Doug had no idea why he'd been suddenly jolted awake that afternoon. All he knew was that his pounding heart told him that something was terribly wrong. Trying to calm himself, he walked from room to room, becoming increasingly alarmed as he realized that Jamie was nowhere to be found. He left the motel room and walked around the corner. When he caught sight of the pool, his heart began to hammer madly, and he broke into a run.

Reaching the pool at last, the first thing he saw was the empty raft floating lazily on the water's surface, and the next thing he saw was the top of Jamie's head, bobbing just above it.

Quick as a flash, he kicked off his flip flops, dived into the pool, grabbed Jamie around the waist, and swam with her to the steps at the side of the pool.

He lay her on the concrete and then climbed the steps himself. Noticing that she wasn't breathing, he began to perform the Heimlich maneuver on her. Streams of water shot out of her mouth, and after a few seconds, she began gasping for air. The she inhaled sharply and opened her eyes.

"Thank God you're all right!" Doug cried, holding her as if he never wanted to let her go.

Jamie began to cry. "What...what happened?"

"It's all right, baby," Doug murmured soothingly. "You're safe now."

"I...I...I just wanted to float on the raft...but it slipped out from underneath me, and..." She shuddered. "You pulled me out of the water, didn't you? You saved me!"

"I'm just so glad I got here when I did," Doug replied. "If I hadn't come right away..." He choked up and couldn't finish.

"Oh, Daddy, I'm sorry!" Jamie was near tears again. "I shouldn't have got so mad at you. And to think that I even said you weren't my Dad anymore! I want you to always be my Dad, forever and ever!"

"I want that too, sweetie." He embraced her and kissed her cheek, then took her by the hand. "But I think we'd better head on back to the motel room now. Your Mom will be back any minute."

Not wanting to cause Jo any unnecessary stress and concern, he decided not to tell her about the incident; however, he did wonder why he'd just happened to awaken right when he had. He couldn't be sure it wasn't just his imagination, but he could have sworn that he saw Earl wink at him from across the parking lot.

Jo returned from her shopping trip laden down with packages. "I can't believe how many good sales I found!" she exclaimed.

"Did you find anything for me?" asked Jamie. Jo handed one of the bags to her, and she squealed with delight as she pulled out shorts, tank tops, and swimsuits.

"I found some nice shirts and shorts for you and Clay, and the most gorgeous little baby outfits!" Jo continued, setting the rest of the bags down.

Doug laughed. "I sure hope you didn't break the bank!"

"I put it all on credit cards." Jo looked just a little guilty.

"Well, I guess everyone needs a little retail therapy every now and then." Doug held his arms out to her, and she went into them gratefully.

One afternoon, Sarah Bernstein came to visit Jamie looking despondent.

"My grandmother's on life support," she explained. "The doctor told my Mom that she could go any minute. He says he doesn't understand how she's lived until now, even."

"Gosh, I'm sorry!" Jamie thought of her own grandmother.

"I just can't believe it," Sarah continued. "I mean, Grandma's always been there. She used to babysit me a lot when I was little, and she'd take me to the bakery and buy me donuts or cookies, and we used to ride to the zoo together on the subway, and every year on my birthday, she'd take me to see a movie. I just can't imagine my life without her."

Jamie felt awkward. She didn't know what to say to comfort her friend.

Earl entered the hospital room of Sarah's grandmother, Veronica Ganz Wedemeyer, to find the elderly woman sleeping peacefully. As he approached her bedside, she opened her eyes and looked at him.

"It's time to go," he said softly, extending his hand. As she took it, suddenly she was no longer lying in a hospital bed, but standing on a hard surface that was surrounded by dazzling light. She saw that Peter was there, looking not as he had when she'd seen him last, but as the slight, wiry twelve-year-old boy he'd been when she'd first met him. He was on roller skates. He smiled and held another pair out to her. She looked down and noticed that she was now twelve years old again as well. Understanding dawning on her, she took the skaes from him and quickly put them on, and they skated away together.