"I'll kill her," Laurie declared, savagely, a few moments later, after Shirley had finished explaining the entire situation to them.
"I think you'll have to stand in line," muttered Danny, darkly as he scrutinised first his mom and then Reuben. It was clear to him that beneath the fear and anxiety for his brother's wellbeing lay a wellspring of anger which had barely been tapped. And when it was - well, look out, Joni! It didn't occur to him at that moment to examine his own feelings; he didn't fully recognise the emotions which were running rampant through his own heart. Terror for his brother, compassion for his mom and Reuben for what they had gone through over the last few hours and rage. A rage so white hot that it practically eclipsed every other rational thought. "Where is she, anyway?"
Shirley looked at him. Outwardly calm, his words spoken in a composed, controlled manner. She knew her middle son well enough to recognise the seething emotions bubbling just below the surface. Danny was very like his dad in that respect. Everyday problems could be cast off like so much water from a duck's back, but it was a different matter when it came to a threat to his family. That was the one thing guaranteed to activate all his protective instincts and really fuel his anger. An anger which was slow to build and which had the potential to be very dangerous - especially to the perpetrator of the threat. That was a trait his dad had possessed in full measure and to see it manifest itself so blatantly in her middle son was a little scary.
"I don't know," she said, at length, in answer to his question. "I got the impression that she wasn't around any more."
"You think Mr Novak killed her?" The question was almost gleeful in its optimism.
"Danny!" She was shocked that he could even consider such a thing, although hadn't she been having similar thoughts since she had discovered what had happened to Keith and who was responsible for it? "No," she continued, quietly. "I don't think that at all. But she hasn't been arrested, otherwise the police would have been here." And that would only have added to the crisis. They would have filled out a report on Keith, the press would have gotten hold of it and it would have been yet one more trauma for him to endure. Thank god for small mercies.
"Good." Danny's quiet voice trembled slightly with the fury he was manfully suppressing. "Cos when we find her, I'd like to do the job myself."
She knew she should admonish him, warn him of the consequences of such an action, assure him that he didn't really feel that way at all, but she couldn't. How could she tell him all that when she felt exactly the same way? Instead, she put her arm around him, hugging him and feeling just a little less alone.
Laurie, meanwhile, had been unable to tear her eyes away from her older brother, and had finally moved from the sofa to stand beside the bed where Keith lay. His breathing was ragged and he looked like a corpse. He was still unconscious, long dark eyelashes fanning pasty white cheeks, his normally smooth brow furrowed into a frown of pain. She reached out, stroking his forehead lightly with her fingers, trying to ease the lines of strain on his face. With a small sound of protest, he moved away from her touch, wincing as another jolt of pain speared its way through him. Laurie bit her lip to keep it from trembling. How could anyone do this to Keith? Why would they want to? What had possessed Joni to give him heroin … and lastly, on the very heels of that thought came the revelation of what she had seen in the bathroom of the diner. Joni, injecting herself, convincing Laurie it was insulin for her diabetes. Insulin! And Laurie had believed her! This was all her fault! If she had reported to her mom, to Reuben, even to Keith what she had seen and what she actually, she now admitted to herself, suspected, then her older brother, her best friend, would not now be lying here, suffering, hurting, perhaps even dying. This was all her fault! Unwittingly, she let out a sob, before covering her mouth with one hand. But it was too late. Shirley, instinctively attuned to all her children, had heard it and had hurried over from the other end of the room, Danny in her wake, following more slowly. He seemed reluctant to go anywhere near his brother - although he didn't seem inclined to leave, either. And for the life in him, he would have been hard pressed to explain why.
"Laurie, it's all right, " soothed Shirley as she wrapped her eldest daughter in a consoling hug. "The doctor seems to think that Keith will come out of this all right. Laurie! Laurie? What is it?" as, despite her reassurances, Laurie had broken down in floods of tears, sobbing desolately into her mom's shoulder.
