Here's Anthony's take on Auggie's first time home after being blinded. This chapter isn't quite my usual since Anthony is more reflective on things going on around him instead of being an active participant in them. Hope that you enjoy it.

Mandy58 has had her say. She knows how much I appreciate her assistance.

Once again this is a view of Auggie long before he first appears in Matt Corman's and Chris Ord's Covert Affairs. I have no intention of infringing on whatever copyrights they have on that show.

Anthony Wayne Anderson, second in the line of the five sons of Alfred and Abigail Anderson, after loudly proclaiming his displeasure with his brother Austin's insistence that their youngest, and recently blinded, brother, August – also known as Auggie – accompany them on the traditional Labor Day Weekend outing to a baseball game, begrudgingly accepted that his blind brother was coming to US Cellular Field with them. Last year they'd taken in a much preferred Chicago Cubs game on the Sunday before Labor Day; this year the Cubbies were playing out of town, so younger brother Austin had obtained tickets for the Chicago White Sox game. How his brother had gotten the seats he had baffled Anthony. But get them he had. Last year it had been just the three brothers who still lived on the North Shore of Chicago and their father since their two other brothers were not able to get the leave to come home – Alan was deployed in Afghanistan and Auggie said that he couldn't get the time off from his super-secret job at the Pentagon in DC. He didn't quite believe that Auggie couldn't get off, but that wasn't his concern. Mom and Dad and his other brothers seemed to accept that excuse.

Auggie had already gone upstairs to get ready for the ballgame by the time that Anthony had arrived so it had been almost two years since he'd seen his youngest brother. At the moment Anthony had no idea how his brother would look; or act. After he'd come back from spending almost a week with his brother Austin insisted that Auggie was still Auggie, just an Auggie that no longer could see. Anthony wanted to believe that, but like his excuses about why he didn't come home very often, he wasn't quite sure about Auggie. As Austin went upstairs to hurry Auggie along Anthony joined his father and other brothers in heading out to Adam's SUV. It was the only single vehicle in the family large enough to hold the six Anderson men. He'd drawn the short straw when they were deciding who would sit in the jump seat in the very back so Anthony climbed into the car first and then his father and brother Alan got in the back seat. Adam waited until he saw Austin and Auggie come out the back door before he closed the rear door on the driver's side and climbed in behind the wheel. With much curiosity Anthony observed as his youngest brothers crossed the porch, descended the stairs and approached the car. Outside of his reaching out for Austin's arm while they were on the steps, Anthony didn't see anything that different about his youngest brother; then as he approached the car closer Anthony noted the almost blank stare in his youngest brother's eyes. His stomach lurched unexpectedly at the sight of his brother's eyes and the bundle of red and white tubes in his brother's right hand. It was true – his brother was blind. Once again anger coursed through Anthony's veins. Then he couldn't quite name the emotion that the anger morphed into as he watched the subtle movements Auggie made as he got into the car and closed the door. If it wasn't for the cane securely clutched in his brother's left hand now …

As the six men traveled the short distance to the stadium they chatted about both the Cubs' and the White Sox's seasons so far and the hopes for the game today against the LA Angles. Auggie was uncharacteristically quiet. Anthony attributed that to the fact that he'd been out of country for the last year, and that he was a die-hard Cubs fan; Auggie enjoyed watching the Sox if the Cubs weren't playing, but much preferred to watch the Cubs.

Watch. See. Look. Suddenly the safety reasons he didn't want his brother to come along took a backseat to wondering how Auggie could enjoy a sport and a stadium that were so … well … so … visual. Had Austin insisted on bringing a blind man to a game he couldn't possibly follow or enjoy? Austin seemed to think that it would be okay, and he'd spent more time with Auggie since … since the incident … so maybe it would be okay. He was just glad at the moment that Austin had taken charge of dealing with Auggie.

