Chapter Two-Hundred-Thirty-Eight
Meanwhile, Doctor Johnson searched the entire Orphanage for Jennifer and when he couldn’t find her anywhere, he frowned. He may have spent a lot of time ignoring her, and doesn’t know much about her except that she is beautiful and he is deeply infatuated with her, but he knows one thing for sure. He works almost as much as he does. Sighing with disappointment, he met up with Brandon in the lobby where he was standing there talking to Brooke. Brandon looked at him not surprised in the least bit that he doesn’t have Jennifer with him.
“I can’t seem to find her anywhere…and that’s not like her, she is usually here. She works almost as much as me.”
“Yeah, and why do you think that is Steve?” Brandon asked while rolling his eyes some.
“What? That I can’t find her? I don’t know you’ve got me there…” Brandon stared at his brother incredulously for a few moments, and then he looked at Brooke.
“My brother is completely, clueless Brookie. I don’t know why I didn’t come sooner.” Brooke couldn’t help but laugh a little and she gently squeezed Doctor Johnson’s shoulder.
“Give him a break Bran. Not everybody is as perceptive as you are,” she told him gently and she looked at Doctor Johnson who looked half-confused and half-annoyed.
“What your brother is trying to tell you is, Jennifer is in love with you Steve and has been since the very first day she started working here” she explained. “She doesn’t work almost as much as you do…she works just as much.”
“Because she prefers to be in the same building as you – just waiting for you to finally pay attention to her.” Brooke placed a calm hand on Brandon’s shoulder trying to keep him from lashing out at his brother. She can tell he’s been trying to get him to pay attention to Jennifer since the first day he arrived for the holidays.
“So why isn’t she here now?”
“I told her to go home earlier today. She was stressing out and her mind was everywhere else but here with the kids,” Brooke explained, looking Doctor Johnson in the eyes with a certain look that she knows he would pick up on.
“So if she’s home sleeping, then I guess that rules out me calling her and inviting her to go…”
“Oh I don’t think so,” Brandon replied, while laughing but it wasn’t a very pleased one.
“Brooke has given me her address. As soon as Peyton arrives, we’re going over there and you’re insisting upon taking her out to coffee and dinner with us.”
“Last time I checked…I was the older brother. I looked out for you and I made the decisions,” Doctor Johnson insisted, not liking his little brother pushing him around in the least bit. He is way too used to people just letting him be and letting him work and he was quite comfortable with it.
“And you did a great job too. But your little brother is an adult now and it’s time for you to move over because you are the one who needs taking care of now.”
“Says who?”
“Says me. You were pretty tough on me in the past when you needed to be, and I’m not afraid to return the favor now. You taught me well.” Doctor Johnson crossed his arms over his chest stubbornly and looked away seethingly. Brandon rolled his eyes and looked at Brooke who looked as if she were ready to play referee if she needed to. Just then, they heard doors opening behind them. Brandon turned to see Peyton and Jaime walking in from outside, Peyton wearing Jaime’s black leather jacket and her arms are crossed over her chest. It’s obvious that it’s a little cold outside.
“Hey Bro, hey sis” Brooke greeted them, and she went over and pulled each of them into brief hugs.
“Hey,” Jaime replied and she could hear that familiar tone of protectiveness in his voice and pulled back and looked at him to see him eyeing Brandon critically and that Peyton is all smiles. Peyton went over and joined Brandon then.
“Ready to go?” Brandon questioned, trying his hardest not to get lost in the sea of her green eyes. Peyton nodded her head in response, her golden locks bouncing slightly as she did and Brandon took in a deep breath.
“Awesome. We have to make a stop at Jennifer’s house to pick her up. You don’t mind do you?”
“Not at all,” Peyton replied and Brandon looked at Doctor Johnson, gave him one last firm look, silently telling him that he means business – and that he’s not afraid to carry him from the building again if he has to before heading to the door with Peyton. Doctor Johnson scowled and followed, not wanting to suffer another humiliation of being carried out, as he knows Brandon is dead serious.
“Bye Brookie – bye Jaim. I’ll be back later,” Peyton informed.
“How much later?” Jaime demanded.
