Author's Notes: My thanks to everyone for your feedback and for letting me know how you felt about my last… difficult… chapter. I know I'm putting Daniel through hell and I'm touched that chapter 9 moved you as much as it did. I'm hoping this one won't be too much of a letdown for you. There's still plenty of angst but, well, not to the same degree. I have to give the poor kid a bit of a "break", right? Thanks also to Katt for pushing for more with her beta of this chapter. And for even getting it to me on time given her technical difficulties.
Speaking of Katt, I have a message from her, asking me to pass on to you that her internet has been down which is why she hasn't been able to respond to reviews, PMs or send any of her own. She's hoping to be back up and running tomorrow. And, on that note, apologies from me as well. I've been sick with the flu and am only now starting to feel better so I too haven't been active on line at all. I'll start to remedy that with this upload tonight ;).
Wordcount: Approx. 4,700

Chapter 10

Adam walked through the automated doors of the Sonora Regional Hospital, his fervent hope that he'd never again have to see the inside of its walls dashed all too soon. Though calmer than he'd been thirty days ago when Daniel had been rushed through those doors on a gurney, his heart was still in his throat and his stomach in knots. Another seizure. God.

It wasn't fair. His little brother did not deserve this.

He didn't have any details; Evan's phone-call home had been too hurried. At least he'd told Adam that he thought Daniel was okay. Trying to offer reassurance as much as he'd needed it himself, Adam was sure. The only other comment had been his request, or rather insistence upon the need to bring a change of clothes for Daniel. Reflexively gripping the bag in his hold, he swallowed thickly. He prayed his kid brother hadn't suffered that humiliation in front of his friends. As it was, he knew having the seizure at school would impact Daniel's already rocky self-esteem.

With thoughts of his stricken brother consuming him, Adam didn't realize until she was standing in front of him that Diane Raymond had come out from behind the nurses' station to meet him. Looping her arm through his, she steered him past the counter, heading toward the curtained-off beds of the E/R. Surprised to see her working the day shift, he had to admit her familiar presence and easy smile were helping to tamp down his worry.

"He's fine, Adam," she said. "They all are."

All?

Check that. The worry was back.

As they approached the opening of one set of curtains, Diane placed her hand atop Adam's, a signal for him to stop. Softly she cautioned, "Daniel was asleep last time I checked." Nodding in acknowledgment, Adam waited as the nurse pulled back the curtain a little and whispered, "Boys… Adam's here," then parted it further so that he could pass through. "I'll leave you alone and check if the test results are back."

Adam offered his thanks, hoping she was referring to another routine CT-scan and not something he wasn't anticipating, and then turned his attention to the sleeping Daniel.

Catching Adam's eye, Crane moved to get up from his seat next to the head of the bed. "We'll be right outside," he said, quietly addressing Evan and Ford.

He knew that Crane wanted to update him without disturbing Daniel, but Adam needed to check on his little brother first. Even if it meant just watching him sleep for a minute or two. He waved Crane off. "No. Give me a minute."

"Sure," Crane nodded, understanding shining in his eyes. He stood up anyway, relinquishing his place nearest Daniel.

Setting the change of clothes down at the foot of the bed, Adam switched places with Crane. Opting to stand next to Daniel's huddled form, Adam barely acknowledged Crane's, "He's okay," as he lightly squeezed Adam's arm before stepping away.

Despite Diane's and Crane's assurances and the lack of any medical evidence to the contrary, it still killed Adam to see Daniel back here. As daunting as having Daniel come home had been, his presence there was a testament to Daniel's resilience and to how far the boy had come. This place? Adam swallowed reflexively. It was a reminder of how hurt and fragile his little brother still was.

Reaching out, Adam tenderly ran his palm along Daniel's hair. It had gotten quite long, long enough to obscure part of his face. On this side anyway. Hannah had offered to trim it but, apparently the kid was holding off until the shaved part reached a certain length. Adam didn't object. Though, right now it made Daniel look that much younger and even more vulnerable.

As did the bruises and scrapes exposed when Adam lightly smoothed it back from his face.

"What the…?" He hissed, successfully keeping his voice down as he pulled back his hand.

