"Hi there! How are you feeling sweetie?" The young and cute looking brunette asked with a smile. Her green eyes twinkled and Jason could not get over her beauty at first. His tongue was completely tied. "Well, we were able to get the bullet out since it was so close to the edge of the skin and now we are patching you up with about 5 or 6 stitches. Then you will be able to go home as soon as we put it into a sling. We do not want you moving that arm for a few days."

"That will not be a problem. They are going to stay home and rest," Carl Kramer added. "Father's orders."

The nurse looked up at Carl and smiled as if in agreement with his promise. When she was finished, she wished him well and said that she was going to go and check on his brother.

"Very pretty nurse!" Jason said to his father with a slight grin.

"Uh, son, that was not a nurse. That was Doctor Leslie Robinson," His father said. "Mrs. Robinson that is."

"I didn't mean it that way. I am only eighteen and she is obviously a lot older," Jason responded with an aggravated tone.

"She is a resident doctor, but she has been very thorough with your brother so I am very impressed. Dr. Coykendall is on vacation right now, but she knew about Adam's condition before we got here," Mr. Kramer said.

"How is Adam?"

"He is going to be fine. They gave him some medicine and he is going to be a little groggy for the next few days. Adam should be fine before the big dance so," Mr. Kramer replied. "I think they are going to let him go home tonight even."

That news was a great relief to Jason. He hated to see his brother have seizures. It scared the tar out of him actually.

"So what is going to happen with Tarah and her crew? Did she confess?" Jason asked.

"She never did confess to anything, but her cohort sang like a bird for a lesser charge. I did request that she be sent to a psychiatric hospital to help her. I think she is not an evil person, just a mentally mixed up woman," Carl said as he walked to the foot of the bed. He glanced up at his son, who was still in the dirty and bloody clothes from later that day. "As for the Hartley's, they are pursuing charges against her so I do not know what is going to happen. Mrs. Hartley wants someone to pay."

"But it will not bring Randall back," Jason added. He did feel sorry for Randall's widow and children. Things were never going to be the same for them.

There was a moment of silence. "So everyone knows that Adam did not do it?" Jason asked. His lips were very tight as he bit his lower lip. He did that when he was nervous.

"If they don't by now, the Emerald Beach Gossip line will have it known by tomorrow night, not to mention the Herald. You know the Emerald Herald will run the story. Adam's name will be cleared," Carl said, reassuring his oldest son. "Adam does know that he did not cause the accident, right?"

"I assume that he knows that Tarah caused it by now," Jason muttered, looking up at the light in the small curtained off room. "When do I get to go home?"

"Soon, very soon," his father said with a smile.

It was not too long before Dr. Robinson made her way back to the small makeshift room was to discharge Jason. She then told them that Adam was free to go home too as long as he went straight to bed. She said that the medicine and the seizures wiped him out physically and he had no business being up and around for 24 hours.

The next few days pasted slowly, but surely. Many people came by to visit the brothers including the usual gang of Alyssa, Kara, Chuck, and Craig. Jonathan Hartley even stopped by to see them and that really made Adam feel better. It took a lot of convincing, but they were actually able to get Adam to stay in bed. Everyone was also amazed to hear about Laura's part in the rescue of her sons. No one could believe that someone so small could lift so much. Every time someone would comment about it, she would just hold her hand to her heart and say, "Never underestimate the power of a mother's love."

Soon, the big day arrived and Laura was busy showing Adam how to even get into a tuxedo. She had Carl show him how to do the tie, for which he fought with them about the entire time of the lesson. He finally got it loosened up enough to where he could stand it. Jason just laughed at his parents fusing and feuding with his younger brother. By the end of the battle, Adam looked like he could walk into any awards ceremony hosted for the rich and famous.

At about seven o'clock, Kara pulled up in her car with Alyssa to escort the boys to the dance. Jason was able to take his sling off for the occasion, but he was not allowed to drive. Adam could not drive until the medication was safely into his system after two weeks. As the boys drove off, Laura made over Adam one last time. She knew that within in 12 hours her younger son would be back into his beat up jeans and t-shirts. Adam gringed every time she teared up at the sight of her son. Jason dressed up more often, but it was the first time for Adam. Jason found the whole situation very amusing.

The shock continued when the boys made it to the dance. The committee had done a great job with the decorations that included blue and silver ceiling streamers and white Christmas lights that aligned the walls and doorways all around the gym. In the middle of the canopy, was a large and beautiful disco ball that sent lights cascading in a whirlwind around the room. Adam and Alyssa had never seen anything like it.

"I feel like Cinderella," Alyssa said as she took in the sight.

Soon the group enjoyed a night of dancing, mingling with friends and eating the Pizza Hit pizza that the Social Committee ordered for the dance. Soon the whole football team was asked to make their way to the stage part of the gym. Everyone prodded Adam to go up, but he chose to remain with Alyssa.

