Chapter Fifty
I unlock the front door and we step inside. Andy dumps his luggage on the floor just inside the door and throws me over his shoulder.
I start laughing as he jogs us to the bedroom before throwing me on the bed. "Get naked, we're having a shower" he says with a wink before turning and walking into the ensuite. I don't need to be told twice and I strip quickly and join Andy in the shower.
I awake to the sounds of a car starting and I blink my eyes to adjust to the light in the bedroom. I lift my head and glance at the clock and see that it's almost eleven thirty. I look back down at where Andy is cuddled into me and try to work out how I'm going to extract myself from his grip so I can go to the bathroom.
I grab my pillow and slide it between myself and his body and slowly move his hands from my ass to the pillow. It seems to have worked so I slowly inch my way out of the bed and grab my robe from the floor and walk into the ensuite.
I close the door behind me and decide to freshen up by taking a quick shower. When I get out I dry off and tie my hair up before opening the door very quietly and grabbing some clothes. I dress quickly and make my way out to the kitchen, closing the bedroom door behind me.
I boil the jug and make myself a coffee, deciding against one for Andy since he'll probably sleep for a few hours yet.
I turn my phone on and take my mug out the back and enjoy the quiet day in the sun. I'm lazing in my chair with my eyes closed when I hear my name called. I sit up and look towards the fence and I spy Bradie smiling at me.
"Hey, morning Elle, how are you?" he says grinning.
"I'm great, how are you? I thought you'd still be sleeping?" I say.
"Nah, I slept on the plane last night and went straight to bed when I got home too. Besides, look at the weather, it's too nice a day to be sleeping" he says.
"Yeah, it is nice. So what are you up to today then?" I ask him.
"I'm just about to go through some footage from the tour actually. I'm going to assume Andy is still sleeping so do you want to come and have a look?" he asks me.
"That sounds great actually. I guess I'd better be getting the kids anyhow" I say as I stand up. "I'll be over in a minute okay."
"Okay, I'll leave the front door open for you" he says as he disappears behind the fence.
I go back into the kitchen and rinse my cup. I quietly open the bedroom door and check to see if Andy is still asleep. He's cuddling my pillow really tightly and is snoring softly. I close the door again and go back to the kitchen and write him a note.
Just gone next door to see the kids and have a look at the tour footage. Love you. X
I grab my phone and pocket it and lock the front door behind me on my way out.
I enter the house next door and head for the kitchen. Bradie is making tea and offers me a coffee which I accept.
"So where are the kids?" I ask him.
"They're in the living room I think. Mum and Dad were talking about taking them to the park for a bit to run off some energy. Let's go see what's happening" he says and I follow him down the hall to where the kids are.
"Mummy" I hear and Lilly and Max run up and cuddle me around the legs. I give them both a kiss and say "Hello my babies" before sitting down next to Bradie on the couch.
"Hey Tom, Sarah. Hello Christopher, how are you?" I ask him.
He gives me a cheeky little grin that I recognise as Andy's and runs to his mother's legs.
"Tom and I were just going to ring you actually and see if it was alright if we take the kids to the park with us?" Sarah asks me.
"Yeah that's fine by me. Bradie here was going to show me some stuff from the tour anyhow whilst Andy's still sleeping."
"Okay, you heard your Mum kids, let's go" Sarah says as she stands with Tom and the kids go flying out of the room.
"Yeah, bye kiddies" I mumble to myself and I hear Bradie chuckle beside me.
Max and Lilly come flying back in the room and hug me and say "goodbye Mum" before turning and running again.
"Ah kids, got to love them" I say before leaning back on the couch and sipping my coffee.
"So do you want to come see the footage?" Bradie asks me and I nod my head.
"Come on then. We can watch it in my room. I have the Mac hooked up to my TV."
I stand and follow Bradie to his room. The space is taken up by his queen-sized bed and the TV leaving no room for chairs to sit in. He points to the bed and says "have a seat."
I internally laugh when I notice the Spiderman doona cover and make my self comfortable. I sit Indian-style on the bed facing the TV whilst Bradie grabs his laptop and sits next to me.
