The Policeman and the Popstar

IV. Explanations and Lawyers (Part One).

The next morning, Justin woke up at 3:45 am, too preoccupied with what happened the night before to be able to sleep any longer. He slipped downstairs to the kitchen, trying not to wake his wife or the boys. He fixed himself a mug of strong, sweet tea and sat at the kitchen counter, trying to make sense of everything that happened. How was this going to affect the boys? They'd already had major changes in their lives, first their dad's wedding, then the move from Ontario, Canada to New York, and now their parents were possibly going to split up after being married less than a year. He buried his head in his hands and groaned in frustration.

As the sun came up and the Bieber house began to stir, Justin was on his fifth (or was it sixth?) cup of tea (he honestly couldn't remember) and trying his hardest to focus his thoughts on the day ahead. It was a school day for the boys after all, and checking his watch, he saw it was already a quarter to seven on a Monday morning. He still needed to get the boys up and ready for school as well as taking a shower and getting ready himself, but first, he wanted to check when the divorce lawyer's office opened. 

He grabbed the telephone book from the dining room table. After flipping pages for a few moments, he found the number he'd drawn a circle around the night before:

Potter & Potter 

Attorneys at Law

Personal Appointments Available: Monday-Friday 9:00 am - 7:00 pm

To make an appointment please call: 212-975-2551

He memorized the number and made his way softly back upstairs to the bathroom, turning on the bathroom light and closing the bathroom door. Slipping quickly out of his pyjamas, he stepped under the steaming water and reached for the bar of soap and a bath brush to scrub himself clean. The steaming water helped clear his head, helped him pull his thoughts together.  He shut off the water and wrapping a towel around him, made his way to the sink, gazing at his reflection in the mirror that was hanging on the wall. You need to pull yourself together, he thought worriedly. You can't fall apart in front of the boys. They need you more than ever now. He sighed as he reached for the flannel to wash his face. There was suddenly a quiet tapping on the bathroom door. 

Louis walked in, bare-chested and only wearing a pair of tracksuit bottoms. He looked surprised at seeing his dad awake so early. He saw his dad standing in front of the bathroom mirror with the flannel in his hand and an exhausted look on his face. 

"Are you okay, Dad?" he asked. "You look terrible. Are you sick?" Justin turned slowly to face his son.  Louis saw that his dad's eyes were red as if he'd been crying.

"No, I'm not sick, Louis," Justin said. "Just tired and worried." Louis walked over to the sink and stood next to his dad. "Here, let me help you." He took the soapy flannel from his dad's hand and gently, carefully washed his dad's face. 

"Thanks, Louis." Justin sighed gratefully. Justin somehow managed to brush his teeth without dropping either the toothbrush or the tube of toothpaste from sheer tiredness.

"It's okay, Dad," Louis said. "But I think I need to know what's going on. You're not okay. Even I can see that."

Justin sighed and put down the toothbrush. "Your step mum and I had a bit of a fight, that's all."

"Come on, Dad," Louis said. "That was more than a bit of a fight, admit it. I was at the top of the stairs. I heard the whole thing. Mum was screaming at you. What happened?"

Another frustrated sigh from Justin. "Y-Your mum called Harry a lying little brat," he said. Fresh tears threatened to pour from his eyes and he wiped them away angrily, ashamed of looking weak in front of his oldest son. "When he was trying to tell me how proud of him you were, last night."