Danny and Joe were in the kitchen wordlessly peeling the potatoes off.
"I still think it's your fault," Joe stated.
"Don't you even start," Danny shut him down angrily.
"Just saying...," Joe added. But before the two of them could start fighting all over again Henry walked in using the back doors.
"Look at you two, peeling the potatoes together, what have you done?" he pointed out amused.
"Who's said we have done anything?" Asked Danny irritated.
"Ha, you two and peeling the potatoes willingly, who do you want to fool Danny Reagan?" laughed Henry knowing his grandsons too well.
"So what was it? Spill it out!" he requested.
"It's nothing, grandpa," Danny reassured looking at his brother for a help.
"Yeah, grandpa. Don't worry." Joe added.
"Ok, you two. But you know that I will find out eventually," he asked.
"That is the risk I'm willing to take," replied Danny.
"Yeah, me too," assured Joe.
"All right, as you wish," answered Henry still eager to know what was going on, but he decided to drop it or at least for now.
"Where are the others?" Henry asked trying to change the subject.
"Well, dad's in his study, Erin's writing a homework in her room and Jamie's sick." Danny explained.
Just when Henry's was about to ask about Jamie, Frank walked in into the kitchen.
"Good evening, pop," Frank greeted his father.
"Hello, Francis," Henry replied.
"What's wrong with Jamie? Danny just told me that he has been sick or something?" He asked.
"Yeah, he is down with a flu," Frank informed Henry.
"Poor kid, but nothing too serious I hope?" He wanted to know searching his son's face for an answer.
"So do I, pop. So do I." Was the only answer Frank gave him.
Henry didn't like his son's answer. Frank was never a kind of man who worried for nothing, but this time something was obviously troubling him. Henry wanted to ask Frank about it, but he realized that it wouldn't be wise to speak in front of Danny and Joe. Especially Joe, who was still younger than Danny who was now sixteen years old.
"I better go upstairs and check on him myself then," he stated. And with these words he left the room.
***BB***
When Henry's walked into Jamie's room he found out Jamie twisting and turning in his bed. He was also crying from the sleep. Poor kid was having a nightmare which is something quite common for children who are dealing with sickness.
Henry walked over to the bed and gently put his arm on Jamie's back.
"Jamie, it's ok, it's just a nightmare," Henry said to him. But Jamie could not hear him because he was still asleep.
"Jamie, you are safe, I'm here," he tried again rubbing his grandchild's back.
After a while Jamie woke up crying. Henry was instantly ready to assist him.
"Hey kiddo, it's alright it was just a dream," he tried to calm the child down.
"It's ok," Henry said to Jamie who was still pretty much distracted.
Henry did the best thing he could have done at that moment. He gently took Jamie into his arms and tried to calm the kid down. However Jamie's cry seemed endless.
"I want mummy," he said between the sobs.
"Yeah, I understand that, but mommy isn't here right now, Jamie," Henry tried to explain him.
"Then I want my daddy," Jamie cried.
"Am I not good enough for you, young man?" Henry asked pretended to be offended.
"Yes, but...," his grandchild responded.
"Yeah, I can understand that. Daddy's better, right?" Henry smiled stroking Jamie's hair tenderly.
"Ok, let me just call him," he said taking Jamie off his lap in order to be able to walk towards the doors to call Frank to come up.
Frank was upstairs immediately fearing his youngest child's wellbeing.
"Is something wrong?" He asked alerted when he entered the room seeing his boy who was still sobbing.
"No, Jamie was just having a nightmare and decided that he would rather have his father with him," Henry explained to Frank.
Frank walked across the room, sat down at the bed and took Jamie into his arms.
"What's wrong Jamie? Were you having a nightmare?" Frank wanted to know.
Jamie just nodded rubbing his eyes.
"Come on, it was just a bad dream. I'm here now and I won't let anything happen to you!" Frank assured his child firmly planting a kiss into his hair.
Meanwhile, Henry just quietly slipped through the door giving his son and grandson one last loving look. Yeah, Jamie was in good hands. In fact he was in the best hands he could have been.
