CHAPTER 1 - A CALL BY THE TIPSY TRIO BRINGS HIM BACK

BRITIN, WESTHO - EARLY MORNING

BEN’S ROOM

I get comfortable and put the movie on mute; sliding my hands under the sheets and into my boxers, I moan as I grasp my cock. Closing my eyes, I allow the vision to invade my brain. I stroke into tandem with the farmer and the farmhand. I’m just getting into it when the door knocks. “Go away! Busy!” I yell.

“Open the fuck up!” He bellows back. Fuming, I wrench it open. I’m confronted by a tearful Brian. “Vic’s dead.”

“Go back to your room, I’ll be there in a few. Let me call Jen then Eric, alright?”

“Okay.” He whispers.

Swallowing down my tears, I place the call. Hunter answers, giggling. “Hey, Buddy, can you get Nana?” I put it on speaker whilst I get dressed.

“Hi, Ben, this is early for you. Is he being a grouch?”

“Put me on speaker, please.”

“Oh no.”

“Yeah. Hunter, Hunter, can you hear me?”

“Yes, Uncle Ben, why is Nana sad? Is everything okay?”

“No. No buddy, it’s not. Do you remember that good friend Dad told you about in Pittsburgh?”

“Uncle Vic?”

“Yeah, and that he was sick like your Mom was?”

“He died, right?” Hunter sighs. “How’s Dad? When did it happen?”

“Bad, and I don’t know. He just told me.” I make my way to Brian’s room, he’s staring into space. “I’m sending Eric to pick you guys up and he'll fly us down. See you soon.”

“Bye; give Dad an extra big hug and kiss from both of us.”

“Thanks guys, really needed that.” Brian chokes out. I hang up, cursing his so-called family that he had to hear about it this way.

JUSTIN’S APARTMENT, PITTSBURGH - AFTERNOON

LOUNGE

EMMETT

I know I will be okay if I can open my eyes. Okay, just one and please, Lana, let my lashes remain in place!

“Emmett?” I turn and come up against something warm. “Do you hurt as much as me?”

“Why is it still so dark?” She mutters from the other side of the blow up mattress.

“The fort.” I croak, giving up the eye opening for now. “How the hell did you persuade me to make a fort?”

“You needed to practice. No more talking until we’ve brushed our teeth!” 

FORTY MINUTES LATER

Water and Advil have been taken. The fort has been dismantled - who knew that folding blankets and deflating a mattress could hurt so much? We exchange tired looks. “Terrible, just terrible!” I declare. “And I’m the adult in this situation!” 

Grins start to abound. “Mentally, you're still a twenty something.” Daph chuckles. “It was an excellent night!” She's still trying to get a bit more of the blanket from the hog that is Justin, he bats her hand away. “We’ve just folded the rest, share!” He concedes knowing her persistence. “I need my phone, where is it?” She sits up, scowling, we know why. “I need to check if he’s passed on the message that I was staying here instead of coming home.”

“True. I need to find mine as well. Ems, yours is charging in the kitchen.” 

I wobble across the hallway; whilst checking my messages, I sigh in relief that someone had set this up before the tequila, whisky and, I think, red wine was knocked back whilst torch singing. Thank goodness Justin lives in a house and not in an apartment, we were, if I’m honest, caterwauling till early dawn.

“Fucking fuckwit!” Daph snaps as she storms in with both phones. “Where’s Justin?”

“Judging by the running, and now flushing. I think he was in the bathroom chucking up.” I wait for her to take deep breaths. “Why does he do this?”

“Who has done what?” Justin still looks very green. “Michael?”

“Of course Michael. Dad was being Dad and panicking. I’ve got twenty three text messages and three voicemails, one instructing me what to say to the kidnappers! I’ve travelled through the Amazon, Guatemala and Iran, but from Pittsburgh airport is a perilous journey!” She rubs her temples. “Look, I’d better go. You two are the only good things that have come out of the relationship between him and Dad. Promise we’ll still be friends when I finally get him to dump his scrawny mangy ass?!”

“You have our words.” Justin croaks before just making it to the sink.

“Go, sweetie. I’ll deal with this. Give him a kick from me, please!” I gently shove Justin along so I can turn on the tap. “A hard one!”

“Oh, I will!” She calls out.

JUSTIN’S BEDROOM - TWENTY MINUTES LATER

JUSTIN

The nurse in me is saying no more Advil, but the raging hangover is starting to win the battle for peace. 

“Here, take this instead.” Emmett brings up some orange juice. “All of it.”

He watches from the bottom of the bed. As usual, he’s right; with each sip I begin to feel better. “Thank God I don’t have to work today.” I sigh before wrinkling my nose. “Christ, I need a bath!”

“Can I hop in the shower after?” He mutters, his eyes drooping. “After another nap.”

“Sure.” I yawn whilst turning down the blankets. “Get in, I’ll set the timer for a couple of hours.”

“Oh thank Lana.” He starts to make his way up, then stops. “Phone.” He gripes, slowly making his way off the bed.

“It’s in your hand.”

“No, yours. Message.” He mumbles, heading back downstairs. He’s not long, handing it to me as he gets in. “What details do you need to send?”

