CHAPTER 34: LEGACY: ONE REMADE 

The Kinney party had just landed at the airport to find a stretch limo waiting for them. Brian looked quizzically at his lover, who just simply shrugged. “We needed a ride,” Justin stated in a matter-of-fact tone. 

“And it never occurred to you to just call a standard taxi?”

Justin pretended to think about that for a moment. “No. No, it didn’t.”

“I thought we were supposed to be back here incognito.”

“The windows are tinted,” Justin said by way of a rebuttal, amid the snickers of Mel, Daphne, and the boys. Even Brian couldn’t resist the small smile forcing its way to his lips. “We’re still under the radar, Brian. However, I figured should we be discovered by the League of Extraordinary Idiocy, it wouldn’t hurt to announce just who the fuck we are, in style. I also told Mom that we would all stay with Uncle George until it’s time to head back to Miami. Since the property is completely gated, there’s no chance of any unwanted visitors being able to wait us out at will.”

Brian had to admit that Justin had thought this all out very well, and carefully. To his thinking, they could have just taken cabs everywhere and stayed in a hotel. But this way, should any of the riff raff think to corner them, everyone had an immediate means of escape without having to wait for transportation to whisk them away. As for not staying anywhere near the loft or downtown area, Justin had ensured that a car would be required to get to them since no buses were allowed within the city limits of Sewickley. And since George lived quite a distance from any main roads, it made the likelihood of Michael, Lindsay, Deb, and Joan coming out there next to impossible.

Even if they did go to the estate, no one was going to let them in anyway, Brian thought while only beginning to realize Justin had made it easier for him to breathe. Within Brian’s mind, he was already preparing himself for the inevitable confrontations, and he still may have them. But this way, he could save himself the trouble of simply having to stand there and listen. His cell phone ringing shook him out of his reverie. As everyone piled inside of the spacious limo, he answered, “Kinney.”

“Ah, Brian, glad I caught you,” Jennifer’s voice came over the line. “That means you must have landed. Things are well, I trust?”

Brian smiled. “As well as can be expected, thanks to your son. I know he hasn’t turned his phone back on yet, but do you want to speak with him?”

“Actually, I wanted to speak with all of you. Are the kids there as well?”

“Yes.”

“Now, I’m wondering if I should hold off until you all arrive at the hospital.”

“Why? What’s happened?”

“I don’t know how to tell you this, but Joan Kinney was just brought here. Apparently, and from what I gathered overhearing the emergency personnel, she thought she’d put her car in park outside of the loft. But when she went to get out, the car was still rolling. They believe she has a fractured hip and a broken leg.”

“What the… Of all the stupid things…” Brian stuttered, not even knowing what to say to the news.

“If it’s any consolation, she’s quite drunk, Brian. She keeps screaming that the state has given her grandsons to perverts and that she must save them. They’ve had to strap her down because she keeps trying to get out of bed. She’s already fallen four times, but I don’t think she even felt it.”

“Must have been quite a sight,” Brian said, wryly.

“Believe me, it was. Thankfully though, one of the doctors ordered a sedative, so she’s just laying still for the moment. They had to be careful about what to give her because of her inebriation. The police are also here, waiting to arrest her. I figured I’d let you know what was going on before you arrived here to face Joan’s brand of chaos.”

“We’re just pulling into the parking lot now. Can you meet us at the main entrance of the hospital and take us where we need to go? It may be the only way to avoid her for the interim.”

“Why only the interim? If it were me, I’d leave her on her own.”

“I’ll have to ask Mel if I can do that. It would save me a million headaches, and my liver from a drinking binge of my own. Unfortunately, I’m her medical proxy. She never trusted Claire to pull her plug should it be necessary, thinking that Claire would just opt to whine her to death instead. And honestly, naming me was just another way for her to keep me tied to her. Joan is nothing if not selfish and spiteful.”

“I see,” Jennifer sighed. “Well, talk to Mel, and I’ll see you all in a few minutes.”

Brian disconnected the call, fighting the twin urges of yelling and laughing. As shocked as he should be, he wasn’t surprised at Joan’s latest antics. Her hate of him will always override everything else, including her health. And the feeling was mutual, although Brian believed wholeheartedly in self-preservation; a side-effect from growing up Kinney. The question was: should he keep her proxy and force her into rehab, or do what she would have done to him, which was seek guardianship so that she could control every aspect of his life, including his sexual encounters. 

