I remain standing next to Granite while all of our laughter subsides.
Bay rolls his eyes as he wags his finger and laughs at me. I am not doubting that he will have something to say to me about keeping yet another secret from him. That is if he gets a chance to with Scarlet's baby on the way.
My stomach is tying itself in knots just knowing that any minute, a huge bomb could go off, which is probably going to tear the extended family apart and cause a hell of a lot of upset.
"Time to get serious." Granite mumbles as he suddenly stops laughing "You kids all need to go down to Maternity. Your Mother is very upset at the moment, after you two girls had your unnecessary little tantrum." Granite frowns at Fudge and Mint "She needs to see you are accepting this for what it is!! She along with Coal have been the victims in all this, and not the one's to shout at and blame!!"
"We know that now Daddy Leaf has explained it to us properly!!" Mint mumbles. I laugh at Forrest who is sat there chuckling quiet to himself. "It was just the shock of what we were hearing T saying to Coal. You would have got the wrong end of the stick too if you had heard what he was saying about Mom."
"Yeah, I can just imagine!" Granite chuckles "The idiot thinks he is still in love with Mel and lives in cloud cuckoo land most of the time. I'm sick of hearing him going on about it, when we can all see he has obviously got feelings for that red town bike that he can't seem to leave alone!"
"Mom is okay isn't she?" Fudge frowns
"Not really. She needs to see that all four of you are okay. She needs to see that you are accepting Coal for what he is, your Brother, and there is going to be no fall out!!"
"There isn't going to be any fall out. Its okay by me, now I've got over the shock!!" Mint laughs
"Well you girls especially need to go and tell your Mother that!! I've just left her in tears and doubt this upset has done her blood pressure much good."
"Okay, we'll go now and talk to her." Fudge mumbles
"You should go too Bay, you are going to take root in this room!!" Granite laughs
"I want to stay here .... I haven't upset her have I!! I'll speak to her later when the drama queens have calmed her down." he smirks at Granite "Besides I am waiting for Slate - he is meeting me here."
"Mmm you might find Slate is not coming." he laughs "He is round at Taps with Amber, watching, Ocean and Vanilla and if you switched your phone on, you would know that!!"
"I'll phone him." he mumbles as he jumps to his feet.
I frown at Bay who is just standing there, holding a framed photograph of himself, staring at Forrest like he is unsure about something. We have really struggled to get Bay out of here for the past four days, and even though Forrest is now awake, he still doesn't seem to want to leave his side. It doesn't look like we are going to move him today either.
"Should I say anything to Slate about that?" he frowns at Forrest as he hands him the photograph.
"No, not yet ... I'll tell them all later, including Slate. " he smiles at Bay "I need to talk to you, Fudge, Mint and Slate all together, so I only have to do it once." Forrest smiles at Bay. I notice Granite is really frowning at them.
Coal, Mint, Fudge and Bay all leave the room, which gives me and Granite the chance to sit down on one of the chairs opposite him.
"When can I see Mel?" Forrest frowns at Granite "If she is upset I really should be there."
"She should be up soon, although, she is a little distracted at the moment ... her Grandchild is on his way. Scarlet is in labour." he smiles
"Oh!" Forrest pulls a suspiciously strange face and looks very troubled for a moment. I wander if he knows the truth about Scarlet's real Father already! But I doubt he could.
"So what was all that with the photograph. What do you need to talk to Slate about?"
"Meddy has finally found where Paps hid the kids money, Slates included." Forrest laughs at Granite who just stares at him wide eyed."
"Seriously ... Slate too?"
"Yeah. To them he has always been their Grandchild. The six of them got exactly the same." Forrest grins at him "You was left something too. All ten of us got something ... even me."
"Sod off!" Granite laughs at him
"Yeah, it seems Dad must have forgiven you, me and Gravel for our sins after all." he laughs as he pulls a load of photographs out of a bag. "He has hidden a bank book and letter behind every ones photo."
