- Text Size +

Hours after Brian returned from the shopping trip with Nick, Aaron seemed to be in a daze as he watched how his older brother acted more child-like than an adult.

“C’mon kid, let’s go out on the patio,” AJ suggested to the younger Carter. Without hesitation, Aaron pulled himself off the living room sofa and followed.

Watching as the older man lit the smoke, Aaron quickly asked, “Can I bum one from you?”

The question caught AJ by surprise as he started choking on the smoke when he took a quick breath in. “What did you say?”

“Can I bum one from you?” he repeated.

“It’ll wreck your lungs,” AJ replied with a shake of his head.

“Yeah I know, but I really need a cigarette at the moment and besides, I‘ve wrecked my lungs a few years ago.”

“Kev would hand me my ass if he catches you,” AJ rasped.

“He’s not my dad and if he reads you the riot act I’ll stand up for you. Now gimme a goddamn cigarette.”

Without further discussion, he handed the younger version of Nick the wanted cigarette. Just as AJ lit the cigarette for him, the patio door slid open.

“What the fuck are you doing?!”

“Smoking, dickhead,” AJ replied as he blew the smoke from his lungs.

Kevin rushed over to Aaron, snatching the cigarette from his fingers.

“HEY!”

“Your mother would hand me my ass if she saw you smoking,” Kevin Richardson admonished.

Aaron looked back at the house and then at the view off the porch with mocking mannerisms. “I don’t see Jane here.”

“IF your mother was here,” Kevin clarified.

“Well she isn’t and I personally don’t give a shit,” Aaron replied as he reached for the confiscated smoke.

Using his height as leverage, Kevin held the cigarette above his head causing the teen to jump up and down several times in vain as he tried to reach.

“Who’s being gay now?” AJ snickered.

Kevin glared pointedly at the tattooed rebel and then rubbed the lit end from the cigarette against the deck railing to extinguish it. “I guess that would be you, AJ. Dinner is going to be ready in a couple of minutes. You two might as well come back into the house.”

Reluctantly, they followed Kevin into the kitchen joining Brian and Nick at the table.

“I voted Nicky down when he begged for fast food,” Brian asserted, noticing the sour expression on AJ’s face as he looked at the food on the table.

“Brian said no McDonald‘s,” Nick said as he shoveled a forkful of mashed potatoes into this mouth.

Kevin shook his head in disgust. “Don’t talk with food in your mouth.”

“Kevin sucks,” AJ muttered.

“You can’t live on fast food…it’s not like we’re on tour,” Brian stated. “I worked pretty hard on making this so eat or starve.”

As he looked at his brother’s plate, Aaron shook his head. “You’re blaming the weight on meds?”

Kevin knew exactly what Aaron was thinking as he noticed the portions that were on Nick’s plate. “The meds played a significant part of the weight gain. I’m sure his eating seems a little out of control but we don’t allow that to get excessive. I had been wishing there were other options, but like we said earlier it might be in his best interest to go back on the medication.”

“Since you threw all the stuff down the garbage disposal, when are you going back to the pharmacy for refills?” AJ asked.

“After dinner,” Kevin replied.

“I think it’s a great decision. The withdrawal has been hell on the poor guy not to mention the amounts of laundry that we‘ve been doing. Nick seemed to be sweating buckets when we walked around in the supermarket,” Brian pointed out.

AJ slammed his fork down in disgust. “You had to go bring up the subject of body fluids…you know damn well how that topic doesn’t sit well with me. I’m gonna go to the pharmacy and get the refills.” Without saying anything further, he pushed himself away from the table grabbing the car keys, leaving the room.

*******

Kevin dragged his hands through his hair in a defeated gesture. Noticing his cousin’s actions, Brian arched his eyebrow in question.

“Whatcha thinking about?”

The older man sighed loudly. “Jane Carter….”

“You haven’t even talked to her yet; you’re already giving up?”

Kevin shook his head. “Not giving up just thinking about the inevitable fight that is going to happen.”

“Since when have you ever backed down from something you believe in? Don’t build yourself up for a letdown,” Brian coached. “You love a challenge! Besides, I‘m sure Aaron can talk to his mom to get the message through.”

“Yeah that would be a delightful conversation,” Kevin snorted. “We need her to relinquish her power of attorney and the parental rights but I doubt Jane would give in so easily since she has her hands on Nick’s estate.”

“Do you think that she would honestly think that we’re only out for Nick’s money?”

“Doubt he has much left anyway,” Kevin sighed. “Face it, Nick’s medical costs has gone in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. That’s why we need her to sign off so that we can do what‘s right for him before it‘s too late. I have a plan but I just have to decide how to approach Jane.”

Aaron’s sudden appearance in the kitchen interrupted their conversation. “Nick fell asleep playing a video game. I can’t believe he’d get so bored that he’d fall asleep playing a stinking video game!”

Kevin chuckled at the teen’s comment. “His attention span does some pretty dramatic changes.”

“So, what are you guys talking about?” Aaron asked as he pulled a soda from the fridge.

Kevin and Brian exchanged guilty looks. “Nothing really important,” the older man replied.

“C’mon I can tell you’re talking about my brother.”

“Yes and no,” Brian said.

Aaron frowned. “Yes and no? I take it no means you‘re also talking about mom?”

“Yeah,” Kevin replied.

“He’s trying to muster the courage to call your mother,” Brian explained.

“I don’t have to muster anything,” Kevin glared.

“I can help you Kevin…..I’d have that witch her over a barrel,” Aaron smirked.

“Don’t call your mother that!” Brian admonished.

“Witch is a nicer term of endearment,” Aaron defended with a smirk. “Do you want to use my phone,” he offered as he pulled the device out his pants pocket. “Pretty sure Jane will answer my number if you’ve been having trouble getting through to her.”

“Aaron does have a point there,” Brian agreed.  “How about he starts the conversation off and then gives the phone to you?”


“And exactly what would he say? ‘Hi mom, Kevin Richardson wants to talk to you?’ We would need to script this if we plan on having Aaron start the phone call off on the right foot,” Kevin thought outloud.

“I have an even better idea,” the young blonde announced. “I could have Nick talk to her first…..”

“Bad idea!” Kevin and Brian announced simultaneously.

“Nick didn’t remember you, do you think he’s going to remember his own mother?” Kevin cried.

Tears immediately sprung into Aaron’s eyes as the reality of the situation connected in his brain. “I guess you’re right. Tell me what you want you guys want me to do and write down what I need to say and then I’ll call my mom.”

Leaning back into the chair, Kevin folded his arms across his chest. “This definitely isn’t going to be an easy call to try to make….”