"It's my fault."

Ford sounded so utterly miserable; Adam was actually able to tear his gaze away from Daniel's latest injuries. Only to come face to face with a little brother whose still forming bruises promised to become even more spectacular. Shocked, he barely gritted out, "I think we better step outside now."

Crane dropped his head, heaved a deep sigh and told the boys to stay with Daniel. Adam was of a different mind though and admonished Ford to follow. The teen looked like he was heading for a firing squad. Adam wanted to take pity on him but couldn't, his mind reeling trying to come up with any reason why two of his younger brothers looked like they'd been in a brawl. Especially when one of them happened to be brain injured and the other was the most gentle of them all.

Unwilling to be further than earshot away from Daniel, he stopped Crane and Ford just a few feet beyond the curtains. "What the hell happened?" Adam abandoned any attempts to remain calm and simply focused on keeping his volume down.

"There was a fight," Ford answered, softly mumbling the obvious.

"No shit." Adam's tone was cutting but despite Ford's wince, he couldn't stop himself. Eyes flashing at the fifteen year-old, he let himself wind up. "Would you care to tell me exactly what part of 'Daniel's supposed to avoid any strenuous activity' you didn't understand?"

"Adam—"

He knew Crane was being protective but Adam didn't care and promptly told him so. "I don't want to hear it, Crane. You know how serious this is," he exclaimed.

"Of course I do," Crane replied calmly, stepping in front of Ford as he locked eyes with Adam. "Just hear him out." He relaxed his stance and then used that head-cocked imploring look of his that begged Adam to be reasonable. "Please."

Adam sighed.

"All right, let's hear it," Adam relented, turning to Ford. The boy's eyes were downcast, as was his whole demeanor. It was clear that Ford was feeling guilty over what had happened, though, when Adam took the time to think about it, he had a hard time imagining that their second-youngest was anything more than innocent in this mess. Reaching out, he lightly lifted Ford's chin, drawing his blue eyes to meet Adam's hazel and gently promising, "It's okay, Ford. I won't be mad."

He'd lied. By the time Ford had finished recounting his tale, Adam's jaw hurt from clenching it so hard. He was furious, though he retained enough composure to know that Ford truly wasn't to blame. And blaming the kid lying once again in a hospital bed would've been downright cruel. Not to mention unfair. Still, the visions he couldn't shake from his mind of Daniel rolling on the school's concrete walk exchanging heated punches with another student were making him ill. Though his steps only took him across a few floor tiles each way, he started to pace. It was the only outlet he had.

Until Evan had the misfortune of popping his head out through the curtains. "Hey, guys, he's aw—"

Adam whirled; stalking up to a smiling then startled Evan and immediately yanking him through the opening. "Just where in the hell were you, young man, while your brothers were getting beaten up?"

"I—"

"Adam, don't."

Ford and Crane were protesting from both sides, though only Crane had the guts to grab Adam's forearm and hang on.

"Back off, Crane," Adam spat out.

"Not until you do," Crane said firmly, insinuating himself into the space between Adam and a crestfallen Evan. "He doesn't deserve this."

Adam took a long look at the teen and saw the guilt that mirrored Ford's radiating from his eyes. Even worse though, he saw true fear. Adam groaned. Once again he'd let worry spark his temper. He never ever wanted his little brothers afraid of him. Wilting under that realization and Crane's obvious disappointment in him, Adam sighed, patted Evan lightly on the cheek and agreed. "No. No, he doesn't."

"Yeah, especially since Evan being at practice was my idea."

"Daniel!" Ford's grin practically split his face in two as Daniel padded out through the curtains, looking more than a little irritated.

He looked pretty rumpled too and it was obvious now that, before Adam had interrupted, or rather, accosted him, Evan had been trying to tell them Daniel was waking up. The kid must've hurried to change into the clothes Adam had brought. No doubt rushing because he'd heard the ruckus on the other side of the curtain. Sock-footed, he'd only pulled on jeans and a shirt, the latter left unbuttoned and un-tucked for the time being.