When they got to U.S. Cellular Field and parked the car– Anthony was surprised that Austin had managed to get VIP parking and they didn't have a long hike to get into the stadium – Anthony was the last out of the vehicle and Austin had already gotten Auggie situated. For the second time that day Anthony could not help but notice his brother's cane. Auggie had unfurled the sections and held it so its tip was a few inches off the ground and a few feet in front of him. It was hard to miss. As was the look on his youngest brother's face that Anthony could quite figure out. It wasn't quite fear, but it was not a look of confidence either. Apprehension? It had been a long time since he'd seen Auggie as anything but fully confident. As they moved with the crowd entering the stadium Anthony and the other men followed Austin and Auggie since Austin held the tickets and knew where they were going. Even though he'd gone to the informational sessions that the family had been offered from the Hines VA Hospital in how best to assist their now blind sibling/son, Anthony, even though part of him didn't want to, quietly made note of how Austin guided his brother and informed him what was going on around him. They slowly made their way to their seats, stopping at the Guest Relations booth to pick up a special piece of equipment for Auggie. From there they descended from the main level to their seats just behind the home dugout. Once again Anthony wondered how Austin had gotten these seats. When they'd reached the area of their seats Austin let Alan go in first then he entered and placed Auggie's hand on the back of the second seat in. Anthony took the seat between his father and older brother, Adam, in the row behind the younger brothers. After he'd sat down and broken down his cane, an action Anthony perceived as a too familiar motion, Auggie reached forward and asked, "What's in front of us?"

"Top of the dugout; we've got first row seats," Austin said proudly. "Only the best for you, Augs."

"Even though I can't exactly appreciate what's happening on the field?" The touch of melancholy in his brother's voice reinforced Anthony's perception that he shouldn't be at the game. He thought it cruel that Austin had insisted.

"Especially because of that. Down here you can be a part of the excitement of the game, even if you can't see what's going on out on the field."

"That's what this is for," Alan said as he placed the item they'd picked up at Guest Services against Auggie's chest. Auggie examined the device and then clipped it onto his belt and placed the earpiece into his ear. "How does this thing work?" he asked Austin.

"According to the lady that I talked with when I was getting the tickets, it broadcasts the same play-by-play that the radio listeners get, but without the time lag. It's real time so you can know what we're groaning or cheering about when we do and not 5 seconds later."

"Cool!" Auggie exclaimed. He seemed to be excited about the device that, to Anthony, for all the world looked like the Walkman radios that Auggie had been so fond of taking apart when he was a child.

For the next hour or so, Auggie seemed to fully enjoy, if not the game itself, the ambiance of the stadium. Along with the rest of them, Auggie had had a couple of beers, a hot dog and a bag of popcorn. They always indulged in those things when they ventured to a game. Today was no different. At one point Auggie leaned toward Austin and whispered, "Austin, I got to get rid of those beers. Could you ...?"

"Sure," Austin said as he rose from his aisle seat and touched Auggie's shoulder. Auggie rose and took Austin's arm. As his youngest brothers trudged up the stairs to the main concourse, Anthony wondered if his baby brother would ever be able to go anywhere without help again; and what that would now mean for the family as a whole. Ever since she'd come back from seeing Auggie just after they'd learned that he'd been blinded in Iraq, their mother had quietly been making plans so that Auggie could come back to Glencoe and live with her and Dad. He wasn't sure he liked that idea – Auggie back in the house permanently. They'd been assured that once he had completed the rehabilitation process Auggie would be capable of living independently, but seeing him today, firmly latched on to his brother's arm, Anthony wasn't so sure that was true.

Wrenching his thoughts away from his baby brother's plight, Anthony returned his attention to the game on the field. He'd need to catch Austin up on the excitement of the game he was missing while tending to his disabled brother's needs.

When the youngest Anderson boys returned to their seats about fifteen minutes after they'd left, Anthony began to relate the action on field to Austin. "… should have seen that homer by Konerko. Too bad the bases weren't loaded. Then Ramirez and Swisher both sent fly balls to right field. …"

Anthony was surprised when Austin stated, "No need for the play-by-play, Tony. Augs kept me abreast of the play while we were takin' care of business. He kept the rest of the men's room entertained, too."

"Well, I knew there was some reason you insisted on bringing him along." Anthony's said with an air of disapproval. "What? Don't look at me like that. You know that I didn't think it was a wonderful idea to bring August with us," he added when Alan and Dad looked at him disdainfully.

"He should be safe back at the house," Adam added. That sentiment from Adam surprised Anthony.

"Adam, Anthony, that's quite enough." Alfred reprimanded his two oldest sons.

"Sorry. That didn't come out the right way," Anthony mumbled to Auggie, but he could see that his apology had fallen on deaf ears. From long years of experience he recognized when his brother had retreated into himself. He was quite surprised, and a bit alarmed when Auggie suddenly stood up, unfurled the cane he'd just broken down, and moved toward the stairs. Austin tried to stop him, but Auggie angrily shook off Austin's attempt to restrain him. With a determined look Auggie began to climb the stairs he'd just descended.