"Oh mom"" she cried, lifting her head, meeting her mother's worried gaze briefly and, unable to hold the contact, quickly looking away again. "Mom, I'm sorry! I should have realised! I should have told someone! But … but I didn't and now Keith's … Keith's … oh mom, I'm so sorry!"
"Realised?" echoed Shirley blankly. "Told someone?" She placed her hands on Laurie's heaving shoulders, giving her a gentle shake. "Laurie, honey, what are you talking about? What is it?"
The tall, attractive brunette broke away from her mother, turning her back on her momentarily, before taking a deep, shaky breath and spinning around to face her again. Although her face was streaked with tears and she was still sniffling into the handkerchief she had retrieved from her dressing gown pocket, she suddenly seemed resolute and Shirley waited for whatever revelation she was about to hear.
"I saw Joni … injecting herself in the bathroom at the diner," Laurie told them, miserably. "She told me she was a diabetic, that it was insulin. I kind of wondered at the time, especially as she's so thin, but … but I took her at her word. Oh mom, I should have known! Should have come to you or Reuben - even told Keith, but I trusted her. I trusted her and now look what she'd done - she nearly killed my brother!"" With this, she burst out into fresh floods of tears and Shirley sadly took her into her arms once more, stroking her gleaming long hair, whispering nonsensical words of comfort whilst exchanging troubled glances with Reuben, who merely shrugged helplessly.
Danny, meanwhile, shook his head at Laurie's confession, his eyes meeting his mom's over the top of his sister's head as Shirley tried to reassure her. "Mom, this isn't Laurie's fault," he said, sagely. "She wasn't to know that Joni was lying. She'd have to be psychic - heck, we'd all have to be able to read minds to figure out what was going on inside that rotten girl's head! You can't blame Laurie for this - and it wasn't Keith's fault, either," he added, loyally.
Shirley smiled bravely through her own tears at the wisdom and generosity of spirit of her middle child. "Of course it's not Laurie's fault," she replied. "Laurie. Laurie, listen to me." Placing a gentle hand either side of the girl's head, she forced her to make eye contact, holding her firmly so she couldn't get away. "Honey, you weren't to know. None of this is your fault. The only fault here - the only person to blame is Joni. She was the one who did this to Keith, not you. Sure, if we'd known about her drug habit sooner, we could have tried to keep Keith away from her - to keep you all away, but you're not responsible for any of this. And neither is your brother," she added, with a quick glance at Danny, to whom Keith's innocence in all of this seemed very important. "We know that . What we have to do now is pull together as a family and help Keith through this. He's going to need all of us to be there for him. It's going to be very rough - on everyone, but especially Keith. Do you two think you can be there for your brother?"
Laurie smiled tremulously and nodded. She didn't need to be convinced. She had already decided that as long as her brother needed her then her place was right beside him, regardless of what happened. Danny, on the other hand, said nothing. He glanced quickly at Keith and felt panic stir within. He wanted to say 'yes', wanted to help his brother, but couldn't seem to bring himself to even move any closer to the bed let alone anything else. He couldn't understand it. Despite their constant baiting of one another, he loved his elder brother, wanted to kill Joni for what she had done to him and he knew that none of this was Keith's fault. He had, after all, insisted as much to his mom; jumping to his defence as easily as breathing. But the image of Keith in the throes of a convulsion - the sight which had greeted them upon their entrance into the suite - was burned into his brain. He had never seen anything like that before and hoped he would never see it again. It had terrified him. And afterwards, when his brother lay so still and silent, looking for all the world like he was dead … he shuddered just thinking about it. He realised that there was no logical reason for him to be feeling this way - afraid of approaching the bed, of looking at his brother, of being there for Keith when he needed them, but he simply couldn't bring himself to take those final steps, nor say the words which his mother was waiting so anxiously to hear.
