Hey there, here's chapter two of When He's Needed Most. I hope you guys are enjoying it. I'm not sure if I'm digging the title myself. I just came up with it a few moments before uploading the story. LMK if you have any ideas yourself. I apologize beforehand for the insertion of the Irish language in this chapter. I have recently taken an interest in the native tongue of the Mother Land for me so its still a bit rudimentary and I don't know how to type the necessary accent marks over some of the letters. So please don't murder me electronically if it's not up to par. I'll also have translations listed with the sentences. This one's a little short but as I said, it'll be picking up here soon. I have the story completed, I'm finishing the editing now. Enjoy!
P.S. I also have a character list wrote up for all the characters in this story. Pretty much famous actors I drew inspiration from for their appearance. Here's a quick outline if it helps, it did for me.
Daniella Patrick- Sarah Carter (known as Maggie from Falling Skies)
Terry Patrick- Jamie Dornan (known as Christian Grey from Fifty Shades of Grey)
Amelia Mitchell- Alicia Witt (Two Weeks Notice and Urban Legend)
Christine (Marnell) Patrick- Courtney Ford (I loved her as Kelly from Supernatural)
Jonathan Patrick- Oliver Hudson (Rules of Engagement).
*I'll list more as more OCs are introduced.*
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(Later That Evening)
"What do you mean 'I left you high and dry'? My mom was sick! I couldn't just drop everything and run off to L.A. with you. I have responsibilities to my family. Not everyone has their own private jet at their beck and call!" Amelia hollered, her voice echoing down the hallway into the kitchen where Dani was currently hiding out.
She stood hovering next to the kitchen island, a glass of more rum than coke clutched in her hand. She flinched as a loud bang burst throughout the first story of her parents' house, its origins coming from without a doubt, the living room.
"I loved you, Lia! I would have stayed if you only asked instead of shutting me out. I would've been here for you. You're the one who pushed me away, remember?" Terry's deep voice hollered back.
Dani could hear Amelia's scoff from the kitchen.
"You have a funny way of showing it. What's it been, ten, fifteen years? Not one phone call, message, email, nothing! It should have been evident that I needed you!" Amelia's echoing scream left Dani feeling extremely uncomfortable and a bit nosy but she doubted there was anywhere in the house where she couldn't hear the lovers' quarrel loud and clear.
"I'm not a damn mind reader!"
(Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.) Dani thought.
Dani turned her attention to the paperwork strewn out on the kitchen table, trying to block out their loud voices. Her eyes drifted around the kitchen, a sad smile lifting her face slowly. She hadn't been in her parents' house in nearly six months except until yesterday. She had gone to work tidying it up for her brother's arrival today. It was hard being here for her, too many memories.
She heard the front door slam. Her eyes darted to the kitchen doorway. Terry entered, his dark blue eyes stormy as he scanned the kitchen, his piercing glare landing on Dani.
He pointed a finger at her.
"This has you written all over it, Dani." He said in a low and angry voice. Dani wasn't intimidated by her older and much taller brother. Dani smirked at him as she recalled her 37 year old brother carrying a safety blanket until he was 8, she found it hard to be intimidated by anything he did or said. She turned her gaze back to the papers, taking a sip of her rum.
"No idea what you're talking about. She leave?" Dani asked coolly. He dropped back into his chair at the table, snatching her glass and taking a large gulp, his face scrunching up in disgust.
"Hey, that's mine!" Dani snapped, snatching the glass out of his grip. He stood, making his way to the liquor cabinet.
"Yuck! How do you drink that garbage?"
"Beggars can't be choosers, mooch. You don't like it? You should have brought something with you."
Terry sat back down, a glass of his father's whiskey on the rocks in his hand.
"You're a mooch too, dear sister. How else did you pay for that dance studio you own? A loan from the National Bank of Dad." He snapped though he wasn't angry with her and she knew it.
"Amelia?" She asked again. His eyes softened, staring at the papers then up at her.
"She's on the porch, said she needed some air." Terry admitted, rubbing his hand over the five o'clock shadow along his jawline.
Dani nodded, lifting a small handful of papers and shifted them around for a few moments.
"Ok, Mr. Lawyer, this stuff right here confuses the ifreann (hell) out of me. What is..."
"You remember those cookouts Mom and Dad had every Friday night in the summer?" He interrupted.
Dani paused, staring up from the papers to look at Terry. His eyes were a million miles away even if he was only looking right out the open patio door straight into the back yard.
"Conas is feidir liom dearmad a dheanamh (How can I forget?). It was the highlights of the summer for Mom. Every weekend was a different theme. You know they found a mountain of confetti under the deck when they remodeled it a few years ago? I laughed my ass off; we could always start our own party supply chain with all the decorations in the attic?"
Terry smiled halfheartedly.
"I doubt that many people are interested in twenty-year-old confetti."
Dani laughed. "You're probably right about that, dearthair (Brother)."
"Please use English, my Irish is a little rusty. My friends and I would try to break into the liquor cabinet when no one was watching, you remember? I would try and con you to be our lookout, you and…." Terry froze, biting his tongue, his blue eyes darting between Dani and his drink. He cleared his throat loudly, obviously uncomfortable.
"Uh… I… never mind. So, what were you confused about?" He reversed, wanting to change the subject pronto.
Dani wasn't a fool; she knew exactly who Terry had almost mentioned and thinking about him still caused a small ache to throb painfully in her chest even after all these years. Not wanting to dwell on something she couldn't control, she swallowed thickly, pushing the papers aside and rubbed her face.
