Closing Time
"Nine letter word; small representative; 'created in god's hands'?"
Sandy and Kirsten were sat down, helping each other with their different crosswords. Sandy mused, unsure, when Georgia hopped in.
"Microcosm." She stated. Kirsten looked down at her newspaper. She raised her eyebrows. "Yes. That fits!"
"Ok…believed to be cause of Gulf War Syndrome; two words?"
"Deployted uranium." Georgia answered in between humming a song in her head.
Sandy wrote in the correct answer then turned to Kirsten, they both frowned.
"Name the presidents on Mount Rushmore." Sandy tested her.
Georgia swallowed her Minute Maid. "Lincoln, Washington, Jefferson aaaaaaaaand Roosevelt".
"Alright, how do you work out an acid test ratio?" Kirsten then asked testing her with a quick finance question she knew how to answer.
"Current assets minus stock divided by your current liabilities." Kirsten's eyes grew wide and turned to Sandy. "What?" Georgia asked.
"I think we may need to enrol you in some home schooling." Sandy said.
"Home schooling?" Georgia flinched. "O, I don't know. Never fancied that."
"Georgia you are a very intelligent fourteen year old. Smart minds like yours don't come round the corner every day."
Seth walked in. "Evening all."
"All we're saying is while you're here we could hire a tutor for a few hours a week." Kirsten said.
Georgia flinched again. "It would be weird though. I mean, it would be like being alone in a class with a teacher."
"Since we don't know how long you're staying I can't find a good reason to put you into a proper high school here. Changes could be consistent and anyway, I'm sure teaching is done in a completely different way in Scotland." Kirsten told her. "But if we hired a tutor you'd still be learning and in the same way you would be back in Scotland."
Georgia shrugged. "Do what you want. It's five o'clock and that means in two hours I will be on stage performing Green Day for a full club of people I don't even know!" She jumped about grinning. "So you're not nervous?" Seth asked.
"Nuh-uh! Rock on! You better be there!" She pointed at Seth. "And you two!" Her sentences ran into each other now. "I'm gonna get changed!" She slammed out. "Don't wanna be an American idiot, one nation controlled by the media…!"
Twenty minutes later Kirsten ran upstairs looking for Sandy, he seemed to have walked off out of nowhere. "Sandy?" She called out, hearing the sound of guitars from Seth's room. "Honey? Where are you?"
Kirsten knocked on Seth's door and walked in, as she did, Seth and Georgia stopped playing their guitars. "Have you guys seen your dad?"
"I'm here." Sandy said, coming up behind her and gently placing his hands on her shoulders.
"Where you playing 'She Will Be Loved'?" Kirsten asked grinning.
"Yeah, Georgia was teaching me. Warming up those fingers." Seth answered.
"I love that song!" Kirsten smiled.
"You do?" Sandy asked.
"Yeah!" Kirsten screamed with a 'duh!' expression on her face. Sandy smiled.
---
Kirsten fiddled furiously with her wrist trying to get her watch on. Just as she managed to click it in place, she felt her husbands strong arms wrap around her tiny waist. Sandy pulled Kirsten close to him, resting his chin on her shoulder and nestling his nose into her wavy hair at base of her neck. "She will be loved…" He hummed to her, swaying them together.
Kirsten grinned widely and rested her head back against Sandy's. "You ready?" She purred. Sandy slid his hands down to her ass and turned her around. "Always."
Kirsten half rolled her eyes and looked up at him. "I meant for the show."
Sandy shook his head devilishly. "So did I." He answered placing pulsating kisses on her lips.
Bang! Bang! Bang! "Sandy! Kirsten! You ready?" Georgia shouted through the door. "Justin and Elle are here."
Kirsten pulled away from Sandy blushing. "Just coming sweetie."
Sandy's mobile went off. Kirsten raised her eyebrows up at him disapprovingly. "Switch that off." Sandy shrugged and answered the call. Kirsten threw her handbag over her shoulder, placed her hand on her hips and watched Sandy in conversation. "Now? Wha-I can't, I've got a thing. Can't he wait until tomorrow?..." Sandy sighed heavily. "Yeah. I'll be right there." He shut his phone.
