Brassic (on hold)

Episode one - P4

Vinnie and Tyler made it back to Erin's house with loads of time to spare. Tyler fell straight back to sleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. So Vinnie went back downstairs and into the garden to have a cigarette.

"Good evening?" Vinnie asked Dylan when he came out the back to join him.

"Shit. You?" Dylan asked his mate.

"Terrible." Vinnie sighed.

"What happened?" Dylan questioned but stopped when Erin came out the door.

"Vinnie." Erin said.

"Erin." Vinnie nodded back.

"Thanks for minding him for me." Erin said a bit awkwardly.

"Oh, it's my pleasure." Vinnie said with a smile.

"Can we have a minute?" Erin asked Dylan who scoffed and walked back into the house.

"Listen, it's my fault, you know. I shouldn't have done..." Vinnie started to say.

"It's not, it's not. It's his, cos he listens to you." Erin said as she shook her head, "There's three of us in this. In this relationship." Erin said not thinking about Lottie.

"Well, if there is, me and Lottie are the ones getting the least sex." Vinnie tried to joke noticing that Erin left out Lottie.

"I'm not saying it's you or me, Vin, OK? I'll never make that threat. But one day soon, I will leave with Tyler, and I won't be coming back. And he needs to decide what life he wants." Erin said to Vinnie hoping that he might talk to Dylan about sorting himself out. She walked back inside and left Vinnie to think about what she said before making his way home.

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"I'm glad to see you're all awake." Vinnie said as he cuddled Lottie in her hospital bed after they persuaded the doctors to keep them all together.

"How you feeling?" Dylan asked them all.

"Terrible." Ash replied sitting in his bed.

"Tired" Lottie said with a sleepy voice as Vinnie kissed her head gently.

"Heartbroken." Cardi said in a sad voice, "Nigel." He said as an explanation for his sadness.

"Never mind bloody Nigel. Honest to God, he's a bird and he's free now, so just be happy for him." Vinnie said annoyed at his mate knowing that the pigeon caused the problem indirectly, "Fucking chloroform!" Vinnie said in disbelief hugging Lottie impossibly closer.

"It's his stupid fault! If he'd let me use it on the horse, this wouldn't have happened." Cardi said agitated and still upset about his pigeon.

"Yeah, it's my fault." Ash said sarcastically.

"When are they gonna let you out?" Tommo questioned perched on Ash's bed eating grapes.

"A few days. Apparently, it takes a while to leave the system, but you know what they say about convalescence." Ash said as they packed their things up.

"Fresh air" Vinnie agreed as he gently picked Lottie up and carried her bridal style.

"Get up." Dylan said to Cardi who still wanted to stay in bed.

"No, get off! I'm sick! No, don't touch me, I'm sick!" Cardi argued back as the lads tried to get him out of bed.
Vinnie began walking back to the van as Lottie fell asleep on his shoulder when he noticed he smiled and placed a soft kiss on the top of her head.

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A few days later once everyone was well rested they made their way to the Royal Lancs Show with Jim to show off his pony.

"Go on, Jim." Vinnie shouted from his place hugging Lottie from behind.

"Vincent O'Neill?" Someone asked from behind.

"Who's asking?" Vinnie questioned as they all turned around to see two men standing behind them.

"Terence McCann. Wants to discuss small horses." One of them said.

"You must have the wrong lad. I don't know what you're talking about." Vinnie said acting clueless as Lottie grabbed his hand as a comfort for him and herself.

"Have it your way. A word to the wise... He's not a man to make an enemy of." The man said before they both walked away leaving the group behind.

'Sometimes it's only later when you look
back, you realise when the turning point came. The moment in your life when everything changed. For me, for us. Christ, for all of us. It was stealing a blonde Shetland pony for a xenophobic farmer.'