"Where are you going?" Adam asked with concern as Auggie passed him.

"Home. Where I'm safe," Auggie retorted vehemently.

Oh crap, Anthony thought, What have I accidentally goaded my brother into doing now? He rose from his seat.

"How –" Adam asked and put a hand out to stop Anthony and Austin.

"Watch me!" With cane held straight down and lightly touching each stair riser in turn, Auggie once again climbed the stairs.

Once Auggie was a few steps up from their seats, Adam rose and mouthed – 'Let him go. I'll take care of this.'

Outside of their mother, Anthony figured that Adam was probably the one best suited to deal with their youngest brother when he was this pissed. Anthony sat back down and tried to return his attention to the game. One way or another he hoped that Adam would get the situation back under control. He was right, about fifteen minutes later Adam was back with their youngest brother who wore a look of resignation. As Adam showed Auggie to his seat their father asked, "Where did you catch up with him?"

As Auggie got settled and began collapsing his cane again, Adam returned to his seat and said, "At the customer service booth; he was going to have them get him a cab home. "

"Good one, Augs," Austin said patting Auggie's back. "You showed them that you're not the helpless man they took you for."

Anthony watched his youngest brother relax and as a smug little smile worked its way across his brother's face. He knew that look – Auggie had gotten away with something. Despite that smugness Anthony couldn't help but be impressed with his youngest brother's guts and got to thinking that maybe his first impression of his youngest brother might be in error.

For the rest of the game and the ride home, Anthony looked at his now blind baby brother in a different light. But, in the back of his head, Anthony couldn't help but wonder what impact his brother's blindness might have on the family.

When he got home, and got the greetings of wife and children out of the way, his wife, Jessica, shooed the children out of the room and earnestly asked, "How's Auggie?"

"He's fine," Anthony replied. He was surprised that she'd made the children leave the room before she asked that. He was also a bit curious, even though he probably should not have been why she only asked about Auggie. Usually she'd just ask 'How's the family?' in passing when he'd come back from a solo visit.

"How was the game?"

"It was good."

Jessica stepped in front of her husband and placed her hands on his chest. "What's bothering you? Usually you can't wait to tell me about the ballgames when you've gone. Or about what's going on in the family. Your silence is not normal."

Anthony took in a lungful of air and slowly released it. "Auggie's still Auggie – sort of. He looks fine. His eyes look normal enough until you look closely. Then they're sort of vacant. He seems to be dealing with his situation okay. Still feeling the need to prove himself."

Jessica looked at Anthony with a puzzled look on her face

Anthony answered his wife's curiosity by continuing his monologue. "Austin had taken Auggie to the bathroom and I was beginning to tell them about what they'd missed. Austin said that the piece of equipment that Auggie had kept them abreast of the play. Old habits die hard and I made a foot-in-mouth comment that sent Auggie off on his own in a huff. That must have taken a lot of guts on his part since someone had been guiding him up until that point. Anyway, Adam went after him and got him calmed down. Dad didn't say anything but I knew he was upset with me. He seemed okay when Adam and Auggie came back. The smug little bastard acted like he'd gotten away with something. I have no idea what he could have gotten away with, but … Anyway, Dad was okay again and the rest of the game went fine. And now I'm home. How did your shopping with Jenna and Livvie go? Do I have to take a second job to pay for the credit card bills?" Anthony smiled broadly at his wife; he enjoyed teasing his wife about her spending habits.

"We had a good time. Jenna is so ready to deliver this baby but she had a good time with us. All she wanted to look at was baby clothes. And no, a second job is not needed, I restrained myself." She smiled sweetly at her husband and then continued, "Now, tell me more about how Auggie's doing. Does it look like he's able to be on his own? Will Mom have a case and make him come back here to live?"

"From what I saw today she might. But for now I'm reserving judgment. Tomorrow will be the telling day. He'll be in a fairly familiar place. Like they said at Hines – familiarity and routines are the key to independence. We will see. For so many reasons I'm not thrilled at the thought of Auggie living back at home."

"I'm not either. What would that mean for us and our family?"

# # #

When Anthony, Jessica and their three children, eleven-year-old Kathryn (also known as Kate or Katie), eight-year-old Lucas and five-year-old Ethan, Auggie was already in the back yard and sitting on the rose arbor swing. Anthony sighed and loudly proclaimed for Auggie's benefit, "Hey, Auggie! Jessica, the kids and I are here now."

