This story contains sexual situations between males. If material of this nature offends you then you should not read this story. If you are under 18 years of age you are probably not legally allowed to read this story. This story is purely a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons living or dead, or to events that may have occurred, is purely coincidental. The author claims all copyrights in this story and no duplication or publication of this story is allowed (except by the web sites to which it has been posted) without the consent of the author.
When Steve arrived promptly at seven and I opened the front door, I did a double take. Was this really my brother standing in front of me? On time? Wearing clean jeans and a nice long sleeve shirt; clean shaven, clean haired and wearing cologne? And carrying a bottle of wine and flowers?
"Mate!" I marvelled, "what happened?"
"Hey Mike!" he chuckled. "It's good to see you too."
We hugged and as he walked inside he handed me the wine and whistled. "Nice digs!"
"Yeah, we like really like it here," I said. "It feels like home."
I was half expecting a snide remark about how much it probably costs and how only the lucky sibling with all the money could possibly afford it. Instead, he said, "It's great Mike! You've done real well."
"So come on in. Everyone's home. And George has made a fucking mighty meal."
Steve touched my arm before we reached the doors to the lounge and whispered. "Do I call him Tyson?"
I laughed. "What else would you call him?"
"I dunno. I've never been to a rock star's place for dinner before."
"This isn't a `rock star's place', mate. It's Ty's and my home. And it's very family friendly."
"So," he grinned, "you're shacked up with Tyson Hill! Who'd have thought?"
"Well, certainly not me!" I laughed. "But sometimes, someone comes along out of the blue and life just deals you a lucky hand."
"Yea, I know what you mean. You look really happy, Mike."
I took a breath, looked him in the eye and said, "I love him, Steve. I love him like I've never loved anyone in my life. He means the whole fucking world to me. Yeah, I'm happy! I fart happiness."
"I'm glad, Mike," he said, grabbing my shoulder. "I'm really glad."
We walked through to the lounge and Lachlan bounded to greet Steve, shaking his hand. Ellie gave him a kiss on the cheek and he handed her the bunch of flowers.
Ty came in from the kitchen with a plate of olives and cheese, saw Steve and immediately made him welcome. They shook hands, and Ty offered him a beer. Steve took it, but immediately looked at Lachlan. Rather than make a show of his approval, Lachlan raised his own bottle to Steve and said "cheers".
We sat and enjoyed the pre-dinner platter as we made small talk. I could sense Steve was feeling a little overawed about having dinner with one of his musical idols, but as always I knew Ty would go the extra mile to try and make him feel comfortable.
One of the many things I admired about Tyson Hill was his ability to disarm people. He was basically a shy man; a very shy man. But he had an innate knack of being able to just take a deep breath and go into `show business' mode, presenting confidently and in control to the outside world. It was like he sometimes stepped outside his body and became an amplified version of himself.
By the time we were tucking in to George's mouth-watering bruschetta, Steve had relaxed and was chatting to Ty like they were old friends, while I talked to Lachlan and Ellie. By the time the fillet was served, Ty was making us convulse as he recalled some of his and Lachlan's early teenage antics. Steve told a couple of stories about what he and I had got away with at the same age, both of them happy memories for me, and I was reminded of a time when he and I were close brothers.
By dessert, Lachlan had rather skilfully manoeuvred the conversation around to Steve's new job and we talked about that for a while before, off his own bat, Steve opened up about why it was such a valuable second chance for him. He told the story of his life for the past few years, and didn't spare the detail. Even I was shocked by some of the things he'd done.
By the time he'd finished, the table was quiet. Lachlan changed the mood by raising his beer and proposing a toast. "Here's to you, Stevo," he grinned. "Takes balls to say all that out loud. Time to make some changes, and we're all here to help you."
To my great surprise, as George started to clear the table, Steve stood when Ellie did and helped the clean up. Ty, Lachlan and I retired to the lounge and while we couldn't really talk freely, Lachlan leaned across the coffee table and said quietly, "Steve's a good bloke, Mike. We'll get him sorted out."
I sighed. "I don't know what to say, mate. You're a miracle worker."
"Nah," he scoffed. "He's the one who's working the miracle. He just needed a shove."
Steve and Ellie joined us and we talked for a while about how the Stanthorpe house might best be remodelled to suit Dot and Frank's twilight years, and I was impressed by Steve's creative and helpful suggestions.
I'm sure I wasn't supposed to notice, but I saw Lachlan's deliberate nod towards the kitchen to Ty and Ellie. They slowly made excuses to leave the room, knowing Lachlan obviously wanted Steve to have a quiet moment with me.
I poured us some more wine as Steve handed me an envelope.
"What's this?"
"Check it out."
The envelope contained $1000 in $50 bills. I looked at him in bewilderment.
"I did a lot of overtime so I could save the extra money. I'm going to pay you back everything I sponged off you, Mike. I've got a way to go, but you'll get it all back."
"You don't have to do this Steve," I stressed. "Forget it, we'll just move forward."
"I can't do that Mikey," he sighed. "I really fucked up big time. And now I'm going to make it right. I'll be working for this money, just like you worked for the money you gave me."
"I don't want it back mate."
"Mike, I have to do this, for me. Take it, and I'll pay the rest back in stages."
"What went wrong Steve?"
"I got jealous, that's what went wrong. Opportunity knocked on your door, drugs knocked on mine. The more the drugs consumed me, the more your success consumed me. It's all so fucked up. I caused all this grief. Now, I'm gonna make amends."
I sank back into the couch and breathed out. I gazed into space for a few moments.
"Whatcha thinking about?"
"I was remembering what you talked about at dinner, those things we did."
"Yeah, we were bad sometimes! It was a shitload of fun!"
"We were so close then, Steve. "What changed?"
"I did. It's my fault. I know that. But I'm going to make it up to you. And to Lynney too."
"I've gotta ask, Steve. Why the sudden about-face?"
"It was being spanked."
"What?"
"I got spanked by some angry guy I didn't know, because I stole his money. I took his wallet and spent his money on drugs and beer and a hooker. Any other guy who tracked me down would have probably kicked my fucking head in, but instead, I got spanked. Like a child. And you were there to see it, and you have no idea the shame I felt knowing the brother I used to look up to was seeing up close just how pathetic I'd become."
I sighed. "I've never thought of you as pathetic, mate. I just wondered where that happy little kid I grew up with had disappeared to. But you've always been my brother Steve, and I've always loved you."
I thought for a moment he was going to cry. Instead, he shifted along the couch and hugged me. We clung for a while, with nothing particular needing to be said. Somehow we'd found a corner, and turned it.
The intensity of the moment dissipated when Ty walked through from the kitchen and thundered, "Get your dirty paws off that lawyer. He's mine!"
"I was just warming him up for you, mate!"
"You're his brother. There are laws against that in this country."
"The Bible says "love thy brother as thyself".
"You can quote the Bible?! Fuck, my Dad's gonna love you!"
The rest of the night passed quickly. Ty showed Steve his online photos of the Stanthorpe house and they got involved in a lengthy and specific discussion about redesign possibilities. I knew Ty well enough to know he'd really taken to Steve, just as Lachlan had. For them, he was another injured soul that just needed a helping hand ...
