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Life's Illusions - Book Four - Chapter 28
All hell broke loose in the reception area when Jezz collapsed.
Milo and Piers were down on the floor beside him, his brothers, and sister, were crying, with everyone else just looking on in shock.
The reception staff called immediately for medical help informing Aly a Paramedic rider and ambulance were on the way.
By a complete stroke of luck, passing through reception as Jezz collapsed there was a doctor, an English Surgeon, he identified himself and dropped down next to Jezz, quickly realising as he examined him it was appendicitis, and from the excruciating pain and tenderness Jezz was experiencing, he said he thought it was about to rupture, Jezz needed to be in a hospital theatre as quickly as possible.
Juan pulled out his cell phone.
"Guardian Control, I'm at The Inn at Montclair, I have urgent need of a Medi Vac flight, the patient is Jessie Grant-Alonso-Bowles-Cruz, a teenage male, suffering acute appendicitis, there is a doctor on scene, who suspects the appendix is about to rupture, immediate Evac required to Nice, contact Nice, appraise them of the situation"
The response was exactly what Juan wanted to hear.
"Understood Number two, stand by".
There was a momentary silence from the cell Juan was using on speaker, then the controller was back on the line.
"Medi Vac Echo-Tango-Tango, ETA please".
The pilots reply was almost immediate.
"ETA approximately eleven minutes, do we have a proposed landing site?"
Juan turned to Aly who mouthed, 'The lawn behind the residence', before instructing several staff to take white sheets and mark out a letter H in the centre of the large lawn behind the residence.
"Medi Vac flight Echo-Tango-Tango, this is Guardian number two, patching through Guardian Control, there is a large grassed area behind The Inn, staff are currently marking out a landing site for you".
The pilots voice came back.
"ETA now around six minutes, is the patient able to be moved, can you get the patient as near as possible to where we land?".
The doctor nodded to Juan then jumped up and sprinted across reception to a display Aly and Bo had arranged to welcome their Australian family.
Juan meanwhile was telling the pilot they would have the patient as close as possible to the landing point.
The doctor grabbed a surf board from the display, bringing it back and placing it next to the still groaning Jezz, he stamped hard on the board, snapping off the rudder fin, allowing the board to lay flat.
Leaning down close to Jezz, he said softly.
"I know it hurts, but I'm going to slide this board under you, try to stay as still as possible, we're going to get you near to where the helicopter comes down, don't worry, you're going to be alright, you'll be at the hospital in just a few minutes and they'll cure the pain quickly".
As they lifted Jezz onto the surfboard and carried him through The Inn to be as near as possible to the landing site, they could hear the helicopter in the distance.
"This is Medi Vac Echo-Tango-Tango, I have visual, ETA one minute, I have room onboard for one accompanying, make your decisions now please, I'm not inclined to hang around if the Medic is right".
A Paramedic arrived by motorcycle as the helicopter was coming in to land, he gave Jezz something to ease the pain a little.
The doctor identified himself and brought the Paramedic up to speed, then dropped back.
The Paramedic cancelled the ambulance, advising control the patient was being handed over to Medi Vac attendants.
Jezz was loaded into the helicopter still on the surfboard, accompanied by Piers, with Milo shouting over the noise of the rotors.
"We'll see you there as soon as possible".
Piers nodded, holding on to Jezz's hand.
It was a frantic couple of hours as they piled back into the cars which had brought them from the airport, and headed out for a trip through rush hour traffic back to Nice.
Arriving at the hospital Milo and the family found Piers in a private waiting room, Milo was clearly worried, but Piers calmed him.
"Panic over, they took him straight into theatre, one of the medical staff has just been to see me a few minutes ago, it was his appendix, but they got to it before it ruptured, he's in the post anaesthesia care unit, as soon as the anaesthetic wears off he'll be taken to a private room, once he's comfortable we can see him, if all goes well he could be discharged as early as tomorrow".
Milo flopped down into an armchair, visibly relieved.
"Oh my god, when he collapsed, I'd never felt so sick, or so completely useless in all my life, this parenting thing should come with a manual, it's bloody frightening".
Aly, Bo, and Juan laughed loudly, with Bo saying.
"I think Jezz just wanted to outdo his Poppa Piers, he and Pierre were stretchered out of The Inn side by side into an ambulance, at least Jezz did it in style, going by helicopter".
As they were chatting, a nurse arrived to lead them to Jezz's suite.
"Don't be alarmed if he's a little groggy, it'll be the after effects of the anaesthesia, encourage him to ask for medication if the pain gets too much, apart from that, he's in good shape, the doctors will assess him on their rounds tomorrow morning, if he's operating all bodily functions, he'll be out of here by lunchtime tomorrow but, absolutely no physical exercise for a week, no lifting or strenuous exercise for between four to six weeks, the entry sites should heal quickly, a laparoscopic procedure is much less intrusive, and it's much quicker to heal, I'll leave you with him for an hour, then I'll be back in to get him up for exercise".