From his place on the swing Auggie raised a hand and waved, but Anthony could tell it was a half-hearted greeting. And the fact that his brother was on the swing indicted that he was already upset. Auggie rarely went to the swing unless he was troubled about something; as a kid that swing was always Auggie's refuge.

Anthony's kids ran to greet their grandparents while he and Jessica put their family's contribution to the potluck meal in appropriate locations. As usual they seemed to be the last to arrive; the rest of the family were already scattered about in small clusters dotted about the deck and patio: Adam and Austin were on the far end of the deck with their father; Alan was off in the corner of the patio with Olivia and Jenna; the kids were either off by themselves or the littlest ones were close to a parent. Everyone, except Auggie, seemed to be having a good time. For a brief moment Anthony thought of going out to talk to his youngest brother, he really thought that he should apologize again for his comment yesterday and he wanted to try to put some of the years of animosity behind them, but Adam's wife Olivia beat him to it. When Olivia headed over to sit with Auggie on the swing, Anthony sauntered over to take her place on the patio chair. From where he sat on the patio, Anthony could easily see Auggie and Olivia talking. For a bit Auggie appeared to tense up, then, the longer he and his oldest sister-in-law talked, he seemed to relax. Anthony wondered what they were talking about. Alan engaged his slightly older brother in the conversation he and Jessica were having about an incident that had been on the morning news. Because of his position as one of Chicago's Assistant District Attorneys, Anthony didn't want to offer his true view on the potential guilt or innocence of the party arrested for a lethal home invasion on Chicago's South Side. Anthony knew that his sisters-in-law and brothers loved to try to get legal opinions on news stories out of him, but, knowing that, he carefully steered away from anything like that in general conversation. Of course if one of his siblings or their children or spouses were in need of legal assistance he would be quick to come to their aid.

The conversation ended when Alfred, patriarch of the Anderson family, announced that his job of grilling the varied meats was done and everyone could gather around and eat. As everyone began to line up, Alfred said a brief blessing over the food. With a bit of feigned disinterest, Anthony watched as Olivia helped Auggie to a place at the round table on the deck and fixed him a plate, as he took his place in line and fixed his own plate. He deliberately took a seat at the long wooden picnic table on the patio where he could not see his now blind brother. To his surprise, his wife took the seat directly opposite where she could clearly see what Anthony did not want to. His two boys took their place at the 'kid's table' on the other end of the patio while his daughter joined him and her mother at the picnic table. Katie sat beside her mother. Anthony was pleased to see that his daughter had taken, for her, generous portions of the offered foods. She hadn't felt like eating much the last few weeks and he hoped this was a sign that she was getting better. He offered his wife and daughter pleased smiles; he was pleased that some of his family chose to sit with him. Family was everything to Anthony. They were joined by Alan, Austin and his wife, Jessica, and their young daughter, Summer, as well as his parents. Adam and Olivia had joined Auggie on the deck.

As they ate, Anthony was aware that his wife's attention was focused over his shoulder. Jessica seemed to be boldly watching what was happening at the round table on the deck; it appeared that his wife was doing what Anthony could not bring himself to do. The conversation varied from local politics, to sports of all sorts, but very little about the youngest Anderson brother's new status. Anthony was pleased about the last part; when he got home his wife was sure to tell him all about what she had observed about his youngest brother's ability to eat a meat without making a mess of it.

After the meal, Anthony grabbed another beer from the cooler by the patio door and found a comfortable seat on one of the wrought aluminum patio chairs at the edge of the patio where he could watch his boys playing on the back lawn. Katie was on the deck on one of the patio sofas talking with her cousin, Adam's daughter Alexis; the two girls were almost the same age and got along well. As the rest of the afternoon progressed the clusters of family members ebbed and flowed. The one thing that Anthony did notice was the way that Auggie tentatively moved from seating group to seating group and chatted with everyone; apparently civilly. The civilly part didn't exactly surprise Anthony; he was the main one that Auggie had problems with. And that, too, didn't surprise him; he'd always treated his youngest brother like crap. Now, since his brother had been so horribly injured part of him really wanted to change that, but he needed to break down his brother's defenses to do that. How to do that Anthony hadn't a clue. But part of him really wondered how his brother's new status in the family would affect him. Would the now blind brother once again become their parent's sole focus?

As he watched his children play, Anthony also made note of the number of times Auggie ventured to the ice chest full of beer located next to the patio door. Alan seemed to be making more than the usual number of trips there, too. He couldn't help but wonder about that. Neither had been that heavy of drinkers before they went to war. He sighed and shook his head at that.

