The Importance of Marriage Vows.
Trent's quest to find out what Seth needed to know was an easy one to begin with. He knew the name of Seth's grandmother after all, as she had been one of the most generous donors to Dalton Academy over the years. He knew that if he asked her, Mrs Carmichael would be able to tell him all about that, but that was for another day. He used his credentials to access the Ohio registration department, and easily found the death records for the relevant county. From them, he quickly found her full name, and he input it to see where else she was mentioned in all of the other fields in the registrations.
The lady in question had been Seth's maternal grandmother, and it turned out that as well as a daughter, she had been blessed with three sons; quite a surprise, as there was never any mention of uncles in Seth's life. Further investigation into them gave Trent some reasons as to why. Her youngest son had died in his early twenties, killed in the First Gulf War in 1991. He had been single, and left behind no children. Trent was still getting over that tragedy when he found out that it was the second one to hit the family in as many years. His older brother, the eldest son, had been at his work in the World Trade Center on a morning in September 2001, on the 102nd floor of the North Tower….
He had been survived by his wife and two sons; they were all still living in New York City, according to the records. Trent shook his head at the idea that Seth's aunt and cousins could actually have passed him in the street, potentially even spoken to him, neither party knowing that they were related. He half expected to find a third tragedy, but no; Seth's other uncle was alive and still living in Ohio, and had a son and two daughters. His eldest daughter was actually the same age as Seth. All of the medical records for his cousins, and his surviving uncle were clear, but encouraging as that was, it was not the conclusive proof that he needed…
He would need to dig back further still of course; to Seth's great uncles and aunts, his great grandparents, and the cousins removed, for both sides of the family. It would be a long job, but Trent had never been one to shy away from a challenge. That was for a new day, but there was one more search he could do that night quickly. He input the name of Seth's mother, and then his father. Their wedding date was two months after Seth's birthday; he did have siblings, a brother and a sister. A search of Google found him something else which satisfied his own curiosity. There was a picture from a country club dinner, which showed the four members of the family, dressed up and sat at a table, looking happy. The two children in the picture had no idea that they had an older brother, and Trent hated that fact…
What Trent did not of course know was that he could have saved himself a little time by just speaking to Edith Carmichael. She already knew the identity of the parents and children. What would have surprised Trent even more was that Seth knew a lot about them, just not their names. As she had driven Seth from the rail station to Skylar's home before Thanksgiving the year before, he had surprised her by asking her what she knew about his family. His grandmother had not said anything about them when he was growing up and living with her, and kept next to no photographs. She had died during his first term at Dalton, diagnosed with an aggressive cancer, and dead within four weeks of that diagnosis. He had never returned to the house that he had grown up in…
Most of his meagre possessions had already been at Dalton with him, and the few others that he had left behind were sent to him in a pair of boxes. The house had been sold as part of the conditions of her will, in which his only legacy had been the money for his Dalton fees. That had seemed odd to Mrs Carmichael at the time; she couldn't help but feel that there should have been something more, and faced with the contents of the will, she had begun to try and build him up a college fund. It had come as a great relief to her when a chance conversation with the manager of her bank had mentioned that there was an account in his name with her bank…
The existence of that account had been a mystery of sorts, but a godsend. Seth had to sign for it, and as he was doing so, the bank manager had confided in Edith that the money had almost been lost to Seth, a clause in the account returning it to the source if it was not claimed within two years. She was shocked that the lawyers responsible for this kind of account had not been in touch with Seth sooner. The fact that there had been no approach of any sort seemed awfully suspicious to Edith at first, but in time she had put that to the back of her mind. It was only as Seth's condition worsened that she thought of that once more, and decided to do some investigation of her own.
She had soon come across something in the records that made her extremely angry. The fact that she could not react to the news made her even angrier. That was only to be expected of course, as it appeared that the college fund had been a small part of the intended legacy from his grandmother. The rest of the money had effectively been stolen from him…
As Trent began a covert search through the records for the rest of Seth's relations, living and dead, the following morning, Sebastian was making his way to the hospital in New Jersey for another progress report on his husband. It had been just over a fortnight since their entire world had been turned upside down, and they were both still in the process of adjusting to the new normal. At first, Dave's deeply philosophical acceptance of the situation had kept his husband calm, able to resist the urge he felt to injure the man that had destroyed his husband's life in much the same way. Then, one afternoon the previous week, when the confirmation was given, by one of the most respected surgeons in the country, that there was indeed no hope of Dave resuming his career, their roles had flipped, with Sebastian having to be the one that soothed his husband, then hold him close as his rage transformed into the most bitter of tears…
That day Sebastian hoped that they would discover when Dave would be able to come home, and just how much physiotherapy he would require. They both longed to get back to something that was a little like their old routine, to being able to see each other first thing in the morning and last thing at night. There had already been one change at home however; Paul had reluctantly had to head back to Ohio, unable to be away from his business any longer. That news had left Sebastian wondering how he was going to cope, being the carer to two small children and an invalid husband, and having to attend the meetings that were related to his forthcoming play. He had considered abandoning it again, but Russell had already arrived in Manhattan from London, complete with his bulldog, and as much as he understood the situation, there was such a thing as professional commitment to consider.
