Frank Lord was lost. Two months ago his wife had left him, his son was a puffta and his daughter and her husband were refusing to let him see his grandchildren. He had expected Alice, his ex-daughter-in-law to welcome him with open arms given that she had been the one to suffer most because of his son’s depravity, but even she had refused him entry to her home and like her sister-in-law had banned him from seeing her children. Her reasons had hurt him as he knew that she was wrong in everything she said.
‘Don’t you see what you’ve done Frank? You really don’t do you? You used our daughter, that’s mine and Jason’s daughter Frank. Mine AND Jason’s. You bullied and forced a man I still love and care for into a life of lies. You’ve probably lost Mary because of your bigotry and hatred. Your own daughter won’t let you near her kids because she doesn’t trust you and then you come round here expecting what exactly?’ She stood on her doorstep like an immoveable statue.
‘You have no right to stop me seeing my grandchildren, and if you’d been any sort of proper wife he’d not have turned. It’s all your bloody fault you stupid bitch.’ He didn’t see the slap across the face coming but feeling the stinging on his cheek he reacted instinctively, the way he had always responded to someone hitting him. His fist flew straight at Alice’s head and connected with all the force he could muster. All the anger and frustration that had built up over the last two months was put into the punch that smashed into Alice and sent her ricocheting into the door frame to fall unconscious at his feet. Frank stared at the crumpled body then at his still clenched fist. He felt a nauseous feeling bubble up inside him and unable to control it threw up all over the unmoving woman he had assaulted. He panicked and ran leaving Alice to what ever fate had in store for her. In his panic he thought only of getting away and he drove his Range Rover like a madman, paying no attention to where he was going or to who or what was in his way. He drove just under five miles and was heading down the by-pass at over one hundred miles per hour before his luck gave out. Something caught his attention in the corner of his eye and he turned his head to look at it. Not realising what he was doing his hands on the steering wheel followed the direction of his gaze and the last thing he ever saw was a magnificent male pheasant in all it’s colourful glory fly straight into his windscreen as he unwittingly steered his car off the road and into the concrete bridge support covered in graffiti. The police would report later that he probably died instantly, but he didn’t. He lived long enough to blame ‘that fucking pheasant’ for his death. Even at his end Frank Lord would take no responsibility for his actions. In his mind he died a blameless man.
Three months later
‘Come on girls time to go.’ Marvin stood by the front door impatiently waiting for his two, soon to be step daughters. Sarah and Amelia – Amy for short, came charging down the stairs shouting and arguing with each other as to who was going to sit in the front with him.
‘It’s my turn you were in front yesterday.’
‘You sat in front with dad last night so it’s my turn today.’
‘That doesn’t count. It’s…’
‘That’s enough. You’ll both go in the bloody boot if you don’t shut up!’
‘Ohh,’ said Sarah. ‘You swore.’ A mischievous glint sparkled in her eye. ‘just like her bloody father’ thought Marvin with a smile.
‘I’ll do more than bloody swear if the pair of you don’t get in the car now and stop arguing.’
‘But…’ began Amy.
‘No buts. No maybes. Get in the back both of you. We’re picking your dad up on the way so he can sit in the front.’ He suppressed a chuckle at the girl’s antics. ‘and don’t forget your seatbelts.’ He got into the drivers seat, checked the girls were safely strapped in then started the engine and guided the Rolls into the traffic.
They were off to finally collect Alice from the clinic so that she could spend the weekend with them. She was repairing well after the incident with Frank had left her in a coma. A brain scan had quickly established that she had a bleed in her brain and that emergency surgery was needed if she was to stand any chance of living let alone recovering. The surgery had been successful and the bleed had been stopped but the surgeon was clear when speaking to Jason later that day that it was impossible to tell how much damage had been done while she had lain near death after Frank had driven off. She not being found until almost an hour after he had so callously left her and the police and ambulance crew were full of praise for the ten year old daughter who had calmly dialled 999. Sarah had relayed what she had found to the operator on the other end of the phone and had then done everything she had been asked to whilst she waited for the emergency services to arrive. She had remained calm and resolute until later that night when Jason along with Marvin, Mary and Liz, having flown up in Toby’s private jet, walked into the hospital waiting room and gathered both his daughters in his arms. Many tears had then been shed and when eventually they were all cried out Jason had introduced them to Marvin telling them they could trust him as a friend and that they would look after the sisters for as long as was necessary.
Sarah looked up at the big man who was crying with them and who was comforting her father with his arm over his shoulder. ‘Are you daddy’s boyfriend?’ Jason and Marvin looked at each other in shock.
‘Yes love he is. And he’s a lovely man who loves your daddy very much.’ Mary took control of the situation in her usual no nonsense manner, and the two girls at once felt safe and secure again. Granny was here, daddy was here and so was this big strong giant of a man who granny said was lovely. Even so neither girl would let go of Jason until the doctor told them that only he was allowed to see their mummy for now and the would have to wait a little while longer. Amy had run straight to her gran whilst after a moments hesitation Sarah had walked over to Marvin and holding her arms up to him said ‘can I sit on your knee please?’ The immediacy of the response and the feeling of strength and security she felt as Marvin gently lifted her onto his lap and held her close began a bond of trust and friendship that would become unbreakable. Within weeks Sarah was calling him daddy M and became fractious and uncommunicative when he wasn’t around.