Making sure that I screwed a woman would certainly have been first and foremost on Joan’s agenda, in addition to having a front row seat during Mass. Brian rolled his eyes at the wayward yet accurate thought, and decided to get the conversation started about his options at this juncture. “Joan is drunk off her ass- literally- and in the emergency room,” Brian said to the group at large, before relating all the events as told to him by Jennifer. 

“I don’t even want to imagine how much she had to drink before she decided to get behind the wheel of her car. She could have killed someone, Brian,” Daphne said, shaking her head. 

“It isn’t the first time grandmother has driven places like that,” John told them. “She used to do it all the time, especially if Mom refused to go get her from church or her home to bring her to ours. They used to fight about it all the time, especially when Mom was drinking herself. Grandmother used to call her a selfish troll, because instead of considering that she might need a ride because of her own drinking, Mom went ahead and indulged.”

“Pot meet kettle much?” Justin rolled his eyes before turning fully to Brian. “So what do you want to do? You know we’ll all support your decision, no matter what you decide.”

“What would you do?” Brian asked in return.

“That’s not a fair question, considering the state of my relationships with my own parents. If it was my mom, I would help her. But Craig, not a chance, considering all he’s done to me to date. But your story and mine are completely different, as are these circumstances, Brian. All I will do is remind you of a conversation we had not too long ago about you doing what’s best for yourself- what you actually WANT to do- and what your conscience will let you live with. That’s about the only solid advice I can offer you about this.” Justin leaned in and kissed Brian on the cheek, to temper the finality in his tone. 

Brian nodded, understanding what Justin was doing, even though he wanted to yell at him for not giving him a definite answer. But that was just how Justin operated. He fed you back the facts, and then let you draw your own conclusions without injecting his own thoughts and feelings into it when it didn’t concern their relationship. It was both a relief and a curse. Turning to Melanie, he asked, “So what are my legal options versus my responsibilities to Joan?”

Melanie mentally ran through what she knew about powers of attorney versus estate law before saying, “You could write a letter, stating that you forfeit the responsibility to see to Joan’s medical needs, but that could also affect the way the law views any guardianship or estate plans she has in effect, even if you don’t know about them. Depending on the circumstances you find regarding her diagnosis when you go in, it can be looked at two ways: either you honor the original agreement that when Joan is incapacitated in any regard, you have full control until such time she’s deemed fit to handle her own affairs again, or you leave it all and have the State declare her as a ward. Right now- medical needs aside- she’s going to be arrested for drunk driving, which can only help our case regarding John and Peter.”

“But wouldn’t our petition to be their legal guardians be affected anyway since as of right now, I have charge over Joan’s affairs?”

“Technically the fact that you have Joan’s power of attorney should she be incapacited shouldn’t be a factor because she doesn’t have guardianship over the boys. Claire never put it in writing that should something happen to her, the boys are Joan’s wards. But the same could be said regarding us as well. However, the difference is that we have temporary custody of John and Peter. Considering Joan was on her way to remove them from your- OUR- care, it could be viewed as a spiteful action on your part for renouncing the responsibility.”

“The biggest hangup is that I really don’t want the responsibility. I feel as apathetic towards Joan as she’s always felt about me, and that’s even before we found out the truth about my- OUR- parentage. Part of me wants to keep it so that I can make her as miserable as she’s made me, and would have made me had this been my own situation. But that’s not right to do, either. It’s almost like there is no right or wrong answer here.”

“There isn’t,” Melanie said, honestly. “The truth is, your history with Joan Kinney has never been loving, which if it had been, you wouldn’t be having this kind of trouble deciding what the right thing to do really is. But because of the constant misery and strife between you, it can be looked at as a revenge play either way. The bottom line is you will have control over every aspect of her life, until she’s deemed fit by the State to be a responsible party and able to take care of herself independently. Leaving her to fend for herself and take her chances…” Melanie shrugged, leaving the last part of the statement unsaid, but knowing Brian heard it anyway.

“Let’s go in, get the boys settled, and check on Emmett,” Justin suggested. “It will give you some much needed time to digest all of this. Plus, it might help to talk to Uncle George about it all. If I’m not mistaken, he had to make a similar decision regarding his own father once upon a time. He may even have some insight as to how you should handle this without coming out of it the burned party.”