"The sly old bugger!" Granite starts howling as he takes his photograph off Forrest. "Remember, Pops always used to tell me he would have the last laugh with me, and I never believed him. Well he just Did!" Granite is really laughing which seems to annoy Forrest a little who is now frowning with confusion. Probably because he can't remember.
"Anyway, this leaves us with a problem." Forrest waves Gravel's photograph at Granite "The Berry Hole got his share too, which he can't spend in prison." they pull a face at each other "Me and Meddy think the Berry Hole should sign his share over to Clay."
"Yeah ..." Granite mumbles. He looks thoughtful for a moment "I'm going into see the Berry Hole when they transfer him back to Sugar next week ... I'll go and see my solicitor before I see him, and get it sorted out."
"Are you Mad!? You are going in to see him after everything he has done!?" Forrest snaps at Granite very angrily.
"STOP!!" Granite laughs as he holds his hands up "I have already had a load of earache off Mace, Dad and Mango!! I'm doing it and I don't care what anyone says!!"
"Why would you even want to see that Berry Hole!?"
"To get Mace a fair sentence." he chuckles "I'm going to use Clay, to get him to tell the truth about everyone and everything, especially Mace." he grins at Forrest "He doesn't get to see Clay if he doesn't do the decent thing and come completely clean!! Besides I want to see his pain. Him just knowing I have Slate as well as his boy will crucify him!!"
"You are an idiot!!" Forrest mumbles
"Seriously?!" Granite chokes as he stares at the bank book he has just opened.
"Yeah it shocked me too!!" Forrest laughs "The kids got even more than we did."
Bay walks back into the room. He has a frown on his face as he snaps his phone shut.
"Is Slate having a laugh and winding me up? Are we really all moving into Mango's ..." he mumbles as he sits back down next to Forrest. This has Forrest really frowning.
"Don't say another word ... " Granite laughs at Bay "I guess it is probably good that you are here, I guess you need to hear this too." he chuckles.
Granite glances at me for a moment and smiles nervously. I know he is really not looking forward to what he has to tell Forrest. He thinks with Forrest's OCD he is likely to have a nervous breakdown if they make too much mess of his house.
"Why do I get the feeling something is going on?" Forrest frowns at us all.
"Leafy when did you last change the carpet in the dining room?"
"Its been about five years ago why?" he frowns at Granite "Tell me you have ruined it!! Gran, what have you done?"
"I have done Nothing." he laughs quietly "Did you fit the new carpet?"
"No." he mumbles "The carpet shop fitted it when they delivered it ... why Gran?"
"Did you know that Gravel has been hiding his dodgy shit, not only under his own floorboards, but also under the dining room floorboards in our house?"
"What?!" he laughs "Don't be stupid!"
"Seriously!! Today I have found a load of his dodgy shit under the floorboards in mine and Mace's room." Granite frowns at Forrest "How did you not notice the six broken floorboards when the carpet was taken up?"
"I ..." he frowns "I wasn't there .... Gravel was." he frowns "I was at work. In fact, it was Gravel's fault the carpet had to be changed. I was painting and the idiot knocked over the tin of paint ... so he paid to have the carpet replaced. I was at work when they came to fit it, so Gravel let them in and stayed till they had finished."
"Yeah ... I bet he did!!" Granite starts howling "I think he played you ... he probably spilt that paint on purpose - so he could engineer being there when the carpet came up. He stopped you from seeing and investigating all the broken floorboards."
"I'm confused! How has he managed to hide stuff in my house without me noticing .... more to the point, HOW did you find it?"
"I guess he must have been sneaking in when the house was empty, while you was at work." Granite chuckles "Confession time. I was checking out my hideout, to make sure it was empty and I hadn't left anything in it. As far as the police are concerned I was looking under the floorboards for mice." Granite laughs "Leafy, there are actually mouse droppings under the floorboards."
