Constance and European Messages.
On entering the hospital room, Sebastian was initially met by the startled gaze of the young woman that occupied the bed. She was beautiful, he could see that instantly; not in a supermodel sense, but in a wholesome way. He could see exactly why his nephew had fallen for her. However, at that moment, she also looked tired, worn out by the tragic events of the last few days. There was a sadness in her expression, her eyes red from the tears that she had shed since the life that had been growing inside her had ended. Sebastian had no idea what he could say to offer a crumb of comfort, or even just to break the stunned silence…
Isabelle was however better prepared for this kind of situation, and she smiled, and took a seat by the bed. "Now, don't be concerned; the nurses know that we are here, and we are only here because of how concerned we are about your well-being, Connie."
"My parents could come at any time," came the quick reply. "They don't like me seeing anyone that they don't know, or that the hospital staff aren't accompanying…" She paused, then in a lower voice said, "I know who you are…they don't know I was even dating Peter, and they can't know. If they come now, and see you here, they will want to know why. They're not stupid, they will see you here, Mr Smythe, and when they discover that you teach at Dalton, they will immediately think there is a connection between me and the school, one of the boys there, and they will badger me into telling the truth, and right now, I couldn't cope with that…"
Sebastian looked at the floor, and wondered if they had done the right thing, or if their appearance had only made things worse. He wondered if they should just go, but then he heard his sister-in-law speak. "I hear that you are a fan of Broadway - would they be very concerned if someone that was hailed as one of the greatest stars of the Great White Way popped in to see you, whilst on a seasonal charity visit, particularly when he was accompanied by the editor of Vogue magazine?"
There was silence then, and then Constance said, "Your Peter's step mom? I wasn't sure…"
"I am, and right now my biggest concern is how you are. Peter has his family, but you have no-one. What you have suffered is a huge trauma for a woman at any age, and you should not be going through it alone. So, that is why we have come; you might not ever be able to talk about this with your mother, but you can always talk to me."
"That is very kind of you, and I am grateful, but the fact is that I can never see Peter again. I love him, I always will, but every time I even think of him now…" And with those words, Constance burst into tears…
Sebastian could only stand in silence as Isabelle moved out of the chair and sat on the bed, wrapping an arm around the sobbing girl's shoulders. He was reminded at once of the scene yesterday morning when his nephew had found out the truth, and had cried as hard wrapped in his own arms…
"Peter is as inconsolable as you are," he said quietly. "He cried the whole day yesterday for all that he has lost. He knew that it would be the end of your relationship as well, that it would hurt you too much. He blames himself for everything that has happened…"
"What happened was a joint decision; in fact, I think I pushed him more," came a whispered reply, which left Isabelle a little surprised. "We thought we were being so careful, and had taken every precaution that we possibly could, or rather, he did… You see, my parents will not let me see a doctor or any kind of medical person without being with me; they have to approve of any kind of medication that I take. So as you can guess, I wasn't able to take the contraceptive pill. So we used a condom and we thought… It must have burst. I wish we had used one of the ones that Peter bought at the drugstore, not the one that I found in a drawer at school…"
Sebastian and Isabelle exchanged a look then, as the former did his best to bite his tongue, and suppressed the urge to run out into the hall, get on his phone, and pass that wonderful bit of information on to Thad for the benefit of Principal Lefevre…
"When I found out that I was… Peter was so good, not like most boys would be in the situation. He was so supportive, ready to give up everything for me and our child. But I knew that once he found out I was pregnant, my father would go mad, would hunt Peter down and kill him… That is why I kept it quiet, and it is better that it stays that way. Losing the baby hurts, but maybe it is better for everyone that this happened. I had made plans anyway, and well, I was never going to be returning to Crawford this term. I hadn't told Peter that yet, I didn't know how. My parents had heard a rumour that there were parties being held there, that boys were present. They decided that it was not the right place for me, that they had to get me away from potential bad influences. The irony of that…"
"I am not sure that Peter would agree all of this was for the best," said Isabelle softly.
"He will realise that in time. So, in a few days I will be moving to live with my aunt in Pennsylvania. There is a school close by that is virtually a convent, but I won't be boarding. Of course, what my parents don't know is that my spinster aunt is not as strict and religious as they think. I might even be able to tell her the truth, and not be judged…"
"Well, we wish you well, whatever happens in the future. As for Peter, he doesn't even know that we are here," said Sebastian. "Whether he does know or not is entirely up to you."
"It is best that he doesn't come, even though there is a big part of me wants him to… It is best that we make a clean break of it, and deal with our pain alone. I will be out of Ohio in a couple of days anyway, and I never thought that long distance relationships were a good idea…"
"Even so, I am going to give you my contact number at the magazine," said Isabelle.
