CHAPTER 4

Frank's Liquor Cabinet Key

Several years later, it appeared that Jamie's hospital visit resulting from the earring-swallowing incident had cured him of his taste for small metal objects. Mary had channeled Jamie's need to taste everything into a more constructive line, introducing him to small samples of various fruits, vegetables and herbs and spices, both common and exotic. As a result, by age five years and eleven and a half months, Jamie had tasted and eaten more vegetables that his brothers had in their combined twenty-eight years. And then, several days before Thanksgiving, there was one last metal swallowing incident.

"Danny, you owe me a bottle of whiskey, and an expensive one. You helped drink that one at Halloween," Al Cleary insisted. "My dad is gonna kill me if you don't replace that one before the whole family arrives tomorrow for Thanksgiving."

Danny crossed his arms across his chest. "No way, Al. You and Ronnie drank most of that. This is your problem." He grabbed the key to his father's liquor cabinet off the top of the cabinet and closed it in his fist, in case Al tried to get the key and steal a bottle from Frank Reagan's liquor supply.

"Give me that key!" Al yelled. "You owe me."

"Do not," Danny insisted. He glanced over at the doorway, where his brothers were standing, likely attracted by Al's raised voice. "Hey, Joe, heads up." He tossed the key to his younger brother.

"You think that's going to stop me? I can take the key from him easy. He's a little runt."

"I'm not either, you big dope," Joe snapped at Al. "I'm gonna get bigger than you."

"Well, you're not now, so give me that key before I break your arm and take it from you." Al advanced toward the younger boy.

"I would if I could," Joe challenged back. He pushed his baby brother slightly behind him, handing off the key to Jamie in the process. "Actually, I wouldn't, and I can't, because I don't have it."

"Al, come on, cool it," Danny encouraged as he stepped closer to Al, taking up a defensive position between his younger brothers and Al. "This is getting stupid."

Jamie glanced at the older boys. Everybody really wanted this key, and Joe had entrusted it to him. He needed to find a place to hide it. He quickly popped it into his mouth. He wouldn't swallow it; bad things happened when he swallowed small metal objects. But he bet no one would think to look there for the key.

"It's only stupid that you won't pay me what you owe!" Al snapped at Danny. "If you don't have the key, and little Joey doesn't, then…" Al turned toward Jamie. "Hey, baby Jamie, hand it over," he demanded.

Jamie crossed his arms across his chest and silently shook his head.

"Little brat!" Al rushed toward Jamie.

Jamie gasped and jumped backward with a yelp. Al was really angry! And lots bigger than he was, and running right at him! Not that he needed to worry, as both Danny and Joe tackled Al to the ground before he got within arm's length of their little brother. Jamie sighed in relief, then came to an unsettling realization. The key wasn't where he'd put it. He must've swallowed it! Uh-oh...

"Asshole!" Danny yelled. "What're you doing, trying to attack a little kid?" He hauled Al to his feet and shoved him toward the door. "Get out of my house!"

"Whatever!" Al called back. He stalked out the front door, slamming it closed behind him.

Danny turned his attention to his baby brother. "Okay, Jamie, you can give me back the key now."

Jamie shook his head. "I can't."

"Why not, kid? I need to put it back in place before Dad sees it's missing."

Joe looked from Danny to Jamie. "Jamie, why can't you give it to Danny?"

"Because." Jamie looked from one brother to the other, then down at his feet. "Because I accidentally swallowed it."

Joe burst out laughing. "Danny, Dad is going to be so mad at you. Thanksgiving is tomorrow, and now there's no way to get to the wine and stuff."

Danny looked at his baby brother. "How long does it take before it comes out his other end? If he's quick enough about it, maybe we won't have to tell Dad. Doesn't Mom have some medicine that speeds things up?" Danny tried to recall what his mother had done when Jamie swallowed his dimes a few years earlier.

Jamie glanced from Joe to Danny. He remembered that medicine. It tasted horrible, and it made his insides feel yucky. He didn't want Danny making him drink that stuff. "Mommy!" He ran out of the room in search of his mother. "Mommy, I did something bad! But by accident and it was Danny's fault! Please don't make me go the doctor or drink that yucky stuff!" he yelled on the way.

==BB==BB==

"Hey, ow. That one really was an accident," Jamie tried to defend himself as everyone at the table laughed again. "Ow. C'mon. I was old enough to know better than to swallow stuff on purpose by then."

"That's what you say now, kid," Danny teased his brother. "Just glad you remembered that skill when you needed it." He dropped a hand back on to his brother's shoulder and squeezed it gently as he thought about what could have happened if Jamie hadn't resurrected his childhood gift. It would be a very different Sunday dinner… He squeezed his brother's shoulder again, reminding himself that Jamie was okay, while he tried to think of how to lighten his mood. "Hey, kid, I heard Grandpop made your favorite dessert. Floppy disk baklava," he teased.

"Ow. Danny, ow," Jamie gasped between laughs from himself and most of the rest of the family.

Jack and Sean weren't laughing. "Dad, what's a floppy disk?" Jack finally asked.

Thanks again for the reads and reviews! They are much appreciated!

Look for a slight longer, much more dramatic story coming next week...