Back at the house, Nicole was sitting with Thomas in her lap. The boy was crying. She had to admit she was worried. Then, the door opened and Peter entered.
She finally let go of Thomas, and he rushed off to his bedroom. "What happened?" she asked, dreading the answer.
"I'm sorry," Peter said. "I don't know what came over him." He took her hands and looked into her eyes.
"Peter?" she asked, her voice wavering.
"I'm sorry. He just..wasn't sane." She looked deeper into his eyes. "You saw him. He..he's in a hospital."
She let go of Peter's arms. "I've got to go see him," she said.
"There isn't time. We're leaving tomorrow, remember. On the cruise?" Peter said. He grabbed her wrists again. "You can see him when we get back." She nodded.
"But what about Thomas?"
"He'll just have to stay with Mike and Micky," Peter said simply. "Don't worry, he'll be fine."
Shortly afterward, Peter and Nicole left for the cruise to Alaska. Thomas stayed with Mike and Micky. As soon as his parents had driven off, Thomas turned to them.
"Where's Uncle Davy?" he asked.
Mike and Micky turned to each other. They knew this would be hard on Thomas. Davy was his favorite uncle, and he wasn't likely to accept his disappearance that easily. But how to explain this to a five year old boy?
"Where is he?" Thomas asked again. "Mommy was worried about him yesterday. Why?"
Mike and Micky exchanged glances again. Mike took Thomas' hand and led him inside.
"Ya see Thomas, Uncle Davy wasn't feeling well," Mike began.
"What's wrong with him?" Thomas asked. "Is he sick?" Mike and Micky exchanged glances yet again.
"Sort of," Micky said. "He didn't feel well. See, he thought that your daddy was different."
"Different?" Thomas asked.
"Yeah, he thought it wasn't really him." Thomas looked at Micky with an odd stare.
"So where is he?"
"Well, they took him to a hospital," Mike began. "They? They who? You mean Daddy? And you?" Thomas asked. He was beginning to get frustrated.
Mike nodded. "He wasn't feeling well, Thomas. He wasn't himself. They can help him at the hospital."
Thomas burst into tears and ran out of the room. Micky followed him. Mike sighed and put his head in his hands.
"Oh God, what have we done?" he asked himself.
"How's he doin'?" Mike asked Micky.
"He's a little better. At least he's stopped crying for now," Micky responded.
He poured himself a glass of milk and sat down at the table across from Mike. He looked at him seriously.
"What's the matter?" he asked.
"I'm just wonderin' if we did the right thing," Mike said. Micky looked at him, confused. "About Davy. I mean if he really deserves to be in there."
Micky regarded him somberly and thought for a second before speaking. "I don't know. Maybe we did. Why are you having second thoughts though, Mike?"
"I don't know," Mike answered honestly. "It's just that when Thomas was talkin' to me, he looked up at me with these pathetic eyes and....well, somethin' in my head just clicked. And then I started to think if maybe it was a good idea to put Davy there."
Micky shrugged. "You mean you think maybe he could be right?" he asked. "About Peter?"
"I don't know. It's a pretty far-fetched idea. And if he's not Peter, then who is he? And where is the real Peter?"
"And why wouldn't you and I have noticed?" Micky pointed out.
"I don't know. Maybe there's somethin' Davy saw that we missed. You know Davy. He's...different. But it's still pretty odd."
Micky shrugged. " So you do believe him?" he asked.
"I don't know, Mick. I mean, part of me wants to, and can't think that Davy's gone insane. But another part of me tells me that the possibility of him bein' right is so....out there that it's ridiculous."
Micky nodded. He felt the same way.
(two weeks later)
Mike, Micky and Thomas went to meet Peter and Nicole at the dock where their ship was supposed to land. They came down the gangplank looking unusually exuberant and happy.
Thomas saw them first and waved. He was sitting on Micky's shoulders so that he could get a better view.
"I see them! I see them!" he shouted, and began to wave both arms. "Hi Mommy! Hi Mommy!"
Nicole and Peter spotted Thomas easily among the crowd and found the guys. After a joyous reunion, they all piled into the car and headed home.
"I've got the most incredible news for you all," Nicole said cheerfully as soon as they were in the car.
Thomas looked up at his mother. "Didja bring me somethin'?" he asked.
"Yes, I brought you a lot of stuff," she said. "And I'll give it to you as soon as we get home."
"So what's the incredible news?" Mike asked.
"I'm gonna have a baby," she said.
"A b-baby?" Thomas asked.
"That's right, you're gonna have a new brother or sister," she replied cheerfully.
"That's great, guys," Micky said.
Thomas' lower lip began to quiver and his eyes filled with tears.
"What's the matter hun, you don't want a baby brother or sister?" she asked. Thomas began to cry.
"Nooooo," he wailed. Nicole wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight, but he continued to cry.
