Paige was trying to concentrate, but it was hard when things like sadness, fear, and regret interfered. Even more distracting were persistent imagesof a school in the desert, of Noah, of Nonny and Sami, of Angie in New York, of Mara decaying on the hillside overlooking town.

Mara would have known what to tell Peter.

This was the kind of situation in which she came to life. When she believed in a cause, she fought. She had the strength for it. And Paige?

To her horror, her eyes filled with tears.

She tried to hide them by examining her fingers. ill, uh"she cleared her throat_"I don't think it's fair that this should happen right now.

Damn it, it isn't." She took a steadying breath and raised her eyes.

"You've gotten your act together, Peter. It's like you found yourself after the accidentwith Kate Ann and alland now you're fighting Jamie Cox like Mara would have done. And YOU, too, Angie. You don't deserve this now. You didn't turn over and die when things at home got tense.

You fought." ill took a risk of the heart," Angie said.

"They're necessary sometimes."

A risk of the heart. Like Mara's deep connect Paige's throat started to tighten again.

After clearing it, she said, "You won. Things are better at home.

Whether or not you move, the choice should be yours. You shouldn't be forced out because our patients are spooked by a lie." She looked from one to the other. They had both come a long way since Mara's death.

And she? She was marking time, lacking the courage to act.

"Paige?" Angie queried softly.

Lacking the courage to make decisions. But if she waited, she would lose. She would fail.

Like Mara.

ill don't want any resignations," she said with abrupt force. "No resignations."

"Would you rather we talk about this later?"

She brushed at the tears in the corners of her eyes and shook her head.

ill have to go home to see Sami." Her eyes, damp but steady, met Peter's. "No resignation. We fight."

Angie arrived home to an empty house, which didn't make sense, given the hour. Ben was usually home by then. Especially lately.

Along with their agreement to talk things out they had agreed to try to coordinate their schedules. Angie would tell him when she would be home from work, and he would make an effort to be there when she arrived. It wasn't quite the spontaneity that they had thrived on in their twenties, but they weren't in their twenties anymore. They were in their forties.

Spontaneity was harder to come by which didn't mean that they couldn't do exciting things, simply that they had to plan more for them. UR + if n Ben hadn't told her of any plans that would keep him away from home this late in the day. She was on the verge of worry when she heard his car in the drive. She was at the back door in time to welcome not only Ben, but Dougie.

"What a treat!" She gave both of them hugs, then studied Dougie, who looked vaguely down at the mouth. "Is everything all right?"

"He heard about Peter," Ben explained. "I wanted to get him home for a little while so that we could talk about it."

Angie gave his arm a grateful squeeze. It was the kind of thing she would have done herself, had Ben not accused her of smothering the boy.

She led Dougie to the table and sat him down.

"The grapevine works with the speed of light.

What is it saying about poor Peter?"

"That he raped Julie. But I don't believe it, Mom. I know Peter. He isn't that kind of guy."

She slipped onto the seat beside him. "Are the kids believing it?"

"Big time. Some of them are getting hyper, and it's not only the girls. They're saying he's a pervert.

That he likes kids. That they don't want him getting near them again.

I've been telling them that they're nuts, but they won't listen. It's like they love the excitement of this."

Angie shot a look across the table, to where Ben lounged on a chair.

"He's very perceptive."

"And disillusioned?" Ben asked.

Angie shared that worry. To Dougie she said, "Don't be too hard on them. They don't know Peter like you do. They're simply reacting against every thing that's in the news these days.

But you're right to argue in Peter's behalf. He says he's innocent, and I believe him."

"But if none of the kids will let him near them that means he's out of a job at Mount Court. That's not fair."

"No. It's not. But things may change. All we need is someone coming forward to tell who Julie was really with."

"Someone fathered the baby she's carrying," Ben said. "We need to know who."

Dougie glanced from one to the other. "Don't look at me. I don't know who the guy is. I don't know Julie Engel at all. I'm just telling you what the kids are saying."

"Are they only talking about Peter?" Angie asked "Aren't they saying anything at all about Julie?"

"My friends don't know her, either, Mom.

She's a senror."

"Your mother knows that," Ben said. "She's thinking that if you heard gossip about Peter, you might have heard gossip about Julie."

"No. Just about Peter. I hate it when they call him a pervert. He's a friend of ours, and he's your partner. It doesn't say much about you if you're practicing with a pervert."

"Peter is no pervert," Angie vowed. She thought of the letters Paige had found and the tales they told and felt that Mara wouldn't mind at all if she shared one. "He and Mara were in love. Did you know that7"

Dougie's eyes went wide. "Were they really" Angie nodded.

"Then why didn't they get married?"