Sickness & Health, Good Times & Bad

Chapter 91

Jennifer got up from the table and walked over to start cleaning up the cooking area of the kitchen. Alice hurried after her.

“Jennifer! Don’t be crazy, I’ll clean this up. You did your part by giving the boys a special morning.”

“I don’t feel right about leaving all this mess for you.”

Alice chuckled. “You do realize that I get paid to clean up messes. We don’t want to give Justin the idea that he and Brian could do without me.”

Jennifer smiled. “No we wouldn’t want them to get that impression. I would miss you!”

Jennifer gave Alice a hug and walked back over to where Justin was now standing beside the kitchen table. He gave his Mother a tight hug and a kiss good bye.

“Thanks for coming this morning Mom. I’m sure the boys appreciated it.”

Jennifer gave Justin a soft pat on the cheek. “You’re welcome Honey. I always love coming here to see all my boys. Be sure to tell Brian that includes him!”

Justin laughed. “I’ll make sure to tell him.”

Once Jennifer left, Justin tried to help Alice with cleanup but got told to STOP!

He got another cup of coffee and sat at the kitchen bar.

“Bill and Mary are okay with Josh staying home by himself but I am thinking he and Peter will be asking if he can come here quite a bit after school. I want you to be honest with me. Will that present any problems for you?”

“No they are good boys. I do think that as John and Peter bring friends home you and Brian need to start to lock up the alcohol. They are good boys but they are teenagers, or almost a teenager, and peer pressure is huge and there is no getting around it.”

Justin nodded. “That is good advice. Have you noticed anything that concerns you or is this just general information?”

Alice smiled. “No problems that Charlie and I have seen. We would have told you. I just think peer pressure can be an issue.”

“Thanks for the advice, I talk to Brian about how we do that. I have something else to talk to you about. Emmett has a new man in his life. As you probably know they come and go but he seems kind of serious about this one. He wants Brian and me to meet the new guy. I invited them for dinner on Wednesday. We’ll eat around seven but you don’t have to stay that late. I can serve up the food.”

Alice sighed. “Justin! You know I don’t have any problem staying a little later when you have guests. I would prefer not to have this discussion every time.”

Justin laughed. “Wow I am getting in trouble with you and Mom this morning. By the way Emmett’s new friend is from some small town in West Virginia. Emmett has a kind of unusual menu request.”

“I am not cooking a possum and I no longer know where to get moonshine. I am not Granny Clampett!”

Justin has a big smiled on his face. “No apparently the new man in Emmett’s life has missed eating rabbit. I told him that Chuck will hopefully have trapped a nice big one.”

Alice nodded. “Actually they have a few that they have caught and are fattening up.”

Justin grimaced. “I really don’t want to know any details! I’m not sure Brian will eat rabbit so we need something else for him and we need to feed the boys earlier.”

“Justin you are so silly about the rabbits. It’s not like you are a vegetarian. I’ll roast a couple chickens so that will be enough for the boys and still have some left for Brian and probably your lunch the next day.”

Justin nodded. “That sounds good. I prefer my meat neatly wrapped at the market and unrecognizable as ever being a living creature.”

Alice just laughed as Justin went up the back stairs to the studio.

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Lindsay called the number her mother had passed to her and made an appointment to meet with the District Art Coordinator for that afternoon. She came down a little late for breakfast but with her hair combed and dressed in casual clothes. She let her parents know she had an appointment to see about the art teacher position.

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On the ride to the city Gus chatted with his father about many different topics. As they got close to school Gus got quiet for a couple minutes and turned to his father.

“Daddy when am I going to see Mommy again?”

Brian was somewhat prepared for the question but still wished with all his heart that his son hadn’t asked it.

“Well Sonny Boy, I wish I could answer that question but I can’t. You can try calling her if you want but keep in mind that your Mommy is very unhappy with her life so she may not have any answers for you either.”

“If you find out anything about Mommy will you tell me?”

“Yes Gus. I will tell you if and when I hear any news about your Mommy.”

Gus smiled. “Okay good. I won’t worry about it anymore because I know you always tell me the truth.”

Brian reached over and patted Gus on his shoulder. “You just remember that me, Papa and Mama all love you very much and you can depend on us to do what is best.”

Gus smiled and nodded his head. Brian got out with Gus at Fort Pitt School and walked him up to the door. He bent down to give his son a hug and kiss.

“Have a good day Sonny Boy. Remember you can always call Papa and me if you need anything or just want to talk to us.”

“I know Daddy. Bye. I love you.”

As Brian got into his car he saw Ted walking Nina up to the school. He was a little surprised to see that Ted was not at all uncomfortable hugging Nina and kissing her good bye. As Ted walked back toward his own car Brian could see the big smile on Ted’s face.

