Across the Pond

Chapter 5

The drive back to the lane was just as tense and even more quiet than the drive to the city.  With Carl riding shotgun next to John, Brian sat in the back shoulder to shoulder with Justin.  As Brian stared out the window, the only noise was a few murmured conversations that Bobby had via phone.  As John’s massive SUV got nearer to the lane, the atmosphere was beginning to thicken.  No one was looking forward to the inevitable confrontation with Debbie.

“That was Drew,” Bobby began.  “Everyone is gathered at the B&B, even my sister and George.  For moral support,” Bobby added.

“What’s the temperature like?” Carl asked.

“A little breezy.  Drew thinks Debbie knows something’s wrong but she has no idea,” said Bobby.

“And Ben,” asked John.

“Quiet, almost numb,” Bobby replied.

“He knows the rug’s about to be pulled out from beneath him,” murmured Brian.  Justin took Brian’s hand and gave it a squeeze.

It became silent again when they took the exit that would lead them to the lane.  Brian took a deep breath when he saw the gate.

“Well, it’s about fucking time,” Debbie grumbled when she heard the buzzer go off indicating that someone had come through the gate.  The crunching of the tires on the gravel lane confirmed the arrival.

As the boys entered through the door and into the large living room, Debbie stood up and charged at Brian.

“Brian Kinney, what have you done now?” Debbie shrieked.  The boys stepped up, effectively shielding Brian as Carl took charge.

“Deborah Jane, sit down,” Carl boomed as he pointed to the couch.  Debbie slowly retreated back to the couch, shocked at Carl’s tone.

“Debbie, I…” Brian tried to speak.  Carl quickly turned around to face Brian.

“No, son, you cut through all the bullshit and red tape and took care of your family enough for one day.” Carl gently placed his hands on Brian’s shoulders.  With love, gratitude, and admiration in his voice, Carl said, “Now it’s my turn; this is my responsibility.  You sit in the kitchen, have some coffee, and let the family take care of you.”  Carl pointed toward the large kitchen island where Emmett stood smiling, waiting with Brian’s favorite brew.  The boys drew Brian away toward the kitchen as Carl took control.

“Ben, please sit here,” Carl said as he indicated the chair next to the couch.  The Wilders were sitting nearby while Rachel and George helped with the refreshments.

Just like a dedicated and thorough detective giving evidence during a trial, Carl calmly and with efficiency outlined the facts starting with Michael’s arrest, the state he was in at the time of his arrest, the kind officer who recognized Michael, the hospitalization, and subsequent dismissal of the charges.  He then relayed what Drs. Parker and MacLaughlin surmised with the limited testing that was done by the time they left the city.  Carl also told Debbie and Ben of Brian’s quick action, providing necessary documentation and the arranging of a private room and staff.  At that point, Carl gave Alex a poignant look, so that he continued with the medical explanation thus far.

“My baby’s sick?” Debbie asked with tears streaming down her face.  “We have to go now,” she shrieked as she stood up.  “We can stay with Ben, right?” Debbie stated as she looked at Ben.  Ben shook his head.

“No?  What do you mean, no?  He’s your husband!  You have to go!” Debbie shouted so loud it echoed throughout the cottage.

“I’ll give you the keys to the house but I’m staying here.  I can’t vouch for the state of the house,” Ben said as he abruptly stood, tossed his keys to Carl then stormed out of the house.  Glen and Drew followed.

“Babe, Lindsay has volunteered her house for us to stay as long as we need to,” Carl said.  Debbie looked as though she was digesting the information.

“We need to pack,” said Debbie as she left the B&B.

“Carl, let Peter know he can stay with us,” said John.  Carl nodded as he thanked each man then went home.

Brian was still too stunned to move, so he continued to sit at the kitchen counter sipping his coffee while Alex, Emmett, and Justin discussed the situation and possible scenarios.  John and Bobby were having a serious conversation.

“John, we can’t let them drive back to the city by themselves, think about their age; it’s too risky.  And Brian shouldn’t be the one to do it, besides he needs to stay here for the kids and for Ben,” Bobby said logically.

“You’re right,” said John as he did some mental arithmetic to get a sense of the approximate ages of Debbie and Carl.  “Okay, please go and tell Carl while I let Brian know then pack me a weeks’ worth of clothes.  I’ll be home in a few minutes.”  Bobby gave John a look.  “What?”

“I’m going with you,” Bobby stated.  “No arguments.  I’m a senior partner working with a great team.  I can work remotely for a while.  The point is one of us may have to play chauffeur plus they made need legal advice.  Whatever happens, we do this together, for them, for family and for him,” said Bobby as he nodded toward Brian. 

John agreed, giving Bobby a hard kiss, pouring his love and gratitude into it.  “Go, hurry before Debbie decides to take their jalopy by herself.  I’ll deal with Brian.”  They kissed again then Bobby sprinted out the door.  John put on his game face as he calmly walked toward the kitchen.  Sensing something was up, Brian arched an eyebrow.

“That’s a good sign,” said John, indicating the brow.  “For a moment, I thought we completely lost you.”

