The Reluctant Assistant - Book One

Torment Part 18

"How did you get Layla to change bedrooms?" Raymond asked, as they were laying in bed. Okay, he thought to himself, he did say this was never going to happen again, but a promise is a promise and he enjoyed being with Jackson just as much.

"Don't you worry about that." Jackson steered away from the topic. Raymond didn't need to know he'd been hoodwinked by his sister in forking out a good chunk of cash. "I missed you." Jackson said, pulling Raymond closer.

"I'm glad you're here." Raymond wrapped his arm around Jackson's waist, leaning his head against his chest, hearing the deep rhythmic thud of his heart. "Tomorrow may be a bit of a difficult day." Raymond said after a while. "We're going to see my dad..." he trailed off.

Jackson knew not to say anything. He'd promised Raymond no questions and just as Raymond had always trusted him without asking questions, he should trust him now.

"He had a breakdown of sorts after my mum died. He's blocked out the accident, her funeral and everything after her death. So he lives in his own world; a time my mother was still there." Raymond took a shaky breath, Jackson just holding him in a tight hug, listening. 

"We had to find a care home for him, because he would refuse to eat until my mum came home. He became so easily agitated and accused us of keeping mum from him. He was like a madman then. I could no longer control him. I mean, it's not like I'm built to try and physically control anybody, let alone my father. Then he just stopped talking. He stopped everything. It's like he gave up. He would sit staring out of the window in their bedroom, until we physically had to move him out so he could eat or wash. Soon after, he refused to leave the house."

"I think the final break really came when we had to move out and he was put in the home. My dad, the bravest, strongest person I knew, sat broken and small in the back of the cab as we drove away." "Jackson pulled Raymond's chin up to kiss him lightly. "I knew that I had to hang in there a little longer to make sure I could take care of Layla and get my dad out of a state facility." He sighed, "it was around that time when I met you." He wrapped his arm around Jackson's neck, feeling comforted by his presence.

"It was nice to have someone who didn't care if I was the weird kid, who was poor, and did all sorts of insane jobs to take care of his crazy dad and sister. For a moment it felt like I had a real friend and that I was just a regular high school kid." Raymond smiled, hugging Jackson closer.

Jackson just held him, waiting for him to speak, but soon Raymond's deep, slow breathes told him, he was asleep. He lay holding Raymond, mulling over the things that he'd said. He didn't realize that Raymond had had such a hard time. Even when they had met on the park bench, he was that happy care free boy, who'd manage to keep such a big secret. His heart constricted, imagining how hard that part of his life must have been. He smiled, it seems as if they were comforting each other from the start. 

Breakfast the next morning was very quiet. Nobody spoke and after paying, they walked to the car, Jackson holding Raymond's hand. "Cook, maybe it's not such a good idea that I go along. It's a family affair and I don't want to intrude." he gave Raymond's hand a quick squeeze, looking down at him.

Raymond was surprised that Jackson would say something like that. He wasn't normally this sensitive to events like this going on in anybody's life. He smiled, looking over at Layla who was standing by the passenger door, watching them. 

She knew how tough this was going to be on Raymond. He'd always shouldered all the responsibility, he was the one who fought to keep the family together for as long as possible. He'd given up going to college, basically his whole life, just to make sure that his family was taken care of. Layla hated Jackson for all the time he'd taken up in Raymond's life, but he was here now and seemed genuinely concerned about Raymond.