Somehow (was it the wine?) we ended up in the music room, with Ty playing the piano and the rest of us standing in a circle behind him singing Australia folk songs: "Singing Tooral liooral liaddity, singing Tooral liooral liay, singing Tooral liooral liaddity, and we're bound for Botany Bay."
When George offered to make coffee, Steve suddenly realised the time. "I'd better call a cab," he said. "It's after midnight."
"Why don't you stay the night?" Lachlan asked.
Surprisingly, Steve looked at me. "Cool with me mate," I smiled. Ty?"
"Yeah, of course. Pick a room. George does breakfast at 8.30. Be awake, or be afraid."
I marvelled yet again at how he managed to do it; George called out from the kitchen, "And please make sure you're not engaging in anything sinful when I open your door!"
When George came into the room, Steve said, "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
Without missing a beat, George replied, "Indeed, sir. Joy shall be in Heaven over one sinner that repenteth. I think I hear the blast of heavenly trumpets already."
Steve met George's gaze and chuckled, "Nah, George. That wasn't Heavenly trumpets. It was just Mike farting!"
I woke with a start the next morning, to the sound of a toilet flushing somewhere in the house. In order to see the time I needed to turn, but I was secure on my side with Ty spooning me that I just lay as I was, happy to feel his arms around me and his breath on my neck.
As I dozed, I thought about the past few hours and how I miraculously had my brother back, the great guy I'd grown up with. Somehow, the Hill boys had taken his inadequacies in their stride and rather than turn their back on a trouble-maker, they'd put measures in place to turn his life around. They'd simply taken control and put him back on the right path.
As I mulled over this surprising turn of events the breaths on my neck turned to light kisses. My guy was awake. I turned to face him and before I could even say `good morning' he'd clamped his sweet lips to mine and swept me up in a long, wet kiss.
"Hey handsome!" he beamed.
"Hey back!" I grinned. "You're looking cute."
"Yeah, it's a curse," he reminded me as he stole another kiss.
We made out for a while and just as Ty's hand slipped beneath the covers and things were about to step up a notch, there was a knock at the door. I groaned.
"Come in if you're good lookin'," Ty called out.
The door opened and Lachlan strolled in, wearing tight boxers and an Army tee shirt. "Am I good looking enough?"
Ty scratched his chin as he checked Lachlan out. "Once you've shaved and showered and put some clothes on, you'll pass," he said dismissively.
"Asshole!" Lachlan chuckled. "We can't all wake up looking like we've just stepped off the cover of `GQ'!"
Lachlan sat on the end of the bed and we chatted inanely until Lachlan looked at his watch and remarked, "It's 8.35. Where's George?"
Magically George appeared in the doorway with a tray. "Musical beds again sir?" he asked me.
"This guy just snuck in through the window," I grinned, pointing my thumb towards Lachlan. "I think he was intending to burgle us."
"Just so long as he wasn't intending to bugger you, sir," George deadpanned.
"Nah, I've got Ty for that!"
"Cut it out you guys!" Lachlan laughed. "I haven't eaten yet."
"Muesli, berries, yoghurt and fruit toast, sir," George announced as he put the tray down. "And coffee, of course."
"Looks great George," Lachlan said. "Where's mine?"
"I'll bring it in now."
"Can you go and wake Steve and tell him to join us in here?"
"Certainly sir. Shall I bring Scruffy and his bowl in as well?
"Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, George," Ty laughed.
"It's also the highest form of intelligence, sir."
George disappeared as we started breakfast and a few minutes later we were joined by a barely awake Steve, holding his plate in one hand and wiping sleep from his eyes with the other.
"Morning mate!" Ty chirped. "Pull up some doona!"
"Hey!" replied Steve sleepily. "Man, did I sleep well. That bed is so comfortable, compared with the one at the backpackers' place."
As we finished breakfast and George was clearing the plates, Ty commented, "You guys need to disappear. We've gotta shit, shower and shave!"
"Charming!" Lachlan chuckled as he got up from the bed. "You up for a run?"
"Sure," we chorused.
"You too, Steve?"
"Sure," he replied. "But I've only got on the clothes I was wearing last night."
I jumped out of bed, thankful my morning wood had disappeared, and rummaged in the wardrobe drawers. I found a spare pair of shorts and a tee shirt and tossed them to Steve. He and Lachlan headed off to the second bathroom while Ty and I went about our ablutions. We met them on the kitchen balcony and with Scruffy leading the way we set off on a punishing run.
We were all out of breath when we got back to the balcony, where thankfully George had a pitcher of iced water and four glasses waiting. We were still catching our breath when Ty's mobile rang and he wandered into the music room to take a call from Vince.
He joined us a few minutes later, scratching his head. "I've been asked to be the guest on `My iPod' next weekend," he said. "Vince wants me to do it so I can plug the DVD."
My iPod' was a regular segment on a weekly program on cable called Music Max'. Each week, a singer or musician was featured talking about the music they listen to on their iPod, and then performed one of those songs made famous by another artist.
"Are you going to do it?" Lachlan asked.
"Yeah I guess so," Ty replied. "Don't know what to sing though."
"How about `Hallelujah'?" Lachlan asked. "It always goes down a storm."
"Nah, I've kinda done it to death lately," Ty mused.
"`Stood Up' could be good," Steve suggested. "Everyone loved it on the last tour."
"Good choice," Ty agreed, "but I want to do something I haven't done on tour."
Ty looked at me, and I thought for a moment. "How about `Don't Give Up'?" I asked. "You've only ever done it for that charity performance in Brisbane."
"Fuckin' ace idea!" Ty enthused. "That's perfect!" He grabbed me and kissed me hard and, turning to Lachlan and Steve he said, "You see why I love this guy?"
It was Steve who replied, "Yeah, I do."
"Anyone up for a game of pool?" Ty asked.
"Not me," Lachlan replied. "Ellie and I are going shopping for baby clothes!"
"Nah," I smiled. "I promised I'd hang all the washing out for George, so he can go off for his massage and coffee with Henri."
"Looks like it's you and me, mate," Ty said to Steve, who seemed excited by the idea of shooting pool with his idol.
"I'll throw something together for lunch later, too," I offered. "You wanna stay and eat, Steve?"
"I'd love to, but I'm actually working at one o'clock."
"On a Sunday?"
"I'm taking all the overtime I can get," he replied earnestly. "Double time and a half on a Sunday."
Steve and Ty wandered off to play pool, Lachlan and Ellie grabbed what they needed for a baby shopping spree in the city's department stores, and George took himself off for his massage at Henri's house. I grabbed an apple and headed to the laundry to drag towels out of the machine and hang them on the line.
I was almost finished when my mobile rang, and pulling it out of my pocket I saw it was an `unknown' number, which likely meant it was work related.
"Michael Stewart," I said. No response. "Hello?"
I heard what sounded like a muffled sob. "Hello? This is Michael Stewart."
I strained to hear a faraway voice that seemed to say "Mike?"
"This is Mike. I can barely hear you. Who is this?"
Another muffled sob and then, a little clearer, "It's Scott."
"Scott?" I almost yelled. "Where are you? Are you OK? Scott?"
Another interminable pause and then a whispered "Is Ty with you?"
"No, but I can get him. What's wrong Scott?"
