But Peter doesn't look scary.” His face was a little bruised, but not very. “He has a funny-looking collar on, and he's in a big bed that goes up and down if you push a button.”

“Will he ever come home again?”

“Yes, baby, very soon. Before school starts.”

“Is that soon?” Jamie wasn't good about time, and he knew it.

“In a couple of weeks,” she explained to him. “Maybe even sooner. There's a nice doctor there who wants to meet you. His name is Bill.”

“Will he give me a shot?” Jamie looked panicked. For him, this was not only an adventure, it was an ordeal, but he was willing to walk through fire to see Peter, or do whatever he had to do.

“No, he won't give you a shot,” his mother said gently.

“Good. I hate shots. Did he give Peter a shot?” He was worried about his brother.

“A bunch of them, but Peter's a big boy and doesn't mind.” The only thing he hated was Jell-O and oatmeal. His friends had brought him a pizza that afternoon, and he had sounded happy when he told her. “Shall we go in now?” Jamie nodded and slipped a hand into hers as they walked into the main lobby. He held her hand tightly in his own, and she could feel that his palm was damp, as they went up in the elevator to the Trauma ICU, and he flinched visibly as they got out of the elevator and saw someone on a gurney.

“Is he dead?” Jamie asked in a horrified whisper, standing close to her. The man's eyes were closed and there was a nurse standing next to him.

“He's just sleeping, Jamie, it's okay. Nothing bad is going to happen.” She shepherded him quickly down the hall to the ICU, and they could see Peter the minute they walked in. He was sitting up in bed, and he gave a whoop of glee when he saw Jamie. And the minute Jamie saw him, he smiled from ear to ear.

“Hi, big guy, come over here and kiss me!” he shouted, and Jamie ran to him and then came to a dead stop when he saw all the monitors and machines. He was afraid to get too near. “Come on,” Peter encouraged him, “just one more big step, and I've got you.” Jamie took the last step as though he were fording a stream filled with snakes, but as soon as he could, Peter grabbed him firmly, and pulled him closer. He was smiling at him, and leaned over to give him a hug and a kiss, and as Liz approached she saw that Jamie was beaming. “Boy, I missed you!”

“I missed you too. I thought you were dead,” Jamie said simply, “but Mom said you weren't. I didn't believe her at first, that's why she brought me here to see you.”

“You bet I'm not dead. But it was a dumb thing to do, jumping into the pool like that. You'd better not do anything as stupid as I did, or you'll be in big trouble with me, kiddo. How's everything at home?”

“Boring. The girls keep telling everyone what happened to you. They all cried when you went away in the ambulance. Me too,” he said, looking up at his big brother in relief. This was just what he needed. “Can I make your bed go up and down?” he asked with interest, as he looked around. There were other people in the ICU, but their curtains were drawn, and he couldn't see them.

“Sure.” Peter showed him the buttons and how to do it, and he winced as Jamie first flung him up then down, and then moved him to a sitting position.

“Does that hurt?” Jamie was fascinated with making the bed move.

“A little,” Peter admitted.

“Do you want to lie down again?”

“Okay, I'll tell you how far, and when to stop.” Peter was always a good sport about making Jamie happy. And as Jamie was concentrating on flattening the bed out again, Bill Webster walked in, and looked at the scene with interest.

He glanced at Liz, and then back at her two sons. Peter had just told him to let go of the button, and Jamie was satisfied that he had done a good job of it. He wanted to do it again, but this time Peter asked him not to. He was still in more pain than he wanted to admit.

“Hi, Doc,” Peter said as he looked up, and Jamie glanced at Bill with a look of suspicion.

“Are you going to bed?” Jamie asked politely, staring at the green scrubs he was wearing.

“No. I get to wear these to work, isn't that silly? That way, I can fall asleep anytime I want.” He was teasing, but Jamie looked up at him with big, serious brown eyes. Despite Jamie's dark brown hair, and Peter's red, there was a striking resemblance between them. “Introduce me to your brother,” he said to Peter, who duly introduced Jamie to the doctor.

“I don't want a shot,” Jamie explained, so there would be no misunderstanding between them from the first.

“Neither do I,” he said, keeping a respectful distance, not wanting to upset the boy. He knew of his limitations from his mother. “I'll promise not to give you one, if you don't give me one either.” Jamie laughed as Bill said it.

