Valentine's Weekend 2016: Part IX.
As the three Princeton students waited in the hospital corridor for news on the fourth, Grace Duval was sitting alongside Cooper in a restaurant close to Times Square. It was not one of the many in that area designed to appeal to tourists, nor was it Sardi's, as the man that had requested this meeting had wanted their discussions to remain private for now, and in the latter, someone was always listening for the latest showbiz news to be broken, even when they were not supposed to be. Instead they were sat in Aureole, one of the best restaurants in town, the only problem being that Grace felt a bit out of sorts. After leaving the hospital, she had barely had time on getting home for a quick shower before she had to dress and leave, so she felt that her make up could have been applied better, and that her hair could have been tidier. Cooper had been sympathetic, but had promptly pointed out that he was not looking at his best either after another show. He pointed out that they did have the whole of the following day to recuperate from their stressful Sundays, and that in any case, as far as he was concerned, she was the most beautiful woman in the room at the moment. She blushed and swatted at him with her hand, enjoying the compliment nonetheless. She returned it by telling him that it was only because she was with one of the most eligible men in the city that she was worried that she had not made enough effort.
Cooper laughed, then asked her to tell him in detail everything that had gone down since he had left her that morning. He shook his head with sadness at the news. "I used to think that everything my father did was bad, but now I am starting to think that Blaine was lucky that he was just cold, arrogant and homophobic. He and Rory seem to have been let off pretty lightly…"
"I still fight the urge to kill my dad for hitting Nick the way he did; ache for all that poor Jeff suffered at the hands of those Clarington men, but this - this is horrific. I dread to think how this might have ended up if Beats had not been around - or if Josh had still been living there…." Cooper nodded; he had grown quite fond of Elliott's little brother in the few weeks that he had been staying with them, and he was so glad now that he did.
The two of them were still deep in thought when the man they were waiting for walked up to the table, having been pointed in their direction by the head waiter. It wasn't until he was right there that they noticed him, having been so engrossed in their own thoughts. "I am so sorry that I have kept you both waiting like this, tonight of all nights, but I was delayed at a previous meeting. It was so good of the two of you to alter your plans to meet me, especially you, Ms Duval. I am grateful to you, and may I say, you are looking radiant this evening."
Grace smiled, and replied, "It isn't a big issue, honestly. Though, if I am being truthful, you nearly didn't have me; the brother of one of our young lodgers was attacked, and I ended up spending most of my afternoon at the hospital with them. He insisted that I come, and I agreed, mainly because my curiosity got the better of me, Mr…?"
"Of course, I do apologise. This has all been quite cloak and dagger," he replied, and handed Grace one of his cards.
She showed it to Cooper, who immediately recognised the name, and he smiled. "It is a great honour to meet you sir. Your work over the years has been exemplary. The big question in my mind now is why you wanted to see me?"
"Well, Mr Hummel-Warbler…" he began.
"Please, call me Cooper, it's easier."
"True, although I have done enough research to know the origins of your unusual surname, and I have to say that I approve of the motivation behind it. I'll cut to the chase. Cooper, you know as well as I do that the world that we inhabit in the theatre can be fickle. One day you are at the top, and the next… I know that you have a great deal of love and affection for your role in Kinky Boots, and for the cast and crew of that show, but in time, you will have to move on to a new role. You were brought to my attention by a number of people - your current director for one, and by a dear old friend of mine, Carmen Tibideaux. At their insistence, I came to see you perform, and did so several times. Each time, your sheer energy was infectious, and you took the part and made me believe in you. I still wasn't completely certain though…" He paused, and Cooper and Grace looked across at each other, both wondering where this was all going. "And then, at the end of last month, fate brought me to a crowded diner downtown, and I saw you get up on stage, then heard you sing a Bowie track, and I knew. I knew that you were perfect for the part…"
He left them to eat their dinner in peace, as he had promised, although both of them had begged him to say after what he had said to them. He declined, as he did not wish to spoil such an attractive young couple's Valentine's evening completely by sitting there as a third wheel. The moment he had left, Cooper had turned to his fiancée and grinned like a loon. "Oh, my Gracie! Did that really just happen? Did he really just ask me to be the lead in…"
"He did, my lovely CJ, and in my biased opinion, I think that you were made to play that role. You will excel in that part. I know that you told him that you needed time to think, but I really believe that your answer has to be a definite yes…"
"I'm touched that you have so much faith in my abilities, but this role is different. With Charlie Price, I was stepping into a role that was already established on Broadway. I could watch my predecessor in action, and see how it all fitted together. I knew what I had to do to make the part my own when I pulled on those boots. It was so easy, where as this, it is totally different. Sure, the show has been done before, and there is footage I can watch, people I can talk to - but it is not the same thing. I mean potentially the only person in the cast at the moment would be me and that is something in itself. I'm actually scared to death of the prospect of this role, because if it all goes wrong, and the whole thing flops, it will all be down to me."
