"Mike, I see them," Davy reported in an excited whisper. Unable to contain himself, he hopped out of the car and rushed across the street to greet his adopted nephew. Mike opened the door, and smiled while Davy hurried Thomas and Peter into the back seat of the car.
Nothing was said until they were a block away from the house. Then Mike stopped the car at a red light and turned around in his seat to see the boy.
"You all right?" he asked in a normal voice. Thomas nodded weakly.
"Mom?" he mumbled quietly.
"She's at 'ome Thomas," Davy replied. "Waiting for you." Thomas smiled, and shut his eyes, falling back to sleep.
Mike and Davy smiled at each other as the light turned green and Mike stepped on the gas again, both thinking what neither needed to say out loud: "We did it."
"Maybe it would help if you got some sleep," Micky suggested to Nicole. In response, she turned away from the window and gave him one long, silent, look.
"Or not," he decided, heaving a sigh. "Any sign of them?" Nicole shook her head.
"None at all. And the sun's almost up now," she added. She turned away from the window and began to pace back and forth in front of it.
Micky didn't reply. He just stood there, on the opposite side of the room, watching her. Suddenly, Nicole stopped in mid pace.
"Micky?" she asked, and he heard the fear in her voice. "What if they didn't find him? What if Davy was wrong? What if the plan didn't work? What if...?"
"Chill, babe," Micky interrupted. Nicole heaved a large sigh and began to pace again, faster and with more energy now than before. He walked across the room and intercepted her, putting his arms around her. "It's gonna be okay," he comforted. "Have you ever known Davy to be wrong about this sort of thing?" he reminded pragmatically.
"No," she admitted softly. "But...he could be wrong."
Micky shook his head. "Thomas is gonna be fine, okay? Fine. He can take care of himself. They'll be fine."
Outside the window a car engine drove down the street. Nicole didn't even bother to look to see if it was Mike. She doubted that it was. But the engine slowed and got closer. Then it stopped, and the car was turned off. Four doors opened and then slammed, and footsteps could be heard outside the door. Scarcely daring to hope, Nicole rushed to the window, looking to see if that was the car in the driveway that she hoped it would be.
"It's them, Micky," she cheered. "It's them." As if on cue, the door opened, and Davy entered, followed by a still-canine Peter.
"Where-?" she asked. Davy put a finger to his lips, the universal sign for 'shh,' and pointed a finger behind them.
"'E's asleep," he whispered quietly. Behind him, Mike entered the room, carrying a sleeping boy that she hadn't seen for almost four days. Thomas.
She rushed forward. Thomas was sleeping quietly in Mike's arms, his big brown eyes hidden behind sleepy eyelids and a lock or two of his light-brown hair that fell onto his face. He didn't have any broken bones, and the scratches she saw on his face and arms were minor. But he was covered with dirt and dust, making him look as though he had spent a week in the jungles.
"Is he alright?" she asked in a whisper, afraid to wake him. Mike nodded and moved past her to the couch, where he dropped the boy gently on soft cushions.
"He's fine," he whispered after placing the boy on the couch and tucking him in under a blanket. "Doesn't seem to be too beat up. Mighta lost a few pounds, but he'll gain it back. Seems t'need a bath more'n anythin'," he reported. "I say just let 'em sleep until he wakes up on his own."
She nodded, but wasn't really hearing him. Nicole sat down on the edge of the couch and looked down at him as he slept. Not daring to move from his side, she ran a finger lightly over his face, careful not to wake him, but also making sure he was really there.
Slowly, Mike, Micky, and Davy tiptoed past her to their bedrooms. Peter flopped down on the floor in front of the couch, resting for as long as the boy did.
(later that day)
"'Ere Petah," Davy coaxed gently. "Want some bacon?" He dangled a juicy strip in front of the sleeping dog's nose.
The smell filtered through, and the eyes opened. Davy found that in a matter of seconds, the bacon was no longer in his hand, but now in his mouth. Peter sat up, raising a paw in an unspoken request for more. Davy chuckled quietly.
"Want more, 'eh?" he laughed. "Well, come on and 'ave some breakfast," he said. "Although it's almost noon," he added.
The dog stood up, tail wagging, and followed Davy into the kitchen. Micky and Mike were already at the table, eating breakfast. Micky was munching down his fifth pancake, and Mike, having finished his, was sipping a mug of coffee behind the newspaper.
"Mornin' Pete," Micky mumbled between bites. Mike lowered the paper for a moment to observe, and then returned to what he was doing.
"What are you gonna feed him?" Micky asked, swallowing the remainder of his pancake and watching as Davy got out a bowl to put Peter's breakfast in.
"Bacon," Davy replied. "It's not bad for dogs, and Petah loves it." He grinned at himself for thinking of such a great idea, and set the bowl of bacon on the floor. Peter immediately got up and started to munch it down, pleased he hadn't been offered kibble.
"Uncle Davy?" a small voice asked. Davy looked up and towards the door.
"Thomas? What are you doin' up?" he asked. Thomas just yawned, rubbing his eyes.
"What's for breakfast?" he asked, climbing on to a chair.
"Pancakes," Davy replied proudly.
"Yeah, if Micky hasn't eaten 'em all," Mike replied. Micky grinned.
"You can have as many as you want, Thomas," Micky interrupted. "But you need a bath first. " Thomas shook his head.
"No, please," he replied, looking at Micky with pleading eyes. "I'm so hungry." Micky nodded, remembering that Thomas probably hadn't eaten anything lately.
"Oh, ok," he replied. "But then you have to have a bath. " Thomas nodded.
Davy placed a stack of pancakes in front of Thomas. "Didn't you eat anything, Thomas?" he asked, concerned.
Thomas nodded. "Yes," he replied. "But it was real bad." He took a bite of a pancake and then looked down at the floor. "When did you guys get a dog?" he asked, curiously.
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