After he'd had a chat with just about everyone, Auggie, with a fresh bottle of beer in hand, found his way back to the arbor swing. He passed right by Anthony without a word. That in and of itself wasn't a surprise. Even when he could see, Auggie tended to ignore his brother's existence. Even though they were now just a few feet apart, it was apparent to Anthony that he and his youngest brother were worlds apart. And it wasn't just that Auggie could no longer even see him sitting there. Auggie had gone places and seen things that Anthony could never fathom or relate to. And now he was blind because of that life. Another course of unexpected anger coursed through Anthony's body.

A few moments later Anthony's youngest son ran up to his father. "Daddy, Daddy, look what I found!" Ethan held out his open hand and showed his father the caterpillar in his hand.

"That's a nice bug you've found there, Ethan," Anthony said. "Do you know what caterpillars become when they grow up?"

"Butterflies!" the little boy exclaimed.

"That's right," Anthony praised. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Auggie drop an empty beer bottle on the ground beside the swing. Auggie then rose from the swing and slowly moved off toward the house.

With a bit of concern Anthony turned his attention from his son, to his blind brother. Auggie's hands were raised about waist high and extended slightly in front of his body as he walked. After a few tentative strides, Auggie veered slightly from the brick path and stumbled over the brick edging. Anthony left his son's side and rushed to his brother and reached out to steady him. "There you go now, bro. Take my arm and I'll get you safely where you're heading. Where are you heading?

Violently Auggie shook his brother's hand from his arm and snapped, "I'm fine. I don't need yours or anyone's help to get to the beer cooler."

"You're drunk," Anthony observed.

"Maybe I am. So what? I'm sure as hell not driving so what does it matter? Now get out of my way."

Anthony stood firm as his brother tried to push past him. Once again Auggie stumbled when his brother didn't move out of his way. And once again Anthony reached out to steady his youngest brother, he was rewarded by Auggie grabbing his arm, spinning him around and pinning his arm painfully behind him with one hand and quickly putting him in a choke hold with his other arm. The action and the speed with which it was accomplished took Anthony by surprise.

"August let Tony go. He meant you no harm," their mother said calmly as she rushed toward them.

Auggie sighed and loosened his grip from around his brother's neck and then from his arm. Anthony stepped away from his brother and flexed the shoulder and massaged the wrist that had been pinned behind his back. Auggie stood where he was with his fists firmly clenched at his side a sure sign that he was still pissed. What he had to be pissed about puzzled Anthony; he had only kept his brother from falling on his drunken ass. It wasn't like he was treating him like he had when they were kids.

"August, can I help you back to the deck?" Abigail asked quietly.

Auggie shook his head, "No, Mom. I can get there by myself. Just make sure I'm pointed in the right direction.

"August?"

"Mom. I'm fine. I know the yard. I'm capable of doing this. Please let me. Just point me in the right direction."

With obvious concern Abigail centered her youngest son on the walkway and stepped away from him. Auggie started toward the house, but with every step Anthony could see the tension rise in his brother. Auggie exploded with a loud 'Damn it!' when he stumbled on the bottom step of the stairs onto the deck. As he turned and sat, with head in hands, his mother rushed once again toward her youngest son.

Abigail spoke quietly enough that Anthony couldn't hear what she was saying, but his brother's response could probably be heard in the next block. "No, Mom. I'm not okay. It's not going to be okay. It's never going to be okay. I'm blind – now and forever! I can deal with the blindness but I can't deal with the pity or the loss of my independence. If I want help, I'll ask for it. Coming here and expecting to be accepted was a huge mistake."

After he finished his tirade Auggie got up from where he sat, climbed the rest of the steps, and began crossing the deck toward the patio doors. When he heavily bumped into one of the patio chairs Auggie verbally exploded once again, "There. Everyone satisfied now? You've seen me stumble and fail."

Anthony, along with everyone else, looked at Auggie in stunned silence. This was a side of his brother that Anthony had never seen before; never expected to see. He wanted to rush to his brother's side and offer words of comfort and encouragement but there were two reasons he couldn't. The first was that he knew that Auggie would not listen to him, might actually attack him again; and he had no idea what to say to his brother who was so obviously hurting.

Alan, after his brother's stormy exit from the backyard, grabbed a couple of fresh beers from the cooler, and went after Auggie. Anthony wasn't sure that more beer was the answer, but he hoped that Alan would be able to get their brother calmed down. Auggie, to him, seemed to be in a self-destructive spiral and he hated to see that from a brother that still had so much potential.