"No, please don't tell Ty. Can you come and get me?"
"Where are you?"
"Sydney Airport."
"The airport? Why? What's happened?"
"Please Mike. Just come and get me. And don't tell Ty or Lachie. Please Mike. Promise?"
"Of course, mate," I assured him. "But I need to know what's wrong? Is Simon with you"
"No," he choked. "Please just come and get me."
He disconnected and I stood at the clothesline for a moment, feeling relief that Scott had made contact but alarmed at the state he seemed to be in. I took a moment to get comfortable with the fact that I was hiding something from Ty. And Lachlan. But I'd promised.
Once I'd collected my thoughts, I walked back into the house. Ty and Steve were drinking orange juice in the kitchen and I started to make a pot of coffee.
"No coffee for me," Mike said. "I need to get to the site."
I saw a perfect excuse to get away. "I'll drive you, mate," I said.
"Nah, I'm good. I'll just call a cab."
"Nah, seriously. I'll drive you. I need to drop by the office on the way home."
Ty looked at me in surprise. "You're going to the office?"
"Yeah, there's a few documents I need that I forgot to bring home Friday. Gotta read them tonight."
I grabbed my keys and wallet and said to Steve, "you ready to go?"
"So I'm just here on my own then?" Ty chuckled. "Fuck, I don't think I've ever been in this house completely on my own before!"
"Write a song about it!" I laughed. "Call it `Suddenly Alone'!"
"Y'know, that's a pretty good title," he said, and I could see his mind ticking over.
Steve thanked Ty profusely for dinner and for the invite to stay the night, and proffered his hand. Ignoring it, Ty grabbed him in a hug and told him he was welcome any time. Ty then turned and hugged me and told me I was welcome all the time!
As we climbed into the car, Steve said to me, "It's like there's this little energy charge every time you two are near each other."
"Yeah," I smiled. "I know!"
Steve and I chatted freely and amiably all the way to Darlinghurst, where I dropped him at the building site. I noted how often he looked at his watch on the way and I was please when we pulled up and he announced "five minutes early!"
We high-fived and Steve jumped out of the car, sticking his head back through the window to say, "Thanks Mike. For everything. I'll see you soon."
As I drove off I wanted to enjoy thinking about the changes in Steve, but my mind was too focused on what might be waiting to unfold at the airport ...
As I handed my keys to the valet attendant, I realised I hadn't thought to ask Scott which terminal he was in, and his phone was switched off. I guessed it would be International, assuming Sydney was the first Australian touchdown. I ran to the terminal and stood scouring the arrivals board. The only possibility was a Kenya Airlines flight from Nairobi to Sydney via Bangkok, which had arrived early this morning.
I headed for the customs area, swarming with people meeting several international flights and started to search for Scott. I'd been looking for several minutes and was about to go outside the terminal to try his mobile again, when I spotted him hidden away in a corner, sitting hunched in a seat with his luggage at his side and his head in his hands.
I hurried towards him, calling out, "Scott! Scott!"
He looked up, stood and almost threw himself into my arms, and started to sob. I hugged him tight and reassured him, "It's OK mate. It's OK. What's wrong? What's happened?"
Scott was unable to speak. He just clung to me and tried not to hyperventilate. I kissed the top of his head and said, "Everything's OK now, Scott. If you've got everything, we'll just go home."
He nodded, before looking at me with puffy eyes. "Don't take me to you place," he pleaded. "Please Mike. Take me to a hotel or something."
"Scott, you've got to tell me what's wrong."
He started to cry again, so I grabbed a luggage trolley, loaded his cases and, with one arm around him and the other steering the trolley, we exited the terminal and I handed my ticket to the parking attendant. Five minutes later I had loaded the cases into the boot and helped get Scott into the passenger seat. It was only as I did up his seatbelt that I notice how pale he looked, and how gaunt he was.
As I drove off, I said, "Everything's OK now, Scott. You're safe. But we need to talk."
"Where are we going?" he asked, his eyes staring out the window.
"We'll go to my office. There'll be nobody there on a Sunday afternoon."
We drove in silence and after a few minutes, Scott dozed off. He was obviously dog tired, and his distress had taken its toll.
He woke at the sound of the garage door of my office building opening, and after I'd parked, I walked with my arm around him through the corridors to my office. I sat him on my couch and sat in an armchair in front of him.
"What happened mate?" I asked.
As Scott looked at me his lip once again started to tremble, and he began to cry. This time I let him go, leaving the office momentarily and unlocking the boardroom where I poured a half glass of the boss's prized Camus Cognac Cuvee. If I was going to use alcohol to help Scott to pull himself together, it might as well be the best.
Back in my office I lifted Scott's face out his hands and handed him the glass. "Drink this. Slowly," I said.
He shuddered with the first mouthful but persevered, sipping his way through two thirds of the Cognac. He put the glass down and leaned back into the couch. I saw some colour in his cheeks, and for the first time, he appeared to be breathing normally.
"Talk to me, mate," I said.
Scott sat for a minute, took a long breath, and then it all came tumbling out ...
I sat trying not to appear stunned as Scott's story unravelled. As soon as they'd arrived in Africa, Scott had noticed a change in Simon. He seemed keen to live it up, right from the outset, and Scott was alarmed not only by how much alcohol he was drinking, but by how much of a party animal he seemed to turn into when he had a skin full.
Scott found himself hitting bars every night until the early hours, as Simon and whoever he could buddy-up with drank themselves blind. Simon seemed to spend most of his morning and afternoons sleeping it off, while Scott wandered around sightseeing. Simon showed little interest in sex, but was always on the lookout for bars where English-speaking male travellers hung out.
After their first few days travelling, he and Simon had made their way to Nairobi and on the first night, they'd met two single gay English backpackers – Charlie and Sam - who had the same penchant for living it up that Simon did.
On their third night, after being tossed out of two bars, they bought rum and returned to the hotel. Charlie had disappeared during the evening and when they were safely back in Charlie and Sam's room, he revealed he'd scored some magic mushrooms and as they downed neat rum, they got stuck into them. They'd offered them to Scott who had refused, but all three had turned on him and goading him into "being a man" and "living dangerously once in a while".
Under pressure, Scott had caved and his experience was horrible. He'd clearly used too much and had spun out as the hallucinogenic drug took hold. He became agitated, paranoid and sick, and the more he freaked out, the more his `mates' made fun of him.
"They kind of got me settled, but I was still seeing things that weren't there and everything seemed so bright," Scott recalled. "Then they just pissed off and left me, and for hours, I was this freaking mess. I thought I was going to die, Mike."
He went on to tell me how he eventually vomited himself sober and, when he couldn't raise Simon on his mobile, went off to Charlie and Sam's room. He found Sam stoned, eating pizza and watching television. When he asked where Simon was, Sam had thumbed towards the bedroom and on opening the door, Scott had been confronted by the sight of Charlie on all fours, with Simon fucking him mercilessly – without a condom.
A nasty confrontation had ensued, and ended when Charlie invited Scott to join them in a threesome, or if he preferred, a foursome with Sam. Scott had high-tailed it back to the room he shared with Simon, thrown everything into his suitcase and taken a cab to the airport. While waiting for the first available flight back home, he'd spent a sleepless night curled up on a bench at the airport, feeling hungry and weak.