Kirsten waited for a response. "20 minutes." Sandy said. "Tops."
After a moment Kirsten pointed her finger at him. "If you screw this up," She warned him, "you won't get invited to the after party." She said smiling. Sandy grinned and kissed her cheek, walking away. "See you in twenty." Kirsten said.
"Twenty five!" Sandy called back.
"Sandy!"
"I'll be there!"
"Better be." Kirsten said to herself.
---
Down at the police station, Sandy walked into one of the interrogation rooms where 15 year old Brendan Kemp, one of Sandy's hardest clients, was sitting alone.
"Oh yeah." Brendan said sarcastically. "Help is here again."
"Sooner than I thought I would have to be." Sandy said walking close to the boy. "You shooting people now?"
"Nah man that son of a bitch fired at me first."
"You were stealing from his shop."
"Fuck that. His goods were wack."
Sandy sighed. "Why are you stealing again Brendan? You've been doing so well. 8 months clean."
"I got fuck all to do."
"Have you not got any friends you can hang out with?"
"Ma homies were with me." Sandy looked outside and saw the 3 guys who were caught with Brendan at the store. They all must of have been at least 17.
"Those people who dragged you into this are not your friends, Brendan, ok?" Brendan shifted trying to show Sandy he didn't care what he said. "Hey, hey." Sandy said warning Brendan. "Now you have got a second chance here and you can't waste that. Would your ma want you to waste that?"
"Don't bring up my ma! She loved me!" Brendan shouted. Sandy first became Brendan's lawyer when his mum died and his dad ran out on him a year ago. Since then, he's been from foster home to foster home but doesn't have the right attitude to stay with one family. "Right, so don't ya think you should make her proud? Do good by her? Everything she did for you?" As Sandy enforced his words on Brendan he had a little guilty conscience as he thought about when he ran away from home, leaving his mum alone.
Brendan fell silent realising his lawyer was right. "You're gonna go back to the Kierans," his current foster carers, "you're gonna get some new friends, your own age and you're gonna start fresh. Right?"
Brendan turned to Sandy. "Man how you so wise?" Sandy smirked. "It took time, kid. Used to be just like you." Well, minus the weapon possession and theft.
Brendan stood up. "Nigga please." Sandy smiled and stood up, facing the kid. "Man those jeans are tight!"
"What?" Sandy asked.
"Shirt's pretty dope too. Man you dress all that!" Sandy smiled. "I'm going to see my daughter play at The Bait Shop."
"What's she play? She DJ?" Brendan started to get interested; he wanted to do something in music when he was older.
"No electric guitar. She and her friends are doing a Green Day gig for the night."
"They ain't ma style but pretty cool. Hey wish her luck for me."
"Wish me luck" Sandy said starting to walk away. "I need to get there on time." It was just Sandy's fortune that it should start to rain like there was no tomorrow. "Yo Mr Cohen." Brendan called out and Sandy turned around. "You alright for a white guy."
Sandy thumped his chest twice and held up his two fingers. "Peace." Then ran out the door. Brendan laughed and shook his head. "Old angad."
----
"I don't care if you don't, I don't care if you don't, I don't care if you don't care…" Georgia and Justin sang together, Georgia looking at Kirsten. The show had already started and Sandy was nowhere in sight.
Kirsten saw Georgia searching round for him constantly and so was she. She was looking around when she saw Ryan. "You alright?" Ryan asked her.
"Have you heard from Sandy?" She asked.
"He's not here yet?" Ryan asked surprised. He thought Sandy would never have missed this.
"No." Kirsten shook her head. "I don't know where he is…" She faded off, turning back to Georgia. She looked directly at Kirsten. "…I don't care if you don't care".
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sandy gripped his steering wheel tightly, leaning forward and trying to see clearly out his front window streaming with the falling rain. Blurry lights from other cars ahead occasionally blinded him but not many people seemed to be on the road.
"When possible please make a stop for gas." The GPS lady announced.
"Not tonight lady. This beamer can wait until tomorrow."
