Ok so this is just a small fic that popped into me head when I was watching TV the other day. Please be nice…I know it's probably really bad!
Jess
Title: A Place Called Home?
Disclaimer: Well no one belongs to me. Not even the people who aren't heelers characters.
Summary: Ok so I was watching Summerland and I thought it would be fun if I sort of copied it so PJ gets saddled with his sister's kids. R&R and be nice!
NOTE: Bethan is five, Kym is fifteen and Janelle is seventeen. In case you wanted to know!
Dedication: To Blaire Bear…cos I love you…to Nat…cos she rocks…and to both Amanda's cos they r legends!
"Hey Brianna." PJ forced himself to smile as he watched his Sisters best friend walk into his house carrying his youngest niece Bethan who was sleeping in her arms.
"Hey PJ." She smiled back. "I'm so sorry. There was nothing anyone could do." She informed him.
"I understand." He nodded. "Where are the others?"
"Well Janelle's still in the car. She refuses to get out and Kym is getting the bags out of the boot."
"Oh." PJ replied.
"Where do you want me to put Bethan?"
"We've got the bed set up in the room upstairs." PJ told her. "Third door on your left when you get to the top of the stairs."
"Thanks." Brianna walked off. PJ made his way out to the car where his fifteen-year-old nephew Kym was pulling a suitcase out of the boot.
"Uncle PJ." Kym bit his lip to stop himself crying.
"Hey Kym." PJ gave Kym a hug.
"Where do you want me to put these?" He asked trying to take his mind off things.
"Just in the lounge will do for now."
"Ok." Kym nodded and walked off carrying the suitcases.
"Hey there Janelle." PJ said after he opened the car door.
"Go away!" She shouted.
"Come on Janelle. Please get out of the car. Jo is really anxious to meet you."
"Well I don't want to meet her." Janelle snapped.
"Come on Jelly Belly. Please get out of the car. Brianna needs to leave and she can't take you with her." He knelt down beside her.
"Why not?"
"Because it's just not possible. You know that."
"Why?"
"Because she has a lot of work she has to do and she's getting married in three weeks so she'll be going away and there will be nobody to look after you."
"I don't need to be looked after."
"I know sweetie but you know there has to be someone to help you out. Your parents wouldn't like it if you weren't being taken care of."
"What would you know? You hardly ever saw my parents. You were never there at all."
"I wanted to be there…I loved your mother…she was my younger sister. But your father never wanted me there. You know how he felt about me…"
"He hated you…and so do I!"
"Oh Jelly…please."
"Don't call me that! Only mum can call me that!" Janelle snapped.
"Okay…Janelle. Come inside. If you wont do it for me, then do it for your brother and sister. They need you. You're the eldest and I need your help to look after them."
"Jelly?" Kym stood beside PJ. "Please come inside. It wouldn't be right if we were here without you." Kym said, still holding back tears.
"Alright fine!" Janelle hesitantly climbed out of the car and immediately wrapped herself in Kym's arms.
"It's alright Kym…we'll be okay." She said, more for her benefit than his.
"Come on guys. Jo's cooked us all a nice dinner." PJ motioned towards the front door.
"Beth's asleep, she should be awake in a few hours. If she wakes up scared just get Janelle to sit with her for a while."
"Okay thanks."
"I'm going to miss these guys."
"I bet they're going to miss you too." PJ smiled weakly. "Good luck with the wedding."
"Yeah thanks. I'll call you in a few weeks…just to see how they've all settled in."
"Thanks." PJ smiled again.
"Here's my number. If there is an emergency then call me and I'll come straight back."
"We should be fine." PJ replied. "Have a safe trip."
"Yeah. I will. Bye." She waved goodbye to the kids, hopped in her car and drove off. PJ walked up to the kids and led them inside.
"Hey there." Jo smiled when she saw PJ walk in with the kids. "You must be Janelle and Kym. I'm Jo." Janelle just stared and didn't say anything. Kym stuck out his hand and Jo shook it.
"Hey."
"Now I've got a room organised for you Kym…but Janelle you're going to have to share with your sister for a while…just until we get the spare room organised. Once it's cleaned out you can paint it any colour you like…and we'll get you some furniture and stuff too. You can make it exactly how you want it."
"Great." Janelle smiled sarcastically.
"Janelle…Jo is trying to make an effort. The least you can do is be grateful."
"Thanks Jo." Janelle replied still a little unenthused.
"It's alright. I'm sure you'll get used to me eventually." Jo replied.
"I'll show you to your rooms." PJ smiled at Jo and led the kids upstairs to their rooms.
"I'm sorry about this…it all just happened so suddenly." PJ said as he sat down on the bed with Jo later that night. The kids were all in their respective rooms, sleeping quietly. PJ had trouble getting Bethan to sleep, but Janelle helped and Bethan finally fell asleep.
"And I'm sorry about what happened before. Janelle is just upset." PJ explained. Janelle had refused to eat her meal, and then when Jo tried to get her to eat, she threw the plate on the floor, making the food go everywhere.
"That's understandable. I know what it feels like to lose your parents…but to lose them both at the same time…to something as horrible as a car accident." Jo sighed. "I can't even begin to imagine how they are feeling."
"Don't worry. They'll get used to you eventually."
"I'm not worried about that…what happens when our baby is born? How are we going to be able to afford to look after four kids?"
"We'll figure something out. Don't worry Jo." PJ kissed her lips softly and she smiled.