Disheveled or not and still too thin, seeing him upright and mobile was a sight for sore eyes for Adam and, though the swollen lip and bruises and scrapes on Daniel's face still made his blood boil, Adam's relief was almost overpowering. He found himself standing in front of Daniel before he realized it, hands gripping the kid's shoulders probably a little too hard as he shook him lightly. "You really are trying to give me a heart attack, aren't you?"

He'd meant it as a lame joke. Maybe with a hint of chastisement too. But, being so close to his broken little brother brought out all the fear and the love and, instead, Adam had choked on his words. And watched helplessly as Daniel's face crumpled with the weight of them.

"I messed up," he began, his "I'm sorry" muffled as Adam pulled him into his chest.

"Shhh, don't say that," Adam hushed him, holding on tighter. Unwilling to hear the kid pile more guilt onto his already over-burdened shoulders. If only it could be that easy to vanquish the unspoken "again" he knew was eating away at Daniel's soul.

"Sure. Yeah, that'll work," Daniel said into the receiver. He was on the phone with Gregg, and Crane was pleased to hear the touches of determination and enthusiasm in his voice. Big brother wasn't eavesdropping. Really. It was just damn hard not to stick close and pay attention so soon after your little brother collapsed in your arms.

Daniel had been so subdued since getting back from the hospital. Crane knew that exhaustion from not only the physical strain of the seizures, but also the fight, could be blamed for that. But, he also knew his brother well enough to recognize when the kid was feeling incredibly down.

Guilt was eating Daniel up inside. For causing the family more worry and for adding to their medical bills. He'd said as much while they'd driven home, asking Crane how much his latest trip to the E/R was going to cost them. Crane had tried to ease Daniel's concerns but Daniel had shut him down. He hadn't wanted to be mollified. Any more than he'd wanted sympathy or coddling once he'd arrived home.

Though he'd tolerated the hugs he'd received from Hannah and Guthrie, he'd had no sense of humor at all for Brian tousling his hair. And Adam's insistence that he get more rest had been met with resistance at best. Insolence at worst.

Crane had hoped Gregg's phone call would offer the kid some perspective. Daniel's relaxed, "Thanks, man. See you then," seemed to indicate it had.

As Daniel hung up the phone, Crane glanced around the room, noting that everyone in the family was doing their utmost to look preoccupied. Apparently he hadn't been the only sibling hoping that Gregg's call would do Daniel some good.

Because of the trip to the hospital, Daniel had missed their Friday afternoon session. Hannah had called the therapist to cancel and to let him know what had happened. That Gregg had called back to check up on Daniel and offer him some support was another of the many reasons Crane liked the guy. He truly cared about his patients. About Daniel.

Though there were chores to be done outside and in the barn, the whole family was inside. Rallying around Daniel whether or not he wanted the attention. Brian and Hannah were just starting to make dinner and the younger boys were hunkered down around a side-table playing cards. Had this been a little over a month ago, this family time would've guaranteed a few guitars being strummed by now with Daniel as the ringleader. Times had changed though. The unspoken rule in the house was that music had become off limits to all of them; because if anyone made a move toward the piano or a guitar, Daniel would find an excuse to flee. And none of them wanted to be responsible for driving him away from the family.

Even though Adam was mindlessly flipping through the sports pages of the newspaper, Crane had long since put aside the business section he'd been pretending to read, his attention on Daniel's phone call with Gregg now blatantly obvious.

"So, what did he have to say?" Crane asked when Daniel met his gaze.

The kid shrugged before making his way to the couch, shucking the abandoned newspaper section from the spot next to Crane and slumping down in its place. "I dunno. Pretty much the same as Dr. Lee, I guess." He shrugged once again adding a little self-consciously, "He told me not to freak."

"Good." That had been, more or less, what Dr. Lee had said back at the hospital. That, despite having another seizure, it didn't mean he'd ever have one again. The doctor had to restart the clock on Daniel's three month driver's license suspension but, aside from that and upping his dose of Dilantin; it was business as usual for Daniel.

Yeah, right.

Crane bumped shoulders with Daniel, whose attention was now firmly planted on his hands resting in his lap. God, he looked miserable. "He say anything else?"

Daniel blinked, and then straightened a bit before finally addressing no one in particular. "Um, yeah. He said he could come by and work with me tomorrow if I wanted him to… since we missed today. I told him okay."

