Carter's Duty - 18. Chapter 18

Andrew rested his forehead on his hand, "I'm sorry Will, nothing happened I swear to you." He gave Will a look filled with pain and hope, "you have to believe that."

"I do." Will replied, "it just... at the time I didn't know what to think."

"I'm sorry," Andrew pressed, "we were up all night talking. She knew I was gay, I told her... in fact we were talking about you most of the night. I just needed to talk to someone about what was going on."

Will shrugged, "It's okay, she may have known you were gay, but that wasn't going to stop her."

"What do you mean?" Andrew asked in confusion.

* * *

"You okay?" Jeff asked through the door of the bathroom.

Will contemplated the answer to that question, as he sat on the toilet staring at the tiled wall. Was he okay? How could he be okay? Everything he wanted was at an end. He wasn't okay, but he wasn't anything. Emotionless was the best way to describe him at that moment.

He was an emotional void, empty. He couldn't describe it; he should be angry, furious at the situation and the circumstances that had led up to it. But how could he? He had seen it coming and had prepared himself for it. So instead of pain, he felt...empty.

He couldn't explain that through a door, but his friend, the man he was supposed to be best man to in a few hours waited for an answer. Some kind of confirmation or guidance as to what to do. As if Will actually knew. He didn't. So there really was no answer to it. He reached out and popped the door open to let Jeff in.

His friend looked concerned, as he took a seat on the edge of the bathtub and patted Will's knee. "Want me to kick his ass?" he asked after a moment of silence.

Will looked up at Jeff and shook his head, "What good will it do? It's not going to change anything is it?"

Jeff frowned, as he absorbed it, "You're just going to let him get away with it?"

Will rubbed his temples, he was tired, grimy from the bar and hospital and all he wanted was to crawl into bed and hide away from the world. But he couldn't do that. Jeff needed him. And in his own way, Will needed to see the day through.

"I'll be okay old man." He offered a weak smile, "lets get you to the church on time eh?"

Jeff watched him a moment, "You sure you're up to this dude?"

Will chuckled tiredly, "Isn't that my line?" He nodded towards the window, "Brody has a plane standing by to take you to Tijuana... he felt compelled."

Jeff chuckled half heartedly, "Somehow that wouldn't surprise me." He stood up and patted Will's shoulder, "Jared should be back in a few minutes, get a shower and see how you feel. I'll understand if you can't go through with this..."

Will shook his head, "Jeff, bud, look I said I would stand for you, and come hell or high water I'm gonna do it." He stood up, "guy's come and go, but bro's they're for life."

Jeff winced, "Okay stop, you sound awful imitating Ghetto..."

"I'm da schiznit!" Will declared as he affixed a grin on his face, "Don't be hating..."

Jeff rolled his eyes, "I should never have gone with you to that movie," he groaned, "I'm going to be downstairs, if you need anything just yell."

Will nodded offering an empty smile, "Go, get ready, you're a man today." He paused, "No wait you're wearing a skirt on your wedding day, guess that means Lisa's the man." His eyes still showed the pain he felt, but he put on his game face.

Jeff punched Will's shoulder and left the bathroom, and left Will to his thoughts.

He turned on the shower, warming the water and climbed in, letting the rush of the warm water wash over him. Drenched he rested his forehead against the tiles and tried his best not to think. The less he thought about what had happened to him the better. He had to keep functioning, hold onto that empty feeling and keep putting one foot in front of the other. This was the most important day in Jeff's life, and beside that, Will's issues seemed trivial.

Though part of him wanted to scream, rant and rail against the injustice of it.

What was the point of decrying life? You could scream until you went hoarse, cry yourself dry and still life would remain the same. History wouldn't change for a sound or a droplet of salty water. He needed to be strong, it wasn't about him and he had to keep reminding himself of that fact.

He grabbed the soap and began to wipe away the sweat and grime of the day before, today Jeff was going to profess his undying love for the woman of his dreams. And unlike Rafik and Farah, or even Jared and Kerry, this was the woman he wanted. He was going to take the woman he loved down the aisle and not settle for second best or be dragged against his will. There was something comforting in that thought. What Jeff was doing wasn't for an ulterior motive, it was because he loved Lisa, really loved her. And if Jeff could find and capture the one he loved, then there was hope out there for everyone else.