As it happened, Sebastian need not have worried; no sooner had his father-in-law left than Mrs Carr appeared with several suitcases, informing her employer that she was moving in until further notice, and that no arguments would be entered into. With those words, she had walked past Sebastian in the direction of the guest room, leaving him to wonder exactly who was in charge in his own home. With a smile, he realised gratefully that it wasn't him…
Sitting in the hospital, he watched as the specialist had Dave lie still at first, then with the assistance of a nurse, had managed to get him up on his two feet and standing, albeit with one leg encased in plaster, complete with pins sticking out. He was then given crutches, and Sebastian watched as his husband made slow, wobbly progress across the floor, before he was allowed to return to a seat. More conversation had followed; this time Sebastian was the centre of attention, being grilled on the level of support that he had back home, where the bedroom and washroom facilities were located, and how easy it would be for his husband in his current state to make use of them.
Then Dave was asked to walk back to his original seat on the bed, this time without any aid, the true test to see if he really was ready for home. To the joy of both halves of the couple, he proceeded to do so with flying colours, grimacing only a little as he adjusted his weight at first, before he walked slowly and deliberately back towards the gurney that had brought him to the specialist's room.
"Very well," the doctor said as Dave sat down. "I am satisfied that you have a sufficient amount of mobility, and that there will be assistance available in the home at all times. There may have to be some adjustments to the bathroom and cloakroom at home so that you can wash and relieve yourself easily. However, I should point out that as long as you remain in the cast, then showers are out of the question in any case; sponge baths will be the order of the day."
"Oh, I am sure that I can manage to give him those," said Sebastian, with a wink to his husband that made him laugh, and caused the doctor to smile.
"I would not recommend the kind of activity you might be alluding to until the cast is off either. The muscles and tendons in that are were strained at the time of the accident, and although he is recovering, it would be all too easy to damage them again."
Now it was Sebastian's turn to turn red, and he answered, "We will refrain from that sort of activity as much as we can, let me assure you. In fact, it might be an idea if Mrs Carr undertook the sponge baths instead…"
"No, Sebby, just no," said Dave in a strained tone, which made the doctor laugh again.
"I am sure that you can sort something out between you, but just to reiterate; I am satisfied that you can now head home. The physiotherapist will be in touch to organise appointment times with you…"
Of course, getting Dave home proved to be more problematic than either of them had anticipated. For a start, there was no question whatsoever of him sliding into his usual place in the passenger seat next to his husband. In the end, Sebastian had to remove the children's car seats, placing them in front next to him temporarily, so that Dave could slide into the back, his leg elevated; sat sideways, with his cast resting on the long back seat. The drive back to Maplewood was also fairly slow, as Sebastian did his best to avoid the bumps and potholes in the road on the way, conscious that each one jarred his husband, and sent jolts of pain through his body…
Once home, they discovered that if getting Dave into the car had been problematic, getting him out again was an even greater challenge. It was nigh on impossible for Sebastian to manage alone, and in the end, Dave was only extracted with assistance from Mrs Carr and a passing mail carrier. Nonetheless, they were all glad to see him home…
Inside, the first shock for Dave was to discover that he would not be sleeping in their usual room. He and his husband would be occupying the ground floor guest suite, with Mrs Carr in their room. He realised that it was necessary, as with the best will in the world, there would be no way that he could easily have managed the stairs two or three times a day, so this was a sensible compromise. The second shock was also not unexpected if he had thought about it; neither of the children were keen to come close to him, both being scared of his cast. On top of that, Elise did not want to come too close in case she hurt him. It was upsetting, but it was better than the alternative, where she rushed him and left him in agony. In any case, he was just glad to be home; he had missed them all so much…
It was only once their children were in bed that Sebastian got the chance to sit down with his husband and talk candidly. He knew that Dave's bosses at the team had visited him the previous evening, but his husband had until then said nothing. "So I know that you had a few visitors last night…"
"Yeah," said Dave quietly. "They all came in, bringing me the best wishes of all the guys on the team, etc, etc. The fact that only two of those team-mates could be bothered to come and see me themselves in the last two weeks seems to indicate otherwise. It's not as if we are in the middle of the playing season, nor can they all have gone on vacation…"
"Maybe they just do not know what to say, or maybe they did not know that they could even come and see you? I mean, none of our friends other than Brittany and Santana came to see you either…"
"The fact is that they will still be around when all of this is over. I mean, I said it is not as if we are in a playing season, but it should of course be they now. They more or less told me last night that I am off the player roster unless there is some sort of miracle. They also told me that they have a full compliment of coaching staff right now."