Adam set aside his paper and leaned forward, resting his elbows against his knees. "You sure you're up to it?" he asked, concern evident in his tone. Crane fully understood the worry but was grateful Adam wasn't pulling rank and saying no outright. "It wouldn't hurt to miss a session, kiddo. Maybe give yourself a break?"

Despite Adam's gentle tone, or maybe because of it, Daniel's reaction was far from the same. "Wouldn't hurt? Of course it'd hurt," he snapped. "I'm at least a month behind in school, Adam," he continued, his words coated in condescension and his own frustration.

Knowing full well how volatile Adam's and Daniel's arguments could get, Crane tried to run interference, lightly squeezing Daniel's arm. "Hey, take it easy."

Jerking away, Daniel practically snarled, "No, you take it easy," and abruptly stood up.

Recognizing that Daniel's pent up emotions were verging toward a melt-down, Crane raised his hands in surrender, trying to lighten the moment at the same time giving his kid brother space. He shot Adam a warning look too, hoping their eldest wouldn't say or do anything to escalate the tension coming off of Daniel in waves. Adam met his gaze and though the line of his jaw was clenched tight, thankfully he remained seated and kept his mouth shut.

Daniel backed away, his breaths coming hard and increasing rapidly as he blindly bumped the back of his legs against the furniture. The kid was in close quarters and Crane knew he was feeling trapped. It didn't help that every member of the family had stopped what they'd been pretending to do and all attention was focused on him. Embarrassment was warring with the myriad of other emotions Crane could see flashing in Daniel's eyes and, after the day he'd had, the last thing Daniel needed was to feel like a spectacle in his own home. Crane desperately wanted to rescue him but the kid was about as volatile as a powder keg right now. For once Crane was at a loss, uncertain how to settle his brother down.

Which made Hannah's sudden, "Hey, which of you fellas is going to get me some more apple sauce for the pork chops?" all the more welcome.

She'd broken the heavy silence and, in doing so, much of the tension too as their three youngest scrambled to get up, a chorus of, "I'll get it," pin-balling between them as they practically tripped over themselves to get to the pantry.

And if Hannah's distraction had started the ball rolling, Brian's, "Huh. They never liked my apple-sauce that much," succeeded in ratcheting tensions down so much further, even Daniel dropped his head and smirked.

The storm had blown over. Such was the way of living with Daniel's emotions these days.

Crane breathed a sigh of relief, sent an appreciative wink Hannah's way, and then moved to go to Daniel who remained standing in the same spot. His head was still lowered too and Crane worried that the boy's calm would be short-lived, over-thinking about what had just happened, no doubt. And, once again, feeling embarrassed and guilty. Adam reached him first though and Crane watched approvingly as Adam grasped the bowed neck and drew Daniel's head into his shoulder as he said, "I'll take Gregg out riding after your session, okay?"

Daniel nodded against Adam's shoulder, his whispered, "That'd be great, thanks," audible to Crane since he was standing right behind Daniel by then. Resting his hands on Daniel's shoulders, he exchanged nods with Adam, the "I have him" unspoken, before Adam let him go and headed toward the kitchen.

As they watched him walk away, Crane could feel the still-churning emotions Daniel was trying to keep at bay. Squeezing the taut muscles beneath his grip, he soothed, "It's okay. Let it go," wishing it could be that easy as he ushered Daniel toward the kitchen and the rest of the family.

They'd made it far enough for Brian to pat Daniel lightly in the ribs when the distinct sound of a vehicle pulling up in their laneway prompted Hannah's, "Are we expecting anyone?"

"Not that I know of," Adam replied, setting down the coffee he'd just poured himself before making his way over to the front door.

Guthrie, having returned with the other boys from the pantry, had beaten Adam there and was already looking out the window when he promptly announced, "It's a lady."

"It's Colleen Asher," Adam confirmed, opening the door to meet the principal as she made her way up the front steps.

"Uh oh, now you're in for it," Brian teased, swiping a positively ashen-looking Ford with a dish-towel and tossing it on the counter before heading toward the door as well.