Later Brian was sitting at his desk when Ted knocked and came in for their weekly finance meeting. When he saw Ted with his serious work face on Brian smiled at how different he looked when he was dropping off Nina.

Ted stopped halfway across the office when Brian smiled. He looked down to be sure he hadn’t spilled anything on his shirt or his fly wasn’t down. Ted didn’t see anything out of place.

“What was that smile about?”

Brian displayed his no emotion face. “I just thought of something amusing. My world does not revolve around you Theodore.”

Ted just grunted as he took a seat in front of Brian’s desk, handing him a copy of the weekly updates.

There was all good news in the financials this week. Ted told Brian that he had contacted Jennifer about getting an appraisal for Craig’s condo. Brian shook his head.

“I’m thinking that could be a little awkward for Mother Taylor. We need to get someone else to do the appraisal for us.”

“Jennifer isn’t doing the appraisal herself. One of her Associate Brokers has actually sold a few units in the building so he will be doing the appraisal. Jennifer doesn’t have any problem with it. I did check with her before getting the appraisal done by her company.”

“Very caring Theodore. I wouldn’t have thought it of you.”

Ted sat there with his arms folded across his chest and smirked at Brian.

Brian shrugged. “Seriously; good work Ted.”

“Thanks Boss.”

“Justin and I need to buy a bigger SUV.”

“Why?”

“Well the main reason is we want one, which should really be enough for you. If we have JR with us and we want to drive somewhere we can’t all fit in the SUV we have.”

Ted frowned. “How often do you plan on having JR staying with you?”

Brian just started without saying anything.

“Are you planning on trading in Justin’s SUV for a larger model?”

“Nope. The new one will be an addition. The corvette is shit in the snow. Last winter I used Justin’s car a few times. Now with school pickups he really can’t be without a car.”

“I guess it is useless to point out that three cars for two people seems somewhat excessive. Your finances are finally getting back in order after all your unusual expenses and now you want to spend a butt load of money.”

A silent Brian just stared again.

“Fine. I just need a day’s notice when you need the money. Anything else?”

“No Theodore, you can scurry off to your money counting room.”

Ted rolled his eyes which made Brian chuckle as his accountant left the office. Just as he reached the door Brian spoke.

“Thanks for the advice Ted. I appreciate it even when I ignore it.”

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Jennifer was working at her desk in the real estate office when the receptionist buzzed her.

“Jennifer. Craig Taylor is calling for you on line 2.”

Jennifer reluctantly picked up the call.

“Hello Craig.”

“Hi Jen. I’m guessing you are doing the appraisal on my condo for Kinney. I want you to list it for sale.”

Jennifer took a deep breath.

“Actually Craig; one of my associate brokers is doing the appraisal. He has done some business in your building so I felt he could do the best job. I’m sorry but I have no interest in listing your condo for sale. You can certainly use my associate doing the appraisal but to be perfectly frank I wish you would use another agency.”

“Jen, I don’t want us to be bad friends. We have been divorced for a while. We have both moved on with our lives. I’d like for us to try and get along better.”

“I don’t want to be bad friends Craig; I don’t want to be any kind of friends. To be honest you have given me no reason to trust you over the years and I don’t trust you now. I have no idea where all this niceness is coming from but I doubt it is sincere.

You betray your true feeling by continuing to refer to Brian as Kinney. You can never have any relationship with my children or me unless you can accept Brian as a part of OUR family. To spell it out to you we all love and respect Brian and for the most part feel indifference and distrustful of you. I’m very busy, good luck with the sale of your condo. Good bye!”

Jennifer hung up before Craig could say anything. She felt slightly ashamed of herself for sticking out her tongue at the phone receiver she held in her hand. She buzzed the receptionist.

“If my ex-husband calls back please put him directly into my voice mail.”

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Justin was absorbed in his painting for Gillespie & Joyce when his cell phone alarm went off. He quickly cleaned his brushes and hurried over to the master bath for a quick shower & fresh clothes before driving to the Washington Academy to pick up John, Peter & Josh. There was a lineup of cars in the school driveway.

Justin chuckled to himself. This waiting in a school pickup line made him feel more like a parent than almost anything else that had happened since the boys came to live with him and Brian. Peter was the first to spot Justin’s car. He smiled and waved. Justin could see John’s look of annoyance at his brother’s exuberance. John had his no emption Kinney face firmly in place. He said something to his brother who just shrugged and continued to wave to his Uncle.

