The Shake Up Part VIII
As soon as David Thompson had been told what time his flight was due to arrive in New York, he had immediately called Sebastian to let him know; he was pretty sure that he would want to be at the airport to meet them, no doubt with Julian at his side. David's phone had been less busy than Mercedes' that morning; Thad had with his usual thoroughness sent out a group text in the early hours of the morning, so the Warblers all woke that morning to the news that David was now out of the danger zone, and would shortly be restored to them all. He had called Nick that morning to say that he was heading to New York, and the spare rooms were offered to him even before he could ask. Nick had then kept everyone else in the loop, letting them know what was going on; when Sebastian had confirmed the flight arrival time, Thad had immediately jumped in with a message telling everyone else that they were not to go to the airport under any circumstances. He would be flying into the city a little earlier, but even he was staying away, knowing that the moment that David handed Peter back to his family was something that should be done away from the glare of a whole group of Warblers. In any case, he suspected that the moment he saw David himself, he would want to grab him and hug him, and not let him go, and such raw emotions were best reserved for the privacy of a hallway in the West Village.
Thad had also created a spoiler for the media, just in case they were spying on Facebook for news of Mercedes' return from L.A. He posted on the Dalton Facebook page that he would be meeting David when he landed at La Guardia, and he hoped that would divert the media there, and well away from Newark, where his best friend would actually land. He wanted to ensure privacy if he could, at least for a while. With that in mind, he further warned the others that David might not want a lot of attention at first, and that they should also stay away from Nick and Jeff's place in the West Village until told otherwise. His friend's state of mind was his primary consideration in all of this.
For once in the history of commercial airlines, the flight into Newark was bang on schedule and uneventful. Mercedes, David and Peter had been provided with seats in business class to grant them as much privacy as possible on a public flight, and that had been a source of excitement for a young man who had only ever flown in coach.
At the airport meanwhile, a family was waiting anxiously. It had taken a lot to stop Julian from going to the airport the moment he knew the arrival time, so keen was he to be reunited with his son. Isabelle and his mother had been forced to use all of their powers of persuasion, and had eventually convinced him to relax. He had still left New York early, heading home to Maplewood for the first time since he had flown back to the States. He had changed his clothes, and had set up the room that Peter always stayed in when he visited, the room that would now be his every night. He soon got stressed as it was not absolutely how he would have liked it to be, and again it was Isabelle that calmed him. She pointed out that they did need to redecorate, but it would be better to wait until they had input from the most important party in all of this; the boy that would now have the room as his own space. That reasoning was enough to prevent him looking for tins of paint.
When the time finally came to leave for Newark, both his mother and Eloise declined to come with them; instead, armed with a list of sizes, they headed out in search of essential clothes for the young man who now had nothing really to his name. There would have to be more clothes bought eventually, but Peter could help choose. Julian also gave the ladies a list of all of his son's favourite foods, so that they could stock up. Even with all the attempts of the others, the small party still arrived at the airport far too early, which left Dave and Isabelle sitting and watching as first Julian, and then Sebastian, began to anxiously pace the floor whilst checking the arrivals board and their watches over and over…
The arrival of the mid morning United flight from Denver at Newark airport was normally a mundane affair, but one member of staff at the airport noticed that there were four people in the arrivals area that seemed to be awaiting it anxiously. She was also a keen reader of Vogue, and after watching them for a while, she spotted Isabelle, recognising her from her photo in the magazine. She was acutely aware however that the online editor was not looking quite as well turned out as she usually did. The fact that she was also supposed to be on her honeymoon in Europe did not escape her for long either. Then she realised that the eldest of the three men she was with, the one that had been pacing the floor for longest, was her new husband - and then she guessed that the one that was pacing the floor with him had to be his brother, the Broadway star. The two of them were marching back and forth in synch, even though they both looked as if they hadn't slept properly in days…
She had been watching them for another ten minutes, pacing back and forth as they watched for the arrival of the flight from Colorado when she suddenly recalled something else from Isabelle's article. She had written about how much she was looking forward to being not just a wife, but also a part-time step mom to her new husband's son, who lived with his mother in… Suddenly she felt heartsick for all of them, and everything was explained. It had been on the news this morning that the first survivors from the big earthquake had been making their way out of the city, and were being evacuated out to places across the Rockies for onward travel. One of those places was Denver… She saw that the flight had now landed on her monitor, and she prayed that one of the passengers on that flight was the boy from the article. She could not imagine how traumatic the last few days must have been for them all, nor would she ever wish to go through what they must have done…
The second that the flight showed as arrived on the public monitor, Julian was suddenly overcome with a wave of nausea. He had no idea what he was going to do or say now. Yes, his son was safe, was alive, but he had lost his mom in a tragedy, and such things would leave deep and lasting scars. He had no idea what he should say to his boy to offer him comfort, or how he would even begin to raise him from now on. That had always been Claire's job, but now she was gone, and had left no instructions on how to carry on with the excellent job she had done so far….