“Five in the morning later, most likely” Peyton teased, and she smiled as she saw Jaime’s eyes widen in horror.
“Now you wait just a minute Pey—“ Jaime began, but the door shut behind her and he growled and immediately whirled around to face an amused Brooke.
“I can’t believe you just stood there and let our little sister go out with him!”
“Why not? She likes him, he likes her…he’s a great guy and it’ll be fun for her,” Brooke told him calmly.
“We hardly know him!”
“Actually Jaim, I’ve known him since the day I opened this building up.”
“That doesn’t automatically make him okay, Brooke!”
“Why not?”
“You knew Thadius for three years and he still did what he did!” Brooke squirmed slightly at the mention of the nightmare she tries so hard to forget.
“Is it really necessary for you to bring that up?”
“Obviously it is if you don’t get the fact that just because you’ve known someone for a long time, it doesn’t mean they aren’t capable of doing wrong!”
“Well you know what Jaime? You knew Thad for three years too and you trusted him just as much as I did. So don’t you even begin to lecture me when you’re just as guilty for trusting the son of a bitch.” Brooke snapped, as her eyes watered up and she turned and headed for the playroom where she began to pick up all of the toys. Jaime who had followed her in there began to help her by picking up the blocks.
“How do you know this guy is trustworthy?” he asked her, choosing to ignore her comment. “One minute he is flirting with Ashley, and then the next he asks Peyton out on a date?”
“He wasn’t flirting with Ashley. He was helping her with a surprise and Nick as usual got jealous and jumped to the wrong conclusions.”
“That’s his story.”
“It’s Ashley’s story too. And she’s not one to go around breaking people’s hearts.”
“It still doesn’t answer my question. How do you know he’s trust worthy?” Brooke rolled her eyes and put the last of tinker toys into the container before putting the lid on it and placing it back on the shelf and she went over to Jaime so she was standing in front of him and she looked up into his eyes.
“I guess Peyton finally gets what she wants,” she told him, and she pushed past him and headed for the door.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Jaime interrogated just as Brooke reached the door and she stopped. She turned and looked at him with anger evident in her eyes.
“I guess she was right about you. I guess it really does take a tragedy or something that you don’t trust to turn her world upside down before you pay the slightest bit of attention to her.”
“That’s not true – I always pay attention to her.”
“Bullshit.”
“I don’t know where you can come off by saying—“
“Peyton has been hurting for months Jaime – no, she’s been hurting her whole life!” Brooke interrupted. “She’s been craving your attention since she was a baby but since you were too wrapped up in what’s going on in my life you’ve barely paid attention to her and she’s felt very invisible and worthless!”
“That’s not true I—“
“You told her that you didn’t need to worry about her like you do to me, because she wasn’t raped. Do you know how awful that sounds?” Jaime now lost for words didn’t answer, as he knows she is right. He does remember saying that and hearing it from her does sound pretty horrible. Brooke walked back over to him so that she was again standing directly in front of him and could look him in the eyes so he could see how serious she is and feel the deep impact of the point she is trying to get him to see.
“You have two sisters, Jaime” She told him firmly. “One who desperately needs her brother and to be protected just as much as I do. I was raped – I was brutally raped but—“
“--Brooke don’t.”
“Shut up Jaime, I have to get my point across!” Brooke snapped angrily.
“I ALREADY REALIZE YOU WERE, YOU DON’T NEED TO MAKE THE POINT ANY CLEARER!”
“WILL YOU SHUT UP, AND JUST LET ME TALK?” Brooke yelled, tears rolling down her cheeks. Jaime crossed his arms over his chest and turned his back on her trying his hardest not to cry himself.
“I was brutally raped and it was hard on me – it was hard on us ALL and I knew you were going to be protective of me! Way more then you already were! But that doesn’t mean you don’t have another sister who needs to be paid attention to as well!”
“I DO pay attention to her! Peyton is FINE!”
