Whiteout

Whiteout by Jonah

Those who have read my previous stories will need no introduction to Simon and Garret and their family. Those who haven't - why not? This is the latest in the series that began a couple of years back with "A Letter from America" and it fits in right after "Christmas in New England". If you haven't read the others, don't worry. It will stand on its own. It is a story of love - the real sort. Some of its characters are gay, though that doesn't matter. They are good people. They are not, however, real people. This is a work of fiction and every character is also a fiction - created by me, except for Garret, who was created by Jacob Lion, in the USA. I want to thank Jacob for permitting me to use his characters. This story is brought to you, free of charge, by Nifty. Nifty brings all these stories to you free of charge and he doesn't charge us authors either. The cost is borne by himself and our donations. To keep this site going please consider donating to Nifty at https://donate.nifty.org/

chapter 8

It was my turn to get the boys to bed tonight so after a meal which, for most of us, consisted of traditional fish and chips, we watched television for a couple of hours then sent the younger boys off next-door to bed. I gave them time to get changed and in bed then went in to settle them down.

"Daddy, why is Ross sleeping with you?"

"Everyone needs to sleep Lloyd."

"Yes but why is he in your room?"

"Because everybody's got to be somewhere, now isn't it time you were going to sleep?"

"No," said Philip.

"Philip, when I speak to the organ grinder, I don't expect an answer from his monkey."

In a flash a naked Philip was bouncing on his bed, scratching his armpits and uttering a hideous screeching sound. I pushed him over so that he lay on his back on the mattress with his legs waving in the air.

"Sleep, now - or, at least, only talking quietly until Dad comes in."

Yes I know Garret wasn't "Dad" to all of them, but we never made an issue of it.

"Yes Daddy," said Lloyd.

"Night," said Barry.

"Night Barry - night Monkey - night Lloyd," I responded, kissing each in turn.

"I'm not a monkey," pouted Philip.

"No you're not Philip, now settle down there's a good boy."

I slipped out and returned to my own room.

Garret was still seated on the sofa watching the television. Ross, on the other hand, had kicked off his shoes and socks and was lying on the bed and watching from there. I opted to kick my shoes off and sit next to the latter.

I don't know to what extent Ross was really watching the TV. He kept trying to distract me by wiggling his toes. Perhaps "Newsnight" didn't hold the same fascination for fourteen year old boys as it did for Garret and I. Perhaps it wasn't that fascinating for us either - after all, the only thing that seemed to have happened in the last few days was that it had snowed. They should try to broadcast news reports like that in Lapland.

"They OK?" asked Garret.

"Yes, they're only waiting for you to kiss them goodnight and put the light out."

"They get kisses?" said Ross. "Why don't ...."

"NO," I said firmly. "Now get yourself showered if you're going to and get yourself to bed. The telly's going off anyway."

We slept as we had the previous night. Well I did. It's not possible to tell what others are doing when one is asleep. I awoke at first light and showered. It didn't take long to get the others doing the same. We were down for breakfast in good time.

This time I opted for the full English as well. The only dissenter was Ross who had noticed pancakes on the breakfast menu. A glance from the hotel door told us that the snow had receeded further, the sun was shining and footpath and road were clear. We returned to our rooms and put on coats and outdoor shoes. Three boys climbed into Garret's car and Ross and I set out on foot.

The CTC was not too far from the George so I was in good time to claim an audience with Grev Kennedy.

"We should be back to normal this morning,Simon," he told me. "How're you coping with Ross?"

"Doesn't take any coping with. He pulls his weight with the family."

"I need to have a word with him sometime," he said. "I owe him an apology. He cracked a joke about helicopters the other day and I told him not to be cheeky. It was only afterwards that I remembered that his mother is in intensive care and he could do with all the laughs he can get."

"I wouldn't worry if I were you," I told him. "He's very mature and certainly wouldn't have been upset."

"I think the pressure was getting to me, but I shouldn't have taken it out on him."

I couldn't tell whether that was addressed to me or an internal dialogue.

"Grev," I said, "I could do with a favour, if you're free at lunch time."

"I'm sure I can be," he replied. "What's the problem?"

"Well my car is marking the site of a snowdrift in Newton St Faith. I'm sure the drift wont be there now, and the police will soon be urging me to move it. Besides, I could do with it here. I have to take Ross to see his mother when school finishes."

"That won't be a problem. I can easily run you out there."

The bell rang to kick-start the life of a City Technology College. Back in my form room I found the usual collection of amiable reprobates.

"Been anywhere nice for the holidays Sir?" asked Neil Goodchild, who never lived up to his surname.

"Yes, where are we going today Daddy?" asked Ross Coulter. That got a laugh until I silenced it.

"COULTER!" I thundered.

There was silence.

"Ross," I said more quietly. "I'm not your daddy, and you needn't think I won't send you to the principal if the need arises. Has the need arisen?"

"No Sir. Sorry Sir."

"Pity, he wanted to see you anyway."

"Sir?"

"He wanted to ask if you wanted any particular sort of helicopter."

"Oh ....I shouldn't have said that to him, Sir."

"No, but he didn't mean to snap at you. He didn't really mind because he's a good person. So are you, so don't spoil yourself by being naughty in class."

I opened the register.

"Right - now answer your names. Aldridge..........."

The rest of the day was your typical school day. I did recover my car at dinner time, courtesy of my boss, so I was able to drive Ross to the university hospital when the final bell had gone.

We had to find our own way to intensive care and found Mrs Coulter more or less as she had been the previous day.

"Hello Mum," said Ross. "Mr. Ito's brought me in to see you again. I think you know I'm here, and I can't wait till you're better."

"Hello Mrs. Coulter. Ross is doing fine. He's sometimes cheeky, but he's a good boy. I bet he's never cheeky to you."

