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Life's Illusions - 10 years on - Chapter 45
Pierre's general health continued to improve, working with Juan and the physio guys he made massive gains in strength, within a few weeks he could support his own weight, from then on it was like being back to where he'd been after the operation to connect his nerves, a steady cycle of exercises improved his fitness day by day.
Three months after he woke up the doctors agreed he could fly.
Pierre was adamant, he'd been waiting for this chance, he wanted to travel to Torremolinas, and he didn't want anyone to know he was coming, this would be a trip which could turn out several ways, but he knew he had to attempt it.
They entered Guardian's offices by way of a private elevator in the underground parking garage.
As they exited the elevator on the Executive Floor, Josef's secretary, Melisa, gasped at seeing them.
"Oh my god, this is a sight for sore eyes, I am so happy to see you both, should I announce you?".
Pierre touched his finger to his lips.
"Let's not give him the chance to escape us Mel, just hold his calls until we emerge please".
She nodded, and told them she'd bring in coffee if they were more than five minutes, and if she couldn't hear fighting, they laughed, then headed for the closed door in front of them.
Josef was deep in thought, studying plans of a school building when they entered, he didn't look up and wrongly assumed it was Mel disturbing him.
"What is it Mel?, I have to get this and three other projects sorted by noon today, I don't have time for distractions".
It was Pierre's voice that shocked him into looking up.
"I guess we'd better make this quick then".
Josef's expression was one of terror, like a rabbit caught in headlights, it was plain he wanted to bolt, to escape, but he couldn't.
His voice was shaking as he stood up.
"Pierre, Juan, what can I do for you, no...... that's stupid, I don't know what I'm saying.............. I'm sorry Pierre, I've been trying to say that to you for years, but you wouldn't listen, I am really sorry, I was the cause of what happened that day and I still don't really know why it happened, I was tired, stressed, but that was out of all context, Juan wasn't ever to blame, he just followed my lead, the way he had since we were boys, please don't hold it against him, only one person should be seriously ashamed of what he did that day, and I am".
Josef tried to speak again but Pierre cut him off.
"Stop Joe, this has gone on for far too long, if it's my forgiveness you need I'm giving it, I know you've been trying to apologise, and I've been refusing to listen for a long time, but not anymore, I didn't understand it either, why you acted like you did, I understand now, lots of things contributed to what happened that day, the consequences have seen us all suffer, some more than others, but it's affected the whole family, I want it to end Joe, I want my friend back, is it possible?".
Pierre held out one arm, for a hug, he couldn't let go of his walking stick.
Josef came close to him but he didn't make contact, he looked Pierre in the eyes.
"I need you to understand something, after I met Sofia in Montclair I went for help from a counsellor, I still don't really understand it all, but it has helped me see some of what happened that day, I lashed out, but it wasn't you I lashed out at, I was stressed, at breaking point with the business, apparently I was pushing away more problems, the action got confused in my mind, I struck out, not at you, at the problems, even after I'd done it, I didn't realise, until I saw the blood, that's when it all became so real, right then I didn't even know Juan had reacted as well, I wasn't tuned in".
He stopped for a moment, they could see it was difficult for him.
"I've always loved you Pierre, you are as much my brother as Juan is, I'd never willingly hurt you, it pains me deeply to know I have, your forgiveness helps me, but to be honest, it's my own forgiveness I'm seeking, I think I'll get there eventually, I know I'll never fully forgive myself for hurting you, but I may just learn to live with it".
Pierre could see he was hesitant about taking the next step, so he moved forward until he could put his arm around Josef, and pulled him into a hug.
"It's all water under the bridge now, I've missed you, oh and your brother needs another best man, seems he's going to make an honest man of me second time around".
Josef had tears streaming down his face as Mel entered with coffee.
That night Josef took them to SPECTRUM for dinner, as they entered Pierre casually mentioned he'd invited a few friends to join them, Josef didn't question him on who they might be.
As they were ordering drinks at the bar a familiar voice spoke from behind them.
