Jeff Worries, Sebastian's Boys Compete
Nick and Jeff would wake up in London the following morning to clear blue skies, and almost unseasonable warmth and sunshine. It was appropriate on the day that the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth, and indeed the world at large marked the centenary of the longest reigning monarch in recorded history. A public holiday had been declared, and streets around the country would be hosting celebrations. There was a lot of speculation in the lower end media as to who might have sent Her Majesty the official telegram that marked any person's 100th birthday; it was usually sent from her, and it was hardly right she should send herself a card.
For the two American visitors, the day meant a trip into London. They were driven to a nearby station to board a train into the capital, which was extremely busy, as everyone was making their way into the city. They were lucky enough to have been allocated a spot in one of the stands that lined the route of the celebratory parade down The Mall to Buckingham Palace, and even more lucky to be in one that faced the palace itself. The Queen herself would make an appearance on the balcony as she had done countless times in her reign, and they both knew the crowds would surge down to the gates, and when she was there, cheer and sing Happy Birthday…
They had been allocated three seats in the stand, the assumption having been made that Wes would be with them. They both decided that the place could not be wasted, and they both knew exactly who they should ask to take the spare seat…
She was waiting for them at a selected spot in Paddington Station, resplendent in a new twin set and hat. For Miss Hester Frobisher, this was going to be one of the most memorable days of her life. She had been in the crowds before, but had never enjoyed what was a front row seat. She was carrying a copy of that morning's Guardian, on the front page of which Jeff's new portrait featured alongside the official birthday photograph…
"The moment that I saw what you have created… what you have produced is iconic, and to be able to say that I know you, and that thanks to that, I am now attending the first of the birthday parades this year in a place of honour… I have never felt more humble and yet, special that I do right now."
They were in their seats in good time for the official start of the parade at 1pm. By that time, the East Coast of the United States was awake, and Jeff found his cellphone buzzing with congratulations from friends and family alike on his latest triumph. They had also called Wes before he headed for school, and had done so on a video call, so that they could show him all of the decorations and all of the crowds that had already gathered. He told them sadly that it was raining in New York, but that was okay. He had art class that day at school, and they would be talking about Europe in class as well. He was looking forward to telling his classmates that he had been to four European countries, and had lived in London. Nick cautioned him not to mention that he had met the royal family, and Wes agreed it wouldn't be a good idea without photos…
When the parade came past, the whole stand rose to its feet to applaud and cheer, the open top state landau being in use, allowing them all to see Her Majesty very clearly. As she passed, the noise rose to an almost deafening level, as the carriage headed around the statue in front of the Palace of her illustrious female ancestor, Victoria, and then passed through the gates of the building itself. As soon as those gates closed, a virtual tsunami of humanity surged down the street to fill the entire space, right up to the railing; standing cheek by jowl with barely an inch between them. In the stand, the three guests still had an excellent view, and they were all glad not to be amongst the throng below.
As the monarch stepped out onto the balcony, followed by her close family, the crowd erupted in cheers once more, louder and louder as she waved to them. And then, they fell silent, waiting for a signal. When it came, every voice joined in with the singing of Happy Birthday, all so pleased to be there to mark the landmark moment…
They had to leave Miss Frobisher at 4pm, having negotiated their way through Green Park to the tube. They boarded the Piccadilly Line train together, and said their farewells as the train pulled into South Kensington Station. They remained on board, heading to Heathrow Airport, at the end of the line. They had been invited to stay longer, but there was to be a family party at the Palace after the balcony appearances; in addition, all of the press for the portrait competition was complete, and so rather than staying another night, most of it alone in the Cambridges' home, they had chosen to take the last flight of the day back across the Atlantic.
