"Eric?" a voice called from the back before they could start talking. "Eric, who was it at the door?"
"Just a minute dear. It's only the Jehova's, I'm still trying to see them off." Jayden's father called back.
Great... 'Still trying to see them off', that makes for a good start... Thought Norman.
What a dick. Thought Blake.
"Don't be so rude, Eric, invite the poor things in for a cup of tea and a..." The voice suddenly trailed off as the owner of it, a wheelchair-bound woman in her mid sixties, spotted Norman and Carter. She glared at Jayden's father. "Jehova's witnesses, eh? So when precisely did our son become a Jehova's witness?" Norman's dad at least had the grace to look guilty, but recovered quickly.
"He's no son of mine!" he growled, and stomped off. She sighed, and turned to Norman with a smile on her face.
"Norman, sweetheart, how are you? It's been too long. Come and have a chat." Jayden blinked.
"Mom, what.. why are you in a wheelchair? Are you ill?"
"It's a long story, sweetheart. Come and have a cup of coffee, and we can both catch up on the news." She smiled at Carter, and extended a hand, which he bent down to shake. "I'm Linda, Norman's mom." she told him.
"Pleased to meet you ma'am, I'm Carter, Norman's... friend." Blake said, calling up on his reserve of manners. Shit, why did I pause before I said friend? But the old lady seemed to take no notice, and smiled at Carter.
"Pleased to meet you. Sorry about my husband's rude welcome. He can be a little... tetchy at times."
"Tell me about it..." Jayden murmured under his breath. His mother turned back to him with a hint of amusement on her face, and motioned for the two of them to come in out of the hallway.
"Come into the sitting room where we can talk." Jayden downed his drink in one, and left it on the sideboard (mainly to annoy his father). The two of them followed her into the sitting room, Blake a little unsure as to why he was still sticking around. Linda wheeled herself into the sitting room, and Norman helped her out of the wheelchair and onto the sofa. "So dear, how have you been?" She asked. Norman shrugged off the question.
"Fine, fine. Why are you in a wheelchair?" He suddenly realised his hands were twitching from the agitation, and tried to hide them, but his mother had noticed.
"Norman." she said sharply. "Why are your hands shaking?"
"I..." Jayden sagged, and appeared to give in. "Look, if I tell you, you'll probably want to kick me out, so first, please, why are you in a wheelchair? Are you alright? Can you walk at all, are you ill?"
"I..." she looked at Carter, who took the hint and moved back into the hallway. "Okay. It's not too bad, I can live with it. I've got Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Basically it means I'm very tired, and feel ill, and have some speech and memory problems." Norman nodded.
"Yes, I know what it is. But how... when did you get it?"
"A little while after you left. A couple of months, maybe. I wanted to call you, ask you to come back, but... you know what your father's like and I didn't have the strength to argue." Jayden's heart lifted slightly, even amongst all the bad news.
Well at least Mom wanted to ask me back...
"Anyway... it went downhill from there for a while, then recently things have started getting better. I can walk a little, but only if really necessary. So... that's my part of the bargain." she looked shrewdly at Jayden. "Now why are your hands shaking? And who is that young'un out there? He a new boyfriend?"
"What? Erm... no! I'm not gay anymore!" Norman stage-whispered to his mother. She raised an eyebrow.
"Now, sweetheart, we both know that's rubbish. You've never been interested in women your whole life. Just because your father wants you to be, doesn't mean you can be. Anyway, you were telling me about your hands."
Over the next fifteen minutes, Jayden explained to her about David leaving him, joining the FBI, ARI, homelessness, and his addiction, thoroughly expecting to get chucked out of the house any minute. When he had finished, his mother turned to him, looking slightly confused.
"So are you still on this...triptocaine stuff?"
"No. I'm having withdrawals, but I wouldn't have come here if I was still on it." She nodded.
"Well then. How long are you staying?" Norman blinked.
"Sorry?"
"How long are you staying for? You and your friend are welcome to share the spare room, I can get round your father. Just don't... get up to anything, I think it would kill him."
"Really? Thanks Mom." Jayden smiled. "But I don't think Carter's staying, he's got to get back to work."
After helping her back into her wheelchair, Jayden opened the door, to reveal a beetroot-red Blake.
"Damn kids have slashed my bloody tyres!" he yelled.