making sandwiches. “Just don’t ever say that about yourself again.”

“Okay, Mommy, I won’t, I promise.” Jeffery said, still blushing.   

Being called special by his mother made Jeffery feel so happy, he felt as though a happy balloon was floating around inside him. He dashed to Melissa’s side and threw his arms around her waist, hugging her deeply.

“Mmm, I love you, Mommy,” he said with happy tears, rubbing his cheek against her side.

 Melissa smiled down at him and wrapped an arm around his shoulder and kissed the top of his head.

“Oh, I love you too, baby.”

“Guys, I’m back!” Jeffery said loudly as he returned to his bedroom a few minutes later, holding a tray of sandwiches. “And I’ve brought sandwiches!”

It was then that he noticed the atmosphere in the room has changed since he left it; it was silent and slightly depressing. He saw Kit and Chris sitting on the bottom bunk, Chris looking a little upset, hugging and clinging to his big brother. Kit was trying to comfort his little brother, holding him on his lap, muttering soothing words. Jeffery caught words like: ‘it’s alright,’ and ‘it didn’t hurt that much.’

“What’s up?” Jeffery asked, putting the tray on the desk and walking over to the twins. He placed a hand on Chris’ shoulder. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

“Kit…. he….he got a….” Chris croaked, but seemed unable to say and he buried his face in Kit’s chest. Kit held him comfortingly, whispering soothing words to him,   

Jeffery casted Kit a curious but slightly alarming look.      

“Kit, what did you—?”

Kit held up a finger, which had a bandage wrapped around it. And now, the tensed atmosphere suddenly made sense to Jeffery.

“KIT!” Jeffery shrieked. “Please, tell me you didn’t—”   

“Jeffery, calm down, it was just a—”

“Calm down?! Kit, you hurt yourself—”

“It was just paper cut, nothing to get worked up about.” Kit said quickly. “I was trying to show Chris what blood looked like in your medical book, but I cut my finger on a page and he got upset that I was bleeding a little bit. He doesn’t like me getting hurt. There, there, little brother, I’m alright… ” he said, patting Chris on the back of the head.

“But you still hurt yourself, big brother.” Chris whimpered, looking close to tears. “I—I don’t want you hurt.”

Kit wrapped both arms around Chris and hugged him consolingly.

“Shh, Chris, don’t worry, it didn’t hurt that much…” he said soothingly. “It’s only a small paper cut, it’ll heal by tomorrow.”

After he got Chris to calm down, Kit let his little brother off his lap. Chris then wandered over to corner toward his overnight bag.

Jeffery let out a sigh of relief, and then he marched over to Kit and bonked him on top of the head.

“Ow!” Kit shouted, holding his head. “Hey, what was that for?”

“Don’t you ever scare me like that again!” Jeffery said very sternly. “By the tension in this room when I got back, and by the way Chris was acting, I thought it was something very serious!”

“I’m sorry, Jeff, I didn’t mean to scare you.” Kit said, looking a little sheepish. “But I didn’t mean to go and get myself a paper cut, either…”

“Aw, it’s alright… but it’s my turn to give out the nuggie this time!” Jeffery suddenly grabbed Kit around the neck and gave him the mother of all nuggies for all the times Kit did this to him. He then stopped. “I can’t work with this cap on your head.” He took Kit’s cap off and tossed it aside, where it landed neatly on Chris’ head, who was still in the corner, rummaging through his overnight bag.  And then the nuggie continued.
 
“Ha, ha, ha! Jeff, c’mon, cut it out!” Kit begged through tears of laugher. “Ha, ha, ha, it was an accident! I swear I won’t do it again! Honest!”

Jeffery gave him another round of nuggies for good measure before releasing Kit.

Kit stood up, massaging his head.

“Gosh, Jeff, did ya have to nuggie me that hard?” he asked reproachfully. “If I find a missing hair on my head, I’m gonna rub you bald!”

A mental image flashed into Jeffery’s mind, one of him looking like a monk with a bald top.

“Sorry, cuz…” Jeffery said sheepishly. “But I’m usually on the receiving end of the nuggies, so I don’t get to give them out much and I got a little overexcited about it.”

Then, somebody in a ghost costume suddenly popped up and shouted: “BOO!”

“AAAHHHH!” Jeffery let out a startled yell and fell backward, landing on his tail end to the floor.