"That isn't a good idea. My parents have my phone at the moment, and if they find me with a slip of paper with a phone number on it, there will be questions…"
"She's right," said Sebastian, "but fortunately all that she has to do is send an e-mail titled Private and Confidential to the editor at Vogue…."
"That is true, and I would like you to. I will only worry about you if you don't" said Isabelle.
"I could do that, and maybe once I am in Pennsylvania, we could swap numbers."
"That is a plan. The truth is that right now, your pain is raw, but in a few months time, the love that you feel for Peter might win out, and you just might want to get back in touch with him. I mean, depending on where in Pennsylvania your aunt lives, it might be easy to head into New York for a day in the summer, and as Peter will be back home in New Jersey…"
Constance nodded, and allowed herself a small smile. "I do love him…"
"And you don't want to hurt him," said Sebastian. "The truth is, he loves you every bit as much as you love him. Always hold onto that, and when the summer comes, see how you feel about it all then…"
They would take their leave shortly after that, as there was no more that they could really add to what had been said. They headed back out into the corridor, and walked out of earshot, before Isabelle stopped and sighed. "She is such a nice girl; everything that I could have wished for in a girlfriend for Peter. One moment, one mistake, and then this… I hope that in time the love that they both have for each other will win out over the pain that this loss has caused them both."
"Well, they do say that time is a great healer, don't they? If they are meant to be together then they will manage in time to put all of this behind them, but I doubt it is something they will ever forget. When you think about it, what happened did so at the worst possible time. Every New Year's Day will be a reminder, because there is no getting past that date. It is a lot like the way that Nick and Jeff never celebrated their wedding anniversary, because of what happened the following day, for a decade. I haven't reminded myself for years either that it was also the day that I proposed to Dave, in the early hours of that morning, after we had been threatened at gunpoint in Duane Reade…" Sebastian stopped, as he saw that Isabelle was staring at him in shock, and he chuckled. "I will tell you that full story on the drive home…"
They moved off again, heading out of the ward, past Julia who was now standing at the reception desk. They did not speak, the latter merely nodding, then taking a piece of paper that had been attached to a large clipboard and crumpling it up into a ball. A moment later, Sebastian and Isabelle heard her gasp, and turning back, they both realised just why. A couple had just entered from the other direction; a mousy looking woman, dressed in an old-fashioned and terribly dowdy manner, and at her side a man in a black suit with a stern countenance. Worse, he had a clerical collar… They too nodded at Julia, and headed for the room that the two visitors had just left.
On the drive home, Sebastian kept his promise and told his sister-in-law all about his and Dave's encounter with a gunman in the drugstore on their way home from Niff's wedding. She was left with her mouth wide open, and a new respect for her brother-in-law. He had selflessly placed himself into danger because the man that he loved had been in what could only be described as mortal peril. That was before he added, in a calm voice, all that had happened to the other Warblers on the same night. "It was as if death was flirting with all of us, with the exception of David. I guess what he went through in L.A. a few years later made up for that in spades though…"
"Well, now I know the whole tale, it does explain a few things I've noticed over the years. I now know why Jeff inspects a room before Nick enters around Christmas; why Trent examines electrics before he switches anything on; why Tina is a little OCD around the stove; and why Flint Wilson has a hotel grade fire alarm system in his apartment. In fact, dear Izzy once told me jokingly that the hospital she works in doesn't have the same level of fire protection as her home…"
She paused as she saw they were nearly back at the house, then continued, "So, I suggest that you go and keep Peter occupied whilst your brother and I have a little chat about all we found out. I do wonder if Peter knew that her dad was a minister of some sort though… It explains his attitude of course. Religion can often cloud our judgement on the big issues." Sebastian did not reply to that, but she was certain of his point of view on the question anyway. He was only too aware that so many of the people that proclaimed their Christianity were in fact terrible sinners themselves, the most hypocritical of men and women. A case of do as I say, not as I do. It was one of the many reasons that he was a very lapsed Roman Catholic…
They arrived back to find Peter in the lounge, entertaining his much younger sister and cousins; he had managed to find all he needed to put on a little puppet show for them, and they were enthralled. Isabelle beckoned to her husband, who was sat on the couch watching, and he headed out, Sebastian taking his place next to Dave, who was smiling broadly. "Your nephew is really good at this!" he exclaimed. "The entertainer gene must run in the Smythe family."
