BRIAN

Ted came into my office with a file and handed it to me, only telling me to look at it. I flipped it open and it was all the bills from the doctors and therapists in the last four years.

“Why are you showing me this?” I ask.

“I think it's time you recouped the money you were paying for visits Michael never needed. Looking into it, I found out the insurance company stopped paying when the visits were no longer deemed necessary since Michael was fully recovered. Michael never accepted a lump sum like we were told. The money they gave him was what they give to say you can't sue for more later. All the hospital bills were paid as part of the settlement. He hid a lot from everyone, and no one questioned it because we trusted him.” He tells me.

“Where would he get the money to pay it back? He hasn’t worked in years, I never asked when he told me he got enough from the insurance company to be able to stay at his place. Because it kept me from letting him move in with me.” I tell him.

“I want to let Mel look into it at least because it’s like he still getting away with things.” He tells me.

“She can if she wants, I’m looking forward in my life, not back. It was only money, it didn’t cost me the most important things in my life, Justin or Gus.” I tell him.

“Just to let you know, Drew’s a bit green with envy at the car parked in the parking lot this morning.” He laughs.

“Tell Drew I got his car bumped up, that should make him happier. Now how about we talk about me winning the bet?” I smirk.

After Ted went back to his office, I looked over the paperwork he left on Michael’s bills. It’s money that Gus could have used to go to the college of his choice but went to my best friend. Ted was right, I trusted Michael to tell me what went on with his doctors, and when he told me that he and the lawyer could deal with the insurance company, it was a day off from the whole thing for me.

“I came to see if you wanted to go to lunch, but you look like you're busy,” Lindsay tells me.

I handed her the file and watched her look through it. When she closed it, I could tell she wanted to kill Michael.

“What are you going to do?” She asks.

“There probably isn’t a lot I can do. He didn’t ask me for the money, and I wasn’t questioning why the insurance company stopped paying for it. By that time I'd met Justin and paying the bills didn’t really seem as important as the freedom from Michael when he stopped asking me to be at all his appointments.” I tell her.

“Where is Justin today?” She asks, changing the subject, but putting the file in her purse.

“His grandfather is coming for his mother’s wedding, and he wanted to talk to him alone about a few things,” I tell her.

“How about lunch then?” She asks.

“What are you up to Wendy?” I ask.

“Nothing at all Peter. I just wanted to keep the Cold War in the deep freeze. It’s been nice watching Michael not being able to squirm his way out of something.” She tells me.

I went, because who was I to deny Wendy her fun? I walked in and Deb started treating me like the good son, practically bowing down to anything Lindsay and I asked. I finally had to stop when Lindsay changed her order for the third time. Deb looked ready to rip her pad in half.

“Wendy?” I warn.

“Never mind, I’ll take the first thing I ordered.” She tells Deb, who stomped off.

“What was the purpose of that?” I ask her.

“To show her what it’s like when you can’t seem to make up your mind.” She tells me, which makes sense to her, so I really didn’t ask for an explanation.

Deb delivered our food by plunking Lindsay’s plate down hard but putting mine neatly in front of me. Then she would show up every few seconds, asking if I need a refill or anything else. When she tried to put a napkin in my shirt, I stopped her.

“What are you doing?” I ask Deb.

“I know how you are about your clothes and didn’t want your soup to spill on it.” She tells me.

“I think I learned to eat without a napkin when I was five, so thanks, but stop,” I tell her.

“I was just looking after you,” Deb tells me.

Lindsay got up, leaving the file on the table and kissed my cheek. “It’s an interesting read, Deb,” Lindsay tells her, tapping the file before walking out.

I tried to get the file away, thinking Lindsay took it to show Mel but apparently thought Deb would care. Deb snatched the file, looking at the bills and closing it after only seeing a few of the pages. I took it because it was my only proof of Michael fooling me.

“I talked to a psychiatrist about what Michael was doing. She said that it could be that Michael got the attention he always wanted and it made him believe in order to get it, he had to have everyone believing he was still hurt.” She tells me.

“Why do you think I care?” I ask her.

“It would explain why Michael did it.” She tells me.

“Maybe for you, but for me, it was just one more thing in a long list of things he did, with you backing him up. It’s something that I just can’t brush aside the way you want me to.” I tell her, leaving her the money for the bill and finally getting what Wendy was doing.

