Beyond the end

News

Brandon was waiting for Simmons on the corner of Alpine Drive. Grace was in the stroller intent on sucking a small cookie while Sammy whined to go to the playground. He hadn't found anyone to leave them to and Simmons had been quite insistent. He had sniffed that it could be some safe and urgent news.
When Simmons saw him with a stroller and children, he gave him a strange look.
He raised his hand and waved as he crossed the street.
"I know. It's not exactly how we've met before."
"Bhe for sure it's a nice cover" Simmons laughed.
"Do you get annoyed if we go talk to the park back here?"
"Make your way," he replied.
Sammy was left free to run and get tired in the middle of sand, slides and swings.
"So, why this urgent phone call?" Brandon asked.
"I'm here to pay you back the favor you did to me is that I owe, my payback for pulling me out of trouble in the investigation you did with the Chronical and allowing me those arrests."
Brandon nodded.
"I know Wilkinson is about to be arrested"
Brandon joned "do you mean Sen. Wilkinson?"
Simmons nodded with a cut smile.
'When?'
"I don't know this and I won't know that 24 hours before"
"I understand"
"Anyway enough time to prepare the crew and do the breaknews."
Brandon made a bitter smile.
"A nice blow to you Walsh with CBS, don't you think?"
Brandon lowered his head and cleaned Grace's mouth from the cookie crumbs.
"I'm not working at this time," Brandon said, "I took an expectation to be with my children, my wife.." he corrected "my partner is doing a preparation period to have a role at C.U."
"Damn, I wasn't making you a family man, Brandon"
He laughed again without joy "I didn't know I was either. I mean, I wanted her to have her chance. I don't know if you know what I'm talking about."
"But of course I know," Simmons replied, "I've been married twice too. Do you want me to pass the news on to Claudia?"
"NO!" Brandon noticed that he had raised his voice and that all the people at the park, including Sammy, were watching him.
He lowered the tone "no, I'll take care of it."
"I came to you for this," he said smiling then looked at Grace, "this little girl is beautiful and looks a lot like you."
"Thank you"
"Even the bigger one looks like you"
"Oh it would be weird, Sammy is not my son but he is my partner's son"
"Really?" Simmons asked "because I see your manierisms there."
"Well, he's been living with me for over a year, maybe he's acquired them like that. Do you have children?"
Simmons looked at his dusty shoes from the park land.
"One, he lives in Oregon with his mother but I never see him."
"I'm sorry"
"No better that," Simmons said, "I'm not a good father, I don't have schedules, I'm never there, my ex-wife's partner is better than me. He is careful. One of those who throws himself to the ground to play lions. I talk to him more than to my ex-wife. He is a good person. He made other choices" he laughed but you could see that he was suffering.
He touched Brandon's leg in a friendly pout "I have to go. We talk as usual to update ourselves and if it goes by we have closed the Walsh accounts, right?"
"Right," he nodded.
Simmons walked away by lighting a cigarette. He gradually became a marginalized figure.
At that moment Brandon's phone rang.
"Hei babe"
"Hey babe," Kelly replied.
"How's it going in San Francisco?"
"Well I just finished one conference, another tomorrow and I'm finally coming home. I can't wait to be with you. I miss you."
"I miss you too"
"No Bran, I don't think you have the measure" Kel's voice had stopped for emotion and tried to recover right away "I'm sorry for the discussion we had before we left. Sorry, it was me."
"It doesn't matter, don't worry," he replied weakly.
"Instead it's important."
"Maybe we'll talk about it when you get back," Brandon calmly told her.
"Bran"
"Kel right now I don't know what to tell you.. seriously. We are struggling. But it won't be eternal. We can still make it."
"Okay. Next week they scheduled me in San Diego."
"San Diego sure," Brandon repeated as he checked the figure of Simmons who had made himself of tissue paper against the light.
"I hear noises but where are you?"
"Playground"
"Are the kids okay?"
"A fairy tale," Brandon replied.
" Listen, I thought why don't we carve out a free weekend maybe we could go back to Catalina," Kelly joked.
"Yeah but I don't think I'd show you the island this time either."