"If the three musketeers are back together, can I come home please?".
Pierre and Juan didn't move they just grinned, but Josef spun around to be met by Rick and Sofia.
After kissing his sisters cheek he turned to Rick.
"Yes my friend, don't even ask, turn up whenever, you will be balls deep in problems before you know it, seriously, would you consider it?".
Rick nodded.
"Give me one day to tell them to shove the job up their arse, and then I'm yours".
Unknown to Josef someone else was now stood behind him, but this voice immediately caused tears to start running from his eyes.
"And what about me, would I be welcome home too?".
Josef turned slowly, his eyes blurry, all he could say was her name.
"Carry".
She took the step needed to bring them together, before placing a hand on each cheek and leaning in to kiss him on the lips.
He could hardly speak.
"You're back, can you forgive me?".
She smiled and wiped the tears from his cheeks.
"I never went away, and yes, if Pierre is okay, then I'm okay".
He was looking puzzled.
"But your apartment, it was empty, everything had gone".
She took his hands in hers.
"I moved down four floors to a cheap little studio apartment, I wasn't working, I needed to cut my outgoing, I've been back to college, took business and finance courses, I qualified last week, so I'm looking for employment as well".
Later when they were alone she asked why he'd not tried to get in touch.
She saw how difficult he found it to talk about it, and was about to say don't worry, but he started to talk.
"I was in a very dark place, Pierre had gone, Sofia left home, Rick told me he couldn't work with me, when I found your apartment empty, it was like the world didn't want to know me anymore, I started to shut everything out, but in the back of my mind I always thought one day Pierre would listen to me, hear my apology, then when he had his accident in London, it felt like I was being told I'd never have the chance to make it right, I concentrated on work, nothing else, it was all I could do to stay sane".
He stopped to think.
"It wasn't until I met Sofia in Montclair that I had to face it again, she made me face it, when I came home I started seeing a counsellor, that's helped me a lot, I don't claim to understand everything that happened, but I do understand most of it, I wasn't striking out at Pierre, I was pushing away the problems he was bringing to me, it just got confused".
She put her arms around him again and pulled him into a kiss that was much more passionate than the one the others had witnessed earlier.
When they broke apart he asked.
"Do you think there might be a chance for us, I won't rush you, take your time, but I've dreamt about us getting back together, I fell in love with you that first night in Madrid, there's never been anyone else, there never will be".
She smiled and whispered in his ear.
"For a big shot executive your a bit thick sometimes, I'm here, I'm kissing you, or are you suggesting I do that to every man I have dinner with".
She pulled him in for another passionate kiss, then whispered.
"And if I kiss passionately, it means I'm going to be sleeping with you later".
Josef just groaned, he now had a hard on like a diamond tenting his pants, and they had to rejoin the others.
As they were served their main course Josef stood up.
"I only want a moment of your time, to say thank you, for letting me back into your lives, sometimes it isn't until you lose something that you understand it's true value, I never want to lose any of you ever again, so a toast, to irreplaceable friends".
Pierre cornered Rick later that evening.
"I finally figured out what your riddle meant in London, you were telling me to forgive them, bring everyone back together".
Rick smiled, then his answer totally blew Pierre away.
"Wrong my friend, I didn't tell you to do anything, I knew there would come a time when you needed to do what was right for you, I knew there would be a time when you brought us all home, back from the darkness, I had every faith the day would come when you would see Juan's love for you is eternal, and I was right".
Juan went back to working at Guardian with Josef full time, which eased the burden considerably on Josef.
Pierre was drawn back into work slowly, it had started with Josef asking Pierre to look over a proposal to replace several of their security vehicles, mostly limousines, his reaction had caused Josef to giggle.
"Are they seriously expecting us to pay this price, we shouldn't be paying even half this amount, I'll discuss this with them tomorrow".
The shark was reborn, Pierre was back.
Only one problem continued, Leo.
He refused to be civil to Josef or Juan, at board meetings he was deliberately obtuse, blocking proposals, demanding that a particular point be explained time and again, testing everyones patience, until Pierre finally boiled over.