“NO she is NOT! Goddamnit Jaim, what do I have to do to make you see?” She glared at him for a few moments, fuming. “She may not have been raped, she may not be hurt on the outside, but if you opened your eyes and took your head out of CLOUD BROOKE you would see that she is only pretending! Not EVERYTHING is what it seems!” She told him, and with that, she turned and stormed out of the room. Jaime stared after her, tears flooding his eyes and he slid his fingers through his long black hair that he had left down, feeling utterly upset. It always affects him deeply when he fights with Brooke. Brooke went upstairs to the second floor and down the hall to the room her boyfriend shares with Howie and their two foster children. When she got there she poked her head in to find Howie lying in his bed next to Ryan asleep, and AJ was sitting up in bed next to a sound asleep Laila and was just watching TV. He looked at her as he noticed her there though and he raised his eyebrow concerned, before getting up and meeting her at the door.
“Honey what’s wrong?” He whispered and he slid his arms around her waist, pulled her out of the room and he hugged her close to her, rubbing his hand over her back as he kissed her forehead softly.
“Jaim and I just got into a huge shouting match…”
“Come here…come lie down with me and tell me all about it,” he instructed gently and he brought her back into his room with her.
~*~*~*~*~
Meanwhile at Sean and Trevor’s Lake house, Trevor came downstairs from the bedroom he and his lover shared to find him pacing the living room floor, looking deeply into thought.
“Sean…what are you doing? It’s two in the morning…come get in bed.”
“I can’t. We’re about to have a visitor.” Trevor raised his eyebrow.
“What have you done? Just whom exactly did you invite over? You know no one but Max and Conner are to know where we’re hiding. This is our haven – if people know about it –“
“—Relax Trev, it’s only Conner.”
“At this hour?” Trevor looked incredulous.
“I need to talk to him.”
“He has Rosalie to think about you know. You didn’t make him drag her all the way here in the middle of the night did you?”
“Are you kidding me? He wouldn’t let me anywhere near that girl even if I demanded him to. He knows better. He left her with Max.” Trevor narrowed his eyes.
“You could have warned me,” he insisted, and with that he turned around and walked back upstairs to get some pants on.
“I thought you were asleep.”
“Still I would have thought you’d know better then to do anything without me at your side.”
“I can handle myself. It’s only Conner.”
“Still…we’re partners. The whole definition of partners is to do things together. I will not be treated like Shelly Sean” Trevor insisted, as he walked back downstairs now with his jeans on. Sean went over and slid an arm around his waist, cupped his cheek with his hand and he placed a soft kiss on his lips.
“I love you way too much to treat you the way I treated Shelly. I seriously thought you were asleep and wouldn’t mind something as simple as Conner. I’m sorry.”
“Then how about you clue me in on why he’s coming over?”
“I’m just getting the feeling he is slacking around on the job. I want to see if he’s made any attempt at all to do what I told him to do.”
“And this had to happen at two in the morning, because…?”
“I wouldn’t have been able to sleep.”
“Sure you could. Just wake me up and Id give you a sleeping pill.”
“Fine. Let me re-word that. I didn’t want to sleep.” Trevor chuckled and shook his head.
“You’re something else.” Just then there was a knock on the door and Sean went and answered it to find Conner standing there, his hands in his pockets and slight fear in his eyes.
“Hi Conner, come in.” Conner walked in the house and Trevor took one look at him and took pity.
“Would you like some hot chocolate Conner? I’ll go make us some.”
“Sure, thanks…” He answered, and he looked at Sean. “What’d you call me over here for?” Sean opened his mouth to reply and Trevor placed a hand to his shoulder, causing him to stop and look at him.
“At least let him get comfortable first before you unleash yourself on him,” he whispered so quietly that only Sean would be able to hear. Sean rolled his eyes impatiently, but otherwise did as his lover requested.
“Come…sit down,” he told him in a false kind tone for Trevor’s benefit rather then the kid’s. Trevor patted Sean on the shoulder and then turned and went into the kitchen. Sean shoved his hands into his pocket and stood there waiting as patiently as he could until Trevor finally came back out with a tray of hot chocolate. He set it down on the coffee table, before grabbing up his own hot chocolate, and going over and sitting in the lazy boy chair and he listened quietly as Sean had his conversation with Conner.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Here's the next chapter.
Enjoy =)
Enjoy =)