***BB***
When Frank came back downstairs Henry gave him inquiring look.
"He has fallen asleep," Frank told his father with tiredness and worry written in his face.
"Francis?" Henry asked.
"It's nothing, pop. I'm just bit worried for Jamie. You know, Mary usually knows better than I what's best for the children when they are sick," he sighed.
"Francis, I can assure you that from what I have just seen I would say that you are doing damn good job," Henry reassured him.
"You know, one would say that after four kids and so many sleepless nights that it will get easier, but the constant worry for your children it will never disappear completely, it will always be there, wouldn't it?" Frank asked his father.
"That comes with the job of being a parent," his father laughed squeezing his son's shoulder.
"Don't worry, Jamie will be alright," his father tried to cheer him up a bit.
"Yeah, but his temperature is 104," Frank pointed out.
"Ha, I remember you having 105,8 once. Your mother and I had to cool you down by bathing you in cold water." Henry remembered.
"I don't remember that," Frank responded.
"Of course you don't, you were just too little to remember." Henry laughed.
***BB***
The dinner went quite peacefully, although the kids were unusually quiet, especially Danny and Joe. Danny and Joe managed to prepare quite decent dinner together and their father was therefore proud of them. So they could work together after all. He thought happily. But the kids were just not in the mood for anything. Erin was rather playing with the food on her plate. Joe and Danny were eating their meals but they didn't look too excited when doing so. None of them seemed to really have appetite tonight.
"When is mum coming back?" Joe asked.
"She told us before she left," Erin pointed out.
"Yeah, but I don't remember it," opposed Joe his older sister.
"That's because you are dumb," Danny couldn't resist the temptation.
"All right that's enough! Joe, mom is coming back on Sunday just before the dinner." Frank informed Joe. Just few minutes ago he thought that his sons were able to get along peacefully but now he once again felt the doubts.
"And you, Daniel, you will apologize to your brother for what you have said," Frank turned to Danny.
Danny looked as if he was trying to find the words to contradict his father, but Frank knew all of his children just too well and therefore he acted before Danny had a chance to say something else, "now".
"Sorry Joe," Danny mumbled with his head down trying to avoid his father's face.
"Good, that's it then. Now, can we finished the dinner peacefully, please?" Frank turned to all of his children. It was a long day and he was worried and tired and the last thing he wanted was his children fighting over dinner.
"Is Jamie going to die?" Joe broke the silence suddenly.
Frank could feel his heart stop. The knife which he was holding in his right hand slipped out and hit the plate on the table. He exchanged concerned look with his father.
Henry came to help, "Why do you think that Jamie could die, Joe? He has got just a flu. You and your brothers and sister all of you had flu before countless times." Henry tried to reassure his grandchild.
"I'm not stupid, grandpa! Even dad's worried, I heard you two speaking before the dinner," he said anger and fear mixing inside of him.
"Come here, Joe," his father called him.
Joe followed his father's instructions and came to him from the other end of the table. Frank bend down and took him into his arms.
"I know that you are worried for your little brother and so am I, but as I was discussing with your grandfather, as a parent you worry for all your children constantly. That's how it is." Hey tried to soothe Joe.
"One day when you are old enough and will have children on your own, you will understand that. The unconditional love parents feel for their children. But in the same time it's kind of love which makes you naturally worry for the ones you love," he tried to explain, not sure if his children could fully understand his words.
"I love all of you and I hate to see any of you being in pain, it just breaks my heart, " he added and he planted a kiss on Joe's head.
His other two children run over to him to hug their father each from one side. Henry was just sitting across the table beaming with pride, trying to remember this picture forever.
"Now, you kids try not to worry too much. I promise you I will be keeping both of my eyes on Jamie, alright?" He reassured his beloved children.
Erin kissed her father's cheek and said, "Love you, dad!"
Danny didn't much know what to do or say. Suddenly he felt ashamed by his previous actions, but in the end he just squeezed his father's shoulder showing him his affection in his own way. But his father did need words to understand, he knew what Danny meant to say and he was grateful for that.