think you'll be able to help find her?"

Ten loved that so many of the people in his community believed wholeheartedly in his gift. "I hope so."

"I'll take you back now,"

Deb said, motioning him to follow her.

Deb brought Ten back to his usual treatment room. The walls were painted Big Bird yellow and were covered in children's art. Some pictures showed happy little patients, while others showed kids in tears. His favorite featured a giant candy bar, complete with scary fangs, chasing after a little girl.

After Ten was seated, Deb clipped a bib around his neck and leaned the chair backward, giving him an excellent view straight up her nose. Ten did his best to focus on what Deb was saying about Mrs. Robbins, the new first grade teacher, who had created quite a stir among the school staff, thanks to her treatment of Aurora.

Ten's fingers dug into the arms of the dental chair when the tooth scraping started. He tried to concentrate on what Deb was saying about the fundraiser, but it was all Ten could do not to bolt out of his seat. After twenty interminable minutes, she set down her medieval torture devices and told Ten he could rinse out his mouth. "Everything looks good, Ten. Dr. Pulaski will be in shortly to give you the once over."

"Thanks,"

Ten said, almost gagging over the taste of his own blood.

After washing out his mouth, Ten relaxed back into the chair and turned his thoughts to Effy Lou Josephine. He couldn't help but wonder if Josephine was her last name or if the woman had three first names. He took a deep breath and tried to see what happened to the woman, but drew a blank.

"Hello, Tennyson,"

Dr. Pulaski said, walking into the room. The doctor was a silver fox to be sure. He was a little over six feet tall with a trim body and a killer smile. Ronan would never say it out loud, but Ten knew his husband had a little crush on the doctor. He only started flossing his little heart out after his first appointment with Pulaski.

"Hey, doc!"

Ten greeted brightly. He knew the worst of the appointment was behind him. The doctor would just take a look in his mouth and then send him on his way.

Dr. Pulaski grabbed the tiny dental mirror, along with a pick, and started inspecting Ten's mouth. "You hear about Effy Lou this morning?"

"Yesssh,"

Ten answered, his tongue knocking against the doctor's probing finger.

"It's a crying shame. She's a former patient of mine. What a sweet old lady. Used to bring the office jewelry she'd made. Earrings, necklaces, bracelets, a rainbow of bright colors. All the office staff and the hygienists would always make sure to wear what she'd brought them every time Effy Lou would come in for an appointment. I sure hope they find her soon."

"Me tooth,"

Ten mumbled. He'd decided to call Ronan about the missing woman when he was back in the car after his appointment finished. Maybe there was some way he and the others could use their connections to help locate the missing woman to bring her home safe and sound to her family, where she belonged.