Helen, you get in the queue for hugging PJ, and a certain other crinkly blue eyed man we shan't mention here. How come you're always at the front of the line?? LOL.

As for everyone else, everything is so up in the air for PJ and Maggie at the moment, and the boys are starting to feel it. Hopefully this chappy will show them that they have more people looking out for them than they ever thought. Oh, and I do hope that it's clear when Tom Croydon or little Tom Doyle is talking, giving them the same name is one thing, trying to write a chappy with both of them playing a big part is not so fun!

Happy reading, and Happy Thursday.

C

53

So still. So completely and utterly still.

Maggie hadn't moved in the three hours since the ambulance had brought her to the hospital, and much as he tried to hide it, much as he tried to believe what Zoe had told him, PJ was terrified. He was going to lose her again. She was going to leave him again, just like last time, and once again there was nothing he could do to stop if from happening.

"Mags, please" he leant forward, whispering in her ear, her hand clasped tightly in his, "Please, don't leave me, not now, not when I've just found you again. Mags, I need you so much, I love you, I – come back to me Maggie. I can't go through this again. I can't lose you again. I – " he choked back a sob, a tear falling from his blue eyes and landing on their joined hands. "Mags, if you leave me this time, I'm coming with you."

Nick stood by the door, his wife wrapped tightly in his arms, both watching the scene that was playing out before them.

"Zoe, Zo, please, tell me she's going to come out of this. Tell me you can wake her up, give her a shot of something and she'll wake up" Nick begged in a whisper. "Look at him Zo, if she doesn't make it through this, he - it'll kill him. He'll do it this time, and those boys of theirs – " Nick shuddered to a stop, unable to finish.

For a second, Zoe pulled his arms tighter around her, savouring his presence, his warmth, his nearness, and then, taking a deep breath, she stepped into the room.

"Boss Tom, again!" came a delighted shriek as Tom Croydon very carefully bent over and picked up the football. He wasn't entirely sure where Tom and Joe were getting their energy from, but if he could bottle and sell it, he'd be a millionaire by now.

Gently kicking it, he aimed the footy at Joe this time, who was getting much better at actually catching it. Tom chased his twin down, Joe making a valiant effort and kicking it back to their 'Boss Tom' just in time.

"My turn, me now, me now!" Tom yelled at his older namesake, and obligingly the ball was kicked in his direction and the routine was followed over again with both twins until they finally flaked out, lying down on the grass, exhausted.

"You good, Boss Tom." Joe decided. "You kick like Mummy."

Tom sat up at that, looking over at his twin who'd sat up too.

"Boss Tom? Mummy still sleep?"

Tom Croydon ran a tired hand over his face. In all honesty he'd been dreading this moment. Zoe had told the boys that Mummy had a sore head and that she was having a nap to make her feel better. Joe and Tom were accustomed to naps, Mummy made them have one most days, and they were usually most put out that she never seemed to take her own advice and lie down with them.

"Mummy's having a long nap," he told them, sitting down on the grass and reaching over and wrapping them in a hug. "She'll be fine when she wakes up" he said with a hell of a lot more confidence than he actually felt.

"Kay," Tom said, clambering over Boss Tom and his brother and heading for the picnic basket that Chris O'Reilly had packed for them when the news had come in. "Hungry. Boss Tom, speeza?"

Joe hung back a second, his blue eyes gazing up and pinning his Boss Tom with a look. "Mummy?"

As identical as they were, Tom Croydon could already tell Tom and Joe apart. Tom was the more confident of the two, the more trusting, and looking down at Joe, Tom Croydon suddenly knew who was the far more perceptive of the twins.

"Joe, I – " he swallowed tightly. "Joe, Zoe is doing her best to make Mummy better. That's all I know. She's a clever lady, and she wants to help Mummy get better. Daddy, and Zoe, and Uncle Nick, and me, and you two, we have to think good thoughts, and send wishes to Mummy to help her get better. We have to let Mummy sleep, and we have to let her wake up when she's ready. Ok?"

Joe stared up for a moment longer, before reaching over. "Scared, Boss Tom."

Mouth full of chicken sandwich, after a fruitless search for his beloved 'speeza' Tom turned, a squashed sandwich in his hand ready for his brother. His smile vanished when he saw Joe, and it was less than a second before he too was wrapped in a hug.