The three boys hurried into the car when Justin pulled up in the front of the school. As Justin started towards the exit Peter was busy telling him all about his day. How many new people he met, which teachers he liked best and that he had taken a math test which showed he was ready for 9th grade math. His last class of each day would be in the upper school which Peter found very exciting.

John kept busy rolling his eyes as Peter related the details of his day. Justin expressed, what he hoped, was appropriate enthusiasm. When Peter wound down Justin turned to John in the seat beside him.

“So how was your first day?”

John shrugged. “It was fine. Seems like a pretty good school. Sure better than the one we were at last year.”

Justin smiled. “So any down side?”

John shook his head. Justin thought that John’s Kinney DNA was evident. Justin had to think that in Peter, Townsend DNA was more in control. Brian always said that Claire’s husband was a nice guy before he married Claire. After the marriage they did their best to annoy the other person as much as possible.

“So Josh, how was your day?”

“I was good Uncle Justin. Peter and I are in a few classes together but he is way ahead of me in math. We were lucky not to get Mr Perri for history. He’s really tough.”

Justin resisted the very adult comment that tough teachers were not a bad thing.

“So no problem with the name change?”

John laughed. “Dean Dennison was actually waiting for us this morning when we got to school. He wanted to assure us that the name change was all taken care of and to let us know if we encountered any issues. I think he is pretty terrified of Uncle Brian.”

They all laughed. When the laughter died down Justin remarked.

“I don’t understand that. Personally I find Brian pretty cuddly.”

The three boys all groaned before laughter broke out again. They dropped Josh off at his house before driving the short distance to home.

When they got in the house Alice had healthy snack food all laid out on the kitchen counter. Charlie was sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee. Peter regaled Alice and Charlie with the events of his day.

Before Justin went back up to the studio he told the boys that the school routine was that they would go to their rooms and get a start on their homework before dinner. There were groans but any protests died on John and Peter’s lips at the determined look on Justin’s face.

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Lindsay arrived on time at the school district headquarters. Her hair was pulled into a neat bun, her makeup was tastefully minimal and she wore a plain, beige suit with conservative low heels. She looked very inch the professional woman.

Her interview went really well. Lindsay had a legitimate letter of recommendation from the community college in Toronto. The story she wove for the district direction of art education was completely different from what she told her parents.

Her interview life story was that she and her partner had grown apart in Canada so they agreed to move back to Pittsburgh to have the support of family and longtime friends when they separated. Lindsay told the director that while the gallery work was interesting she quickly realized she really missed teaching and was anxious to get back into a teaching career.

The director made an appointment for Lindsay to meet with the principal at the middle school where the art teacher open possession was for the next morning. When Lindsay got home her parents were pleased when she told them about the interview. They were amazed when she offered to make them dinner.

When Lindsay went to the kitchen, Nancy turned to her husband.

“See! I told you she would get herself turned around if we just gave her a little time.”

Ron grunted.

“I just hope she gets this job and moves out as soon possible.”

Nancy agreed before going over to the bar in their family room and making some cocktails for them to enjoy while they waited for dinner to be ready.

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When Brian arrived home Alice was alone in the kitchen.

“Where is everybody?”

“The boys are in their rooms, hopefully doing their homework. Justin has been in the studio ever since he brought the boys home from school. Let Justin know dinner will be ready in about half an hour.”

When Brian got to the master bedroom he could hear the shower running in the bathroom. He got a big smile on his face as he carefully hung up his suit and tossed his shirt, underwear and socks in the hamper. Justin was momentarily startled when the shower door opened. When he saw Brian he smiled and opened his arms.

Brian stepped into his lover’s arms and pulled him close in a tight hug. In a dance they both knew so well their hands explored the sensitive spots on their partner’s bodies. Once they were both hard Brian reached on the shelf for the bottle of lube.

Brian pushed Justin against the wall of the shower, coated his fingers with lube and prepared Justin’s hole. As he slipped his cock inside Justin, the blonde moaned and spread his fingers against the tile.
Brian thrust fast and hard and Justin reached one hand down to his own cock. When time was limited they both knew how to work quickly and efficiently. Justin came against the wall moments before Brian pulled out to finish on Justin’s back.

Justin turned around towards Brian and they kissed again. Justin stroked Brian’s cheek and smiled.

“Welcome home!”

Brian smirked. “Dinner is going to be ready like really soon.”

Justin nodded. “Well get busy and shampoo my hair.”

Brian chuckled as he grabbed the bottle of shampoo and got to work. Half an hour later Brian and Justin walked into the kitchen dressed in comfortable clothes with damp hair.

John was standing at the kitchen counter carving the pork roast while Alice dished up the sides which Peter delivered to the kitchen table.