It was at a family gathering for Sofia's boys birthday celebrations that Pierre asked his Grandfather if they could speak in private, Leo, totally oblivious of Pierre's mood, nodded and followed Pierre to Reece's office.
The minute the door closed Aly started laughing loudly, to the point he was almost choking.
Juan being completely in the dark asked what was happening, between bouts of laughter Aly explained.
"For all the money in the world, you most certainly would not want to be a fly on the wall in that room at this moment, I suspect my Father is right about now meeting an incarnation of my late Mother, you have to remember, when she was alive, even I wasn't as close to my Momma as Pierre was, she absolutely doted on him, and he on her, they were inseparable, he has her characteristics ingrained into him, with Pierre, just like with my late Momma, you can pull the chain loads of times, but , if you have one tiny iota of sense in your head, you should always be very afraid of the day when you yank that chain too far, that's when you unleash hell on two legs, the devil incarnate emerges, and it's too late to take shelter, I suspect right now my dear Poppa is being lashed with the bollocking of a lifetime, it will be a de ja vu moment, with some seriously heinous penalty threatened if he doesn't get his act straightened out pronto".
Just as Aly predicted, a totally different Leo emerged about forty minutes later.
Within minutes he'd cornered both Josef and Juan, apologising profusely for his behaviour, promising to be less fractious, more helpful in the future.
Aly just stood smiling until his Father came close then he whispered.
"She's still here in Pierre you know, none of us should forget that, I swear she's the one who protected him, brought him back to us, I see her everyday in him, so be careful old man, I've always known there was only one person on this planet you were afraid of, and she's watching you".
Leo just smiled before he replied.
"It was unbelievable, if I'd closed my eyes it could have been her ranting at me, he is so like her, I actually shivered at times, he's so honest, so fair, so right, you can't bloody argue with him, I love him dearly, but he's still a little shit".
At that point they both dissolved into uproarious laughter before Aly added.
"If it's any consolidation, she had Bo under her wing as well, so I'm very careful not to piss him off".
And they dissolved into laughter again.
Pulling Pierre aside Juan and Josef asked what he'd said to his Grandfather.
Pierre just laughed loudly.
"Oh no, that's my secret weapon, upset me, and then you'll see it, not before".
Juan pulled him into hug, peppering his face with kisses.
"I hope I never see it, I don't ever want to disappoint you again, I've been there, I'm the luckiest man on earth, you forgave me".
What Pierre said next sent Juan into a spin.
"So Mr Caswel-Thorn, do you fancy sinking that fat cock I can feel into me tonight?".
Juan was now a complete basket case, so Pierre ordered a cab, and the rest of the night became a moaning orgasmic memory.
Pierre and Juan were married for the second time in the garden of the house on Avenue Montclair, there were only a few guests at this ceremony, as Pierre put it, they were only reinstating their legal position, because their love for one another was something which throughout, had never changed.
The biggest surprise to everyone was Josef's announcement at Pierre and Juan's wedding, he and Carry were engaged to be married, but the room burst into uproar when he added with a red face, that for the sake of appearances, they needed to do it as quickly as possible.
Their wedding was on a much grander scale.
They were married in the same church in Torremolinas where PJ and Lenny had been married, where Josef's Poppa Pauly had been christened, and where his body had received it's last service.
The wedding feast was held at SPECTRUM, once owned by the family, now sold to an international restaurant chain.
Over two hundred guests attended, it was an awesome day, one to be remembered for a variety of reasons, but for Pierre and Juan it was the day someone very special came into their lives.
Juan, like Josef, always had a battered cigarette hidden somewhere on him.
Pierre had chastised him frequently about his habit, but after that night he'd always be grateful that Juan had snuck out to the promenade for a crafty smoke.
Juan had lit his battered cigarette and was enjoying the buzz when Pierre caught him, but he didn't acknowledge Pierre, in his peripheral vision he saw a mound of rags move close by.