The technician came out of the cubicle,

"I've paged Doctor Woods bacause he said he wanted to see you when you came in. You're doing wonders for her E.E.G. trace. She's showing a stronger heartbeat too. She's really much better."

I turned back to the woman in the tent. It was still possible to imagine facial movements. The thing was that she looked better than she had. She looked happier, but there was no way she could indicate that. That could only be indicated by our own knowledge that she ought to be happier. In her comatose state, she could lie there, but all other active verbs were beyond her.

"You look better today Mum," said Ross. "Seriously you do. We've all noticed the difference."

"Centre of attention as usual Alice," said Dave Woods. He turned to me.

"Glad you could come, and so's she. She can't tell you, but she is."

"How's she doing?"

"Her heartbeat is stronger, her breathing is stronger, which can only mean that her lungs are repairing themselves, and her mental activity - well it exists now. It hardly did before. If she continues at this rate we'll be looking at bringing her round by the end of the week."

That was news worth hearing. Ross was much more animated as I drove him back to the hotel.

"If they're bringing her round, will she be coming home?"

"Yes, but not yet."

"When?"

"When she's well enough. She's still got a lot of healing to do."

"But I can't wait."

"So what are you planning on doing instead of waiting?"

We were nearly at the hotel, so the silence didn't stretch too far.

Garret had booked us in for dinner at the usual time so we dined in style as usual.

"Spoke to the insurance this afternoon," said Garret.

"Are they finally sending the loss adjuster?"

"He's been - this afternoon. Said he's just telling the builders to get on with it. I expect he knows how much we're eating at this place."

"Well that must be an incentive to get the job done - I think I WILL have a dessert."

After dinner it was back to the television till bedtime. None of these boys ever watched much television at home. I rather hoped they weren't developing bad habits.

It was Garret's turn to get the boys to bed so Ross and I continued to ignore "Newsnight".

"When my mum is better do I have to go and live with her"

"Don't you want to?"

"Yes, of course, but she won't be able to do everything in the flat."

"She might need a strapping big son to help her."

"She's only got me."

"Well that makes you quite important doesn't it?"

"I'm only fourteen."

"I don't know how old your mum is, but she's looked after you for fourteen years. Even if she hadn't got hurt, it would still be getting around to your turn.Besides, she'll be able to do some things. She'll just need a little help. I'd have thought you'd have wanted to do it."

"I do. It's just....."

I let the silence drag on for a few seconds before I asked,

"Are you, perhaps, just a little frightened Ross?"

He looked as if he wanted to deny that, but the words wouldn't come so eventually he just said,

"Yes."

I went over and sat next to him on the bed.

"Welcome to real life Ross," I said putting an arm around his shoulders. His head was instantly rested on my shoulder.

"I'm sorry you had to find it the hard way. You'll cope a lot better than you think though, and you won't be all alone."

"Will I have to take her to the toilet and things?"

"If she needs you to, yes, but the hospital won't let her out until she can at least do a bit for herself. Now stop worrying. Life is about doing what you have to do when you have to do it. You can't do it by worrying beforehand."

"I told them ten minutes and you'd be putting the light out," said Garret.

"There you go Ross," i said. "I've got ten minutes to worry about putting the light out - or I could sit with you for ten minutes, then just go and do it."

Ross laid back on the bed and surveyed the ceiling.

"Clever," he remarked to nobody in particular.

"So are you," I said, "so you'll be OK."

"Do you want the shower Ross?" asked Garret.

"No, you go first," the boy replied.

I stood and made for the door.

"Wish me luck," I said. Ross just grinned.

"Daddy," said Barry as I inserted myself into their room.

"Don't you start," I said.

"What?"

"I had to tell Ross off for doing that this morning - in front of a whole class of students."

"Don't you want us to call you Daddy?" Lloyd asked.

"Of course I do," I assured him. "It's best if Ross doesn't - specially at college, but Barry was just experimenting to see what it sounded like, and I'm sorry I complained Barry."

"It feels nice," Barry commented.

"And I like it too," I said.

"You're not like my Daddy," Philip commented.

The other two boys suddenly became wary. They had no strategy for dealing with this and were watching to see what I would do. I sat on the edge of the bed close to Philip.

"I am in some ways you know," I told him. "For a start, your daddy loved you - most likely still does. He loved your mummy too. He did that when he wasn't himself."

"You mean like Doctor Jeckum and Mister Hyde?"

"Doctor Jekyll," I told him. "yes, Doctor Jekyll took drugs just like your daddy did. They're bad for you and do horrible things. Your daddy was very silly to do that."

"I hate him," whispered the boy.

"Why are you whispering Philip?

"I hate him," he shouted.

"You were whispering, Philip, because you know that hating is a horrible thing to do. It hurts you more than it hurts the person you hate, so it's also a silly thing to do."

"Not if I kill him it wouldn't."

This was definitely not a conversation that I wanted to be having in front of the other two boys, but there didn't seem to be any alternative. Right, follow the rules. Take the boy seriously, Don't appear to be shocked. Keep the logic simple. Make sure he understands that you are on his side.

"He is serving a life sentence for murder," I told him. If you kill him, his sentence would end, and yours would start. He has destroyed his life, and you want to punish him by destroying yours too."

"Mine is already destroyed," he muttered.

"Well it would be, but Garret and I, and Lloyd, and Barry too, are doing everything that we can to make it better."

The tears finally broke out.

"I'm sorry," he sobbed.

I clasped the boy to me. Barry held him firmly from behind and Lloyd, unable to reach, clasped Barry instead.

"Don't be," I said really quietly. "You might not have noticed but we love you."

"Thank you Daddy," he sobbed.

That was what it took to crack open my waterworks. I had to hurriedly kiss each boy goodnight then leave the room.