"You're…" Jamie paused, trying to keep up, "You can speak"
Connor just shrugged. He could speak. Didn't mean he actually spoke much.
Jamie was lost. In the course of a few hours he'd learned he had a twin brother, met the man who looked exactly like him whom he'd been told was Jack, then the two of them haven't been separated since touching the first time, now he'd actually spoken.
"So your name is Connor?"
The man being addressed nodded. He wasn't used to speaking and was surprised he had actually said anything.
"Ok…" Jamie licked his lips thinking up a response.
"Boy's dinner!" Frank called from the bottom of the stairs.
Jamie started moving towards the door but stopped when he realized that Jack… no… Connor wasn't following. "Come on"
Connor shook his head. He had no intention of being around the other people in the house.
"Please" Jamie begged, "I'm starving. I bet you are too. Not like hospital food is that appetizing"
The hospital bill! Connor couldn't believe he had forgotten that little expense. He'd never dig himself out of debt. Well… he could deal a few games. He did like that. They always provided the music and the headphones. Yeah, that could work. He'd earn enough to pay the bill off in about… nine months.
"What?" Jamie asked. Connor showed nothing, no emotions and yet Jamie just knew that the other man was worrying over something.
Connor just shook his head. Just because he seemed to trust Jamie more than anyone else doesn't mean he was willing to spill all his secrets to the man either.
Jamie sighed, "Fine. Don't tell me but at least come down to dinner. Besides, if you don't come down then they'll all come up… into this little room."
That seemed to do the trick because Connor was right next to him as he walked down the stairs.
It didn't take long for them all to take their seats. Connor found himself sitting across from the youngest boy, Sean, and the other child - Jack was across from Jamie. He knew the cop's name, Danny and apparently the nurse at the hospital was his wife Linda though there was only an empty chair tonight. Frank sat at the head of the table. On his side there was the oldest woman, Erin, and her daughter Nicki then Jamie and himself with Pop at his end.
"Whose turn is it to pray?" Frank asked.
"Mine" Danny answered.
Connor put his head down and his hands folded in his lap ready to pray. He silently repeated the prayer in his head but was surprised when they only added an Amen. So, in his head, he added in Jesus name we pray before the Amen. When he looked up some were just finishing the crosses over their chests. So they were catholic. Hmm... he wasn't. Didn't matter.
It didn't escape anyone's attention that he didn't make the sign of the cross.
"Are you alright Uncle Jack?" Sean asked.
Jamie looked over to notice that Connor didn't react. Why would he? As far as the other man was concerned 'Jack' had no meaning to him. Made sense though. Who remembered the first few hours of their life? What were the odds that the same baby would actually keep that name? One in a billion? One in a trillion?
Seeing that the rest of the family was looking rather concerned Jamie thought he'd cut his brother a break, "Connor"
Instantly Connor's head shot up to Jamie, eyebrows raised in question.
"Whose Connor?" Jack asked.
"He is" Jamie responded pointing his thumb over to his twin.
"His name is Jack; Jamie," Pop corrected.
"Then why'd he ignore Sean calling him Jack and answer to me calling him Connor?" Jamie threw back.
Connor banged his hand on the table trying to get everyone's attention. Once he was sure he had it, he pointed at Pop and shook his head no then pointed at Jamie and shook his head yes.
Everyone at the table was shocked. "Your mother and I named you…" Frank started.
Jamie found himself unreasonably angry even though he didn't know why, "He was an hour old when you named him that! Who the hell remembers that far back! Do you truly believe that whoever kidnapped him used the same name you gave? Think it through!"
Connor was surprised but elated that Jamie had stood up for him. Nobody had ever stood up for him. He smiled at his brother and turned back to watching the others. At least one good thing came out of this day.
The table was silent before Sean spoke up again, "Uncle Jack… Connor, why didn't you cross yourself after the prayer?"
Everyone looked over at Jack… Connor again.
Connor sighed and thought about how to get his point across to these people. Those he spent time with knew how to read his gestures but these people didn't know him.
Bringing his hand up Connor pointed to himself then to all the rest of them while shaking his head in the negative. Nobody understood.
"Are you catholic?" Jamie asked just seeming to know what his brother was trying to say.
Connor shook his head no relieved that someone understood him here at least.
While Jamie seemed to take the answer rather well the rest of the Reagan family were a little worried.
"You were born…" Frank started.
Connor slammed his hand down onto the table before standing and starting to move away. He didn't have to put up with this. Didn't know why he had been so far. He didn't know these people and he didn't trust them.
"Wait" Jamie pleaded, shooting his hand up to stop his brother. He didn't know why but the last thing Jamie wanted right now was to be away from his twin. Not again. And he was fairly certain that Connor didn't want to be away from him either.
Connor looked to his brother. He hadn't moved away from his touch and that alone was shocking, no one who knew him would believe that Jamie wasn't on the floor unconscious after having tried to grab him let alone still sitting calmly.
"Please don't go" Jamie begged.
Instantly Frank was on his feet and moving towards his two youngest children (and wasn't that an amazing fact!) "Go! You can't..." before he froze and gaped at his sons.
Connor had yanked Jamie up and behind him the moment that the man had started to move towards them let alone start to say that he wasn't allowed to leave. This man wasn't going to be allowed to come near him or… for some reason, Jamie and this man definitelywasn't going to stop either of them from leaving.
"Jack." Pop tried to intervene having also gotten up from his seat as had Danny and Erin.
