Rebecca affectionately tousled Baloo’s hair, causing drops of water to scatter everywhere, before wrapping her arms around him. “Oh, we’re glad you’re safe.”

“Thanks a million, Becky,” said Baloo, grinning. “You really saved my anchovies.”

“You don’t know the half of it. Miz Cunningham sold the Sea Duck to raise the ransom money,” Kit blurted out. Oops! Did I say that?

“You sold the Sea Duck?” Baloo snarled, clenching his fists in anger.

Fearful of the menacing tone in his voice, Rebecca shrank away from him, half hiding her face behind her trench coat. The easy-going bear hardly ever got that mad, but when he did, it was terrible to behold.

“And Higher for Hire,” Kit added quietly.

“What!” Baloo said in disbelief, astonishment. She had sold her business for him? An argument that they had had over a week ago echoed in his mind. Rebecca had said that Higher for Hire epitomized everything that was important to her. And she had sold it...to for his sake?

What had he done? His greediness had cost him not only the Sea Duck, but Higher for Hire as well. He never meant for things to get so out of hand. In a flash, he knew that he didn’t need all of those possessions to be content. Things weren’t important. His friends and their happiness, now, that was important. And his two closest friends, who had just saved his life, were in this boat with him right now.

“Hey, I was getting tired of the silly old business anyway.” Rebecca picked up an oar and began paddling towards the shore. She sniffled, trying not to cry, but the tears came anyway. Furtively, she wiped her eyes. Now that Baloo was back and the crisis averted, the full force of losing her business hit her like a ton of bricks. She spoke in a nonchalant manner, “Now, look. All this running around in the night air, I’ve caught a cold.”

The boat arrived at the dock and Baloo stepped out. “Wait one second. There’s someone I have to see.” He strode away with a determined expression on his face. He had to put things right. He got them into this mess, and it was his responsibility to get them out.

Rebecca and Kit shared a quizzical look.

Khan Towers

“I was expecting you fifteen minutes ago,” Shere Khan purred languidly, glancing at his pocket watch.

“I gotta ask you another favor,” said Baloo. He leaned over Khan’s desk, dripping water on it and onto the floor.

“This is the last one, correct?” the businessman asked with a lift of his eyebrows.

Desperate, Baloo blurted out, “I just want everything the way it was.”

“Here you are.” Khan handed Baloo an envelope.

“What’s this?”

“Everything back to the way it was.”

Baloo peeked inside the envelope, then grinned.  He couldn’t wait to see Rebecca’s and Kit’s faces when they got a load of this. “Yeah. Oh, yeah. Guess I’ll be on my way.” He headed for the elevator with a spring in his step.

“Yes, a wise decision,” Khan replied with a smile.

Gus stepped out of the shrubbery, chuckling, “He didn’t expect a thing. Thought we were real kidnappers.”

“We taught him a lesson he’ll never forget,” added Garth. “But why didn’t we just bump him off?” It would have been a whole lot easier than chasing Baloo all over the city. He still had a massive headache from that bed falling on him.

However, Shere Khan had not wanted Baloo killed; he only wanted to scare him into submission. He answered, “I always repay my debts and never go back on a deal. And this one has concluded,” once again he consulted his watch, “ten minutes ahead of schedule. Now, shall we move on to more important matters?”

Higher for Hire
Dawn

Rebecca packed up her few personal belongings in her brown briefcase and called a cab. Her eyes glistening with unshed tears, she glanced about the office where she had spent much of her time over the past five months. She sighed. She was going to miss every single corner, every crack in the walls, every squeak of the floorboards. But most of all, she was going to miss all the times - both good and bad - that she had shared with Baloo, Kit, and Wildcat. In the doorway, she took one last, long look to fixate Higher for Hire forever in her mind. Then, she turned and closed the door behind her.

Kit ran up to meet her before she climbed into the waiting taxi. “I’m really sorry, Miz Cunningham, but at least we got Baloo back.”

That prompted a slight smile from the bearess. Rebecca gave Kit’s shoulder a comforting squeeze. Both Kit and Rebecca were surprised to see Baloo running towards them. He was waving an envelope in his hand.

“Hold on! Hold on!” the big bear puffed. In his haste, he failed to notice a tree branch protruding in his path. He tripped over it, rolled head over heels, and bonked his head against the ‘sold’ sign, sprawling on the sidewalk with an “Oof!”

“You okay, Papa Bear?” Kit asked, hurrying over to Baloo.

“Yeah, couldn’t be better,” Baloo gasped, out of breath from running. He passed the envelope to Rebecca. “This is for you, Becky.”

Rebecca’s eyes widened when she saw the contents of the envelope. “I don’t understand. It’s the deed to Higher for Hire.” She shared a confused look with Kit, who was peeking around her arm at the document.

“That’s right. It’s all yours,” Baloo grinned, standing up. “Along with the Sea Duck.”

“But where’d you get it?” Kit asked.

“I can’t say, but it’s perfectly legal. You know me.”

Rebecca fixed a cynical eye on the big bear, arms crossed. She suspected that something was fishy about the whole situation. Uncle Happy ‘Huey Hartley’ Hoover, indeed!

Baloo grinned sheepishly. She did know him, all too well. “Well, it’s still perfectly legal.”

“But...why?” Rebecca queried softly, incredulously.

“Because,” Baloo wrapped an arm around Rebecca’s and Kit’s shoulders, “I owe you everything.”

“Aw...you’d do the same for me,” Rebecca gently nudged her pilot in the stomach with her elbow, “right?”

“I would now. I would now,” Baloo agreed sincerely. Everything was back to the way it was supposed to be. After all, working for Becky wasn’t that bad...when she wasn’t nagging him about punctuality and cleanliness. He had learned a lesson about greed the hard way and had miraculously escaped, thanks to Rebecca. He had a new sense of respect, of gratitude, of appreciation towards her. By giving up everything for his sake, she had shown him what a true friend really was. Baloo wasn’t apt to forget that easily.

The trio of bears walked into Higher for Hire. As Kit passed through the doorway a few paces behind Baloo and Rebecca, he glanced around the office, grinning from ear to ear. He was home again, and home had never looked so good.

Kit quietly closed the door.

The End

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