The ‘ghost’ tore off his sheet to reveal a bright and happy Chris wearing Kit’s cap in forward position on his head, laughing and pointing at Jeffery. Now Jeffery knew what Chris was doing in the corner by his overnight bag. He was putting on his costume while Jeffery was busy giving Kit the nuggies to have noticed.

“Ha, ha, ha, ha!” Chris laughed cheerfully. “Gotcha again, Jeffery.” And then he extended a hand to Jeffery, offering to help him up.

“Oh very funny.” Jeffery said sarcastically, grasping Chris’ hand but pushing himself up with his other hand on the side of the bed, knowing that Chris wasn’t strong enough to pull him to his feet singlehandedly. “You got me again! That’s twice you got me as a ghost today! …So, you’re going to be a ghost?”

“I’m not sure yet.” Chris confessed. “I like the bunny rabbit costume too; maybe I’ll flip a coin for it, that always works for Uncle Wildcat.”

“Wildcat?” Jeffery asked, scratching his head.

“Uh-huh,” Chris said, nodding happily. “He said that if I have to choose between two things, flip a hammer, but I decided to use a coin instead so I don’t hurt myself.”

“Yeah, a coin is a safer choice.” Kit said, agreeing with his brother’s logic.  

“Yeah, and Mom would throw a hissy fit if you dented the floor with a hammer…” Jeffery said. “Ha, ha, ha. Oh boy, Wildcat’s nuts, nice but nuts.”

“You don’t know the half of it…” Kit said, grinning.

“Ha, ha, ha, I would have to agree with you, cuz.” Jeffery said, laughing at Kit’s comment “But I still like Uncle Wildcat, no matter how nutty he can be.”

Jeffery then fished out a nickel from his pocket and handed it to Chris.

“Here you go, cuz, you can flip this,” he said, smiling kindly at his cousin.

“Wow, thanks Jeffery!” Chris said brightly and then he flung himself onto Jeffery and hugged him tightly. It was amazing how much gratitude Chris was showing toward a simple gesture as giving him a nickel. One would think that Jeffery gave him a coin that was worth millions. 

“You’re welcome, cuz.” Jeffery said, hugging Chris. It was a good thing Chris wasn’t very strong or he would be saying: ‘Ack! Can’t breathe.’ “Well, aren’t you gonna flip it?’

“Okay, head’s bunny rabbit, tail’s ghost.” Chris said, releasing Jeffery and holding the nickel in a fist. He flipped it and tried to catch it again but it landed on the floor instead, but no matter, he looked down at the nickel. “Head.”

After the coin landed, Jeffery and Kit both shouted in unison: “Bunny!” And they suddenly jumped Chris and all three cubs disappeared in a cloud of dust.

When the smoke cleared, Chris stood between Kit and Jeffery, wearing his bunny rabbit costume. Obviously, Kit and Jeffery forced it on him. Kit zipped up the front zipper and stood back with Jeffery to get a good look at Bunny Rabbit Chris.  

“Aw, he’s a cute wittle wabbit.” Jeffery cooed, patting Chris on top of the head between his rabbit ears.

“One last thing,” Kit said, and he started tying a boy-blue bow around Chris’ neck.

“Aww, do I have to wear this bow?” Chris asked in dismay.      

“If you want people to know you’re a boy, you do.” Kit said as he finished tying the bow. “There, it’s not too tight, is it?”

“No, but I hate wearing it.” Chris whined, tugging at the bow.

“Well, it’s either that one or the pink one…” Jeffery said slyly, holding up a pink, girlish bow.

Kit laughed while Chris glared daggers at Jeffery and swatted the pink bow out of his hand.

“Fine, I’ll wear a bow—the blue one.” Chris said. “And Jeffery, I don’t like that joke. I’m a boy, got it?! A B-O-Y, boy!” he added, stomping his right rabbit foot.

“Yeah, Chris, I know that.” Jeffery said, his face turning crimson red, embarrassed by his own joke and stepping back a little. “I was only joking with you; I know you’re a boy.”

“C’mon, Chris, let’s show Aunt Melissa how you look in your costume.” Kit said, steering Chris toward the door.

“Oh boy, Mom’s gonna eat you up, Chris, so prepare yourself for a rib-crushing hug.” Jeffery warned Chris as he followed them out of the room.

Jeffery’s prediction