"It might, although I think that it skipped both Dad and Jules. Saying that, I don't think that Peter sees the stage as his destiny though. Let's face it, he is more gifted than I was academically, and I think that he is going to be a scientist; at least he should be, according to Thad. His test scores in Chemistry and Biology are way up there…"
"Well, we can do with all of the scientists that we can get these days; people to develop new drugs for a start, and more environmentally friendly sources of fuel as well."
"I can actually see him doing that," mused Sebastian. The conversation stopped as Julian returned with Isabelle, and Sebastian was pleased to see that his brother's face was a lot happier. Then the puppet show was over, and there was applause, and hugs all round for the puppeteer. He knew that in the morning, his brother and his family would all be heading for home back in New Jersey, and Peter would be off back to his dorm room at Dalton. For them, a degree of normality would resume. However, for one young lady, life had been turned completely upside down by the events of the last two days, and she would soon be leaving all that she knew behind her… That was for tomorrow. In the meantime, he realised he needed to make a quick, private call to Thad. He knew that both he and Principal Lefevre would love to know that little nugget of information about how dodgy condoms were to be found lying around in drawers at Crawford County…
The next morning saw Sebastian and Dave get their home back to themselves. Julian and Isabelle headed off with their daughter on the first flight of the day back to New York, saying their goodbyes the night before to avoid their hosts having to get up extremely early. Peter had been a little tearful that night when his turn came, that much was true, but then he had pulled himself together and smiled. All those that witnessed it knew that smile was an act, but nobody blamed him for using it…
He was able to smile because he was able to recall the words that his stepmother had said to him in private earlier - "If love is meant to be, it will find a way, and you just need to be patient. Bad things can be overcome and the rewards we then receive in time will make up for all of the hardships now." He didn't know if he believed that, but there was a large part of him that wanted to…
He would return to Dalton himself just after breakfast, saying the fondest of farewells to his two young cousins, his Uncle Dave, and Mrs Carr. It had fallen to Sebastian to drive him back to school, as he was not lucky enough to have a car park space of his own at Dalton. To avoid the school being overrun with vehicles, the majority of students were not permitted to have a vehicle on the premises, but to aid them in getting around, a scheme existed for those that had passed their driving tests to be able to borrow one from a pool of vehicles at the school. That was what had made the revelation that the incident had happened in a car driven by Peter, even if it was in the grounds of Crawford County at the time, a little tricky for Principal Lefevre…
"Do you think that I will be summoned in to see the Principal in the next couple of days, Uncle Bazzy?" asked Peter as they neared the turnoff for the school gates, the first words he had uttered since they left the house.
"I am afraid that you probably will be, yes," replied his uncle. "However the visit will not be one in which you will be chastised; rather it will be one where they check on you and your feelings, out of their natural concern for your health. The fact is that you have learnt your lesson, and given all that has now happened, they will probably want to ask you if you think seeing a counsellor would help…"
Peter was thoughtful for a moment, then said, "I would rather not see the school counsellor about this as it happens. One more person at school knowing what happened is not a prospect I would relish!"
"I agree that is not a good option, but if you did want to see somebody, then we will find you somebody in Columbus to visit. I think that having an outsider to talk about it all with could be a benefit for you."
"I'm not so sure about that…"
"I saw one, you know, in Columbus, in my senior year, after everything that happened with Hunter… It did help enormously to be able to chat about it all with a neutral party. She was good, and well, if she is still in practice, maybe I could get you a slot with her…"
Peter sighed, then said, "I guess that it wouldn't hurt to see her once…"
"I will set up an appointment for you this weekend if I can. It's never too early to start," his uncle replied, pulling his car into one of the staff parking spots at Dalton, close to the Warblers dorm. They got out, took Peter's bags from the trunk, and then they walked over to the entrance to the dorm building together. As they stepped in, Sebastian said, "You head on up. I am going to see if I can find Thad and let him know that you are back."
"Thanks for everything you've done for me, Uncle Bazzy," said Peter, before he hugged the older man, then headed up to his room.
Sebastian turned and headed back out of the dorm building and across to the administration building. He knew that Thad was out, as he had said he would be assisting Mrs Carmichael with some purchases in Columbus that morning, and he wanted to head straight to see the Principal in any case; he had decided it was best that he update her on the latest developments himself, and had not told Thad anything the night before after all. As he suspected, the dedicated lady was at her desk. "I've brought Peter back. He is in his dorm room, and is expecting a summons in due course…"
"Which he will receive, but only because I can't even imagine all the emotions that he is going through right now!"
"Nor me, being honest. That is why I have decided to get back in touch with Doctor Lennon when I get home. She helped me when I was his age, and she managed to get me to open up, she will have no problem at all with Peter."