The senior class president, Chris Unroe, walked to the microphone and held a large trophy up for all to see. "We are here on the night of our Homecoming to honor the team that brought home the win over the Bulldogs. Our own- Emerald Beach Wildcats!" He yelled with excitement and handed the trophy over to the coach. The coach was a shy man who simply said "thank you" and made his way off the stage. Adam wished that his shyness would kick in when they lost a game. Those after the game lectures could get very long when all you wanted was a bed. But it was no secret to anyone that Adam missed being on the football team. Adam was focused to get back into the lay of things next year for sure. Now he just had to concentrate on getting ready for baseball season since he did not play basketball. Then Mrs. Ramey came onto the stage to announce the king, queen and the attendants from each grade. At Emerald Beach, the students in grades nine through ten voted on the freshman and sophomore attendant titles. Then the juniors and seniors voted on the homecoming attendants, one male and one female and then the top titles of honor--- the Homecoming king and queen. Adam just yawned through the announcements of the winners and watched as each of the girls received a bouquet of roses and was escorted to the side of the stage by their dates.

"I would hate to be that idiot," Adam muttered to Alyssa. Alyssa just elbowed him back. She was deeply engrossed by the Homecoming ceremonies. She had never been to anything like this in her life and she was going to absorb it all up. She cried when she saw the junior attendants were chosen and they took their spots among the rest of the honored students. It must feel great to have that happen she thought to herself.

"And now, the moment we have all been waiting for, the King and Queen," Chris said with excitement. Adam made a face, mimicking Chris. Adam was not into things like that. Jason had to smile at his brother's actions. Adam looked over at his brother and mouthed the words, "I feel sorry for that sap."

Jason smiled and looked towards the stage. He knew who was going to win. It was always the same two people that won all the time---Lindsey Chapman and the quarterback of the Wildcat football team, for which just happened to be Eric Peterson. Adam and Eric were like oil and water so Jason figured that Adam was not going to be very joyous for the king and queen this year. Mrs. Ramey brought the sealed envelope over to Chris, who opened it immediately.

"The Emerald Beach Homecoming King and Queen are----," He said as he slurred that last word. Adam could see Eric already standing up with Lindsey by his side.

"Adam Kramer and Alyssa Clarke!" Chris yelled across the speaker system. When Adam heard his name being announced, he dropped his cup of Pepsi all over the table. Alyssa was in total shock herself.

"Just get up there, I will clean it up. This is your moment silly, get Alyssa up there!" Kara called out to him. Jason also pushed him forward. Adam could not believe his ears. He was Homecoming King, the one thing he dreaded being in the first place. But then he looked over at Alyssa, she was so happy. Her first dance and she was voted the queen. He was not going to ruin her moment. So he proudly pushed her to the stage and then carried her up on the stage. They got a chair for her to sit on while they crowned her with a beautiful tiara and red roses. Then they crowned Adam, but he was too busy looking at Alyssa to really pay any attention to what was going on. She literally glowed in the spotlight and her eyes sparkled like the sequence on her red dress. She was a sight to behold and it caused Adam to blush, thinking that she was his girlfriend. Then everyone quieted down for the annual speech by the king and queen that was to be followed by the "first royal dance" of the night.

Alyssa was to go first. She was so taken by being the queen that she almost could not speak. "I want to thank all of you for taking in a stranger and allowing her to call Emerald Beach her new home. Thank you, this is one of the most memorable moments of my life." She said looking over at Adam. She was totally beaming and Adam could not help to feel a little mushy about the situation. He even shed a small tear, for which he gracefully hid. She was so beautiful and he did not want the moment to end. Then Adam had to make his speech.

At first he looked out silently at the crowd of his peers, but he finally found the words that he wanted to say.

"I am truly honored that you would pick me for your Homecoming king," Adam said. It was very apparent that he was extremely nervous and embarrassed at the same time. "But I think that there is someone who deserves this honor more than I do. If it were not for him, I would not be here today. He not only saved my life, but he saved me as well. I would like to pass this honor on to my own brother, Jason Kramer."

The spotlight quickly made its way to Jason, who was sitting in the back of the gym with Kara. Kara followed him up and stood at the foot of the stage as Adam crowned his older brother king. Jason was totally red at his brother's actions, but he had never felt closer to his brother than in that moment. Jason turned and hugged his brother and waved to the crowd.

"It was about time he figured out who was boss," Jason joked around. Then he turned serious. "Even though it is tradition that the king dance the first dance with the queen, I would like for my brother to dance with the queen." Jason motioned for Adam to get Alyssa and set her back into her wheelchair. Adam followed his lead. "Now since I am king, I get to pick the song and I have the perfect one. I would like to dedicate Aerosmith's 'I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" to the Homecoming Queen and 'her own king'."

At that moment, the spotlight was on Adam and Alyssa. Everyone wondered how the couple was going to dance with the wheelchair, but Adam knew just what to do. He reached down and took her into his arms and danced with her in the white spotlight. It was a truly moving moment, especially when he let her down and held her so that her feet would slightly sweep the gym floor. Alyssa actually looked like she was dancing on her own two feet and she felt like it too. She could feel her dress move with Adam's slow sway to the music. Even though she could not feel her legs, she could feel the dress and that was enough for her to make that a memorable night. It was the night that Alyssa Clarke, paraplegic, danced like a true queen with her king at her side.