CHAPTER 4 - A CALL FROM THE PAST

BRIAN

I can hear two things, someone breathing deeply in my ear, and humming. There's also a weight on my side. I open my eyes, but don’t recognise the ceiling. I swallow back tears, I still can’t feel anything below the waist. As the door opens, I close my eyes. Hopefully, whoever this is will leave as quickly and quietly as they came. The weight on my side shifts. A wet nose is stuck in my ear. I keep still and the door shuts. I try to shove Pharaoh off the bed with one hand as he’s now sitting on my arm. “I don’t need anything else paralysed, get down!” 

“You’re not paralysed.” Slowly I look at him. “It’s a herniated disc.” He looks nervous as he approaches, only hesitating when Pharoah looks at him. “I won’t hurt him, I promise.” Slowly, Pharaoh starts to relax. “What is he?” 

“Pharaoh hound.” I clip out, nerves making me terse.

“Called Pharaoh, typically efficient.” We lapse into silence, I look at the wall. “I missed you.” He sits and takes my hand. “I missed you. I always knew where I stood, you didn’t say much, you’d just look.” I cock an eyebrow, he chuckles. “I’d know that I shouldn’t do or say whatever it was.” I tug my hand free. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.” 

“You silly little Queen.” I whisper, oh how I hate it when he cries. “What do I need to bollock you for?”

“I did the same as you, but I miss him so much. I’m scared about what befelled him!” The door opens again and I gape, he looks over his shoulder and smiles. “And this is the man that confirmed the disc thing! Brian Kinney, meet David Cameron, osteopath and chiropractor extraordinaire!”

“Thank you, Emmett. How are you feeling, Mr Kinney?”

“Relieved I’m not paralysed.” I admit. “But why can’t I feel anything?”

“I’ve given you a blocker, I will reduce it over the next couple of days. You will get feeling back but slowly.”

“How long am I looking at? Will you get down!” I growl at Pharaoh. He moves from my arm to my stomach. “One second. Ben!” I bellow, and he’s in immediately. “Could you?”

“Walkies!” Pharaoh’s at his feet in seconds. “Don’t discuss anything until I get back. Be ten minutes, maybe get him something to eat. It’s been a while since he has had some.”

“Good idea. Let me see.” David looks at his watch. “It’s been four days, you need light but solid food.”

“Four days!” I gasp. “What about the reason?” 

“With Jen and Blake. I said I would ring Vic and George when you woke up. Can I do that?”

“Yeah.” My mind starts to race. “Where are we?” 

“The hospice, only we know.” Ben explains, but still not looking at me, which means one thing.

“What did I do? Let me see Ben.” Slowly he does, he’s sporting a huge black eye. “Ah, shit! Come closer and let me check!” 

“It’s not that bad, nothing beats snowboard-nose.” He’s smiling as he approaches, the nearer he gets the better I feel. His eye is a little red but there’s no cuts, just bruising. “Stop tripping, it will fade.”

“Can I come in?” A voice calls. “Have some mint tea. I can rustle up something, he must be starving now.”.

“Come on in, Sunshine!” Emmett stands. “I can help you sit him up, Benjamin, I'm stronger than I look.”

“Thank you, Emmett. Let me and Sun - Justin show you how, so when we’re not here you can do it.” 

“Okay, let me put this down.” Sunshine states, coming into view. “Hi. Nice to have you with us. Before I move you, I’m really sorry about not calling back.”

“I’m sorry for shouting at you.” I reply before having a thought. “I must stink!” 

“Nope, you’re as fresh as a daisy.” He smiles. “I heard about your approach to cleanliness! We made sure that you didn’t have to fuss about that.”

“We?” I blink rapidly. 

“Yep.” He doesn’t elaborate who the we was, just gets on the opposite side to David. “Right, what we need you to do, Brian, is lift your arms and put them over our shoulders, let us do the work. Take a deep breath, on three.” A minute later, not only am I upright, it didn’t hurt at all. “Right, let’s get you back down and you guys try.” After about ten minutes of up and down, thankfully God, without any pain, David and Justin are satisfied that they can do it properly. “Think the tea is cold, let me get that heated up and start the food. Come on, Ems.”

“Honeycutt.” He pauses. “We will talk later, okay?” He nods, then follows him out. “So, Doc, what’s the verdict?”

“Sedating was the best thing for you. As Ems said, it’s herniated. It will heal, but you need rest and physio, which is where Justin comes in. He’s one of the best.”

“How’d you know him?” I ask.

“He works for me. He didn’t at first, met him about seven years ago through Rodney Clements, who started to get feeling back. Justin worked with him to keep that feeling. He managed with a walker before he died. Proudest achievement.”

“Uh huh. What kind of exercises, and how long will it be before I get out of bed?” 