Scott started to cry again and when I tried to console him, he snapped, "You don't know what it's like to feel like this."
"That's where you're wrong, mate," I said quietly as I went on to tell him about finding Aaron in our bed with some piece of street trash.
"But I loved Simon," he said.
"And I loved Aaron," I replied. "At least I thought I did."
"What did you do?"
"I did the only thing I could do. I threw him out and I closed the door on that chapter of my life. It's a familiar story, Scott. We started out great, but he couldn't be satisfied with a committed, one-on-one relationship."
"Man, I'm sorry," Scott sighed. "I didn't know."
"And I'm sorry you've had to go through this, mate," I sympathised. "These are the risks we take. But I've gotta ask, why are you so freaked about seeing Ty and Lachlan?"
"Are you kidding???" he asked, incredulously.
"No, I'm not."
"Ty will go fucking nuts," he shuddered. "And Lachie will too. They did the whole big talk before we left and I promised them I wouldn't do anything stupid. And I did. And Ty has always told me if I got mixed up in drugs, he'd kick my ass from here to kingdom come. He and Lachie trusted me, and I let them down. And I've wasted the rest of the ticket that Ty paid for. They'll hate me."
I laughed. "Your brothers? Hate you? Are you serious?" I scoffed.
"I let them down," Scott blubbered, his eyes filling with tears. "You just don't know how anti-drugs Ty is. And he trusted me. I promised him I wouldn't fuck up."
"I know all of that, Scott," I said reassuringly. "But Ty and Lachlan love you. Even if there's a scene, mate, they'll be OK. You have to face them."
"Can't I stay in a hotel for a while?"
"Remember that night when you and Ty came out to your folks?"
"Yeah, who could forget it?"
"Ty didn't want to go back to the house and deal with it. I forced him to. And look how well that went."
"Yeah, but that's different. That's Mum and Dad. You don't know how Ty is with me. I made him a promise and I broke it ..."
"He loves you Scott," I said. "He'll be fine."
"He'll probably want to kill Simon. What if he rings Simon's parents?"
"I'll make sure he doesn't."
"How can you be sure?"
"I'm still his lawyer, mate. I'll make sure he stays out of this one."
"I'm scared, Mike."
"Face your fears, Scott. You're a man now and if the worst that's ahead for you is your brothers chewing you out, just fucking deal with it. This is how it works in the real world."
Unexpectedly, Scott stood and hugged me. "I'm so glad we've got you," he said.
"Yeah, whatever!" I laughed. "Bathroom's the last door on the right down the corridor. Go wash your face, fix up your hair, and I'll take you home."
Scott seemed resigned to his fate on the drive back to Point Piper, and I kept it light, filling him in on the news about Ellie, Lachlan and Steve.
He began to tense up as we reached Double Bay, so I pulled up outside the deli. We went in and I ordered Scott a burger and fries and a milkshake. He saw the look of amusement on my face as he scoffed it, and stopped chewing long enough to tell me he hadn't eaten for two days. I'd just ordered him some ice cream and chocolate sauce when my mobile rang. It was Ty, wondering where I'd got to.
"I'll be home soon, mate," I said, trying to disguise any worry in my voice.
"I'm going nuts here on my own!" Ty laughed. "I've been talking to Floppy!"
"So long as Floppy isn't answering you, everything's cool!" I chuckled.
"The house is so quiet," Ty said. "We'll be all alone for a while. I was thinking we might play `hide the sausage' ..."
"Sounds good to me," I grimaced. "But I've got a surprise for you."
"A surprise? What is it?"
"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise."
"Will I like it?"
"Would I surprise you with something you didn't like?"
"I guess not. I hope it's not a puppy though. Scruffy wouldn't be happy."
"I promise, mate. No puppies. Might be something as cute as a puppy though ..."
I ended the call and watched Scott demolish the rest of his dessert. "Ty's on his own right now. Probably a good time to head home. You ready?"
"Not really," Scott sighed.
"Come on mate," I coaxed. "The longer you leave it the harder it'll get."
Scott seemed anxious on the short drive to Worseley Road, and as I pulled up in the driveway, he was shaking slightly.
"You OK?"
"Can you tell him what happened?"
"I could," I reasoned, "but I'm not going to. This is about accepting responsibility and facing your fears, Scott. You screwed up, and you need to admit it. Believe me, if my brother Steve can do it, you can."
We walked into the entrance foyer and I could hear Ty humming in the lounge. "You wait here," I told Scott. "You'll know your cue." I held his face and kissed his forehead. "Remember, everyone in this house loves you."
I wandered into the lounge room and Ty's face lit up. "About time you showed!" he grinned.
"I thought you'd be playing the piano or the guitar?"
"Not in the mood for music right now," he shrugged.
"Really?" I smirked. "I thought you wanted to play with my organ?"
"Now you're talking! But where's my surprise?"
"Mate, your surprise is about to join us!"
We both looked towards the lounge door and after a few moments, a very tentative Scott stepped into the room.
Ty was taken completely by surprise. "Scotty! Fuck? What the ... How come you're home? Is everything alright?"
Scott just hung his head and all of a sudden Ty realised how bedraggled he looked. He was out of his seat and had his arms wrapped around Scott within seconds. "You look fucking awful mate," he said. "Are you OK? Something's wrong isn't it? Where's Simon? Scotty?"
As Scott clung to his brother, he began to sob and Ty looked at me with panic written across his face.
"Mate, let's go sit down," I said, manoeuvring them both towards the couch. Ty went to sit down next to Scott, but I moved him away and directed him to the couch opposite. Scott sat with his head in his hands, tears streaming down his face while Ty looked from him to me, bewildered.
"Everything's OK now, Ty," I said reassuringly. "Scott's had a bit of an adventure and things turned to shit, but he's home now and he's safe."
"Why didn't you call us?" Ty asked. "We've been sick with worry."
"I'm sorry Ty," Scott sobbed.
"Sorry for what? What's happened?"
I handed Scott a box of tissues and said, "Scott's got some stuff to tell you Ty, and you need to stay calm. Remember, he's OK now."
"How come you know all this, and I don't? Scott? I'm your brother."
Scott only sobbed more, saying over and over "I'm sorry, Ty. I'm sorry."
I sat next to Scott, prized his face out of his hands and wiped his face. "Take a big breath, mate. Time to talk."
Scott gradually calmed himself down and as soon as he started to talk, I looked at Ty in a way that warned him not to overreact.
As the whole sordid story unfolded, I could sense Ty's rollercoaster of emotions – concern, fear, relief and anger – but to his credit, he remained calm on the outside. By the end of it, Scott was blubbering again, and repeated "I'm sorry Ty".
Ty leaned back into the couch, put his hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling for a few moments. He sat up again, leaned forward in his seat, and said in a much louder voice than was necessary, "You took drugs? In a foreign country? Why Scott?"
There was no answer. Ty raised his voice again. "I asked you WHY?"
Between sobs, Scott replied "They were making fun of me for saying no. One of them called me a baby."
"That's no excuse Scott," Ty seethed. "You promised me. And you promised Lachlan. Magic mushrooms are a hallucinogenic. They can kill you. You risked your life because someone called you a baby?"