The limo dropped them in front of the main entrance to the hospital, where Jennifer was waiting for them. Each of them received a hug and a kiss on the cheek as they moved past her, but she linked arms with Brian. “I ran into Justin’s former charge nurse on the way here, and Caroline said she will gather as much information as she can for us so you can make an informed decision.”

“I’d really appreciate it. Justin said I should talk to George.”

“He’s right,” Jennifer confirmed. “I remember when he had to make the same type of decision regarding my grandfather. Much of the family, myself included, thought George should have left him on his own. Ezra Schickle was a… difficult man.”

“So he took care of his needs, regardless of his own feelings on the matter.”

“Uncle George… well, you really should speak to him, Brian. I think he’ll have a much better way to explain how he handled it than you hearing it from anyone else.”

Brian nodded his head, as they all entered the waiting room in the maternity ward. As the children stood off to the side, Justin, Daphne, and Mel greeted everyone, before introducing the boys to their new adopted family. Brian smiled slightly as he noted how George and Vic had each taken one of the boys, and asked after their well-being. It eased Brian’s heart to know that no matter what, John and Peter now had an extended family who really cared about them. Not simply because they were Brian’s nephews, but because John and Peter really needed them to.

Would that these people had been around when I was growing up, he thought even as he realized that Vic had been. It made the lack of guidance from Deb during this time in his life much more bearable. He already knew what she would say, despite knowing of the history between Brian and Joan. If nothing else, she believed that all mothers were created equal. Despite all evidence to the contrary, Deb still believed that Joan loved Brian in her own way, and that ultimately she had every right to expect Brian to take care of her needs. It’s that exact thought Brian was having trouble with at the moment.

“Jenn and Justin said you needed to speak with me,” George said, tapping Brian on the shoulder, bringing him out of his own thoughts.

“Yeah, I do… Joan is here in the hospital.”

“So I’ve heard. Still don’t understand how she thought she had her car in park, since from all accounts it was still rolling when she left it.” George shook his head.

“I don’t think there’s much Joan could do to surprise me anymore. According to John and Peter, she used to drive almost everywhere inebriated. But now she’s gone from functional alcoholic to completely nonfunctional all in the matter of an afternoon. And worst of all is that I have her power of attorney, which means I have to make decisions for her since she’s technically incapacitated.”

George nodded. “I can see where this would be a problem for you. Let me ask you, Brian. What is it you really want to do?”

Brian answered without thinking. “Treat her the same way she has done me all these years. She can sink by herself for all I really care.”

“I understand the sentiment better than one might think,” George acknowledged. “But can your conscience live with that?”

“I don’t have a conscience.”

George laughed. “Only the truly ignorant believe that about you. But we both know differently, now don’t we?” At Brian’s small smirk, George said, “Exactly, Son. See you and I aren’t that different when it comes to dealing with people who should have never been parents. In theory, we may not care what happens to them; Karma is a bitch, after all. But in practice, well, if we would show kindness to a dog, how could we not do the same to a fellow human being? That is how you have to treat this situation.”

“But somehow, I feel that in doing so, I’ll be opening a whole other can of worms.”

“You’re not wrong, although it’s a snake pit you’re going to jump feet first into.”

“What do you mean?”

“Some things have come to light just this afternoon that we have yet to tell you, Melanie, and Justin about, including a hidden familial connection that my ex-wife and your mother would have rather remained hidden, at least until you married their choice.”

“What are you talking about? Who was their…” Brian let the statement trail off, before he closed his eyes, and shook his head as if seeing a waking nightmare. “You’ve got to be shitting me!”

“Not at all.”

“How is this even…”

“Come on. Let’s go sit by Mel and Justin. Between Frankie- who found the information- and myself, we’ll explain. But Brian, afterwards, I really hope that you agree to being the lead on Joan’s care.”

“Why? And what do you mean by the ‘lead’?”

“The only way I was able to do what I needed to do for Ezra Schickle to have the care he needed, and avoid the temptation of pulling his plug myself, was to delegate.”

Brian let that sink in for a moment, before he smiled. “Then that’s what I’ll do. But who do you think I should name as my representative? Who did you choose?”

George smiled, deviously. “At the time, I chose the one person my father hated most in this entire world. My first lover… my first MALE lover, who also happened to be one of his corporate attorneys.”

