Hi, update time! I'm still deciding what this "accident" is gonna be so bare with me :) Enjoy x

By the way I think I've messed the kids ages up. So let's go with this story cos it's kind of March 2016, yet Lucas wouldn't have been 7 until April. So for this particular story Lucas is 7, Leah is 9, Declan is 17, Paddy is 14 :) My made up ages. Ta x

Brendan slumped onto his sofa. He tried to ring his sister most nights, just for a general chit chat, although to be fair most times she'd think of an excuse not to talk to him. He missed having her around and he was pretty sure she hated the fact he wasn't with her either, even if she didn't always show it. Granted, most of the time he didn't even want to talk about her in their discussion, he just wanted to know if she had heard from Steven. He thought about Steven every night before he went to sleep, remembering all the great times he had with him. The fact he was his boyfriend. The one person in his life he was open to, the one person he would happily confide his problems with. He loved him, he still did really, even know they technically 'broke up' three years ago. Except Steven didn't know that. Steven didn't even know they were together in the first place. He didn't know they were preparing to go on their first holiday as a couple before Brendan messed up his whole life.

Sighing, Brendan reached for his bottle of whisky on the table in front of him, not even bothering to fetch a glass. Pain relief, a way to stop his heart feeling like this, a blocker; that's what drink was. A way to forget, just for a few hours, that he couldn't live his life feeling like this. Gulping down the fluid, not even caring that the heat of the whisky was causing his throat to hurt. He hurt Ste, Brendan felt he deserved everything that happened to him. Everything…

"Dad, dad wake up"

"Leave me alone" Brendan murmured, hugging the bottle of whisky close to his chest. He felt nudging by his arm the next instant. "Declan fuck off."

"No! Dad you can't go on like this. Every fucking night I come home and you're laid across this sofa, drinking away your sorrows. It doesn't help dad!"

"Does." Brendan didn't even open his eyes, he just wanted to sleep.

"No. Dad it really doesn't. You need to get his number."

Brendan jolted awake then. "What?!"

"Ste's number, you need to get it."

Declan looked down at his father square in the eyes. He looked awful. He didn't have his trademark moustache that he'd grown up knowing. He had a beard now; he didn't take care of himself. To put it nicely he looked terrible. "You need to ring him."

"I can't."

He'd never exactly had this conversation with his son before, told him exactly how he felt. How did he know? Was it that obvious? Did he talk in his sleep about him? Had he heard his conversations with Cheryl previously asking how Steven's new relationship was going? Did Declan hear the jealously in his voice if he had?

"You can. Go to Hollyoaks Dad if Auntie Chez don't give you his number over the phone. Someone else might have it."

"Dec. Chez hates me. Everyone hates me. I deserve this. I deserve to die. And you know why?"

"Da…"

"DECLAN YOU KNOW WHY? COS I NEARLY FUCKING KILLED HIM."

"No Dad. You didn't."

"Go to the shop. Get me another whisky..." Brendan shouted, giving Declan a crisp 20 Euros.

"I can't..."

"It helps Dec… please." Brendan replied, gritting his teeth.

"I'm seventeen. They won't serve me"

"Tell them it's for me…GO HURRY UP!"

Declan took the money, turning round and running out of the door, allowing Brendan some free time to think, think things through. He took a breath in, reaching for his phone, dialling a number and waiting for an answer, he didn't even wait for Cheryl to say hi. He just started talking.

"Look Chez. I need his number. Give me his number."

"Oh. Wait a second. I'm Cheryl's friend. I'll get her for you. Hold on"

Wait. Wait back up there Brendan thought. He would recognise that voice anywhere, that soft Mancunian tone. Steven. Steven was at Cheryl's?! She never mentioned him when talking about Amy's visit…

"Cheryl…" Ste started, holding Cheryl's phone out towards her. "Somebody called B for you, he wants somebody's number."

Cheryl looked back in shock. There was no recognition on Ste's face, which relieved her. She always thought that if Ste heard Brendan's Irish voice something would click in his mind, bringing him back to where he was three years ago. In a weird kind of way, she hoped it did. Ste made Brendan happy ultimately, but she would never, ever forgive him for what he put Ste through, and that sealed her decision.

"What do you want B?"

"Why are you calling me B?"

"Just incase"

"Incase of?"

"You know what I'm talking about and you know why I can't talk right now"

"Why can't you talk right now? Oh yeah that's right. You lied to me Cheryl."

"Don't be angry..."

"Don't be ang... Cheryl do you expect me to be happy about this? It all makes sense now. Don't come Brendan, spend St fucking Patrick's day in Ireland Brendan, spend it with the kids Brendan. Why didn't you just say Steven is coming to stay with me. I don't want you anywhere near him, you'll fuck his life up like last time Brendan?"

"Because I know you'd still come..."

"Cheryl be honest with me okay? Promise?"

"Mhm"

"Does he even have this boyfriend?"

"What?"

"Did you make his boyfriend up Cheryl?"

"I've gotta go.. dinner's burning. Bye..."

Cheryl had to hang up on him, that whole few minutes of her life was unbearably uncomfortable. How could she possibly word the fact that she had invented this dream man for Ste, just so that her brother would stay away from him? It was impossible. Mean. Horrible. Everything.

Brendan stared down at the phone. She'd hung up on him. She'd hung up on him! He started to input another number into the screen.

"Come home Declan. You're dropping me off at the airport."

Reviews make me happy :)

Any idea what this big accident could be? Help! x