Queer As Folk - Season 7
Episode 9
Michael stared at the ceiling as he listened to Ben wash up in the bathroom. He licked his lips and moved to his side with his hand under his ear "I haven't told you something" he called.
Ben poked his head out of the bathroom with his toothbrush in his mouth "Huh." he raised an eyebrow uncharacterisically.
"Finish what your doing!" he waved him away.
Ben took the toothbrush out "Is it about" he raised both eyebrows.
Michael shook his head "Don't worry it wasn't about my appointment at the hospital."
Ben went back into the bathroom. Michael moved back onto his back staring at the ceiling. A few moments later Ben walked into the bedroom and sat down on the bed to remove his socks. He lifted the covers to get in "So what has you so worried?" He asked.
Michael moved onto his side holding his head "I had JR's parents evening last week?"
"Where was I?"
"You were with Hunter" Michael said.
"Why didn't you say anything?" Ben asked. "Why did you not tell me?"
Michael closed his eyes briefly to think. "I didn't want her to be embarassed! I wanted her first Parent meeting to be simple. I know your your dad as much as I am but I thought it was best for the first time! Do you understand right?"
Ben was silent.
"Right?" Michael asked. He sat up crossing his legs "Ben talk to me!"
Ben shrugged "If you think that was best than I'm okay with it Michael."
"Really?"
"At the end of the day your JR'S biological Dad." Ben kissed him on the lips "What is it that you need to tell me?"
Micael let out a deep breath "JR will get kicked out of school if she dosn't stop bullying people." Michael looked over at Ben's reaction.
Ben paused for a second before nodding. "Wow, I didn't expect that!"
"Did you think she was doing badly in her school work?"
Ben pondered "Yeah a little bit! But this is much worst!"
Michael covered his face "I was bullied a lot as a kid and knowing that my daughter is a bully I just can't imagine. How can I get her to understand."
Ben thought for a moment with his fingers covering his mouth "If we both tackle the problem. What we will do is set some ground rules for her to abide by in regards to how to treat other people."
"We could see why she does it so we can find some solutions on how to resolve it." Michael let out a deep breath.
"Shall we do it in the morning?"
Michael nodded "At breakfast."
Ben kissed him on the cheek "Are you okay?"
Michael shook his head and frowned "Not really, This information didn't come at the right moment."
"I know, near Christmas is the worst!"
"We have to look at the present situation and then decide how to go from there."
-QAF-
Calvin boxed his books away and secured them with tape. He wrote 'Books' on the side and bent down to get another empty box. He turned to the bookshelf and stacked the books inside the box.
A knock on the door interupted his packing. He stepped over an empty box and walked down the hall to the door shutting the study door behind him. He scratched the back of his head and opened the door once he reached.
Calvin smiled at the couple on the other side "Hello" he smiled "Can I help?"
The man held out his hand "I'm Eric Beechum, This is the last known address for Emmett Honeyutt. Do you know where he is?"
"He's still lives here" Calvin stated "Are you a friend of his?"
Emmett stood at the top of the stairs "Calvin I sort of broke the shelf, could you?"
Calvin nodded and walked up the stairs.
Emmett moved sideways "Thank you" he said. Calvin nodded and walked past him. Emmett looked back at the man and the woman at the doorway "I'm Emmett can I ask how you know me" he stated walking down the stairs.
"My name is Eric and this is my sister Esmay" Eric introduced the younger girl beside him. "We're your sisters kids"
"Lucy Honeycutt but I suppose she goes by a different name now"
Eric nodded "Beechum"
Esmay the girl beside him took a step forward "We just want to talk?"
"You need to leave" Emmett said walking to the front door "I have no contact with none of my family after they threw me out when I was 16 and that will continue."
Esmay put her hand out "My brother has no one else to go to. Please, your the only one that can only understand my brother."
"Even If I did understand you need to leave."
"Just give me at least ten minutes of your time."
Emmett debated it for a second. "Shut the door your letting the cold out."
Esmay looked at Eric and shut the door behind them.
Emmett walked into the kitchen. He poked his head out "You just going to stand at the doorway all afternoon"
Eric shook his head "No" he whispered hitching his bag more onto his shoulder.
Esmay bit her bottom lip "You wanted to come here"
Eric licked his lips and tentatively walked into the kitchen where Emmett stood by the kettle "You want some tea?" Emmett asked.
Eric nodded.
Emmett placed the mug infront of them "Does your Mother know your here?"