"Admittedly, that is true, but given what I know of the story, I think that the idea of it being a flop is unrealistic. They would not even be asking you to take on this part, to be the lead here on Broadway, if they did not think you could do it, and do it well. This is your opportunity to show the world that you are more than a replacement; you can work with the crew in developing the show, and I daresay you will be able to request changes that benefit you. You will have more chance for input."
"I guess…"
"The costume will be easier for you too - no more high heels, saving your aching legs. And of course, as you will be originating the role, you will of course put yourself in the running for a Tony. I can hear Kurt and Blaine's reaction to that one right now…"
"Screams of jealousy and pride from both of them. It's just - if the songs that I am thinking of are in it, and I'm certain they will be… I used to sing one to Blaine when he was upset by something dad had done, when he was my little squirt brother of seven, and I had not yet changed into the unsympathetic teenage brother I would become. Even thinking about that one song now makes me sad, so how the heck do I sing it in front of an audience eight times a week? I know that I should be able to disconnect the two, but it might not be so simple…"
"You have time to think about this, CJ. Take it, speak to Blaine. After all, whilst your potential future director did swear us to secrecy about all of this, I am guessing that only really applies to the living." As Cooper nodded, their food arrived, and conversation ceased as they ate. What little chat there was, was of a more romantic nature, as they enjoyed the pleasures of dinner together on Valentine's night.
Back at the hospital, the three people waiting in the corridor had less cause to be enjoying the day. Flint and Izzy had been due to go out for a meal, but all of that was academic now. Izzy knew that until Flint found out exactly what was wrong with his best friend, he would not leave, and they could go out for a meal on any other night. She had grown quite fond of Beats herself in any case. As for Ethan, he had secretly planned to head to a speed dating night, trying to find that all too elusive connection. His heart had not really been in it, so he was really quite glad of an excuse to avoid sitting and talking to an endless parade of hopefuls. He had sent a message earlier to Drew in Oxford, to let him know that Beats was hurt; he had received no response, despite the fact that he had sent it at what was a perfectly respectable time in England. This was becoming all too common, he thought sadly. Drew was taking far longer to respond to him than he had even a few months ago, and it wasn't uncommon for his messages to receive no answer at all. This was the problem that existed when there were miles of ocean between friends.
"Hey guys, I take it that he is in there?" came the voice, and they all looked up to see Ollie Harwood approaching them down the hall, with Michelle at his side, both of them dressed up for their dinner date. Flint nodded, and after a few moments of looking through the window in the door, Ollie managed to attract someone's attention, and he walked in, closing the door behind him.
Michelle came to sit by Flint, and took his hand. "I would ask how Elliott is coping, but you are my first concern. Wes always used to tell me that there were three close couples in the Warblers; Klaine, Niff and Fleats. He said that whilst the first two were romantic, you two were like brothers, joined at the hip all the time. So I am guessing that whilst Elliott is devastated, you are just plain horrified."
"I am better now than I was, but yeah, when I heard he was hurt, it really shook me up…"
The door opened, and the doctor that had been checking Beats out stepped out with Ollie at his side; the two of them shook hands, and then the former walked away to his next patient. "Ok, so I volunteered to speak to you all, given that strictly it is only immediate family that can be told by the consulting physician. His mind is ok; no sign of any damage to the brain, or any loss of function. He has severe bruising in various parts of his body, but given all that he was subjected to by that man, it is hardly surprising that is the case. The biggest worry that we have at the moment is the severity of the concussion that he is suffering from, and the affect that it is having on his eyes; they will be running some more tests on them if the issue does not resolve itself in the next couple of days. All in all though, he has been really, really lucky."