“Not completely,” said Brian.  “What’s going on?”  Brian nodded toward the door and Bobby’s speedy departure.

“We’ll drive Debbie and Carl to the city and if it’s okay, we’ll use your suite at the Plaza.  There’s no telling what they may find at the house.  It could be fine or it could be…”

“Trashed.  Yeah, I get that,” Brian said sadly.  “But why you two, it should be…”

“No, it shouldn’t.  First, there’s the kids.  Bree can cope but Peter may have a difficult time.  He’s only now coming out of his shell, learning to trust; he needs strong, dependable people around him, especially now that Debbie and Carl have to face this unknown.  If Michael suddenly snaps out of it and it’s only his physical illness to deal with then they can bring him here to nurse him back to health.  But what if this is prolonged?  No, Peter will need you, Justin and Bree to help him cope.  Maybe even Ashley, given how close he is with her,” John suggested.

“I can call Susanna and ask if Ashley can stay with us for a while,” said Justin.“The school year is almost over and teachers are always in a rush to get things done.  I’m sure she won’t mind.”  Justin pulled out his phone as he walked to a quiet corner of the room to call Ashley’s mother and explain the situation.

“But why you and Bobby?” Brian asked.  “I should be doing something.”

“You are doing something and more than your fair share,” John said with Alex agreeing wholeheartedly.  “Look, I have work to do at the new office.  If I left it up to Gordon, we’d be working out of boxes for months.  The man can single handedly build a skyscraper but can’t organize moving to a new office.  Plus, there’s the Kinney Brothers office as well.  I have plenty to do in Pittsburgh.  And as for Bobby, I have been informed by Mr. Morrison, senior partner, that he can work remotely and that this is what we do for family.”  John gave Brian a woe is me look at which Brian snickered.

“You do have one fiery redhead on your hands,” Brian said with a smirk.  “I’ll let Ted know about the Plaza.  He’ll do his accounting magic when we use it for personal reasons.  And get Bobby to send me some temporary custody papers for Peter, just in case Debbie and Carl are away for a while.  I don’t anticipate any trouble but I’d like to be prepared.”

“You got it.  Anything else?” asked John.

“Yes, call Hunter when you plan on going to the house.  Maybe do it when Debbie’s visiting with Michael.  If the house is pristine then Debbie and Carl can stay there.  She’ll probably start cooking and cleaning.  But if the house is trashed, don’t let her see it.  It will kill her.  I can get in a professional cleaning crew, if necessary,” said Brian.  “Either way, Ben will have to be told.”

“Brian, not to break a confidence, but Ben may be putting on a happy face, but he’s torn up inside,” Alex mentioned.

“That fine line between loyalty and love, disappointment and betrayal,” Brian murmured.

“Maybe you should be the psychiatrist,” Alex quipped.

“No thank you, but on some level I know how he feels and I can’t condemn him.  I’ve loved Michael for most of my life, even when he did things, said things that deeply hurt me,” Brian admitted as he looked over at Justin.  “But I couldn’t stop loving him, even when I thought I hated him, I just can’t abandon him.  Ben’s feeling the same thing.  He’s been loyal and faithful, always hoping that his love for Michael could fix him, fix their relationship.  He’s hurting, and I won’t abandon him,” insisted Brian.

“None of us will, Honey,” said Emmett who had been mostly quiet.  “Ben is a good man and I’m sorry it didn’t work out for him and Michael but Ben deserves a better life.  And I’ll fight tooth and nail if anyone says otherwise,” Emmett sincerely declared, getting a smile from Brian.

“Bri, we should go home,” said Justin.  “We have things to arrange, including dinner.”

“Don’t worry about dinner,” said Emmett.  “I’ll take care of it.  You take care of the kids,” said Emmett as he made shooing gestures.

“I’ll see to Debbie and Carl and then Ben,” said Alex.

“Try to convince him to come to dinner, we have tons of food from Lacy,” Justin said.

With everyone knowing their immediate assignments, the lane family stepped up to take care of their own.

*****

Jacqueline awoke with a start.  She glanced around the unfamiliar room, taking in the sparse furnishings and their open bags.  It took her a minute to realize that she was waking up in Paris.  She was waking up a married woman with the love of her life lying next to her in France.  Jacq smiled and exhaled a long breath.  This was what a honeymoon was supposed to be.  Just the two of them, no servants and family, no elaborate meals and being waited on.  Paris was perfect.

She studied JR’s sleeping face, tracing in her mind every curve and dip and nuance.  She wondered, as she had many times, how she got so lucky to find this girl, this woman, who complemented her so perfectly.  They had just enough of the same interests, as well as enough differences to keep things challenging.

JR stirred and her eyes blinked open.  “Are you staring at me?” she asked her wife before she yawned and stretched luxuriously.

“I believe I was,” Jacq said with a coy chuckle.  She could barely believe that she could muster a coy … anything, but here she was doing it.

JR laughed happily and raised her hand to pull Jacq down toward her for a gentle kiss.  “I love you so much,” JR whispered.

A while later JR’s stomach gave a rumble that Jacq couldn’t avoid hearing.

“Need some breakfast?” Jacq asked with a smile.