"Cut it out, Brian," Daniel chastised before Crane had a chance to. Having worn the family's teacher's pet mantle for years until abdicating it to Ford, Crane knew exactly how awful the teenager would be feeling. The boy had never before been in trouble in school and yet here he was now, after a fight, with his high school principal showing up on their doorstep. Though Crane was confident Ford was going to come out of this encounter unscathed, the kid was clearly of a different and petrified mind.

"Come 'ere," Daniel said, stepping out of Crane's hold and hooking an arm around Ford's neck as he pulled him into his side. "It'll be okay."

Ford practically melted against him and Crane's heart filled with pride watching Daniel look after his little brother despite the trauma he'd suffered today.

Evan, on the other hand, looked unfazed and Crane worried that the boy's attitude might work against him if indeed Mrs. Asher had come to mete out any punishment. Following Daniel's lead, Crane called Evan over to him, asking him to at least try and look a little contrite as Adam welcomed the woman into the house.

In the end, how apologetic Evan or any of them appeared didn't matter. Mrs. Asher only had eyes for Daniel. Zeroing in on him as soon as she made it through the door, her hands seemed to act of their own accord as she grasped Daniel's in hers and stood back appraising him. "Oh, Daniel. It's so good to see you up and around," she declared before ultimately pulling him into a hug. "Are you all right, dear?"

Startled and clearly embarrassed, Daniel politely reciprocated, pulling back as soon as was civil and offered, "I'm okay, Mrs. A. Honest."

Still not finished with her affectionate overtures, she reached up and gently brushed Daniel's cheek saying, "No thanks to—well, no matter," she continued absently, cutting off her own words before stepping back from Daniel, squeezing his hand once more and then addressing Adam. "I just feel terrible that this happened at my school… under my supervision," she stressed.

Her words were so heartfelt Crane knew that Adam wasn't going to hold her any ill will. Hell, Crane had been there and, aside from possibly gaining better and sooner control of the onlookers, he knew damn well she didn't deserve any condemnation. Teenage boys fought in school. It was a fact of life and a rite of passage and the fact that this particular fight happened to result in Daniel succumbing to another bout of seizures was far from Mrs. Asher's fault.

Before Adam could respond to her, Daniel did instead. "It's not the school's fault, Mrs. A. And it sure isn't yours," he said sincerely. "Hel-heck, another few steps and we'd've been off school property anyway."

Mrs. Asher dropped her head, her shoulders slumping. In relief or defeat, Crane wasn't sure. Hannah stepped in then and lightly patted her arm and when the principal's eyes met Adam's again, he smiled kindly before canting his head in Daniel's direction and saying, "What he said."

She smiled warmly then, perhaps a little taken aback by the family's relative calm in the wake of the day's events.

Gathering herself, she straightened and addressed the family more formally. "Well… though I certainly thank you for your understanding, I'd be remiss in my duties if I didn't advise you that the Board and I are addressing this issue and taking immediate action to ensure that this never happens again."

That sounded pretty ominous and Crane wasn't at all surprised when Guthrie piped up with, "What are you gonna do?"

"Guthrie!" Adam scolded, before stepping forward and steering their overly inquisitive youngest into Hannah's care.

Mrs. Asher smiled good-naturedly, her experience with teenagers undoubtedly making her immune to the boy's lack of social graces. She answered Guthrie's question anyway, though her words were directed at Adam. "I met with Steven Fletcher and his father in my office before coming over here; advising them both that Steven has been suspended pending the results of an expulsion hearing with the Board next week."

Evan's, "All right," came out as a whisper but Crane smacked the back of the kid's head anyway. Adam was too busy shooting Evan a disapproving glare for Crane to gauge his reaction but Brian looked pretty satisfied with the news. Though clearly relieved that he wasn't in any trouble, Ford still wore a pained expression and Crane would've taken pity on him if not for the worrisome looks of shock and ire on Daniel's face that drew his attention instead.

"What? No!" Sure enough, before Crane could grab hold of him, Daniel moved to stand directly in front of his principal, protesting loudly, "That's not fair!"

"Daniel, that's enough," Adam reprimanded, clearly shocked by Daniel's outburst. "Show Mrs. Asher some respect."