Shirley studied her younger son with consternation, watching the play of emotions flickering across his expressive face. She recognised the fear which seemed to predominate and a pang of sorrow swept through her as she realised what must be going through his mind. Keith's convulsions had been horrifying enough for her and Reuben. For Laurie and Danny they must have been the scariest thing they had ever seen in their young lives. Maybe she was asking too much, she reflected. Maybe Danny would be better off out of the room, away from Keith's torment, so he wouldn't have to see his brother in such awful, seemingly unremitting pain.
A small, plaintive sound from the bed intruded on her thoughts at that instant and she turned, quickly, letting go of Laurie to be with her firstborn. "Keith? Honey? Can you hear me?"
"Mom .." The hazel eyes blinked once, twice, and then blearily opened upon the world. He looked like hell and probably felt like it too. Groggily, he stared around him, then his eyes alighted on his siblings and he groaned. Oh god, they shouldn't be here, witnessing this! Wasn't it enough that his mom was here, suffering right alongside him? Did he have to put them through the torture too? "No," he cried, distraught. "I don't … want … mom .. get them … out of here …"
The thin, broken sound, a parody of Keith's normal voice, seemed to cut right through Danny. His throat constricted at the sound and his heart - his heart seemed to physically hurt. Without a second thought, he was suddenly at his brother's bedside, leaning over the tortured soul who was trying so desperately to get rid of them and enveloping him in a hug so hard that Keith gasped in pain. Instantly contrite, Danny leapt back as Keith fell back into the pillows, struggling to catch his breath.
"Oh no! Keith! I'm sorry!" he exclaimed. "Are you … are you all right?"
Keith laughed, a thin, hollow sound which then resulted in a bout of coughing which left him even more breathless. Panic-stricken, Danny could only stand, rooted to the spot, as their mother swooped in to help her eldest son, wrapping a supporting arm around his shoulders and raising him up in bed to enable him to breathe a little easier. Reuben, meanwhile, hurriedly stacked the pillows up behind the young singer so that, when Shirley finally eased him back, he was slightly elevated, alleviating the strain on his poor, overworked lungs.
At length, Keith was sufficiently recovered to focus, albeit somewhat dazedly, on his younger brother. He tried to smile, but it was a sickly effort at best. He looked ghastly, but at least he seemed fairly lucid and aware of his surroundings and for that, the two adults heaved individual sighs of relief.
"Danny," he began, then paused, to take a series of short, sharp, painful breaths. He tried again. "Hey, squirt … sorry about that … it's just … what you said …"
"I know, I know, It was a dumb question," Danny interjected hurriedly, both mortified at himself for having uttered something so completely stupid and for being the cause of such a harrowing episode for his elder sibling.
Keith's smile this time was a little more successful, but it went nowhere near his eyes, which looked haunted. "S'okay, kid …" he managed, wheezing harshly. "Can't be as … dumb as I was … to trust Joni .."
Shirley flinched at his words, but tried to take heart in the fact that they had been uttered during teasing banter with his brother. It was evident, however, that Keith's attention was fading fast. He was blinking rapidly, obviously trying his hardest to remain alert and he was very clearly in a lot of pain. His fine features seemed to be set in a permanent grimace and he was biting his lip as though trying to prevent himself from crying out. She reached out, tenderly stroking his hair and the look he directed toward her almost broke her heart. He looked so lost, so scared and so very, very young. "Sweetheart," she said, softly, "is there anything we can do to help?"
He swallowed convulsively, and she saw his bottom lip tremble. He was fighting so hard to keep it all together, not wanting to break down in front of Laurie and Danny, but it was all getting too much for him. She glanced over at her younger son, whom, she realised, had come to the same conclusion and was moving away from the bed slowly, patting Keith gently on the arm as he did so. "We're gonna go get dressed now," he said, brightly, though the incipient tears in his eyes belied his outward demeanour. "Laurie hasn't even had a shower yet and, boy, she smells!"
"I do not" protested that young lady, automatically, then, suddenly comprehending the situation, continued, somewhat haughtily "If anyone smells here, Danny Partridge, then it's you! I don't know what you do at night to get so sweaty - and I don't want to know. But I've got some very nice soap in my luggage which you might want to try."
