DEB

When Vic called to say Michael was at the hospital, I left work and go there as soon as possible. I expected to see Brian and the guys waiting, but it was just Vic. He let me know that Michael went in alone and didn’t want him there. I walked to the nurses station and got the information about where to find Michael, but first I wanted to know why Vic was the only one here.

“I told Brian and the guys if there was a reason for them to come I’d call them. I didn’t see any reason for us to fill the waiting room when Michael was up and walking. I only brought him in when his doctor asked to see Michael after he called the doctor himself.” I tell her.

“You're telling me that instead of coming to make sure Michael was okay they just went on partying? If it was one of them, Michael and I would come no matter what you told them.” I tell him.

“Deb…”

“Don’t even try to defend them, Michael spends too much time letting Brian off with excuses. I’m going to check on Michael then you and I are going to talk to Brian about his responsibility to this family.” I tell him.

“You can do what you want, but I’m not going to go with you. There was nothing wrong with Michael, other than not liking that Brian has a partner now. Since you're here, I’m going home to my partner, because like I said, there is no reason we came here tonight.” He tells me, shaking his head.

I found the cubicle the nurse told me Michael was in and was about to go in, but stopped when the doctor started almost lecturing Michael.

“We’ve talked about this for the last year Michael. There isn’t any need for more therapy when your leg is perfectly healed. The therapist signed off on you because there’s no reason to continue once you were walking and capable of resuming normal activities, which would have happened years sooner if you hadn’t been doing things that went against your therapy. The only reason I came in was to once again x-ray your leg and prove to you that nothing has changed in the last four years. I’m worried about why you seem to want to me to find something wrong with you. These visits are costly and no insurance will cover them when I have to report that there wasn’t a reason for the visits. It’s why I stopped prescribing you pain killers, because they're not something to mess with when you don’t have a need for them.” He tells Michael.

“Look, the bill will be covered if that’s what this is about.” Michael tells him.

“I’m not worried about my bill, but that maybe it’s time for you to see a doctor who can help you see that the pain you're describing is in your head, not your leg. It happens Michael, patients sometimes don’t believe they’ve mended and the mind makes us think the pain is still there. As for tonight, you twisted your ankle, but stay off it and you’ll be fine.” He tells him.

I backed away and waited for Michael in the waiting room when the doctor told him he could go. That can’t be right. Four years. Michael barely started to walk four years ago. I tried to remember if I ever talked to the therapist Michael had been going to, but remembered he asked me to not attend the sessions because Michael resisted doing anything with an audience. I let Brian take him to the doctor because it made Michael happy, but why didn’t Brian say anything when apparently the doctor was saying Michael was fine?

I sat in the corner waiting, and Michael came out looking in front of him for someone, and when he didn’t see me, he walked right by, not even limping to the door. Then turned back and saw me and started towards me, grimacing and rubbing his leg as he got to me and practically fell in the chair next to me. He started talking, but all I could see were all the times he had me waiting on him hand and foot in the last year, when there was nothing wrong with him. I was running out of work, losing hours because of this, and then helping him pay his bills so he would be able to keep his apartment. I didn’t know what to do, so I left him sitting there and walked out of the hospital, feeling like a complete fool for trying to convince everyone that they weren’t doing enough for my son.

Michael followed me out, yelling he needed help walking, and all the worrying I’d been doing turned into anger. I guess I snapped, because I started hitting him with my purse and chasing him all over the parking lot, trying to hit him more for what I did to everyone, because Michael played us all for fools. When the security guard tried to stop me I told him to move, because my son was going to learn not to lie and abuse his mother.

BRIAN

Justin called in an order since he said he wasn’t in the mood to cook after round four. It gave me a second to worry that maybe I should have gone with Vic, if only to keep Deb from giving him grief for me not being there. It’s also something that bothers me; that if Justin or I got hurt that no one would let either of us in or tell us anything that was going on because we weren’t related. We needed to talk about this, because Justin has a propensity to drive recklessly. I don’t want to be waiting for Jen before anyone would tell me anything. Justin doesn’t need Michael to be the one who controls anything either.

“Why not call Vic and find out, just in case.” Justin tells me.

“One of the things about Vic is that he’s the level headed one, and would call if there was a reason. It wasn’t what I was thinking about.” I tell him.

“You looked like something was bothering you.” He tells me.

“Who is your POA?” I ask.

