Cool Mom

44: Conflict

Daniel's parents are driving to Pasadena to have lunch and spend the day with us. I have asked the chefs to prepare the dishes, I recall from conversations with Daniel that his parents like.

They might stay the night if it gets too late, so I check on the guest bedroom to make sure Hazel or Vanessa haven't made a mess in there.An hour before they are supposed to arrive, Daniel gets home and announces that he has work to do so he'll be in the library.

I help Hazel change into a pair of shorts and a polo shirt. I'm walking her down to the living room when the doorbell rings.I start towards the lobby, where the butler has already answered the door.

"Hi!" I call out as we walk in, making them both break into wide smiles.

"How are you?" Martha, Daniel's mother asks.

"I'm well. How was the drive?" I ask.

She tells me of how they got a flat tire and then David had to change it which makes me interrupt her, "David's here?"

"Yes, dear! So are Elana and Morgan." She replies.

We were not expecting them. Daniel had told me it would be just his parents. He is not going to be happy about the guest addition.

"Where are they?" I ask just as Elana walks in, followed by Morgan and David.

I hear footsteps behind me as Daniel walks in, his smile falters at the sight of his brother but in a flash he has himself together, meeting everyone. As everyone makes their way to the living room, I give him a smile, letting him know that I appreciate his patience. He squeezes my hand as I walk past him to the kitchen.

"Is lunch ready?" I ask the first chef I see.

"Yes, ma'am." He replies, "Shall we start laying it out?"

"Please and also add three more places at the table, we have some more guests." I tell him before joining everyone else who are catching up.

Five minutes later the butler arrives to let us know that lunch has been served. Lunch passes without any events except Vanessa trying to join us at the table like she's used to but she scares Morgan and Elana and is sent back upstairs to Hazel's room despite Hazel's protests to let her stay.

Once everyone's done eating Hazel asks if she can show Morgan how she plays with Vanessa. I excuse her from the table and they both run off.

"How's the case coming along?" Arthur, Daniel's father asks.

"We're confident about it." Daniel replies, without telling him that the verdict is set to be announced tomorrow.

"You don't sound so sure." The minute these words leave David's mouth, I watch Daniel tense but he's saved from replying by a call from Jeremy.

He leaves the dining room to take the call while I offer everyone tea and coffee. I let one of the chefs know that we'll be taking our drinks out on the patio, when Daniel walks into the kitchen and asks for a glass of water. The chef leaves to get it and we're alone.

"It's just a few more hours." I remind him as the chef returns with the water.

He gulps is all down before saying, "I'm really trying. Trust me."

I give him a small smile and a quick kiss on the cheek before returning to the guests who are already on the patio. Morgan and Hazel are still in her room playing with Vanessa.

I take the chair next to Elana's as she turns to me and asks, "How's Hazel doing?"

"What do you mean?" I frown.

"The kidnapping. All of that."

"She's come to terms with it." I smile at her, reassuringly.

"Have you talked to her? It's really important to do that." David barges into the conversation.

I see Daniel start to say something but I cut in, "We did."

"Little kids are very impressionable. Need to protect them." David mutters under his breath but we all hear him, nonetheless.

"We know, David." This time Daniel speaks up before me.

"Cool! I mean, I understand why she's turned out the way she has. You have no time for her, Emma is too lenient with her." He comments.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Daniel asks, frowning.

"Swimming isn't for girls! Put her in a dance class or something. Stop trying to force Hazel to be the son you two never had."

A small gasp escapes my mouth as David finishes his sentence.

"David! Stop talking such nonsense!" His mother scolds him.

He just shrugs and goes back to his tea but I can see Daniel starting to lose his patience as his father tries to distract him by asking his opinion on some suit he bought last week.

"As if he can help you with that. He can't even look after his own daughter." David scoffs.

This time there's no stopping Daniel. He's out of his chair in a flash and then he's on David, before anyone can register what's happening, he raises his fist and punches David in the face.

"Daniel!" I hear myself scream as I jump out of my chair, too scared to do anything.

Arthur forces his way between his sons and shouts at them to stop. The moment's hesitation on Daniel's part gives me the chance to take hold of his arm forcing him to break out of his reverie. As he turns to look at me, I realize that he has a cut down his temple and his lip's bleeding. He looks at me, takes a deep breath and then turns back to his brother.

"You can sprout whatever shit you want to about me but you say one more word about Emma or Hazel and you will wake up in a hospital."

"Elana get Morgan, we're leaving." David simply says glaring at Daniel.

In the next two minutes the three of them are out of the house and driving down the driveway. Martha and Arthur decide to return home too so that they can check on David. I go outside to see them off as Daniel refuses to budge.

"I'm so sorry that such a lovely lunch ended this way." Martha sighs, "I wonder when they'll learn to accept each other."

I just give her a small smile as she hugs me and gets into the car. I wave at them as they drive away and then go back inside to check on Daniel. The butler tells me that he went upstairs to the library. I hunt down some antiseptic wipes, painkiller and a glass of water before going to him.I knock on the door before going in.

"Hey." I say, walking over to the couch where he's sitting.

"Hi." He sighs, his head on the back of the sofa as he looks at the ceiling.

"Let me clean the cuts." I say, opening one of the wipes and taking hold his chin.

I clean his lip first which is the deeper cut. Then I move to his temple which just has dried blood but I feel him wince under my hand as the solution stings his wound.

"There." I say, finishing my work. "Do you want a painkiller?"He shakes his, so I just set them on the console in the room before going to sit next to him and then snuggling into his side as he wraps an arm around my shoulders.

I feel this chapter is slightly rushed but I really need to get the story going because there is still SO MUCH yet to happen ;)

Please comment and tell me what you think! :)

-T