Bobby was sitting on the couch waiting. Waiting in the dark for the telltale squeaking of the kitchen door opening. He was waiting for his youngest brother to get home from wherever it was he had gone.
Evelyn had said that he was at a friend, who didn't live to far away from the Mercer household, house and that when Jack went to that particular friends place it didn't really matter what time it was that he got back at as the boy was a pretty decent guy, having just moved there earlier that self same year and becoming really good friends with the youngest Mercer, he had come from Australia and wasn't like most of the kids that lived in Detroit. No drugs, alcohol or abuse, guns, sex or anything else that was typical of Detroit teenagers.
Bobby didn't care though. His mother had asked, nay, begged, him to come home, because there was something important that she had to tell him. He had got home at around seven that night, just in time for dinner, but the youngest Mercer hadn't been there. Both Bobby's other brothers had been there though. Ready for tea, and not looking too worried about Jack not being there for dinner, apparently he spent a lot of time at his friends place. Bobby remembered a time, not too long ago, six months, before he had last left Detroit and his family, when Jack didn't really have any friends, wouldn't really spend any time with other people outside of his brothers as he was to scared of them. He did not remember ever having met this supposed friend of Jacks, but Angel had assured him that he had, and that he was a good kid and looked after Jack almost as much as they did.
Soon, at around two o'clock in the morning the squeaking door opened. Bobby stood and walked into the kitchen. He could just make out Jacks shape, but no detail, in the dark, so he switched on the light. Jack stood there, squinting in the sudden light, trying to see who was standing at the light switch. As the boys eye sight adjusted to the light, Bobby stepped forward. Jacks eyes widened at oldest brother, but then he slammed the door and walked into the lounge room, ignoring his older brother.
"Jack, what the hell do you think you are doing getting home at this time of the night. Ma sets a reasonable curfew, and don't you think you are a bit young to be breaking that and staying out this late?" Bobby asked casually, hiding his confusion at Jack ignoring him. What the hell happened? Before he had left Jack was always around him. Why the sudden change? Jack used to always hug Bobby when he got back from his extended trips.
"You're one to talk, hypocrite" the boy snarled, not even looking at Bobby, though his snarl was more of a whisper, his voice cracking, quiet, barely there.
"Excuse me?" Bobby said incredulously, following his brother as he went into the living room.
Jack seemed to collapse onto the couch, leaning right back into the back of the couch as though trying to sink into it and disappear.
"You heard me," Jack sighed, his eyes closing. Until he felt the couch sink underneath Bobby's weight.
"No, I think I heard wrong, baby brother," Bobby said lightly.
"I don't think you did. You have no right coming home and telling me what to do like you are my father." Jack whispered. Bobby wasn't sure if he was whispering because he didn't want to wake the rest of the house up.
"Oh, really? don't I now? I am your big brother, I have every right to tell you what to do and all that crap." the older man snarled what the hell was wrong with Jack?
"What the fuck ever." Jack said ignoring him.
"Does Ma know you are coming home at this time of the night? Does she like you doing this?" Bobby asked, thinking the Ma card would work.
"I am not having this conversation with you Bobby. You left six months ago when I asked you not to, you just said that you had other things to do. What do you think gives you the right to just ditch your family to go and do other things? Are we not important enough for you? Are we not good enough for you?" Jack asked quietly, as he stood up and started to walk out of the dark living room. Bobby watched him go, confusion marring his face.
Jack was almost out of the living room when he walked straight into something, or rather, someone. He fell backwards onto the ground, just as someone turned the light on. The sudden appearance of their mother and other two brothers in the doorway. Jack having walked straight into their mother.
"Jackie? Are you alright?" Evelyn asked, bending down to help Jack up. He sat up, and Bobby wondered why Evelyn wasn't sporting the look of defeat that she always sported when either he, Jerry or Angel got home after curfew.
Evelyn helped Jack up and over to the couch which she flapped Bobby off of, who quickly got up and sat in an armchair. Jack sat, leaning against his mother, his eyes closed, as though attempting sleep. But at his mothers voice his eyes opened again.
"I am not even going to ask you two what you were arguing about. But Bobby I asked you home for a reason, and that reason was not so that you could fight with your brothers." Evelyn scolded. If jack had of had the energy he would have poked his tongue out at his oldest brother.
"And what would that reason be mother?" Bobby asked.
Evelyn pause before answering, wondering if it was wise to tell Bobby, especially in front of Jack, she decided to go ahead with it.
"We found out something about Jackie a couple of weeks ago, something he hadn't planned on telling us." Jack looked at the floor, finding it the most interesting thing in the room all of a sudden. Bobby's whole demeanour changed almost instantly.
"He's on drugs, isn't he?" he asked, shooting Jack an accusatory glare. Jacks face tightened at that.
"Well, to be honest with you Bobby…" Evelyn began, only to be cut off by Bobby.
"Oh God. Jack you little shit. I thought I told you no fucking drugs!" Bobby thundered. Jack flinched and began trembling. More to Bobby's surprise though, was Angel and Jerry glaring at him. At Bobby! Shouldn't they be backing him? Their baby brother was on drugs! And Evelyn seemed about ready to roast Bobby's liver by the look on her face.
"Do NOT ever take that tone in this house, or to Jack ever again. Understood Robert?" Evelyn said quietly, calmly, commandingly. Bobby was shocked.
"As I was saying before you interrupted me, we all thought he was on drugs as well. And if we hadn't found the drugs we would have never known. But they are not the drugs you think they are. " Evelyn said, her voice back to normal again.
Bobby's confusion grew, what the hell was going on?
"Before you left, Robert, Jack got some news. He didn't tell any of us, but he didn't want you to leave, he wanted you to stay, but you wouldn't. Jack had kept the secret from us all for so long, until Angel discovered a bottle of tablets in Jacks sock draw. He knew they were drugs, he just didn't know what they were for." at this Evelyn pulled out a small white bottle and handed it to her oldest son, who stared at it, not recognising the name.
"I take it he has them for a reason?" Bobby asked curiously.
"Bobby, what do you think is wrong with your brother?" Evelyn asked.
"I don't know," he said quietly, expecting something like Bipolar Disorder, but didn't Jack already have that?
"Bobby," Evelyn began, her voice now softer, her arms wrapping tighter around Jacks shoulders, who was still leaning on her.