After several minutes of pacing the linoleum floor of the emergency room, trying to build up courage, Jesse finally dialed home to tell Pam about Danny.
"Hello?" Pam's sweet voice rang out from the receiver. She sounded so happy. Music played in the background of the call, and Jesse could hear his mother singing, as she liked to do when she was preparing dinner. Jesse hated to dash his sister's good spirits to pieces.
"Pam?" Jesse said, unsure of how she'd react knowing it was him.
The other end was silent. After a few seconds, Pam spoke. "What do you want, Jesse?"
Before he could chicken out, Jesse blurted, "Danny's in the emergency room." He leaned his head against the wall and squeezed his eyes shut in anticipation of Pam's reaction.
"What?" Pam yelled through the phone. "Where? What happened?"
Jesse told her the address, and before he could say anything else she hung up.
Jesse knocked lightly on Danny's room door before pushing it open.
"Hey," he said sheepishly.
Danny's eyes opened at the sound of his voice. "Jesse," he said after a moment, sounding almost normal again under the painkillers.
Jesse walked slowly to him and lowered himself into the chair at his bedside. He said nothing, only sat and looked at the floor.
After a few minutes of neither man talking, Danny spoke up. "Jesse, it's okay, you know. I know you didn't mean to land me in here." He chuckled a little, then winced at the motion.
This just made the guilt flare up again. "I really didn't. Honest. Danny..." Jesse couldn't look at him. He looked up at the ceiling, the monitor across the room, the window, anywhere except the big, brown eyes right in front of him, staring him down. "Danny, I just want to...apologize for the way I've acted towards you since we met. It was unfair and I can see that now." His voice cracked, and he finally looked at him. Danny's eyes had softened.
"Thanks, Jesse." He patted Jesse's arm good-naturedly. "I forgive you."
Jesse smiled and looked down, slightly embarrassed. "I think you and my sister are real good together." He glanced back up. Danny's eyes were glowing. Before he could respond, however, the door opened and Pam stepped in. Danny's eyes lit up even more.
"Danny!" Pam exhaled. Jesse stood up real quick so she could have his chair. Completely bypassing it, she grabbed Danny's hand and sat on the edge of his bed. She barely looked at Jesse. "Are you okay?" She kissed his fingers over and over.
"I'm fine, Pam," he laughed. "Just need a little rest."
Pam brushed his dark hair back from his forehead. "Oh, honey, what happened?"
Jesse's heart beat really fast, his stomach flipping over at the thought of confessing. He opened his mouth to tell her, but Danny beat him to it.
"Just an unfortunate encounter with a soccer ball. Doc said I fractured a rib. Luckily Jesse was walking by when it happened and he made sure I got here."
Pam turned to her brother, finally acknowledging him. Tears glistened in her eyes. "Jesse?"
Jesse didn't know what to say. He was completely taken aback. Danny just lied for him. "I...uh..." Danny was looking at him intensely from behind Pam, like he was saying, Don't you dare tell her.
"I...just thought I should help him out." He shrugged sheepishly and looked at the floor. He watched his sister's sneakers walk over to him, and the next thing he knew she was embracing him tightly.
"I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier," she whispered.
"Hey, I deserved it," Jesse chuckled. He hugged her back tighter, knowing that he hadn't lost a sister. He made eye contact with Danny, who was beaming at them. He had gained a brother.