"I'm sorry Ty. I'm so sorry."
"Your brother and I asked you to stay in touch with us. We were going out of minds worrying about you. And with good reason, it seems. You were tripping. Fuckin' well done, Scott!"
"Ty!" I cautioned, as Scott broke down again.
"Please don't hate me, Ty," he blubbered.
The response seemed to shock Ty. He sat and looked at his brother for a moment and then moved swiftly to Scott's side. I thought for a moment he was going to wallop him, but instead he wrapped his arms around him and hugged him.
"Get this straight, Scotty," he said soothingly. "I will never hate you. I love you so much it hurts. So does Lachie. You're our brother and we'll always stick by you. But that doesn't stop me being angry with you. You fucked up, mate. But I'm not gonna ride your ass any more now. You look like you need some sleep?"
"I haven't really slept since Thursday," Scott whispered.
"OK, you need to catch some zzzs. It might be a good idea to be out of the way when Lachie gets home."
The two brothers stayed locked in their embrace until Ty pulled away, held Scott's face and kissed him. "I love you, mate. Just sometimes you do really dumb things."
"I'm really sorry, Ty," Scott said, on the verge of tears again.
I held out my hand and pulled Scott up from the couch. "Come on mate," I said. "Time to get some shut eye."
I steered Scott to his bedroom, told him to get into bed and that I'd bring his luggage along later. I returned to the lounge, and saw Ty leaning on the balcony railing, gazing out to sea. I grabbed a couple of beers and joined him.
"Fuck me sideways!" he exclaimed.
"Yeah, I know," I smiled. "But he's home and he's safe. You handled that well, by the way. He was petrified of facing you."
"Interesting that he called you."
"I'm a lawyer mate. When there's trouble, call a lawyer."
"No Mike. He called you because he knew you'd smooth the way. You'd take charge and tell him what to do."
"All I did was pick him up at the airport and get all the facts. If I wasn't around, he'd have just come home."
"No, you normalised the situation. Like you always do."
"What would have been different if I wasn't here?"
"I'd have smacked him in the ear, for a start," Ty replied, and then chuckled.
"He's a good kid, Ty. He's been out of his mind on Psilocybin and he's lost his boyfriend, and all he's worried about is that he let you and Lachlan down."
"Which he did."
"And which will be one of the great regrets of his life."
"You really care about him don't you?"
"Of course I do. And I care about Lachlan too. But you? See, you I love ..."
Ty leaned in and kissed me. "I love you too. You just deal with all this shit."
We drank some more beer before Ty remarked, "So, Simon Miller eh? What a cunt."
"Yeah, that's disappointing," I agreed. "But better Scott find out sooner than later ..."
Our discussion was cut short when the front door opened and Lachlan and Ellie bounded in, full of enthusiasm and laden with shopping bags.
"You gotta see all this baby stuff we got!" Lachlan beamed, until he tuned into Ty. "What's wrong? Something's wrong ..."
"Mike, is everything OK?" Ellie asked cautiously.
"OK guys," I sighed. "Let's go sit in the lounge."
Lachlan, Ellie and Ty filed into the lounge and flopped on couches. "It's been an interesting afternoon," I smiled. "Ty'll fill you in. I'll go get some beers. Ellie?"
"Tea for me thanks Mike."
As I walked through the door into the kitchen, I heard Ty say, "Lach, it's like this. Don't get mad ..."
I deliberately dawdled in the kitchen so that by the time I was carrying drinks and snacks into the lounge, the story had been repeated again.
I stifled a laugh when I heard Lachlan ask Ty, "Did you smack him in the ear?"
"No," Ty replied. "But only because he was such a mess. I've never seen him so upset."
"We drummed this stuff into him til we were blue in the face," Lachlan groaned. "How could he be this stupid?"
I interrupted. "Lachlan, he's eighteen. Eighteen-year-olds do stupid things. It's how they learn. And believe me, he's learned."
"Well, he's still got to face some sort of consequence," Lachlan huffed. "Like, he's grounded now. He won't be going anywhere without me for the foreseeable future!"
I sighed. "Lachlan, he's eighteen. He's a man now, just like his brothers. He wants to be like both of you and he desperately wants you to be proud of him. But he's fucked up and he knows he's let you both down. Badly. That's punishment enough."
Lachlan chuckled. "It really pisses me off when you make perfect sense while I'm trying to be angry. I hate that!"
"Yeah, shits me too!" Ty muttered. "Fuckin' lawyers ..."
Ellie saw her moment and surreptitiously winked at me. "While naughty boy's asleep and avoiding the Wrath Of Lach, do you guys wanna see the great baby stuff we got?"
Ty seemed to forget his concerns for a while as Ellie and Lachlan proudly held up the baby wear they'd bought, and the cute bibs and booties. "Hey, you'd better not let Mum see this stuff!" he laughed. "She's probably kitted a hundred pair of booties and caps and cardigans by now. And she'll have dragged out all the ones she knitted for us."
"Bet they'll smell of mothballs!" Lachlan shot back. "What about all those boxes of our old toys? And Dad will be building a playhouse, as we speak, for sure ..."
For a moment, Ty and Lachlan just looked at each other and grinned.
"Got one more thing here," he added, reaching into a bag. He held up a tiny, tiny white tee-shirt with small heat-sealed lettering on the front which read "My Uncle Is Tyson Hill. Who's Your Uncle?"
I don't think I've seen Ty laugh so much in weeks. He grabbed his brother and future sister-in-law in a hug and rambled, "That just made me realise I'll be famous' Uncle Ty. I can get the baby into a good school, you know. We'll be able to jump queues. I'm Tyson Hill. I'll be able to pull all sorts of strings, and if he's a boy, I can tee up dates when he's older with some really hot soapie startlets. If she's a girl, I can tee up dates with hot sportsmen. Mike and I will check em out first of course ..."
"You know what I love about you, Tyson?" Ellie giggled.
"I'm so damn cute?"
"Nah. You're so damn full of shit! ..."
As Scott slept and the rest of us did our own thing, George arrived home from his massage and coffee date. The massage was certainly doing him good – there was barely a limp. And we all thought maybe the date part was going well too, because George was humming in the kitchen. George never hums.
"How's the hip, old man?" Ty asked cheekily.
"It's much better thank you, sir," George replied. "Mr Stewart was right. Massage was just what I needed."
"And how was the date?" Lachlan asked.
"It wasn't a date," George sighed. "There are suitcases in the foyer. Is someone leaving?"
"Scott's home, George," I interjected.
"Really, sir?" George asked, and I swear there was a hint of relief in his voice. "Simon too?"
"Um, no George," Lachlan began, and as George put together an antipasto platter, the story was told for the third time. When Lachlan was finished, he looked to George for a reaction.
"Don't forget you were eighteen once, Lachlan," George smiled.
"Correct," Lachlan responded. "But I didn't fuck up and take drugs."
"No sir, you didn't. But according to your Father, you did plenty of other irresponsible things at that age."
"Dad said I was irresponsible?" Lachlan asked.
"That's not quite what your Father said, sir," George replied. "He said you were an asshole."