“Out of bed will depend on you, but will reduce the blocker from this evening. As long as you don’t move about too much, and, more importantly, do as Justin tells you, you should be out of bed within a week.” 

“Thanks.” He nods and leaves. 

“Can you get me to the bathroom? My mouth feels like a sewer!” With a grin, Ben gently assists me into the chair. I feel more myself having had a piss and brushed my teeth. “I need to know, anything else I have to apologise for?” I ask as he takes a seat.

“Nothing, as for Gus. He’s gonna send me a photo when you ask.” I huff in annoyance folding my arms. “The huffing and arm crossing, it has a name. The Novocross.” He’s chuckling and head scratching as they’re unfolded. “Said you’d do that. Seems nice.”

“He is.” I look at him again. “His skills have improved.” I point at his eye. “Take it off.” Sighing, he heads to the bathroom. Two minutes later, he’s back and I’m wincing. “You got it checked, no broken socket.”

“Nope.”

“Can you get him to send the photo, please?” 

“Oh, thank God!” He shrieks. “Let me in please!” .

“Get in here Honeycutt!” He hands me his phone with a smile, but it’s tinged with sadness. “It’s his birthday, the code.” I nod and key it in. His smile brightens a bit as he sits next to me. “Where do you want to start?”

“At the beginning.” Twenty minutes later, Ben has every picture of Gus on his phone, he’s been giving me the look for the last ten minutes. “Can you show him?”

“Show me what?” Emmett gently moves me forward to plump the pillows. 

“The reason.” Ben answers. “Put in your digits and I’ll send it.”

A minute later, he’s open mouthed and Ben is stopping him from hitting the floor. “Who’s that!”

“Hunter. I adopted him when he was four. He’s eight now.”

“Has Vic seen him?” 

“Nope.”

“Why show me first!” He’s not taken his eyes off the screen. “Oh, you look so very happy, the three of you! Is there a three of you?”

“No, there's not. Brian and I are best friends, with no benefits, as my eye can testify!” 

“May I show Vic?” I nod, expecting him to text, but he opens the door. “Vic, come!” 

“You need to tell Jen.” I murmur. “Maybe not bring him just yet, don’t want him to see me like this.”

“Why not?” Ever the bat-ears Emmett turns to me. “What happened and when?”

“His Mother. He was with her when she died. Her thoughtless fucker of a boyfriend, left him to watch her because he needed a smoke, and she died, he was three. He came back half an hour later, nurses took another forty minutes to get Hunter out, he was trying to wake her up.”

EMMETT

“Oh the poor little sweetheart, what was it?”

“Drugs overdose, although she also had HIV.” Ben replies.

I stop myself from thinking of Ted, as it still hurts what he did, which is why I had to let him go, so I kiss Brian’s cheek, He doesn’t rub it off. “So glad you found him!” Vic comes in with George, his heart melts like mine when he sees Hunter. “May I show this to Mel, who is neither mad nor does she hate you? She never did. She was just so disappointed that you didn’t do better.”

“What?” Ben growls, nice growl, scary but nice!

“With Lindsay. You capitulated so much, and that’s what annoyed her. Take the policy for example, Lindsay asked for that, you signed it. Mel never wanted it, but knew if she said that you would anyway.” Vic explains, much to Brian’s incredulity. “No, she didn’t want you to be the father, there’s no denying it. But like her, you wanted them to be mothers on their own. Lindsay wanted you to be in their lives as a proper father. Hoping to, well, whatever she was hoping to do, it never happened.”

“And because you left but also included her in the shut out, Lindsay's the one that hates you. I always admired your honesty, to the point of rudeness, but you are always honest.” I get a half smirk, it’s a start. “Oh, stop calling me Honeycutt!”

“Are we kinda friends again?” Sunshine hollers. “Got some food for the patient, he needs to eat! And I don’t think he wants an audience!” 

JUSTIN

They slowly file out. I put the tray down with a sigh. “Hang on, Mom, can you come get Ems?” She blows me a kiss as she wraps an arm around him and closes the door. 

“So what do you want to be called? Do you want the window open?” He nods but looks a little unsure. “My Mom gave me some pointers. If you don’t ask, you won’t get.”

“Mr Kinney for now. Who’s the we who gave me a bed bath?”

“Oh, is that all?” I grin impishly, he rolls both his eyes and lips. “Me and David.” He starts to grin. “Ready to eat?”

“What is it?” He relaxes. “Smells good. You cook?”

“Vegetable pho, yes I did, with beef bone broth, you need the protein not the heaviness.”

“Thank you!” He returns, gesturing for the bowl. I make my way over, settling it across his thighs. He takes the water first and takes deep draughts, lost in the taste of it. “So, what’s David like to fuck?”