Since I thought I'd posted Chapter 22 a few days ago, and realized when I tried to add this one that I hadn't, you get a second chapter today!

Chapter 23.

By the time we reached the rental car, I was ready to collapse. Not only was my thigh throbbing with pain, but my knees were stiffening and my head was ready to explode.

"Dr. House, are you all right?" Jess asked, worry creasing her brow.

I couldn't admit any of my discomfort to her. "Nah, I'm fine," I said, easing myself into the driver's seat. But I couldn't disguise the sigh brought on by being able to sit down.

Jess got in on the other side and sighed as well. "I'm exhausted!"

At least I wasn't the only one. I turned on the GPS and had it lead me back to the motel, parking near the door closest to the stairway to our rooms. Slowly we made our way up to the second floor walkway and parted at Jess' door.

"See you in the morning, Doctor," she said.

I just nodded and used my keycard to enter my room. I flopped on the bed in my clothes without even removing the covers. It wasn't until about half an hour later that I roused myself enough to go to the bathroom, do my thing, wash my hands and face, and then take off the outer layer of clothes before returning to the bed.

The next thing I knew, light was streaming in through the window. I hadn't even closed the curtains the night before. It was also freezing in the room due to an overactive air conditioner. I found a change of clothes in my bag and headed for the bathroom and a hot shower with a detour to turn down the AC.

I was just about ready to leave the room when there was a knock on my door. I opened it on a smiling Jess.

"Guess what?" she asked but didn't give me a chance to answer. "Glennie's friend told her that Petey is working at Universal Islands of Adventure on the day crew."

"So I guess I know where we're going today," I said. I knew that there were two theme parks at Universal and at least we'd narrowed it down to one of them.

"Did you want breakfast before we go or should we eat there?" she asked, but it was obvious she was anxious to get to the park.

"How bad can breakfast be there?" I asked.

"I read that there's a Beverly Hills Boulangerie just inside the gates. And the park opens at nine," she said.

"I guess someone's done their research," I said sarcastically but she just smirked at me. "OK, the sooner we leave, the sooner we get there." I was also hoping that arriving this early we'd be able to park closer to the entrance.

We got into the car and drove to Universal, only to find that there was a parking garage. Once we'd parked in it, though, we also found that there were a series of moving walkways and escalators that took us all the way to the park. How cool was that?

We reached the gate about fifteen minutes after the park opened. By then we were both ready for some coffee and whatever the boulangerie offered, which turned out to be pastries for the most part. I could handle that.

We each picked something out and ordered it along with a large coffee. I knew Jess wasn't going to dawdle over her breakfast, not now when we were so close to finding Petey. But I've never seen a woman down a cruller so fast in my life!

As we were leaving the shop, our unfinished coffees in our hands, we passed two men in park uniforms that indicated they were maintenance crew. Jess turned and approached them to ask, "Do either of you know Peter Giordano?"

They stopped to look at her face and form, and seemed to like what they saw. Then the older of the two said, "I think he's one of the new guys working over on Spidey. But you're not interested in a skinny kid like him, are you?"

I guessed he meant the Amazing Adventures of Spiderman. It was supposed to be one of the better rides, possibly the most popular until the introduction of the Harry Potter ride.

Jess rolled her eyes at the man and we walked on towards the ride. Swallowing a sip of her coffee, Jess said, "I already like this place better than Disney."

I was a little surprised, and yet I thought the same thing. The themes for the rides were more the kinds of movies I liked. It just seemed geared toward older kids. Like me.

The line waiting to get onto the Spiderman ride was very long, but that wasn't why we were there. Still, I looked at it, thinking I would have liked to try it. Maybe once we found Petey we'd get our money's worth of thrills.

Jess approached a park worker, who immediately told her to get in line, but she insisted she just wanted to know how to find the service entrance to the ride.

"Look, lady, no one goes in there except park employees," he said in a heavy Jersey accent.

Jess and I looked at each other. We were from Jersey too. "I'm just looking for my brother," she said, exaggerating her own accent. "He works here, but his kid is sick and we haven't been able to get ahold of him, know what I mean?"

Whether it was her sob story, which was pretty accurate, or the accent, so different from her normal mode of speech, or the fact that she was an attractive Jersey woman, he replied, "What's his name?"

"Peter Giordano," she said. "We call him Petey."

"Yeah, new kid. Come to think of it, he said he was from Jersey. I haven't seen him yet today, but if you wait right here, you'll probably see him come in."

So the two of us found a spot in the shade, away from the line of those waiting to ride. It was already heating up and I knew by afternoon my shirt would be sticking to my back as it had the day before. I hoped we'd find Petey soon.

I guess I've always been a people watcher. It's helped me develop my observation skills. "That guy near the front of the line, the one with the ginormous cup of soda in one hand and corn dog in the other? I doubt he'll make it through this ride."

"Huh?" Jess said, her eyes easily locating the man I meant. "Who eats a corn dog for breakfast?"

"He's two days away form a coronary in any event, but a day at a place like this could kill him," I elaborated.

"Maybe you should say something to him," she said, her forehead creasing.

"Fat lot of good that would do," I said. "No, he'll learn the hard way or no way."

She turned to me. "What about all of the other people? Anyone else with impending health problems?"

Was she challenging me? The great diagnostician? I took a deep breath and launched into it. "The woman, trying to get her son to stop running around in circles, has heartburn, but it's not caused by the kid. The teenager right behind her has to pee but doesn't want to leave and lose his place in line..."

"Yeah, even I can see that."

"...And the girl near the end of the line, the one with a faraway look, is hypoglycemic."

"I'll take your word for it," Jess said with a smile.

"You don't believe me?"

"I'll have to. There's no way you can prove it," she said.

"When the teenager wets his pants and the girl faints, you'll have some of your proof," I said smugly.

"OK," she said, laughing, even though she and I knew it wasn't at all funny.

We watched the line move along and more people join it. Suddenly, Jess started and grabbed my arm. "There's Petey!"