“I promise,” Jamie said solemnly. And then for no particular reason, he volunteered a piece of information about himself, as though he thought some kind of social exchange was expected of him. “I won three medals at the Special Olympics. Mom coached me.”

“What did you compete in?” Bill asked with a look of profound interest.

“Running long jump, hundred yard dash, and sack race.” He reeled them off with pride, and Liz smiled as she watched him.

“Your mom must be a pretty good coach if you won all that.”

“She is. I only won fourth place with my dad. He shouted a lot more than Mom did. But Mom made me work harder and stay out later while we trained.”

“Persistence wins the prize,” Bill said more to Liz than to Jamie and she smiled at him, slightly embarrassed to have Jamie extolling her virtues. “That must have been pretty exciting.”

“It was,” Jamie said, smiling, and then turned back to his brother and asked if he could work the bed again. And although Peter didn't look too happy about it, he let Jamie do it, as Bill and Liz stepped outside for a moment to talk.

“How's he doing?” Liz asked. Peter still looked very tired to her, and she could see that his head and neck were hurting.

“He's doing fine,” Bill reassured her, “he's my star patient. Your younger son is a great kid, you must be proud of him,” he said, glancing at Jamie through the windows of the ICU.

“I am.” And then she smiled at Bill. “Thank you for letting me bring him. He was panicked about Peter. This really reassured him. He hasn't looked this happy in two days.”

“He can come back anytime, as long as he doesn't give me a shot.” Bill smiled at her and she laughed as they wandered back into the ICU, and Liz rescued Peter from Jamie, who was wreaking havoc with the bed.

“I think it's time to go home, gentlemen. Peter needs to get some rest, and so do you.” She looked at Jamie solemnly. “The doctor says you can come back soon.”

“Next time, bring a pizza,” Peter added, and kissed Jamie good-bye a few minutes later. Jamie waved from the door of the ICU, and then walked back to the elevator with his mother. They were still standing there when Bill saw them, and came over to thank Jamie for coming.

“I liked it. It was cool. I thought it would scare me,” Jamie said honestly, which was part of his charm. He always said what was on his mind. “The ambulance made a lot of noise when it took Peter away,” Jamie informed him, and Bill nodded.

“Ambulances do that. But it's usually pretty quiet here. Come back and visit again.” He smiled at him, and Jamie nodded.

“My sisters are coming tomorrow. They talk a lot, they might make Peter tired.” Bill laughed out loud at that, and didn't dare add that sometimes women did that. He didn't know Liz well enough to say it, and wasn't sure yet of her sense of humor, but he was amused by the comment Jamie had made.

“I'll make sure they don't wear him out. Thanks for telling me.” The elevator arrived then, and Jamie waved as the doors closed. Bill had already asked her if she'd be back that night, but she had decided to spend the night at home with her children, and come back in the morning to see Peter again. And she had thanked Bill again for making Jamie's visit so easy and so successful. He was very pleased with it as they drove back to Tiburon and he said so.

“I like Peter's bed, and the doctor. He's nice. And he hates shots too,” he reminded his mother. “I think Peter likes him.”

“We all do,” Liz agreed. “He saved your brother's life.”

“Then I like him too.” He told his sisters all about his visit to Peter and about the bed that went up and down, and the doctor who hated shots and had saved Peter's life. It had been a big adventure for him. He slept in his mother's bed that night, but he slept peacefully, and didn't have nightmares. Unlike his mother, who dreamed endlessly about Jack, and Peter's accident, and Bill, and Jamie and the girls. It was a night filled with anxieties and accidents and people. And she felt as though she'd ridden in a rodeo all night when she awoke the next morning.

“Are you tired, Mommy?” Jamie asked when he woke her up at six.

“Very,” she said with a groan. The past few days had taken a toll on her. The terror of nearly losing her son made her feel as though she had been beaten, and she had been. It was like a small replay of what she had gone through when she lost Jack, but at least this time, it had a happy ending.

She made breakfast for the kids, left for work, appeared in court, and went back to the hospital to meet Carole and the girls. Jamie stayed with a neighbor because Liz didn't want him to overdo it, and it was the girls’ turn. They laughed and talked and cried, and checked out everything, gave him the news, told him about their romances and friends, and told him how happy they were that he was okay. But Jamie had been right, Liz realized. Peter was exhausted when they left an hour later, and needed a shot of pain medication. And when he was finally asleep, Bill and Liz stood in the waiting room to talk.