It takes half an hour before his mother stops vomiting and another half an hour after that before the doctor tells him to take her home. Luckily, since the hospital is only local, they have only a short distance to walk.

Back at the house, his mother excuses herself, telling him that she was going to lie down for a while. That 'while' becomes the rest of the morning and afternoon, with him going upstairs to check on her.

His mother is still in bed when the twins come home from school.
Doing his best, the boy makes some jam sandwiches for the twins and then wait for his father to come home...