Chapter 32 - Understandings

NORMAL POV

Casey walked into the kitchen while Kyle and Brax were having breakfast and Kyle was getting ready for work. Heath had gone back to his own place with Bianca.

"Morning mate." Brax greeted.

"Hey Case. How are you feeling?" Kyle asked.

"I'm okay." Casey gave a weak smile. "Um Brax, I was thinking...with all these counseling sessions...I think I've got a clear enough head to find out the truth...I want to find out about my real father, so I was thinking of talking to Mum."

Kyle and Brax both gave a look of surprise, especially since Casey was adamant he didn't want anything to do with her.

"Case you sure? I mean are you really ready for that?" Brax asked.

"Yeah Brax, I think I am. I need to know, so I can finish dealing with this." Casey replied.

"Okay, let me just grab my keys and I'll take you over to Mum's." Casey nodded and grabbed a slice of toast before following Brax towards the door.

"See ya tonight mate." Brax called out to Kyle.

"See ya. Be careful Casey." Kyle replied and watched his brothers head out the door.

Brax pulled up outside Cheryl's place in Mangrove River. "You're absolutely sure you wanna do this Case?" Brax asked.

Casey nodded. "Yeah."

"Okay, well I'll be with you every step of the way mate." Brax gave Casey's arm a tight squeeze.

"Thanks Brax."

Brax and Casey stood on Cheryl's doorstep waiting for her to open the door. Brax banged on the door for a second time.

"Yeah alright! I'm comin', I'm bloody coming'!" Cheryl groaned and opened the door.

"Darryl? Casey?" Cheryl greeted.

"Hi Mum." Brax spoke as Casey quickly turned away.

"What brings you two here?" She asked.

Brax walked inside the house with his hand gently on Casey's back to comfort him. "Casey needs to talk to you about Johnny."

Cheryl stared at Casey and nodded. "How have you been?" She asked, not expecting an answer from Casey.

"It's been really hard, I haven't been coping Mum. I really need to know the whole truth."

Cheryl turned away, not exactly sure how she was going to explain all this again, especially to her son that hated her.

"Mum, you need to do this for Casey so he can move on." Brax said.

"Mum, I'm sorry for how I treated you. I was angry and hurt at being lied to my whole life." Casey added.

Cheryl shook her head. "It's me who should be apologising Casey. I shouldn't have said those things to you. I still don't understand how you could have hurt yourself like that with your arms, but you are still my special baby and I will always love you."

Cheryl approached Casey and gently touched his face. "Sit down so we can talk. Darryl will you give us a moment?" Cheryl asked.

Brax nodded and tapped Casey on the back. "You okay mate?" Casey nodded.

"Okay, I'll just be outside if you need me." Brax turned and left the room.

Cheryl encouraged Casey towards the couch where he sat down and Cheryl sat on an opposite chair looking at him. Cheryl gently took Casey's hand in hers.

"Casey, I have never regretted my decision to cheat on Danny with your father. Even though I knew the risks...I fell in love with Johnny...He wasn't the crook everyone made him out to be...You have his eyes and his smile and every time I look at you it just reminds me of the one man I ever truly loved."

Casey was taking in everything Cheryl was telling him.

"If Danny had known you weren't his son he would have killed you Casey and he would have made me watch then killed me too. I couldn't let that happen. I did what I did to protect you and the family. Johnny did love you, even though he only saw you one time when Danny was off on a drug-dealing, business trip down the coast, that's why I had to give him a photo of you, so he could always remember his son he couldn't watch grow up."

Casey glanced up at his mother, registering everything she had said. "Please Casey talk to me."

"I get why you had to keep it a secret but..."

"Casey you're my son and I love you, and Darryl and Heath love you. I'm sorry you had to go through all this, but to keep the son I loved so much safe I had to do what I did."

Casey stood up. "Thanks Mum."

He still felt a little numb and not sure how to take the truth. He did feel some sense of relief. Cheryl stroked her hand over Casey's face.

"You just make sure you listen to ya brother out there and let him help you. He'll go to the end of the earth for you." She spoke softly.

Brax walked back into the room after not hearing any talking for a while.

"We're finished Darryl." Cheryl said as she turned to face Brax.

Brax nodded. "You okay Case?"

Casey stood in silence for a moment. "Yeah."

"Bye Mum." Brax said as he headed out towards the door, tapping Casey's arm as he went past.

"Bye Mum." Casey whispered.

Cheryl closed the door behind them and Casey and Brax got into Brax's car and drove home.

"So you get some questioned answered?" Brax asked.

"Yeah, I guess, now I have to get my head around everything else." Casey replied quietly.

Brax smiled at Casey and rubbed his shoulder as they pulled up in the driveway. "You have me and ya brothers here to support ya the whole way."

"Yeah, I know that now." Casey smiled and headed off to his bedroom to think.