"I think that is an excellent idea. Mr Soper is good, but with him the chances are that the entire faculty would know the whole sorry tale in a few days, and that is the last thing Peter needs."
"On that we agree wholeheartedly," responded Sebastian, before he lowered his voice. "Now, strictly between us, I have seen the girl. Thanks to Thad, I discovered that she was being looked after on the hospital ward that Skylar's wife is working on, and out of concern for her mental health, Isabelle and I decided to pay her a visit. The main upshot is that she will not be returning to Crawford; her parents had already made that decision, and still have no idea of what has happened to her. The fact she is going to be gone will hit Peter hard. Fact is, we decided that we couldn't let him know where she was, nor that we visited her. The news will come as a bolt from the blue." The Principal nodded, then looked at the smile that had just formed on Sebastian's lips; a wicked smile. "Okay, so she did impart one interesting bit of gossip for future reference. I bet you will never guess where the rogue condom originated…"
Principal Lefevre would summon Peter to see her once Thad had returned, and she was understanding and sympathetic. "However, I'm afraid that I can't entirely ignore all that took place, so I am going to request that you stay away from Crawford for the rest of your time here at Dalton. It will make things easier for everyone concerned if you stay away from the place. Apart from that, we will endeavour to put all of this behind us, and hopefully return to the previous equilibrium. The Warblers need you to be there for them; from what I am told, your voice is a key part of their future success."
"By the way, Mrs Carmichael noticed that you were back, and she would like you to pop over for dinner tonight, as you are the first student back on campus; it's a tradition of hers," added Thad. "I believe that she mentioned she was making her chicken pot pie…"
"I would be only too happy to join her and Mr Carmichael," replied Peter, his eyes lighting up at the prospect of that fabled creation, a far more nourishing and nutritious dish than any he could have prepared for himself, given that the catering staff were still absent.
"Very well, you may go," said the Principal, at the same time indicating to Thad that she wished for him to remain. He sat there in silence as they both waited for the sound of not just the office's two doors closing, but that of the stout fire doors at the end of the Admin corridor. She got up, to check that Peter was not still lurking, then returned to her desk, to tell Thad all that Sebastian had told her, particularly exactly where the offending article that had caused all of their problems had actually originated…
The first month of 2026 would pass quickly. It was one of those times of the year when people had little appetite for socialising, having seen so many people over the holidays; factor in the weather and poor finances and their was a reluctance to stray far from your own home. Sebastian also found that he was shivering in the Ohio winter, colder than those moderated by the sea in New Jersey. He had forgotten just how many days the mercury would stay below freezing point in Ohio, and they seemed to merge into each other. He decided to stay in as much as he could, only really leaving the house for the essentials and to go to work. He was glad that he had a heavy long winter coat and a pair of fur lined boots, and had taken to leaving a pair of shoes at Dalton.
There, he found that Peter was more cheerful, surrounded by his friends. He had been to see Doctor Lennon, and they had bonded instantly. She did not tell Julian what it was exactly that she discussed with his son, but she hinted to him in her phone call after that he had opened up to her about events in his childhood; when his father then told his brother, Sebastian smiled, knowing that doing so had to be a good thing for his nephew. He had always thought that Peter had not talked enough about what he had gone through in the quake. He knew that his nightmares about it were much fewer and further between now, but he had been roused one night by the sound of his screaming shortly after he had started to come and stay over in the Westerville house. Dave had slept through it, and as there was only the one scream, followed by silence, Sebastian decided not to rush to Peter's room, or mention it later. He himself could not imagine what the boy had been through; to be the only survivor, and that only because you had been in your bedroom and not with them…
True, there had been a brief moment when Peter's mood had slipped once more, when he had discovered from one of the other students at Dalton, whose sister was enrolled at Crawford, that Constance had left and had moved out of state. He had pulled himself together quickly though, recalling the words of his stepmother, and had then thrown himself wholeheartedly into his academics, and of course, the Warblers…
As Sebastian shivered in Ohio, in New York the weather was unseasonably mild, not that anyone was complaining too much about that. Indeed, people made the most of it, knowing that eventually the Arctic blast would turn on them as it usually did. In the middle of that month, Isabelle had arrived at her office and on turning on her computer, discovered that she had an e-mail waiting for her from Constance. It transpired that she was feeling much better, having taken the plunge and told her aunt everything. The lady in question had been full of sympathy, and had arranged for her to have the counselling that she badly needed.
