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Finally, an aide of souys Mary Elizabeth, it’s tionna stay?"

Ja," Mary Elizabeth announced She stood up and looked at Parker "You’re gerated sigh "I thought I was your best friend"

"You’re my brother You can’t be best friends with your brother"

"So true, Mary Elizabeth," Parker said "Don’t listen to hirururuht in her eyes "I love you, Ja Parker hard

"I love you, too," Parker said Then Mary Elizabeth detached and hugged her brother "Bye, Jaed his sister back, kissed her twice, then waved as she and the aide walked from the room

"See you tomorrow?" Parker asked

"She doesn’t really have a sense of time"

"Oh"

James stood up and put his hands in his pockets "Well Thank you for rinned, but it was a pale imitation of the usual "Want to take a walk?"

"Sure"

James clearly knew the place well, and several people, clients and staff alike, said hello, calling hih the caarden There was a fountain in the rounds were quieter now, and Parker could sood here," Jahts

"That’s a plus"

He was staring at the birds "The technical ter a near drowning"

Parker bit her lip "I’m so sorry," she said

He leaned back, took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair Then he told her the story

Mary Elizabeth had been a surprise baby--the four Cahill boys had been born within six years of each other, with Mary Elizabeth coest son She’d been as spoiled as a little girl could be; if one brother failed to obey her command, surely another would She had them all wrapped, James said Especially their father, who viewed Mary Elizabeth as a reward for enduring four boys Her brothers would give her piggybacks, ride her on the handlebars of their bikes, even play princess tea party with her She was the light of the family, everyone’s favorite

Then, when Jaraduated froave out only four tickets per family, so James volunteered to stay home and babysit The Terminator was on, and his mother hadn’t let him see it when it was in the theaters The rest of the fao swi; the Cahills lived on a lake, and the kids swam almost every day

James said no Gave her some popcorn, made her a fort out of blankets in her bedroo with her dolls Then he went into the living room and sat in front of the TV

By the time he realized she was in the lake, she was already way too far out He yelled for her to come in, and she turned and headed for shore All the Cahills were excellent swimmers But she was tired When her head slipped beneath the surface, it took hi There was no splashing, no yelling, no flailing She just disappeared

"I reo Row out, throw theo for help" Jahy, and I don’t even re the oars as hard as I could, and I could hear ht she’d gone under, but the lake wasHe swa, resurfaced for air and went under again

And then he saw his sister’s hand, floating there, white against the greenfor all he orth

"They make it look so easy in theShe was a chubby little thing, weighed almost as much as I did back then Then we broke the surface, and I held her face up, but the boat had drifted off in the wind, and I couldn’t o, either"

"Oh, honey," Parker whispered, wiping her eyes

"We both went down, and I thought that was it, ere dying I could see the light getting farther and farther away, and I felt so bad for my parents, to have to find us in the pond But at least Mare and I would die together"

Parker pressed her hand against her ave her an oddly wry look "I know It’s a horrible story, isn’t it?" She squeezed his hand, unable to talk "So, next thing I knew, my father had me by the arm, pulled me up, tossed me in the boat and went back for Mary Got her to the dock, did CPR, all that My htmare"

"James, I’m so, so sorry," she said in a shaky voice, the words pathetically inadequate

He shook his head "The TV was still on when I went back in the house That’s what I remember I wanted to watch the movie, and my sister almost died because of it"

"Jao in, and you thought she was playing It’s not your fault"

"Oh, sure it is My father grabbed the wrong kid first, that’s all"

Parker’s heart seized "No, Jaave her a bleakly rueful grin "It’s what he used to tell me"

Jesus Parker squeezed his hand, unable to speak