"I love you, you know." She said. "No matter what happens."
"I know. I love you too." He replied and kissed her again.
The next three weeks were a mess. Every morning Jo got up to use the shower so she could get ready for work and Janelle had used all the hot water. She would purposely spend an hour and a half in the shower and so Jo and the others all had to go without a hot shower. To add to that Bethan had spent most of the nights crying so Jo had bags under her eyes.
"Woah…what happened to you Jo?" Jonesy asked. When Jo showed up to work an hour late.
"Ask PJ!"
"Trouble in paradise?"
"You could say that…his bloody niece was up all night screaming her head off…then this morning his other niece used up all the hot water…" Jo sank down into her chair.
"You'll get used to them eventually."
"So I've been told." Jo replied and she put her face in her hands.
"PARRISH!" Tom cried and Jo snapped back to reality.
"I'm awake!" She cried and sat up so fast she fell off her chair.
"Good. Because you've got patrol with Jones." Tom told her.
"Yes Boss." Jo stood and grabbed the keys.
"I think I should drive." Jonesy went to take the keys.
"No I'm fine really. I can drive!" Jo snapped.
"Alright…fine." Jonesy stepped back. "Just make sure you don't drive us into a tree."
"So I'm guessing the kids still haven't gotten used to living with you yet?"
"No. It's Janelle that's the major problem. I mean Kym is fine…he just keeps to himself and doesn't do anything wrong…and Bethan is sleeping more and more every night…she still wakes up occasionally…but there's no screaming anymore. It's Janelle that's the problem. She still refuses to accept me as part of the family. She's purposely making my life hell." Jo sighed as she pulled the car onto the main street. "I swear I haven't had one hot shower since she moved in…and she plays her music so loud I can barely hear myself think…and I've got headaches all the time. I mean there is no way the lack of sleep, the slowly going deaf and the cold showers are doing me or the baby any good." Jo yawned. "And I'm also close to losing my job…the boss said if I fall asleep in the office again I'm on probation." Jo sighed.
"So talk to PJ about it."
"I cant…he's just lost his only sister…now you want me to tell him to kick his nieces and nephew out of the house?"
"No. I didn't say that, I just said to talk to him about it. See if you can come to some sort of arrangement."
"Yeah I guess." Jo yawned again and put her hand over her mouth.
"Are you sure you don't want me to drive?" Jonesy asked.
"I'm fine really." Jo replied and turned her attention to the road. She yawned again and closed her eyes for a few seconds.
"LOOK OUT JO!" Jonesy shouted. Jo opened her eyes and suddenly she saw a car heading straight for her. She swerved off the road and slid out and the side of the car slammed into a fence. Jo was thrown forward and hit her head on the steering wheel, causing a small cut above her eye. Jonesy was also thrown forward, but he put his hands out in front of him to brace himself and his hands slammed into the glove box.
"Are you alright?" Jonesy asked and looked over at Jo.
"Yeah I'm fine…" Jo replied slightly shaken up. Then she looked out the window at the fence.
"I'll call an ambulance."
"I'm fine Jonesy…"
"I know…but we'd better check on the baby…just in case."
"Yeah…" Jo was in shock. "I'm so sorry…I should have let you drive."
"It's alright Jo. We're both fine." Jonesy replied. He went to open his door but it was jammed up against the fence.
"You're going to have to get out first…then I'll climb out after you." Jonesy instructed. Jo slowly opened the door and got out of the car and then Jonesy climbed out after her. He put his arms around her to steady her shaking.
"It's alright Jo." Jonesy replied and he hugged her.
"Jo are you alright?" PJ asked as he rushed into the hospital. Jo was just walking out when he walked in.
"I'm fine." Jo snapped a reply.
"What's wrong?" Jo glared at PJ. "Jonesy said you were in an accident? How's the baby? Is everything alright?"
"What's wrong? What's WRONG?" Jo felt her face growing red. "Ask your Niece what's wrong. For three weeks now I've had to put up with that annoying little brat Janelle…I mean sure I was willing to put up with it the first week because she had just lost her parents…that's hard on everyone…but if a five year old girl can get over it…then I'm pretty sure a seventeen year old girl can too…do you have ANY idea what I've had to put up with from her? She's been giving me shit ever since she moved in. I've had to get up at 6 every morning just so I can beat her to the shower and because of that I've had hardly any sleep…she listens to her music really loudly and when I ask her to turn it down she just ignores me and for that I've always got a headache…then there's the fact that she expects me to clean up after her…she leaves her dirty dishes everywhere…and her clothes are always all over the bathroom floor…and she's always taking my clothes without permission…the other day I went into the laundry to do the washing…and guess what I found…my favourite purple top…WHICH HAD A HOLE IN IT!" Jo cried. "And to top it all off I might have just lost my job because I couldn't stay awake long enough to drive! And no prizes for guessing whose fault it is that I haven't been sleeping lately…yes that's right Janelle…so I'm sorry PJ…but if her behaviour doesn't improve then I'm gone…it's not good for either me or the baby…sure we were lucky this time…but what if there's a next time…me might not be so lucky then. So until Janelle's behaviour improves…I'm going to stay at Jonesy and Susie's place." With that Jo left the PJ, standing in the hospital doorway, with no idea what had just happened.
Well that's the first chapter…I hope you guys like it…if not…then let me know and I wont continue!
Jess