I check but don’t recognise the number. “No idea, will sort it later, now I need sleep!”

“Let’s put them on silent. Have already texted Mel; the rest of them don’t bother with me until they need something.”

“Why do you deal with them? I’ve never understood it.” I spoon against him, he takes my hand against his chest. “I mean if it wasn’t for Vic, would you bother.”

“Nope. Now sleep!”

DAVID AND MICHAEL’S HOME - TWO HOURS LATER

MICHAEL

I wave at David as he comes in, he looks tired and drawn. “Hang on a second, what’s wrong?”

“Long day at work.” He replies tightly. “Who are you talking to?”

“Ma. We’re trying to figure out what to have for dinner before we watch our soaps and the Batwoman marathon.” He nods and sighs, which he does more than he smiles nowadays and it's really annoying me. “So what do you want to have, Ma?” I head towards the kitchen to pull out the menus. “Will you be long?” David clears his throat and I look up. “Hold another second, did you need anything else?”

“What is she being long for?” He asks as he takes the wine out of the fridge.

“Her bath.” I reply. He frowns at me. “Well, I could hardly go in and ask her, that would be weird.”

“As opposed to what exactly?” He tosses over his shoulder and strides out.

I roll my eyes at his grumpiness, then join him in being pissed as he’s finished off the white and there’s no more chilling. He knows we hate warm white and any kind of red! He could’ve had that instead; his selfishness is getting worse. Suddenly, there’s a scream and a door slams.

“Ma?! Are you okay?! What’s happened?!” I run into the hallway to find a red faced David coming down the stairs.

“Hang up; let’s talk in the kitchen.” David orders. 

“I want to check on Ma first!”

“Michael! Speak to David!” Ma calls from the bathroom. “He definitely needs brandy!”

TEN MINUTES LATER

DAVID

“I saw your Ma naked.” 

“Why?!” I demand. 

“I wanted a bath.” He grits out.

“I said she was having a bath, why would you go in there?!”

“Why would I go in there?! Because, naturally, I thought she would be using the guest bathroom. Why is she using ours?” 

“Oh. Um, well, I left our favourites in our bathroom, and we thought she might as well just stay there.”

“Michael, that space is ours. The guest bathroom is just down the hall, next to the guest bedroom.”

“It was one time.”

“That you know of, Dad. Who knows what he gets up to when you’re not here.” 

“Daphne!” I cry, pushing past Michael to check on her. “Where have you been? I was scared shitless when you didn’t come home!” She cocks an eyebrow, I turn to him. “We’ve discussed that too. How would you feel if I didn’t pass on a message from your Ma? She’s just as important to me, in fact, more so.”

“I didn’t know you felt like that about Ma!”

“He’s talking about me, gobdaw!” Daphne returns sourly. “You’re Ma ain’t no Goldilocks, she sleeps in her own bed!” 

“Hi, Daphne, when did you get back?!” Debs cries as she comes in. “Are you joining us for TV night?” 

“Hi, Debbie, I was hoping to take Dad out for a drink actually, tell him about my travels to deepest darkest New York.” She drawls before kissing my forehead. “I stayed with Justin and Emmett. They send their love.”

“Did you have a lot to drink? Do you need milk thistle or anything?” I know I’m fussing, but she’s my only child. Ever since her Mom died, it’s been the two of us against the world. I had hoped it would be the three of us, including Michael; however, she's just not warming to him. There’s been barely a thaw in the four years we’ve been together. She tolerates him because he makes me happy, most of the time.

“I’m fine, Dad, are you sure you’re not a tiny bit Jewish?” She teases. “Had a few more hours sleep; am ready for the next round. So are we going to Woody’s then?”

“Yeah, why not. I really don’t fancy cooking or takeaway.” I beam.

“Honey, I’ve told you before, call me Debs. As for cooking, why don’t I do that and you can tell us all about your trip?”

“I don’t want meatballs and pasta, Debbie. I want wings, fries, to ogle some unattainable men, and to have beer.”

“We have beer.” I open the fridge. “Your favourites, I got a 12-pack about three days ago, as a welcome back treat.” I groan as there’s only two left. “I’ll get some more.” I take them out. “In the meantime, put them in your room.”

“Thanks, Dad.” She gives Michael a lethal look. “And Debbie, let’s go take your things out of said room.”

I close the door behind them and count to three before daring to speak, I’m so annoyed. “I want you to tell your Ma to go home after Woody’s. We need to talk about boundaries. I will not have her invading Daphne’s space.”

“It was one time!” He exclaims.

“That I know of, Michael, that I know of.”

WOODY’S - LATE EVENING

MICHAEL

Finally, I get a break from Daphne being a sniping crone, but only because she’s with David at the bar! Ma pretended she had a headache and went after one drink. All evening she’s been pointing out things in her, not our, her home not being right. She's got the annexe, she doesn’t need to have a room in the house as well! 

“Hello, Michael, how are you doing?” I look up from my beer and give a small smile. “Oh no, what’s wrong?” He squeezes my shoulder as he sits down. “So tell me.”

“No, why don’t you tell me?!” A familiar voice thunders. “Tell me why the fuck you are alive and with him?!” 

“Brian!” Uncle Vic gasps. “What the hell are you doing here?!”