The doctor was shocked later when they told him what Bart had done, but at the same time, he wasn't surprised. He shook his head with a sigh. "I won't yell at you, since I'm sure that someone else already has, but you really should not have tried that."

"But I did it," said Bart. "Didn't get very far, but I did it."

"Yes," said the doctor. "But you're lucky that your heart let you."

"I'm ready to try again," said Bart.

The doctor blinked.

"He wants out," Bret and Beau both said in unison, before Bart could say it yet again.

"I'm very aware of that," said the doctor. He shook his head. "Did anyone ever tell you that you're stubborn?"

Bart smiled.

Beau laughed. "It's a family trait."

"I'm sure it is," the doctor replied.

Considering that Bart's heart hadn't appeared to suffer any ill effects, the doctor did let him try again, but he made him wait a couple more hours. When he finally let Bart get up, Bret and Beau again held onto him and helped him slowly walk. It went well, but it wasn't good enough for Bart.

"Let go," he eventually said.

"Let go?" Beau echoed.

"Let go," Bart repeated.

"Let go?" said Bret.

Bart tried not to sigh, needing to not waste breath. "Let. Go. Both of you."

Beau shot Bret a look. At Bret's nod, he released the hold that he had on his cousin, but Bret held on.

"That means you, Bret," said Bart, trying to sound as strong as possible.

The doctor had his fingers on Bart's wrist and felt nothing more than the usual extra beat here and there, so he nodded at Bret and let go himself. With all three of them there, he knew that there was no chance of Bart hitting the floor if he fell.

Bret reluctantly let go, slowly, his hand hovering near his brother's arm.

Bart took a few more steps, but his breathing started to get harder. He should've taken that as the cue to stop, but he didn't.

All three of them noticed, but before they could say anything, Bart listed to one side and Bret grabbed him.

"I'm fine," Bart said, breathlessly. "Wait."

Bret tightened the hold around his brother's back and sighed, waiting for Bart to be ready to walk again...back to the bed.

Bart suddenly laid his head on his brother's shoulder, his body sagging a little.

Bret was alarmed. "Bart," he said.

Bart raised his head slightly. "Sorry. Tired."

Bret picked him up again, not wanting to stress Bart's heart or lungs by making him walk back if he was unable.

Once Bart felt the mattress under him, he reopened his eyes and tried to look more alive, not wanting the doctor to stop letting him get up.

The doctor was checking his pulse again. "You didn't do too bad," he said to Bart. "At least we know your limit."

"Yeah," said Bret. "It was a minute before he stopped."

"Water?" Bart asked.

Bret quickly poured it for him and helped him drink it.

Still breathing fast, Bart closed his eyes and was asleep a minute later. No one seemed surprised at that.

"Did he do himself any harm?" Bret whispered to the doctor.

The doctor still had his fingers on his patient's pulse. "Didn't seem to. His heart is stubbornly holding on to the extra beats, but that's all."

Bret and Beau both sighed.

Bart slept for the rest of the evening and into the night, completely worn out. He didn't wake up at all, and when morning came, he awoke confused.

Bret smiled at him. "About time you woke up, sleepyhead."

Bart frowned. "Where did the night go?"

"It came and went without you," Bret replied. "How do you feel?"

Bart thought for a minute. He didn't feel too bad, actually. "Better than I've felt in days. Today makes it a week?"

Bret nodded.

With that, Bart threw the covers back and moved to the side of the bed.

Bret grabbed his arm. "What are you doing?"

"Practicing," said Bart. "There's no way I'm still gonna be in this hospital come Monday." He stood up.

Bret said nothing, to Bart's surprise, and Bart started to slowly walk.

Bret kept one hand under his brother's arm and gripped Bart's wrist in his other hand, his eyebrows rising when Bart's heart gave only one extra beat. He could see that his brother was stronger...apparently the eleven-hour sleep had done him a world of good.

Bart's breathing increased, but it was tolerable. He was surprised when his brother suddenly pulled him to a halt, and looked at him. "What?" he asked.

"We don't want a repeat of last night," Bret said. "That's far enough."

Bart wanted to protest, but didn't.

"Can you stand by yourself if I let go for a minute?" Bret asked.

Bart nodded.