He starts the video and we sit and watch. Bradie explains what's happening in a lot of the video and when I've finished my coffee I lay face down on the bed and prop my head up on my hands. Bradie does the same and we are soon both absorbed in the footage before us.
I'm unaware of how long we'd been laying on the bed laughing at the things in front of us but when I hear a throat clear from the doorway I turn my head to see Andy standing there, looking annoyed.
"Hey, when did you get up?" I ask him, sitting up quickly.
"Not long ago" he replies, still scowling.
"What's wrong?" I ask him. I feel Bradie move on the bed behind me and sit up as well.
"What the fuck is going on here?"
"What? Nothing" I reply to him.
"Bradie, what do you think you're doing with my girlfriend in your bedroom?"
"What the hell are you talking about? We're just watching the tour footage" he replies from behind me.
"Was it necessary to bring her in here to do that?" Andy says pointing at Bradie.
"Yeah it was. I have the Mac hooked up to the TV. God Andy, we weren't doing anything" Bradie says whilst I'm looking between the two of them in shock.
"Do you really think I'm that stupid?" Andy says and I can't believe what's gotten into him.
I'm practically dumb-founded as he looks at us both.
"Do you think I would do something like that to you?" I ask him, almost in tears.
He ignores the question and sneers at Bradie "you always said you had a thing for her" before turning and leaving the room.
I shuffle myself off the bed to go after him but Bradie grabs my arm. "No, you wait here, he's in one of his moods and he's not going to listen to a thing you say" he says. "I'll go after him" Bradie says as he stands and leaves the room.
I sit there wondering what the hell just happen when I hear the front door slam and Bradie call out Andy's name. The sound of a car starting alerts me to the fact that Andy is leaving and I jump off the bed and run out the front.
Bradie is standing there with his hands on his hips staring down the road as Andy's car squeals around the corner.
"What the hell is going on? What has gotten into him?" I ask Bradie.
"Come on, lets go grab our phones and lock the house up and try to find him before he does something stupid" Bradie replies.
I follow him back inside and help him close the house up. We get into his car and I pull my phone from my pocket and try Andy's number. It rings then stops abruptly. I'm guessing he's turned his phone off and when I try calling him again I instantly get his voice message.
Andy, honey, please call me as soon as you can. I don't know what the hell just happened but I think you've jumped to the wrong conclusion. Please phone me? I love you.
I end the call and look at Bradie. He has his phone to his ear and from what I can make out he's talking with his dad.
"If he turns up there ring me and let me know okay? No I don't know what the hell is wrong with him. He's paranoid or something, I don't know" he says.
I press my hands to my face and try to contain the tears that are threatening to fall. I hear Bradie say "Bye" and assume he's hung up.
"Mum and Dad are going to keep an eye out for him at the park for us" he says.
"Bradie, what is going on? Why the hell did he go off like that?" I ask him.
"Look, while we were on tour he got really drunk one night, he couldn't sleep or something and he was sitting there just talking all this crap."
"Like what?" I ask him.
"He was saying stuff like how he didn't think he deserves you and that you'd be better off with someone else. Then he was talking about how I liked you as well and what would have happened if he hadn't shown interest in you right away and if I had asked you out first. Just stupid stuff really, he was just doubting everything. I guess he thinks he's not good enough for you. But I think he's paranoid about it too, like he's scared someone else is going to come along and take you away from him."
"This is so stupid. Why the hell would he think this?" I say throwing my hands up.
"I don't know either. I think he was annoyed with himself too that he couldn't be there with you last week when you had to go to Queensland. I think he felt as though he let you down by not going."
"What? Oh for fuck's sake. Why would he think that? Surely he knows that I didn't expect him to come with me. He was on tour for God's sake. The sooner we find him the better" I say as I look out my window at the streets rushing past. The tears leak from my eyes and I try my hardest to keep my breathing even so Bradie doesn't hear me.
Apparently I'm not that good an actress and I feel his hand grab mine. "It's going to be okay Elle. We'll find him and sort this mess out, I promise" he says and squeezes my hand before releasing it.
We drive around for an hour or so, checking all the places that Bradie and I can think of where he'd be. I try ringing his phone but it's still off. Bradie rings Shaun and Shannon and asks them if they've seen him. Neither of them has but after Bradie quickly explains what's happened they promise to ring if they do.
