Welcome to the Family

I opened my eyes the next morning to a blinding light in my eyes. It took me a moment to realize where I was but when I did I let out a sigh of relief. I was safe. I looked over at the beside table and saw that according to the alarm clock sitting there, it was half past noon.

It was time for me to get my lazy ass up so I swung my legs over the bed and put most of my weight on my good ankle. I managed to hobble over to the door, into the hallway and to the stairs without falling. Once at the stairs I sat down on the top step and slid on my butt down the stairs.

Each time I hit one of the stairs there was a noticeable ‘thunk’ and I guess it caught attention because suddenly Jimmy, Johnny and Val were running out of the kitchen both looking worried.

“Oh my god Joey are you okay?” Val asked looking at me.

“Yeah I’m fine. I can’t exactly walk down the stairs with my ankle all messed up so I had to come down someway.” I said.

Val just shook her head and muttered something about Jimmy and me under her breath and walked back to the kitchen.

“Well kid you slept till noon, you want something to eat?” Johnny asked.

“Yes please.” I said.

Jimmy bent over and picked me up and gave me a piggy back ride to the kitchen where he deposited me on a stool.

“Thank you Mr. Plague.” I said and he smiled and ruffled my hair.

“So where are the others?” I asked.

“They all went to the studio for a bit. The janitor wasn’t paying attention to what he was doing last night and hit a button that deleted Syn, Zacky and Matt’s parts they laid down the other day. They went in to record them. And Leana and Lacey are at the store.” Johnny replied as he pulled stuff to make sandwiches out of the fridge.

“That really sucks.” I said as I pulled the bread toward me.

We all made our sandwiches and ate them while we talked. We’d almost finished eating when Brian, Zacky, Matt, Michelle and Gena trooped into the kitchen.

“So how’s your ankle?” Brian asked coming over to where I was sitting.

“Not bad.” I replied taking a bite of my sandwich.

“Great. Hey listen I want to talk to you in the living room after you’re done okay?” Brian asked.

“Sure what about?” I asked.

“Uh…just some stuff.” Brian replied and left the room.

I nodded and quickly finished my sandwich because I wanted to know what he needed to talk to me about. I scooted off the stool and began to hop toward the living room.

“Joey wait, let me help you.” Jimmy said coming up behind me.

Since he was so much taller than me he wrapped my arm around his waist so I was leaning on him and helped me into the living room where Brian was pacing.

I sat down on the couch and looked at Brian, “Bri is everything okay?” I asked.

He stopped abruptly and looked up like he’d just realized I’d come in, “What? Yeah…everything’s fine.” he said and sat down in one of the arm chairs and Jimmy joined him in the other.

“Wait, I thought that you had to talk to me about something.” I said looking at Brian.

“Yeah well Jimmy’s a part of this so he needs to be here too. Listen Joey I-” but at that moment the doorbell rang.

Brian looked to Jimmy who shook his head, “Matt ordered a pizza.”

Brian nodded and turned back to me, “Okay Joey here’s the thing, Jimmy and I think that-” but he was once again cut off by loud and angry voices in the hallway.

I couldn’t really distinguish the voices, just that they were yelling louder than I’d ever heard anyone yell. From out of nowhere the yelling turned to sounds of a fight.

“BRIAN! GET JOEY OUT OF HERE!” Matt screamed from the hallway and my eyes widened.

They had found me!

Somehow Mom and Brad had tracked me to Johnny’s place! How the fuck did they even know? They couldn’t know Brian! They didn’t talk to neighbors!

Suddenly I was lifted from the couch as Brian picked me up and started running toward the kitchen which would lead to the backyard and then to the gate by the driveway. Jimmy was right behind us the whole time. However a moment later Brian stopped short.

I saw standing in front of him my mother. Her blue eyes were blazing and she had a smirk on her face.

“Hello Brian, Jimmy.” she smiled at them.