Kelly laughed "it's a deal"
Brandon kept an eye on the margins of Simmons disappearing in traffic along with the loneliness that dragged behind.
"Maybe we could all do something together the four of us, just the four of us," Kelly proposed.
"Yes," Brandon smiled, "it would be nice."
"Oh! I got Sammy a package of those limited edition lego that we had been looking for so much last year. Those of Mickey Mouse. Do you remember we went crazy?"
"Yes," Brandon smiled, "I remember well, so maybe he stops asking me about Vyon Transformers. Every day he asks me to take one for him. And I say no to him. It seems that all the children at the school own at least one."
"The Transformers Vyon? He never told me about it," Kelly said in a sad voice.
Brandon sensed Kelly's loss. They hadn't spent much time together anymore, it almost seemed like he knew more about Sam than she knew. The kids change suddenly. Even one day can mean a change.
"I'm sure he'll love the lego when you bring them to him," Brandon tried to catch up, "maybe when he does something special we could get him this transformer and give it to him together."
"Ok"
"Kel?"
"Yeah?"
"Maybe it's the best idea to spend a weekend the four of us together, Kel. I'll look for a place where we can take refuge."
Brandon's sweet voice calmed Kelly, reassured her. Things would be settled as soon as autumn arrived. Kel was waiting for autumn.
Brenda sat nervously in Andrea's office.
She appeared after a few minutes behind a pair of round glasses.
"Sorry, I had to sign two urgent resignations," she said, sitting down.
"No problem'
"Dylan?"
"He's in Dr. Norton's, he's undergoing routine exams"
"Then you really decided"
"Yes," Brenda smiled.
"Bren, how much can I be friends and how much can I be a doctor right now?"
"As much as you want in both cases"
"It won't be an easy path. Do you know this?"
"I am aware of it"
"It will also be painful but I want you both to know that at any time, I am here. It's important that I tell you now. Before you start taking your first steps."
Brenda nodded and smiled.
"Thank you Andrea. I know you're taking care of something else.. but I'm glad you're the one taking my exams. "
"No problem. Dr. Spencer is a dear friend and a great colleague of mine. She lets me use her studio when the issue is special. So let's do the pap test? And then a urine sample, and blood tests, okay?"
"Is Dylan doing the same thing?"
"And more too..." Andrea smiled "let's also check his racing champions"
Brenda laughed. She was happy that Andrea was with her.
Andrea put on a pair of sterile gloves.
"This part is easy"
"Oh my God, the pap test... in short," Andrea laughed, "then how are the shooting of the TV show going? Is my Andrea the best? Then "the Brandon"kisses her?"
Brenda laughed again loosening the annoyance.
"Yes, she'll kiss him"
"Ah tell her on my part to take what she wants, and don't brooding too much, and tell me she'll get pregnant at 18?"
"This is spoiler," Bren replied, "yes, but she won't get married. A single mother. Strong wonderful proud. As you are."
"Yeah" she smiled.
"Do you see anyone?"
"Not at the moment. I'm fine like that," Andrea replied.
" What about Steve?"
"Ah Steve. We were a scandal. But how much fun we had. We shared our solitudes. We are friends. More than before," said Andrea.
Andrea took off his gloves and took the blood.
"We're done. The results as soon as possible"
"We're going to Ecuador next week but for whatever call me"
"It's okay"
Dylan was waiting outside. He put his arm around her waist and they went out together.
Dr. Dawing entered soon after along with Spencer.
"Are you all right?" Andrea asked the two.
"All right," Spencer replied.
"I'm going to my beautiful sleeping ones then," she replied, "thank you for lending me the clinic."
"Andrea?" Dawing stopped her "can I talk to you for a second?"
"Of course"
Dawing is waiting for Andrea to close the door.
"Any problems?"
"No, nothing. It's for Dylan McKay"
"Tell me" Andrea took on a worried look "any problem with the tests?"
"No, we did everything and sent them to the lab"
"So what?"
"Well, I talked to him a little. The usual preparatory interview"
"AND?"
"I'm not sure if Mr. McKay is ready to deal with this, that he wants to have a child right now."