Alice smiled at the new arrivals. “Perfect timing.”

Justin sat at the table while Brian opened a bottle of wine and poured two glasses. Alice said good bye and headed for the cottage while the uncles and nephews started to eat. Peter excitedly related the events of his first day of school for Brian’s benefit. John was slightly more forthcoming to Brian’s questions about his day but had much less to relate than his brother.

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Ted and Blake invited Viola for dinner so she could hear all about Nina’s first day of actual classes. Nina had a very hard time controlling her excitement. Ted and Blake continuously reminded her to eat her dinner but she overflowed with stories about new friends she had made, what her teacher had to say. What JR had to say. Who she ate lunch with. How much fun she had in the afterhours classroom until Teddy Man came to get her.

Viola was very amused by her granddaughter’s enthusiasm. Nina was usually a fairly quiet child but tonight she almost vibrated with excitement. Blake and Ted were obviously very pleased with how happy Nina was about school.


Finally Blake told Nina she was not allowed to say anything else until she finished the food on her plate. Nina tried showing an appealingly unhappy face to her Teddy Man.

It was very hard for him to resist that face but Ted managed to say.

“You heard what Daddy said. Finish your dinner before you tell us another story.”

Nina cleaned her plate quickly. She held up the empty plate for Blake to see.

“Very good Honey. Thank you.”

Nina smiled and started to tell her Nana how Teddy Man helped her do her “brain exercises”. Dessert was lemon bars from the dinner which had quickly become a favorite of Nina’s. Viola skipped dessert but enjoyed watching Nina and her two daddies interact. She felt like she had really made the correct decision on Nina’s custody.

Ted drove her home while Blake did cleanup duty with Nina as his assistant. She had her own apron to wear that Viola had sewn for her. Blake rinsed the dishes before carefully handing them to Nina who placed them in the dishwasher. This was a regular thing for them and Blake was please at how quickly Nina learned the correct arrangement for the dishwasher. Nina got to put the leftover containers into the refrigerator while Blake loaded the silverware into the dishwasher.

Viola was quiet during the short drive to her apartment. Ted parked in front of the building, got out of the car and walked around to open Viola’s door. As he helped her out of the car Ted was startled when Viola kissed him on the cheek.

“I just want you to know how much I appreciate all that you and Blake do for Nina and for me as well. I really believe she is happier now than she has ever been in her life.”

Ted blushed, as always, uncomfortable with praise.

“Well she has made Blake and me happier than we have ever been. Nina has been just a delight for us.”

Viola smiled. “You are a very nice man Ted Schmitt. Nina and I are both very lucky to have you in our lives.”

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At the loft Melanie was trying her best to make things as normal as possible for Gus and JR. Dinner went pretty well, Melanie was prepared for either of her children to ask about Lindsay but neither mentioned her. Like the other households there were lots of first day of school stories.

Even though they had been going to the Fort Pitt School for a couple weeks the first day of real classes brought a lot of changes to their daily schedule. Both Gus and JR were happy with the changes. Melanie had to insist on them taking turns telling a story about their day since when they both talked a once she couldn’t understand either child.

Gus and JR helped clear the table and while they had dessert, Melanie loaded the dishwasher. Next it was what Melanie called “kid wash” as Gus and JR got run through the shower. Gus was done first and when he was dressed in his pajamas he got out his new markers and drawing pad.

When JR came running into the room she immediately came over to the table to see what her brother was doing. She reached for the package of markers but Gus snatched them away from her.

“No JR. You are too little for using markers like this. My Papa bought them just for me.”

Melanie came into the room to investigate JR’s wail of protest.

“What’s going on out here?”

Gus was unperturbed by his sister as he turned to Mama.

“JR wanted to play with my new markers but she is too little. I don’t want them wrecked. Papa bought them special for just me.”

JR turned a tear streaked face to her mother.

“They are Gus’s markers. You probably are a too young to play with them. He doesn’t have to share them.”

The wails got louder but Gus was still unimpressed. Melanie offered several other activities to JR but the little girl refused to be consoled.

Melanie tried Gus again. “Gus, you have a bunch of markers there. How about you let your sister use just a couple of them?”

A horrified Gus looked up at Mama. “No! I don’t want my markers wrecked. She has lots of other stuff to play with. Papa bought these markers are just for me.”

Melanie snatched up her daughter. “Come on Sweetheart let’s go watch a Strawberry Shortcake video.”

JR sniffed and put her arms around her Mama’s neck. “Gus is a mean boy!”

“You know that isn’t true. Gus is a good big brother, he doesn’t have to share his markers if he doesn’t want to.”

Gus continued to draw unperturbed by his sister’s tears or her comment.