DO NOT TOUCH! (COMPLETE)

Chapter 24

I paced the floor cuddling Harry for about twenty minutes or so before the door knocked. I ignored it.

"Annie sweetheart it's Bonnie."

I couldn't ignore her so flipped the latch on the door. She walked in and looked around not surprised at the smashed picture, so I knew he had called her.

"Come here sweetheart," she said putting her arms out to hug us. I burst into tears again and was furious with myself for it as Harry cries grew louder again. She gave us a cuddle before taking Harry and rocking him to give my arms a rest. "Dean called me crying, I knew it must have been bad so came over and here you two are crying as well. He's still sat in the car park," she said waiting on me to react. "Is this about Hugh?" she asked nodding to the picture.

"I don't know what happened. One minute he was in a great mood and the next he found that picture in the nursery and just flipped."

"Let me try and explain a few things to you. You know I have issues with his mother. That is because she has her own way of dealing with what happened with Hugh and everyone has to tow the line. Not mention Hugh, as people will ask questions. That is why we haven't mentioned him to you before. His mother loves that photo because it was the happiest day in her sons life but there is a lot more behind it, that we hide from her. To Dean it was the day an invisible noose was tied around his brother neck by that bitch of a wife who spent the next year tightening it, until it became all too real."

I shuddered at the thought.

"I have found it very hard to forgive Hugh for letting Dean find him like that, he could have taken some pills or something and went to sleep instead of swinging from a rope in the family home. The experts say it's because he didn't want to risk being found and saved, but he could have been honest with us and asked for help, he didn't need to die. Dean was always asking him if he was ok. He checked on him constantly. He asked Dean to go collect something up for him as a favour by the time Dean came back his brother was dead. His mother would have found him if Dean had arrived two minutes later. Hugh had laid everything out that he wanted for the funeral, including his wedding suit and that photo to be put on his headstone."

Cold chills ran through me.

"If you look closely at the photo you can see the reflection of his bride in his eyes."

My heart stopped.

"Dean is not allowed to talk about his brother or help raise awareness of how quickly people can turn suicidal. He hasn't had therapy like his mother and I think that is why he turned to the bottle to escape it but luckily her ability to manipulate him came in handy and he turned that corner."

"She said a friend of hers had seen him at the grave a few times recently and she was worried about him."

"I was with him. We took Harry there when he was born to introduce him. We also took him there on fathers day as Hugh is buried beside his father and again on their birthdays. I bet it was Imelda, the stupid cow. Worrying the woman for no good reason."

"Whatever that outburst was, it wasn't good. He was angry, yelling things like Hugh wasn't watching over us and was just rotting in a coffin."

"He was angry and I think seeing that photo was like hair trigger."

"Pulling a pin on a grenade more like."

"He wouldn't take Harry there if he believed that. Why don't I go have a word and bring him back up. Let him make amends and salvage what he was hoping would be a good day for you both."

"I don't want him here in that mood. It's easy for you to just brush it aside but he was yelling and smashing pictures against the wall."

"He blew up and I will certainly remind him of what is acceptable behaviour. I know he is sorry and if anyone can help him finally come to terms with his loss including the horror of finding his brothers body, it's you. His grandfather wasn't perfect either. He was an absolute shit at times, but he was my shit. Dean is your shit, so let deal with your shit."