Chapter 79 – Hashing It Out

Thomas noticed that Jack had some papers in his hand. Doug went to stand behind Jack, offering him his support. Lee did the same. Nathan went to do the same.

"What do you have there?" Thomas demanded pointing to the papers in his hand.

"You wanted to know what was delivered from the office today." Jack said. "I wasn't going to do this, but you have forced my hand. Nathan and Doug will you please witness and then sign."

Jack looked at both and they nodded. With that, Jack flipped to the last page, signed his name and then handed the pen to Doug who did the same and then to Nathan. They each signed three copies and then when they were done, Jack took two copies and threw the third one across the table at his parents.

"These are papers removing you from access to any of my accounts." Jack said. "And there are several, some you don't even know about. It also removes you from signing rights to any of my investment properties, school and medical records. It also removes you from using apartments in any of my rental properties without my permission. You don't approve of my choices and want to cut me off, well I am cutting you off from access to my life. You will only know what is public record and what I chose to tell you. These are legally binding and you can try and contest them, but Grandpa John said he would stand with me. He was the one that had them drawn up. Like I said, I thought it was extreme, but I see that he is right."

"When did you do these?" Thomas demanded.

"I talked to Grandpa John last week." Jack said. "When I learned that Ma wasn't happy about Elizabeth. Honestly, Grandpa John and I have been talking about this for awhile. Everything just happened to come to a head in the last week or so. Elizabeth is my future, like it or not. You should also know that these papers also prevent you from dropping Elizabeth as a client or denying me protection as a Thornton. So therefore you can't fire Nathan since you specifically hired him to protect me. So he is to remain as long as he feels that there is a need. Grandpa John also wrote in there that phone, car insurance and medical coverage are to remain as long as I am in school or age twenty-five, which ever is longer. You can't cut either Elizabeth or I off. Grandpa John agrees that if she is my future, she needs the same protection as a Thornton."

"You can't do this." Thomas said.

"Grandpa John and the Attorney General of the State of New York say otherwise." Jack said. "I am done with demanding things of me. I am fully capable of making decisions for myself. Like it or not, you will no longer have a say in what I do."

Charlotte looked like she was going to cry or was something.

"Can we all please sit down and talk about this?" James asked.

Jack took a seat on one side of the table. Doug, Lee and Nathan sat down on the same side in support of Jack. Charlotte and Thomas sat across from them, with Gran and James still sitting at the ends of the table. The mood around the room was tense. Jack was just glad that Elizabeth and Tommy were downstairs. He figured that Tommy could hear at least part of it, as he had heard his father's raised voice and that was what brought him back upstairs. Jack was glad that Elizabeth was going to put her headphones on listen to some music.

"Why are you doing this?" Charlotte asked, again playing soft and innocent.

"Because you forced my hand." Jack said. "You have tried to dictate my life for too long. You don't respect my choices and you are always trying to push me to do what you want. You refuse to listen to what I want for MY life. I have been talking to Grandpa John for months about things. When you objected to Elizabeth, that was the last straw. Actually what you, Ma, said about Elizabeth was the last straw."

Charlotte looked at her son and her face blanched.

"Yeah." Jack said. "I heard you last night and all the awful things that you said about Elizabeth. So when when the papers arrived today, I was thinking of using them as a way to show you that I was serious about doing things my way and that you needed to respect my decisions. When you started in on Nathan again tonight, I decided to just do it and cut you out. I don't need that negativity in my life. Just so you know, Molly has arranged for the rest of my things to be packed that are in my room. They are being delivered to the apartment. I will decided what I am going to keep and what I am going to put into storage. She is including all my books, ribbons, and photos. Don't even think of trying to stop her, Chief Burke has personally spoken to her and she knows that there are legal papers and she needs to comply. Devin is also removing all my art and jewelry from the house and Dad's office. They are doing it as we speak. I also had Devin remove your fingerprints from having access to any of my properties. Chief Burke was the one that suggested that."

"You are going to regret this." Thomas said. "You will never make it on your own. Your eighteen and don't have a degree or anything."

"That is where you are wrong, again." Jack said. "I won't go into numbers, but suffice to say my investments just in the last quarter out paced yours at more then a rate of three to one. You forgot, that you have been letting me make investments for years with the profits all mine. You have never asked and I never said anything. I looked at the paperwork last week. My stocks and investments have out paced yours for years. Hence the several accounts that you don't know about. I have three separate accounts that investments get deposited in. Other then my Jeep and the Stratocaster, I have never touched them and actually those came from the trust you set up for me.

Grandpa John has set two of them up as trusts that draw a really good interest rate. So you see I will be completely fine. Add in my shares of Thornton Thoroughbreds and the other properties in my portfolio and I am very much okay. I have talked to the accounting firm and they know that you don't have access to my accounts anymore. I have agreed to stay as a client for now as long as they abide by my wishes and the legal papers that say you don't have access. As far as I am concerned, they are more worried about losing my business then they are yours."

"What about law school?" Thomas asked.

"Oh." Jack said. "I am going to school in the fall, just not law school."

"What are you going to do?" Thomas asked.

Jack looked at Doug who gave him a nod. Nathan put his hand on Jack's shoulder in support.

"I am going to get my MBA or maybe a finance degree." Jack said. "Maybe both. Elizabeth is still going to get her education degree."

"Then what?" Thomas asked. "What about the law firm?"