“My Grandfather, because he wouldn’t make irrational decisions, like my mom and sister.” He tells me.

“At least you made a decision with good reasoning.” I tell him, thinking drunk and high I would have agreed to my mother, but stuck with Michael.

“I’m going to guess, who ever is yours bothers you now.” He asks.

“Michael and I made each other our POAs after he woke up. He didn’t want his mother being the one they had to deal with. At the time, I didn’t really care, so I put him down.” I tell him.

“They can be easily changed, and I really don’t see Michael and I doing well if he’s in charge.” I tell him.

“I don’t want to have to wait for your family if something happens to you.” I tell him.

“I can understand that, and if you want us to change it, then we will. Up until now my grandfather was just the best choice in the family.” He tells me.

“Will it cause problems with him if you change it?” I ask, not really knowing anything about how his grandfather operates.

“He’ll want to meet you, but trusts me when I make decisions.” He tells me.

“There’s a lot about my past and family that you don’t know. We aren’t what you’d call upstanding citizens.” I tell him.

“You want to know the one invention my grandfather hates that he relies on, cell phones. He joked they ruined the world, because now people can’t deny something that gets broadcast the minute someone takes one out and hits record. Cell phones got rid of the myth that the social elite could do nothing wrong. Remember one thing. My family doesn’t get to decide anything in this relationship.” He tells me.

“I just don’t want you to get blindsided about my life. I know you didn’t care about the tricking, but there was also drugs and drinking to the point that my liver should have failed. It’s the one thing the accident helped me stop doing. I still drink, but not the way I did, drugs I let go of because my son needed to know it’s not something I want him doing.” I tell him.

“If anyone in my family has a problem with you, then it’s their problem, not ours. My grandfather is a lot like my mother as far as judging people, so I doubt beyond asking what political party you vote for, he’ll have much to say. He’ll be too busy trying to figure out how to turn Gus into the next president one day.” He jokes.

When the buzzer rang Justin’s stomach let me know he was ready for food. I got up before Justin and went to answer, but it was Ted and Blake standing there with Justin’s food in their hand.

“What are you doing here?” I ask, taking the bag and handing it to Justin.

“Ted thought you might want to help Deb. I told him to just let her and Michael fight it out in the police station and see who wins.” Blake tells us.

“It was a thought, but sooner or later they’d call you, so I stopped by to let you know I’ll handle it for you.” Ted tells us.

“What happened?” Justin asks, stuffing a fry in my mouth.

“Not really sure, just that the security guard at the hospital got tired of Michael and Deb fighting in the parking lot and called to have them removed. I got the call from Emmett, when they couldn’t get a hold of you or Vic.” He tells me.

“We might as well go, plus I can say hi to Carl.” Justin tells me.

“Carl?” Ted asks.

“Justin made all sorts of friends when he visited the Pittsburgh PD.” I tell them.

“They liked Britin.” Justin tells us, getting his keys.

“Britain?” Ted asks.

“Britin. My car. Where you and Brian come up with Britain makes me wonder about your hearing.” Justin tells me, handing over his keys when I held out my hand.

“Where the hell did you come up with the name Britin?” I ask.

“One day I’ll tell you.” Justin says, before walking out the door.

“Is this really that hard for you two to figure out?” Blake asks, following Justin.

“It doesn’t make any sense to me.” Ted tells me as we walked out.

We got to the station and could hear that Deb was still going strong. They had her cuffed to a chair and Michael on the other side of the room. I know the cops had to see this wasn’t the way to quiet Deb down.

“Hey Carl, Brian and I settled things!” Justin yells over Deb.

“Want to tell me what this is about? All we can get is that Red here isn’t happy with her lying son!” Carl yells at us.

“I spent years being a good mother to him! He lied to everyone for years, the shit treated me like his housekeeper for years!” Deb yells.

“I didn’t tell you to do anything, you were the one who showed up and did it.” Michael screeches.

“You had me believing that you were still hurt. Today I heard the truth from your doctor! You’ve been fine for four fucking years!” Deb yells.

Hearing that was the last blow to our friendship when Michael didn’t deny it, but looked upset that Deb knew. I left without caring if either of them needed my help, angry that I had let Michael pull me away from Justin all this time.

“I named her Britin because it was a way for me to know we’d always be together.” Justin tells me, catching up to me.

“Why tell me now?” I ask.

“So you know that even when we weren’t together, you were with me. Here.” He tells me, putting his hand over his heart.