"That could quite easily have changed by the time that you are fit enough to be back at work," replied Sebastian.
"If the coaches were all older guys, then I would say that could be possible, but they are not, Sebby. The oldest of the coaching team is only 46, and he is fitter than I am now. No-one is going to be retiring any time soon, so unless they quit or leave some other way, there isn't going to be a role for me with the team. They have said that they will leave me on the payroll until the end of my current contract, and they will cover all of the medical bills, but other than that, I am out…"
"That is awful," said Sebastian. "However, there are other teams, other organisations out there that would bite their hands off to get you on board."
"Sebby, let's be honest; those others will either not want to hire a crock like me, and if they did, then they will be miles away from here. No, I need to find a new career, although what that is going to be is anyone's guess. The only thing I do draw the line at is being one of those folk that work in a contact center, making unsolicited calls. Okay, so tell me how your rehearsals are going…"
"Honestly, we haven't really begun anything. We all decided that given the circumstances, we should hold off for a while…"
"I am sorry, but that's unacceptable! You need to get started, and I refuse to be an excuse for you not to get going! Go and call Russell, and tell him you are ready when he is. In fact, invite him over for dinner - and do not look at me like that. Prevaricating is no longer permitted!"
Sebastian would begin his rehearsals by the end of the week, leaving his husband in the capable hands of Mrs Carr. The physiotherapist was also in the house daily, trying to help Dave be more mobile, even with his hefty cast. On Friday, Dave got quite a shock when there was a knock at the door. Mrs Carr proceeded to show in Mike, and with him was Matt Rutherford. Dave was quite taken aback that Matt had travelled all the way from Texas, even if he did insist that the only reason that he was there was because he had decided that it was about time to come to New York to finally meet Mike's son. Dave was naturally pretty certain that was just part of the reason, but he enjoyed talking to him, as he saw his current situation in a way that Sebastian could not.
Mike left them alone for a little while, and that allowed Dave to speak with candour. "Seb is great, and he is doing all that he can, but you know how I am feeling inside. It isn't just a job, being a player, it is our life, and that has been taken from me. We are performers as well in a way, like Sebastian, but we take our bows in a stadium. I will never have the crowd cheering me on again, and that hurts…"
"I would not say that; the coaches get cheered too - or booed, just as we are when we do something wrong. Cards on the table; when I saw what had happened to you, it left me freaked out. It could just as easily have been me that something like that happened to, and unlike you, I haven't done any of the coaching courses yet. I am starting on them next month though."
"Ah, but don't regard that as a security blanked, Matt. You can be a highly trained coach, with better qualifications that most, but there is still no guarantee of a job at the end of it all with your current club."
"I suppose so, but there are other opportunities out there. In fact, you and I have both probably heard of one club in particular, a big one in its own way, that has an aging coach staff, desperately in need of young blood to bolster it," responded Matt with a grin.
Dave nodded, knowing the team that he was talking about, but there was a major problem. The team in question was back home, based in Columbus, Ohio. If he took a job with the Buckeyes, then it would probably destroy his marriage. There was no way that he could commute from New Jersey to Ohio, anymore than Sebastian could travel regularly from Columbus to New York and Broadway. He knew in his heart that if he said something about the job, then Sebastian would drop everything and support him, but he was not going to put him in that situation. There was no way that he was going to allow Sebastian to abandon his own career for his sake…
Mike and Matt would stay for dinner, before they headed back across the Hudson, but as it happened, Dave was not alone with Mrs Carr and the children for long, as his father showed up. He welcomed it, as it was a good chance for them to have a candid father/son conversation about his next step. Before he could begin though, his father surprised him. "The fact is son, that I am getting older, and one day I will want to retire. You have always been smart, and so I was thinking that if coaching doesn't work out, you could work for me."