"When possible make an emergency stop for gas." Sandy groaned. "Turn right in 800 yards for your nearest gas station." Sandy looked at the car monitor to check how much gas he had; very little to none. Definatly not enough to get him to The Bait Shop. He made a skidded right turn into the gas station.
As Sandy tried to pump gas into his car double-time her lifted the level and trapped his fingers above it. He nearly screamed in pain as he took his hand away, causing him to drop the hose. He picked up the hose-pump and shoved it back into the side of his car. He swiped the machine with his credit card, jumped in his car and sped away into the storm.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Georgia pressed down on a pedal plugged into her guitar amp. The sound turned acoustic and she started to play the intro to When September Ends. Kirsten looked at her watch. The twinkling hands told her it was around 830. They had definatly been playing for a while. Kirsten was starting to get really mad at Sandy. Georgia looked at her every few seconds with less hope each time and it was killing Kirsten. She had to shrug her shoulders and mouth "he'll be here soon" which Kirsten couldn't guarantee he would be; and the chance of that happening seemed to be fading further away.
Georgia played and sung part solo for this song and it was simply just taking Kirsten away. Sandy was missing out on so much. As if they hadn't missed out on enough already, Sandy couldn't seem to seize the moments he had with her.
Leaving the girl he loved for work on one of the most important nights of her life; now where did that sound familiar?
Seth came over and handed Kirsten a Coke. "Thanks." She half smiled. Seth could see the sadness in her face. "Dad still not here?"
"Do you know if he was going anywhere, after seeing his client?"
Seth shrugged apologetically. "They've been up there for an hour, show'll be finishing soon."
Kirsten sighed. "Well he better get his ass down here fast."
--------------------------------------------------
"Move your ass!" Sandy shouted to his car. The wheels squeaked as they sped along the slippy roads. His digital car clock told him it was 20:41. He knew the show was almost over but was not ready to give up yet. He was determined to see at least one song of the show. He couldn't let Georgia down. He had to let her know he was gonna be there for her, that he was proud of her and that he loved her. He set this up. He had to be there.
"Shit!" he yelled as he came to a crossroads and a car whizzed past him. He slammed forward and back into his seat. He took a moment to breath. He looked right to left and there were no other cars so he took his chances and drove through the red light. He ignored his near crashing experience and picked up his speed again.
When he saw missed lights up ahead however he slowed down. He eventually came up to some police officers. "What's going on officer? I need to get through."
"Sorry sir." The soaked officer said. "There's been an accident. You'll have to go back, take a third left and take the long route to get to the beach."
"Can't I jus get through? My daughter's on stage now and I have to see her."
"Sorry sir I can't do that. If I let you through I'll have to let everybody through and there's no space for that."
"Please. I'll do anything." Sandy begged him but the officer looked right past him.
"Is that coffee?" The officer asked looking past Sandy to the cup holder. "Yes."
"Is it warm?" He asked. "Yes." The officer signalled Sandy to give it to him.
"Johnny!" The officer yelled down the street. "I'm gonna let one through!"
He took the coffee. "Have a good night sir."
"Thank you so much." Sandy said, carefully driving past a triple car wreck. There was a truck carrying logs, a small car and a range rover. He slowed down as he passed them. He turned and looked at the victims. There was a college guy and his girlfriend getting treated for a broken arm and stitches- he imagined their car was the small Ford KA. Beside the KA was the log truck. The driver was talking to an officer and seemed to be unharmed, except for maybe shock. Right in front of the bonnet of the truck was the Range Rover, black, upside down, crushed. There were two ambulances beside it. As Sandy passed he saw a stressed father and husband yelling at everyone as his 2 kids- a little boy and girl- and his wife where transferred on stretcher into the ambulances. From the amount of blood, the state of the car and the panic from the father/husband Sandy could tell he may loose everything.
"Man we just missed the concert!" he heard the college boy whine which made Sandy stop. "Shut up Josh!" The girl screamed as they walked away from the ambulance. "If my dad finds out that you were drinking while taking me to see Motley, you are so dead."
"Shut up!" The boy yelled. "You can't let them know I'm drunk! They'll send me away!"