She finished explaining just as they reached a door, pushing it open, there was Jezz, sleeping peacefully.
Piers had refused to leave that evening, and it took all of Milo's powers of persuasion to get Jezz's brothers and sister out of the hospital, Gracie was carried physically from the room kicking and screaming.
True to their word, the medical team discharged Jezz around lunchtime the following day.
His Poppa Milo, brothers, sister, and grandparents had all made the trip back to Nice straight after breakfast next morning.
By one in the afternoon Jezz had been carefully dressed, supplied with medication, and was being wheeled out to one of the two cars they needed to get them all home.
On the return journey Gracie wasn't being put off any longer, she insisted Jezz sit next to her, holding his hand all the way back to The Inn.
As he walked gingerly, a little bent forward, into The Inn, there was a round of spontaneous applause from everyone who had witnessed the drama of the day before.
Jez was typically blushing bright red from all the attention.
In the lounge at The Residence, one of the sofa's had a large pillow and blanket for him to rest, and rest he did, falling asleep within minutes of being back.
Piers had gone off to shower, when he came back he heard Vinny asking Jezz.
"Why didn't you tell one of us about the pain, you scared the crap out of us, we're a family now, you have to say if you've got a problem, we share everything, good or bad".
Piers cut in.
"Your brother's right Jezz, you aren't alone any more, if you have a problem, then we all have a problem, what if that had come to a head whilst we were in the air, hours from the nearest hospital, I'm not scolding you, I'm just asking you to trust us, all of us".
There were tears running down his cheeks as he answered.
"I'm sorry, I've always been used to looking after myself, no one ever cared if I was hurting, I'll try to change, I promise".
The rest of the week was enjoyable, the children particularly enjoyed staying in the suites on the top floor of The Residence, where their Poppa Piers and his brother Pierre had stayed as boys.
Jezz had kept his Poppas, brothers, and little sister up to date on how he was doing, the pain was almost gone, there was still a little bit of tenderness, especially when he forgot himself, moving or stretching quickly, but he admitted, he could feel himself getting better.
They'd visited several times with Berto and Maria at the house on Avenue Montclair, and marvelled at the beauty of the Chateaus Montclair and Beauchene, but soon enough it was their last night in Montclair, they were flying to Malaga next morning to visit their Spanish family.
Aly and Bo had arranged a family party in the large function room, which had been closed off to prying eyes all week.
They'd been asked to meet in The Residence, once everyone had arrived they would walk across to The Inn.
Roslyn and Cecile were first to arrive, both of them hugging Milo and Piers, with Roslyn saying as she hugged Milo.
"Well who would have thought it, my little freak has children, I love you freak".
Milo giggled teasing her with.
"Freak lover".
Berto, Maria, Eduardo and Carlo arrived, as did Junior and Daniel, with Paul, Roslyn's brother.
Pete and Jaque arrived with JJ and Marcel.
Beth and Dave arrived, with their grown up children, Robert, Elly and Pauly.
A surprise was Danny and Petre, they'd travelled from Paris that day to attend the party, wanting to welcome the children into the family.
A bigger surprise was the Spanish family members arriving, even though they were flying to meet them the following day.
Juan and Ralph, Josef, Carry and Paulette, along with Rick, Sofia, and their boys John and Joseph.
With the Australian party, plus Aly and Bo, there were thirty six family members present when Bo threw open the doors of the large function room.
As they walked in, Piers gasped, then actually staggered sideways, grasping for a chair to steady himself before dropping down into it.
Only his Poppas, Juan and Josef knew why he'd been so shocked, they were the only ones in the party who'd seen this very sight before, so many years ago, when Piers had still been a young boy.
Everyone was marvelling at the fantastic spectacle before them, at what some genius had created, everyone except Piers, who had tears running down his cheeks, he was right back there, on that very day all those years ago, the day of Pierre's birthday party, before he went off to Chicago for the surgery that would allow him to walk for the first time in his life.
It was the same scene, the ice castle from the film Frozen, it had been his and Pierre's favourite film.
He could see Pierre on stage, thanking all of their school friends for coming, and telling them to not let their grades slip whilst he was away, typically Pierre, facing major surgery and still more concerned about others.
He could hear someone calling him.
"Piers, Piers ...........".
He became aware of the shaking, then he heard clearly.
"Piers, Piers, I'm sorry, I went to far, wake up".
He turned his head almost dreamily to look at his Poppa Bo, then reached out to pull him into a hug.
"I'm okay Poppa, it took me back so far, so quickly, but they're all happy memories, if only he could be here to see it again with me, that's all that's making me cry, I still miss him so much it actually hurts".