Connor continued to back himself and Jamie up towards an exit to the room. That was one nice thing about this room, there were multiple exits and there were not enough of them to block all of the exits this time.
"Connor, what are you doing?" Jamie was confused. He didn't want to fight his brother but he didn't want to leave either. "Stop"
Connor turned his head slightly so that he could see Jamie out of the corner of his eye as well as keep watch on all the other threats in the room.
"Just relax. They aren't trying to hurt us" Jamie attempted to sooth once he realized he had Connor's attention, "besides, I'm still hungry, we haven't even eaten yet… Please"
Connor paused. He didn't particularly want to stay but the way Jamie was gently pushing against him he didn't think the man was willing to leave and for some reason, he didn't want to abandon his new brother. Sighing he nodded his agreement and slowly made his way back towards the table while waiting for the others to move back and sit down.
Everyone resumed their seats at the table though there was no denying that they were all on edge. The oldest four Reagans were all concerned that their newly recovered family member would suddenly bolt and vanish from their lives again, Jamie concerned that his brother felt unsafe and… that they were trapped though that didn't make any sense because he was never trapped in the family home. Connor wasconcerned that he was trapped but also that he and his new brother – for that was who Jamie was to him, there was no denying that – would never get to leave this place.
"Can you pass the potatoes please?" Sean broke the silence hesitantly. It seemed to do the trick as suddenly everyone was passing platters of food around the table.
As food was passed towards him Connor he moved back to let it go in front of him however when Jamie reached for the platter Connor was quick to push it away.
"What?" Jamie was confused, "I don't know about you but I want to eat"
Connor looked to Jamie and shook his head no; he didn't know how else to explain that he didn't trust the food. Thankfully Jamie seemed to understand what he wanted to say.
Sighing Jamie gestured to all the people already eating at the table (though all were currently just staring at the two of them in confusion) "All of them are already eating the food and they're fine. Plus, I don't think they would poison themselves."
Connor followed his brother's gesture and studied the people around the table. Jamie had a valid point, these people wouldn't hurt three children just to get to him and they surely wouldn't hurt themselves. Cops weren't his favorite people but they wouldn't do that. He handed the platter to Jamie.
Jamie sighed relieved as he took the platter from Connor and then proceeded to put food on both of their plates. He was thankful that the rest of the family kept their mouths shut and went back to their meals.
As everyone started eating simple, light conversation started up. No one talked about anything serious, mostly just silly stories from the past; a past that Connor wasn't apart of and knew nothing about so he kept his mouth shut and ate. It had been a long time since he'd had a decent meal and he wasn't about to turn one down since it did appear to be safe.
Once the last of the food had been scraped off of everyone's plates an uncomfortable silence fell upon the group. No one had failed to notice that not only had… Connor… not spoken all meal but neither had Jamie. It was odd for Jamie to stay silent throughout dinner, typically he had something to say, however during this meal Jamie had sat silently and only interacted with Connor (and by interact they mean fill his plate and then constantly pause to touch each other or move their chairs in order to be closer to each other).
"Well," Frank placed his napkin on the table, "That was a wonderful meal Pop, thank you for cooking"
Everyone repeated Frank's words (or in the case of the twins, nodded their thanks).
"You're welcome, I'm glad everyoneenjoyed it" Pop smiled at Jamie and… Connor.
"Boys," Danny turned to Sean and Jack, "Why don't you two start clearing the table"
"Nikki" Erin prompted.
The three children sighed in resignation but did get up and start clearing the table knowing that they were about to miss out on something important.
Connor watched everyone nervously, knowing that there was about to be another fight but he'd eaten and so had Jamie and now it was time to go – and more importantly, to see if he allowed to go, if he couldstep over the threshold of this house and not be surrounded by people he didn't know or feel safe with.
"So" Frank started, not quite sure how to really continue this.
Connor didn't wait, he stood up and tugged at Jamie's sleeve until he was standing as well.
"Um…" Jamie turned to look between his father and brother. He didn't have any objections to leaving the house, he didn't live here after all and he did have to work tomorrow – he did have an issue with leaving his brother. "We're just going to… head out"
"We?" Frank asked.
"Yeah" Jamie paused, "Connor and I"
Connor seemed to agree with this assessment as he was already tugging Jamie towards the door.
"Is that really necessary?" Pop and Frank asked at the same time.
Jamie looked between his family and his brother again and just knew that if he and Connor didn't leave now that none of them (well none of the others) would ever see Connor again. "I think we need some time to get to know each other"
"I…" Frank didn't know what to do.
"We'll come back tomorrow" Jamie tried to assure.
Freezing in his progress towards the door, Connor turned to look at his new brother in confusion.
Jamie sighed, "For dinner, again" he tried to explain, "It's that or he's going to have us tailed all the way back to my place and then set up a guard, do you want that?"
Connor did not want that and at the moment was willing to concede a lot in order to get out of this house so he sighed but nodded his head yes. Yes, he would come tomorrow for supper and then he would go about his life – with his new brother in tow.
"Alright" Frank conceded, he could tell this is as much as he was going to get at the moment. As much as it hurt his son didn't trust him or any of his family and there was nothing he could do about that other than try to work with him. "Alright, tomorrow. 4pm"
"I don't get off work until 4:30" Jamie corrected, "but we can make 5:30"
"5:30 them" Pop whispered, "I'll make pot roast"
"That sounds great Pop" Jamie assured as he and Connor finally headed out.
The rest of the Reagans stood staring at the door the twins had gone through praying with all they had that the both of them would walk back through that door at 5:30 pm the following day.