"Yeah, and the day I use your soap is the day I'll start to wear dresses!" came the instant rejoinder.
Laurie smirked. "Now that I'd like to see!"
Shirley raised her eyes heavenwards, although inwardly she was glad of this bit of near normality in the room. "Kids!" she censured them. "Please - just go and wash up. And Danny - don't forget your feet this time."
"How could I forget my feet?" he puzzled. "I walk on 'em every day!"
Turning back to her other son, Shirley tuned out the mock argument as it continued toward the door and out into the hall and the door closed gently behind Danny and Laurie.
"Bet … I look awful, huh, mom?" Keith asked her in a rasping voice heavy with suffering.
She smiled shakily as she continued combing her fingers through his hair, brushing back his fringe and taking the opportunity to feel his temperature. At least he was a lot cooler now. "Well, darling, you don't exactly look like the picture of health," she admitted. "Do you think you can get some sleep, or is the pain very bad?"
The hazel eyes bored into hers with an intensity which almost frightened her and she watched as a single tear escaped and ran down his colourless cheek. "M'scared, mom," he admitted, with a sob. "M'sorry …"
"Ssshh, ssshhh, honey" she soothed him, leaning further down to kiss the top of his head, trying to reassure him. "We know the whole story, Keith. We know it's not your fault. It's going to be all right honey. I love you. We all love you. We're going to get through this together, I promise."
"Honest?" He was gazing at her now as though she were some kind of lodestone, his trust in her ability to right things as complete now as it had been when he'd been a little boy.
She nodded, her smile strained but sincere. "I promise."
A further spasm shot through him then and he tensed, riding the pain, but it was exhausting him and all he wanted to do was slip away, into oblivion, where this constant ache and throbbing in his joints and muscles couldn't reach him. "Hurts," he mumbled, then, "M'sorry, mom …" as he drifted away again.
She kissed him again, cupping his face in her hand as she did so and leaning her own face against the dark head. "That's all right, darling. You just rest. I'll be here. I won't leave you. I promise."
"I think you'll have to stand in line," muttered Danny, darkly as he scrutinised first his mom and then Reuben. It was clear to him that beneath the fear and anxiety for his brother's wellbeing lay a wellspring of anger which had barely been tapped. And when it was - well, look out, Joni! It didn't occur to him at that moment to examine his own feelings; he didn't fully recognise the emotions which were running rampant through his own heart. Terror for his brother, compassion for his mom and Reuben for what they had gone through over the last few hours and rage. A rage so white hot that it practically eclipsed every other rational thought. "Where is she, anyway?"
Shirley looked at him. Outwardly calm, his words spoken in a composed, controlled manner. She knew her middle son well enough to recognise the seething emotions bubbling just below the surface. Danny was very like his dad in that respect. Everyday problems could be cast off like so much water from a duck's back, but it was a different matter when it came to a threat to his family. That was the one thing guaranteed to activate all his protective instincts and really fuel his anger. An anger which was slow to build and which had the potential to be very dangerous - especially to the perpetrator of the threat. That was a trait his dad had possessed in full measure and to see it manifest itself so blatantly in her middle son was a little scary.
"I don't know," she said, at length, in answer to his question. "I got the impression that she wasn't around any more."
"You think Mr Novak killed her?" The question was almost gleeful in its optimism.
"Danny!" She was shocked that he could even consider such a thing, although hadn't she been having similar thoughts since she had discovered what had happened to Keith and who was responsible for it? "No," she continued, quietly. "I don't think that at all. But she hasn't been arrested, otherwise the police would have been here." And that would only have added to the crisis. They would have filled out a report on Keith, the press would have gotten hold of it and it would have been yet one more trauma for him to endure. Thank god for small mercies.
"Good." Danny's quiet voice trembled slightly with the fury he was manfully suppressing. "Cos when we find her, I'd like to do the job myself."