George's quip led to a lively exchange between Ty and Lachlan, about who did what at age eighteen and who got away with it. Ellie and I excused ourselves and started clearing plates and glasses in the lounge room, when Scott wandered in.
He froze when he saw Ellie, probably uncertain what her reaction might be. But Ellie was a trouper. She made a fuss, walked up and hugged Scott and said, "It's great to see you Scott. We're all glad you're home."
"So, um, you all know?"
"We all know, yeah."
"And?"
"And I'm good. Just between us, it's best this stuff happens early in life. You can put it behind you and move on. But, you know ..."
"What?"
"Well, there's still Lachie to go ..."
"Does he hate me?" Scott asked quietly.
Ellie snorted. "Hate you?? Yeah, right!"
Scott looked at me. "Time to make your entrance, mate!" I smiled.
"Can you go in first?"
"Come on Ellie," I sighed.
As Ellie and I walked into the kitchen, a full-scale argument was brewing between the older Hill boys about who ratted on who that time they snuck out to the barn with a bottle of Frank's vintage port and proceeded to write themselves off.
The banter abruptly stopped when Scott appeared behind us. Scott's eyes locked on Lachlan, who was leaning against the pantry door.
"Hey Lachie!" Scott managed, as enthusiastically as any teenager who was quietly shitting himself.
Lachlan didn't immediately answer. He looked his brother up and down before saying, "I have three words to say to you, mate."
Scott sighed. Without looking up he mumbled, "`you're a fuckwit'?"
"No, `I love you' ," Lachlan replied. "And yes, you're a fuckwit."
"Am I in really big trouble?"
"You sure are. And you'll be in even more trouble if you don't get your ass over here and give your favourite brother a hug."
At that, Ty held both his arms out and Scott giggled, the first sign the `old Scott' wasn't too far away. He scampered across the kitchen and fell into Lachlan's arms.
"Hey!" Ty objected. "What am I? Chopped liver?"
Droll as always, George said "Join the club, sir!"
Scott's face appeared from under Lachlan's arm. "Hey George!" he smiled. "I missed you."
"Did you miss me, or my cooking?"
"Um," Scott grinned. "What's for dinner?"
The rest of the evening passed pleasantly. Although I knew there were still consequences for Scott to face, Ty and Lachlan left it alone for the time being. At Lachlan's urging, Scott talked more about what he'd been through and while neither of his brothers condoned any form of drug taking, they were both sympathetic to the frightening experience he'd had after ingesting mushrooms, especially his altered time perception.
Dinner wound up about 9.30, when Ty suggested – or rather, instructed – Scott that he needed a bath, and he was directed to our en suite. We all helped clear the table and stack the dishwasher, and George gave us all a chuckle when he volunteered to make mushroom omelettes for breakfast.
I checked my emails and quickly read my briefing notes for meetings the next morning before heading back to the lounge room. Ellie was holding baby clothes up and inspecting them and for the first time I noticed her tummy.
"Hey, you've got the whole `baby bump' going on!" I laughed.
"I know," she smiled, patting her tummy. "I've just got a feeling this kid's gonna be a whopper!"
"Where are the guys?"
"Where do you think?" she chuckled. "Supervising Scott's bath!"
I wandered into our en suite and found Lachlan leaning against the vanity with his arms folded, Scott in the tub and Ty washing his brother's hair. A debate was underway about whether Frank and Dorothy should know what happened in Nairobi.
"But if you tell them," Scott whined, "I'll never be allowed outside Stanthorpe again."
"Maybe you should've thought of that first?" Lachlan reasoned.
"Please Lachie? I promise I'll never do it again."
"You promised you wouldn't do it the first time."
"I know," Scott said quietly. "I'm sorry."
"I need some time to think about it."
"I'll accept whatever the punishment is," Scott said earnestly. "Just please don't tell Mum and Dad."
"We'll see," Lachlan replied, and what Scott didn't see was the wink he gave Ty. Forgiveness was certainly in the air.
I returned to the lounge room and helped Ellie fold up the baby clothes. George had made us tea and when we'd finished, I carried all the shopping bags to the room she and Lachlan shared.
Ty was already in bed when I returned to our en suite to clean my teeth. Scott was lying in his arms and Lachlan was propped up on his elbow on the far side of the bed. We chatted for a while and when the yawning started, I stood and said goodnight.
"Where are you going?" Ty asked.
Lachlan started to get up from the bed but I moved him back. "You guys sleep here tonight," I said. "I'll sleep in Scott's bed."
I smiled to myself when there was no objection. I waved and disappeared down the corridor to Scott's room, stripped and slipped into bed.
For some reason I didn't sleep especially well. I was conscious of the fact I had an early start at work, but mostly, I think, it was because I was alone in bed. Many times I'd turn and reach for Ty and realise he wasn't there. I missed the scent of a man. More to the point, the scent of my man.
I padded to the toilet and then continued on to the kitchen. Sticking my head around the door, I said good morning to George as he went about preparing breakfast for us all. I moved on to our bedroom and opened the door to find Ty and Lachlan both awake, lying on their sides watching a curled-up Scott in repose.
They both smiled at me and, as if sensing things were happening around him, Scott started to open his eyes.
"Hey, this is my favourite fantasy!" I chuckled. "Three hot looking guys all naked in one bed!"
"Hey, I'm not naked!" Lachlan laughed.
"Neither am I!" Scott yawned.
"I am!" chuckled Ty.
"Ewww" was the expected response from Scott.
"But wait. There's more!" Ty added, as he turned on his back, his morning wood obscenely tenting the top sheet.
Lachlan laughed. "Must be contagious," he said before rolling on to his back and pitching a similar tent with his stiff penis.
"Jesus!" Scott groaned. "You guys are gross."
"You tryin' to tell us you haven't got a stiffy?" Ty chuckled.
"No I do not!" said Scott emphatically.
Lachlan winked at Ty before slipping his hand under the covers, quickly grabbing at Scott's groin. "Oh yes you do, ya dirty little liar!"
George walked in carrying the boys' breakfasts and looked at me quizzically. "Trust me, George, you don't wanna know!" I laughed as I headed to the kitchen.
Ellie was buttering a muffin and asked, "would you like one?"
"Yeah, that'd be great," I said. "Just got time for a muffin and a coffee and then I've gotta hit the road."
As I finished and rinsed my cup, Ellie poured herself a coffee. "Is it safe to go say hi to the boys?"
"Up to you," I grinned. "Last I saw, they were comparing morning wood!"
Ellie rolled her eyes. "Honestly, guys are disgusting!" she laughed. "The trouble with Lachie is, he has morning wood in the morning, and then he has afternoon wood, and evening wood, and middle of the night wood too!"
I chuckled. "Who's a lucky girl, then?" I asked, as I kissed her on the cheek and headed off to work ...
My work day just evaporated as I bounced from meeting to meeting and one brief court appearance for a deferment. I finally took a breather and thought about grabbing a bite for lunch when I realised it was after 5. And that's how it went for most of the week.
Ditto for Ty, who spent his days and some evenings recording demos of new songs he'd written and rehearsing for his upcoming appearance on `My iPod'. Lachlan and Ellie spent most of their days shopping for furniture they'd need when the baby arrived and shipping it to Stanthorpe. George? Well, George just kept the house running like clockwork and us well fed, and between times he and Henri were reading literature together and had graduated to seeing the occasional art house movie.