Bo was crying as he hugged his son.
"I'm sorry Piers, I thought you would enjoy seeing it recreated, I should have known it would hurt you deep down".
Piers was still hugging him when he answered.
"This doesn't hurt me Poppa, that was such a wonderful day, and seeing it again only reminds me of that, don't be upset, it was just a bit of a shock, but not something I regret, I love being reminded of all the things I experienced with Pierre, it's his actual loss I know I'll never be able to deal with, I'll never be able to remember him without experiencing an excruciatingly painful sense of loss".
Piers realised most of those present were staring at him, unsure of why he had been upset, so he let go of his Poppa, and stood up to explain.
"Many years ago, when I was still a young boy, newly adopted, fresh from living in an orphanage, being raised by my brother, who had been a cripple since birth, Aly and Bo staged this exact same set for Pierre's birthday, a short time before he flew to Chicago to have the surgery that would free him from being a cripple, I'm sorry if I worried you, but it revived a memory of seeing Pierre so happy on that day, I had to indulge myself, to see my dear brother again, I'm okay, I just floated back into the past for a while, I'm sorry".
Milo grabbed him into a hug, whispering.
"He was a pretty amazing guy Piers, I can't fault you for wanting to indulge yourself in those memories, I loved him so much, and like you, it still hurts me to know he's gone, but we have to remember, he'd kick our butts for not living in the present, so let's party, let's show our children a fantastic last night here in Montclair".
Piers looked at Milo, saying loudly.
"You're right love, it's party time guys, let's enjoy this last night that your Gramps Bo has gone all out to create for us".
Later in the evening Vinny was hugging his Poppa Piers and asking.
"Poppa, will you tell us if we disappoint you?, we don't want to ever, but if it happens, please tell us, let us have the chance to make it right, because if you don't, I think it would hurt us more than it would hurt you, I so wish I could have known Uncle Pierre, but I almost feel as if I do, when I hear Uncles Junior and Berto talk about him, and you, how you tell us what he did, about his strict beliefs, sometimes it doesn't quite make sense, because to us, everyone is really describing you".
Piers smiled.
"And that is music to my ears, because there's no more fitting tribute than to live my life as closely as possible to the way he did".
The following morning they said their goodbyes to the family in Montclair, heading off to Spain.
Joseph had sent his plane back empty, they all travelled together on the plane Milo had chartered for their trip.
In Torremolinas, Josef and Carry welcomed them to 'The Nest', the vast penthouse atop Thorn Plaza, with its marvellous views over the Promenade and out to sea.
The children couldn't stop marvelling at how huge it was, and then Paulette took them up to see the roof garden, that blew most of their minds, it would have blown all of their minds, except Vinny hardly noticed the garden, he couldn't take his eyes off Paulette, and she was clearly just as distracted by Vinny's presence, something both Baz and Pil were quietly giggling about, even Gracie saw it.
For dinner that evening they had reservations at 'SPECTRUM', the restaurant Josef's grandparents, PJ and Lenny Thorn had started, on the two ground floors of Thorn Plaza.
Vinny deliberately chose the seat next to Paulette, who looked pleased to have him close, they chatted non stop throughout dinner, appearing not to notice anyone else.
Baz and Pil's were giggling throughout the meal, and Gracie was watching both of them, as well as Vinny and Paulette, each time Baz and Pil broke into giggles, she did too.
Part way through dinner, Milo asked a giggling Gracie what was amusing her.
Her reply stopped all conversation.
"Vinny's got a girlfriend".
Vinny's face hit bright red in less than ten seconds, Paulette's was only a second or so behind him, with Baz and Pil almost choking on their food whilst trying unsuccessfully to hide their total amusement, Jezz on the other hand, didn't understand what was going on, he hadn't noticed Vinny and Paulette's interest in each other.
Two sets of parents were trying to process what they'd heard, and seen, when Piers said.
"Gracie, that's not a very nice thing to do, you very clearly embarrassed your brother, and it's his business, not yours, and certainly not ours, so I'd like you to apologise and not bring the subject up again unless Vinny tells you it's okay to do so".
Gracie heard the, 'I'm not happy', tone in her Poppas reply, and she was no fool, if her Poppa thought she was in the wrong, then she needed to apologise.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say a wrong".
But Piers could see Vinny almost hyperventilating, his next statement was more terse than the last, and Gracie understood.
"I meant an apology to Vinny".
"I'm sorry Vinny"
Milo grabbed the mantle quickly, because he could see Piers was actually fuming.
"So Jo, what have we got planned for tomorrow?".
Jo had been caught off guard, he was waffling, until Carry jumped in.
"We're flying up to Madrid in the morning to stay a day or so with Juan and Ralph".
The mention of Juan and Ralph worked exactly as Milo expected, bringing Piers attention back to the conversation.
