"Dad?" Jason asked, trying not to startle his father.

"Jason, did I wake you up?" his father said, as he turned to face his eldest son. "I am sorry if I did. I just couldn't sleep."

"I couldn't sleep either," Jason replied, walking towards his father.

"I should have never let you boys get involved in my line of business," Mr. Kramer said. "You both are too young. You have your whole lives ahead of you."

"Dad, we made our own choices. Besides this could have happened whether we were on a case or on our way to school," Jason said. "I know that Adam would never regret helping people find the truth. I know I don't regret it."

"So you think it was just an accident now?" His father asked quizzically. "I thought that Alyssa was the suspect."

"I don't know, but I am going to find out," trying to side step the issue of Alyssa. "We are going to check into things tomorrow."

"The chief said that the Cherokee was towed back to the church camp. The police are ruling it an accident. They said that Adam lost control, but they are not going to charge him because of the circumstances," Mr. Kramer said. "I am going to check into the investigation myself."

"Why did they give him the Cherokee? Shouldn't it have been impounded until the investigation was completely over?" Jason said. He was visibly upset at hearing the news.

"You know that the department is a small one and they don't have time in their opinion to investigate a wreck that happened on a curvy road in the middle of the night with three teenagers," Mr. Kramer said. He walked over to the dresser where many model cars that Adam had built over the years were sitting on display. "According to the police, it was an unfortunate accident."

"I am going to prove them wrong. Adam is a good driver," Jason commented. "Chuck said that the vehicle went out of control and after the accident some people were around the accident after it happened. That is not an accident!"

"I brought up the same point. They said that he would say anything to help out his injured friend. They also said that we need to accept that it was an accident and move on," Mr. Kramer said to Jason. "I am going to go to the station tomorrow and look over the accident report and speak to the officer handling the case."

"I will go and find the Cherokee. We will need it to prove our point," Jason said watching his father turn around to give him a stern look.

"I do not need another son in the hospital. Let me handle it. Your mother will need your help with your brother," Mr. Kramer said in a very strict voice. He did not use that tone with Jason that often. He mostly used that tone of voice with Adam after he had gotten in trouble at school with Miss Meade.

"I will be careful. I have to find out the truth for myself and Adam," Jason said evenly looking his father in the eyes. "Craig is meeting me in the morning. I am eighteen years old and you have trained me well, don't stand in my way of helping my brother."

"NO! I FORBID you from going to the camp," Mr. Kramer said. "I will have the police retrieve it. You have no business going out there. Just go and check out the accident scene, I will take care of the Cherokee." He picked up one of Adam's football trophies. Adam was the athlete of the family, while Jason mostly concentrated on his studies and was on the quiz bowl team. " I wonder what the future is going to hold for us."

"I wondered the same thing when I walked past the Trans Am. He was almost ready to be able to drive it," Jason said to his father. He knew what he was thinking. Things were never going to be the same again after the accident. "But as long as he is alive, we can deal with the changes."

"However, can Adam deal with the changes? That is the bigger question," his father answered, putting the trophy back on the shelf.

* * *

It was nine in the morning when Jason awoke to the sunlight streaming into his bedroom window. He slowly, but surely got dressed and headed down to the kitchen. His father was sitting at the table reading the morning paper. The headline was the accident and a school picture of Adam and Chuck was on the front page. It recounted the accident and mentioned Alyssa.

"I called the school. They agreed to allow you to do your work at home while Adam is in the hospital, but you will have to keep up with your subjects on your own," Mr. Kramer said, setting his coffee down.

"I will stop by on my way out to the camp to pick up the work," Jason said. It was not the first time the school had permitted him to do this, but he usually had to agree to tutor Adam as well. Jason had to smile at his brother's philosophy of school--- get enough done to pass. His brother was fully capable of being on the honor roll, but school was not a high priority with him. Now he wondered what his brother would even be able to do if he lived. "Have you heard anything from the hospital?"

"I called as soon as I got up. There has been no change. The nurse said your mother has been talking to him and trying to bring him around, but they have seen no signs of him coming out of the coma yet," He said with a sigh. "I am going there in about five minutes to check on things and then head to the station."

At that they heard a knock at the door followed by Craig's voice announcing that he was there.

"How did you get out of school?" Jason asked. "I figured I would meet you after school."

"My mom said it was for a good cause, besides I have only missed three days out of the past eleven years of school," Craig said with a smile. Craig was in the running to be the class valedictorian, so he could easily catch up on his studies.

"We are going to check out the scene of the accident," Jason told Craig.

"I thought we were going to look over the car," Craig said, not understanding the change in plans.

"I told Jason that I am going to handle that area. No one is going to sneak around on the church property illegally!" Mr. Kramer said, giving Craig the same stern look that he gave his son. Mr. Kramer had known his sons' friends for so long that he often looked after them as if they were his own.

"Yes, sir," Craig answered back, not questioning his authority.

"I had better get to the hospital. Keep me posted," Mr. Kramer said as he finished off his cup of coffee and placed it into the sink.

"We had better get going too," Jason said as both boys headed out the door. "I will check in with you on the cell phone."

Jason stopped by the school to pick up his work while Craig waited in the van. Several students and staff stopped Jason and wanted to hear the latest news of his brother's condition. Some of the staff had taken up a collection for all three of the students involved to be able to buy "get well" presents. It made Jason feel a little better knowing that other people cared about his brother and friend's condition. He was also happy to see that they included Alyssa even though Jason still felt a little angry about her role in the accident. However, he promised his brother to keep an open mind and he was not going back on his word.

He finally made it out to the van after fielding many questions. He felt like a celebrity trying to politely handle the media.

"So where are we off to next?" Craig asked.

"We are going to find the Cherokee and the first place I am looking is out at that camp," Jason said as he turned the van out of the school parking lot.

"But your father said that we were not to go out there!" Craig said, looking over at Jason.

"I know, but I promised Adam I would find out who did this to him," Jason said, negotiating the van through town towards the county road that led out to the camp. "That car is the biggest piece of evidence we have to prove that Adam did not cause the accident."

"If we get caught, your Dad is going to kill us both," Craig said looking out the window nervously. He did not like the idea of disobeying Mr. Kramer, but Jason had a good reason. "You are acting like Adam."

Jason shot him a side-glance. "That is the first time I have ever been told that!" Jason replied with a smile.

"I am not meaning it as a compliment," Craig quipped back, referring to Adam's way of getting into trouble.

"If you want, I will take you home and I will go out there myself," Jason said back with a hint of aggravation in his voice. "It is your choice."

"Adam usually lays the same guilt trip on me," Craig replied sarcastically.

"And your decision is?" Jason asked again.

"Okay, I will do it," Craig said reluctantly.

"I knew you would not let me down," Jason said as he patted his friend on the shoulder.

"But as I always tell him, if we get caught, you are the one who is going to explain everything to my mother!" Craig said, as he crossed his arm and watched the countryside come into view.

"Who said we are going to get caught?" Jason quipped back.