Aaron startled awake.
He'd been having the same nightmare for weeks now since the accident. Nobody knew he was suffering from nightmares, at least he didn't think so. Although when you're asleep and trapped in a nightmare you don't know whether you're shouting out. If he had been neither Paddy nor Hazel hadn't said anything, though Hazel spent most of her time at the hospital still. A place which he hadn't visited since Jackson had blamed him for the accident. Since then it seemed as though the nightmares had become more vivid, stronger.
Aaron rolled over on to his back and ran his hands over his spiky short hair, something he did when he was stressed or tied. 4:00am flashed in red on his arm clock on Jackson's side of the room, the side of the room which he hadn't touched since the accident. Jackson's leather band bracelets were scattered on the bedside table, his aftershave stood on the window sill and a few of his clothes lay neatly on a chair. Everywhere there seemed to be a reminder of Jackson.
Realising there was no way he could get back to sleep Aaron rolled out of bed and pulled on the nearest set of clothes he could find. Before he headed downstairs, quietly, and began making himself a cup of tea. It was still dark outside and there was no risk of waking Paddy and Hazel, as he could hear their snores as he padded down the stairs.
"You're up early." Paddy stated, making Aaron jump who had been sitting at the kitchen table for the past several hours, nursing the same cup of tea.
"What?" Aaron mumbled, not registering what Paddy had said.
"Never mind, you look awful." Paddy said, beginning to hunt for something for breakfast. "Did you get much sleep last night?"
"Yeah, loads." Aaron lied, before taking a sip of cold tea, shivering as it slid down his throat.
"Hmm." Paddy said to himself, as he poured a bowl of cereal. He'd herd Aaron last night, shouting out in his sleep, distressed.
"I'm gonna go off to work." Aaron said, after clearing his throat, standing up and fetching his jacket off the coat peg by the kitchen door.
"It's early as yet, have you had any breakfast?" Paddy asked, his fussing beginning to kick in. "Cain won't be opening up for another hour as yet."
"I'll open up myself." Aaron told him, before he disappeared out the front door.
Aaron just wanted to get out of the house. He'd been sitting in those four walls for the past several hours, thoughts running through his head over and over again, no escaping them. He couldn't sit there any longer and put up with Paddy's fussing, his concern. He'd already caught on that Paddy must have heard him last night. He'd kept asking him whether he'd gotten a good night sleep. He didn't want to suffer through Paddy's non stop questioning he knew he only wanted to help. But it was only irritating he wasn't used to it, still.
Before he got the garage Aaron went over to Cain's to fetch the keys. Cain still didn't trust him with a set, only he and Ryan had possession of them.
"Morning Aaron." Charity said, as she answered the door dressed in her cream pyjamas and pink dressing gown, no trace of make up or straightners in sight. "What do you want this time in the morning?"
"Is Cain in?" Aaron asked.
"He's upstairs still asleep. Some of us don't have to get the kids ready for school." Charity moaned.
"I need the keys to the garage." Aaron told her, he didn't want hang around on their doorstep talking to Charity.
"Well good luck getting them. Cain won't be happy when I wake him up to ask him where they are." Charity told him, stepping back inside leaving the door open. Aaron followed her inside and waited in the lounge as she climbed the stairs to wake Cain up.
Noah was sat at the kitchen table with Sarah eating toast and cereal. Both of them looked up at smiled when they noticed he was in the room.
"What you doing?" Noah asked keen to make conversation with Aaron.
"Getting Keys." Aaron said simply, not one for children.
"Why?" Noah asked.
"I need them to unlock the garage."
"Why?"
"Because it's locked."
"Why?"
"Just shut up!" Aaron snapped, losing his temper already. He was tied and Noah wasn't helping by his constant questions.
"What's going on?" Charity asked as she made her way down the last few steps, holding the garage keys in one hand.
"Nothing." Aaron sighed, taking the keys from her out stretched hands and leaving through the front door.
It didn't take long, for Aaron to open the Garage and move all the cars out on to the fore court to be fixed. He decided to start with Peugeot first which he estimated to take all morning to fix, hopefully it would keep his mind busy. At nine a clock Cain turned up not happy because he'd been woken up earlier for the garage keys, followed shortly by Ryan who was nursing a hangover.
"I think Aaron should have a set of keys for the garage. It's only fair." Ryan told Cain, after hearing him whinge about being woken up at seven in the morning for a set of keys.
"No." Cain said simply.
"Why? All of us have a set apart from Aaron." Ryan argued.
"Ryan. Don't." Cain warned. The whole reason why Cain didn't want Aaron to have a set of keys was because of what happened earlier in the year. He didn't want it to happen again, at least when Aaron asked for they keys, he knew when he was at the garage and how long, he could keep any eye on him at a distance.
Aaron sighed. He was fully aware of the reasons why Cain didn't trust him with a set of keys to the Garage. He didn't understand that he no longer thought that way any more, he had no intentions of trying it again. He was at an all time low then, he didn't know where to turn. Jackson wasn't there for him, like he wasn't now. But Aaron had Paddy and Adam and his mum now. He no longer felt alone.