"Sod off!! There aren't any mice in that house. I would have seen some evidence or heard them!!" Forrest snaps defensively "Hideout?" he frowns "What hideout?!"
"I used to hide things from you under the floorboards in the dining room and our old bedroom." Forrest rolls his eyes "Gravel has been using the dining room hidey hole since I left, and even made it bigger. I only broke one floorboard - he has broken another five."
"So I take it Gravel knew about your hiding places?"
"I didn't tell him. Gravel caught me going into the hiding place in the dining room, sneaking in on the sly, and I didn't know he was there watching me. That is how he managed that one time to switch my stash of coke for bicarb ..."
"You SWORE to me you never kept your damn drugs in the house!!" Forrest almost yells at Granite
"Well I'm sorry I did!!" he snaps "Don't even start going off on one now ... it was over twenty years ago - it's done!! And what I hid, the odd bag of coke, weed or bottle of vodka, is nothing in comparison to what he has done!!"
"Why what has he done?"
"Under your floorboards, amongst other things, there are large quantities of guns, knives, drugs, money .... we counted at least sixteen guns, that we could see without moving anything."
"Tell me you are joking!!" he snaps
"No." he mumbles "The police have evicted us temporarily while they investigate further. Like Bay mentioned, we are all having to stay at Mango's, for a few weeks at least. That is why Slate is round there now. I did ask him if he and Bay wanted to crash with you and Mel. I said I would look after Amber while she spent some time with Lilly. But Slate wanted to stay with me and didn't like the idea of being separated from Amber." Granite laughs at Bay who is sat grumbling "Sorry Bay, if you had been with your boyfriend instead of glued to your Dad, you could have had a say in where you are crashing for the next few weeks
"I'm sorry Tap .. " Bay glances at me "While it will be cool to hang out with you more, we are not going to have a lot of fun with Coral living there, are we." he frowns "She is going to give me and Slate hell and upset Amber!!"
"Don't worry about her Bay!! Dad has packed her off to Preludes, so she won't be around while you are there. Dad has even banned her from visiting." I laugh at him "We are ALL seriously glad that we are getting a break from the bitch and Mom is really happy to have Amber there for a while!!"
"Good because I know Slate doesn't need her headache right now with the trial so close."
"That is not as close as you think. The trial has been delayed, because of this latest discovery of Gravel's wrong doings!!" Granite mumbles "There is a hell of a lot of evidence there for the police to work through. Berry knows how much longer we are going to have to wait for a new trial date!!"
"Seriously they have delayed the trial." Forrest frowns at Granite.
"Yeah, but we will talk about the trial later." he mumbles "I'm sorry Leafy but the police are tearing your house to pieces, as we speak ... every single floorboard is coming up!!"
"Oh No!!" he yells as he tries to get up out of his chair "I have to stop them!! They are NOT destroying my house and moving my things around. I'm going to lose my head!!"
"Yeah, I guessed your OCD might kick in and send you nutz." Granite chuckles as he makes him sit back in his chair. "Leafy sit down!! You aren't going anywhere, you fruit cake!!"
"Gran it's not funny!!"
"I know it is not funny!! I've had to live with your OCD remember, and now I'm having to live with your Son, who, I have to say is just as bad as you!!" he chuckles "Maybe it is a good thing that you are in here, so you can't watch them doing it. We will have to keep you well away from the house until we have put everything back in its place."
"It is not just that!! I know what's coming, our house has been raided more than a few times hasn't it Granite!!" he snaps at him sarcastically "You was always locked up in the police cells when they raided our house, then you used to slope off for weeks sometimes hiding to avoid me going off on one. You never saw the mess I had to clean up!!! They don't give a shit about how they tear up peoples homes and belongings. This time it will be even worse than a raid, because they will be pulling up the carpet and floorboards as well."
"It's won't be like a raid, they are only interested in what is under the floorboards, not everything in the house. They won't be smashing the place up this time!!"
