ATTITUDE
At the garage, Brian had just driven off, Patrick was watching Brad clean up, "I want to know what exactly he meant, Brad..."
Brad frowned at him, "What are YOU accusing me of, huh?"
Patrick knew his brother was going to give him the runaround now, "I think you KNOW what I am accusing you of"
Brad dried his hands, "Yeah, right...so you are gonna take the word of some fucking fag that I hit your son?", Patrick looked back at him, like something had just falling into place, "What?"
Patrick gave it to him, "I never said that...but you've just answered my question...how could you? How could you hit him...what the hell is wrong with you!"
Brad knew that he had been found out, but all was not lost, "Yeah I hit him...and you know why I hit him? Because he was disrespecting you and Rhona that's why...calling the baby all the names under the sun...the boy needs to be under fucking control!"
"and you were the one to do it?", asked Patrick.
"Yes...because I know what you are like...you are too soft on the boy...he gets away with all-sorts...this is your business and he treats it like a holiday camp, just coming and going as he pleases and leaves ME to do all the work"
Patrick shook his head, he wasn't going to put up with all his excuses, "You over stepped the mark, Brad. Just get out of my sight. I'll talk to Nathan when he gets back"
Xxxxx
In the V.W Beetle, Brian drove it through the traffic and was speaking to Justin on his hands-free cell phone, "I've just collected it and I am just on my way to the apartment, you should have seen the look on Brad's face, he can't stand the sight of me, but I can't help liking the feeling of winding him up...", he reached out for another music tape and slung it across the passenger seat, "...and can I just add your taste in music is still truly atrocious"
At the loft, Justin watched Gus play on the games console from where he stood in the kitchen area, "At least my taste in music is THIS century!", he laughed.
"Oh, dare I ask, how's the boy?"
"The usual...I was thinking of making something special for dinner...see how it goes off"
"Good luck with that one, I bet he just goes and asks for a pizza again"
"No way...I've had enough of hot and spicy this week!"
"Well you know how he is with...FUCK! Get out the fucking..."
There was a crash and smash noise on the cell, "Brian? Brian?"
"What?", Brian sounded dazed
"...BRIAN! Answer me...!
Xxxxx
At the garage, Patrick chased his son up the stairs to his bedroom, "He said he hit you"
Nathan's heart was racing...this was all out, "It was nothing"
"It was something!", Patrick pressed him, "And I am getting fed of being jerked around here. What the FUCK is going on?"
Nathan entered his bedroom and turned on his heel, "You want to know? Do you dad?"
"YES!"
Nathan blurted it out, "He did hit me...and do you know WHERE he hit me? In the park...and guess what he was there for..."
If it ALL was going to come out, then it would be ALL of it, "What? Are you saying that..."
Nathan looked directly at him, "Like me, your brother is a fag, dad...but he is so far in the closet, he can''t even admit it to himself"
Patrick was dumbfounded. He scratched his head and looked at him, Nathan wouldn't lie would he? He had to ask, "Has he? I mean, has he tried anything on you?"
Nathan shook his head, "Yeah...he wanted me to suck him off...I refused him and because I did...he..."
Patrick came to the only conclusion this was finishing at, "that's when he hit you...?"
Xxxxx
Justin watched as Brian laid back on the stretcher trolley in the ER. The nurse was readying the sutures, "It's just a few cuts to the face, I'm fine"
"As long as you are okay", worried Justin.
The nurse came over and pointed to Brian, "Just lie back...that nasty cut needs stitches"
Justin watched Brian grimace as the nurse set to work, "what happened? You said something about the car..."
Brian spoke through fits and starts because the suturing was uncomfortable, "I lost control at the traffic light...the brakes didn't work"
Justin was astounded to hear that, "What? But..."
Brian blow out an awkward chuckle, "Yeah...I'm gonna ask for a complete refund from the auto repair shop. They fix up the windshield and tail lights and then they go fuck up the brakes"
Justin frowned, "I don't understand"
"No shit..."
"What?"
Brian didn't want Justin to be involved, "It's something I need to sort out...where's Gus?", he asked, changing the subject.