"I don't want to adult anymore tonight. I vote we get shitfaced and put on some tunes."
"We gotta get this done. I have to be back in L.A. in a few days, Miss Party Heiress." He reached over, grabbing the shuffled-up papers, reorganizing them. Dani rolled her eyes as she stood and worked on making herself another drink.
"Come on, Terry. Not tonight. It's been what, almost a year since we last saw each other? We're all we got, and I don't want us becoming more distanced than we already are. Just let it go until the morning." She pleaded, moving next to him, holding the whiskey bottle out. Terry observed her then the bottle, contemplating for a moment before finally relenting.
"Oh, alright but don't be crying and whining when you have a hangover in the morning. We are finishing this, no matter what." He poured a little more into his glass as she smiled triumphantly.
"Bitch, le do thoil (Please). We're Irish, drinking's in our genes. You're the goody two shoes of the family, lighten up for once. It won't kill you." Dani sat, taking another drink as she put her feet up on her seat, pulling her denim short clad legs up into her chest.
"Besides, you had something you needed to talk to me about. Sounded pretty important."
Terry's entire face hardened, his eyes taking on that faraway look from a few moments before as his mouth tightened.
"Dearthair (Brother)?"
He shook his head, his eyes shooting up to lock with hers. The intensity in his face was quickly masked with a fake smile.
"That's another 'Not Tonight'. It can wait until tomorrow. By the way, once again, English."
She lifted a questioning eyebrow at him.
"You sure? I'm becoming curious now." He nodded, giving her a tiny smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"Ok, if you are sure. So…' Dani sipped, looking back up. 'You planning on talking to Amelia or leaving her waiting outside on our porch for another decade?"
Terry took a large drink, sighing out the after burn. "Now there's a predicament I've never been sure on how to fix."
"How about you go out there, say some epic chick flick line and sweep her off her feet in a mind-blowing kiss? It's a start."
He leaned back in his chair, giving Dani a glare that seemed to say 'Really?'. "It's not that simple now."
Dani scoffed. "Of course it is. You both still love each other, and both are just too damn stubborn and thick headed to do anything about it. You two stubborn mules are perfect for one another." Dani knew she was coming off harsh, but she was so over the Terry/Amelia love each other, hate each other pain fest a long time ago. Terry slyly glanced up at her over the rim of his whiskey glass as he sipped.
"Did she ever say that?" He inquired, nonchalantly.
Dani threw her hands out, halting that conversation.
"Nope, I'm trying to stay neutral but it's obvious that there's still something there between you crazy kids."
Terry snorted then chuckled at her words.
"Neutral? Okay, yeah. Coming from the woman whose longest relationship was two weeks. Quite the record, little sister."
Terry's comment brought her up short even though it was accurate. When Dani should've been riding the new relationship high, she never felt it. Within a few dates, Dani always ended breaking up with whoever she was seeing. It wasn't that she is flaky or a tease. A few of the men she had dated, she really had liked but it was difficult to explain. It was an ineffable feeling, as though her heart was searching for something. What that was, Dani had no clue.
However, it did still hurt to hear Terry being so callous.
"I apologize for caring. At least one of us should be happy." She snapped, her grip tightening around her glass. Terry sighed, his face softening as he leaned forward, taking her hands in his.
"I'm sorry, Dani. I just worry about you, being alone all the way out here. Anything could happen. That's why I'm being so adamant about you selling the house." He explained, gently squeezing her hands.
"I appreciate your concern, but I stand by what I said, I don't want to sell. If it's about the airgead (Money), I'll buy out your half of the property."
"It's not about the money. Why are you so damn stuck on living in this mausoleum?"
Dani clamped her mouth shut, her eyes narrowing angrily.
"We were raised in this house. It's not a mausoleum to me, it's our baile (Home)."
"Dammit Dani, we're not in Ireland, use English! I'm not always gonna be around to worry about you. I need to make sure you're ok when I'm not here." Terry snapped, throwing his arms out in emphathsis.
"I don't ever get to use my Irish with anyone else so excuse me. I'm fine, so stop worrying, I can take care of myself, dearthair (Brother). Deal with it."
Terry bit the inside of his lip, nodding. He didn't want to keep pushing the issue. Dani was right about what she had said earlier, they hadn't seen each other in quite a while, and he was being a stiff. This wasn't the intention of his visit.
"Alright, you win. I'll chill out, deirfiur (Sister)."
Dani's smile lit up. "There. Was that so hard? I'm going to make another drink. You need anything?"
He shook his head, gathering up the paperwork off the table in case they spilt something. His eyes scanned the pages. Something was missing.
"Hey Dani, where are your bond certificates? I had all this in a nice, neat folder for you."
She pointed out the window with the neck of the rum bottle, towards the guest house.
"It's in a trunk in my bedroom." He looked over at her in disbelief.
"Why is it not with the rest of these documents?"
She shrugged, moving back to the table. "Because that's where it is."
Terry sighed loudly, rubbing his temples. A thought occurred to her.
"I'll go grab them if you go out front and talk to your one true love?" She negotiated, placing her hand on her brother's shoulder.
"What happened to staying neutral?"
"Ta siad go leir cothram i ngra agus i gcogadh (*Basically, All's fair in love and war)." Dani said, leaning down to kiss her brother's scruffy cheek and headed for the open patio door.
"English!"
Smiling, she called over her shoulder. "Just Google it, Sellout!"
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Well, there's chapter two. Once again, I'm sorry if I butchered the Irish language. I did my best. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll have the next one out ASAP.