"There is no manual for child rearing," Sebastian suddenly whispered, as he sensed his brother's wobble. "Well, that isn't entirely true, but all we have to concentrate on now is showing him that he is loved, and helping him through then whole gamut of emotions as and when they hit him. You are his only parent now, and you will manage. You're nothing like father; you will love him no matter what. You will try and protect him from harm, but Isabelle and I won't let you wrap him up too tightly in cotton wool. He has to be free to live his life and enjoy things like any other kid. I'm not saying that it is going to be easy; on the contrary, I have a feeling you will need outside help from people that are used to dealing with grief and trauma. But I promise you one thing, here and now; Uncle Bazzy will be around whenever you need him. We will get through this as a family."
"I know, but it is all so scary," whispered Julian.
Sebastian just shook his head at those words. "There is nothing to be scared of Jules. You just need to love him, and ensure that he knows you do unconditionally."
At that moment, the first passengers began to emerge from the gates, hurrying past them on their way to the baggage claim. A steady stream of strangers passed, which eventually began to ebb. As the stragglers began to pass, fear began to set in for those waiting; had something happened on board the plane that was now holding them back? Julian looked over at his brother and saw the same worry and confusion that he was feeling written on his face. Then they heard slow footsteps down the hallway, and a group of three people appeared…
There was silence, until the youngest of all the people there looked up, and then with a yell of "DADDY!" Peter let go of David and Mercedes' hands, and was running at full pelt onto the arrivals concourse, finding himself being pulled into his father's arms and being held tight the very second that he arrived.
Sebastian watched with a grin, ignoring the tears of happiness falling down his face; then as David arrived within reach he darted forward and pulled both him and Mercedes into a hug, and just whispered "Thank you, thank you, thank you," over and over again.
"Uncle Bazzy!" cried the little voice again, and Sebastian was down on his knees, holding his nephew close as Julian took his place in embracing David, holding him in such a tight bear hug that Mercedes couldn't help herself laughing.
"You saved my boy. I owe you so, so much. If I had lost him…"
"It was no problem; it's what friends do for each other," replied David. "Anyway, it's Jake that you really need to thank. He pulled him out; all I did was shift some debris."
"Don't sell yourself short," countered Julian. "You made the detour to find him, and we all saw what happened to that neighbourhood. I still don't know how you managed to survive that."
"We had good timing," was all that David could think of to say. "Anyway, these are his," he continued, handing the toy rabbit, the photograph album and the book over to Julian.
"I still can't ever thank you enough for this. I owe you, and I will pay you back," said Julian firmly as he took the three possessions that his son still had to his name.
David did not get a chance to protest any further as across the room, Sebastian cleared his throat to attract their attention. They turned round to see that Peter was no longer in his arms, but was with Isabelle instead, who was down on one knee at his side. "Auntie Isabelle, I have been thinking on the plane; well, I have been since they rescued me from my bedroom… Would it be alright if I was to call you Mommy Isabelle instead? I miss my mommy so much, and I know that she will be in heaven now with all of the angels, so if you could be my new mommy, that would be really good. After all, there are some things that mommies do much better than daddies…"
"If you would really like that, then yes, I could be your new mommy," said Isabelle, as tears started to fall from her eyes. "I have never been someone's mommy before though, so I might not be that good. You might have to show me what I need to do sometimes?"