Esmay leant back in her seat "She knows where Eric is? On the street where she put him?"
"Es" Eric warned.
Emmett flitted his eyes towards Calvin who stood in the doorway. "I'm just popping out for a bit Em" Calvin pointed out towards the car. Emmett nodded and looked back at the two young oppsite. "I see throwing out the queer of the family is a common theme." Emmett jibed.
Eric shrugged "I've always been told about the Uncle I never saw one picture of."
Emmett intertwined his fingers together on the table "Yeah That's the other thing they did was burn all the pictures."
"Even the one before you came out!" Esmay asked.
Emmett nodded. "So how did you even know where I went all those years ago?"
"Mother saw you on TV. And she made a off-handed comment and that's how I knew."
Emmett grinned "Which episode did she see me on."
"Kissing the footballer" Esmay said.
Emmett laughed. "One of my good ones" he smirked.
"I'm sorry for dropping by unnounced and near christmas." Eric continued "But I don't have anywhere else to go!" Eric took a deep breath "All I wanted was to get to know you before I go to Grad school next year! I don't need money or a place to sleep at all, I'm working and traveling before I go to Yale and this is just a stop on the way! Esmay wanted to come with me, she's on winter break at the moment"
Emmett looked over at Esmay "How old are both of you?"
"I'm 22 and Esmay is 19, she's studying in Illinois to be a vet." Eric pointed to him and then to Esmay.
"I'm in the midst of moving, I'm not sure what help I can give you!"
Esmay released her lip from where she was biting on it. "We're not asking for anything Its just Eric wants to be able to know he will have family beside's me."
Emmett crossed his arms and sat back in the chair "If you help me to move, You can sleep on my sofa at my new place. Its a good thing I'm moving to Chicago at the beginning of the year."
"I can't even!" Eric exclaimed.
Emmet nodded "I'm not used to having blood related family. I'm sure in the meantime you can meet the people that I consider family."
"It be great to know" Esmay said. "We were barely able to mention mom having a brother."
-QAF-
Ben looked over at Michael as he leant against the counter by the sink. Michael nodded his head towards Jenny-Rebecca as she ate her cereal.
Ben licked his lips as she pushed his coffee mug forward.
Michael looked towards the ceiling to take a calming breath before moving around the table. "Have you finished JR?"
JR looked up from her cereal and nodded.
Michael sat down beside Ben. "Jenny Rebecca!" he started. She looked between Ben and Michael with a raised eyebrow. "I think its time to talk about School."
Ben leant on the table crossing his arms. "Lets start with why?"
Jenny Rebecca looked under from under her lashes.
-QAF-
Gus stood in the doorway, he watched Justin standing infront of the babies large wall.
Justin lifted his spray gun covering the whole side wall with a pastal green color, he turned to Gus. "Hey buddy" he said removing the paint mask "You finished your Lunch?"
Gus nodded "Yeah."
Justin put the gun on the work bench. "I needed a break from using the computer" he stated. "What do you need?" he asked.
Gus stroked a pattern into the wood "Can we go out?"
"Have you a specific destination in mind?"
"Can we get a christmas present for Dad."
"Yeah sure" Justin stated "Let me finish this wall and then we're go out okay?"
"Okay" Gus smiled and skipped across the landing to his own room.
Justin smiled and put the mask back over his face, he picked the gun up and continued.
-QAF-
Brian tightened his tie. He was making sure that the easal holding his campaign boards were in the right place. He took a step back and admired the placement. Cynthia knocked on the door, Brian looked up "Have they arrived?"
Cynthia nodded "Yeah Ted is accompanying them to the Break room to get refreshments."
"Good" Brian put his hand in his pocket and looked at the time "guide them in about 10 minutes"
"Sure I will do" Cynthia disapeared.
Brian took his phone from his jacket pocket.
Ted stood beside Cynthia as they stood in the doorway next together "Have you an idea who these people are?"
Cynthia shook his head "No Idea" she crossed her arms "Do you have an idea why we have to stay out of the meeting?" she asked.
Ted leaned on the doorway "it seems there is something he needs to discuss with men in expensive suits. You don't think he has cancer again do you?"
"No" Cynthia stated "There is no holes in his schedule to show anything" she stated.
Ted sighed "Brian is always a mystery."
Cynthia nodded "That's why I like working here." She put her hands beside her "I will escort them to the room."
Ted nodded.
-QAF-
Michael stared at the table top with his mouth a little bit open. "Did that just happan?"
Ben nodded.
