Chapter 14
Four days later Sunset Beach was quiet and back to normal as Tina and her husband followed by the ambulance with Ben and Meg went to Santa Barbara.
In those four days Ben still suffering from nightmares and panic attacks got stronger and gave his statement to John and Simon. Meg and Joan bought things and packed things, while Sara flitted in and out and silently watched as Ben and Casey reunited, and knew the group's friendship would be stronger when they would eventually live together in Surf Central.
Knowing time was needed on both sides Hank stayed away but wrote Ben a letter explaining his feelings for Meg as a father and that he understood Ben loved her deeply and would always be there for her and welcomed him into the family not only as a son-in-law but hopefully as son. Ben treasured the letter as a new beginning and understanding between them and though not being able to write through Joan sent his answer of understanding thanks.
oxoxo
When the police released Tim's body, even though his own parents disowned him, he was buried by his family of choice – Hank, Joan Sara and Casey with Father Antonio presiding over it and Liberty Corp. paying for it.
oxoxo
Two weeks on, Joan got a phone call from Meg asking the family, Casey, Aunt Bette and AJ to stay for the weekend. In a small chapel near the hotel that weekend Ben and Meg had their marriage blessed by the local priest. Meg wore a simple long white dress and Ben wore a black suit. Everyone could see that the bond between them had strengthened and how well Ben was recovering. Needless to say everyone caught up on gossip, which included Bette and AJ's engagement. Father Antonio, wasn't really missing from the group, he was there in spirit as he'd written the blessing for them. He read it out at the Mission in Sunset Beach so all their other friends and colleagues would hear it.
oxoxo
Another two weeks went by and Meg made a fleeting visit to Sunset Beach to be Maid of Honour at Vanessa and Michael's wedding as promised. It was then because Ben had not recovered enough to cope with travelling and a big gathering Hank and Joan took the opportunity to have a quite break with him.
Not long after Ben and Meg quietly returned to Sunset Beach and as they stayed in Surf Central the family as a whole grew stronger as they faced the memories together and worked out their future. Meg and Sara settled down with Sunset Sister and Ben kept The Deep but let the manager run it and concentrated on the Java Web and Liberty Corp. Now his finances were free and the courts had cancelled his brother's agreements he honoured his promise to Tyus made all those months ago and funded the extension to the Medical Centre. In their free time he and Meg knowing Casey and Sara would need their privacy found a new house near completion just off the beach and near to town.
Ricardo and Gabi had their wish and helped in the investigations by going to Seattle and decided to stay, when offered a swap with another officer from Seattle whose parents were at Sunset Beach. They kept in touch with Carmen and away from her influence, their love flourished and they visited Antonio. The friendship between Gabi and Meg remained close; Ben and Ricardo were always polite to each other but remained distant.
In all this Benjy had not been forgotten the courts had moved quickly and he'd been found a new family in a town near Sunset Beach. They restricted Ben's contact to letters to the new parents only but threw a lifeline that the case would be reviewed again and Benjy's views would be heard when he was older.
oxoxo
When the house was finished and Ben and Meg moved in with a triple celebration she was expecting a baby so she knew things would change and Sara and Casey were going to get married. Sunset Sisters was flourishing and Sara knew that having just got used to having her under her feet again she was going to have to look for a new assistant. Not only that Casey was thinking of leaving the lifeguards and concentrating on the conservation work at Liberty Corp.
oxoxo
In the background John had kept in touch and his promise to keep Tess, Maria and Derek in jail until the trial. The Judge and DA haggled with the accused lawyers while the investigations dug deep finding documents and witnesses to confirm things in Seattle as well as phone records between Sunset Beach and the house in Seattle.
John quietly went to England and got statements about the twins' childhood, and found out about the first really serious attack Derek made on Ben. Before that time it had always been just enough to annoy; like toys broken, small pranks of Derek being Ben and attacks in school games.
This one though would stand up in court and show the true history between the twins, he had an independent written statement of events.
'It had been at the last day of the school year and prizes and scholarships for Colleges and Universities were to be given out. Derek and Ben's results had been the same, both had got scholarships and Ben was to be given a top prize.
In a meeting a while before the ceremony it was explained by the head Teacher to Derek and his parents, that because of his behaviour towards Ben and some of the teachers he had not been awarded any prizes. Derek had thrown a temper fit and walked out telling them he would not attend the ceremony as he should have got the prize along with Ben as he and his brother were identical.
The children gathered minus Derek and ceremony took place without incident. The families and children gathered for the celebration meal afterwards. Ben and his parents again minus Derek sat at the Head's table. It was not until they were half way through the meal, a teacher passing the table made a chance remark to Ben, which he could not answer, he tried to cover but was caught out and it was then they realised it was Derek sitting with them and not Ben.
Derek maintained that he was Ben, even while the grounds and school were being searched by Police and dogs, only admitting otherwise when Ben was found unconscious and bound in an old shed in the grounds.'
Derek was sent to a special school where he conformed to the rules and accepted treatment but it was known that be blamed everything on Ben.
As soon as he could, Ben left home, but kept in touch hoping it would bring Derek some peace and the family would reunite sometime in the future. It never happened.