"I can do that, mommy Isabelle. After all, I will be living with you and daddy now…"
"Of course you will! In fact, we are all ready to redecorate your room so it will be just how you like it. We know that it will not be the same as it was before, but we both love you so very, very much."
"That goes for me and Uncle Dave as well," said Sebastian, wiping at his eyes. He looked over at his brother, who was now being held in Mercedes' arms, crying at the most innocent of questions from his son; so matter of fact in the circumstances, and it did warm his heart a little. He knew that he would do whatever it took to make sure that Peter was happy, and had everything that he needed. In fact, Sebastian wanted to have much more of that little boy in his life. If to do that he had to leave his life in Manhattan and make a move to suburban New Jersey so he could be closer, then that was a sacrifice he was more than willing to make. He just hoped that Dave would see things the same way that he did…
Eventually the time came when David and Mercedes had to say their goodbyes to the young man that had won a place in both of their hearts so strongly in the last few days. It meant that everyone got tearful again, but it was all worth it to see the little boy reunited with his dad. They left the airport, deciding to take the train into the city rather than a cab. They had no real luggage after all, and it was less likely that they would be spotted on the NJ Transit train into Penn Station than in the line for taxis outside Newark Airport. The train was busy, but David found them seats in a quiet corner where they would not be disturbed.
Mercedes leant her head on David's shoulder for the entire trip, allowing her to hide her face from any potential recognition, but at the same time it felt natural and nice. She had seen another side to her boyfriend in the last few days. She had always known that he was kind, caring and the sort of guy that would stick up for his friends, no matter what. She hadn't known until now that he was prepared to risk his own life to ensure that others were safe. He had shown that he was cool in a crisis, calm and sensible - and despite what he had always maintained, he was a born leader when the chips were down. She knew that he was already deflecting all of the credit to Jake for Peter's rescue, but she knew that it had been a joint effort. He just did not want the spotlight, and she could understand that. Married to her he would be in that more often than not, in time… She also realised now that she was ready to take the next step with him; she was ready to make things official. In fact, if he wasn't going to propose soon, she might just have to take the initiative and propose to him instead…
They made the final journey from Penn to the West Village on the subway, standing together as the train roared south below the streets of Manhattan. It seemed so very ordinary to be walking out into those familiar streets from the station, into a city that had not changed at all since they had last been there a few days ago. It did seem odd that life here was so unaffected on the surface. And yet, that fact was exactly what was making them smile as they walked the last yards to that quiet street that was home to so many of their closest friends.
As they turned that last corner, they were greeted by the sight of two people waiting in anticipation. David had sent a text to say they had arrived at Penn, and the message had been understood. They walked on slowly, but then Thad could wait no longer, and was running towards them to pull David into a hug, one every bit as tight as the one Julian had given him. Mercedes smiled, then walked on to bend down and hug Artie, who was trying hard not to show just how emotional it all was, and failing abysmally. Under the bright sun of an afternoon in New York they greeted each other, glad to have them back in the same place, relieved that they were all safe. Then as a small happy group the four of them made their way back along the street to the point outside Niff's front door, which was wide open and waiting for them all to enter.
Inside Nick and Jeff's house all was quiet, and that was a surprise; David had been anticipating that he would be mobbed almost at once by Warblers anxious to see that he was okay, and he expected most of the New Directions in town to be there too. To find out that Thad and Artie currently made up two thirds of the welcoming committee was almost a let down. Thad guided them down to the kitchen, where Nick was just taking a tray of fresh scones out of the oven. The table had been set with an English Afternoon Tea spread; sandwiches, small savoury tarts and a selections of cakes.
"Take a seat, guys," said Nick. "I thought that you might be hungry, and I have been wanting to try out this menu for a while, but I was waiting for a special occasion - and what better than the day that two of our number return from the edge? So sit down and help yourselves. Scones are best eaten warm, so I need those savouries dealt with quickly!"