Inquisitive, he indicated Pierre should stay still whilst he moved closer, thinking it was probably an animal, a stray dog or cat, but he was surprised when a shock of greasy hair appeared, it was human, and not very big, their eyes met.
The eyes staring at Juan were that of a child, maybe nine, ten, or eleven, Juan jumped as Pierre joined him.
The little pile of rags spoke.
"Please sir, could you spare a few coins?, it's alright if you can't, I just want a bite to eat".
Pierre was the one who sat down next to the bundle of rags, telling Juan to go get some sandwiches.
"Okay little fella, don't be alarmed, I've sent my guy to get you some food, but tell me, why are you out here alone, don't you have family?".
The little bundle was looking at Pierre, trying to work out if he was genuinely interested or a threat, Pierre sensed that and tried to put him at ease.
"Don't worry, I've been where you are now, I was lucky, someone took me in, loved me, gave me a home, do you think you might want that?".
The little bundle nodded, but his concentration wavered when Juan returned with a plate piled high with sandwiches.
As Juan offered the plate, two scrawny little arms shot out grabbing the plate.
In only minutes he'd devoured the contents of the plate, burping loudly, and sighing deeply when he swallowed the last crumb.
Pierre was now determined.
"You don't have to stay here if you don't want to, we can take you to our home, you can have a warm comfortable bed, all the food you can eat, and leave whenever you want, it's your decision, we only want to help you".
The boy stared at Pierre for what seemed like ages before he nodded his head in agreement.
Peeling back the layers of cloth and blankets, Juan lifted the boy up, but he hadn't expected the response, a loud anxious cry.
"My stuff, I need it, I can't leave it, they'll steal it".
Pierre shushed him.
"I'll go and get a couple of bags, we can pack it up, I'll carry it, don't worry, I know how precious it is, and we don't have far to go.
And so they packed all of his worldly possessions into two black bin liners.
Pierre hadn't been joking when he said they didn't have far to go, they were staying with PJ and Lenny in their Penthouse Apartment above the very building they were standing in front of.
The boy was in complete awe of his surroundings, he hadn't said a word since they'd stepped into the express elevator which whisked them up to the private entrance of the apartment.
Pierre asked one of the staff, Renee, to run out and buy whatever she could get in the way of new clothing for him, meanwhile, Juan ran a bath in their suite and, after stripping away several layers of grimy, smelly clothing, lifted a severely undernourished child into the warm scented water.
Pierre sat at the end of the bath and washed his hair, using the shampoo one of the staff had brought in, it was child shampoo, guaranteed to not sting if it got into the eyes.
What emerged from the bathroom was a complete surprise.
He was a skinny, definitely undernourished, blue eyed boy with a mass of curly blonde hair, and an amazing smile.
He was wrapped in a large bath sheet and sat on a sofa, until Renee returned with several bags of clothes.
"I got all of these from my uncles shop, I've got two boys of my own so I could guess his size, he's listed everything that's in there, we can take anything you don't want back tomorrow, and just pay for whatever you keep".
Pierre was impressed, he saw the receipt which listed all of the items and their individual cost, along with an overall total of one hundred fifty Euro's.
"I'll do that, I want to thank your uncle for his kindness".
The selection included, Spider-Man underwear, shorts, t.shirts, socks, pyjamas, sandals, shoes, a dressing gown and slippers.
Before he was dressed, Renee knelt down in front of him.
"I usually cut my boys hair, would you let me do yours?, I think a trim would do you good".
The boy smiled and nodded so Renee, carrying the bags of clothing, led him back to the bathroom, with him struggling to hang onto the massive bath sheet.
When he emerged, the sight was one of an angelic little boy.
Juan scooped him up into his arms.
We were going to throw away your old clothes but we weren't sure if there was anything you wanted to keep".
They could see a mild panic in his eyes at the mention of loosing his prized possessions, but Pierre reassured him.
