Background
After Cody awakens, there is a lot of interest in the shooters. But is he safe? Don't settle back...
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Cody's nose itched. He reached up to scratch it and felt something bite the back of his hand. A mosquito, he guessed, or a fire ant. He opened his eyes.
There was a needle stuck in the back of his hand. An IV, he realized in surprise, and looked around.
Memory returned in bits and pieces, like the scattered parts of a jigsaw puzzle. He remembered the morning, some of the nightmarish trek through the park and then ... nothing.
"Hi, honey." Rachel came into the room from the small bathroom near the door.
"Hey, Mom," Cody responded.
Rachel sat down on the bed beside him, pushing a lock of dark hair from his face. It was an old, familiar caress. It felt safe, as if nothing bad could happen as long as Rachel sat brushing the hair off of his forehead.
"I'm thirsty. Can I have a drink of water?" Cody asked. His voice sounded old and weak and he frowned.
Rachel smiled. "How about ice chips?" She opened a plastic ice bucket on the bedside table and lifted a couple of spoonfuls into his mouth. He swished the ice around the inside of his mouth, thankful for its coolness.
Rachel returned the spoon to the bucket and looked at him seriously. "I thought I lost you," she admitted quietly. Her voice held a haunted quality that Cody had never heard before.
"I thought you had, too."
She leaned forward and carefully laid her head on his left shoulder. He bit his lip and frowned to keep from wincing in pain. She was crying, he realized with some alarm. She wasn't a woman easily given over to tears, and he knew how frightened she must have been. He tried to imagine how he would feel if it were Michael or Katie in this bed, but couldn't even begin. Her tears began to soak through the thin hospital gown he wore. "Mom," he said after a minute, "you're getting me wet."
Rachel laughed and sat up, wiping her eyes. "Pays you back," she sniffed, "for all the times you got me wet."
"I'm really sorry about all this, Mom," he said, wiping a tear off her cheek. Her tiny frame made her look deceptively fragile. She was a graying brunette with china blue eyes, a gentle smile and the determination and drive of a pioneer woman. She had been physically dwarfed her whole adult life, first by her husband and then by her sons, but her spirit and character were enormous. She had earned the respect of everyone she knew.
"It's okay this time," she replied. "if it happens again, though, I'll double my overnight babysitting rates and bankrupt you."
"Overnight?"
Rachel nodded. "It's tomorrow, sweetie."
"Oh, man." Cody looked toward the ceiling and closed his eyes briefly before returning his gaze to his mother. "The kids must be freaked. Where are they?"
"With Laine."
"She's not at work?"
"It's Saturday, baby. Anyway, I think you might be important enough for her to even miss a day or two of work, should the need arise. She says to tell you she loves you and that she'll see you later. Probably tomorrow. I promised Michael I'd get him up here the minute you woke up. Katie wants to come too, of course, but I told her she needs to wait."
"Do I look that bad?"
Rachel nodded and smiled gently, examining her son's face. More bruises showed today, making his face look like a scattered color-wheel, every shade of purple, green, yellow and black fighting for dominance. Cuts and scrapes stood out like angry red snakes across his cheeks. "Way past bad. Worse than Jack looked when Travis pierced his ear." She smiled at the expression on Cody's face. "But that's not it. She's got the sniffles and the doctor says the last thing you need right now is a cold."
Cody nodded in agreement but added, "I need to let her know I'm okay."
"Call her in a bit, then," Rachel suggested, rubbing Cody's left hand gently. He glanced over at the phone and hair fell in his face again. She pushed it back, smiling.
Cody returned the smile, feeling the swelling in his lower lip. "A phone call would work."
As he spoke, Jack pushed through the door into the room, two cups of hot coffee in his hands. "Just the way you like it, Mom; strong and --" He stopped mid-sentence, seeing his brother. His mouth opened slightly and a look of total surprise crossed his face before the grin appeared.
The shadow of a smile crossed Cody's face as well, creating dimples. "That stuff stunts your growth, Jack."
Jack hurried into the room, limping, and pushed the Styrofoam cups into his mother's hands. He stood beside Cody's bed, beaming down. Cody had the feeling Jack would be pounding him on the back if he thought he could get away with it. "Man, Code," he exclaimed, "black and blue are definitely not your colors! You look awful!!"
Cody smiled up at him, already a little tired. "Not possible," he said. He indicated Jack's leg and the ace bandage on his right wrist with a nod of his head. "You get hurt?"
"What ... that?" Jack shook his head and raised an eyebrow to let Cody know that it was minor. "I'm fine. Pulled some muscles in my wrist carting your heavy butt out of there, and my legs hurt, and my shoulders hurt and my back hurts."
"Baby."
"You're no lightweight, you know." He raised his eyebrows and grinned. "Dragging you out of that park was like walking through peanut butter."
"You've never walked through peanut butter. You wouldn't know."
"Chunky," Jack added, ignoring his younger brother's observation.
"You've never walked through peanut butter," Cody repeated slowly.
Jack wiggled his eyebrows and grinned. "Trust me."
"Sorry 'bout that."
"I guess it's okay this time, but next time you decide to go prancing off into the woods and get yourself shot would you mind losing a little weight?"
"Or," Cody offered, "we could let you get yourself shot next time. That'd be fair."
"I don't know, I think I did pretty good in the hero role. Better than you would, kid."
"Well, you never gave me the chance to try the hero role."
"You weren't qualified."
Rachel stood up, putting the cups on the bedside table. "Enough," she said. "Jack, you're just like your father. You wouldn't know a serious moment if it slapped your face, no more than Thomas did. And you," she looked at Cody, a smile in her eyes, "you need to stop encouraging him."
"Gee, Mom," Jack looked chagrined. "I thought you liked Dad."
Rachel ignored him. "I'm going down to get something to eat. And then I'm going to get Michael up here to see his daddy." She kissed Cody on the top of the head and picked up her purse. Jack bent so she could kiss him on the cheek. She started for the door and stopped, turning. "I love you, hon. Do you want something to eat?"
Cody answered, "No, ma'am," before he thought. To his mother the return of an appetite was the only sure sign of recovery from illness, injury or a broken heart. He looked at her, saw the concern in her eyes and added lamely, "The thought of hospital food just doesn't appeal to me right now, Mom. Maybe you could bring me a shake or something."
Rachel made a face at him. "You're a pathetic liar, Cody."
"I'm a great liar," Cody protested. "I just can't lie to you." His face remained serious but his eyes twinkled.
Jack shook his head. "Mom's right. You really are a pathetic liar."
"You're just jealous."
"Nice to see you two have grown up so well," Rachel teased. "I'd send one of you to your room, but it seems a bit late for that. Call me if you decide you actually want something, even if it's just a shake." She looked sternly at Jack. "I'll probably be at least an hour. Keep it quiet, Jack. Let him rest." She smiled as she pulled the door shut behind her and added, "I love you both."
Author Notes
Two years after the murder of his brother's wife, Jack McClellan decides it's time for his brother, now a single dad, to have a few days off. The pair go to a nearby state park, where Cody decides to
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