We're nearing the park and are about to pull in when my phone rings. I quickly answer it without checking the caller ID.
"Hello?" I answer.
"Hi, this is Matthew Kent, is this Elle?"
"Yes Matt, how are you?" I ask out of habit.
"I'm fine Elle, and you?" he asks.
"I'm okay, what's up?" I ask him.
"I'm sorry to be ringing you on a Sunday but I wanted to get a hold of you as soon as possible. Mr Piper has listed you as his next of kin at the hospital and I received a call from them this morning when they couldn't get a hold of you."
My heart seems to slow down just a little bit and I feel as though everything around me is revolving. "Yes, what is it?" I ask slowly, almost in a whisper as I start to guess what he's about to tell me.
"I'm sorry to tell you that Dean passed away this morning, just after six a.m."
I can feel my conscious swimming around me and everything goes blurry. I put my head down between my knees and breathe deeply. I can hear Bradie asking if I'm alright and I hold my phone up to him.
I hear talking but I can't concentrate long enough to make out what's being said. My brain is shutting down again and I close my eyes and process the news I just received.
I must have passed out because I can feel someone trying to move my body. The ringing in my ears is softening and I hear Bradie saying my name. I open my eyes slowly and try to get my bearings.
I'm lying on grass. I can see Bradie's car in front of me and the passenger door is wide open. I look around a bit more and recognise my letter box. He must have driven me home.
"Yeah, she's coming around now. Okay. I'll call you back okay. Bye" I hear Bradie say. He must have been on the phone.
"Elle, can you hear me?" he says and I look to my left and see his face.
"Are you okay? How do you feel?" he says.
"I'm okay, I think. What happened?" I ask him.
"You were on the phone and then you just sort of passed out. I drove us straight here and pulled you out of the car. You were kind of crumpled on the floor for a while."
I process what he's telling me and remember the phone call. "Did you take my phone?" I ask him.
"Yeah, I did. Elle I'm so sorry about your ex" he says to me.
"Can you help me sit up please?" I ask him and he helps me upright.
"Where are the kids?" I ask him.
"Mum and Dad still have them. I let them know you weren't too good and they said they'd have them until you were ready."
"Andy. Where is he?" I ask looking up at Bradie.
"We can't find him Elle. He's not answering his phone and he's just disappeared."
I feel my face crumble and I hug my knees to my chest and sob. Bradie's arm goes around my shoulders and he pulls me to his chest. I feel him moving and then hear him speak.
"Hey, it's me. Yeah I'm good. Listen, I need a really big favour. Can you come over to Elle's? I need to go find Andy but I can't leave her alone at the moment. No, I'll explain when you get here. Yeah okay, see you soon" he says.
"Elle, come on, lets get you inside" he says as his arms go under mine and he lifts me into a standing position.
He helps me to the door and when I pull the keys from my pocket my hands are shaking so badly that he takes them from me and unlocks it.
"Come on, come lay down on the couch" he says, walking me to it.
I flop down into the comfy seat and throw my head back on the chair. I'm staring at the ceiling lost in thought when a glass is pushed into my hand. I take a sip and realise its just water.
I sit forward and put it back on the coffee table as I feel the couch dip beside me.
"We'll find him okay" Bradie says rubbing my back. "Is it okay if I tell Alice what's going on?" he asks me and I nod.
"When she gets here I'll fill her in then go and see if I can find him."
"Okay. Thanks Bradie" I say looking at him.
"Anytime Elle" he replies as we both hear a car pull up.
He stands and goes to the front door and meets Alice outside. I can hear them talking quietly as I stand and make my way to the kitchen. I pour myself a scotch and when I walk back in Alice is standing hugging Bradie.
"You okay Elle?" Bradie says and Alice turns to face me, letting go of her hold on him.
"Yeah, I'm okay" I reply moving to sit back on the couch.
"I'm going to go look for him but I'll ring you if I find him okay? Oh and here's your phone" he says, handing it to me. Alice comes and sits next to me and throws an arm around my shoulders.
