FAMILY TIES
      By Spense
 

Chapter Twenty-Three

Race and Will dragged themselves wearily up to the house.  Race
stretched his back out tiredly as Will let them in.  Mrs. Evans
walked out to the hallway and smiled broadly.  "Welcome home!" she
said in relief.

"Glad to be back," Race commented dryly.

Mrs. Evans turned serious.  "Did you accomplish your errand?" she
asked carefully.

"Yes.  We did." Will answered quietly.

"Sealed and delivered to I-1, in Terry's custody.  He was MORE than
happy to handle it for us," Race concluded.

"And she is in one piece, unfortunately," Will interjected.

"Maybe a little worse for wear though," Race finished.  "How's Jonny?"

Mrs. Evans sighed.  "About the same.  He's slept off and on most of
the day, and Dr. Quest was finally able to get him to eat
something.   He's achy, but doesn't seem to be running a fever.  He's
just restless, and very worried about the two of you," she concluded.

"And Benton and Rae?"  Will asked.

Mrs. Evans smiled more easily this time.  "Rae is up with Dr. Quest
and Jonny right now.  She's been an angel, and has been providing a
much needed and pleasant diversion for her father and brother."

Race raised his eyebrows.  "This I gotta see."

"Dr. Quest hasn't left Jonny all day.  And the boy has certainly
needed his father.  They will both be much better when they see you
two!"  She herded them towards the stairs.  "Scoot.  I'll have some
dinner for you in a few minutes."

At their expressions of gratitude, Ms. Evans just laughed.  "Jessie
and Hadji are in the lighthouse," she continued.  "Trying very hard
to keep from underfoot since they are banned from Jonny's room.  I'll
let them know you're back."  She paused and then continued
softly, "I'm glad you both are back safely.  You've been sorely
missed.  And I'm very glad your errand was successful."

They both smiled in response, then Will turned towards the stairs,
with Race right behind her.  After tapping lightly on Jonny's door,
they entered to a yip of greeting from Bandit, lying at the end of
Jonny's bed.

Jonny, propped up on pillows, was supporting Rae with one hand, and
feeding her with the other.  Benton looked tired, but relaxed as he
sat in a chair next to the bed, arm draped over the back, smiling at
his son.

"A little slower, Jonny.  Don't let her eat quite so fast."

"Yeah, rug rat," Jonny commented.  "Slow down!  You're greedy."  He
laughed, a welcome, but highly unusual sound of late, at his baby
sister, who was clutching at the bottle with her blue eyes wide on
her brother's face.  She seemed to suck even harder on the bottle in
response to his voice, which caused them both to laugh.

"Stubborn, just like you, Jonny!"  Benton added.

"Well, well," Race commented quietly, pleasantly pleased and
surprised by the scene.

"Welcome home!"  Benton sprung to his feet and was hugging Will close
before she knew it, and kissing her hungrily.

"Hey!  Not in MY room!"  Jonny exclaimed with a tired grin.

"Don't pay any attention to us," Will commented distractedly to her
youngest stepchild, "just keep on doing what your doing."  She sighed
as she drew Benton's head down to hers for another heated kiss.

"HEY!  NOT in MY room and NOT in front of the BABY!"  Jonny protested
a second time, sounding more like himself than he had in well over a
month.

Race grinned, `this was more like it,' he thought.

Benton hugged her tightly again, a promise of later things to come,
and turned to say a welcome to Race.  Will headed over to the bed and
sat down next to Jonny and Rae.

Jonny made as if to hand her to Will, as Rae protested the
interruption of her meal.

"No, no.  You started, you finish," Will said smiling, marveling once
again at the perfection of her daughter.  Rae's long fingers curled
around Will's index finger possessively.  Will caressed the delicate
curve of one rose petal soft cheek with her other hand.

Will noticed Jonny gazing at her uncertainly.  She smiled
reassuringly at him and added in a low voice under the din of the
noisy reunion with Hadji and Jessie, who, ignoring instructions to
the contrary, had just burst into the room, and Bandit's barking, "We
got her, Sweetheart.  She won't trouble you again.  Terry is taking
her in.  He made me promise to tell you, from him, that she won't
bother you again."  Will swept Jonny's bangs back off his pale face
in a soft caress, surreptitiously checking for a temperature.

As Jonny smiled tentatively, still carefully holding Rae, Will
added, "And now, I'm just very glad to be home with my family, all my
family."  And Will leaned forward to hug both a surprised and pleased
Jonny and Rae together, to Rae's squeak of protest.  When she
released them she dropped a quick kiss on Jonny's forehead, and then
on Rae's, truly thankful.