She then went on to thank Isabelle and indeed Sebastian for caring enough to track her down and visit, and then gave her the exact location that she was now living in, which happened to be Allentown. That made the Vogue editor smile, as she knew that was not far away from the city at all, a short trip by either car or bus. Constance might not be ready to see Peter again yet, but Isabelle wondered if she might enjoy a visit to the Vogue offices, and the chance to explore the legendary closet…
It was in that same week that Mason's departure from Mary Poppins was finally confirmed by the show, after weeks of rumours. Furthermore, the new role that he was to take on was also announced; he would be taking on the part of Brick in a revival of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. What came as a surprise to some was the fact that the role of Bert would be taken over for six performances a week by Adam. He had been sworn to secrecy by the management of the show, and had not even been permitted to tell Lawrence until the night before it went online.
His current understudy in the role of Robinson Ay would take over his current part full-time, with another of the current cast being elevated to the role of Bert on the two performances a week that Adam was elsewhere, filming for TV. Adam knew that it was only a temporary move for the show. Mason would be leaving in mid March, and it was the worst kept secret in the world that Mary Poppins would eventually be replaced in the theater by The Sound of Music, but that was not due to occur until 2027. Christmas after all was a massive money spinner for the current show, and the producers naturally wanted to capitalise on that for a second year.
Nick and Jeff both found themselves tied up with work. Jeff was drawing a portrait of Queen Elizabeth again, but was doing it this time as an image of the lady as she was now. He had been selected as one of fifty renowned global artists who would be asked to exhibit a portrait of Her Majesty for her actual birthday in official letter making the request had been hand delivered by the British Consulate; there had been no prior warning, and his time was short, but as Nick pointed out to his stunned husband, that might well be the point…
He had decided to use the same techniques as he had before, although this time he would be unable to get an angel to fetch a sample of fabric for him. For her face, he had chosen to use a still from one of the many Zoom chats that the monarch now seemed to favour as a way of greeting people from around the world, and having an in depth conversation. It had been an idea of her daughter's, the Princess Royal, and there had been some that had doubts about the ability of a woman in her late nineties at the time to deal with the new technology, but they had been pleasantly surprised by both her skill and quick grasp with the new medium. The video that had been released was of a lively conversation, and the face of the monarch had been full of joy; that was what Jeff now strove to capture in pencil lines. He had seen most of the other portraits of her, and she always looked so formal and stern. From meeting her, Jeff knew she had a fun side, and that was what he wanted to portray. He had also decided to buck convention, and was drawing the portrait landscape…
As for his husband, in-between dealing with the minor crises of the world, he had been asked to work with a group at the United Nations that was looking at how best the organisation should mark the centennial of one of the world's best known and liked women. She had been on the throne after all for nearly the entire time that the UN had existed; had been born when its predecessor, the League of Nations, was a mere 6 years old. The Secretary General had already been invited to attend the official celebration on the last Sunday in May at Westminster Abbey, and it came as no great surprise that Nick was asked to accompany him, although not to the service; he would attend the Trooping of the Colour the next day, as the Secretary General had a prior engagement. That meant that Jeff would be invited too as Nick's guest, and there was a handwritten note stating that Wes was also expected. Thoughts of how all of that would go down were however left to one side by Nick until all of the official stuff had been dealt with…
When he returned to his office after the meeting, Nick discovered that he had an e-mail in his inbox from Germany. It was form Fritz, who after all of the customary greetings, asked if it would be possible for him and Matthias to come and visit with them in New York in the middle of the following month. They both had a week over Valentine's when they had no college classes, and the fares to New York were at their lowest in that month, thanks to the weather. He quite understood if having them to stay was too much to ask, but they were both keen to come, and could find a hostel if necessary…
Nick did not reply at once, wanting to consult his husband before he agreed. On arriving home that night, he broached the subject, and at first Jeff had frowned, as his own life was rather hectic at the moment. Then he smiled, and said, "I suppose that they could manage to explore the city themselves most of the time, and as we are already having to make breakfast and dinner each day, it would be a case of making larger amounts. Between us, we could also escort them to some of the less well visited spots that we love. Looking at the dates, they will be here over the weekend, which frees you up to help out as well. They are family, and having family to visit is just something that you do in these circumstances."
"You're right, and I might be able to get a day off on the Friday or the Monday to spend a little more time with them, helping you. I'll let Grace know as well, as they're her family too, and maybe Coop could sort out a couple of tickets for them to see Mary Poppins…"
"Hmm, and if that fails, there is always Book of Mormon; I think that they might enjoy that as much…"
Nick sent a positive reply to Fritz, and then called Grace, although he realised that he should have done that first. As he was speaking to her, his phone buzzed with a happy reply from Baden Baden; it was 1am there, but Fritz had been awake anyway, and now was profuse in his thanks…
