Adam Chandler was sat in the lounge watching the sky darken. He had been sat here all morning; and all day the day before. After coming back from hospital there had been nothing else to do. Brooke was fussing around him, but he had had enough of the fussing at the hospital. He was supposed to be getting his life back after his heart scare, but he was still being kept from his company. A company Scott and Brooke were failing to save. On Monday he was going to be allowed back into the office. Then he would get the chance to prove that Scott's ridiculous pleas, to sell up his hard won empire, were just the lad scaremongering. There was no way that it could be as bad as he and Brooke were painting it. He was a Chandler, for God sake, and the Chandler name must still mean something in the business world!

…

Brooke was worried about Adam. Even though he was home from the hospital, he was still not quite himself. She thought it might be because the mansion was now so empty. Colby had gone with Asher to New York to pursue her music career, Stuart and Marion had gone away together on a cruise, and AJ and Marissa were now settled in their home by the park. She and Adam were the only people now in this great big house. It was lonely… he was lonely. He needed his family around him to distract him from the troubles ahead; but his family was long gone.

…

The doorbell rang unexpectedly about nine o'clock. Brooke stepped out into the hall as Lucretia answered the door, curious as to who it could be. On the doorstep was Marissa, with AJ and Miranda.

"I hope this isn't inconvenient." said Marissa, apologising to Brooke, "I probably should have called ahead, but after seeing Krystal, Jackson and Erica yesterday, AJ really wanted to see his Grandpa too."

"Is there more of you?" Brooke asked looking past Marissa, expecting to see Bianca as well.

"I just brought the birthday twins, if that's alright? We had a long day yesterday and Gabby wasn't quite herself this morning so Bianca thought it best to keep her home!"

"Well I know Adam would love to see you." said Brooke, "Your timing is perfect!"

AJ took the lead, heading into the lounge,

"Grandpa, You'll never guess what we saw today..!" he exclaimed as he ran through the door.

Miranda, a little shyer, followed a short distance behind.

Marissa lingered in the hallway with Brooke.

"How is he?" Marissa asked.

"Restless." said Brooke. "I'm trying to get him to relax before he has to face the truth about his company, but he just wants to get back to work. Please tell me you have made progress with the deal."

"I'm still waiting on one of Erica's contacts to get back to me." said Marissa, with a sigh. "But we should have at least two solid options for Chandler ready for the meeting on the twentieth."

Brooke nodded.

"Well, I hope you're right about this plan." she said. "I don't think he can take another low blow."

"We'll make it work." said Marissa. "I'm not just doing my job. This is AJ's future as well. For me this isn't just about getting a deal for Courtland to expand as it needs; I want Chandler to be able to move forward in a profitable direction as well."

Brooke patted Marissa's arm in understanding as they walked through into the lounge. They were just in time to catch AJ regaling his grandpa with the tale of the discovery of the sleeping hunting dogs that helped Gabby win the animal bingo game.

Brooke was pleased to see Adam finally looking relaxed. He had an indulgent some on his face as he listened to his grandson. Maybe they should try and arrange these kinds of visits more often. Adam needed his family around him, and at the moment AJ was really all he had left.

…