“Stop what? I remember buying you that shirt. I think we got it at T.J. Maxx or someplace. Might’ve even got those leggings you’re wearing there, too.”
“Pete, we used to do most of our shopping at T.J. Maxx,” Amy said. “Find a better excuse.”
Peter rolled his eyes and cast a goofy grin. “Okay, fine. Busted. I was totally inspecting your ass—and who could blame me? It’s the only ass in the room besides mine, and it happens to be a really nice one. My ass is nice, too…there’s just no mirror around, so yours gets all the attention by default.”
Amy turned and slapped her palms gently on the countertop. “Pete, quit. The boys will hear you. And I don’t need them repeating the crap you’re saying.”
“Why not? You don’t think it’d be cool for Jake to go around bragging about his mom’s ass?”
Amy’s expression twisted. “No! I most certainly do not want my son saying anything like that.”
“What if he used the word butt instead?”
“Pete, enough already! Look, dude, I missed the old you, but keep this shit up and I swear I’ll cut you with one of those knives you’re playing with.”
“You wouldn’t dare.” Peter pursed his lips and held the full-tang blade on which he was currently working up for examination. “Though they would be sharp enough for the task, since as you know, I happen to be the proud owner of some generously dense skin—oh, and lovely hair.”
Amy’s features softened a little. She approached her husband and slid her arms around his neck. “You’re a pain sometimes, but you do have lovely hair.” She kissed his cheek. “It’s nice to have you back, the full you. Sorry for being so snappy, it’s been a while since I’ve had the complete Pete experience. I missed it, and you. And your backside isn’t half bad either.”
The couple’s conversation halted at the point of hearing pounding noises stemming from the hallway. They left the kitchen to investigate, finding the commotion coming from their oldest son Jacob’s room.
“What the hell is he doing in there?” Amy asked, her ear close to the door. “Carpentry?”
Peter shrugged, reaching for the knob. “It does sound like he’s beating something with a hammer.”
“And who gave him a hammer, Pete?”
Peter opened the door with a guffaw, and the couple filed into Jacob’s room, finding him seated on the floor with his legs crossed amongst a pile of assorted toy action figures, most of which had been smashed to pieces.
Amy’s jaw went slack. She remained static while studying the scene.
Peter moved in swiftly, locking on to the claw hammer in Jake’s hand. “Jake, what are you doing? Give me that.”
Jacob recoiled at his father’s attempt at retrieval, but eventually gave up and handed it off. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know anyone could hear me.”
Amy moved in closer. “Jake, honey, you’re hitting things with a hammer; of course we can hear you. I’m surprised you didn’t wake your brother from his nap.”
Jacob’s eyes bounced between his parents. “I didn’t think about that. He’s still better, right? He isn’t sleeping because he’s getting sick again, is he?”
Peter strolled out to return the hammer to the toolbox.
Amy knelt, reaching for her son’s hands. “Your brother is healthy now, honey. He isn’t sick anymore, but he has been through a lot, same as your father, and he needs his rest. We’ve all been very lucky.”
Jacob nodded, hanging his head. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking.”
Amy rubbed her son’s shoulders and took another moment to examine the room. “I don’t know about that, Jake. Looks to me like you have been doing some thinking. Question is, what about?” She scooted closer to him. “What’s going on, buddy? What’s got you so angry?”
Jacob didn’t answer immediately. He picked up several pieces of the figurines he had beaten into a pulp, then stirred the mixture around with his fingers on the carpet. “I don’t know. I’ve never felt this way before…it’s hard to explain.”
Amy looked up in time to see that Peter had rejoined them. “Well, give it a shot. Both of us are here now, and you know you can tell us anything. We’re your parents and we love you. We’ll do our best to understand.”
Jacob shrugged. He looked upon his mom and dad with a set of bloodshot eyes. “I’m just…mad. I’m mad at everything and everyone…and I don’t understand why people do bad things and then do more bad things and then get away with it.”
“I don’t think that’s easy for anyone to understand, Jake,” Pete said. “It’s just the way the world is.”
“Well, I think that’s stupid,” Jake spat. His young expression hardened. “And if that’s the way the world is, then the world is stupid. You and Liam almost died. And you didn’t almost die of old age, and Liam didn’t almost die because of an accident—it was because of something else, something else someone did. And I’m…mad about it. Really mad. That’s all.”
Amy shot a look of concern her husband’s way, then sent the same look to her son. “Jake, it’s okay for you to be upset about what happened. All of us are upset. And you’re right, your dad was very sick, and if he didn’t get better when he did, he probably could have died.” She paused, finding it hard to say the words and, at the same time, wishing she hadn’t. “We could’ve lost your brother, too. He came very close to leaving us. I was sad about it for a while, and then I got angry about it. Sometimes, I still feel angry about it. The whole situation was and is very upsetting for all of us. Trust me, honey, I get it.”
Jacob clenched his fists. “No, you don’t! You don’t get it! It isn’t fair! You don’t just get to hurt people on purpose and not get in trouble for it!”
“Jacob, calm down,” Pete intervened.
“No! It’s not fair that some people get to do whatever they want and never
