Graceland: Family Affair

Chapter Forty-Five

Saying 'Goodbye' to my Mum, Dad and younger brothers is never easy. It's not nice for me, and it's not nice for them. And it seemed that this particular 'Goodbye' was harder for Jackson and Ethan. They not only had to say bye to me, but they also had to say bye to Mike, Johnny and Jakes – who, up until yesterday, had been complete strangers to them, but were now 'supermen' in my little brothers eyes. Mike had stepped up to the plate and had reminded Jackson and Ethan that if they ever needed him, he was just a phone call or text message away. This made me love him even more – the fact that not only is he willing to take me on, but he's voluntarily taking my entire family on as well. I stand on the steps outside of our front door and wave to my family as they drive away. I brush a falling tear off my cheek, trying to hide the fact that I'm crying a little, and I feel Mike's arm secure itself around me as he pulls my head closer to him and places a kiss on my hair.

"Come on..." He tries to hush me as I lay my head on his shoulder. "We'll be fine..." He whispers. And I desperately want to believe him. As I had said goodbye to my parents, I wanted to hold on and cling to them, keeping them here. As long as they were here, Paul couldn't do anything, he couldn't step out of line, and when he did, he was reprimanded. But now Mum and Dad are gone – my security blanket has been yanked away, and the safety net has disappeared from under my feet. Mike hugs me to him as the car disappears out of view. "How about we just chill out for the rest of today? It's been an emotional couple of days...I think you just need some time to relax", he says softly into my hair. I nod silently and take Mike by the hand, leading him back indoors. We head upstairs, and I leave Mike in his room so I can go and change into some comfier clothes. It doesn't take me long, and Mike leaves his room just as I leave mine, closing my door behind me.

"Okay...this isn't fair!" I exclaim.

"What?" He asks, genuinely concerned.

"...You even manage to look great in just a blue t-shirt and jogging bottoms...and I'm a complete mess at the best of times..." I roll my eyes jokingly. His facial expression lightens when he realises that he has no reason to look so worried.

"Well, that's funny..." He steps towards me, scratching his hair with his hand as he looks away. "...Because you never fail to take my breath away..." He quickly kisses my lips and then walks towards the stairs.

"Where are you going?" I ask as I gesture towards his bedroom. "Because I was going in there! I thought you said something about relaxing...I don't wanna relax on my own!"

"Don't worry...I'll be back..." He smiles.

"Mike..." I moan.

"Sarah!" He mimics back at me. "Just go and pick a DVD or two, okay? I'll be back before you know it..." He winks at me, and before I can protest, he's headed back down the stairs. I walk into his room and take it all in – this is the first time that I've been alone in his room. I close the door behind me and take a little wander around his room.

"Where do you keep your DVDs, Michael?" I murmur to myself as I scan his shelves. I see nothing but books, and have to stop the book worm inside of me from getting distracted by them. I start opening cupboards and drawers trying to find them, finally finding a stack of DVDs inside his wardrobe. Something falls from the top of his wardrobe as I look through the DVDs. I bend to the floor and pick up the package, peeking inside it. The envelope feels strange, and kind of bulky. I slowly open the door to Mike's bedroom door and peer into the hallway, checking that no-one is around. I close the door again and sit on the floor in front of the open wardrobe. I turn the envelope upside down and let the contents fall to the floor. A small pile of photos scatter themselves on the carpet, and I flick through them. There's pictures from his childhood, pictures of his family and loved ones, photos of him and I from college that I had long forgotten, and the memories make me smile...until my eyes fall upon a photo in the middle of the pile...Paige. I drop the photo to the floor as tears start to prick my eyes. Surely this is a mistake. Maybe he just forgot that he had this one...or maybe he knew full-well that he still had this one. I want to believe the former and disregard the latter, but I can't seem to shake this off. I flick through the rest of the photos – more photos of his family, more photos of me and him at Quantico, more happy memories. I push my hand into the envelope, feeling around to see if there's anything else in there. My fingers brush against something, and so I tip the envelope upside down again...painkillers spill all over the floor.

"What?" I mutter to myself. I stand on my tiptoes and reach my hand into the top of his wardrobe, feeling around his belongings, moving his clothes around, and soon enough, they reveal more hidden painkillers. "I thought he was off these..." My thoughts are interrupted by the sound of voices outside Mike's open window. I sneak over and look out to see where the voices are coming from. My eyes fall on Mike and Paul. Mike stands with his arms folded, and Paul faces him, holding his fingers like a gun towards Mike's head.

"You really need to get over this, Paul..." Mike shakes his head.

"Hear me out –" Paul replies.

"You're not seriously giving me the 'I'm-the-older-brother-and-I'm-gonna-kick-your-butt' talk are you?" Mike raises an eyebrow.

"What I'm saying is that I'm willing to try and accept you and Sarah..." Paul answers. "But I swear, Mike...one wrong move, and you're done...you understand?"

"There's not going to be a wrong move, okay? I love her..." Mike half-smiles bashfully and sincerely.

"But do you love her enough to tell her the truth?" Paul asks in a serious tone.

"Excuse me?" Mike scoffs.

"Don't mess with me, Mike!" Paul's hands flop down to his side. "Don't think that I don't know!"

"Oh yeah? And what do you think you know?" Mike taunts.

"You think you've pulled the wool over everyone else's eyes...and over Sarah's...but I know..." Paul answers coolly. "I've seen you taking them...you were meant to be off your medication weeks, heck even months, ago...but you're still taking them, aren't you?"