When they arrived outside the terminal they found, as had been promised, one of the Cambridges' staff waiting for them with their bags, which Nick had packed that morning. It would be after midnight by the time that they reached the West Village, but that actually suited them; it would allow Nick to attend a meeting at work the following afternoon in person, and would let Jeff get back to his illustration work for his regular author and for Vogue just a little sooner. It had been arranged that Elspeth would take Wes to school, and if they were quiet enough in the house when they arrived home, there was every chance of their son not even knowing they were back before he left. The plan after that was that Nick would make an excuse to leave for the office earlier than necessary, allowing his husband to have a one on one catch up with his biological mother…
All went to plan at the airport, and they breezed through the check-in process. This was aided by the fact that they discovered that they had been upgraded before boarding this time. Nick couldn't help but wonder if someone was paying for their old seats again, and resolved to look and see as they boarded, or at some point on the flight. Being upgraded now meant that they were able to use the facilities in the lounge, which was on a different level to anything they had seen before, boasting spa treatments as well as the usual food and drink. They chose to have their meal in the lounge rather than on the plane, as that would allow them the chance to take a nap, or at least try to, on the flight, and try to prepare their body clock for being back on New York time…
Somehow Jeff managed to doze off as soon as his seat had been turned into the lie flat bed, but Nick struggled; his head had started to ache almost as soon as they reached cruising altitude, but that was something he put down to the long day, and all the cheering and noise earlier. He managed nonetheless to get a little sleep, waking twice in the course of six hours, whilst his husband slept like a baby in the adjacent seat…
For once, when they arrived back at JFK, Jeff took charge. He could see from the way he looked that his husband was not feeling too well, and from his knitted brows he surmised that Nick had a particularly bad headache. He dealt with the immigration desk, and then allowed his husband to sit holding his head in his hands as he retrieved their bags. He was concerned about just how ill Nick looked though; he was rarely ill, and although he suffered from the odd headache, they were never normally as bad as this. As he waited for their bags, one of the cabin crew from the flight approached him, and asked if there was anything they could do for him, as his husband looked so poorly…
Jeff took a decision, and thus they exited the airport terminal to board a waiting town car rather than the Airtrain. Such things were an expense they tried to avoid, but in the eyes of the blond, this was an emergency, and so it was justified. Nick said nothing as they entered the vehicle, but once they were safely in the back, and moving in the direction of home, he leant onto Jeff's shoulder, and whispered, "I'm sorry… I don't know why I am feeling so bad, but my head is starting to ease now."
"It's been a very long day; our bodies have been up for well over 20 hours now. You are just very tired is all. However, if you still feel this way when we wake up in the morning, then you will be going to see the doctor, and no arguments."
"That won't be necessary; it is just a tension headache," replied Nick.
Jeff did not reply, but took his husband's hand, and gently squeezed it. He did not like to see his Nicky feeling this way. If it was up to him, then the following morning Nick would be off to see Ollie Harwood, or one of his colleagues, for a full physical, but he knew he would never agree to that even at his request. Then it hit him; he could have a quiet word with Miss Worthington, Nick's boss, and see if his husband's next health check at work could be expedited, and a focus made on his head…
They entered their home in the West Village not long before 1am, which meant that it was 24 hours since they had woken up in Windsor that morning. They locked the front door behind them and crept up to their bedroom, passing the door to their son's room on tiptoe. They discovered a thermos of hot chocolate by the bed with two mugs, and a plate of cookies, thoughtfully left by Elspeth. They drank it, then prepared for sleep. Jeff was not feeling that tired, which did not shock Nick. He was first therefore to head to the bathroom to wash and brush his teeth, resolving to unpack in the morning…
As soon as his husband headed into the en suite, Jeff had his phone out and was online, googling headaches. He was just about to open the WebMD page when he felt a draught, and looking up, he saw the angel he had drawn all of those years ago, the man that he had to thank in a way for the fact he had just been in London, standing there with his arms folded across his chest, and a frown on his face. "Now that, Jeff, is the very worst thing that you could do in the circumstances," said Wes disapprovingly. "Consulting Dr Google is never advisable, as you always manage to graduate to the worst possible thing they say, and convince yourself that is what is wrong! Nick's headache was most likely due to tiredness, stress, noise or something like that. He has already told you he is feeling better. If you read that, you'll have him with a brain tumour, or meningitis, or worse..." Wes stopped speaking then, as he saw Jeff had gone white, and looked as if he was about to be sick. "I said, blondie, that his headache was not likely to be down to them..."
"But it could be! Oh my God! I should call 911!"
"If you do that, Nick will probably not speak to you for weeks," said another voice. Kurt now stood at the side of Wes, and if you looked carefully, you could see that he was shaking his head at the more senior angel. "Wes has just illustrated why you never consult Dr Google, hasn't he? He told you all of the million to one chance things, and boom, Nick has them. He hasn't. It's a headache, and with a couple of Advil, he will be feeling better."