Shortly after Alan entered the house everyone could hear Auggie yelling at Alan. Anthony wasn't close enough to actually understand what Auggie was saying at the top of his lungs, but it was clear that he was hostile. He wasn't at all surprised to hear scuffling from inside the house and hoped that it was Alan who had come out on top of that. Two military men, even if at least one of them was drunk, going at each other was sobering. All of their skills and their mindset made them formidable; and Auggie had the extra training of the Special Forces. Even blind he probably still had the edge over Alan.

Once the yelling from inside the house dissolved into just loud talking, the rest of the family slowly returned to their normal conversations. Anthony wandered over and joined his wife on the far end of the patio. She seemed to be just as upset by what had just transpired as he was. He slipped a comforting arm around her waist as soon as he was settled on the settee beside her. Adam and Olivia were sitting on patio chairs across from them in the area configured for easy conversation; Adam had one of his feet propped casually on the low glass-topped table.

Anthony looked at his oldest brother and asked, "What the hell just happened here?"

Olivia was the one that responded. "Something, and I'm sure it was something more than just your reaching out to steady him, caused Auggie to reach his breaking point. He's been through a lot in these last few months. He's hurting from it all but he's being a good soldier and is soldiering on. That's probably not the best thing for him to do – keeping everything all bottled up inside himself. I've seen this before. He'll either fall into complete despair or he'll pull it together and look like he's got it together. I fear that at some point he's going to lose it again; and maybe somewhere less understanding that with his family. We can't condone what just happened, but we can understand what he's going through and continue to support him as best we can and in ways that he can accept."

"How do we do that?" Jessica asked.

"I can't give a simple answer to that, Jess," Olivia said softly. "We all have different relationships with Auggie and what he'll need and accept from each one of us will be different. I guess we'll just have to take it encounter by encounter and hope that he'll tell us what he wants or needs from each of us." Olivia looked at Anthony, "Even if what he wants is to continue old adversarial relationships."

Anthony sighed and then responded, almost wistfully, "I've been trying for years to change that. He's the one that seems to want to keep it that way."

Olivia shrugged her shoulders slightly. "I know. Maybe someday that will change, but I don't think it's going to be right now. So much has changed for him I'm not sure that he can take changes in relationships right now, too. Go on offering your hand in brotherly friendship, but don't be surprised, or offended, if he continues to swat that offered hand away."

"Okay," was all that Anthony could say. On one level what his sister-in-law had said made sense, but he wasn't totally fine with that scenario. He was growing tired of the adversarial relationship he had with his youngest brother. But come to think of it, the only brother he didn't have at least a sometime full-of-friction relationship with was Alan; he even had those times with Adam. He sighed, shook his head free of those thoughts and cuddled up to his beautiful wife a bit more. She, and his children, were the constants in his life; he loved her passionately and his children fiercely. If anything ever happened to them he didn't know what he'd do.

The conversation with Adam and Olivia continued for a bit longer with Olivia outlining the many small things that Auggie was having to adjust to because of his new situation of total blindness. Their conversation was interrupted by the opening of the patio door and Alan stepping out. He had the look of a man who had just won a major battle. Auggie stepped out onto the deck behind his brother; he looked for all the world like a man defeated – his head was bowed and his shoulders slumped. As soon as he'd closed the patio door behind himself, Auggie raised his head and said, in a contrite little boy tone, "I'm sorry."

There was a chorus of 'Okays,' 'Accepteds' and 'No Problems' from those on the deck and patio. Even from Anthony who wondered to whom specifically he was apologizing.

"Tony?" Auggie said turning his head as if searching for his brother.

After a brief pause Anthony responded, "I'm down here on the patio, Auggie."

Auggie turned his body toward the sound of his brother's voice, but didn't make a move toward the steps. "Are you okay? I mean … I didn't hurt you too bad when I …" his voice trailed off then began again, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I took your grabbing me wrong. You were just trying to help. I know that now."

"I'm fine Auggie. You didn't hurt me too much. Not as much as you could have. Just please don't do it again." Anthony paused then added, "I'd hate to have to bring you up on assault charges." He laughed, and then, after a moment's pause, so did Auggie.

Different right? Thoughts? I'm working on Austin's views of the weekend as well as Abigail's - Auggie's mother - thoughts about having her son home again.