The Return of the Prodigal: Part VII
It was still early when Ethan woke up on Monday morning. He was pleased to discover that Drew was still sleeping soundly, and equally relieved that there had been no more nightmares. He did notice though that Drew had drawn closer to him during the night, and that his head was now more or less on his shoulder, not that it bothered him in the slightest. He was just pleased that he had been able to provide enough comfort to his friend to give him a good night's rest. Carefully he climbed out of the bed, making his way back across the hall to his own room to fetch his robe and his telephone. He checked the latter as he made his way into the kitchen. Nick had replied to the text that he had sent the night before to let him know they were safely home with his and Jeff's best wishes and love. He just hoped that Lucy would not discover where they were, or the small part that they had played in the process of getting Drew back to safety.
Then he checked the other reply he had received, and once again he wondered if he had been a little too hasty. He dismissed his worries; what was done was done, and he would have to live with the consequences. He switched on the coffee machine, then called into work to let them know that he had an emergency to deal with, and that he would be taking a few days away from the office, but would carry on working at home. He knew that his boss would have no issue with that, given that he had barely taken a day of his leave entitlement since he had started working there. He would tell him all about the situation eventually…
"Prince Ethan? Is it time to have breakfast, as I am hungry…" came a small voice then, and Ethan grinned.
"It is Evie, although your daddy isn't awake yet."
"That's okay… He had one of his bad dreams last night, didn't he? He had them when we were back in London too, and it always made me so sad. Now that the wicked witch is gone they should stop…"
"I hope so," replied Ethan, then got down on his knees and beckoned the little girl across. Once she came over, he whispered, "Now I need to let you in on a little secret. No-one here knows that I am a prince, and they can't find out, so to make sure my secret stays safe, I need you to just call me Uncle Ethan…"
"Okay, Uncle Ethan. I can do that. I don't want people to find out…"
"Good. Now, what would you like to eat for breakfast?"
"She likes French Toast," came Drew's voice form the doorway, where he had been standing silently for a minute or so, "just like her daddy. I can sort it out if you show me where everything is. You must have work to go to."
"Actually, I have arranged to work from home this week, so I can cook it and let you just relax…"
"Nice as that idea is, we both prefer our French Toast unburnt," responded Drew.
Evie started to giggle as Ethan pulled a face. "I will have you know that I have improved markedly since the last time I cooked for you! So you just sit there with your daughter, whilst I get you a cup of coffee…" Drew's eyes lit up then at the prospect of being able to have something that had been forbidden to him for so long, served in a proper cup and not a cardboard one…
Ethan managed to prepare the French Toast to perfection, along with bacon for himself and Drew. He also realised on looking in the fridge that they would need to go shopping at some point that day, as he was seriously under stocked for three people. He was just about to discuss that with Drew, and whether he felt up to a trip on the subway to the store they all frequented in Brooklyn when the door entry buzzer went. By this time, Evie had left the table and was in her room, getting dressed for a new day; Drew was at the table still, nearly through his third cup of coffee. He looked up at the noise, and Ethan smiled. "Don't worry, it is probably just a delivery guy," he said, although he knew that was in all probability a lie. He left the room, and headed out into the entrance hall, to let his visitors in through the street door…
"You made it much earlier than I had anticipated; thankfully we are up and about, although I don't know how he is going to react to seeing you. Truth is that he is more than a little fragile, but given all that he has been through in the last few years, that is no surprise," said Ethan quietly as he and the visitors stood in the hallway outside his apartment.
"Ethan, you told us that you had managed to get our son back here; there was nothing that was going to delay us in getting here straight away. The flights were all booked, so it was a no brainer; we drove to a lot in the Hudson Valley, then took the train and the subway here," replied Mr Symons. His wife stood silently at his side, just taking in the situation. For the first time in years, she was about to see her boy, and all of this conversation was delaying that moment.
"Just to make you aware, when I first saw him on Saturday, he pretty much broke down on me; he has been to hell and back for so long. He might not react to your arrival in the way that you might hope or indeed expect."
"I don't care how he reacts, I just need to see him," said Mrs Symons, her patience running out. Ethan could only nod to that, and he opened the door, the Symons following him in in silence. He asked them to wait in the hall for a moment, and then stepped back into the kitchen.
"Don't let me have any more coffee Ethan. Like anything that you have been deprived of for a long time, it is addictive. Okay, so when do you want to head out to the store?"