"He hasn't taken anything... I will pop down to the kitchen, get him some and bring a glass of water too," resolved Jeff, a smile on his face and colour back in his cheeks. The blond put his cellphone aside, and went off in search of the tablets, leaving the two angels without so much as a by your leave.
"You don't know it isn't, Kurt," huffed Wes, a little annoyed at Kurt's tone.
"Nor do we know that it is. Until we do, best not to panic Jeff," came his clipped reply.
Wes sighed, but he realised that the other man was right. As far as they knew, Nick had robust health...
Nick came out of the bathroom to find his husband placing a glass of water and two tablets on his nightstand. He smiled, and said, "I'll take them, although my head really doesn't hurt now."
"Good," said Jeff, kissing him lightly on the cheek. Nick sat down, and took the pills as Jeff watched. Satisfied, the blond headed off to the bathroom himself.
Nick climbed into bed, and was asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow, his headache more or less gone. Jeff thus returned to the sound of the rhythmic breathing of the man he loved, and he snuggled in beside him, spooning the shorter man in his arms. It was a worry to him when Nick was unwell, as it was so rare, although he had seemed fine again as he left the bathroom. It was then he began to wonder if there was a connection between flying and Nick having a headache. The evidence was all there; he had been fine until they had taken off, and as soon as they had landed, he had begun to recover. He had also had a headache on the day they travelled to London as well…
Then again, he thought, that headache had been mild, and his head had been hurting a little too. It was probably just the late flight after a long day that had done it; he made a mental note that they would never take that sort of departure again in the future. He smiled, glad to be back home again, but resolved that from now on, if they needed home early, they would take the first flight of the day instead; he was sure there was one that arrived in JFK before noon. With that decision made, he snuggled closer to the love of his life, and felt himself drifting off to sleep…
Nick would return to his office the next day with all signs of the illness that had afflicted him the night before gone. Jeff was soon caught up in his work, and then took a break for a long and meaningful conversation with his mother. He soon realised that he had been guilty, albeit not deliberately, of excluding her from his life and that of her only grandchild. It was so easy to include the Sterlings, his mom and dad, the people that had raised him, in their plans. They were based in Ohio, and every time that they returned to Dalton for an event they would visit with them.
Elspeth, however, was in Vermont, and to his horror he realised that they had not visited that state as a family in over three years. He had ignored his biological family, including Luke and Duncan, once his neighbours, and now happily married fathers themselves… He resolved to alter that omission as soon as he could, possibly with a weekend trip to his mother's home on the Memorial Day weekend in May. Of course, there was no guarantee that Nick would be off work that weekend; his job required him to be on call some weekends, and there was always a chance he would be called in on the holiday. Still, that did not mean that he and Wes could not make the trip alone…
Mother and son would head off together to collect Wes from school, much to the boy's delight, and also that of some of the school's staff and parents; they had all heard of course of his latest successful piece of work. He had blushed as always as the praise was heaped on, but their reaction did cement something in his mind. He should do another show of his own, a follow up to Modern Families. He had made a detailed photographic record of all his main works since that exhibition, and his two pieces of work for the Queen, and his portrait of President Kennedy could easily be reproduced. He had his landscapes and cityscapes, his collection of sketches from London, and his work from Baden Baden that could join them and the pieces he had drawn in the city. Then there were his illustrations, and his sketches of Caleb, Nick and Wes. He could even add a few new Broadway works, starting with the casts of Mary Poppins, and a certain sitcom…
Mary Poppins would make the headlines the following day as it happened. There had already been an official confirmation of a departure date for Mason, as he left to take on his new role in Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, but the plans for who was taking over had now changed. The article stated that Adam would be taking over the role of Bert on a part-time basis, but would now be sharing the part with the young man that had played the part in the last production in London. Adam of course already knew that said actor would take on the part full-time in a few months, as he was going to be taking on a much bigger role in the sitcom that had made him as much of a household name as Sam Evans; it would no longer be feasible for him to record all of his part in one day and night. Whilst he was sad to be leaving the theatre, it would not be forever, and in any case, the sitcom had a summer production break, when he could find an off Broadway production to perform in, possibly alongside Sam, who had admitted he missed the theatre too…
Mason was quite surprised when Jeff called him up later that morning, and even more surprised when he asked if he could draw him as the chimney sweep. He had no hesitation in agreeing to it though, as Jeff's drawings were the stuff of legend, and even graced Sardis. He also anticipated rightly that the rest of the main cast would be asked too, and so he casually mentioned it that night at their pre-show gathering in the green room. There were no objections; Cooper went on to point out that being drawn as Mr Banks would be another drawing that his brother-in-law had done of him, as he had already portrayed him as Charlie Price, Willy Wonka and Max Bialystock amongst others…
"Of course, he will probably want to draw two images of Adam, one as Robinson Ay, and one as Bert, just to have an accurate catalogue of events," he would add, which made them all smile.