She knew she should admonish him, warn him of the consequences of such an action, assure him that he didn't really feel that way at all, but she couldn't. How could she tell him all that when she felt exactly the same way? Instead, she put her arm around him, hugging him and feeling just a little less alone.
Laurie, meanwhile, had been unable to tear her eyes away from her older brother, and had finally moved from the sofa to stand beside the bed where Keith lay. His breathing was ragged and he looked like a corpse. He was still unconscious, long dark eyelashes fanning pasty white cheeks, his normally smooth brow furrowed into a frown of pain. She reached out, stroking his forehead lightly with her fingers, trying to ease the lines of strain on his face. With a small sound of protest, he moved away from her touch, wincing as another jolt of pain speared its way through him. Laurie bit her lip to keep it from trembling. How could anyone do this to Keith? Why would they want to? What had possessed Joni to give him heroin … and lastly, on the very heels of that thought came the revelation of what she had seen in the bathroom of the diner. Joni, injecting herself, convincing Laurie it was insulin for her diabetes. Insulin! And Laurie had believed her! This was all her fault! If she had reported to her mom, to Reuben, even to Keith what she had seen and what she actually, she now admitted to herself, suspected, then her older brother, her best friend, would not now be lying here, suffering, hurting, perhaps even dying. This was all her fault! Unwittingly, she let out a sob, before covering her mouth with one hand. But it was too late. Shirley, instinctively attuned to all her children, had heard it and had hurried over from the other end of the room, Danny in her wake, following more slowly. He seemed reluctant to go anywhere near his brother - although he didn't seem inclined to leave, either. And for the life in him, he would have been hard pressed to explain why.
"Laurie, it's all right, " soothed Shirley as she wrapped her eldest daughter in a consoling hug. "The doctor seems to think that Keith will come out of this all right. Laurie! Laurie? What is it?" as, despite her reassurances, Laurie had broken down in floods of tears, sobbing desolately into her mom's shoulder.
"Oh mom"" she cried, lifting her head, meeting her mother's worried gaze briefly and, unable to hold the contact, quickly looking away again. "Mom, I'm sorry! I should have realised! I should have told someone! But … but I didn't and now Keith's … Keith's … oh mom, I'm so sorry!"
"Realised?" echoed Shirley blankly. "Told someone?" She placed her hands on Laurie's heaving shoulders, giving her a gentle shake. "Laurie, honey, what are you talking about? What is it?"
The tall, attractive brunette broke away from her mother, turning her back on her momentarily, before taking a deep, shaky breath and spinning around to face her again. Although her face was streaked with tears and she was still sniffling into the handkerchief she had retrieved from her dressing gown pocket, she suddenly seemed resolute and Shirley waited for whatever revelation she was about to hear.
"I saw Joni … injecting herself in the bathroom at the diner," Laurie told them, miserably. "She told me she was a diabetic, that it was insulin. I kind of wondered at the time, especially as she's so thin, but … but I took her at her word. Oh mom, I should have known! Should have come to you or Reuben - even told Keith, but I trusted her. I trusted her and now look what she'd done - she nearly killed my brother!"" With this, she burst out into fresh floods of tears and Shirley sadly took her into her arms once more, stroking her gleaming long hair, whispering nonsensical words of comfort whilst exchanging troubled glances with Reuben, who merely shrugged helplessly.
Danny, meanwhile, shook his head at Laurie's confession, his eyes meeting his mom's over the top of his sister's head as Shirley tried to reassure her. "Mom, this isn't Laurie's fault," he said, sagely. "She wasn't to know that Joni was lying. She'd have to be psychic - heck, we'd all have to be able to read minds to figure out what was going on inside that rotten girl's head! You can't blame Laurie for this - and it wasn't Keith's fault, either," he added, loyally.
