A/N: The song "Daniel" is by Elton John.

CHAPTER 11: Jason's Song

I felt so much better after talking to Daddy. In fact, I was in such a good mood, the next day at school, I talked to almost anybody who came up to me, including the big kids. The only problem was, I think I forgot to raise my hand at least three times during class today. I'm just glad Ms. Colman doesn't yell.

After school, Mommy picked us up to take us to Nancy's house. Since her car had a flat tire, she had to borrow Seth's van. It usually has tools, blueprints, and stuff like that strewn all over the backseat. Today, though, it was so clean, I wouldn't have recognized it.

"I finally talked Seth into cleaning out the backseat!" Mommy laughed. "That's one less thing on his 'to-do' list!"

When we got to the little house, the first thing we saw was Jason's motor scooter parked beside the curb. Before I could ask what was going on, the front door opened, and out came Seth, Jason, and Bebe.

"Hi," Seth said as we got out of the car.

"Hi, Seth," Mommy said. "Hi, Jason."

"Hi, Mrs. Engle," Jason said. "Oh, this is my stepsister, Bebe."

"Nice to meet you, Bebe," Mommy said as they shook hands. "So, Jason, what brings you here?"

"Well, my bike, for one," Jason joked.

"Actually," Seth explained, "I invited him. See, he and his sister came by my shop this afternoon, and he told me that he'd read the want ad I'd placed in the newspaper." (The reason why Seth ran the ad is because his regular assistant had to go to Maine to help take care of a sick relative, and he didn't want Mommy to have to help out too much.)

"Anyway," Seth continued, "I told Jason I'd need someone to help me on Saturdays, and he said he'd be glad to help out. That, and I also needed someone to help me reattach the door on the toolshed."

"He's really good at working with his hands," Bebe added. "He even helps my daddy around the apartments."

"Well, see you Saturday, Jason," Seth said.

"No problem," Jason answered, shaking Seth's hand, then Seth and Mommy went inside.

Just then, Mrs. Dawes came up the street, pushing Nancy's baby brother, Danny, in his stroller. I still remember when Nancy made me Danny's fairy godsister. Since none of my parents were planning on having any more kids, that really meant the world to me.

"Hi, Mommy!" Nancy called. "Hi, Danny!"

"Hi, Nancy; hi, girls," Mrs. Dawes answered. When she saw Jason and Bebe, she said hello to them, then asked, "Who are your friends?"

I introduced Mrs. Dawes to Jason and Bebe. "Seth just gave him a part-time job," I explained as Mrs. Dawes reached into her purse for her keys.

"Oh, that was nice of him," she said. "Would you kids like to come in?"

"Yes, thanks," Jason answered. Then, motioning toward Danny, he asked, "How old is he?"

"He just turned five months old," Mrs. Dawes answered as she unlocked the door.

"Oh, he's just darling," Bebe said sweetly as we went inside.

"Thanks," Mrs. Dawes answered as she put Danny in his playpen.

That's when he started crying. We didn't know what was wrong, until Nancy looked at the clock and asked, "Mommy, isn't it time for Danny's bottle?"

"Yes," Mrs. Dawes remembered. "Thanks for reminding me, honey." And she hurried into the kitchen.

In the meantime, we were left with trying to figure out a way to amuse either ourselves or Danny. He clearly didn't seem all that interested in his toys, for some reason. The next thing I knew, Jason was sitting beside the playpen, and then he started singing very softly:

"Daniel is trav'lin' tonight on a plane;

I can see the red taillights headin' for Spai-in.

Oh, an' I can see Daniel wavin' good-bye

God, it looks like Daniel; must be the clou-ouds in my eyes.

"They say Spain is pretty, 'though I've never been

But Daniel says it's the best place that he's ever seen

Oh, an' he should know, he's been there enough

Oh, I miss Daniel; oh, Lord, I mi-iss him so much.

"Oh-oh-oh, Daniel, my brother, you are older than me;

Do you still feel the pain of the scars that won't heal?

Your eyes have died, 'though you've seen more than I

Daniel, you're a star in the face of the sky-y-y..."

Whoa. My friends and I just stood there. Bebe had a big smile on her face, which told us that Jason used to sing to her when she was a baby. Part of what made it so amazing was that Danny stopped crying. I guess he was able to calm down when he found out that Jason had such a beautiful voice.

When Mrs. Dawes came back with the bottle, she saw the three of us standing there with our eyes and mouths wide open, Danny cooing and touching Jason's hand through the playpen mesh, Bebe standing there smiling, and Jason sitting by Danny and smiling back at him.

Nancy was so grateful for what Jason did that she actually walked up and gave him a hug. Hannie, Bebe, and I looked at each other. Nancy had done exactly what the rest of us had been thinking. "Wait'll the other kids hear about this," Hannie whispered to me. I nodded in agreement.

"Well, we should probably get going," Jason said as he lifted Danny out of the playpen and handed him to Mrs. Dawes. "It was nice meeting you."

"Thank you," Nancy called after him. Jason turned, grinned at her, then followed his sister out the door. And you know what? Jason may look like a bad boy, but after seeing him cheer Danny up, I just knew that he wasn't.