Daniel's Gift (33 page)

"Then that explains the damage to the car."

"It's an awfully big coincidence, Jenny."

"I still don't understand. How did Matt get home from Brenda's?"

"Brenda dropped him off on her way to the airport just after six a.m. She had an early morning flight, and she thought he was still too high to drive. Apparently they had continued drinking at her house."

Jenny pulled her arm away from him. She didn't want to talk to Alan, didn't want to hear what he was saying, didn't want to believe a word of it. "Brenda explained it, and I believe her. Someone else hit Danny. Not Matt."

"I wouldn't have told you this if I didn't believe that Matt did it. I've been a cop too long. I know when someone's lying. The guy is guilty as sin. And Brenda is covering up for him. She was probably in the car when they hit Danny."

Jenny clapped her hands over her ears. "Stop. I don't want to listen to this."

"Jenny, you have to face facts." Alan walked toward her. "You can't keep protecting Matt."

"He's my brother," she cried, dropping her hands to her sides. She was so angry her hands clenched in fists, and she thought if Alan tried to touch her, she might just hit him again. Fighting for control, she tried to speak quietly and calmly. "Alan, Matt was with me when Danny was born. He was there when my mother died. He gave me money so I could move out of Merrilee's house. I know that he's changed, that he's filled with self-pity, but I remember the big brother who would do anything for me."

"None of that changes the fact that in this instance Matt might have made a big mistake."

"Might have. You don't know for sure. If you did, he'd be behind bars. And he's not, is he?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't have any concrete evidence that he did it," Alan admitted.

Jenny nodded. "That's what I thought. I have to go."

"I'm not trying to frame Matt, just make him own up to his actions -- like a man." Alan's expression softened. "Come on, Jenny, cut me some slack. I'm laying out the facts as I see them. Why can't you understand that?"

"Because Matt is my brother. Because love is more important to me than facts. And if you really loved me, you'd never have come to me with this."

"I do love you." Alan stared at her with pain in his eyes. "But you don't love me, do you?"

"I thought I did," she whispered. "I wanted to."

"Jenny, don't. Don't say it."

"Oh, Alan, can't you see how wrong this is? I don't want to hear you talk about Matt. You don't want to hear me talk about us. What's left?"

"A lot of things."

"No. Danny's accident has brought clarity to my life. I'm not in love with you, Alan, and it wouldn't be fair to pretend otherwise."

"This isn't the time to make big decisions."

Jenny sighed, feeling too emotionally drained to argue. "Fine. Maybe you're right. What about Matt? What are you going to do?"

"Nothing for the moment. I won't stop investigating, Jenny. Whoever did this to Danny deserves to be punished, and they will be punished."

* * *

Danny peeked through the leaves of a tree, delighting in his mother's conversation with Alan. "She's breaking up with him. I can't believe she's actually breaking up with him. This is so cool." Danny danced between Alan and Jenny. "You lose, dude," he shouted. Of course, nobody heard him, but it felt good all the same.

"You're certainly a gracious winner, kid," Jacob commented dryly. "Did you ever stop to think this guy might be good for your mom?"

Danny shook his head. "Look at her face. She's relieved." He watched as Jenny walked out of the atrium, leaving Alan alone in the garden.

"Yo, Alan. How does it feel to get dumped?" Danny pulled at Alan's sleeve.

Alan shook his arm and looked around him, as if he sensed he was not alone.

"Hey, kid. You're making me look bad," Jacob said, pointing his thumb to the sky. "The Big Guy doesn't like braggarts."

"What's a braggart?"

"You, right now."

"Oh, well, sorry, but that guy has made my life miserable the last six months, trying to act like my dad."

"Maybe he was trying to help. He is one of the good guys, in case you hadn't noticed."

"He's not my dad."

"Lucky him. You're not exactly the perfect kid, you know."

"Whose fault is that? You're my guardian angel. You're supposed to -- you know -- make me a good person."

Jacob rolled his eyes and looked up at the heavens. "Why me? Why me?"

Danny laughed. He jumped up in the air, his supernatural leap taking him up to the top of the atrium ceiling. He did a somersault in midair, then a triple twist, landing back on the ground with his hands in the air, like a gymnast sticking a difficult vault.

"Easy, kid. You're starting to have way too much fun. Maybe it's about time you had a reminder."

"A reminder of what?"

Jacob grabbed Danny by the ear.

"Ow, that hurts."

"No, it don't. You can't feel any pain."

Danny's eyes widened as he considered the comment. "You're right. I guess I just remembered that having my ear pulled hurt. My Aunt Merrilee was always pulling me by the ear when Mom wasn't looking. She's got a mean streak in her, I'll tell you."

"Oh, yeah, well look at her now, and look at you."

Danny turned his head and realized they were back in the hospital room. It seemed like a long time since he had drifted out of his body.

Seeing himself now, on the bed, made the pain come back, or at least the memory of the pain. Once again he was reminded that the person he was on earth was gone, maybe forever.

Merrilee pulled a tissue out of her purse and blew her nose. She sounded like a foghorn. Jacob shook his head in disbelief.

"How can a woman who dresses to the nines blow her nose like a bullhorn in a factory?" Jacob asked.

"You should hear her sneeze. Shakes the whole house," Danny replied.

"Hope she doesn't sneeze in here. The last thing you need is a cold."

"What's she doing here anyway? She hates me."

"I don't think so. Listen."

