I enjoyed my time with Daniel, and we just spent the next hour or so talking about this and that. It was a good talking time

with him. I got up a couple of times to go check on Isaac, and he was still sleeping peacefully.

I won't lie. At one point I went to the top of the stairs, and listened to see if I could hear anything in the conversation

between Crane and Kenny. But the living room was quiet. Even peering over the railing, I couldn't see anything.

I went back to tell Daniel, complaining that I couldn't hear anything.

Daniel, who was still sitting all stretched out on his bed, was quietly strumming his guitar.

"Maybe because you're not supposed to hear anything," he reminded me.

Daniel was still doing that, and I was laying on my stomach, reading on my book again, when I heard

noise coming from the hallway. I got up and went to stick my head out.

"Who is it?" Daniel asked, from where he was sitting.

"It's just Evan," I responded.

A comment which earned me an irritated look from Evan, who paused in front of me, as I stood in the doorway of Hannah and Adam's

room.

"What sort of a thing is that to say?" he demanded. "It's just Evan", he mimicked me.

"How's Nancy?" I asked him.

"She's fine."

"Was Crane downstairs in the living room?" I asked him.

"I didn't see him."

"Was Kenny's truck still here?" I asked then.

"Yeah, I saw it."

I wondered where Crane and Kenny had gone to. Maybe for a walk or something.

"I'm beat. I'm headin' to bed," Evan announced. "Goodnight."

"Night, Ev," Daniel said.

I echoed my own goodnight to Evan, and had only just gone back inside the room, to sit on the edge of Crane's bed

again, when Crane appeared in the open doorway. I don't know how he managed to make it up the stairs without me

hearing him coming.

"Hey," he said, quietly. "Dan'l, can you come over to the Harris's in about an hour or so and pick me up? I'm going to

drive Kenny back to his house in his truck."

"Sure. I can do that," Daniel responded.

"Has he been drinking?" I asked, curiously, thinking that must be why Crane didn't think that Kenny should drive.

Crane gave me a quick glance. "I don't think so, no."

I stood up, and went to stand beside him. "Well, what was wrong with him?"

Crane hesitated. "That's something that Kenny needs to talk to his folks about, before anybody else hears, peanut."

"Oh," I said, and now I really was curious. I wanted to ask lots more questions. Like why was Crane going along with

Kenny to his house? But, I could tell that Crane didn't want to, and probably would not, answer any questions right

now.

"Alright. See you in about an hour, then," Crane said to Daniel.

"Yep," Daniel said, and then Crane was gone, going back downstairs. I turned to look at Daniel, and sighed.

"You'll find out what's going on soon enough, squirt," Daniel said, looking, I thought, a bit amused at my frustration.

Daniel laid his guitar aside on the bed, and stood up, stretching.

"Let's go down and tickle the ivories for awhile," he said.

"Just horsing around, though, right?" I asked him. "You're not going to get all pushy about how I play like Ford does,

are you?"

Daniel held up three fingers. "Scout's Honor," he said.

7

So we sat down on the piano bench together, and for a little while it was fun, playing duets and all. I would just jump

in after he'd started playing something, and I'd listened for a few minutes. But, it wasn't as though I was playing very

well, and I knew it.

After awhile, though, Daniel told me to stand up, and then he searched thru the sheet music stored in the piano bench.

As he sat back down, setting the sheets on the piano in front of him, he looked up at me. "Sit down."

I eyed him warily, and sat down.

"Take a look," Daniel said, nodding towards the sheet music, and beginning to play.

"I play by ear, remember?" I said, giving Daniel a nudge in the ribs with my elbow.

"You say that like it's somethin' you should get a trophy for," he said.

"It's Ford all over again," I groaned, sinking my face into my hands. I raised my face and reminded him, "You said, 'Scouts Honor'."

"Well," he said, with a grin, "Technically, I was never a Boy Scout, so it didn't count."

I pushed against him, harder this time.

"Okay, okay," Daniel said, nudging me back. "Sorry." He began playing the music in front of him. "Jump in," he told me.

We were still playing when there were the sounds of vehicles pulling up outside, and the front door opened, and McFaddens

began to stream into the room. I turned on the bench so that I was facing towards them, and Daniel swiveled around

to do the same.

"How was bowling?" Daniel asked, in a general way.

"It was fun," Hannah said, coming toward us. "How was the baby?" she asked me.

"He was fine. No problems. He's asleep," I told her.

"Great. Thank you again, sweetie," she told me.