Michael looked over his shoulder. "She thinks its normal" He stuttered glancing back at the table. "I thought it was just Gus, Mel bullied our daughter too. Now she thinks that's how we show affection."
Ben frowned "I think we need to give it some time for JR to let the talk sink in before talking any more about what happened back in Canada."
Michal crossed his arms on the table and placed his head down. "I'm failing more than I thought I was."
Ben placed his hand on the back of Michael's neck and soothed his hair at the nape of the neck.
-QAF-
Lindsey waved at the front desk as she walked into Kinetic "Hi Ted" she waved leaning in the doorway of his office.
"Lindsey, what brings to my neck of the woods?"
Lindsey smiled and walked into the office "Are you and Blake doing anything nice?"
Ted leaned back in his seat "Once I leave here at 3, We're driving down to Philadelphia and staying near Ridley Creek Park."
"Ooh nice!"
"It was Blake's idea" Ted shrugged. "Its Freddie's first christmas with just us."
Lindsey leaned over the desk and kissed his cheek "You seem to be a natural at looking after kids!" she praised him.
Ted shrugged "How are you feeling?"
Lindsey shrugged "I don't know this is the first christmas without Mel" she looked at the floor. "Well the first one I was awake for" she pursed her lips.
"Have you visited it?"
Lindsey looked up "Yeah" she choked.
Ted looked at the desk "It was hard at first." he stated.
Lindsey smiled "It wasn't that hard as I thought it was" she said quietly.
Ted coughed "When she died I couldn't see the side she had been" he paused. He grimaced "I couldn't see the Mel that I had known for so long with the Melanie she was when she was doing those things to Gus." He licked his lips.
Lindsey let out a deep sigh clencing her lips together. "I think it wasn't that hard because I couldn't remember the years we spent in Toronto and all the struggles we had encountered by moving there" she explained. "All the memories I had of Melanie was the time we had spent in pittsburgh."
Ted nodded "I think sometimes," he paused "I would have wished you had never moved there"
"Sometimes I do too" she said truthfully.
Ted shook his head "Wow that got depressing fast"
Lindsey nodded as she looked at the floor.
"Are you going to lunch with Brian?"
Lindsey nodded "he said he had a meeting first though."
Ted pushed back away from his desk and stood to pick some document from the printer "Yeah he should be finished soon."
"We're going to lunch and then some shopping" Lindsey stated.
Ted sat back down at his desk "I've finished all of ours last week" he said "Why do people leave it last minute."
"We can't be all organised like you Ted" she smiled.
"I'm not saying you can" he smiled.
Lindsey put her bag onto the floor by her feet "Gus says Freddie likes books so I bought him a couple of books, I wasn't sure what to get him."
Ted waved her off "that's fine Lindz" he said. "He makes me read to him every night. Sometimes its the same old book."
"I'm surprised you don't know it by heart by now, I could recite every word of 'The little lamb' by the time Gus was 3."
"Oo" Ted shook his head "Its a different story everyday but the same every week."
"Sorry to break your shared Kiddie stories!"
Lindsey looked over her shoulder "Bri, you finished?"
"All done." Brian had his hands in his coat pocket where it was button up to his chin, he wore his black beanie and scarf. "Don't you have somewhere to be Theodore?"
Ted raised an eyebrow.
"Go home."
"I need to file this first, and you need to sign!" he waved a piece of a paper he got out of the printer earlier.
Brian took the pen from him, scanning the document before signing on the dotted line. "Now file it and go home" he stated. Putting his hands back in his pocket he turned to leave.
Lindsey tapped Ted on the arm. "Have fun!" she waved and followed him.
-QAF-
Gus had his hands in his pockets as he and Justin were in a photoprinting business. "That one" he said pointing at the screen at the far side of the entrance. Gus squinted his eyes and moved down the selection on the screen. He pressed onto a font size changing it to an easier looking one and then he looked at the selection for any other stickers he could put on the newly created photo.
Gus leaned forward to see the small print on the top of the screen for the price. He smiled thinking about how much money he had saved and if it was enough to buy this type of present.
"All done?"
Gus bit onto his bottom lip "Now I am" he stepped back from the computer and typed his name into the saved box. He leaned at the counter as Justin confirmed for the order. Gus could imagine the face on his Dad's face when he would open his christmas gift, with what money Gus had from completing chores he could think of a great present.
Justin put his wallet back into his pants pockets making sure Gus wouldn't see him paying for the present instead. He smiled at the woman at the counter "Come on Gus" he held out his hand.
