CHAPTER 7 - LISTING, SCHEMING AND HEALING
KITCHEN - TWENTY MINUTES LATER
JUSTIN
We were all in the garden, watching the pond fill. I was happily making a list with Maya of what fruits, herbs and vegetables we want replanted. Hunter and Gus volunteered to dig the planters out in readiness.
“I am going to call him, so he can come back…” Michael declares.
“Call who?” Lindsay frowns.
“Ethan. He was the best groundsman until Justin let him leave. You can’t deny you didn’t try and stop him.” Michael looks coldly at me. “Then you have the nerve to try and blame him for your pond drying up, now we know it was those weasels…”
“Otters.” Nancy corrects him. “And if he was doing such a sterling job, how did he not spot a massive waterfall with a raft of otters behind the barns?”
“Justin said nobody was to go up there!” Michael spouts.
“Michael.” I rub my hip. “I was in the hospital for four months after the accident, and no, I didn't try and stop him from leaving, because that’s what he wanted to do. Besides, the garden wasn't being maintained to his, and my, high standards, so mentally he was obviously on his way out.” As usual, he goes to say something. “Let me finish! As you rightly said, I didn’t want anybody being back there, but that was after I was discharged and had been home for a month.” I can feel the pinching of my spine so rub the base. “If Ethan wants to come back, then I don’t have a problem with it, as long as he maintains the standards that got him the job in the first place.”
“Really?!” Michael’s face breaks into a smile when I nod. “Great, I am going to call him now!”
“Good. And to ensure that he does, you can watch over him.” I smile sweetly. “You are serious about helping Debs with the sanctuary, aren’t you?” He lowers his phone. “So the barns should be the first thing that you and Ethan tackle.”
I wink at Nancy, for it was her who overheard what he said about getting back into Wheelie Boy’s good books. Well you’re going to have to work a lot harder than you think!
“Baby.” I turn to Emmett. “Can you look at me straight on, please?” When I do so, he rests his hands on my shoulders, running them across from my neck outwards. “You are right, Ted, one is lower than the other by about an inch. Can you put your left foot down flat?” I try, but then feel that familiar jag of pain. “Hmm, did you do physio whilst you were in there, or when you came back?”
“No. I…”
“Reasons aren’t important. Let me fix you.” Emmett smiles. “Drew, please get the table. Is there somewhere I can set up something that is seven foot long? And Teddy, the rest of my things...”
“Yes, we can move the chairs back in the lounge.” Rodney replies. “Come along, Michael, you can help too, get you used to heavy lifting.”
“Boys, why don’t you come and check the waterfall with me?” Blake suggests.
“But I want to go with Dad first.” Gus explains, however, I know my son.
“If you go with Blake and Hunter, then you can be my guide when we hike up, can’t you?”
“Thanks, Dad! H, with me, I am sure I can find some boots to fit you!” He hollers over his shoulder.
“Mel, darling, why don’t you, me, Debs, and Daphne go discuss the aesthetics?” Nancy asks, as she takes the wine out of the fridge. “And…”
“I can bring the glasses, Mother.” Lindsay volunteers.
“Oh, no thank you, dear. I think the best thing for you is to help Maya with the dishes.” Nancy returns. “In fact, I think it is the key thing for you to be doing.”
“Come on, Baby, lean on me. Let’s get you semi-sorted.” Emmett wraps his arm around my waist, then walks me towards the door before stopping. “Okay, now what you need to do is put your hand right here, Brian.” It feels like a branding iron. “Every step he takes, press and get a level of pain out of ten. Bet it gets worse when you are tired; also does it go up your neck sometimes too?”
“Sciatica you think?” Brian asks as I lean closer to him then hiss. “Where was that?”
“Seven.” I reply as we head toward the lounge.
“Cramp-face was an eight I figure?”
“And a half.” I admit. “Um, what are you doing, Emmett?”
He is adjusting levers as he watches me walk in. “I fix the body....” He smiles at me. “...as the osteopath. Okay, first take off your top, then get on your front, head in hole.” Grinning, I do as I am told; then my trainers and socks are swiftly removed. “Actually, it’s proper name is face port, but I prefer ‘hole’. My, don’t you have pretty feet!” I jolt slightly as warm hands take them and put them together. “At least three quarters of an inch. Now everyone who isn’t on the table, having anything to do with his feet or me, out you get.”
SUNROOM - FIVE MINUTES LATER
MEL
I try not to laugh at the expression on Michael’s face as he trudges after Rodney, who has ordered him to follow the rest of them up to start taking measurements and to call Ethan on the way.
“Oh, I did enjoy that!” Nancy chuckles as she tops up our glasses. “Now, tell me everything!”
I look at Daph and she’s grinning. “Not sure how the first kiss happened…”
“First?!”
“Nancy, shush!” Debs joshes.
“But the second kiss, that came about because Justin said that he was only a four, but did change it to a five.”
“Ouch!” Debs grins. “I have told him before that kissing is an essential thing in intimacy, no matter how brief that intimacy is.”
“I told him that too! Does he listen?! Nope!” Daph grumbles.
“Brian should not be upset.” I stretch out on the lounger.
