It was a typical breakfast at the Wilkerson home the small kitchen table covered in dishes and food. Lois grabbing more juice and adding a little water to stretch it "just a little." Dewey and Reese were fighting over the last pancake and Hal was reading the news paper completely unphased by the caous around him. The phone rang Lois grabbed it. "What!" she answered annoyedly, "Oh," her voiced softened she stepped around the corner to the living room, "Oh Kitty, oh I'll tell Malcolm." Without saying good buy she clicked the phone off and returned to the kitchen. Dewey, very perceptive of the things around him asked, "Who was it?" Brushing him off Lois's expression of shock returned to normal, "Boys go upstairs and brush your teeth I'm giving you a ride to school today." The three boys rushed up from their chairs noisily, pushing and bumping their way out of the room. "Malcolm." Lois beckoned. Malcolm turned around expecting to be reamed for not clearing his plate or pushing to hard or some other typical annoyence of his parents. Instead his mothers caring body language and soft tone made him come closer in curiosity. "Malcolm that was Kitty, Stevie stopped breathing in the night." The thoughts raced through Malcolms head his expression of horror and worry fell over his face. "He was wearing his monitor so Abe and Kitty got to him in time. If you want to go to the hospital to see him today you can miss school."

It must be pretty bad for Mom to let me miss school, I always know something bad can happen to Stevie but when it actually does…

"Malcolm?" Lois voiced with concern when her son had spaced out.

"Yeah um, I'll just see him after school. He's fine though right, Stevie is always fine." He ranted.

"Malcolm I…"

Malcolm just went up to his room cutting his mother off mid sentence. Hal who was in the kitchen looked worriedly at his wife, "Are Abe and Kitty at the hospital?" Lois reassuredly shook her head. "I'm just glad we have four healthy kids, I mean they are a little head strong sometimes but, all healthy." He lovingly looked at his wife.

The boys all piled into the car. Pushing and butting and flicking and shouting. Reese spoke up first. "Why is she driving us, why is she being nice?"

"Yeah who died?" Dewey chimed in. Malcolm couldn't take it, it was a pressure on his heart, a heavy worry he couldn't hold in.

"Stevie, okay she feels bad about Stevie!" He burst.

The brothers looked shocked, Reese who had battled for the front seat turned around to look at his brother who was apparently upset. Not being very tactful he asked "What happened to Stevie?"

"I don't really know he just, stopped breathing, he's in the hospital, his parents got to him in time."

Reese turned around and faced foreword. He knew his brother was hurting and it must have been a lot to loose face in front of them. Lois opened the door and Reese looked timidly over at her. The car ride was quiet, extremely abnormal for them. When she pulled up to the curb. Dewey and Reese immediately bailed to make things less awkward for their brother. Malcolm knew it and appreciated it but still felt so worried and sad about Stevie. As the van door slid open Lois turned to speak to her son, "Malcolm we can drive to the hospital if you want."

He wanted to desprately he wanted to but he just took a breath "Mom, Stevie sick, I get it Stevie is always sick, Its not like he is dead and its not like he hasn't been at the hospital three times already this year and its not like I can help and its not like… by this time his voice was cracking terribly and it had gone up at least two octaves… I mean oxygen loss can cause brain damage, but, he doesn't have brain damage does he Mom?"

Lois's shocked and concerned expression preceded her response, "Kitty didn't say."

Malcolm hopped out of the car, and headed to class. His teacher announced roll. "Dabney, Lloid, Jessica, Malcolm, Kevin." Knowingly she skipped right past Stevie's name.

Stevie's parents must have called the school.

It was hard to focus all day, Malcolm waited for lunch to come around when he would take his seat at the usually Krellborn table and tell everyone about Stevie. Ring the lunch bell sounded and as all the other classrooms had kids running out the Krellborns all looked up from their books and got up to regretfully walk out to their daily torture and torment yard.

"Malcolm where's Stevie? Did he die?" Dabney asked. This comment set all the Kerellborns into a panic, Malcolm hit his fist on the table. "Stevie is not dead, he just stopped breathing and hes in the hospital and hes fine!" Malcolm stormed off. Leaving the safe zone of the designated Krellllborn table into the jungle that was the school yard. Huffing his way to the grass he was stopped by Jason Freeman a kid big for his size but not too bright, not on the same level as Reese but still a threat willing to torment for no reason. "What?!" Malcolm turned around to see who grabbed his shoulder. "What do you want?" He asked with no concern for his safety. The Krellborns all watched in fear.

"Where wheels, Krellborn?" The bully taunted. Malcolm threw a look that sent him unwittingly over the edge Jason grabbed his shirt "Answer me?" "Where the cripple kid?"

Out of nowhere sprung Reese on top of Jasons back he had him in a choke hold. Kicking and trying to get him off Jason rolled on the ground. "Let go" he choked.

"Appologise" Reese demanded

"I'm I'm sorry" Jason choked. Reese released him. Malcolm looked shocked and turned away from Reese who stood waiting there for an adult to come take him to the principals, but no one came over.

After school on the walk home Reese and Malcolm went to get Dewey. Nether brother wanted to face each other but they had to. Malcolm was the first to speak "What was that about?"

"Me?!" Reese shouted "You left the Krelborn table, YOU LEFT YOUR AREA! Now your not even going to see Stevie."

"You, you, you don't talk about agggh." They finished the walk in silence. Dewey met them on the corner.

"Today at school Suzin and Tommie got caught in the bathroom… are you going to see Stevie today?"

"Would everyone stop about Stevie." Malcolm tearfully but not broken stated. His brothers pressed him no further.