“Rebekka you’re not taking Joey. I won’t let you.” Brian said and I felt his grip tighten on me.

“Oh I think I am. I am her legal guardian. She is my child and I will do what I please with her. Joey will come home with my husband and I will never see you again. If you or any of your friends try to see her I will call the cops on you.” Mom replied venom in her voice. God how I hated her right now.

“No Rebekka Joey is staying with us. We know what goes on at your house when she’s there. My niece is not going to live in the hell again.”

I froze at Jimmy’s words. Niece? I looked back and forth at him and my mother. That’s when I saw what I’d never seen before, they had the same eyes. The eyes that my grandmother had before she died. Jimmy was my uncle.

“That’s right Joey, Jimmy is my brother.” Mom said seeing the shock on my face.

I looked over Brian’s shoulder at Jimmy, “You never told me! Why did you never tell me?” I asked my voice a mix of shock and hurt.

“Because-” Jimmy started but Mom cut him off.

“Because Joey he doesn’t love you! And neither does your Father no matter what he tries to tell you!” Mom spat.

“What does my father have to do with this?” I asked.

Mom let out a dry laugh, “Don’t tell me that you’re that dense child. He’s holding you in his arms right now.” she said.

I looked up at Brian, “No. This…no! Did you know this whole time?” I asked.

He sighed, “No. Not until a couple weeks ago.” Brian replied.

“And you didn’t tell me?” I replied.

“Joey listen I didn’t want to until I was sure. I didn’t want you to get hurt if I told you that I was and then it turned out that I wasn’t. I’m so sorry.” Brian replied, the tears brimming in his eyes.

“Oh my god. I…” but I couldn’t say anymore.

The tears filled my eyes and I threw my arms around Brian’s neck. My Dad’s neck. He held onto me tight, the tears now flowing freely from his eyes as he whispered his apologies in my ear. I didn’t care that he hadn’t told me just that he was here.

I heard a sigh from beside me, “Yeah, really touching but this little ‘reunion’ is going to have to end. I’m taking her with me Brian. You have no legal rights to her. You’re not on her birth certificate and you’ve not been in her life for the past 15 years. Now Joey let go of him. You’re coming with me.” Mom said and grabbed my arm and pulled at me but Brian held tight.

“Rebekka you are not taking my daughter anywhere! She’s staying here with us. We love her and we want her. Obviously by the treatment she gets with you, you don’t.” Brian spat at her.

“I will call the cops Brian. They will come here, they will find that you have no rights to her and then she will still come home with me. You can’t prove that neither Brad nor I am doing anything to her. The only marks she has on her she’s caused herself when she ran away.” Mom replied.

“No. Leana’s seen the bruises, all the girls have. We’ve all seen how terrified she is to go home.” Jimmy said.

Mom opened her mouth to reply when a bruised and bloody Brad ran into the room. I saw Jimmy’s normally smiling and happy face contort with rage at Brad. He started toward him when from nowhere Mom pulled a stun gun and stabbed him in the side. He fell to the floor, twitching and unconscious.

It was at this moment that Brian tried to run for it with me but Brad lunged at him, not caring if I got hurt or not. All three of us hit the large glass window, which shattered and sent us to the concrete patio outside in a hail of jagged glass.

For a brief moment Brian’s hold on me loosed and that was all that Brad needed. He grabbed me from Brian’s arms and ran. Mom was soon following him. He threw me roughly in the back of the car where Charlotte sat with a smug smirk on her face.

Brad slammed the door shut behind me. I grabbed the handle only to find that he’d put the child lock on so that I couldn’t get out. Brad got in the drivers seat and peeled rubber out of Johnny’s driveway.

I turned as he drove down the street and saw Brian run out into the street, his arms and face bloody. He tried to run after us for a moment but couldn’t catch up. He stopped, his face a mask of fury and sadness. Tears poured down my eyes as I watched the figure of my father shrink to a pinprick then disappear entirely.