A/N: A tiny bit of angst. Poor Edward loves Kim a lot. And Bill has an awkward talk with Edward about love and sex. Yay, awkwardness!

Wednesday

Peg's perspective

Edward's feeling better today, thankfully. He's not a hundred percent well but his fever is almost gone. For once he slept all night. Minutes after Bill and I helped him to bed he was out, and he didn't wake up until ten this morning. I guess his body needed it.

Before he woke up I had a chance to talk with Kim. Since we'd both had a chance to cool down, the talk went pretty well. She explained how she had fallen asleep at Jim's, and I explained how worried I was. We talked about her getting older and wanting more freedom, and came to the compromise that she could give up having a curfew if she agreed to call every few hours, and to let us know when she would be home.

Then I talked to Bill for a while. He was still concerned about Edward, and had offered to stay home, but I told him that it was under control. I'd checked on Edward earlier and he felt much cooler and was sleeping soundly. Bill left, but told me to let him know if Edward had a relapse. My husband is a good man, always willing to be there for his family.

Finally, it's just me and Edward again. Now we're sitting at the kitchen table, and I'm feeding him toast. I think he wants something more, but I'm afraid to give him anything more than bland food, in case his stomach is still upset.

"If you're still feeling better tonight, I'll make whatever you want, alright?" I ask.

"Okay," Edward agrees. He's very malleable. I probably could've told him simply that he wasn't going to get what he wanted, so he should shut his mouth, and he would've done so. Not that I'd ever do that.

We soon move on to other conversation.

"Are we still going to the surgeon today?" he asks, after finishing his first piece of toast.

"I canceled the appointment because I thought you'd still be sick. You still do need time to recover, anyway. I re-scheduled it for Friday."

"Oh." Edward looks disappointed, but doesn't say anything else about it.

"I promise that we will go see him," I reassure him.

"I know."

"Good." I hold up a second piece of toast, and he takes a bite. We finish eating breakfast in silence.

00

By noon it is clear that Edward is bored. I've been trying to keep him inside and resting but he won't have it. I keep finding him walking around and staring out the windows, as if wanting to go outside. Finally, I give in.

"Do you want to go in the backyard?" I ask. It's just rained recently, and now the sun is coming out. It's nice enough to where he should be okay.

"Please."

I open the door for him and he walks out. There's a rainbow visible across the street, and Edward notices it immediately. I follow him as he goes towards it.

"That's a rainbow," I explain, looking on as he stares at it in awe.

"It's pretty," he replies. "Kim said in the movie 'The Wizard of Oz' Dorothy sees a rainbow."

"Yes, and she sings a song about it, too. It's very nice."

Edward reaches out, trying to touch it, but his hand goes right through.

"I can't touch it."

"It's because it's light. When the light goes through raindrops its like a prism. It gets split up into different colors and we see a rainbow."

Even though he can't touch it, Edward remains in place staring at the rainbow until it eventually fades away.

00

Edward spends a little time out in the back, only coming in when I call him. I had spoken to Janine earlier and explained that Edward had been sick, but he was feeling better. We decided to have coffee that day at the house. Edward had always liked Janine, anyway. She's an older woman, with her kids away at school, so she tends to coddle Edward because she misses them, I think.

With an hour to go before she comes, we have a lot to do. I've just popped a batch of cookies in the oven to cook for the next half hour. In the meantime, Edward still needs a bath and I still need to do a little bit of cleaning.

When I tell him that it's time to go into the bathroom, he frowns. I think that he thought he'd gotten out of it today, because I'd been so happy that he was feeling better.

"I don't want to," he says, sounding like a fussy child.

"You need a bath every day. Don't you want to be clean for when Janine comes?"

Edward frowns but relents. He allows me to help him get undressed, at least. He's been in his pajamas all day so its time that he got some real clothes on anyway.

This time, he gets a hot bath, which he seems very grateful for. He leans back a little, still keeping his hands out of the water, but he's now in a more relaxed position.

"Do you want to relax for a little bit? I can go out and clean the kitchen and come back for you," I offer.

"Yes please," he answers.

"Sure." I wait until the water's high enough, and turn it off. "I'll be back in a bit."

I close the door and spend the next thirty minutes scrubbing the kitchen table and getting everything ready. I've got a few types of coffee to choose from and a few types of tea for Edward. After that, I get the cookies out. I've made basic oatmeal raisin cookies, with very little sugar. I don't want to give Edward anything too sweet, for fear it might make him sick again.

Now, with only half an hour left before she arrives, I wander back to the bathroom. I open the door and immediately hear the sound of snoring. Edward's asleep in the bathtub.

He looks really peaceful, but I have to wake him up before the water gets too cold. Gently as I can, I shake him awake.

"Huh?" he asks, looking around confused. "Oh. Hi Peg."

"You fell asleep in the bathtub."

"It was warm..."

"I know," I say, smirking. "But Janine's coming soon so you have to get dressed." I grab a washrag, and lather it up with soap. He looks at me like he wants to groan, but holds it back. I promise him that I'll make it quick.

