Alvin knew that motherly look he was getting and he didn't like it all. But he wasn't stupid enough not to play stupid. He led her back through the greenhouse to where Sisse was still standing and hovered a ways away while the Potts matriarch did her thing. He did what was asked of him blindly, locating the bandages and handing over a set for her to work her magic.

It was as bad as he feared then, worse than a bruise or a sprain. Now he felt guilty again on top of everything else. He was going to have to try to make it up to her somehow. If he'd just sucked up his pride and helped her up the stairs none of this would have happened. It all seemed to keep piling on and he was useless at trying to decipher what it was he felt about everything exactly. That was a later project.

"Do you think the school nurse could take care of it?" Alvin suggested; he couldn't handle the hospital well after spending so much time there for Wally.