"I don't really care about the law firm." Jack said. "It was your dream that I become a lawyer, not mine. I don't want to be lawyer. As far as what I will do after school, well that is still to be determined. I have some plans and some ideas, but for right now that is all that they need to be. Grandpa John is excited about some of the plans, so there are options. I mean it is not like I have to work. I will be fine to continue with my investments. Besides, what I do in the future is none of your concern. Because I signed those papers, you have no right to know until whatever I do is made public and I have no intention of telling you anything. You want to act like an asshole to my friends and my girlfriend, then you have no place in my life. Whether you like it or not, I am going to marry Elizabeth and have a life with her."

"I can't believe that my own father is doing this." Thomas lamented.

"I can." Gran said. "I have tried to talk to you both, Thomas and Charlotte, for years about giving JP some space to make his own decisions. You have been far too strict with him for a long time and it has finally bite you back. JP is not you and he has his own ideas and dreams. As parents were are suppose to support our children and guide them. Not make life decisions for them, especially when they have shown that they are quite capable of making decisions on their own. It is especially true of adult children."

"So you support him?" Charlotte asked.

"Yes, we do." James said. "JP has shown me time and time again that he has a good head on his shoulders when it comes to horses and business. If you would have just paid attention and given him a chance, this probably wouldn't have happened. JP is not Tommy. JP is ten times more responsible then even you were at eighteen, Charlotte. He knows what he wants and has been working toward that for years. Charlotte when you were eighteen, you had little direction. You didn't know what you wanted to do. You even took a year off before heading to college, it then took you forever to make a decision about Thomas. It took you even longer to have a family because you wanted the freedom to do what you wanted to do."

"There was a time." Gran said. "That we thought you might never have a family because you were so self centered."

"I can't believe that you would say that." Charlotte said.

"I said it because it was true." Gran said. "Even after you had JP, you left him with a nanny more then anything. You wonder why he loved to spend his summers up here and we gladly took him. At least then he was being raised by family and not a nanny, not that she wasn't good."

Thomas and Charlotte sat there shocked. They could believe what was happening. Finally Gran stood up and walked over to the boys. She gave each a kiss on the head.

"I will see you in the morning." She said.

When she got to Nathan, she stopped.

"Nathan, dear." Gran said. "What would you like for breakfast?"

"I know it is too late to make that French toast casserole." Nathan said. "But how about some pancakes with bacon."

"I can do that." Gran said. "I will make the casseroles for Saturday morning."

"Thank you." Nathan said, with a lopsided grin.

Gran walked over to James and gave him a kiss goodnight.

"I wouldn't be long, dear." James said.

"Okay." Gran said before heading to her bedroom.

"We have a long day tomorrow with the bonfire." James said. "We also have a lot happening this weekend. I think we should table this discussion until next week."

"Okay." Jack said. "But there really isn't anything left to talk about. They made their choice and I have made mine. I am sorry that you and Gran got caught in the middle."

"Very well." James said. "But we will sit down again next week."

James looked around the table until he got a nod of agreement from each and everyone sitting there except Charlotte.

"Good." James said. "I expect everyone to act like civil human beings for the next few days. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Sir." Nathan said.

"Yes, Sir." Jack said.

"Agreed." Doug and Lee said together.

Thomas nodded. Charlotte just shrugged her shoulders. With that, everyone got up and headed to their rooms for the night. It had been a long day – more emotional for some. So everyone was feeling pretty drained. By the time that the boys got downstairs, Jack was visibly shaking. He made it to one of the couches in the sitting area before dropping into it. He dropped his head to his hands and let out a harsh breath. Doug was right there for him. Doug sat down next to him and put his hand on Jack's back.

"Hey man." Doug said. "You will be alright. The pact that we made on your fourteenth birthday is just as meaningful and in effect as it was back then."

"Thank you." Jack said. "This is just not how I saw this day going. I had other plans and was hoping for a better solution."

"Hey." Lee said taking a seat. "We got your back."

"I know." Jack said. "I just …."

"What?" Doug asked.

"I just want to be able to be there for Elizabeth." Jack said.

"And you are." Nathan said taking a seat next to Lee.

"It doesn't feel like it right now." Jack said.

"I know that." Nathan said. "But you stood up to your parents because of the way that they treated her. We have all had a long couple of days and they have been emotional for all of us. So, lets get some sleep and deal with things in the morning. We have a few more long days ahead. I also know that Jack and Doug have a show to get ready for, but I suggest that we have a light day tomorrow so we can all regroup."

"Thank you." Jack said. "I am sorry if it felt like I put you in a rough spot tonight."

"Nonsense." Nathan said. "I told you once, that I would have your back and I meant it. I didn't like it any better the way that they were treating you and Elizabeth. Okay."

"Okay." Jack said. "Are you okay? I am not going to ask what you talked about, I want to know if you are okay."

"I am better then I was." Nathan said. "I am working toward okay, but I promise it won't effect my ability to do my job. Father Mark is helping and I promise I will talk when I can."

"Okay." Jack said. "We are here if you need."

The four got up and headed to their room. When they got there, Nathan grabbed the books from Father Mark and turned to head back out.

"Where are you going?" Doug asked.

"I need to read for a bit." Nathan said. "Go to bed, I will be in in a bit."

Doug nodded, but didn't say anything else. It didn't take Doug and Lee long to fall asleep, but Jack wanted to wait up for Nathan. After twenty minutes, he fell asleep as he too was exhausted from everything that happened. As it turned out, Nathan fell asleep on the sectional in the sitting room.