"They will still have to move everything IN THE ROOM, and I doubt they will do it carefully!!" he snaps angrily "You KNOW they are not going to pay for anything they damage or break!! They will trash the place, Gran you need to stop them!!"
"I'm sorry, there is nothing either of us can do about it!! If I had refused to let them do it, it would have looked suspicious. It also would have only delayed it while they get themselves a search warrant. Gravel needs to hang for everything!!" Granite mumbles with irritation "You just have to let them do their job and pulling up all the floorboards is what they need to do. There could be a lot more of his shit hidden in another room in the house, for all we know!! In a way this is doing both of us a very big favour."
"Are you off your head!! How can the police smashing our house up, because of that BERRY HOLE, be doing either of us a favour!!" Forrest snaps at Granite angrily
"Just think about it. You are selling up and moving. What if you had moved and years down the line the new owner discovered it. It could have all come back on the both of us, and no doubt he would have let us take the wrap for his shit. It is good his shit has been found now and that they know it is his."
"I guess I can see that." he pulls an angry expression "I am seriously going to fade Gravel if I ever get the chance to!!" Forrest snaps angrily
"Don't worry!! Dad is standing over them while they do it. You know El is ready to pop right now, so Dad is filling in for her. He and Crimson wont let them do too much damage!!"
"Well I hope Not!!" he snaps. "They don't think any of that shit is mine, do they??!!"
"No, they know it is Gravel's shit. They found missing police files, dodgy id's and passports, some of them Gravels and Tami's missing jewellery ..." he smiles at Forrest "However, they will be in to question you later. They think you might have known it was there ..."
"Well I didn't!!" he snaps "You know .... I would never let you keep any of your shit in the house .. so I definitely wouldn't have let him!!"
"I have already told them that, and that even if you knew but couldn't say anything because he was holding a gun to your head ... you would have told them with everything else you knew."
"Well I didn't know!!" hes snaps. "I didn't have a clue it was even there!! Like we don't have enough shit going on right now ... that berry hole has got the police on my back again!!"
"Don't stress!!" Granite laughs at him "Questioning you is just a formality, they know this is all Gravel. If they thought you had anything to do with it, they would have been here straight away!!"
Granite gets up and stands for a few minutes reading through the notes from the end of Forrests bed. I start to get nervous knowing what is coming next. Hoping that this is going to work out, and doesn't blow up in my face. If wiping his memory doesn't cure his phobia, I am never going to hear the last of it from Dad.
"So how are you feeling?"
"Angry!!" Forrest snaps
"Not about the house idiot!" Granite laughs at him "How is your head? Has anything come back to you? Have you started to remember anything from your childhood yet."
"No."
"Good." Granite chuckles as he sits back down
"I'm glad you find it funny, and what is good about it?" Forrest frowns at him "My head is so empty I still can't even work out WHY I would have married you!!"
"You fell for my damn gorgeous face obviously!!" Granite starts howling
"Gran I am being serious!!" Forrest snaps "I'm straight, so why you? Why would I even pretend to be gay in the first place. Just looking at you now ... the thought of kissing you is turning my stomach!!" this has me and Bay really laughing.
"Charming!! You used to love me!!" Granite tuts "Kissing me is something you have NEVER had a problem doing in the past, trust me!! We've been sucking face since we were ten and YOU started it!!" Granite chuckles
"Yeah well, I've got a problem with it now!!" he snaps "I just don't get it!!"
"Seriously, it was our emotional attachment. We have been together since we were babies, and it brain washed us. We stupidly mistook it for love. Especially you, trying to play gay when we both knew you are far from gay."
"If you say so, but it is very frustrating to be me right now, when I don't remember a damn thing before we got married, especially about us!!"
"How are you actually feeling about the amnesia."
"How do you think, I hate it!! I wish my memory would come back. I feel totally lost, and like I don't really know who I am properly, or you!!" he mumbles "It is just a good job that my memories of Mel and the kids are still intact or I think I might be going off my head right now!! I hope to Berry this amnesia isn't permanent."