And Scott was keeping a low profile, hanging out with Ty, lying in the sun on the beach or taking Scruffy for long walks. He was almost back to his happy-go-lucky self but I could sense the sadness lingering just under the surface.
On Thursday evening, I returned home and from the kitchen balcony, I could see Scott sitting on the sand with my brother Steve. When George came into the kitchen to check on dinner, I asked him what that was about.
"It was Lachlan's idea, sir," George said. "He wanted Steve to tell Scott about his own battle with substances and how they almost ruined his life."
"Steve was OK about that?"
"He seemed more than willing, sir," George replied. "They've been talking for a couple of hours now."
Lachlan walked through the door and slapped me on the back on his way to grab a beer. "I asked Steve to talk to Scotty," he said. "I thought Scott might take more notice of someone who's actually had experience with the down side of drugs."
"Good call, mate," I assured him. "But I can't believe the turnaround with Steve."
"Yeah, he's a good guy, Mike. He just needed a wakeup call."
Again, Steve stayed for dinner. Ellie was having dinner out with her Mother, so it was just us boys this time. When we'd finished our steaks, we kicked back on the balcony with beers and talked shit.
I had to smile when Steve asked Scott, "What are the chicks like in Stanthorpe?"
Scott smirked. "There's no shortage of them, that's for sure! And they dig guys from out of town."
"This is probably the beer talking," Steve said, lowering his voice. "But I haven't had any pussy since that night Lachie dropped into the backpackers. And even then, I didn't get to finish!"
"Don't worry mate!" Lachlan winked. "A good looking guy like you won't have any trouble finding a bit of skirt in Stanthorpe. On average it takes one date – dinner and the movies – and you're in like Flynn!"
"Woo hoo!" Steve cheered. "I'm getting sick of beating up Bob and the twins!"
Ty guffawed and Lachlan almost choked on his mouthful of beer. "Tired of what??" he chortled.
"Beating up Bob and the twins! You know, hand-starting the one-eyed yogurt thrower!"
Ty jumped in. "He means he's been making stomach pancakes! Sacrificing his sperm to the God Of Lonely Nights!"
"Ah, now I get it!" Lachlan laughed. "In the Army we called it Doing Battle With The Purple-Helmeted Warrior Of Love'. Or Escorting The Prisoner Out Of His Cell'."
"How about you Mike," Lachlan asked?
I smiled. "As a lawyer, I've been known to `Evict The Testicle Squatters By Hand' on occasions.'
I looked up and saw Ellie leaning against the open door, her arms crossed and a big smile on her face. "Hey Ellie!"
"Are you boys talking about your penises again?"
"Guilty, Your Honour!" I laughed.
"George started it!" Scott whispered.
"I heard that, you little worm," came a voice from somewhere in the kitchen.
"Lachie, did you remember we've got the ultrasound tomorrow? Mum said she'd take me if you can't."
"Of course I'll take you honey," Lachlan grinned, his face radiating fatherly pride. "Hey, do you think we'll be able to tell this early whether it's a boy or a girl? Do dicks show up in ultrasounds?"
"Do you think I could have just one conversation today that didn't mention penises?"
"Actually, Ellie," said Steve with a grin. "Since you've been home, you've spoken three sentences, and the word `penis' was in two of them. I think you're worse than we are!"
"I think she's got the Lachie Love Machine on her mind," Lachlan said, rubbing his hands together. "I think she's dropping a bit hint for me, and I'm gonna have to rise to the occasion!"
"I give up!" Ellie said, throwing up her arms in mock resignation. "Anyone want tea?"
It was a resounding yes, except for Steve, who needed to bail because he had an early start on the construction site. I offered to drop him home but he assured me he'd pre-booked a cab. Right on cue, horn sounded in the driveway and Steve made ready to leave.
He kissed Ellie on the cheek and shook hands with us all. He saved Scott for last and squeezed him tight. "Sorry if I was a bit rough on ya, mate," he said. "But nobody knows better than me how that shit can mess up your life."
"I heard ya, Steve. Loud and clear. It was a oncer."
"Evenin' all!" said Steve as he sauntered to the front door with Ellie.
"What's say we all have an early night," Ty suggested.
"Good idea. Apparently I've got a job to do!" Lachlan laughed.
"Me too!" I said. "I've got a difficult rock star client who wants me to take down his briefs!"
Scott giggled. "I guess I'm back to polishing little Scott til he pukes!"
Ellie re-appeared and said, "For God's sake, enough with the dick talk!" as she brandished a pair of George's kitchen shears.
"You boys ever heard of Lorena Bobbitt ...?"
Ty and I did get to have an early night and for the first time in more than a week, we made love. Languid, dreamy love. We lay for a long time, looking at each other, touching, stroking, gently kissing. Our bedroom patio doors were open and we could hear the waves in the distance, a reminder of that special time we spent on the Sunshine Coast in the big white house.
Tenderness eventually gave way to passion, and before I knew it I was beneath this beautiful man, my legs wrapped around his waist as he eased himself into me. I knew the urgency in his loins and I wanted to make him groan, to cry out his need for me. And I did.
When he was spent, I relaxed on my back, feeling the man I loved inside my body, watching his face change like the sky on a summer's evening – warm, serene and settling into dusk. His eyes were open wide as he gazed into mine, but I could see that the shades were softly being pulled down. Soon, he pulled away, out of me, before falling beside me and curling into me, his head on my chest.
I lay in the dark and tried to think of a time in my life when I'd been happier. I couldn't. I had Ty. You could take the fantastic job, the beautiful home, the great mates and the cruisy lifestyle. Just leave me with the shy country boy with the curly hair and the goofy grin.
As I drifted off to sleep I reminded myself he was all I really needed to be happy. Well, him, and sheets with a thread count more than 750 ...
I woke in the morning, still with Ty's head on my chest and I wondered briefly if we'd stayed in that same position all night or whether we'd shifted around and eventually, come back to the comfort zone? My thoughts were interrupted by the knock on the door.
George walked in to announce that breakfast would be served for all on the balcony. He looked at Ty and said to me, "Shall I send the chariot for Sleeping Beauty, sir?"
I was about to reply when Ty interrupted; his closed eyes obviously didn't mean he was asleep. "Please tell me you're not my Prince, George?" he asked sleepily.
"No sir," George replied. "Your Prince is lying next to you. I'm just the wicked old Queen, and if you don't get those award-winning buns of yours into gear, all the warm blueberry muffins will have been inhaled by your brothers."
Ty sat up instantly. "Warm blueberry muffins? Why didn't you say?" he enthused as he swung himself out of bed. "Where are my pants?"
He made it to the balcony just in time to snaffle the last two muffins, one of which he saved for me. And then he ate half of it.
"So," Lachlan smirked, "did we all reap the full benefits of an early night?"
Scott was about to respond when Ellie, not looking up from her newspaper, picked up the kitchen shears and snipped them three times in the air.
"Um, yeah, I slept really well thanks Lach," he mumbled.