Gus took his hand as they exited the shop "Are we going home now?"
"Is there anything else you want to look?" Justin asked "Or do you think you would want to go to the Ice Cream place across the mall."
"Can we?"
Justin smiled "yeah lets go."
Gus grinned up at him "Can I have 2 scoops?"
"I don't see why not."
Gus jumped up and down. They walked across the bridge to the other side of the large mall and walked into the Parlor. He run upto the shop counter and looked down at the all the flavors.
"Gus stay with me" Justin warned.
"Sorry Papa but I can't wait" he smiled licking his lips.
Justin greeted one of the staff.
"What can I get you?"
Gus looked up "Hi" he greeted him "two scoops of Strawberry cheesecake"
"Sure can do" the staff stated and racked the price for two scoops "Anything else?" he asked.
"Just that" Justin stated getting his wallet out and handed the staff the money for the order.
Gus put his hands behind his back "Thank you"
"Your welcome, Please enjoy."
They moved off to the side. Gus leaned more into Justin's side resting his cheek to his hip. He waited for the Ice cream to be put into a small pot, the waiter handed it over to him "Here you go"
Gus smiled and picked a small splastic spoon from the pot.
Justin put his hand on Gus shoulder and moved him to the small table against the wall of the shop. They sat down, Justin glanced at his phone while Gus ate all the Ice Cream. Gus smiled up at Justin.
"Come here" Justin said wiping a smudge of Ice Cream from the corner of Gus's mouth.
"Papa" Gus whined swatting his hand.
"Don't worry nobody saw"
Gus sighed "Ah Jeez" he exclaimed.
Justin grinned "If you didn't get so messy."
Gus licked the spoon as he finished "Momma always said it was how you enjoyed something."
Justin nodded "My Mom said the exact same thing."
"Really."
"Yeah" he replied "We have one more shop to go into and then we can go home okay."
Gus hopped off the seat "Can I pick something for the twins?"
Justin took his hand "Yeah sure" he said "Let's go."
Gus clutched his hand, as they waked out of the shop through the mall "Papa, What are they going to be called?"
"Your Dad and I haven't decided"
"Does she have to have a girly name?"
"No I don't suppose she has to."
"I hate my name."
"Everybody hates their name" Justin stated stepping onto the esculator "People used to call me Justine."
"That's mean" Gus stated "People used to call me Gloop because of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."
"Kids are mean" Justin stated as they stepped off the esculator "Do you like any names?"
Gus shrugged.
"You do know" Justin said "Go on tell me."
"Astoria" Gus looked up "Edward."
"What other names have you thought of?" he asked.
Gus shrugged "Reid for a girl."
"How long have you been thinking about names?" Justin asked.
"Always"
Justin shook his head "Come on, lets have a look"
Gus let go of Justin's hand and skipped into the baby store.
-QAF-
Music from Brian's radio was low in the background as they had finished lunch and were on the way into town. Lindsey bobbed her head to the music "What has you in a good mood?" Brian asked.
Lindsey grinned "I wanted to wait until I knew more but I'm going back to college."
"What the fuck for?" he asked as he put his blinker on.
Lindsey clapped her hands together "I'm going to get a refresher course and I'll be teaching art in Hospital's" she stated.
"How long were you gonna wait to tell us?"
Lindsey shrugged "When I felt like telling you really" she stated. "I already have a offer in a hospital nearby."
"If that's what you want then nobody can fucking stop you" Brian said.
Lindsey leaned on her door "I'm getting a bit bored being at home on my own."
"Why didn't you say something"
Lindsey shrugged "Everybody has their own life, I don't know."
"Bullshit Lindsey" Brian cursed. "Your just punishing yourself after what you did to Melanie."
Lindsey shook her head "I don't think you have the fucking right to say that to me. I commited a goddamn felony, forgering Mel's signature to give me a fucking out of looking after my own son" she fumed. "I was fucking selfish and no matter how many times people tell me I'm not I have this weight on my shoulders."
"You need to get over yourself" Brian switched the radio off. "You did what you thought was the right thing at the time. No matter how many times you tell me it wasn't and it was for your selfish reasons, you made the right decision because Gus is where he needs to be." Brian clenched his lips together "I said I was sorry in making you be in that situation but I would do it all over again because nothing is more important then Gus's welfare."
Brian let a long sigh turning the radio back on. "Now If you want to continue being the only one with this weight on your shoulders than your more selfish than I thought" he turned the radio up.