"I left him with Debbie...she has JR, so it gives Gus a chance to catch up with her"
The nurse tilted Brian's head to finish off, "Did you tell him about this?"
Justin shook his head, "No way! The last thing he needs is to hear another parent has been involved in a smash"
Brian chuckled, "Yeah...losing one is bad luck, but to lose two would be mighty unlucky"
The nurse finished off, "There...all done"
"Thanks...", he watched the nurse remove her gloves and then turned to look directly at Justin, "...how do I look?"
"Like shit", Justin smirked.
"Thanks"
"What now?"
"What now? What now, is that we get the hell out of this place", Brian swung around his legs and slipped off the trolley. The nurse turned and came forward overly concerned,
"but the doctor does need to check you out further"
Brian dismissed her with a flippant wave, "No thanks...I've got things to do, things to find out, and people to see"
"This isn't advisable", the nurse warned.
Justin watched him stride out, he shrugged at the nurse and followed.
Xxxx
Over at the garage, Brad was full of rage as his brother was giving him his cards, "You can't fire me! I practically run this joint!"
Patrick shook his head, "I can't have you here! The sight of you and what you did makes me want to threw up! And the longer I see you in front of me, I don't know what I'd do"
Brad looked like he wanted to hit him, but he backed off and waved a hand like he really didn't give a shit and this didn't bother him, "You know what? STUFF IT! FUCK YOUR JOB! I quit...and I sincerely hope that this place goes under and you are ALL out of a home"
Patrick kicked open the front door, "GET OUT!", Brad strode through, "AND DON'T EVER COME BACK HERE!"
"FUCK YOU", Brad called back and Patrick watched him get into his car and speed off. Rhona was just coming down the stairs with a big frown, "Honey, what the hell is going on? I'm trying to get the baby to sleep"
Patrick closed the door, "Brad quit"
Rhona was puzzled, "What? Well go on then, go after him! You NEED him"
Patrick headed up stairs to the apartment, "I don't need a brother who strikes my son"
Rhona was on his tail, "What?"
"It was HIM Rhona...it was HIM who hit Nathan, and he admitted it"
Rhona watched him go sit on the couch, she scratched her head, "You're kidding? But that still doesn't solve the issue of running this place, does it?"
Patrick clicked the TV on with the remote controller, "We're manage...there is NO WAY he's coming back here, because you STILL don't know the half of it"
And it was that part, the part that lead to his brother hitting his son...that made him want to threw up.
Xxxx
At Debbie's house, Debbie and Michael came forward as Brian and Justin stepped into the kitchen, "Ohhhh look at you honey!"
Brian shrugged off their her reaction to his facial injuries, "It's not as bad as it looks"
Michael watched him sit in a chair, "Where's the car now?"
Brian looked at him, "I've got a client who knows of a reputable mechanic...not local, but he's gonna check it out for me, he owes me a favor or two"
Justin smiled at Debbie, "How's Gus been?"
Debbie laughed, "well, he just loved the food I gave him, I have NO complaints there"
"Did he and JR get to know each-other again?"
Debbie was somewhat unsure, "Not really...he was plugged into his music for most of the time and she was given the cold shoulder treatment..."
Gus was then coming down the stairs, "Hey dad...FUCK...what happened to you?"
Brian shook his head at the 13 year old, "Don't fret boy, I just got involved in a minor accident at work, I'm completely fine so you no need to worry"
Gus rolled his eyes, "Who says I was worried...as if?"
Justin watched him sit on the couch, "We hear that you enjoyed Debbie's food"
Gus looked at him with a keen smirk, "Yeah it was great! It was better than the crap YOU usually serve up"
"Thanks", said Justin, not really knowing how to react to that insult, but he just laughed it off.
Brian, however, wasn't amused and pointed at his son, "Hey, that's an end to it...Whilst you are staying under my roof you'll show Justin some respect and be appreciative of what he serves up, do I make myself clear?"