Before anyone could ask what kind of tests he would need to undergo, the doors at the end of the corridor slammed open to allow in a middle aged couple in a hurry. One of them was carrying a small suitcase with them. Flint knew at once who they were; he had spent several weekends at their house when he was at Dalton. They saw him, and Mrs Harper promptly left her husband and the suitcase behind. "Where is he Flint? How is he? Has he woken up? Is he badly hurt? And what about poor Elliott?"
"He's awake now, ma'am," replied Flint. "Everything seems to be ok, but the doctors would be able to tell you more than I can. In fact, Dr Harwood here can fill you in."
"Harwood?" said Mr Harper, who had come up to stand by his wife. "That name rings a bell…"
"He's the older brother of Thad, one of our fellow Warblers. He is one of the residents here, so Beats is in good hands."
"And how is Elliott?" Mrs Harper asked again.
"Battered, bruised, and guilt-stricken. He thinks that all of this is his fault, naturally; that if Beats hadn't been there…"
"Right," said Mrs Harper. "I need to see young Mr Gilbert right now, and get that stupid notion out of his head right away. Maybe you could show me the way Flint, and it is Ethan, isn't it. My mind might be getting older, but I am still able to put a name to a face, given time."
Ethan laughed, and nodded. Flint smiled, and spoke again. "At this point I should introduce you to my girlfriend Izzy, and Ollie's girlfriend - well, we all think that she is by now - Michelle. She also happens to be the cousin of our late Wes Montgomery."
"Pleased to meet you both," said Mr Harper. "Dalton it appears created a very small close knit world."
"You could say that sir," said Ethan. "After all, Izzy's sister is married to Trent's husband's brother…"
Mr and Mrs Harper looked at each other, and laughed. All they could see at that moment was that their difficult decision to send their son to the safety of Dalton had paid off; he had a close circle of friends that would be around to support him for the rest of his life.
In his room, back in the relative comfort of his bed, Elliott had heard the laughter in the corridor, and initially it made him frown. How could anyone be so happy when his boyfriend was lying ill and injured so close by? Then he checked himself, as he realised that it was wrong of him to think that way. Beats was going to be ok, after all. He turned to look at Josh, the rims of his eyes still red, although they were much less puffy than they had been. His dad might not have laid a finger on his younger brother, thanks to his decision to move him out to safety, but the events of the day had still taken an awful toll on him - and had destroyed what should have been a happy day for him. "So, how was your night with Scott? Did you both enjoy yourself?
"Last night was great, Ell. We had a nice dinner, and we just talked, held hands and kissed. We watched a movie, then just snuggled together for a while. Today was good too, until…"
Elliott heard the sniff, and reached out to take his brother's hand, ignoring the pain. "It is over now, all of it. There is no way that anyone would force you to go home now. Yeah, dad knocked me about a bit, he hurt Beats, but the thing that I am so grateful about is that he did not manage to lay a finger on you. I know that you thought I was being paranoid when I moved you out to live with Cooper and Grace, but it was the right move. If I hadn't, then you and Scott might have been there when he arrived, and that does not even bear thinking about."
"But you got hurt instead, and that is not right…"
"It's what big brothers do; we protect our younger siblings until the end. It was just a shame that Nate was there, and got so badly hurt, because that is the one thing about all of this that is killing me; he is the innocent in all of this, and if I hadn't invited him to visit me…"
"Then you, young man, might not be here." Elliott looked up and saw Mrs Harper in the doorway. He opened his mouth to apologise; to beg for her forgiveness for the fact that he had got her son hurt, but she shushed him at once. "You are in no way to blame for any of this, Elliott. My son would protect you, just as you protected your brother, because it is a natural instinct. There was nothing that you could have done that would have prevented him from doing what he did. I am proud of him for getting involved, for not just taking the easy road and walking away when it got tough. Then again, that is what people that are in love do…"
"I am still so sorry that it happened though," sniffed Elliott, as his tears began to roll again.