Bret dashed over to the chair beside the bed and grabbed it, bringing it to where his brother stood. "Sit down, you can walk back in a minute."

Bart obeyed.

Bret looked down at him. "Feel all right?"

Bart was still breathing fast, but nodded.

Bret took his wrist again, smiling when he felt no extra beats. His smile faded a little as he watched his brother. If Bart's heart was reasonably okay, then why the continued difficulty breathing?

Beau came into the room just then, frowning when he saw no one in the bed. He turned his head and spotted his cousins, quickly heading over. "New accommodations?" he quipped.

"He wanted some exercise," said Bret. "But I didn't want him to have it all at once."

Beau nodded. "I moved you and I into Bret's hotel room," he told Bart. "None of us realized all this time that we were paying for three rooms for nothing."

"Oh," said Bart. The thought had never crossed his mind.

Beau looked at Bret. "So how'd he do?"

"Pretty good, only felt one extra beat."

Beau smiled. "That's marvelous!"

Bart smiled back. "Out by Monday," he said.

Bret and Beau liked the sound of that just as much as Bart did. They both noticed though that he was still breathing fast and looked pale.

On impulse, Bret put a hand on his brother's forehead to check for fever.

Bart frowned and flinched. "What you doing?"

Bret lowered his hand; Bart's skin wasn't warm. "You don't look right." He also noticed that Bart's sentences were missing words, as if Bart wanted to speak as little as possible.

Bart shook his head. "I'm fine." In truth, it was taking longer than expected to catch his breath, and he felt a little lightheaded.

"Maybe he just needs to eat," said Beau, trying to lighten the mood. "I'll go get us a feast fit for a king!"

"I want coffee," said Bart. It was something that they hadn't let him have all week and he was sick of being denied it.

Bret shook his head. "Caffeine isn't good for you right now, Bart."

Bart sighed without thinking, and coughed.

Beau hurried over to the nightstand beside the bed and poured him a glass of water from the pitcher, quickly bringing it back.

Bart drank it gratefully.

"You all right?" Bret nervously asked.

"I'm fine," Bart told him again. He was still breathing too fast, and it was annoying him.

Bret took Bart's wrist and felt his pulse. "No extra beats," he reported.

Beau smiled at that. "I'll fetch breakfast," he said again, before leaving.

Bret crouched before his brother, staring at him. "Do you really feel all right, or is something wrong that you aren't telling us?"

Bart shook his head. "Nothing."

"Then why can't you catch your breath?" asked Bret.

Bart bit back the retort: because a bottle of chloroform nearly killed me? "I dunno," he said.

Bret looked behind himself to see how far away the bed was. "You should lie down." He stood and reached down to pick his brother up off the chair.

"I can walk," Bart protested.

Bret shook his head. "I don't think that's wise."

"Let me try," Bart said.

"But—" Bret cut himself off and shook his head; arguing was a waste of time. He helped his brother stand, knowing that all he had to do was scoop him up the instant he thought it necessary. He wrapped an arm around Bart's back and held onto him tightly.

Bart slowly started to walk, trying to control his breathing. It became harder anyway, but he fought not to show it.

They made it to the bed, which Bret hadn't expected to happen. He carefully sat his brother down and arranged the pillows so Bart could sit up, before helping him recline against them.

As soon as Bart was back in the bed, he closed his eyes and tried to take a deep breath—and failed.

Bret realized that Bart had managed to hide his difficulty breathing on the walk back to the bed, and he made an exasperated sound. He felt his brother's pulse and found it faster, but thankfully not doing any extra beats. "You heart is all right, but something is still wrong with you," he said.

It was a few seconds before Bart could answer. "I'm fine?"

Bret rolled his eyes, shaking his head.

A little while later, Beau came back with breakfast and they ate. The empty plates were back on the tray before Bart started to regain any breath.

When the doctor came to see him, Bret told him what had happened.

"Hmm," the doctor said. "The chloroform didn't only affect his heart, but his lungs, too. They apparently need more healing time than his heart did."

Bart shook his head. "I want out," he said, predictably.

The doctor sighed. "Look at how well you are compared to a week ago. You just need to wait a little longer."

Bart shook his head again. He wanted out now! Today was Friday…Bart made a vow to himself that he was leaving on Sunday, no matter what the doctor said.

TBC