After a short wash, he's all clean and is standing in the bathroom with a towel wrapped around him.

"Okay, let's get you some clothes."

We walk to the bedroom and I open the drawers. Edward chooses a pair of gray shorts and a black shirt. I help him get dressed and he slips on a pair of sandals, then he's done. Just in time, too. As soon as we walk out of the room the doorbell rings. Janine's here.

00

Janine shows up bearing various 'gifts'. She's brought two types of cookies, including Edward's favorite, double chocolate chip. She's also brought a new box of kleenex, a heat pad, a bottle of tylenol, throat lozenges, and a box of herbal tea. All for Edward, of course.

She lays everything out for him to see and he thanks her. In the meantime, I boil some water for tea and ask what type of coffee she wants.

As soon as the tea and coffee is served, Janine is immediately stuck on trying to get Edward to eat the cookies that she made.

"I don't think he should have that," I tell her, as nicely as possible.

Edward looks at me, but doesn't say anything.

"Come on, Peg," Janine says, "It's just one cookie. Or three. He's all skin and bones anyway."

"He's going to get sick. He was throwing up half the day yesterday."

Janine frowns, "Fine." But she begins feeding Edward a cookie nonetheless.

Knowing that I wasn't going to win this battle, I let it go and push on with normal conversation.

"So how's Amber?" I'm referring to Janine's twenty year old daughter, who, last I heard, was off at college in New York City.

Janine perks up at the mention of her daughter. "She's doing great! Almost finished with her nursing degree, and even better, she just got engaged!"

"Oh, that's wonderful! I need details!"

"Of course," Janine replies, picking up another cookie. "She's been dating this man named Mark for about a year. They met at school. He just graduated with his MD, and the day after the ceremony he proposed to her! It was the most romantic thing. He took her up the Empire State Building and popped the question under the stars!"

"Awww, that's so sweet!" I find myself remembering what it was like to be young and in love, then my mind drifts to the day that Bill asked me to marry him. It wasn't quite as romantic, but it was great nonetheless. "So when's the big day?"

"They're going to wait until after she graduates, so probably sometime in the winter. They've mentioned getting married on New Years Eve, which I think would be spectacular. He's a great guy, really. Very caring and compassionate. He's a pediatrician. Pretty darn good looking, too!"

We both giggle, and Edward just stares at us.

"Of course, you'll all be invited," Janine continues, "I'll send out invites as soon as we get the information."

"That'll be great, won't it Edward?" I look at him, and he forces a smile.

"I'm sure it will be fun," he replies, but he looks a bit confused. He's never been to a wedding before so he probably does not understand what it is.

"And what about Kim and Kevin?"

"Kevin's doing well. School will be out in a few weeks so he's looking for part time work this summer. Kim is... well you know how teenage girls are. She's spending all of her free time with Jim and his friends."

"So she's still with that prince?" Janine asks, smiling. Janine knows how Jim and his friends have a tendency to get into trouble.

"You know how it is. Young women love rebels," I tell her.

Janine nods in understanding. "Amber went through a similar phase. I'm sure you recall Jake McIntyre?"

"That idiot who streaked across the field at the homecoming game?"

"That'd be him. She had a thing for him for years! Thankfully she came to her senses. I'm sure that Kim will too, in time."

I sigh. "It would be great if she could find a nice guy to settle down with." Now I notice that Edward is looking at me, suddenly very interested in the conversation.

"She will. She just needs to grow up a bit and meet the right guy."

Now Edward's looking at Janine. We should drop this subject. I don't want to be giving Edward any false hope. It wasn't my intent. I change the topic and we move on to discussions about the local craft fair that'll be happening next week and other town events.

00

Janine leaves about two hours after she arrived. Bill, Kevin, and Kim will be home soon, so I clean up the table and start preparing dinner. First, I remember my promise to Edward earlier.

"What do you want for dinner?" I ask. "I told you that you could have whatever you like."

"It doesn't matter."

Edward was still sitting at the table, where he'd been before. He had a strange look on his face and I couldn't help but feel worried that maybe he was feeling sick again.

"Are you alright?" I ask, coming over to him. I put my hand on his forehead, but he feels normal. "Are you feeling sick again?"

"I'm fine."

"Okay. You just had a strange expression there."

Edward takes a breath, then speaks again.

"I have a question."

"Okay."

"What did you mean when you said that you wanted Kim to find a nice guy to be with?"

Oh. This.

"I mean, I'm nice," he continues.

I want to kick myself. I have no idea how I'm going to explain this without hurting him. Finally, I decide that it is best to be honest.

"I want her to find someone who cares about her and treats her well."

"I care about her."

"She needs someone who can provide for her, too."

As I say this I can see a look of sadness flit across Edward's face. He doesn't say anything, though.

"I'm sorry. I don't want to hurt you, I'm just being truthful. I would like Kim to find a man who is not only caring but can work and take care of children, if they have any."