"Later…actually, I have a confession to make. Don't look so worried, what I have done is no bad thing in my opinion. I made a call to someone last night when we landed at JFK, before we had our chat, and as a result they are here now, waiting to see you…"
"Ethan, I wasn't up to seeing Beats last night, so I don't think I could stand an inquisition from Thad…"
"It isn't a Warbler; it's two folks that have missed you every bit as much as I have, if not more…" With those words, Ethan signalled through the door, and Drew's parents stepped into the room.
Drew's eyes widened as he saw them, and he paled significantly. He opened his mouth and at first no words came out, and then he stuttered "Mom, Dad, I… I…, Oh God, I am so sorry for what I have done to you… I'm so sorry…." His tears had begun to fall by then, and seeing this his mom, also in tears, stepped forward with her arms held open. Drew was up out of his chair and into them in a flash, and then began to sob, muttering the same mantra he had done with Ethan two days before - "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…"
Mr Symons stepped forward then and hugged his son from the other side. "You have nothing to be sorry for. You thought that you were doing the right thing; it turned out that it wasn't. We all make mistakes because none of us are perfect. You are home now, and that is all that matters to us as your parents…"
Ethan stood and watched the scene before him from the door, his heart feeling better now about his decision to get his friend's parents here as soon as he had. It was only then that he realised that he was no longer alone; that there was a small person standing at his side. He had forgotten of course in his haste last night that he was not the only person that was unaware of the existence of Evie. The Symons were about to get an unexpected surprise…
"Uncle Ethan, who are those people with daddy?"
Her voice was so loud and clear in the room; there was a gasp from someone, and then the room was plunged into silence. Drew pulled himself away from his stunned parents, and got down on his knees next to them, beckoning Evie over to him, a move that she made with a degree of caution. "Do you remember how jealous you used to be of the other children at kindergarten, because they had grandmas and grandpas to take them out on adventures, and to buy them treats?"
"Yes daddy. It wasn't really fair that they had all of that, and I only had you and the witch at home. I know that there was great-grandma, but we never saw her at all, as the witch didn't like her."
"Well, as you know, a grandma and grandpa are the mom and dad of your mom or dad. Evie, these people are my mom and dad, which means…"
There was a squeal of delight before Drew could finish, and Evie was off to stand in front of Mrs Symons, who despite being in a state of shock, sunk down to her knees in front of her. "Are you really my grandma?"
"Yes, I guess I am your grandma, but you have come as a complete surprise… I don't even know your name…"
"I'm Evie. Daddy is my dad, but the wicked witch wasn't my mom…"
"Well, Evie, it is lovely to meet you!"
"Would it be okay if I hugged you, grandma?"
"Of course!" replied Mrs Symons, and the two of them hugged warmly, tears falling from both sets of eyes as they did so.
As for Mr Symons, he placed an arm around his son's shoulders and said, "The one thing that always made your mother so sad about the whole of this mess was the idea that you might potentially never have children, and that even if you did, she would never get to meet her grandchildren. Having you back home, away from that woman was good news; this is the icing on the cake. I am curious as to how she is not your wife's daughter though…"
"That is a very long story dad; one for another day. Lucy has no claim on her, and she can't harm either of us. Thanks to Ethan, everything is being sorted out in that respect; he even managed to get her to sign divorce papers in which she takes the full blame before we left."
"He has been a truly amazing friend in all of this… I do want to know the whole story, but for now, I am more than happy to just have my son home at last, and safe." The older man pulled his son into a hug, before the two of them headed over to join his wife and granddaughter, the little girl hugging him just as tightly as she had his wife when he knelt down too. From his vantage point at the door, Ethan could only smile, wiping away the tears that had formed in his own eyes. He was no longer worried that he had made an error in summoning the Symons to join them so soon; it had all gone well. Now all that he worried about was how things would go when inevitably the news of Drew's return became public knowledge…
In the end, Drew opted not to head to the supermarket with Ethan; instead he was accompanied by Mrs Symons and Evie. The former had sensed that her son needed to tell his father about everything that had happened in England, and her husband would wish to know; she wasn't sure on the other hand if she ever wanted to know the worst. For her all that mattered was that he was back, alive, if a little battered and bruised from his experience. The fact that he had brought her the best gift in the world in the shape of Evie had also made her more than willing to forget the past. She now had a little girl that she could spoil. Evie was only too happy to join them on the expedition; having never had access to a loving grandparent, being able to sit next to her grandma and chat would be a lot of fun, and the fact that Ethan was there too made it all the more exciting.
