Mike, Micky, and Nicole exchanged glances at Peter's question.
"Well… um," Nicole began.
"Ya see Pete," Micky started.
Both looked at each other, unsure of what to say.
"It's a long story, Pete," Mike filled in. Peter nodded and looked at the three of them, expecting to here it. So Mike began.
"After you…disappeared…Davy… well, he knew."
"He knew?" Peter interrupted.
"He knew. That it wasn't you, I mean," Mike explained. Peter nodded in understanding. "And your…well, your double…he…well…he," Mike stumbled for words.
"He what?" Peter asked. "He didn't…kill him, did he?"
"Oh, no, no," Mike reassured him. "He…well, he put him in a mental hospital."
"He what?" Peter asked. "Why?"
"He didn't want us to know that Davy was telling the truth, so he convinced us that he was…insane," Mike explained. Peter nodded, a strange look on his face that showed he was doubting this unbelievable story.
"Well, you know now that it wasn't the truth," Peter said. "Why can't he get out?"
"Pleter can only do that," Micky explained.
"Or Pleter's double," Nicole finished for him, a grin on his face.
"I don't understand," Peter put in, confused.
"C'mon Pete, we'll explain on the way," Mike said. He snagged the car keys and rushed them out the door.
Needless to say, Davy was absolutely miserable. He wanted nothing more than to get out of the hospital. But he knew it wasn't possible. So he'd resigned himself to his fate.
Never again would he see the light of day other than through a window. Never would he smell flowers or see a pretty girl's face again. With a sigh, he sat down on the bed in the small cell and looked longingly at the barred window in his room, wishing he were on the other side of it.
There was a knock at his door and one of the guards entered. Davy turned around, wondering why he'd come.
"You've got a visitor," the guard informed him. Davy frowned.
"Who?" he asked, wondering. He missed not being able to know these things. He missed not being telepathic.
But the guard was cheerfully secretive. "He wants to remain anonymous," he replied with a smile.
Davy shrugged. "Ok. Send 'im in." He sighed, wondering why on earth his visitor would be secretive. Mike and Micky were the only 'he's' he could think of that would visit him, but why would they be secretive about it?
He leaned back on his bed, looking at the door. It opened.
And Peter…or was it Pleter?…entered the room.
Davy felt a shiver run down his spine. He backed away from the visitor and stared with wide eyes. The visitor took a step towards him and sat on the edge of the bed. Davy backed away and looked into his eyes.
Oh, if only he could still read minds!
"Do you know who I am, Davy?" the visitor asked, and Davy sat up, confused. He searched within the eyes, but admitted he didn't know. He shook his head, unsure.
"Do you want to go home?" the visitor asked. Davy nodded. More than anything he wanted to go home.
"A-are you…P-petah?" he asked, finally mustering his courage to speak. The visitor just smiled innocently.
"You tell me," he replied with a smile. "You wouldn't believe me otherwise."
"Where's Micky?" he asked, but the man shook his head.
"No," he told Davy. "Do this on your own. Figure out who I am."
Davy looked deep into the depths of the eyes of the visitor, and focused. Tried as hard as he could. Slowly, the barriers to his mind cracked slightly.
"I think you're Petah," Davy confessed, a little more calm now. "But I can't be sure."
"What do your instincts tell you?"
"They tell me that you are."
"Why?"
Davy frowned, thinking. "Because you haven't hurt me yet," he replied. "Because you haven't yelled at me. Because you want me to regain my ability." He frowned again and looked harder. "I can't tell. Please tell me. Who are you? Are my instincts right?"
Peter smiled and nodded. "They're right, Davy," he whispered quietly. "They're absolutely right."
Davy smiled the largest grin he'd smiled in a year and threw his arms around Peter. Peter grinned just as large and hugged back just as strong.
"Oh Petah, you're alright?" Davy asked. Peter nodded.
"Tired and a little thinner, but I'm alright," he replied, still smiling. "You know what this means, don't you?"
Davy shook his head.
"It means you get to go home. You get to get out of this place."
"I-I do?" Davy stammered. "B-but I thought-?"
"That only Pleter could let you out?" Davy nodded. Peter grinned. "Well he impersonated me," he explained with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "So I can impersonate him."
And the sound that resulted from room 214B that day was the happiest sound that David Jones had made in over a year.
He laughed.
