by Michelle Day
“What?” She scrambled out of bed, pressed the button to open the gates and threw on a dressing gown, running down the stairs when her father told her the shit was about to hit the fan.
The gates were closing and her father was waiting on the doorstep by the time she’d unlocked the door. Over his shoulder she could see the same person who had been hovering when Paul had left the previous day. What the hell?
As he closed the door, he unfolded the newspaper in his hands and held it in front of his face. The reason for his agitation became abundantly clear as she read the headline.
MARRIED LESS THAN A DAY. PAUL JENSEN LEAVES THE MARITAL HOME.
The words, accompanied by a picture of Paul’s Porsche pulling out of the driveway screamed at her. “Shit. Paul will freak if this reaches him.” She ushered her father through to the kitchen and filled the kettle as she explained what had happened. “That person lurking outside is a journalist?”
“Seems so.” He re-read the small article beneath the headline. “You need to issue a statement and forewarn Paul.”
“Dad, if I go out there, I’m likely to reach through the gate, grab the man by the collar and squash his face repeatedly and with some force against the bars.”
He had to chuckle. Suzanne was his middle daughter and the one with all the sass and feistiness the other two lacked. He positively adored her no backing down attitude. It was very much like his own.
Sipping his tea as Suzanne called her new husband, a man he very much disapproved of, he wasn’t surprised when Paul’s initial reaction was expletives he’d rather not repeat. Paul agreed that Suzanne should stay silent and he was generous in his thanks to his father in law when he offered to handle it.
The journalist practically stood to attention when he was confronted with Suzanne’s father. His statement was short and simple, stating simply that Paul was dealing with a grave family matter and would be returning to his wife when a resolution was released. He went on to demand a retraction and a very public apology for the evening addition of the paper and was very precise in the measures he would take if his daughter was not left alone.
Chapter Forty Two
Carmen lingered for a further three days. As predicted by the medical personnel, she slipped into a coma within hours of Gavin arriving.
The tension in the room was palpable. Gavin swung between silence and rage. His anger misdirected and even Novak failed at reasoning with him. When Carmen drew her final breath and she was officially pronounced dead, a reverent hush fell over the room.
That only lasted until the doctor left them alone to say their goodbyes. Gavin launched himself at Paul, fists flailing as he screamed that this was all his fault. The noise quickly brought hospital security to the room. It took four strapping men to restrain Gavin. A doctor arrived shortly afterwards, quickly jabbing a needle into Gavin’s arm with Paul’s full permission, sedating the raging teenager.
Gavin remained sedated through the planning of the funeral and the decisions that were made about the house. During the two week gap between Carmen’s passing and the funeral, they had tried reducing his sedation several times. Each resulted in a violent outburst making further sedation necessary.
He appeared calm as he stood next to Paul at the grave side but from the slight sway in his stance and the unblinking stare, it was clear he was totally out of it. There was no wake.
The following day, Suzanne arrived. After several long phone calls discussing the logistics of things, she had agreed to drive up and swap cars with Paul. Gavin was coming home with him, for good. She would have to step into the role of step mother whether she liked it or not.
Carmen had left everything, including her share of the house to Gavin. As his surviving parent and as he was under the age of eighteen, it fell to Paul to ensure her wishes were upheld. This of course meant the house would have to be sold as there was no way Helen could afford to buy him out and Paul found his usual generosity severely lacking with the need to protect his son.
Art, Helen’s beau stepped forward and seized the opportunity by offering Helen, Luke and her foster children a home with him. He freely admitted his house was on the compact side and initially there would be no room for Luke.
Paul’s offer to take Luke with him was met with vehement protestations from Helen. She quickly shut up when Paul pointed out that her son was now nineteen years old and capable of deciding for himself. He expected Luke to jump at the chance but he had shaken his head.
“I’m building a career and name for myself here Mr J. I appreciate your offer but I think I belong here.”
When Suzanne caught sight of Gavin’s zombie like state she was shocked. It sparked a three way argument between Helen, Paul and herself about the level of sedation needed to keep him calm but at least coherent.
She intervened when the doctor came the following morning and she smiled triumphantly at the tutting Helen when the doctor agreed with her. Gavin was to remain sedated until he had control of himself but Suzanne’s very valid point of he would never regain that control if he was permanently out of it was what made the doctor change his mind and use a different medication.
Leaving early the following morning, she encouraged Paul to stay strong and to come home soon. He in turn encouraged her to take it easy in his beloved car and to call her when she got home.
It took a full forty eight hours for the majority of Gavin’s deep sedation to wear off. Although quiet, he helped with packing up the house and moving his friend into the room above the garage at Arts house that had been hastily constructed as a private space for him with further alterations planned to convert the garage into a fully contained apartment for him.
Novak stashed his surf boards and wet suits in one corner of the garage and turned to see Gavin standing there holding his own board.
“I don’t think I’ll need this.”
Taking the board, giving it a quick look over, Novak stashed it with his own boards. I’ll look after it until you come back.”
“I don’t think I’m ever coming back.”
The day finally came when Paul would have to tackle Carmen’s room. It had been left until last as no-one had wanted to deal with it but the time had come and helped by Helen, they set about packing away her clothes and personal possessions.
Her clothing was put into black bags and ear marked for charity shops and there was certainly a lot of bags piled in the corner of the room by the time the wardrobe and drawers were emptied. The few bits of jewellery she had were packed into a box, Helen insisting that Paul should take them and keep them for when Gavin was ready to go through the box.
There was a further box of school reports and newspaper clippings that also got loaded into Suzanne’s Volvo along with Gavin’s clothing and guitars. It was decided that the dressing table and chest of drawers could be utilised by Helen and she had expressed an interest in having something of her friend to hang on to and Paul was happy to give that to her.
Coming out of the bathroom, heading for his room, Gavin paused when he saw the door to his mother’s bedroom standing open. He hadn’t ventured down that end of the hallway yet. Partly due to the fact that he’d had trouble just standing due to the drugs and partly because he hadn’t wanted to see her empty room.
His father and Helen were working away, sorting through his mother’s things, putting the majority of them in black bin bags and discarding them in a corner. The room still smelt like her. He swallowed down the tears that threatened to spill. His fists clenched and unclenched and all it took was a small chuckle from Paul to have him stepping into the room.
“No!” He bellowed snatching a bag from Paul’s hands. “No. No. NO. You aren’t just going to throw her away like this. Her life is here. Her memories are here. You can’t do this. I won’t let you do this.”
“Gavin….”
“Shut up! This is all your fault. The way she was is your fault. She only ever wanted you but you couldn’t even give her that. You pushed her away then
came back and fucked her again. You screwed her up. You hurt her. You always hurt her. You always put yourself first. All you ever had to do was love her.” Rant over, panting heavily, Gavin threw the bag in his hands directly at Paul before turning on his heel and bolting down the stairs.
Hearing the thump as Gavin took the stairs two at a time, Paul got to the top in time to see Novak pick himself up off the floor. Starting down the stairs, fully intent on going after his son, he was stopped when Novak shook his head.
“I’ve got this. I know where he’ll go and I’ll bring him home.”
The End
For now.
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