Gus shrugged and looked at the TV, "Whatever"
Debbie exhaled, "Crikey! He really has the devil in him, doesn't he? Then again...after ALL what he's been through, you can't blame the boy"
Michael folded his arms and passed comment too, "Attitude grand central, I'd say"
Brian was off the chair like a coiled spring and was in his face, "Yeah? Well, no body asked YOUR opinion, Mikey"
Michael stood his ground, even if Brian's pretty much annoyed face was very close to his, "Well, I'm sure glad JR was given the cold shoulder, I don't want his attitude rubbing off on her"
Brian smiled at him, a smile that had traits of contempt in it, "So how is JR? Huh? Does she KNOW that her mother is dead? Did you or Ben have the balls to tell her?"
"Brian! That's enough", Debbie cried, looking up the stairs just in case.
Brian backed off, "I'm just saying"
"Well, don't"
Brian turned and looked at Justin, "Anyway, thanks for looking after him Deb, but we really have to be along our way"
Justin got the hint they were off, "Gus...go grab your things"
Gus was glued to the TV as he spoke"Already? Can't I stay here?"
Brian leaped forward and pulled his boy out of the chair by his arm, "NO YOU CAN'T! So get your butt off the couch and cut the back chat"
Gus shook him off and glared at him, "AAAAAGH! This is SO unfair!"
Debbie followed them to the front door and she reached and stopped Brian at the doorway, "Good luck"
Brian smiled back at her like this was only a glitch, "Well...I can gladly say that this whole set up is only a temporary measure I can ASSURE you"
"Temporary?", frowned Debbie, knowing he meant Gus.
Brian raised his eye brows, "That's right", and he was off.
Xxxxx
At the pink parrot bar in town, Nathan and Josh sat up at the bar with their drinks.
"It's all kicking off...Dad's thrown Uncle Brad off the property and not to come back", Nathan said, finishing his story.
Josh clutched his bottle of beer, "What will your dad do?"
Nathan shrugged, "I don't know...I just hope that Uncle Brad doesn't start on me"
Josh hoped that he wouldn't too, "He wouldn't dare...would he?"
Nathan licked his lips thinking things over, "Maybe I should call Brian? Brian is the only guy Uncle Brad has a real problem with"
They left the bar and approached the pool table to sit down nearby, "Maybe you should just leave it be"
Nathan sat and nodded, "You know what? Maybe this is my real chance...you know, to step up. Manage the joint...I've learned a lot off my Dad and Uncle Brad over the years...and I've got the qualification from college"
Josh laughed, liking this new enthusiasm, "That's the spirit...this whole thing could be a real career move"
Nathan was reflective, "Yeah...maybe some good has come out of this mess"
Josh raised his drink to him, "Well, here's to you"
Xxxxx
At the loft, Justin watched Gus settle back onto the couch and then went into the bedroom where Brian was finishing off an email on his laptop, "What did you mean? Earlier at the hospital?"
Brian didn't look up, "Huh?"
Justin climbed into the bed and pulled the covers around him, "You said that there was something you needed to sort out"
Brian looked at him over his glasses, "Oh that...that was just a figure of speech, as they say"
Justin wasn't convinced, "No...it was MORE than that"
Brian exhaled and removed his glasses and closed the laptop, "Look, those brakes didn't fail at random, they were perfectly fine before the car went in"
Justin pushed it, "How do we know, maybe they weren't? Maybe they were just vandalized too, like the windshield and tail gates"
Brian pulled a face, "Nathan drove it to the garage remember? They were okay then like I said"
Justin accepted that, "Granted, but...if you say, that the brake cables were cut or something, the leakage of fluid would be slow...it would take several attempts on the brake pedal before it failed completely"
Brian sighed and was losing interest as he reached to switch off the light, "Why thank you for your summoning up of your investigations detective Columbo, but I can take it from here..."
Brian had his back to Justin, "Look, the funeral is tomorrow...we better get some sleep...and I have a nagging feeling it's gonna be a long day"
Justin laid his head onto the pillow and looked at the ceiling, "Yeah...the longest..."
Xxxxxx
Author's Chapter Notes:
Estimated time of story completion January 2020