Shirley smiled bravely through her own tears at the wisdom and generosity of spirit of her middle child. "Of course it's not Laurie's fault," she replied. "Laurie. Laurie, listen to me." Placing a gentle hand either side of the girl's head, she forced her to make eye contact, holding her firmly so she couldn't get away. "Honey, you weren't to know. None of this is your fault. The only fault here - the only person to blame is Joni. She was the one who did this to Keith, not you. Sure, if we'd known about her drug habit sooner, we could have tried to keep Keith away from her - to keep you all away, but you're not responsible for any of this. And neither is your brother," she added, with a quick glance at Danny, to whom Keith's innocence in all of this seemed very important. "We know that . What we have to do now is pull together as a family and help Keith through this. He's going to need all of us to be there for him. It's going to be very rough - on everyone, but especially Keith. Do you two think you can be there for your brother?"
Laurie smiled tremulously and nodded. She didn't need to be convinced. She had already decided that as long as her brother needed her then her place was right beside him, regardless of what happened. Danny, on the other hand, said nothing. He glanced quickly at Keith and felt panic stir within. He wanted to say 'yes', wanted to help his brother, but couldn't seem to bring himself to even move any closer to the bed let alone anything else. He couldn't understand it. Despite their constant baiting of one another, he loved his elder brother, wanted to kill Joni for what she had done to him and he knew that none of this was Keith's fault. He had, after all, insisted as much to his mom; jumping to his defence as easily as breathing. But the image of Keith in the throes of a convulsion - the sight which had greeted them upon their entrance into the suite - was burned into his brain. He had never seen anything like that before and hoped he would never see it again. It had terrified him. And afterwards, when his brother lay so still and silent, looking for all the world like he was dead … he shuddered just thinking about it. He realised that there was no logical reason for him to be feeling this way - afraid of approaching the bed, of looking at his brother, of being there for Keith when he needed them, but he simply couldn't bring himself to take those final steps, nor say the words which his mother was waiting so anxiously to hear.
Shirley studied her younger son with consternation, watching the play of emotions flickering across his expressive face. She recognised the fear which seemed to predominate and a pang of sorrow swept through her as she realised what must be going through his mind. Keith's convulsions had been horrifying enough for her and Reuben. For Laurie and Danny they must have been the scariest thing they had ever seen in their young lives. Maybe she was asking too much, she reflected. Maybe Danny would be better off out of the room, away from Keith's torment, so he wouldn't have to see his brother in such awful, seemingly unremitting pain.
A small, plaintive sound from the bed intruded on her thoughts at that instant and she turned, quickly, letting go of Laurie to be with her firstborn. "Keith? Honey? Can you hear me?"
"Mom .." The hazel eyes blinked once, twice, and then blearily opened upon the world. He looked like hell and probably felt like it too. Groggily, he stared around him, then his eyes alighted on his siblings and he groaned. Oh god, they shouldn't be here, witnessing this! Wasn't it enough that his mom was here, suffering right alongside him? Did he have to put them through the torture too? "No," he cried, distraught. "I don't … want … mom .. get them … out of here …"
The thin, broken sound, a parody of Keith's normal voice, seemed to cut right through Danny. His throat constricted at the sound and his heart - his heart seemed to physically hurt. Without a second thought, he was suddenly at his brother's bedside, leaning over the tortured soul who was trying so desperately to get rid of them and enveloping him in a hug so hard that Keith gasped in pain. Instantly contrite, Danny leapt back as Keith fell back into the pillows, struggling to catch his breath.
"Oh no! Keith! I'm sorry!" he exclaimed. "Are you … are you all right?"
Keith laughed, a thin, hollow sound which then resulted in a bout of coughing which left him even more breathless. Panic-stricken, Danny could only stand, rooted to the spot, as their mother swooped in to help her eldest son, wrapping a supporting arm around his shoulders and raising him up in bed to enable him to breathe a little easier. Reuben, meanwhile, hurriedly stacked the pillows up behind the young singer so that, when Shirley finally eased him back, he was slightly elevated, alleviating the strain on his poor, overworked lungs.
At length, Keith was sufficiently recovered to focus, albeit somewhat dazedly, on his younger brother. He tried to smile, but it was a sickly effort at best. He looked ghastly, but at least he seemed fairly lucid and aware of his surroundings and for that, the two adults heaved individual sighs of relief.