At the end of that week, a welcome group of visitors would arrive in the city. The show choir Nationals were being held in Brooklyn that year, and the Warblers were of course involved. That meant Sebastian was back in the city he had once been a minor king of, although he was not announcing that too loudly. The group had arranged their own accommodation, and they would be staying in a comfortable, quirky, but reasonably priced hotel close to the venue, the Barclay Center.
It could not have been a more convenient location for most of the former Warblers that resided in the city to head along to support the boys representing their alma mater, as it was across the street from a subway station linked directly to the West Village. On the first day of the competition, a Saturday, Nick was working; he had agreed to do so in exchange for getting the time off at Memorial Day to head up to Vermont, a decision that had made his husband very happy…
As a result though, the blond headed to the venue with his son, and Beats, Ethan and Drew at his side for that first day. Flint was absent, as he had an event to attend at the synagogue that morning, but he had told them he would try to get there in the afternoon, and would definitely be there, like Nick, the following day. They collected their passes, and headed in to find Thad, Mitch and Gabriel already there.
"I have designated this weekend as an early bachelor party for Mitch," said Gabriel, explaining their presence in the city. "Connor and Louis are on their way, as are Cameron and Trent. I know he has stated he doesn't want an official party, but what he doesn't know..."
"Dex and Lawrence are coming over this afternoon to support the boys too," said Jeff, as they all ignored the way Mitch was rolling his eyes at the idea of a bachelor party. "Of course, we will all be here tomorrow too, given how well they have performed so far."
"I do hope that we will be," said Gabriel, urging caution as former Head Warblers tended to do, "but this is a different level of competition. A lot of the other choirs are very good indeed…"
Sebastian was having much the same thoughts as Gabriel as he sat in one of the backstage green rooms with his boys. There was silence in the room though, as he had taken the decision that they had rehearsed enough, and in any case, he had heard rumours that the actual ceiling and the dividing walls between the rooms did not actually meet above the suspended ceiling above them, and that meant that the place was not as soundproof as it should be. Sitting there in silence, he realised that he could hear voices, and singing, tunes that he knew well enough. Although the teams now had to submit a detailed set list in advance, and where given notice if there was any clash with another competitor, there was the still the ability to play an emergency wild card in case of illness, and such illness could be feigned. There was still an ability to perform what another team was intending to, if you were sneaky enough…
They would be performing in the first quarter of the show, which meant that the majority of the choirs would have to perform to their level to succeed; it also meant there was less time for his boys to worry about things. His team had a high degree of confidence in their ability, and it was not misplaced in his opinion, but at the same time, they could not afford to be complacent. He had ensured that they were all in a good place not just physically but mentally too, encouraging them to talk through all of their other worries.
Peter was now as carefree as he had been before the whole incident over Christmas. He still missed his girl, and he would never forget that he had almost been a father, but he was in a much better place thanks to the counselling sessions he had attended. He would be the lead soloist in the big final number they had planned, the details of which Sebastian had not even disclosed to Thad. To ensure that, he had taken the boys out of the Senior Commons to rehearse, something that was unheard of. It was something though that Sebastian was confident would pay dividends in the end.
The moment that the Warblers slot was announced by the host, Thad sent out a message to those that were not present in the room, and began to livestream on his phone. Such things would once have been strictly forbidden, but now was accepted as part of the way the competition could reach the biggest potential audience. Nick and David, both at work, took the phones on their desks off the hook, and ignored their computers for a moment. Flint was just heading out of the synagogue as the message came, and he quickly leaned up in the doorway of the building next door to watch, so glad that the timing had all been perfect.