"Thanks Bradie" I say as he gives us both a little wave and walks back outside again.
Alice and I both sit back and she says quietly "I'm here if you want to talk and I'm here if you want to just veg out okay" and I turn and give her a small smile.
"Thanks Alice. I think I just need to veg at the moment" I say as I lean forward and grab the remote to switch on the TV.
"Here, see if you can find something to watch" I say as I hand it to her.
My mind is consumed thinking about how I'm going to tell my children that their father is dead.
I think I sat on that couch for three straight hours like a zombie. Alice made me a sandwich at some point and I remember getting up and going to the bathroom but nothing else.
My ringing phone startles me out of my state of mind and I grab it and check the display. It's Bradie and I answer immediately.
"Hey, have you found him?"
"Hi Elle, yeah I have, we'll be on our way home soon. Is Alice still there?" he asks me.
"Yeah she is. Is he okay Bradie?" I ask him.
"He'll be fine, look; can I have a quick word with Alice?"
"Yeah sure" I say and pass the phone to Alice.
She takes it from me and stands and walks into the kitchen.
I look at the clock and see it's after seven pm. I'm going to have to get the kids soon and bring them home so I can talk to them. I didn't want to do it without Andy though so I decide to hold off until he's home.
Alice walks back in the room and puts my phone on the coffee table before sitting down next to me again.
"Listen Elle, Bradie was just telling me, he found Andy in a bar. He said it looks like he might have gotten into a fight."
"What? What do you mean?"
"Bradie just said he looks like he may have a broken nose and he's got a cut over his eye. He's going to take him to the emergency room before he brings him home. But he's drunk as a skunk so they may not treat him at all."
I hang my head and hold it in my hands again. No more tears form and I think it's simply because I've shed enough for one day.
"He also said he hasn't told Andy what's happened yet. He doesn't think he'll be any use to you at the moment anyhow. Seems he's being all emotional, I'm pretty sure Bradie said he was crying when he found him slumped on the bar."
I take a deep breath and lift my head to look at Alice.
"Alice, can you come with me next door? I need to get the kids home and tell them what's happened. But I really don't think I can do it alone. I was counting on Andy to help me but I can't wait any longer. Do you think you can come with me?"
"Yeah, sure Elle. How about you go wash your face and I'll just rinse your glass out and we'll go get them okay?" Alice says.
"Okay, thanks Alice" I say as I make my way to the ensuite. I notice as I walk through my bedroom that Andy's clothes are still on the floor from last night. I look away quickly and try to focus on what I'm supposed to be doing.
After my face is clean and I don't look so terrible I quickly brush my hair then go back out to where Alice is waiting in the living room.
"Ready?" she asks me and I nod before grabbing my phone and walking to the front door.
We make our way next door and knock quietly. Sarah answers and says hello to Alice, stepping aside so she can walk inside. I look up at Sarah and she pulls me into a hug and whispers "I'm so sorry" in my ear.
I squeeze her before letting go again. "Have you heard from Bradie?" I ask her.
"Yeah, he called not long ago and told us what's happened. I'm sure he'll be alright Elle. I'm just a bit annoyed at him behaving like a child like that though. Chris has better manners at times" she says.
"Where are the kids?" I ask her as we walk inside.
"They're watching a movie with Tom. Are you planning on telling them tonight?" she asks.
"Yeah, I was hoping Andy might have been with me but Alice is going to stay instead" I tell her.
"If you'd like, we can be with you too" she says.
I think about this and decide it's probably not a bad idea. The kids really love Tom and Sarah and they are kind of like their surrogate grandparents.
"Thanks Sarah, that would be great actually" I say with a small smile.
"Alright, well the kids have had their dinner and I think the movie they are watching will be finished in about twenty minutes anyhow. Do you want to tell them here or at home?" she asks me.
"Here is fine. I think if they have all of us around them, they'll be okay."
"Okay, would you like a cup of coffee?" she asks and I accept.
When she hands it to me I follow her into the lounge room. Thankfully it's dark and the kids can't see my tear-stained face too clearly. I sit down in the arm chair by myself to wait out the end of the movie and mentally prepare myself to tell the twins that their father has passed away.