JUSTIN

My grandfather came off the plane with one of his aides in tow. He never could take a day off, but when he reached my mom, he stopped talking about business and grabbed her in a hug.

“You look happy, Darling.” He tells her.

“I am Dad, thanks for coming.” Mom kisses his cheek.

He looked over at me, giving me the look that made me want to confess my sins every time. “I wasn’t thinking,” I tell him.

“Hey Granddad, I’m still the good one,” Molly tells him, getting all his attention.

“Yes you are, but Justin and I need to talk about the one place I always asked you two not to find yourself in. It’s rather boring in jail.” He jokes with me.

“The smell convinced me, trust me.” I joke back.

“Your mother told me that you're moving to Pittsburgh, and something about a possible baby being involved.” He tells me.

“Yes, I’m moving here and my partner has a son,” I tell him.

“Partner, are you forgetting his name?” He asks.

“I’m so disappointed you didn’t know already. Mom’s falling behind on telling you everything we do.” I joke.

“You know, I was hoping for a lawyer, not an advertising exec. How am I ever going to get this family into the White House?” He sighs dramatically. “Lee when you finally get off your butt and ask Molly out maybe, but until then I can settle for Kinnetik helping to promote my candidates.” He tells us, laughing when Molly turns to Lee, confused.

Molly grabbed Lee’s arm and told us she would see us later. We went to get my grandfather’s things before I offered to take him to meet Brian.

“Your mother seemed confused about how long you’ve been with Brian.” He tells me.

“We were together for two years before we broke up for a while. We both talked and realized that we didn’t want to be apart.” I tell him.

“As long as it’s what you want, you know I’m behind you. Now tell me about this rehab center the young man Blake called me about?” He asks.

“I don’t know more than Blake needs a new building because they offer free services to people who can’t afford rehab but want to get their life together,” I tell him.

“Why have him call me?” He asks.

“Because what he’s doing should be offered nationwide, but he’s only one man with a limited means of helping people,” I tell him.

“Good enough. Let him know we need to talk while I’m here.” He tells me when we pulled up to Kinnetik.

Mom left, saying she was meeting with Lindsay and Mel for lunch and would try to stop by so my grandfather could meet Gus later. I went to Cynthia’s desk and asked to see Brian. Her eyes got really big and she got up, saying she would be right back and took off into Brian’s office.

BRIAN

Ted was going over the budget for Leo’s account when Cynthia burst thru my door. She stopped, straightening out her jacket and hair before saying anything to us about her entrance.

“Do you know who’s in this building?” She asks me.

“My employees,” I tell her.

“Cole Andrews.” She announced, waiting for some reaction from us. “Jesus, do you two ever read anything other than financials. Cole Andrews is the man they call a ‘kingmaker’. If he’s here to talk to us about helping in campaigns for candidates, we’ll be the busiest business in Pittsburgh.” She tells us.

“Justin usually just calls him ‘Grandfather’,” Ted tells her, gleeful that once again he knew something Cynthia the wonder PA didn’t know.

“You can call me Cole, I hate formality,” Cole tells her, as he walks in with Justin.

“We just came by so you could meet, even though he was disappointed you aren’t a lawyer,” Justin tells me, smiling.

“One of my son’s mothers is a lawyer, and Jewish, if that helps,” I tell him, seeing Cynthia look horrified at my joking with the kingmaker.

“I can work with that, but maybe we can stick with me getting to know you for now.” He tells me, laughing.

“This is Ted, Blake's partner,” Justin tells Cole.

“I’m also Brian’s CFO here,” Ted tells him.

“I told Justin that I’d like to arrange a time for Blake to talk to me about his clinic. From what Justin said it’s something that shouldn’t be available only in Pittsburgh. If I like what I hear, we could be talking about more than just a building.” Cole tells him.

“We’ll look forward to talking to you about what Blake does,” Ted tells him.

“Good, let me know when.” He tells Ted.

“I was going to offer to let him stay with us,” Justin whispers.

“And?” I whisper, kissing him.

“I just wanted to make sure you were okay with it.” He tells me.

“It’s OUR house, which means, anything you want,” I tell him.

“I love you.” He kisses me again.

I looked up to see Cole beaming at us. “I think it’s time Justin introduces me to the Jewish lawyer, it seems I have a potential great-grandson in my future.” He tells me.

Cynthia squeaked behind him and we all watched as she ran out, to most likely warn Mel and Lindsay that royalty was visiting.