Dave smiled, pleased that his father was considering such things, but he replied, "That is a great idea, and I would say yes if it wasn't for one thing. It would mean coming back to Ohio. Sebastian needs Broadway, so that he can show the whole world just how talented he is. I am not going to stifle him, extinguish his light by dragging him back to Ohio. He would come, but I would spend the rest of my life wondering if he resented me for making him give up the Great White Way…"
"I am afraid that you and Sebastian are in the classic Catch 22 situation, son. You have said it yourself, there is little hope of you obtaining a coaching job here, even with another team. You possibly could get one if you headed back to Ohio, but that would leave your husband without the outlet that he needs. I mean, there is theatre in Columbus, but not on the scale that he deserves, and there is no way either of you could commute to work due to distance."
"Exactly. I might have lost my career, but I am not going to deprive Sebby of his."
"Of course, there is a reasonably big theatre scene in Chicago, and you could live somewhere halfway…"
"Chicago isn't Broadway, dad. His light needs to be seen by the world, not just the people of Illinois."
"Of course, Sebastian might see the whole thing from an entirely different perspective. You are assuming that he wants to carry on, on Broadway, indefinitely. What if he is actually ready for a change of pace? What if he likes the idea of limited Broadway engagements outside the football season, so that you could live elsewhere when you are busy with work?"
"A nice idea, but we probably couldn't afford two homes, and anyway, he would still need to rehearse, and for that he has to be in the city. Off season, coaching still takes place just as much. No, I need to find a new path, away from football. I wonder if Jacob Ben Israel knows of a show that needs a fresh, young pundit to make comments? I mean, how hard can that be, and you see retired players doing it all the time. Or maybe one of the firms that you work with is needing staff in this area, and you could put in a good word for me…"
"Son, all of this is still something that is far away if we are honest. You need to recover first, and you also need to sit down with Sebastian and talk. You both need to find out exactly what the other is thinking; at the moment, both of you are guilty of basing your plans for the future on assumptions. That is not a good basis for any relationship."
Sebastian was surprised to see his father-in-law when he arrived home just after 7pm. He had found that day's rehearsals excellent, and he could feel that there was great chemistry between himself and Russell; a vibe that would make their characters all the more believable to the audience. The time that he had spent at home had been invaluable to ensuring that he had learnt his lines, and in Russell he seemed to have found an equal. The director had looked on admiringly as they had jousted verbally on the improvised set. They had spent the morning playing their initial roles, then after lunch had swapped to the other, both sessions word perfect. The choreography would take a little longer however, that perfection of movement that was the difference between a good show and a great one. Anyone could stand and recite words, but not everyone had the power to make an audience believe them.
Mrs Carr had dinner ready, and they sat down as a family to enjoy it. Paul would be staying the night in a local hotel, the room booked as he knew that the guest suite was now permanently occupied, but before he left, he made a point of taking his son-in-law aside, and told him everything that he had said to Dave earlier about wanting to retire.
"That is a really generous offer, but you are still young yet. It will be a good few years before you reach the point where you need to retire," Sebastian replied.
"That is kind of you to say, but maybe retiring a little early would be nice, so that I can spend some quality time with all of those that I love. In any case, Dave said no, because of what it would mean for your living arrangements."
Sebastian sighed, and said, "I know that he is worried about moving away from New York and about my career, when the only thing that he should be worrying about is his own recovery. If this play happens to be my last hurrah on Broadway, then that would be fine by me. My marriage is of far more importance to me than my career. I have been lucky, and had a good run so far, but the parts will not always be there. I am getting older, and well, there are younger talents that need the spotlight. Mason is coming back from London very soon, and he needs his opportunity to shine as well, all of the breaks that I have had. Anyway, who says that any move would be forever? We could always come back when the kids are older, when there is a job here for Dave, and I can make a triumphant return. My priority right now is my husband, and getting him back to something like he was before all of this…"
Over in Manhattan, that Friday night saw the return of Jeff to his home in the West Village. Whilst the last few days had been busy for him, sketching all that he had to so that he ensured his three new portraits would be perfect, he had never stopped thinking of home. Creating the new drawings, two for the White House, and one for the Obamas on collection would be another challenge. Each night when he had finished his sketching he had headed to Georgetown and Trent and Rory's home, and had dinner with the latter, and sometimes Trent too. Then he had headed to his room to Skype Nick; he talked to him and Wes each night, and that had been good, but not enough.
What he had not noticed, thanks to his husband's good skills, was just how stressed Nick had been. He had been coming home from work, picking up his son from Dante, then cooking dinner for the two of them as Wes chatted away. Then he had to supervise bedtime, before doing the work he needed to do. By the Wednesday night, Caleb too had started to stress due to Jeff's absence, and that had added to Nick's woes. He was glad therefore on Friday to come home to normality, with Jeff in charge of dinner, and Wes talking animatedly to his papa about his entire week. The hug that he shared with his husband that night was long; that night would also see the two of them sleep much better than they had all week…