“Aunt Virginia, you're the one who's always doing those stupid charity events and you won't even do anything for your own mother? Emily,” Daniel turned toward his sister, “you need a place to live so you can take of Grandma after work from eight at night until the next morning.”
“I'd rather live with you,” Emily confessed.
“I'm already housing Amy and I can't tolerate living with two girls,” Daniel complained.
“Why can't we just hire a nurse?” asked Linus.
“We will but the nurse will over do the bare minimum or the insurance won't pay for it. Besides, why pay a nurse when her loving family can get her that glass of chocolate milk? Besides, Grandma will be immobile and incommunicado for probably the first month of her rehab.”
“Just put her in a nursing home or something,” Benjamin suggested.
“We want to help her, Ben, not kill her. She needs to be around people who love her-her family. A nursing home would be the worst thing for her right now,” Daniel said. Daniel paused and looked at his family then his gaze lingered on Lindsay. “Fine. If no one wants to move into her house then maybe Grandma can move in with someone,” Daniel looked at the family members who owned their own houses. “Linus?”
“I have enough problems with Benjamin living there,” complained Linus.
“Nathan,” Daniel whipped around, “you have a five bedroom house for two people. How about Grandma move in with you?” he asked.
Nathan was noticeably hesitant. “I don't want her to,” he admitted.
Daniel glared at Nathan. “You're my fourth least-favorite cousin.”
Nathan thought for a moment, “I can live with that.”
Daniel turned toward his fifth least-favorite cousin. “Benjamin, I thought you'd be jumping at the chance to move out on your own. Get away from Uncle Linus.”
“Yeah but I didn't want it to include taking care of a decrepit old woman,” Benjamin shrugged.
“Neither one of us would mind moving in with Grandma,” Chris spoke up, motioning to himself and Avery.
“Really? You and Avery wouldn't mind?” Daniel asked.
“We will have to talk about it but I'm sure we can come to some sort of an agreement about this,” said Avery. "We've been kind of looking to get out of Silkville and start rejoining the heterosexual society."
“No!” Stephen shouted. “No homos are going to live in my Mom's house while I'm still alive!”
“Well that can be easily arranged,” Chris threatened.
“The little fruit is threatening me?” Stephen laughed.
“Dad, stop it! I am getting so sick of you three fighting! Besides being gay, what is your problem with Chris and Avery?” Daniel demanded.
“I don't think it's him per se, I think it's the fags he hangs out with,” Chris scoffed.
“Okay, what the hell is he talking about Dad? What fags?” Daniel scowled at his father and Stephen became very hesitant.
“It's a…it's a group I belong to. It's People Hard-core Against Gays-P.H.A.G.s-and right now I'm one of their top-ranked members,” Stephen explained. “Any type of protest or demonstration against homosexuals, I typically plan.”
“Chris, not that I condone any form of racial or bigoted protesting but it's a first amendment right as long as he doesn't physically hurt anybody,” Daniel said.
“Think back two years ago. We didn't always have that huge brick wall or the security system. It made the news,” Chris said ominously.
Daniel thought for a minute then a shocked look came across his face. He turned to his father who was trying to hide his face. “P.H.A.G.s. You're a member of that group that bombed Silkville. I knew you were a homophobe but I never knew you were a violent protest group!”
“It wasn't violent until Stephen joined,” Arnold calmly noted.
“You planned it, Dad?” Daniel gasped and began backing away from his father. “How come you're not in jail?”
“There wasn't enough evidence to convict Stephen, only the two who entered the city and left the car,” Chris concluded.
“I can't believe it. None of you have changed in five years! You still have all that pettiness and selfishness. And apparently only Emily and Amy have changed but that still remains to be seen. I can't believe I agreed to put this family back together. I'm done,” Daniel threw up his hands and walked away from his family. “All of you can work this out by yourselves. I'm out of this family,” Daniel left the waiting room and headed for the elevator.
Lindsay ran after him and grabbed his arm in front of the elevator. “Daniel, wait. What are you doing?”
“You heard them in there! Our Grandma is in the hospital and none of them want to disrupt their fragile little lives to help her! I'm sick of all the petty bitching and moaning, the selfishness and just the horribleness of this ridiculous family!”
“They need you, Daniel! They can't handle this without you,” Lindsay said.
“Then they can find me and tell me,” Daniel pressed the down button. “But their damn pride won't let them. But, Lindsay, this opens a new door for us. I still have a week and a half of vacation I took. Let's go somewhere together.”
“What?”
“Hawaii. We've always joked about running away to Hawaii. Let's do it!”
“Daniel,” Lindsay sighed as the elevator arrived and the doors dinged open. Daniel stepped inside and held the door open, “are you really just going to leave your family to fend for themselves?”
“They managed five years without me so I think they'll do just fine,” he pressed the lobby button. “You coming?”
“I can't believe that you would abandon your family for a second time, especially with your Grandma in the hospital. This isn't you, Daniel. The Daniel I love wouldn't do this.”
“What are you saying?”
“If you let that elevator door close, then it's over. Everything between us is gone.”
Daniel looked lovingly at Lindsay and sighed. “I'm sorry you feel that way. I really enjoyed our monthly jogs,” and Daniel let the elevator doors close.