"I'm looking forward to seeing them again, it's funny really because you all know, it's certainly no secret, how at first I was absolute in my opinion, I was prepared to not like Ralph whatever, but thanks to you Jo, bringing Juan out to Sydney, he convinced me to at least have an open mind, then when I actually met Ralph in London I couldn't help but like him, he's a good man, and he's right for Juan".
When they left SPECTRUM, going back to the penthouse, Piers ushered Baz and Pil to a sofa away from where everyone else was sitting.
"I was quite disappointed by your behaviour this evening, I accept that we rib each other in private, but in public we support each other, what Gracie said was from her an innocent remark which, although it embarrassed your brother, would have been glossed over in seconds, had it not been for you both sniggering loudly, that deepened everyone's interest in the matter, and it increased your brothers embarrassment considerably, it's not something I want to see in future".
The boys spoke almost in unison.
"Sorry Poppa".
At the other end of the lounge, Vinny was now sitting next to his Poppa Milo, too terrified to get anywhere near Paulette, for fear he was being watched, Milo nodded to Carry, who noticed and whispered something to Josef who in turn got up and approached Vinny.
"Vinny, would you mind if I took your seat, I have something I want to chat over with your Poppa, there's an empty seat next to Paulette, and she's looking a bit lost, why don't you keep her company".
As he stood up Milo gave his arm a squeeze, and Josef whispered, loud enough for Milo to hear.
"Look after her for me Vinny".
As Vinny took the seat next to Paulette, the look on her face showed how pleased she was.
Milo turned to Jo.
"Nice one Jo, thanks".
Jo chuckled.
"Don't thank me, Carry asked me to do something, and I like the boy, early days but he'd be a very acceptable suitor if it ever came to it".
As Vinny and Paulette were chatting, something he'd always found difficult with girls, Vinny realised how easy it was to talk to Paulette, she seemed interested in everything he spoke about, and she wasn't shy about contributing, their conversation flowed easily, he'd mentioned they were traveling to London after Spain, she'd urged him to go to the British Museum, explaining the areas she thought he'd find most interesting, the exhibits he really shouldn't miss.
As they were laughing about some random subject, Vinny became aware two of his brothers, Baz and Pil, were heading towards them.
He wasn't the only one who'd noticed, and most of the room was visibly nervous, all except Piers, who looked at the boys and nodded.
Vinny looked up when they were right in front of him, Paulette looked terrified, as Vinny said.
"If you're intending to try embarrassing us again, I won't be embarrassed this time, I'll be angry, so be warned".
But they were shocked when Baz said, loud enough for everyone to hear.
"We came to apologise, to you Paulette, and to you Bro, we were out of line, and we did it in public, so we wanted our apology to be in public too, we're sorry, and we want to give you our allowance for tomorrow, do something nice, buy Paulette something nice, whatever makes you happy".
Baz handed a stunned Vinny one hundred euro's, fifty from each of them, the allowance from their Poppas for daily spends whilst on their vacation.
Vinny was choked up, struggling for an answer when Paulette spoke, whilst taking the money from Vinny and handing it back to Baz.
"Thank you boys, that took courage, but we don't want to take your spends, let's all do something together in Madrid the day after tomorrow, that'll be more fun".
They arrived at Juan and Ralph's penthouse apartment around lunchtime the following day, with Piers remarking how similar it was to The Nest in Torremolinas.
First stop next morning for the youngsters was a tour of the Royal Palace.
They thought it fantastic that they were being allowed out on their own, with Vinny and Paulette in charge.
Unbeknown to any of them, except Vinny, was the fact that two Guardian Security Personnel were shadowing them all day.
Then an amazing treat for the boys, the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, where Gracie confirmed she just didn't get it, saying, to everyone's amusement.
"That lawn is too big, it should have some nice flowers and trees".
After lunch they took a Red Bus Tour of the City, where a guide pointed out places of interest as they traveled, they'd jumped on and off several busses whenever they fancied a closer look at something the guide had pointed out, or for frequent refreshments.
Back at Juan and Ralph's apartment really late in the evening, it was a frantic rush to get the youngsters showered and dressed for dinner.
Ralph insisted on taking them to his favourite Italian Restaurant, scoring him brownie points with the youngsters, as all of them had visions of fresh pizzas.
Vinny thought it was the best day he could ever remember, he'd spent the whole day hardly ever letting go of Paulette's hand.
At the end of a most magnificent day they kissed, something Vinny would never forget, something he only had to close his eyes to remember, that kiss, not a peck, a full blown, lips and tongue in survival mode, urgent, erotic, his cock straining in his pants, and he realised, right then and there, his future was sealed, he'd found her, she was the one, he was in love.
TBC Allan
Comments are welcome to cfgw2000@aol.com.
Thank you for giving me your time, enjoy.