“He knew?”

“Yes, he did. But he thought that if his own father had to live in the closet, then I shouldn’t have a problem to do so as well.”

“Well that explains about Virginia.” Brian mock-shivered, thinking about George’s ex-wife.

“Indeed it does. So now my question to you is: Who do you think she’ll hate more? Your lover… or your TWIN sister?”

Brian smiled, catching onto George’s way of thinking. “Perhaps both?”

“Indeed, Brian. Indeed. Since one represents the life Joan has always been denied, while the other is physical proof of the forced bond between Jack and Joan Kinney. And the best part, the best part is that there is NOTHING she can do about it.” George smiled as they entered the waiting room. There were a few more newcomers- including Ronald, Lynette, her husband Larry, and Nathan Mathers- who had arrived while Brian and George were off having their conversation. He looked around, and upon seeing his daughter sitting with Justin and Daphne, he called out to her. “Frankie, can you tell Brian what was in those documents you found.”

Francesca’s smile increased and her eyes twinkling in excitement. “Brian, it is my pleasure to tell you that as Jack Kinney’s firstborn male heir, you just inherited the bulk of Alfred Thomas Hammond’s estate.”

At first, the room went completely silent, as if frozen in time or within a painting full of stunned people. Justin was the first one to break the silence. “How is that possible? That would mean that somehow Joan…”

“Was a Hammond, via Alfred’s first wife. My mother was his get through his second marriage.”

“But that would mean…”

“Ewww! Justin, don’t even think that nonsense. You and Brian are NOT related in any form or fashion!” Frankie exclaimed, before continuing on. “First of all, need I remind you that Brian and Melanie are the products of Jack and Melanie Levine, regardless of the fact that Brian was made to believe that Joan was his mother. Therefore there is no blood tie between them. Furthermore, the reason this is necessary to know is that within that will is NO mention, or addendum which specifies you must marry Lindsay Anne Peterson in order to inherit. It was a lie told to Joan; a ploy created between my mother and the daughter of her father’s business associate; also an attorney of some note.”

“Nancy Peterson?”

“Nancy Peterson nee Nicholas,” Lynette supplies helpfully. “And that would explain just why Nancy was so hellbent on Lindsay being married to Brian. My grandfather, although a successful attorney, really was a lousy planner. He was also terrible at keeping secrets. Well, that’s not entirely true, since he did manage to keep the true nature of Claire’s lineage a secret. But in the case of the will, he would have advised Alfred to word the document in such a way, where no matter the outcome, Jack Kinney’s heir wouldn’t be shut out completely and left destitute.”

“But why would he have cared?”

“Because Joan threatened to tell everyone what Alfred did to her, which resulted in Claire’s birth. What other meaningful way could he have come up with to keep Joan’s trap shut? Money- and lots of it- is an excellent motivator, don’t you think?”

“So in all their planning frenzy, they never counted on the fact that you would be gay, or that you would have a particular aversion marrying Nancy’s clone,” Frankie picked up the conversation. “They needed this will to force your hand, but…”

“Ah, I see!” Melanie exclaimed. “Brian, Joan treated you like shit your whole life, thinking that if she scared you enough or harassed you enough, you would willingly do whatever it is she wanted, just to get away from her. That especially rang true for her plans for you regarding Lindsay, and in the matter of the fortune you were left. May I see the documents, if you have them?”

Frankie retrieved the originals, while advising Nathan to look over them with Melanie and to let everyone know what they thought afterwards. It didn’t take long for either of them to draw the same conclusion, but it was Melanie who spoke. “Brian, we need to have whatever is at that lawyer’s office brought to us immediately.”

“Why?”

“Because, I’m willing to bet you that our grandmother Skye had the original documents, along with some other things. Apparently, Alfred wasn’t all that cautious or conscientious about who he had around him when he signed these.”

“Why would you say that?” Frankie asked.

“Because if I’m not mistaken, that is Skye Kinney’s signature right… here.” Melanie pointed out the neat, but almost illegible scrawl, which ended in a slight flourish. It was almost as if the person writing only wanted the first initials of the first and last name along with the very last letter completely readable. “I’m willing to bet that whatever note she left will also explain why she wrote her signature this way. From all Tate said about the woman, she was as meticulous and immaculate as Jennifer in all she did.”