“Why not?” Daph is clearly affronted on her bestie's behalf. “Someone gives him five out of ten on the kissing scale…”
“Out of seven.” I smile.
“What is out of seven?” Daph looks confused.
“Justin’s scale. It’s out seven, because it’s his lucky number.” Nancy beams. “Now let’s see how we can push that up a bit, shall we?”
BARNS - TEN MINUTES LATER
RONALD
The rest of them are already at the barns, Michael, of course, has been dawdling, but now has a burst of speed and passes me!
“Blake! Boys! Wait up!” He calls out. “I think I should come with you.” He looks over at me, I do not understand that look on his face. “I was a Boy Scout, and Gus, you can be sometimes forgetful. So I would be able to confirm the path to your Dad.”
Even the otters don’t believe that! I can see Blake is giving this some serious thought, but before he can reply, we are all saved by the bell when Michael’s phone rings.
“One second. Don’t leave!” He orders. “Hell...Ethan, dude, how are you?! Great, great! Look, I have some news. Justin wants you to come back. Yes, I am serious!” An idea hits me. Quickly, and much to his surprise, I take his phone off of him. “Ron…”
“Ethan, it’s Ronald, Lindsey's father, you remember? Good, good. How are you? Excellent, excellent. Yes, what he said is true. Now, how soon can you get back? I see. Well, there is going to be a sanctuary in the back barns, which Michael will be helping Debs with. Yes, it was a surprise to everyone else as well! One of the barns is badly damaged, and…” I look across at Michael and roll my eyes. “...I see. Well, no, he didn’t. Okay then, we will see you in a couple of weeks.” I hang up, shaking my head.
“Ronald, I do not appreciate you…” Michael begins.
“Granddaddy, are you alright?” Gus asks, tapping my arm to get me to focus on him.
“Yes. Am fine. Blake, go on and take the boys. Michael will not be joining you.”
“Why not?!” Michael snatches his phone back. “Mind telling me what Ethan said on my phone?!”
“Sure. You’re not going because Ethan had told you about the water damage to the barn; he asked you to tell Justin about it before he left. Why didn’t you?”
“Justin’s accident happened and it slipped my mind!”
“Dad’s accident was two months after Ethan left!” Gus seethes, causing Michael to step back a foot or so. “We’re going up there without you, you only want to be a Boy Scout because you don’t want to graft. Well tough, in this case, otter dookie, you aren’t getting out of this!”
“Gus, you will not speak to me like that!” Michael rebukes him.
“Too late!” Gus bites back over his shoulder as he strides away. Blake and Hunter quickly catch him up, soon they are almost out of sight.
“You let him get away with too much!” Michael carps. “I am going back to the house!”
“You aren’t, because you know damn full well that when Justin finds out, he will make you pay for the repairs from your pocket. You know, like he did when you damaged the golf cart?”
He comes to a surprised halt. “How do you know about that?”
“Who do you think told him about it?” I smirk. “It could’ve been any of us, even Lindsay. I seem to recall around that time, you two had fallen out and weren’t speaking. Now, go and help them with the measuring.”
As I watch him trudge towards the barn, I smile. Not only because I have him right where I need him to be for now, but also because he’s wearing cut offs, which is most unfortunate as he had been standing in poison ivy, and it seems he’s already starting to itch!
LOUNGE - SAME TIME
JUSTIN
I have been answering a litany of questions from Emmett. I am feeling nice and warm now, he had put one of the blankets on me when I started to shiver. This is not the warmest of rooms at the best of times. “So, Baby, oh do you mind Baby?” My head shoots up as Emmett is smiling at me.
I rest my chin on my wrists. “No, not at all. I actually like it.”
“Okay, I am going to lower the blanket, as we need to see your spine in all its glory. I think it starts from the bottom and kinks up.”
“We?” I look up at the same time as my blanket is slid down to my waist.
“Yes, we are the A-team of the...team. I am the osteopath, Brian is the healer…”
“Brian?” I look over my shoulder, he is still staring at my feet.
“Yes, Brian. He can manipulate a body like no other. Shall we begin?”
“Sure.” Brian’s voice floats up. “You lead, I follow.”
At first, the clanking of the levers and pulling of my body is disconcerting, but forty minutes later, I am almost purring. “You should bottle yourself…” I murmur as the blanket is draped back over me. “...I would buy you.”
“Not for sale.” Brian laughs. I slowly turn over, it’s just the two of us. “Resume the position, I need to check your alignment.”
“Where did Emmett go?” I ask, lying back down, then trying not to groan when he retakes my feet. “Brian?”
“Yes, Baby?”
“Why did you call me that?”
“You said you liked it to Ems.” He is stroking my ankles, I am biting back my moans. “And he’s right, they are pretty.”
“So, my alignment.” I need him to stop!
“You’re about a quarter of an inch off, but that’s easily corrected with the exercises that I am going to show you. Can you stand up, please?”
Of course I can stand up, I just really would rather I didn’t right now!
“Baby, you gonna stand for me?”
I get onto my elbows before looking over my shoulder. “Can you please leave that moniker with Ems? It sounds weird, you saying that, especially after…”
“Okay, how about Moró?” He kneels in front of me. “Would that be better?”
“Yeah, I like that...what does it mean?”
“It’s Greek, it means Baby.”