Merrilee licked her lips, looked over her shoulder to determine if she was still alone, then gazed back down at Danny.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "For all the mean things I said, all the criticism. You're not a bad kid. In fact, sometimes I wish William had your athletic ability, your joy for life. You get that from your mother, I guess. Jenny loves you so much. She can't make it without you. You have to fight this, Danny, fight hard. As hard as you've ever fought for anything in your life."

Merrilee sniffed again and reached out to pat down his cowlick. "They really should comb your hair once in a while."

Danny looked at Jacob and rolled his eyes. "Like anyone cares what I look like."

"Everyone sends you their love, Danny. We miss you. And I'll tell you a secret. If you get well before Christmas, I'll send you to spring training in Phoenix for a whole week. That will be your present. You can even take a friend if you want. You'll love it there. You'll get autographs, see the Giants play. You'll be in heaven."

"Wow! Spring training. Cool."

"You can go to spring training now, Danny. You can ride on the ball if you want to, dance in the stands, blow a breeze through the park so the fielder misjudges the catch. You don't need to be alive to do that," Jacob said.

"It would be more fun if I could go with Christopher."

Jacob stared at him for a long time, and Danny felt his joy drain away. "It's not going to happen, is it?"

"You're still thinking about yourself, Danny.

You've been thinking about yourself since you went looking for your father last week. Haven't you learned anything yet? Open your eyes, kid, look around. Life is about more than just you."

Danny gazed at his Aunt Merrilee, at the boy in the bed, at the tubes going into the boy's arms and down through his nose. His body looked skinny, pale, like a sick person. He remembered how bad he had felt the last time he had the flu. This looked a hundred times worse.

What if Michael was right? What if he was a cripple? His mother would have to take care of him. She would never laugh again. He would be a burden to her and everyone else.

His dad said he would help, but would he really? Luke had walked away before. How could Danny trust him now?

But Danny didn't want to die. He was too scared. Did that mean he was selfish? Probably.

He didn't know what to wish for anymore. Life was too complicated. Heaven was looking better and better all the time.

* * *

Matt knocked on Brenda's door. He was glad he had gone home after Merrilee's Thanksgiving nightmare. Brenda's phone message had brought him the first bit of good news he'd had in days.

Brenda opened the door with a wide, welcoming smile. "Hi, Matt. It's great to see you. Come on in. Can I get you something to drink?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Bud?"

"Fine."

Matt stepped into her living room. He looked around at the art deco furniture, the black-framed paintings, the lone bud vase on the coffee table, the black-and-white rug running the length of the living room, and tried to remember the night they had spent together. Nothing looked familiar, but then the only time he would have been here was that Friday night. The last time they had spent the night together had been at his place, and he remembered every last detail of that encounter.

Brenda came back with a bottle of beer. He took a long sip. It felt good, freeing after a stifling day with family. "Boy, was I glad to hear from you," he said.

Her smile faded. "I'm sorry, Matt. I thought you knew your car was in the garage. Otherwise, I would have left you a note."

"Do you know what kind of hell I've been going through the last few days? My nephew was almost killed by a hit-and-run driver, and I'm the number one suspect."

"I'm sorry." She dug her hands into her pockets. They didn't go far in the tight jeans. "How is your nephew?"

"Not good." He set the bottle down on the table, losing his thirst at the memory of Danny. "Can I get my car now?"

"Sure. It's in the garage."

Matt felt an incredible sense of relief when he saw his car, as if a part of his life had been given back to him. But the relief faded when he came around the front. He stopped and stared. Jesus! No wonder Alan thought he was guilty. The license plate was bent, and there was a thick crack in the headlight. "What happened?"

Brenda shrugged. "You hit that low brick wall at the beginning of the driveway when we turned in. I guess you had too much to drink."

Matt shook his head at her understatement. "Too much to drink? I must have been plastered, because I don't remember a thing. Why the hell did you let me drive? And why the hell did you get in the car with me? I could have killed us both."

Brenda swallowed, looking suddenly nervous. "I wasn't thinking clearly, Matt. Next time, I'll be more careful."

There was something in the way she avoided his eyes, the restless shifting of her feet, that made Matt doubt her statement. Had he hit Danny? Was she hiding the truth from him? But why would she do that? She wouldn't protect him. They had had sex, not a relationship. No, she wouldn't lie to protect him, but she might lie to protect herself.

"Do you want to come in for a while?" Brenda asked. "We could -- you know -- have some fun. I don't have to go to work until tomorrow morning."

Matt barely registered her words, his mind focused on one thing and one thing only. "I wasn't driving, was I?"

She looked shocked. "Of course you were driving."

"You're lying." He moved forward. Brenda took a hasty step back. "You knew I was drunk. You wouldn't risk your life to let me drive."

"I didn't know you were that drunk. You seemed okay."

"You were behind the wheel Friday night. You're the one who hit Danny!"

"No."

He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. "Tell me the truth, dammit. Tell me the truth."

"No! No! I didn't hit Danny." She held up a hand. "Okay, I was driving, but I hit the wall out front. Since you didn't remember, I lied, because I don't have extra money to pay for the damage. But I did not hit your nephew. I swear on the Bible."

Matt stared at her for a long time. "I want to believe you. Because if you were driving, and I was sitting next to you when you ran over Danny, I don't think I could live with myself."

"I didn't hit Danny. I hit a wall. Just a wall. And I will pay for the damage."

"I don't care about the money, Brenda."

"You don't?"

He shook his head. "No."

"Then that's settled." She looked relieved. "Can you stay for a while? I hate spending Thanksgiving alone."

"I can't. I have to see Danny. I should have gone earlier. Now that I know the truth, I can face him and Jenny with a clean conscience."