Mrs Harper stepped over, carefully took his free hand, and produced a paper tissue. "Now, we will have none of that! You've probably cried enough of those to last you a lifetime already today. I am glad that you are ok, and that is an end to the subject. Now, maybe you could introduce me properly to this young man…" Elliott smiled at her, and introduced Josh. Now that Mrs Harper was here, and that she had forgiven him, he felt so much happier…
It would be the early hours of Monday morning before the trio from Princeton was able to return home. Flint had taken much persuasion that he could now leave the bedside of his best friend, and in the end, Mrs Harper had more or less thrown him out, albeit with a hug and gratitude that he had been there for her boy when he needed a friend. Izzy dropped off the two boys and then headed back to her own place; she would return the car in the morning. Once inside, Ethan steered Flint into the lounge, and onto the sofa, where he promptly burst into tears, this time of relief, not sadness. Ethan sat next to him and held him until they died down again, then announced that he was going to make them both a hot chocolate; a milky drink to help them sleep. Flint checked his watch, then realised that he had not done something that he had promised, so quickly sent a text to Thad, asking if he was still awake. At once he had a response, asking him to Skype.
By the time that Ethan walked back in with the drinks, Flint was sitting in front of his laptop, and Thad was just coming online. "So, how are they?" said Thad, his brows furrowed. "You did say that you would let us all know what the doctors said, and that was hours ago."
"Darn. I did, didn't I?" said Flint. "I guess that I had to process the news myself first, and then Beats' parents arrived, and we all got kind of tangled up… I'm sorry I left it so late, but ironically, your brother could have told you."
"Ollie was there? I thought that it was his day off. I mean, I admit that I asked him to see if he could find out what was going on, but I never imagined…"
"That he would actually head into the hospital? Don't worry, he came with Michelle for company, after their date, and I am certain that she was as anxious to find out what was going on with Elliott as we were with Beats. Anyway, back to him. He is ok, more or less. No major broken bones, no mental problems. The only thing that concerns any of them at the moment is his eyes. His vision is all fuzzy, which can just be an after effect of concussion, but they are waiting to run tests on him, just to be sure."
Thad nodded, his fingers crossed out of sight of the camera, hoping that it was just a temporary blip, knowing full well that if it wasn't, some people would blame themselves. "Right, ok. So, I will compose a group text to let everyone know what you have just told me, and they can all read it when they wake up in the morning. As for you, you are both to drink your hot chocolate, then go to bed and sleep. You've both had a stressful day, and it isn't going to get any easier over the next few. Look, we both know you Flint, me and Ethan. You and Beats are so close that all this must be anathema to you. He would not want you to worry too much. He's strong, and regardless of what happens in the future, he will cope and be fine. So drink up, then bed. That is an official Warbler order, and I deputise Ethan to enforce it! You will have a lot to do tomorrow after all; someone will need to let the college authorities know what has happened to him, not to mention your place of work."
Flint nodded, as his mind digested the reality of the situation. Beats' tutors would have to be informed, and they might not be too impressed with his timing. In addition, it seemed likely he would be flying solo at the club on Friday this week. After all, Beats needed time to rest and recuperate, and he would be doing everything in his power to ensure that happened.
By the time that Flint ended his call, none of his friends on the East coast were still awake. The day had been long, but in the end, all any of them could do was head to bed, still anxious for news of their friend. Josh had been taken home from the hospital; Grace and Cooper had arrived straight from the restaurant to take him away, much as he wished to stay at Elliott's side all night. In the end, they had been joined in the cab by the Harper's - Cooper had offered them the use of the guest room at his place for the night, and indeed, for as long as they needed it.
The only people still awake in fact, were Julian and Isabelle. After their date at Rao's, they had both agreed that it would be nice to carry on the evening of celebration, and so they had headed downtown. They arrived at a nice little club, the doors of which opened at once when Isabelle gave her name. Julian saw a few famous faces that he recognised as they were escorted to a table by an attentive waiter, but in reality, the only person in the room that he had eyes for that evening was the beautiful woman right in front of him; a woman that he now knew for certain was a big part of his future. They had chatted and danced and had forgotten everything else; Isabelle forgot that she had work in the morning; and Julian forgot the time of his last train home. The feeling of love was mutual, and Cupid's arrows had well and truly found their target. Nothing and no-one was going to stand between them now.
In a police cell, not a hundred miles away from that intimate club, Mr Gilbert lay awake, angry at the world in general. He cursed the fact that the other fag had been present, and that someone had managed to alert the cops, despite his careful planning. He was not in the wrong here; those deviants were. It was just another symptom of the malaise that had penetrated and destroyed, in his opinion, the once great nation he was so proud to live in. They were going to get what was coming to them in the end though. He had seen the future, and those liberal thinkers like his son were not going to like it one little bit…