Alice had remained in a coma for twelve days and for many of them the doctors looking after her were not convinced that she would ever waken. It had taken the intervention of Amy to bring Alice back to them. The girls had been exceptionally brave every time they had been allowed to see their mum. Neither had said much and both had refrained from crying whilst in the room with her. But on day twelve the family was sitting together in the waiting room patiently biding their time until they would be allowed in to see Alice. The ritual was becoming routine and people were less vigilant so no one was paying attention as Amy slipped into her mum’s room. Unwittingly breaking all the rules she climbed up onto the bed and snuggled down next to her mum and was asleep in minutes. When a nurse came in to check on Alice and she saw the child peacefully sleeping in her mother’s arms her first obvious reaction was to wake her and shoo her out, but something struck her as being different. She looked again at the heart warming scene and then it struck her. The little girl was wrapped in her mother’s arms……….. her arms. Alice had responded to the stimuli of her daughter and moved her arms to cuddle her.
Things progressed quickly after that with Alice waking the following day and being able to communicate within forty eight hours. There was damage to the brain and her coordination was a problem. The NHS did all they could to aid her recovery but it reached a point where more specialist care was needed and that was when, yet again, Toby rode to the rescue. His people quickly found the ideal clinic for her and after five long weeks in hospital Alice was moved to London where she received the best care and treatment money could buy. Jason was concerned at the costs involved and that Toby was insisting there was no problem. He eventually gave in and allowed him to pay after stern words from Liz and Mary.
The girls came to live with their Dad and Marvin and together, with a little help from Mary, the four of them established routines and rules just like any other family. They enrolled at the local school and their lives quickly settled down. And now, after three months with out her, Alice was coming home. It was only for the weekend but it was a start and everyone in the girls’ new extended family did their bit to ensure it went well. Toby insisted they use the Rolls to ferry her back and forth as it was big, easy to access and egress and capable of carrying all five of them in great comfort and safety. Mary and Liz had organised everything Alice needed in her bedroom and Julie was arriving on Saturday.
As Jason sat at the breakfast bar on the Saturday morning watching his children and partner playing together and heard his mum chatting away to Alice in the den where they had set up Alice’s bed to negate the need for her to use stairs, he felt a contentment he had never thought he deserved. For the first time in his life he was happy. He no longer had to lie to anyone. He could love who he chose and the man he had won was beyond anything he had dreamed of as a boy. He realised shortly after Pete and Mike had married that the love he felt for his old friend was just that, the deep love that only good friends can know. The infatuation of his youth and the deep seated belief that he had somehow failed Pete were symptoms of his general unhappiness and resulted from the guilt he felt at living a false life.
‘Are you ok mate?’ Marvin slipped his arms around his waist and kissed the back of his neck. Putting his arms over his lover’s Jason hugged back as best he could. Marvin continued to kiss and lick his neck and ears knowing full well that he was stimulating one of Jason’s most responsive and sensitive erogenous zones. Jason began to moan quietly, hoping no one would hear and turned his head to the side so that he could kiss his man properly. As his tongue slipped into Marvin’s mouth they heard a firm and authoritative voice.
‘Come on Amy our daddies are getting frisky again. Let’s go find mummy and gran and leave them to it.’ As Sarah walked past them on her way to the den she took a moment to pause. ‘You two do know that making out in front of children isn’t polite don’t you?’ she grinned cheekily. Marvin countered quick as a flash.
‘Wait till you’re older and see what we get up to in front of you then madam.’ He quickly released Jason and scooped Sarah up in his arms and blew a big raspberry on her belly. She screamed, wriggled and giggled then threw her arms round Marvin’s neck.
‘I love you daddy M,’ then reaching for Jason she pulled him into the hug. ‘I love you too daddy but daddy M’s more special because he doesn’t have to love us, and he makes you happy.’ Tears welled up in his eyes and he kissed his daughter on her cheek. He felt something tugging at his shorts and knew at once it was Amy. He picked her up and brought her into the family cuddle.
‘I lub you too dadda, and dadda M,’ and putting a hand on each side of his head she leaned in and kissed him full on the mouth then reached across and repeated the manoeuvre with Marvin. Mary and Alice chose that moment to walk into the kitchen. Jason looked at his ex-wife and winked.
He felt he was the luckiest man alive at that moment. He had the love of everyone who was important to him, was financially independent and no longer feared tomorrow. As he watched his daughters run to their mum and felt his lover’s arm slip round his waist to pull him close he released a big sigh, let his hand wander down to his man’s bum, squeezed it and kissed his nose.
‘Thanks Marve. I love you.’
Marvin pinched him back. ‘Love you more,’ then putting his mouth close to Jason’s ear. ‘Love your bum even more.’
‘Mummy, daddy M said bum. I heard him mummy.’
‘Why you little………… come here…’ Sarah ran for the den and Marvin gave chase. The weekend was going to be fine. How could it not be with all this love and joy in the house.
‘Come on Amy, lets go catch them.’ Father and daughter ran to the den to find the other father and daughter while mum looked on and gran put the kettle on for a nice cup of tea.
The End