The stupid kid was drunk. Sandy wanted to get out his car and tell him what an idiot he was for drinking and driving then drag him by the ear to an officer so they would send him away. He kept thinking how he could have lost everything that night Kirsten was in a crash. Like the father/husband just had. Sandy frowned. If Kirsten had caused an accident like this during her DUI what would he have done? If she had taken away that father/husbands everything would he have been able to forgive her?
Sandy sighed. Thank god he got out of his skin and told Kirsten how much she needed help and got her it. Now he needed to get out of here and show Georgia he could be a great dad. Before he lost everything.
-------------------------------------------------
The end of "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" was great. Like Green Day Justin, Elle and Georgia really got the audience involved. As they played the riffs they got them to yell and silence and different points; the audience loved it. One final time Georgia brought her arms down by her side, silencing the audience and the band. They waited 5 seconds before playing again. Everyone was singing and jumping and screaming, the band were having a great time. Georgia would be having a great time only if Sandy was there. She had lost all hope in seeing Sandy as they were about to finish. Kirsten, Seth, Ryan and the girls could all see that. AS Boulevard finished everyone clapped and cheered and Kirsten checked her watch. For the 100th time that night she sighed. "For God's sake Sandy." The look on her daughter's face made Kirsten want to kill Sandy. Definatly no after party.
"Ok." Justin panted. "This is our last song…" He announced out of breath.
"Sandy where are you?" Kirsten said out loud her eye watching the door.
"And it." He panted. "Will be played and sung by the one and the only Georgia McRoberts!" The crowd clapped. "Woo!" Justin yelled.
Georgia realised Sandy wasn't going to show up for her moment but decided try and make the best of things. She moved towards the centre of the stage with her guitar. She looked at Kirsten, Seth and Ryan all in a line. They all looked apologetic knowing it was important to her that Sandy was there but he had screwed up and there was nothing they could do about it.
Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sandy walk in. She grinned. Sandy smiled and gave her thumbs up. Kirsten turned and saw Sandy making his way down the stairs. She smirked and sighed, happy and relieved.
With all the most important people finally there, she started to play. "Another turning point the fork stuck in the road…" She sang casually but her voice giving off an amazing sound everyone silenced to hear. Sandy came up and put his arm around Kirsten. She grinned. "You were very nearly dead tonight."
"Honey you have no idea." Sandy smirked and they watched Georgia perform. "It's something unpredictable but in the end is right, I hope you have the time of your life…so take the photographs…"
"I can't believed I almost missed this." Sandy said softly.
"Well you'll be happy to know." Kirsten said. "Even though I could have killed you tonight, you are still invited to the after party. Sandy laughed pulling Kirsten in closer.
Georgia smiled as she sang and played watching her family. Seth and Ryan; her brothers and Sandy and Kirsten; her parents. She had never imagined to have been here, to have another family. And now she wished she had never resented them in the first place. She loved them and was so happy to be with them now, the feeling was indescribable.
She sung to them "For what it's worth it was worth all the while. It's something unpredictable but in the end is right; I hope you have the time of your life."
She smiled uncontrollably as she played the bridge to the end. She let the last note ring out as the audience clapped. Justin and Elle came forward to the front of the stage but Georgia took off her guitar laid it down on stage and ran off into Sandy's arms. She grabbed onto him tightly, giving him a tight hug as the audience around her continued cheering. "I thought you weren't coming."
"I wouldn't have missed this for the world." Georgia broke from Sandy and hugged Kirsten who hugged her back firmly. "I am so proud of you." Kirsten said grinning.
Seth swotted her over the head so she came away from Kirsten. "Dudette Cohen, that was amazing!" Before Georgia could say thanks, Justin and Elle ran into Georgia and they all started screaming and jumping up and down. "We have got to do that again!" The three were screaming.
"Three words; us?" Kirsten smiled. Sandy frowned. "The Happy Family."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ok sorry for this slow update. Just took me a while to get this chapter started for some reason. I wont make the futerers slow I promise. Im starting to write 2 other fix as well. One angsty(does get fluffy) and one dramatic and fluffier.
If im writing in the write order, in the next chpter, you should see the return of a character which caused some disturbances between Sandy and Kirsten in season 2 which should be interesting…