"What about if you started to look at your amnesia in a different way. Me, Mango, Tap, River ... we think it could actually be a good thing, especially if it is permanent."
"How?" he frowns
"Your phobia." Granite grins at him.
"What about it?"
"Your phobia was created by the loss of our happy childhood together. Everything changed for you when we became teenagers ... you loved me obsessively so you struggled with your sexuality, you struggled with my addictions and behaviour, then I did one leaving you broken hearted. Up until you hit your head, you were still insistent that you have truly loved me all this time. Four days ago you would have snogged my face off without a problem, now suddenly you don't remember loving me, instead I repulse you, because I'm a bloke." Granite chuckles "Now that you don't remember what was screwing you up and why, you should have lost your trigger. Realistically your phobia should have gone with your memory."
"Are you trying to be funny?"
"No I'm being very serious Leafy." he smiles at me and nods his head.
I jump up off my chair and walk out into the corridor to collect Snow off Dad, who has been waiting very impatiently with him. Dad is mumbling about us taking so long before he runs off down to Maternity to see what is going on.
I hold my breath as I walk back into the room with Snow.
At first Forrest gasps and flinches when he sees that I am holding Snow.
"Are you Mad!!" Bay jumps up out of his chair "Tap you need to get Snow out of here!!"
"Bay leave it!" Granite mumbles as he jumps up out of his chair to face him. "Just wait!! You heard what I was saying ... both me and Mango think his amnesia should have taken his phobia with his memories."
"What if it hasn't!! If he throws another wobble I'm going to swing for you two!!" he snaps
"Chill out!!" Granite laughs at him "I seriously don't think that he will be throwing any wobbles, or he would already be showing signs of a panic attack by now!!" Granite points at Forrest "All I can see is confusion."
"You could at least have given him some warning that you were about to spring a toddler on him!!" Bay snaps
"This was the best way ... trust me." Granite smiles at Bay "If we had warned him, he would probably have had a panic attack before we even bought Snow into the room, because he THINKS he still has the phobia."
"Talk about me like I am not in the room!!" Forrest mumbles.
Forrest just continues to stare up at Snow, and he looks very confused. While the three of us just stand watching him nervously.
"So Leafy ... how are you feeling about Snow being in the room?" Granite asks him
"I ... I don't know??" he mumbles still not taking his eyes off Snow.
Granite amuses my grabbing Forrest's wrist, and checks his pulse. He remains coached down holding Forrest's hands for a while, while he just watches his face.
"I'm confused!" Forrest mumbles
"I can already see that Snow is not affecting you like he would have done four days ago." he grins at Forrest "You are not showing the slightest signs of fear or panic."
"I know, and I'm ... confused." he mumbles again
"We called it right didn't we!" Granite laughs "Your phobia has gone with your memories hasn't it!! You are not the slightest bit scared of Snow are you?"
"No .... I don't think so."
"So how are you feeling?"
"Numb and confused!!"
We sit for quite a while just chatting about anything and everything. Forrest is not really joining in with our conversation, he seems to be over fascinated with the toddler in the room. While Forrest constantly watches Snow silently playing with his teddy bear, all three of us carry on chatting while we are quietly and slyly watching him. Waiting for him to have some sort of reaction to the child in the room, but none is coming.
"What if his amnesia disappears and his memories and phobia come back?" Bay mumbles miserably suddenly "It's okay being excited now about his seemingly cured phobia, but what if this is only temporary and it comes back."
"We will cross that bridge, if it comes." Granite smiles at Bay "However, it should all be fine from now on!! Me and Mango have already discussed the amnesia being temporary with his psychiatrist."
"What did he say?" Forrest is really frowning at him
"He is going to pop into see you tomorrow. He said he will carry on working with you, and prepare you just in case." he smiles at Forrest "IF the amnesia goes and your memories return, he thinks it is more than likely the phobia won't return. You spending this time being around children comfortably without any fear - psychologically should cure you of the phobia completely, if your memories return."