The new city was also still strange to her, and as they crossed the avenue en route to the subway, she could only stare at the tall buildings at either end of the view in wonder. Ethan made a note to himself that he and Drew would have to take her to see them up close sometime. The subway however Evie found disappointing in comparison to the Underground in London, and she made her opinion known, lamenting the absence of soft seats, escalators, and the dark dingy nature of some of the stations. Ethan couldn't help but wonder what her opinion would be if they were still like they had been when he had first been to the city, and had not been tidied up a lot since then…
Evie decided though that the supermarket in Brooklyn was wonderful. It turned out that she was a relatively undemanding child, ignoring the displays of confectionary until she was prompted to choose something. However, she seemed to be quite passionate about fruit, and that was how a whole watermelon ended up in their shopping cart, alongside fruit juices and yoghurts. She also selected two packets of breakfast cereals, arguing that she couldn't have eggs every day. Ethan found he could still remember all of the things that Ethan had loved, all of his guilty pleasures, and Mrs Symons couldn't help but smile as they were placed in the cart one by one. She had already announced that she would cook dinner that evening, and he watched as all the ingredients for a hearty beef stew with dumplings made their way in. He could recall Drew waxing lyrical about that meal more than once, saying that it was his favourite dinner in the world. His mother obviously knew that too, and it was only fitting that she made it for him now.
They headed home, and found Drew and his father in the living room, watching the news. It was clear that there had been tears shed in their absence on both sides, but there was now an air of serenity and calm. Once the shopping was unpacked, Ethan found himself banished to the living room too, along with Evie. She brought with her a generous wedge of watermelon, and chose to eat it sitting on the couch between her father and grandfather, sitting slightly closer to the latter.
"What is my mom up to?" asked Drew. "She really can't come here and throw you out of your own kitchen!"
"She can if it means that she is cooking me dinner; she insisted, and I did not wish to offend her by saying no. She had something specific in mind to make, although my selection of kitchen utensils is meagre compared to what she probably has at home. In retrospect I might have been better to go and see Mike, and ask if I could borrow the keys to Nick and Jeff's house, and then let her use Nick's kitchen."
"I still find it hard to believe that he has become a culinary genius. He never seemed the type when we were at school."
"I think that his father might have had a hand in that… Once he was out of the way, Nick realised that he had a Jeff to feed, and it was easier and cheaper to do that by cooking himself, so he taught himself; he learnt from others by watching, took a few classes at the start, but for the most part it has been a case of trial and error. There is one thing that he struggles with, and that is savoury pastry - and by some stroke of luck, that is one thing that Jeff really excels at in the kitchen. As a result, when the guys come together here, Nick usually ends up doing the catering. I guess that until he returns, we will just all gravitate to the Spotlight…"
"I'm surprised he has any time to cook when he has his job at the UN too…"
"He is just good at time management I guess… Working at the UN is just perfect for Nick; he was always the diplomat and the peacemaker, even at Dalton; it is why Wes called him Dove. Not many people can say that being sacked by a major New York law firm was the best thing that ever happened to them, but he can. When you think about it though, we have a really talented circle of friends. Jeff has an internationally renowned drawing in the Met; Sebastian is one of the hottest stars of Broadway; David is a computer whiz kid, that also managed to survive the most devastating earthquake in living memory, and happens to be married to one of the world's best vocal talents. Beats is doing well at the MTA, and is fostering; Flint is rising up the corporate ladder too, and has mastered his mother issues - and then there is Trent…"
"Yeah… On a separate note, I did the math last night, and I was the first of our circle to be a father…"
"And she is a credit to you. The guys will all adore her, when they get a chance to meet her…"
"That might not be for a while yet… The truth is, I am thinking that I might go back to Ohio with mom and dad. It makes so much sense if you think about it. You all have such busy lives here, and if I go home, then Evie also gets her grandparents full time. I would also get a lot of support, and I have a feeling that I might well need it…"
"I guess that does make sense really," said Ethan sadly. "As long as you aren't a stranger to all of us after that…"
"Never going to happen, Ethan. I need you, all of you, as much as I need my folks…" Drew suddenly stopped, and sniffed at the air again. A smile came on his face, and he said. "Beef stew; she is making her beef stew. I have missed that so much too. It is so good to be home, to be back with the people that really care for me…" Ethan smiled at his comments, and was careful not to let the happy expression slip. After all, whilst he could understand Drew's reasoning in wanting to go home, and would support it, his doing so would also break his heart just a little bit…
The Symons had booked a hotel for the night in advance of driving from Ohio; as his wife continued to cook dinner, Mr Symons left to go and check in, the hotel being only a few blocks away. He was back well before his wife dished up. As they all took their places around the table, Drew became tearful once again, as did his mother at the look on his face of sheer delight as he consumed his first mouthful of stew. Fortunately at that moment, Evie managed to prevent everything from becoming a tearfest by piping up that this was the best dinner she had ever eaten, which made Mrs Symons smile. There was dessert too of course; a homemade blueberry pie, another of Drew's favourites. After they had eaten, Drew announced that it was getting near Evie's bedtime, and with more than a little reluctance on her part, he took his daughter from the room to get her ready for her bath.