Guthrie, in an obviously good mood, announced that he'd had the high score that night, at the bowling alley.

"I kicked Brian's butt," he said, grinning mischieveously at Brian.

"I was takin' it easy on you," Brian returned, and they scuffled around for a couple of moments, playfully.

"Evan home?" Adam asked.

"Yeah. He came in a while ago," Daniel said.

Adam nodded.

As everybody was sort of standing around, or sitting down on the couches, Clare gave a yawn.

"Whoo," she said. "I'm tired. Think I'll go on up to bed."

Daniel gave a look at the grandfather clock. "I gotta go get Crane," he said.

"Where's Crane?" Brian asked.

Daniel hesitated, and then gestured towards me. "I'll let squirt explain it to you," he said.

He headed towards the front door, to go out, and everybody turned sort of expectantly to look at me. Even Ford, who

had started up the stairs, stopped, and turned to listen.

As the door closed behind Daniel, I said, "Kenny came over."

Since this wasn't really anything as far as earth-shattering news to anyone, they all just waited.

Except for Guthrie. I didn't miss the look of interest and hope on his face. I knew he was missing Kenny, even after their

argument. He had to be.

"He asked for you, Guth," I said.

"He did?"

"Yeah. And then when we were outside talking, he got all upset," I went on.

"Upset about what?" Hannah asked.

Before I could say that I didn't know for sure, Guthrie said, "You didn't start in on him again about that dog bite he had, did ya?"

Guthrie's tone was a little too accusing to suit me.

"No, Guthrie, I didn't," I said, in irritation.

"Guthrie, let her talk," Hannah said.

"I don't know what he was upset about, exactly. He just-" I hesitated, wondering if I should share about Kenny

crying. "Well, I couldn't understand what was wrong, so I went to get Crane."

By now, everybody was looking curious, and all concerned.

"I wonder what was wrong," Hannah said.

"Maybe he's upset about his dad," Ford contributed, from his spot at the bottom of the stairs, referring to Mr. Harris suffering from

cancer.

"That's probably right," Brian tossed in.

"I don't know," I said. "Crane talked to him for over an hour, and then said he was driving Kenny's truck back to

the Harris's, and for Daniel to come and pick him up."

"Well, I'm glad he talked to Crane," Hannah said. "Hopefully that will help him feel better."

The room was quiet for a couple of moments, and then Ford said, "Night", to everybody and headed up the

stairs. Clare gave Brian a quick kiss. "I'm going up, too. Are you coming?"

"In a couple of minutes," Brian told her.

"Okay. Night, everybody," Clare said.

Hannah disappeared towards the kitchen, and Kristin said, sort of quietly, "I guess I'll go to bed."

There was a collective 'good night' to Kristin from Adam, Brian and I. Guthrie squeezed her hand.

"See ya in the morning," he said.

When Kristin had gone, Adam went to sit down on the arm of one of the couches.

"You ought to be gettin' to bed, too," he told me.

Left with just Adam, Brian and Guthrie then, I stood up, and went to sit down next to Adam on the couch.

"Kenny was really upset," I said quietly.

"Well, it's likely that Hannah's right," Adam said. "Talkin' to Crane probably helped."

"Yeah, Crane's good at that sort of thing," Brian said, in agreement, sitting down on the couch opposite ours.

I hesitated, and then said, "Kenny was crying."

They all three gave me their full attention.

"He couldn't hardly talk at all, he was crying so hard," I added. "I wasn't sure what to do. So that's why I came to get

Crane."

Guthrie was looking properly shocked at my announcement. So many emotions crossed his face, that I thought he might

call me an out and out liar, right then and there.

He didn't. He just stood there, staring at me.

"Well," Adam said, "Worrying about his dad, and his mom, too, is probably gettin' to him."

And then, suddenly, Guthrie said abruptly, "Goodnight," and was gone, up the stairs.

I watched him go, feeling bad for him.

I looked at Adam, and Brian, too, and said, "Crane said that whatever it was, that Kenny had to talk to his parents

about it, before anybody else could be told."

They exchanged a glance between them, and then Adam put his arm around my shoulders.

"It's getting late," he said, and pulled me over to kiss the top of my head. "Get on up to bed."

"Okay," I said, and gave him a hug. I got up, and went over to Brian, leaning down to hug him, too. "Night."

They both told me goodnight, and I went up the stairs, going to grab my pajamas and tell Kristin I would be right

back. When I came out of the bathroom, in my pajamas, and my teeth brushed, Guthrie was waiting for me.

7