"I told you if you wanted to leave you could, you can, anytime, all the new clothes, you get to keep them, they're yours, so only keep your old things if they've got a special meaning, whatever you want to keep, we'll have washed for you".
He pointed to a sweater, a pair of combat pants and a combat jacket, obviously not his, they were adult size, he looked at Pierre and tears began to roll down his cheeks as he spoke for the first time.
"They're my Daddy's, he died, my Step Mommy hates me, she hits me, I ran away, don't make me go back, please".
Pierre put his arms around both the boy and Juan.
"Oh, I promise, you're not going anywhere you don't want to, now, how about we go downstairs to the restaurant where our brother and his new wife are celebrating their marriage, I'm betting we can find some real little boy food, like jelly, ice cream and cake".
The grin was like sunshine appearing on his little face.
Before they left the apartment Juan asked.
"Are you going to tell us your name, or do we have to keep calling you boy?".
He grinned again.
"Leandro, my Daddy used to call me Junior, because he was Leandro as well.".
Juan looked clearly shocked and Pierre saw it immediately.
"What is it Juan?".
Juan didn't answer Pierre, he turned the boy towards him and asked.
"You're Junior Ortiz aren't you, you're Leo Ortiz's son, he was one of my brother Josef's men, I haven't seen you since your Daddy's funeral, you were a proper little man that day, we thought you were safe after your Daddy died, oh god, I can't believe you've been living like this, Josef will be as furious as I am, you're going to be safe now, I promise you".
They traveled down in the express elevator to rejoin the party.
As soon as Lenny saw them she was in like a mother hen, settling Junior on her lap with an array of sweet things in front of him which he immediately started shovelling into his little mouth.
Sofia's boys, Joe and John joined in and Junior made his first friends.
Juan pulled Josef aside and explained who Junior was, it then took, Juan, Pierre and Carry to talk Josef out of going to find Juniors Step Mother and beating her to a pulp.
It was Pierre who asked the favour of Lenny.
"I've heard the stories of how you used your influence with Social Services Child Care to get Juan, Josef, Sofia, Piers and me adopted, do you think you could work your magic again for us, this boy deserves a future where he's safe and loved in a family, Juan and I are determined to be that family".
Lenny smiled and stroked his face.
"Leave it to me Pierre, I'll make it happen".
It was Lenny who visited Juniors Step Mother, a nasty, brassy woman, living in a dirty apartment which stank of cigarettes and stale beer.
Lenny's security detail pushed the door wide as it was answered, almost knocking the half dressed woman to the floor.
She'd protested, until Lenny started speaking.
"Shut it, if you know what's good for you you'll listen and do as I ask, now, tell me, have you any idea where your Step Son is?".
Receiving a blank stare from the obviously hung over woman Lenny continued.
"No, I thought not, you really are a nasty piece of work, well no matter, I do know where he is, and you are going to sign some papers relinquishing all parental control of the boy".
Lenny swept a hand across the only table in the room, scattering bottles and ashtrays onto the already filthy floor, then laid out the papers she wanted signed.
The woman was furious, but not stupid, she saw profit.
"What's in it for me, how much are you willing to pay?".
Lenny smiled.
"Nothing, not a penny, but if you prefer I could give my grandsons your address, I believe you've met them, at your late husbands funeral, The Captains Josef and Juan Caswel-Thorn, it took a lot of persuasion to stop them from coming here to beat you to a pulp, having met you I think maybe their solution is the better option, of course it's your choice".
The woman was now clearly worried.
"I'll sign your papers, just to be rid of the little bastard".
And sign she did, the papers scooped up by Lenny who promptly left the disgusting apartment.
It was a matter of only three weeks before Juan, Pierre, Junior and most of the extended family sat in a courtroom waiting for the official announcement that Junior was now Aleandro Ortiz Caswel-Thorn.
Junior had reduced both Juan and Pierre to tears when he'd said he wanted to keep his Daddy's name, it had been Juan who hugged him and told him how noble that was.
And so another family was settled, but again, they didn't figure on life's illusions.
TBC ARB Allan
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