Everyone, not the least Mrs. Asher, seemed shocked by Daniel's objection but truthfully, Crane had to admit that Daniel's thoughts mirrored his own. Sure, Crane was pissed off with this Fletcher kid – absolutely. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that the fight had triggered Daniel's seizure. Still, Crane had been there and knew full well that Daniel had given his all, albeit his underweight all, in that fight. Frankly, fear for Daniel's wellbeing hadn't been the only emotion driving his anger when Crane had pulled the boys apart. He'd been awfully mad at Daniel.

Perhaps not as much as with Evan and Brian, but Daniel had inherited a touch of the McFadden trait that had skipped over Crane… their enjoyment of fighting. And even though defense of Ford had been the catalyst, Crane couldn't help shake the feeling that Daniel had welcomed if not embraced the moment. With that in mind, the idea of kicking Steve Fletcher out of school seemed excessive.

Not to mention it would be something else to add to the burden of guilt Daniel was carrying.

Determined to share his thoughts, Crane waited for Daniel to apologize first. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Asher," he said, sounding as tired as he was sorry. Until he followed up with, "But all due respect, ma'am, it takes two to tango so why aren't I getting slapped with a suspension too?"

Crane didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Daniel!"

Adam looked so appalled Crane decided he'd better say something.

Stepping up next to Daniel, Crane wrapped his arm around his shoulders. Despite or perhaps because of his rebelliousness, the kid looked shaky and, as wrung out as he was, Crane wanted to lend his support. When he felt Daniel lean into him, he addressed the principal, purposely playing the sympathy card first. "I don't think my exhausted brother is trying to tell you how to do your job, Mrs. Asher." Squeezing Daniel's shoulder, Crane added, "He's just trying to understand why the school isn't using a level playing field here."

That earned Crane a disapproving glare from Adam but Daniel's approving nod made it worthwhile.

Turning to Daniel, Mrs. Asher spoke frankly, confusion plain on her face. "Daniel, I don't understand. I thought you wanted to be back in school. Are you asking for a suspension too?"

"I just don't want to be treated anymore different than I already am, ma'am," he answered honestly. Crane swallowed hard, caught Adam's wince too. Yeah, they should've seen that coming.

Her face softened, as did her voice. Grasping Daniel's hand once again, she replied. "Then let me assure you… having taken into account both your history and that of young Mr. Fletcher with my office, along with the statements from those who witnessed today's events, I'm treating this as fairly as possible."

So, apparently this Steve Fletcher had a history with the principal's office. Crane had to wonder about that. Given what Mrs. A. had to say, the kid already had some strikes against him which was not something that could be said of Daniel. Aside from his music being a distraction at times, Daniel never got into the kind of trouble that resulted in a trip to the principal's office.

Her response satisfied Crane. Looking at Daniel, Crane met Daniel's still troubled gaze. "You okay with that?"

Daniel looked down and away.

Mrs. Asher sighed and let go of Daniel's hand. Turning to Adam, she used her formal voice again, "Adam, I'll be expecting Daniel back in school Tuesday, following his one day suspension for fighting."

Adam looked torn. Somewhere between annoyance and relief, Crane couldn't be sure. He numbly shook Mrs. Asher's hand and offered up an awkward thank-you for her understanding. Then, stepping into the role of patriarch, he addressed Daniel, who hadn't reacted at all to the principal's decision. "Daniel, have you anything to say to Mrs. Asher?"

Crane gave Daniel's neck a prodding squeeze before Daniel responded with a subdued, "Thank-you, ma'am".

"Yes, well…" Her words trickled off. What could she say? Exchanging a concerned glance with Crane, she turned away but not before calling out to Evan.

"Yes, ma'am," he answered and Crane was glad to hear actual contrition in his voice.

"That goes for you too, young man."

"Yes, ma'am."

If Evan was angry with Daniel, he didn't show it. In truth, he didn't really have the chance to anyway. As soon as Mrs. Asher left, Daniel excused himself to his room. The sound of the bedroom door slamming shut resonating along the hallway and down the stairs giving his family a pretty damn good idea about how he felt about the situation.

To be continued.