We pretty much cleared the table of food before heading off to various bathrooms to prepare for the day. Mine would not be as frenetic as the days preceding it, but full nonetheless. Lachlan and Ellie had their gynaecologist's appointment, Scott would no doubt hang around the house and annoy George, and Ty was involved in rehearsals for the TV show. He'd be all done by 5p.m. and would head for St Vincent's Hospital. I'd pick him up at 6p.m.
Ty joined me in the shower and treated me to an exquisite soapy handjob. After our exertions the previous evening, we were both surprised by the sheer amount of gonad gravy that splattered over the shower screen door.
"You have magic hands, mate," I chuckled.
"Yeah," Ty agreed. "They're piano player's hands."
"They're even better on an upright organ!"
We dried quickly and dressed. We did the rounds before we left, wishing Lachlan and Ellie good luck with their doctor, and Scott got a bear hug from his oldest brother. "I love you, asshole," he smirked. "Just stay outta trouble!"
"Yeah, like I can get into trouble with George watching me like a hawk!" Scott giggled.
"I think you should ring Mum and Dad today, let `em know you're back," Ty suggested.
"What can I tell them?"
"Just tell them you got homesick or something."
"They'll expect me to go home to the farm."
"Probably not a bad idea," Ty replied. "You should probably pay them a visit, let them see you're not fading away from malnutrition."
"But I want to stay here," Scott whined. "I wanna be with you guys."
"We'll talk about it later, mate," Ty said, and after we both smacked Scott lightly across the back of the head I followed Ty out to the driveway.
"I'll drop you at the studio on my way if you like," I suggested, and 20 minutes later the country's hottest male rock star was strolling towards the doors of the network. I sat for a moment before driving off and watched him. He was being as un-Tyson Hill like as he could be as he made his entrance, but he was still a babe magnet. From the car to the automated doors, he was stopped half a dozen times and I loved watching the way he cheerfully gave everyone their moment. Handshakes, hugs, autographs, photo poses ... and all this before 9am.
I drove off smiling and my working day began. It flew. I finished my final phone call, wished the office girls a good weekend and headed for the hospital.
In 3 North, the door to Room 6 was closed, so I waited. I could hear Ty plucking his guitar, effortlessly; he was playing the melody of "Don't Be Afraid", one of the most recent songs he'd written. When the tune ended I opened the door and was surprised to see it was Daniel who was holding the guitar.
"Hey Mike!" Ty ginned. "I sang the melody of `Don't Be Afraid' to Daniel once, and he just plucked it on the strings. This kid's a fucking genius!"
"Sounded awesome, mate!" I remarked as I waved to Daniel. "I thought it was Tyson playing!"
This time I got to meet Daniel properly. "I'm Tyson's lawyer," I smiled. "I tag along to make sure he doesn't get into any trouble! Where's your Mum?"
"Every second Friday she has to work late," Daniel replied. "I won't see her until tomorrow morning."
Despite his obvious excitement at seeing Ty again, Daniel didn't look at all well. He was pale and weak, and the darkness of his beanie only served to highlight the blackness around his eyes. But there was no mistaking his delight at having his idol sitting with him.
"Hey Dan," Ty enthused. "Play Mike `Until You Came Along'. Just listen to this, Mike."
Daniel strummed the chords of the song Ty had written for me back in Melbourne, and I swear he played it every bit as well as Ty did. When he finished, I gave him the thumbs up, but I was alarmed when Daniel quickly put the guitar down and started looking around. It was obvious he was about to be sick.
Ty took it in his stride, reaching under the bed for a basin which he held for Daniel as the teenager vomited. Throughout, Ty stroked Daniel's hair, as Daniel apologised profusely.
"No sweat!" Ty assured him as he placed the basin back under the bed. "If you didn't like the song you should have just said!"
Daniel giggled as Ty set about repositioning his pillows. From his backpack, Ty pulled out his iPod. "You wanna hear a couple of songs I've been working on?"
"You bet!"
"These aren't finished," Ty cautioned. "They're not even proper demos. But I think they'll turn out good enough for my next album."
Daniel eagerly put the earphones in and cranked up the volume, sinking back into his pillows and closing his eyes.
"Can you sit with Dan?" Ty asked. "I told the nurse I want to speak to Daniel's doctor, and he's floating around."
"I doubt whether he'll be able to discuss Daniel's condition with you, mate," I said.
"Yeah, I know that. I've just got a couple of general questions."
Ty disappeared and I sat watching Daniel, touched that something as simple as meeting Ty could brighten his day. Daniel played the two new songs over and over until Ty returned.
"What do you think?" Ty asked when Daniel opened his eyes.
"They're ace!" he beamed. "I like the second one best!"
"Hey, so do I!" Ty grinned. "Needs some percussion though. A bit of tambourine would really help it along."
The door opened and a nurse walked in, carrying a basin and cloth and a cocktail of pills.
"Time for your meds, Daniel," she said. "And a sponge."
Daniel's face dropped. "Can't you come back later?" he asked.
"You're already overdue for your medication, Dan," she said.
Ty jumped in. "It's cool Dan," he said. "We'll hit the road. I'm doing My iPod' on Music Max' tomorrow. About 7.45 I think. Can I ring you when it's over to see what you thought?"
"Yeah, of course," Daniel replied.
Ty gave Daniel a long hug and promised him he'd be back same time the following Friday. I shook hands with Daniel and asked him if there's anything he'd like next time we dropped in. He looked sheepish but shook his head.
"Come on, mate," I smiled. "There's gotta be something!"
He paused and looked at the nurse, and then said quietly to me, "I'd love a Big Mac!"
Ty and I laughed. I looked questioningly at the nurse. She laughed, too. "It's not on Daniel's `recommended eating' list!" she said. "But yeah, I think one would be OK!"
"Big Mac it is then," I declared. "With all the trimmings!"
In the car, Ty bombarded me with information he'd gleaned from Daniel's oncologist.
Daniel had acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. He'd already had his induction chemotherapy to bring about bone marrow remission. He was currently having consolidation therapy to eliminate remaining leukaemia cells. The next step was preventive therapy, to stop the cancer from spreading to the brain and nervous system.
"Do you have any idea how much Daniel's treatment must be costing, mate?" Ty asked suddenly.
"No," I answered honestly.
"A lot of it's on Medicare, but there's all the extras, the gaps in the specialist fees that aren't covered, and the lost income when Mandy has to take time off to look after him," Ty said. "How can she afford that on one income?"
"She probably can't," I conceded.
"Maybe I could do a little show and the proceeds could go to Dan?"
"Too hard, mate," I said. "He's not a known name, so it's a hard sell. You'd have to do a big push. And you'd have to register for charitable status with the tax office, and they'd question why the concert benefitted an individual rather than an organisation. It's red tape you can eventually cut through, but it wouldn't be easy."
"Sounds too complicated," Ty shrugged. "But I've gotta do something, mate."
We talked through a couple of options on the drive home and by the time we parked the car, Ty was itching to call Vince to discuss the possibilities. We were still engrossed in it when we walked into the house, but stopped as soon as we saw Lachlan and Ellie on the couch in the lounge room, hugging.
"Hey guys!" Ty thundered. "What did the doc say about my niece or nephew?"
Ellie and Lachlan looked at him blankly; Ty's grin disappeared when they looked at each other and Ellie put her hand over her mouth.
It was then that my heart sank ...
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