“I’m starving.”

“Then food you shall have.”

They made their way down to the small bistro off the lobby.  There were a few tables with people enjoying a continental breakfast that was included with their room.

The girls got a table and went to the small counter that featured croissants and café au lait.  The attendant asked if they were familiar with café au lait, but neither of them was, so the girl showed them how to pour the coffee and hot milk together to get the best result.  They grabbed croissants and some jam and sat down.

“Mmm,” JR said after her first bite of croissant.  “This may be the best thing I’ve ever eaten.”

“I agree,” Jacq said enjoying the food immensely.  “This café au lait is very good too.  I normally have my coffee black, but this is really nice.”

“We may turn you into a Parisienne before we leave,” JR said with a little chuckle.

Jacq made a face, but then smiled at her wife.  “What are we doing today?”

“I didn’t book anything for our first day here.  I thought we could look around and get the feel of Paris.  Also, I want to go to Notre Dame Cathedral since it’s been rebuilt.  I want to see it.”

“A church?”

“Yes, the cathedral Notre Dame.”

“Really?” Jacq asked with a frown.

“Yes, really,” JR snapped not wanting a dispute.

“Okay, if that’s what you want to do.”

“That’s what I want to do.”  JR crossed her arms on her chest so much like her father was prone to do.  JR had heard the skepticism in Jacq’s voice.  She knew that her wife didn’t think much of religion in general, but this was an iconic building, more than just a religious symbol.  At least that was how JR perceived it, and she really wanted to see it.

“You got it, babe,” Jacq said not wanting an argument with her wife.

“Good answer,” JR replied as she finished off her croissant.

They stopped by the front desk to find out the best way to get to Notre Dame.  The lady at the desk told them that they could grab a cab or if they felt up to it, they could walk.  She advised them that the walk would take about a half hour.  She pulled out a small map of the area where the hotel was located and circled Notre Dame on it.  She recommended that if they decided to walk they should take certain streets which she drew lines along to show them the way.

“You will get a lovely view of the city and some of the interesting sites along the way,” she said.

JR took the map and they thanked the lady having each decided that a walk in Paris would be a great idea.  They set out along the boulevard following the directions they had been given.  They noted stores and patisseries as they passed by following the directions on the map.

“The map indicates that we should turn down this street,” Jacq said studying the paper.

“It doesn’t look like a main street,” JR said doubtfully.  The street seemed kind of narrow and not terribly inviting.

“Well, I say we take it.  You’re up for an adventure, aren’t you?”

“Sure,” JR said with not much enthusiasm.

They entered the street noting immediately that it seemed to be lined with restaurants of every imaginable genre.  Outside almost every restaurant was a man touting the type and quality of the food that their establishment could provide.  Jacq and JR walked along listening to the spiels being thrown their way.

“I could go for Greek,” Jacq said as they passed a restaurant called the Athenien.

“We just had breakfast,” JR laughed.

“I meant for later, silly.”

“Of course,” JR replied with a chuckle.  “But I think we should do real French cuisine since we’re in Paris.”

“You mean tiny portions and things like snails and frog legs?” Jacq asked with a shudder.

“French cuisine is a lot more than that,” said a male voice from behind them.

“I beg your pardon?” JR said.

“Allow me to introduce myself,” said the good looking man.  “My name is Jacques.”

“What else would it be in France?” Jacq retorted.

The handsome man smiled, revealing white teeth and an apparent sense of humor.  “I work for this fine restaurant,” he said pointing to the sign above his establishment.  “Moulin Bleu,” he added pointing to a small blue windmill on the sign.

“Isn’t it Moulin Rouge?” JR asked.

“Mais non, mademoiselle.  That’s an entirely different establishment.  We’re much better at French cuisine than the Moulin Rouge.”

“Good to know,” Jacq said as she started to move farther down the street.

“Ladies, I’d be very pleased if you would return for lunch or dinner today.  I’ll make sure you have a good table and a very fine meal with lots of local ambiance.”

“We’ll think about it,” JR said as they moved away, leaving a rather dejected looking Jacques behind them.

“Do you believe that guy?” Jacq said.

“I think we should give his restaurant a chance,” JR said emphatically.  “Later.”

“Okaay,” Jacq replied knowing that JR had made up her mind.  French cuisine it would be.

They continued down the street ignoring the rest of the people hawking their cuisines.  As they came to the end of the street they crossed a bridge and Notre Dame loomed in front of them.  They walked along taking in the size and grandeur of the ancient cathedral as they approached.  JR used her phone to take some pictures.  They noted a lineup of people waiting to enter the church and decided to join the queue.

Jacq wasn’t thrilled about being stuck in the line as it moved along slowly.  However, once they entered the cathedral, her demeanor changed.  “It really is beautiful,” Jacq admitted.  The whole church was bathed in blue from the stained glass windows.  They wandered along the aisles taking everything in.  “I’m not religious,” Jacq whispered, “but there’s something mystical about this place.”

“Are you glad we came?”

“I admit that I am.”

“See, I’m always right!” JR declared.

“I’m starting to believe that may be true.”

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