The second that he was out of the room, Mrs Symons came over to Ethan and pulled him into a tight hug. "Thank you for bringing them back to us; if you hadn't done this…"
"I can't take all of the credit for this; Jeff bumped into him and got the address; Nick called me, knowing it was for the best; and if it hadn't been for the intervention of Trent and Principal Lefevre, he wouldn't be here even now," Ethan replied. Seeing the confusion on Mrs Symons' face, he continued, "He didn't have a passport. It was…"
"…lost a few weeks ago," said Mr Symons, as he stood behind his wife, gently shaking his head whilst staring at Ethan, an indication that his wife would be better off not knowing the real truth. "Yes, it was very much a team effort. Without his close friendships with all of you, he would have remained lost to all of us. The future is what we need to concentrate of now. Drew tells me that he is considering coming back to Ohio with his mother and myself." Mr Symons paused as Ethan nodded with a sad smile on his face. "I have to agree that at the moment that might well be a good idea, and it would give us an excellent chance to really get to know our granddaughter. However, I do not believe that such a move should be forever. He didn't go to one of the top universities in the world, get a first class degree, and a job that he excelled in and loved, just to let that woman ruin his life and have him hide away in rural Ohio for the rest of his life. No, he needs to be somewhere that has a wealth of opportunities for both him and his daughter, and I firmly believe that place might well be here. I am going to suggest to him that he comes back with us for a month or six weeks at most, then comes back here; he can always come home for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and you will be more than welcome to join him. He mentioned when we had our conversation earlier that you had told him that he was welcome to stay here indefinitely. I think that would be a very wise decision."
Mrs Symons smiled too, and said, "Much as I would love to have him back for good, as any mother would, my husband is right. He needs to be somewhere with chances, and I couldn't bear to think of him alone in a strange place. So I agree, he should come back here. It also gives me the perfect excuse that I need to come to New York more often."
"Much as I applaud the sentiments, in the end, Drew has to be the one that takes the final decision," Ethan responded. "He has been controlled in every aspect of his life for so long; now he needs to be free to make his own choices when he is ready to make them."
Mr Symons nodded in agreement, then spoke again. "Now, I need to travel back to Ohio tomorrow - and I mean that for both of us, my dear, much as I know how much you would wish to stay. I am going to suggest that Drew should travel to Ohio at the weekend if he still wishes to come, and that also gives you the ability to travel with him should he wish for your company, Ethan. Before he goes, you should ensure that his other friends have had the chance to come and see him. He might be saying that he isn't ready yet, but I would wager that if you had asked him, he would not have wanted us to be here today, and I think it has all gone very well. So I would invite them all round one evening before he heads to Ohio; let him know that he has a large supportive circle here to come back to…" Ethan nodded at Mr Symons' suggestion, and knew that if Drew was to leave at the weekend, the best day for him to organise such an assembly would be Wednesday..
The following day, the Symons returned briefly before their drive back to Ohio. Drew was happy enough to wait until the weekend to head back home himself. His parents had not broached the subject of how long he would be saying the night before, and neither had he. He spent most of the day on Tuesday in the house, although he did take a stroll down the street in the afternoon to the local Duane Reed, but only after Ethan had ascertained that Colin would not be on duty there. His daughter returned with a bag full of candy, and there were one or two pieces of it for her dad and her uncle Ethan too. After she went to bed that night, Ethan sat Drew down, and decided to let him know about the proposed gathering the following day. Drew agreed to it, but only on the condition that it was not too long, and would be restricted to just former Warblers.
With that decided, Ethan had a series of phone calls to make, requesting the presence of his friends at his house at 5pm. The time was not ideal for those that worked, but it had to fit in with Sebastian, who started work much later than the others. When he was asked the reason for the meeting, he told them all that there had been news of Drew, and that he needed to discuss it with them all; Beats of course knew he was back, and he was relieved to here that they would all be gathering to see him, as he was struggling to not just blurt out the good news. The short notice did of course mean that those that were not in town would not be able to attend, but there was time for those meetings, and there was always Skype. In any case, having 7 of his old friends in the room would be more than enough for Drew…
