The House on Hope Street - By Danielle Steel Page 0,54

windows of the ICU.

“I am.” And then she smiled at Bill. “Thank you for letting me bring him. He was panicked about Peter. This really reassured him. He hasn't looked this happy in two days.”

“He can come back anytime, as long as he doesn't give me a shot.” Bill smiled at her and she laughed as they wandered back into the ICU, and Liz rescued Peter from Jamie, who was wreaking havoc with the bed.

“I think it's time to go home, gentlemen. Peter needs to get some rest, and so do you.” She looked at Jamie solemnly. “The doctor says you can come back soon.”

“Next time, bring a pizza,” Peter added, and kissed Jamie good-bye a few minutes later. Jamie waved from the door of the ICU, and then walked back to the elevator with his mother. They were still standing there when Bill saw them, and came over to thank Jamie for coming.

“I liked it. It was cool. I thought it would scare me,” Jamie said honestly, which was part of his charm. He always said what was on his mind. “The ambulance made a lot of noise when it took Peter away,” Jamie informed him, and Bill nodded.

“Ambulances do that. But it's usually pretty quiet here. Come back and visit again.” He smiled at him, and Jamie nodded.

“My sisters are coming tomorrow. They talk a lot, they might make Peter tired.” Bill laughed out loud at that, and didn't dare add that sometimes women did that. He didn't know Liz well enough to say it, and wasn't sure yet of her sense of humor, but he was amused by the comment Jamie had made.

“I'll make sure they don't wear him out. Thanks for telling me.” The elevator arrived then, and Jamie waved as the doors closed. Bill had already asked her if she'd be back that night, but she had decided to spend the night at home with her children, and come back in the morning to see Peter again. And she had thanked Bill again for making Jamie's visit so easy and so successful. He was very pleased with it as they drove back to Tiburon and he said so.

“I like Peter's bed, and the doctor. He's nice. And he hates shots too,” he reminded his mother. “I think Peter likes him.”

“We all do,” Liz agreed. “He saved your brother's life.”

“Then I like him too.” He told his sisters all about his visit to Peter and about the bed that went up and down, and the doctor who hated shots and had saved Peter's life. It had been a big adventure for him. He slept in his mother's bed that night, but he slept peacefully, and didn't have nightmares. Unlike his mother, who dreamed endlessly about Jack, and Peter's accident, and Bill, and Jamie and the girls. It was a night filled with anxieties and accidents and people. And she felt as though she'd ridden in a rodeo all night when she awoke the next morning.

“Are you tired, Mommy?” Jamie asked when he woke her up at six.

“Very,” she said with a groan. The past few days had taken a toll on her. The terror of nearly losing her son made her feel as though she had been beaten, and she had been. It was like a small replay of what she had gone through when she lost Jack, but at least this time, it had a happy ending.

She made breakfast for the kids, left for work, appeared in court, and went back to the hospital to meet Carole and the girls. Jamie stayed with a neighbor because Liz didn't want him to overdo it, and it was the girls’ turn. They laughed and talked and cried, and checked out everything, gave him the news, told him about their romances and friends, and told him how happy they were that he was okay. But Jamie had been right, Liz realized. Peter was exhausted when they left an hour later, and needed a shot of pain medication. And when he was finally asleep, Bill and Liz stood in the waiting room to talk.

“Jamie was right,” she said, looking worried, “the girls wiped him out.”

“Girls have a way of doing that,” he smiled, “but I think it was good for him, a little taste of real life to balance the ICU. He needs that.” They talked about when he could go home then, and Bill thought they could count on his being home by Labor Day, less than two