"You want her to be with someone normal," Edward says. He looks like a kicked puppy.

Now I feel like the worst person on earth.

"Kim would be lucky if she ended up with someone with a heart as kind as yours. And you never know, if you get the prosthetics you'll likely be able to work and have a normal life."

Edward nods, but again says nothing. He's quiet for the next few hours. As we eat dinner, he sits there, not saying a word. He studies Bill and Kevin and Kim, too. I don't know for sure what he's thinking, but I get the feeling that he's wondering what he's lacking besides normal hands.

00

Bill's Perspective

Edward's been staring at me all evening. It was a bit unnerving at first but it didn't take me long to figure out that something had to be wrong. Call it a parent's intuition, I guess.

For once I stay up later than Peg and the kids. My wife makes an effort to drag Edward off to bed, but I tell her to let him stay. He and I need to talk.

When everyone's gone I lead him downstairs to the bar. Edward seems wary of that place, I guess because the last time he was there there was that whole lemonade incident.

"I won't give you any hard alcohol," I mention, "Not unless you want some."

Edward ends up sitting on a stool across from me, drinking a Coke through a straw while I have a vodka on the rocks. I'll need it. God knows what's on this kid's mind.

"So, want to tell me what's bothering you?" I ask.

He thinks for a minute before answering.

"I don't understand."

"What don't you understand?"

"Everything."

"What's 'everything'?" We need to start somewhere.

Edward pauses again to think.

"When you met Peg, what was it like?"

"Oh, well that was many years ago."

He looks at me, clearly wanting me to continue.

"We met at a bar. Don't tell Kim or Kevin that. I was about twenty two, and I was out with my friends Joe and Dave. We were just hangin' out down at the Town Pub. It was a Friday night, in the middle of July I believe. 'Round eleven the door opens, and a group of girls walk in. They were just hanging out like we were. Then they sat down, and I saw her. Long, straight hair, beautiful face, great figure. I had to talk to her. Just had to. So I went and bought her a drink."

"And then you fell in love?"

"I did. I knew from the minute I saw her that I wanted to be with her. Peg didn't feel the same, though. She rejected me several times. I called her every other day for a month asking her out, but she kept saying no. It drove me nuts! Then one day, I called her and told her that this would be the last time I asked her out. And faced with that, she said yes. And here we are."

"Did you have a job when you met her?"

That's an odd question. I raise an eyebrow. "Well, yeah. I was working as an associate down at C&C, back when that firm was still around. I was just starting out but I had my own apartment and my own car and all. Oh, man, Peggy loved that car. '68 Plymouth Road Runner painted lime green." I smile at the memory. That car was awesome.

"Do you think she would have dated you if you didn't?"

"Didn't what? Work?"

"Have a job and a car and an apartment."

"I don't know. Peg's a bit younger, so maybe she wouldn't have minded, but back then everyone moved out when they were young. It was rare for anyone over the age of eighteen to be living at home, so she may have expected it. Why do you ask?"

Edward looks me straight in the eyes, and suddenly I realize.

"This has something to do with Kim, doesn't it?"

"I love her. But I don't think she would want to be with me."

"Kim doesn't know what she wants. Neither do you."

I'm surprised by how insulted Edward is at this statement. I've never seen him get angry before and it's kind of strange. He's quiet, but I can see that he's upset.

"I know what I want," he insists. "I love Kim. I've loved her since I first saw her, just like you did with Peg."

"You're both kids. Why don't you just take it day by day? It's not like Kim's going anywhere any time soon and you never know where life might take you. You might end up meeting some pretty girl and being with her."

Edward shakes his head, "What if she... what if she gets married to Jim?"

"She isn't getting married until after she graduates high school, at least not if I have anything to say about it."

Edward stares at me, his expression telling me that I have not answered his question.

I sigh again. "I don't know what to tell you, Edward. If she goes and gets married to Jim then she gets married. What else is there to it? If that happens then you have to move past it. That's all you can do. You'd always have us here, to help you through it. You're loved, you know."

Edward nods, as if telling me that he knows, even if he doesn't actually say it.

It's quiet for a few minutes. Edward finishes his coke, slurping down the last of it noisily. I give him another one and enjoy the rest of my drink.

Then Edward speaks again.

"I have another question."

"Shoot."

"Sometimes when I wake up and sometimes at night and sometimes when I'm in the bathtub I get a reaction."

"A reaction?" I have no idea what he's talking about.

"Peg says it happens when a man is attracted to a woman or when someone touches him and she said that you knew more about it. But sometimes it just happens. It's annoying but I think if I had hands I could fix it."

Oh. OH. I quickly glance around, and grab the bottle of vodka. I pour myself another few shots. I'm going to need it for this conversation.

As awkward as it is, I try my best to explain it all. The whole birds and bees talk. The talk that no parent really ever wants to give but eventually has to. When it ends, I think he feels just as awkward as I do. But at least he understands it now, I guess.

It's around one in the morning before I finally head upstairs to sleep.