Thad laughed at the tone of Nick's voice, laden with quiet authority, and took a seat. David and Mercedes joined him just as the door from the garden swung open to admit Artie and Kitty, who had just arrived home at that moment and had instantly joined him. "Come and eat guys before Nick gets into a total strop," said Thad, earning himself a scowl from his host for a moment, before it melted back into a smile. Soon they were all tucking in to the food, washing it down with iced tea. The scones were a great hit with them all, particularly as the butter melted into them, and there was a selection of preserves to put on them too.
"Everybody wanted to be here," admitted Nick, who had now joined them at the head of the table, where he was cutting a Victoria Sponge into generous slices for them all, "but people had to work, and in the end we all agreed that it might be best to give you time to adjust to your new circumstances before we inflict them all on you. Everyone was just so worried about you; it wasn't until we heard that you were safely in Denver that any of us could relax."
"To be honest, I am only really able to relax now that I know that you are both actually here," admitted Artie, "and I won't be really content until I see Jake and Unique too; I need to confirm for myself that they are actually safe."
Kitty nodded, then added quietly, "Of course, it is little Peter that I feel so sorry for; he's lost his mother and his grandparents. On top of that, he's lost all of his friends too, because even if they made it, they won't be moving to Maplewood. I know that people say that little kids are resilient, but…"
There was silence then at the table, that was eventually broken by David. "He has his dad and his uncle - and he has Isabelle to take care of him as well. He will struggle at times, but we all will. My dreams will be haunted by the things that I have seen in the last few days for the rest of my life. However, I will also celebrate the fact that we made it against the odds, and in some ways I don't think that was entirely down to luck. Just before the quake hit, Wes came along and made a suggestion, and that is what saved our lives."
"It has to be awful for our four angelic friends too," said Mercedes. "So many new arrivals to process, and all of those people to reunite. As David said, we made it; we owe it to ourselves to dust our selves off and after a suitable interval, get back on with our lives. I guess that I will need to call my record company and let them know that I have made it. Then I will have big decisions to make - for a start, do I still go on tour?"
"I need to see if I still have a job with Google," admitted David.
"That is for tomorrow though; tonight is for relaxing," said Thad. "I would suggest a long hot bath for each of you for a start."
That night did see a few people pop in as time went on. Ethan arrived with Flint at his side, just to say a quick hello before heading home for dinner. Seth and Skylar popped in to say hello too, but stayed a little longer, after admitting that on getting home they had discovered that Colin and Edward had arrived home first, and were 'busy' with each other. David had laughed out loud at the implication. Mercedes was pleasantly surprised when Brittany appeared, and even more shocked when it was Santana, who had arrived with her, that was the first to pull her into a hug, and tell her tearfully never to scare her so much again. Brittany also revealed that Sam had been inconsolable when the news had first broken, and remained that way until they found out about David's call. She still had a special place in his heart, and that was good to know.
Mike and Jeff eventually arrived home, and there were further hugs all round, but by then it was getting late. Mercedes made her way to one of the guest rooms, whilst David followed Thad to the other. It was like old times for the two of them as they prepared for bed, reminiscent of the first dorm room they had been assigned at UCLA, although they both knew that it would be gone now along with the rest of that world they had known. David fell asleep quickly that night, but Thad did not, anticipating what might well happen next. Sure enough, his best friend was soon shaking in his sleep as a nightmare came and took him over. Quietly he made his way over and climbed into the bed with David; he took him into his arms, and that contact seemed to work. The trembling stopped, and David was soon sleeping peacefully once more.
