Happy Easter everyone! I'm not too happy with this chapter, writing seems oddly difficult right now and I don't know why… *grumbles*

"Let me take him! Let me take him!"
"You're not strong enough yet, you'll let him drop!"
"I won't! I'm already stronger than you, Erin! Let me…"
"No!"

Danny sighed. Jamie was home for ten days now, and today was the first time that both their parents left the house together – just for a short walk around the block, and Grandma stayed with the children, but it was time alone enough for Erin and Joe to claim responsibility for the baby. Of course, right now there was not much to be done with Jamie, actually: He slept a lot (during the day, mind you, not during the night) and squealed loud and delighted at almost everything they put into his hands. And he smiled, he still smiled whenever he saw one of his family.
Danny found himself smiling, too, at the thought of the little one. It was different than it had been with Erin and Joe. They had mostly grown up with him, at almost one level.
The three years that parted him from Joe were enough for him to help the younger at school and getting through to him when the women of the family didn't, but it was not nearly enough to really see the development of a new life. Besides fighting whoever threatened them and helping them with their homework, there was not much he could for his siblings (and mostly Erin wouldn't let him help her, anyway).
"Erin, pleeease!"
With Jamie, it would be different.
"I said no! You can have him when mom's back, I can't allow you to…"
"You can't forbid it, either!"
"Joe!"
"Please!" As he heard Joe sobbing Danny closed his math book. The only bad thing with Jamie was that his siblings, too, seemed to be babies again now.
"Please, Erin?"
"Crybaby! How do you want to…oh, for heaven's sake… Joe, wait!"

Something bumped onto the floor.

Danny felt his heart beat speed up, hard and painful. One second. Two seconds. It was deadly silent in the house.
Three seconds.

Just as Danny stormed out of his room and down the stairs he heard Jamie start to cry.
Relief and fear brought tears into his eyes to as he broke down next to the baby on the floor. Jamie screamed like he was stabbed, but there was no blood to be seen and he moved his head – that was a good thing, wasn't it? Why was grandma sleeping now? What should he do?
"Erin", Danny whispered hoarsely, "go get grandma. Now!"
"I'm here, Daniel." Briskly the old woman walked into the room, ignoring her older grand-children who were all crying by now as she examined Jamie closely, gently moving her fingers down his spine. "It's okay, sweetheart, we're all here for you", she murmured soothingly, and the tone of her voice seemed to calm the baby down a bit.
As he stopped screaming Danny stood up. At once, Joe ran for him. "I thought she still held him", he cried into his big brother's pullover, "I really thought…"
"And I thought you already had him"; Erin said, "I should've never given him to you, you could have killed him!"
"Erin!" Both Danny's eyes and his voice were on fire. "You handed him over, remember?" He swallowed as his look wandered over to Jamie again. He was too quiet, suddenly, and so pale. He was far too pale. "Grandma, do you think…"
Just in that moment, Jamie started screaming again – and now it wasn't out of the shock of falling down, it was out of pain. Erin gasped and jerked back. "Jamie!"
"Danny…" Grandma's voice was very calm but Danny's stomach turned to ice. She always called him „Daniel".
„Call 911!"

They were sitting in the hospital's waiting room. Again. Fourteen days ago, Danny had been worried. He had been scared at some moments.
Now he felt like his whole body had turned to ice. He knew this feeling, this fear. Overwhelming and painful and so strong that he couldn't run from it. He had felt it before – when Erin had gone missing at the zoo. She had only been four then – old enough to let go of mom's hand (unlike Joe, who was just three), but far too young to walk around alone.
She had been his responsibility. And he had lost her.

Those twenty minutes running around and looking for Erin were the longest of his life. She could have got eaten by the lions, or drunk in the seal's pool – God knew how she always managed to get into trouble, but she did – or she could have been clumped to death by elephants.
Danny knew that all of these scenarios were highly unlikely – but they were easier to think about than the other possibility. Erin could have got kidnapped.
She could be alone, afraid, hurt. He was not old enough for knowing about sex yet, but he knew that violation had something to do with undressing people and hurting them.
Someone could do that to his baby sister right now. Because he let go of her.
They had found her at the panda cage, crying but unharmed. Mom and Joe hugged her at once, but Danny was too ashamed.

"Stop walking around, you're driving me crazy!" Erin's eyes were filled with the same terror he felt. Joe, however, was far less understanding. "You should really stop giving orders, Erin, it doesn't work out well when you do!"
"Joe!", Erin cried, tears welling up and rolling down her cheeks. Searching for help, she turned to Danny. "I didn't want to…"
"Of course you didn't!" For the first time in ages, his little sister didn't back away as Danny hugged her, and he found solace in the fact that at least he could comfort her. Of course, the only thing that would really calm them down would be mom and dad walking out the door with Jamie in their arms, smiling.

They waited for two hours, each second getting longer and filled with more fear. Eventually Joe whispered his sorry to Erin, at which she just pulled him close. They sat huddled together in silence, trying to talk about school and weather and other stuff that mattered sometimes else. Then finally, their dad reappeared. Joe ran to him. "Where's mom?"
"Mom's gonna stay with Jamie."
Joe stepped back. Danny froze. He's okay, he tried to think. He must be okay. At least he's alive, he's alive, and he'll be okay!
Erin gathered all her courage: "Will he be okay?"
Dad sighed. "Yes, he will. There's nothing broken, thank God. They want him here over night to check the bruises on his spine so they won't hinder the blood going to his brain…" He stopped as Joe grimaced in both relief and disgust.
"I'm sorry, dad! It was my fault, I shouldn't have… I'm sorry." Erin didn't dare to look into her father's eyes. Frank shook his head. "It wasn't your fault, Erin. These things can happen. You should have been more careful, and we shouldn't have left so early." He didn't notice his children's faces. "Your little brother is a warrior, and he'll be fine. But we have to be more careful now. All of us. Understood?"
"Understood." They nodded. Joe grabbed his elder sibling's hands. "Can we see him?"
Despite the fear that had shaken him in the past hours, Frank couldn't help but smile. "Yes. But be quiet."