"I hope you are right!! I hate this amnesia, but it looks like it has turned out to be a good thing." Forrest laughs "Even tho Snow is quiet and not making any noise, I know the phobia has gone. Him just being there and me watching him moving would have normally had me panicking, puking or running for the hills by now!!"
"And you called him Snow and not Brat!!" Granite starts howling "Now maybe you might learn Jasmine, Amber and Clays names!!"
Not long after Granite left to go home, my phone starts to ring.
I jump up and pull it out of my pocket quickly. I stare at the "D" flashing up on my screen, which makes my stomach roll nervously.
"Tapestry, you are still with Forrest and Bay aren't you?"
"Yes Daddy dear. You told me not to move from here, so I haven't." I laugh into my phone
"You be careful, you might just be doing as you are told again!!"
"Very funny!!"
"How did Forrest go with Snow?"
"Great!! So far so good, it looks like the amnesia has cured his phobia!!" I laugh
"Well thank berry for that!!" he laughs and I can hear the relief in his voice, that I am feeling myself. "Can you tell Bay the baby has arrived." he laughs quietly
"Bay your Nephew has arrived." I smile at him
"Great!" Bay laughs as he jumps up, mumbles something to Forrest then runs out of the room.
"Bay is on his way down to you." I laugh nervously "Dad, is everything okay?"
"No!! The baby has HIS hair, so there is no avoiding it. Everyone, like Scarlet. is going to have to learn TODAY that she is HIS child." he tuts "Brace yourself, because things are just about to get very ugly!"
"I guess seeing his hair, they have probably already worked out that he is involved in it."
"No, while it has already started kicking off down here, surprisingly he hasn't been mentioned yet. Alpine is doing his nut, because he thinks the baby isn't Cinnamons!!"
"Hasn't Ruby said anything to put them right."
"You are joking, you know what Ruby is like!! SHE is saying absolutely nothing and will probably continue to sit there blatantly denying it even when everyone can see the proof!!" he tuts "I am actually a little confused myself at the moment, the baby has his hair but he also has blue eyes."
"Blue?" I mumble
"Don't ask me where the blue has come from because I don't have a clue!! I think the blue has added to the confusion and is stopping them from seeing the obvious, his hair, or his name would have come up by now, I'm sure!!" he tuts "Is Granite still with you?"
"No he went home not long ago, its just me and Forrest now."
"Forrest needs to know because he is going to have to deal with Caramel and the kids. Explain to him what you know quickly, then get down here. Hurry up!!"
I stand staring at my phone for a moment .... in usual Dad style he has just cut the call off.
I glance at Forrest, who is now laughing quite loudly at Snow. Strangely Snow is laughing along with him.
"He wants to know where my tail is!" Forrest laughs at me
"Seriously did he speak to you?"
"Yeah. He thought I was a cat with these ears." Forrest laughs "He wanted me to meow for him."
"Fowest is a funny green man, not a cat!" Snow giggles
Forrest grins at the shocked look on my face.
I sit staring at Snow wide eyed and in disbelief, hearing him speak a complete sentence. I feel like I am about to pass out when he suddenly starts singing to his teddy bear. He is actually singing, a nursery rhyme quite clearly.
Even though he has had every medical test going, and nothing is supposed to be wrong with him. I have still worried about his intelligence, and whether he is actually understanding what we are saying to him, because of the blank stares we usually get from him. Now here he is singing the nursery rhyme word perfect, and even in tune.
I am very shocked hearing so much of his voice all in one go, only used to hearing one word at a time rarely. That one word usually being No!! The little boy who is always so silent, is suddenly making a lot of noise, and he is singing.
"Are Scarlet and the baby okay?" Forrest distracts me away from Snow
"Yes and no." I mumble "We have more EF drama ... It is all kicking off down in maternity."
"Why? What's wrong Tap?" he frowns at me
I take a deep breath before I start to explain ......
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