In a comfortable suburban home in Maplewood, New Jersey, Julian, Isabelle, Sebastian and Dave were now settled in the lounge, having seen Peter off to bed a little earlier. After they had parted from David and Mercedes at Newark, they had headed out to the car; Dave had volunteered to drive, and Sebastian had opted to take the other front seat, to allow Peter to sit between Julian and Isabelle in the back. As they had driven along, the young boy that was seated between his father and his new mother figure had chatted away, pointing out all the things that he could see as they travelled along, engaging all of them in the conversation. Sebastian couldn't help but feel a little sorry for his new sister-in-law; after all, Isabelle had been thrown in at the deep end. She had been married for less than two weeks officially, and now for the first time in her life she was a mom. The little boy that saw her as that seemed okay to them all know, but they all knew that eventually the loss of his mother would begin to tell upon him. He had been through the kind of traumatic experience that a much older person would struggle to cope with…
Sebastian knew that Peter would start to have nightmares very soon, if he wasn't having them already; and quite possibly a new and very real fear of dark, confined spaces. It made his own heart ache so much at the very thought of what his nephew had suffered. Find him a counsellor was a given; that special someone he could open up to when family was not an option as it did not seem right. He almost wished that they were in Ohio just now, as from what he had been told, Emma Schuester was very good at her job, in her own way, and she was a lovely woman to boot. There was no guarantee that they would manage to find such a warm, kind-hearted individual here in New Jersey, and those located in the city would charge them an arm and a leg just for an assessment - not that such things mattered. Anything that would help Peter was worth every penny that he had, and he would not hesitate to help Julian out financially if it came to it…
When they arrived at Julian's house, there were two people waiting there for their arrival; two women who had spent the afternoon buying essentials for a young boy that did not even have a spare pair of socks to his name. They were waiting for them in the hallway as they stepped into the house; on seeing them, Peter started, and drew closer to his father's side.
"It's okay," said Sebastian, kneeling down next to him. "You might have seen this lady before; she is my mother, so I guess that makes her your half-grandmother, or step-grandmother, or something…."
"I think it would be simpler if he just called me Eloise, Sebastian," replied the lady in question. "That's if he would like to, of course. I have heard so many good things about you though, young man."
Peter nodded, then turned to look at Julian's mom. At that moment, they all realised that they had a problem; after all, he believed that his dad's mom was dead, as Claire had told him on several occasions.
"And I am your daddy's aunt; his mom's sister," the lady in question said, and there was an almost audible sigh of relief from around the room.
"So you aren't my grandma then?" said Peter sadly. "Would it be okay if I pretended that you were, because you had to be close to my daddy's mom, being her sister. If you don't want to be…"
"No, I think that I could manage to do that, as long as your daddy doesn't mind…"
"It is no problem for me. Heck, you know that I call you mom sometimes as the two of you look so alike," said Julian, as he tried to hide the fact that he was overjoyed that for the first time in her life, his mom was going to be allowed to call herself a grandma.
The next few hours were busy ones. They ate first, with Peter's favourite dinner being served much to his delight, particularly as there was then jello for dessert. He had been taken to his room, and shown the clothes that they had bought for him; he had liked them all, particularly his new pyjamas, because they were based on his favourite superhero, The Flash. "In the new comic books, he looks a little bit like Uncle Bazzy," he said in all innocence, making them all smile and Sebastian blush. They had then moved on to what colour he would like his room to be painted in, and then he had asked if he could get a new bedspread featuring the same superhero as his new pjs…
Sebastian would go on to make his special hot chocolate, glad that there were marshmallows and sprinkles for Peter's; he had after all confessed the last time that his uncle had made him some that it was the best in the world ever. After that, they had sent him to bed in his new nightwear, and he fell asleep almost immediately. Eloise had volunteered to sit with him, just in case he had a nightmare, and would accept no refusals. As she saw it, it was the least that she could do.
After that, Sebastian had finally found he had time to take Dave to one side to have a brief chat about what he had decided he needed to do, and where he needed to be. To his delight, Dave had known instinctively what he was going to say; his reply to his husband was that if he was sure about moving, then Maplewood was going to be their new home. They both knew that it wasn't going to happen overnight, but it would be as soon as possible.
"All I will say," Dave pointed out, "is that the guys will miss you being around. To be honest though, we both knew that this would happen eventually. I am assuming that we will visit them all regularly though, and Cooper for that matter. He is going to miss us a heck of a lot too."
"Of course we will. I will still be heading into town six days a week for work, and I'm sure we will both be heading across to have dinner or a catch up at least once a week," his husband had responded.
Their chat over, they had returned to the company of the newlyweds, and decided that now was as good a time as any to share the news. Julian was shocked when they announced it, as he had never imagined his brother being prepared to give up his life in the city for the suburbs so early; but at the same time, he was very pleased. All he hoped was that his brother would not live to regret leaving the city so soon…