"Danny," he began, then paused, to take a series of short, sharp, painful breaths. He tried again. "Hey, squirt … sorry about that … it's just … what you said …"
"I know, I know, It was a dumb question," Danny interjected hurriedly, both mortified at himself for having uttered something so completely stupid and for being the cause of such a harrowing episode for his elder sibling.
Keith's smile this time was a little more successful, but it went nowhere near his eyes, which looked haunted. "S'okay, kid …" he managed, wheezing harshly. "Can't be as … dumb as I was … to trust Joni .."
Shirley flinched at his words, but tried to take heart in the fact that they had been uttered during teasing banter with his brother. It was evident, however, that Keith's attention was fading fast. He was blinking rapidly, obviously trying his hardest to remain alert and he was very clearly in a lot of pain. His fine features seemed to be set in a permanent grimace and he was biting his lip as though trying to prevent himself from crying out. She reached out, tenderly stroking his hair and the look he directed toward her almost broke her heart. He looked so lost, so scared and so very, very young. "Sweetheart," she said, softly, "is there anything we can do to help?"
He swallowed convulsively, and she saw his bottom lip tremble. He was fighting so hard to keep it all together, not wanting to break down in front of Laurie and Danny, but it was all getting too much for him. She glanced over at her younger son, whom, she realised, had come to the same conclusion and was moving away from the bed slowly, patting Keith gently on the arm as he did so. "We're gonna go get dressed now," he said, brightly, though the incipient tears in his eyes belied his outward demeanour. "Laurie hasn't even had a shower yet and, boy, she smells!"
"I do not" protested that young lady, automatically, then, suddenly comprehending the situation, continued, somewhat haughtily "If anyone smells here, Danny Partridge, then it's you! I don't know what you do at night to get so sweaty - and I don't want to know. But I've got some very nice soap in my luggage which you might want to try."
"Yeah, and the day I use your soap is the day I'll start to wear dresses!" came the instant rejoinder.
Laurie smirked. "Now that I'd like to see!"
Shirley raised her eyes heavenwards, although inwardly she was glad of this bit of near normality in the room. "Kids!" she censured them. "Please - just go and wash up. And Danny - don't forget your feet this time."
"How could I forget my feet?" he puzzled. "I walk on 'em every day!"
Turning back to her other son, Shirley tuned out the mock argument as it continued toward the door and out into the hall and the door closed gently behind Danny and Laurie.
"Bet … I look awful, huh, mom?" Keith asked her in a rasping voice heavy with suffering.
She smiled shakily as she continued combing her fingers through his hair, brushing back his fringe and taking the opportunity to feel his temperature. At least he was a lot cooler now. "Well, darling, you don't exactly look like the picture of health," she admitted. "Do you think you can get some sleep, or is the pain very bad?"
The hazel eyes bored into hers with an intensity which almost frightened her and she watched as a single tear escaped and ran down his colourless cheek. "M'scared, mom," he admitted, with a sob. "M'sorry …"
"Ssshh, ssshhh, honey" she soothed him, leaning further down to kiss the top of his head, trying to reassure him. "We know the whole story, Keith. We know it's not your fault. It's going to be all right honey. I love you. We all love you. We're going to get through this together, I promise."
"Honest?" He was gazing at her now as though she were some kind of lodestone, his trust in her ability to right things as complete now as it had been when he'd been a little boy.
She nodded, her smile strained but sincere. "I promise."
A further spasm shot through him then and he tensed, riding the pain, but it was exhausting him and all he wanted to do was slip away, into oblivion, where this constant ache and throbbing in his joints and muscles couldn't reach him. "Hurts," he mumbled, then, "M'sorry, mom …" as he drifted away again.
She kissed him again, cupping his face in her hand as she did so and leaning her own face against the dark head. "That's all right, darling. You just rest. I'll be here. I won't leave you. I promise."