The Warblers performance of three songs began with a ballad; Sweet Caroline was a well known tune, and the audience could be heard tapping their feet and even joining in with the lyrics, a sign that they were onside with the boys at once. They followed it with a rendition of a less well known number, but one that was written by Sir Paul McArtney. The Frog Chorus had been written for an animated film, but with lyrics about the need to stand together, and the importance of love, it was a perfect choice with which to woo an audience. It also contained instrumental sections in the original, and the Warblers managed to portray those instruments well enough too, which made a favourable impression too. Some of the ex-Warblers in the audience had their doubts over the number at first, but the audience loved it, and the applause was thunderous.
There was a moment of silence, and then the Warblers began their final song. Gasps of recognition came from various corners of the arena as the boys hummed the intro to Do You Hear The People Sing? from Les Miserables. "We should have known that it would be a theatrical number," whispered Beats, and Thad nodded with a grin. They listened in silence, as each note was hit with accuracy and perfection, the voices making the music blending together so well that it was almost as if they were in a theater in the fabled street of white lights across in Manhattan. As the last note of the song faded, the cheering began, accompanied by frenzied applause, people rising to their feet. It was a triumph, but would it be good enough in the end?
They would have to wait until the end of the show to discover that, and the time was going to drag, given that there were still forty other choirs to perform. Sebastian had therefore decided that he was taking his boys out of the building, knowing it would be several hours before they were given a result. He walked them over to the Stop & Shop, and watched as they chose something for lunch, and sweet treats of course. He then guided them down Flatbush Avenue to Prospect Park, where they found a sheltered spot to eat their food in tranquil surroundings. It was a far cry from the days when Sebastian had been a Warbler, when they had sat in stuffy rooms for long periods, waiting for a result…
Thad was of course still in the audience, and he sent updates on other performances, and a countdown as to how many performances there were left. Eventually it was time for them all to head back to the venue, and they walked back into their allocated room as the second last choir finished up their performance. A quick text to Thad confirmed that they were back, and he replied with a brief rundown of what he had witnessed. There had been two total disasters, and a lot of songs that had been out of tune, or a terrible choice for those performing it. Thad was certain that the Warblers had a place in the top five at least…
Sebastian did not smile at that, as his old friend and colleague was not one of the judges, and what he approved of might be very different to those that formed the illustrious panel. At the appointed time, he gathered his boys to stand in their designated spot in the wings; every choir was assembled there, all on their spot, all waiting for the announcement of the top ten choirs that would be returning the next day, all announced without any place order. The Warblers would be the seventh group to be invited onto the stage, and they headed out to take a bow at the end of the first day…
With the knowledge that they had their place in the second day of the finals secure, the Warblers headed out of the Barclay Center in a cheerful mood. They followed Sebastian and soon met up with the many of the alumni that had been in the audience. As a group, they headed for the Atlantic Terminal and the subway, boarding a train over to Manhattan to have their evening meal at the Spotlight Diner. That venue was not a new one to Peter, of course, but for the rest of his fellows it was a new concept. Nick was already there when they arrived, and he had been joined by Flint, who had ended up being unable to head over for the afternoon session, but fully intended to be in the crowd the next day.
Their presence, like that of all the other alumni, was twofold. They were able to share the happiness of the boys now they had placed, but had they not, they would have been there to show the sympathy needed. They had even drawn up a plan for an excursion to Coney Island the next day as a consolation prize, but that was now unnecessary. Instead they could all relax, reminisce about their own Dalton experiences, and even get up on stage as a group and sing for the current choir. For some, those days were further back than others, Gabriel pointing out that his own days in the Warblers had been almost two decades earlier… That casual remark gave all of the alumni pause for thought, as they all realised with a start just how long it had been for them too.
Sebastian refused to sing, knowing that if people spotted him on stage, and realised who he was, there would be request after request for him to sing Broadway numbers, and not just those that he had sung in his time on the Great White Way. He also refused to allow any of his current choir to sing either, as he wished their voices to be as rested as possible for the following day. He also decreed an early night, and so he had them back in their hotel in Brooklyn, and in bed, by 10pm. There had of course been more than a few groans and complaints about that, but within 10 minutes, none of his charges were awake. As for himself, after a quick call to Dave, Sebastian also headed to bed early, ready for another busy day tomorrow…