"Scared. Want Mummy." Joe said in a whisper.

"Want Mummy too," Tom said, reaching over and managing to cuddle both his brother and his namesake. Above them Tom Croydon was doing his level best to hide his tears. If Maggie, if she didn't –

"Hey there you lot!" came a cheerful voice, and Tom Croydon had never been so glad to see Nick Shultz in his entire life. "Excellent move Boss. You hold those two, and I'll divvy up this 'speeza' I just found, and I can eat it all myself!"

"Speeza?!" came a yelp from both sides of Tom the supposed captor, and he was soon flat on his back, the hug abandoned as both boys leapt at Nick's legs – getting absolutely nowhere as Nick's legs were very, very long.

"Share!" Joe yelled, his head tipped back and eyes scrunched against the afternoon sun. "Mummy says always have to share, and Mummy always right"

"Mummy hungry?" came an identical voice, and Joe glanced over at his brother who was ginning mightily. "Mummy like 'speeza'! Speeza make Mummy better! Come on Joe!"

Tom Croydon hadn't laughed like this in years as Nick doubled over, the pizza falling from his hands as the boys made a concerted grab for it. Their fists had gone everywhere, thumping Nick in an effort to get to his hands, and unfortunately for Nick, their innocent aim was a little too good, the pizza falling from his hands as a particularly good punch caused his eyes to water and him to double over in agony.

"Could – " he puffed, "Could have just" Nick tried to straighten up, his face red and lips clamped for a second longer, " You could have just asked"

"Did!" Joe said indignantly. "You didn't share. Speeza for Mummy, make Mummy better."

"So there" Tom said, reaching over and taking Joe's hand. "Mummy likes Speeza" he told them, taking a little nibble to make sure the speeza was all right.

Nick gave up on the idea of standing up, flopping down on the grass instead, his long legs carefully crossed in front of him.. "You know what? I reckon you're right. Your Daddy always could persuade your Mummy to try anything. " Nick grinned over their heads at Tom Croydon, who gave an ironic smile in return. Hasham and Doyle, Doyle and Hasham. Always there, always together. How he'd missed it, he would never know.

"Anyway, your Daddy sent me out with this for you. Zoe's given your Mummy some more medicine, and she's still asleep, and your Daddy thought you might like some of this." Nick wafted the pizza box at them. Both twins were by now nibbling, tomato sauce smeared around their lips.

"Mummy still sleep?" Tom asked, after a glance at his twin. "Mummy not hungry?"

Nick shook his head. "Nah mate, your Mum, she's having a good sleep. She's had lots going on the last few days, you know, like meeting your Daddy again, and meeting me and Boss Tom here. She's got lots to think about, and sometimes it's easier to think about things in your dreams. Zoe says that's what Mummy is doing now, and we just have to let her wake up when she's ready. Meanwhile, Daddy's said that you two can come to stay with me and Zoe, and Boss Tom will come over for lots of visits. How's that sound?"

"Daddy?

"Daddy's going to stay here with Mummy for a few days, but you can come and visit every day. Me and Zo, we're actually staying at Daddy's house, so you can explore all you want, I even know where your Daddy keeps his pictures of him when he was a little boy, so I'll show you – and he's got a big back yard, so we can practice footy, and you can teach me some of the stuff you know. In fact, why don't we go over there right now, and you can dump your stuff, and we can have a kick around?" Nick said enthusiastically, mentally crossing his fingers that he was able to take their minds off Maggie.

"Bye Mummy?" Joe said, standing up and wiping his mouth before placing a hand on Nick's shoulder.

Glancing down at the red handprint on his shoulder, Nick nodded, managing to stand up and at the same time lift Joe up as well. "Yeah, we can go and say goodbye to your Mummy"

"Shoulders!!" Tom gleefully yelled, squirming as Nick hoisted him into the air as well.

"You have to keep very still if you want shoulders," Nick said, carefully plonking a twin on each shoulder and reaching up and anchoring them in place. "It's a long way down, and I wouldn't want to drop you". Glancing at each other, both Tom and Joe froze in place, broad grins on their faces, and as Nick winced, a good tuft of hair in each tomato sauce stained hand to keep them in place.

The picnic basket tided up, the four of them trailed rather carefully into the hospital, Nick ducking very carefully through each door until they came to Maggie's room.