“May I see that?” Jenn asked, before Melanie willfully handed her the documents. Jennifer smiled wide seeing exactly what the woman did. “Brian, I believe she was covering up her identity within that meeting just in case anyone thought enough to seek out the other witness. A very clever woman indeed, I’ll say.”

“The only people who would have had something negative to say about her being there was… my grandfather, Kevin Kinney, since he disinherited Jack and…”

“I would imagine it would have been Joan’s mother, who would have had the most objections considering the time in which these were signed. It was not all that accepted that a woman be more educated than just the running of a household. But it was apparent that your grandmother was well-educated.”

“Jack used to tell me that although my grandfather inherited her land when her own father died, his mother was well-versed in how the family businesses were run. He also said that my maternal grandfather was always progressive in his thinking and didn’t believe that a woman should be as dumb as the oxen they raised. Or so pious that they believed God would sanction being ignorant simply because of a missing appendage.”

“Your grandfather sounded like he was a very wise man, Brian,” George told him. 

“I know that my father spoke highly of his parents, mostly when he was drunk.” It was one of the few times that Jack’s drunkenness didn’t result in a series of bumps and broken bones for Brian. 

“Have you decided what you want to do regarding Joan?” Jennifer asked Brian, effectively bringing him out of the painful memories.

“George suggested that I keep the power of attorney, but appoint a representative to deal with any direct contact where Joan is concerned.”

“That’s wise counsel. So who did you pick?”

“Not one somebody, but two. Mel and Justin, can you please take the direct contact with her on? Of course, I will still make any decisions concerning her care and other matters, but well... As you both know, Joan triggers me.”

Justin smiled deviously before saying, “And you also want to rub it in her face that your choices are your own, and there isn’t a damn thing she can do about it. Am I right?”

“Absolutely,” Brian responds, laughing. “But I also want her to see what true class and elegance look like so that it reminds her of what both she and Lindsay are lacking. Strangely enough, it’s not just Nancy who she’s cloned herself after, but also Joan. It’s why even if I was into…”

“BRIAN!” Everyone yelled, causing Brian to laugh.

“I was just going to say ‘girls’, not the feline euphemism when speaking of female genitalia.” He looked over at the boys, who appeared to be biting the insides of their jaws to keep from laughing.

“Very diplomatic, Uncle Brian,” John said, eyes twinkling in humor.

“Thank you, John. It’s nice to see you haven’t been completely corrupted.” Brian winked at the boy, causing a little of the chuckle he was trying to suppress to bubble up. “Now as I was saying, there was no way I would ever- and I do mean EVERRR- marry someone like Joan. That would be asking for me to either end up in jail, or go to hell for committing suicide. And since I don’t relish the thought of ending up in either place, it’s just best for me to keep my distance from people like them. Everyone stays alive that way.”

“I see your point,” Justin confirms for all those assembled. Turning to face Melanie he asks, “So Mel, do you want the chance to stick it to the old crone indefinitely.”

“You better believe it that I do. She was on her way to cause havoc in our lives as she’s done so many times to Brian. I think it’s time for Karma to pull up a chair and some lemonade while we protect ourselves and public reputation from the woman who really reminds me of what Lindsay would have been like in another few years; Lindsay wouldn’t have waited until old age to fulfill her destiny as Joan’s clone.”

“Alright, then it’s time for a planning session. I refuse to have either of you going in there blind when dealing with Joan. She is like Lindsay in that she will try to intimidate you, first by using your lifestyle/religion against you. And secondly, when that doesn’t work, she will try to push your emotional buttons live never before. Don’t let her!”

“You worry too much, Brian, but I promise you that as soon as she starts her shit, we will leave.”

“Then that’s all I can ask of you, for now.”

“No, thank you for asking. This is all going to be my pleasure to do. And judging by the shark look Mel’s face has morphed into as she talks with the others, she’s about to give Mack the Knife a run for his money. Of course, she’ll do it all within the parameters of the law, but she’s still going to leave a pile of bloody bones in her wake, starting with this elder of Macbeth’s real life witches.”

Brian and George laughed, thinking that only Justin could use fictional characters to so accurately point out the personality flaws of real people. It was then that Brian no longer worried that he’d chosen the right duo to be his representatives in the war on Joan and her ilk. None of them were going to be prepared for the quiet storm about to hit them!