There had to be hope.

He rinsed his face and blinked up at the frosted window and the sunlight outside, so Andrew wasn't the person he had hoped he was. That simply meant there was someone else out there and he had to stop dwelling on the past.

After he had towelled himself off, he emerged from the bathroom to find Jared waiting for him in the master bedroom, holding up a tuxedo. He had a smile on his face that said Jeff had told him what had happened. But Will knew that Jared dealt with things in his own way. He too was a survivor of heartache, and unlike Jeff who was marrying the woman he loved; he knew all too well what Will felt.

Will slipped the tuxedo out of the wrapping and chuckled when he noted the cummerbund and bow tie were the same tartan pattern as Jeff's kilt. Jared had a good eye for details and no one could deny that he actually cared about things around him, even if he did go through his life with the stigma of being a salesman.

"Hey buddy." Jared said in a simple greeting, "I'm gonna go catch the next shower. Kerry is on her way over and Jeff is downstairs."

Will nodded, "Cheers mate."

"If you want to talk..." Jared said as he hesitated in the doorway.

"Go get ready bud." Will reassured, as he turned and set about putting on his tuxedo.

It was a good fit, comfortable and the correct size; the rental shop still had his measurements and was able to put something appropriate together on little to no notice. Will was impressed by their service, and vowed to use them in the future as he deftly tied his bow tie. He examined himself in the mirror, and adjusted the tie so that it sat correctly. Not quite James Bond, but he still cut a fine figure.

"You look smart." Andrew said standing in the doorway.

Will glanced back at him and shrugged out of the tuxedo jacket, he put it aside not wanting to dirty it before the wedding ceremony. He blew out a sigh and turned to face the man that had violated his trust.

"I don't have time to deal with this now." He repeated softly, "Not now."

Andrew nodded silently, his eyes heavy as he stared at the carpet in front of Will's feet. He opened his mouth, and tried to find something to say. "I...I..."

Will stared at him from the middle of their bedroom, wearing a tuxedo and set to help a friend through the most monumental day of his life. And the man that had singularly destroyed their relationship stood in the door way speechless.

"We have to talk." Will said as he did the only thing he could do, take control of the situation, "But I can't now. After the Wedding."

Andrew nodded, and Will could see how upset the man was, their roles had changed so much over time. Will was the responsible one, the one that had the answers, when had that changed? When had he grown up? Will felt a part of the cold dispassion melt as he crossed to the man he loved and rested his hands lightly on his shoulders

"I'll see you at the wedding, come, have a good time, and we'll talk afterwards." He lifted Andrew's chin so that he could look into the sad eyes, "Don't..." he swallowed as he felt the tears well up inside himself.

Andrew's eyes glistened, his jaw worked, "I...I..."

Will drew him into an embrace, just to hold on for a few moments, a few last moments. But it was already too late. He could feel what they had slipping away from him.

He stepped back and offered a half smile. "Get ready to go, as I said we'll sort this fucking mess out later."

Andrew nodded on automatic as he walked from their room. And Will let his head sink, he was the strong one, out of all of his friends, he was the survivor and he knew that. He had lost Andrew once before and survived, but could he go through it again. He had been through that pain before, and he knew that the only thing for him to do was be strong. Because if he wasn't strong who else would be?

Will walked downstairs, his jacket carefully draped over his arm as he entered the kitchen for yet another mug of Mrs. Sternosti's coffee. Jeff and his father were at the table, Jeff receiving that age old final piece of advice of a father to son. He spared a glance at Will as he returned his full attention to his father.

Mrs. Sternosti fussed over Will's collar the moment she saw him dressed. The problem with being the first ready was that he was the one that would be fussed over the longest by a mother who was giving up the first of her children. Will tolerated her fussing as he reached for his cell phone and gave Brody a call.

The phone rang five times before a female voice answered it, "Brody's phone."

"Porchea?" Will asked in shock.

Jeff spat coffee across the table, as he choked recognizing the strippers name. His eyes bulged as he desperately tried to regain his composure.

"Yes?" She responded, "Brody is in the shower right now, he should be done in a few minutes I can have him call you when he gets done."

Will nodded, "Uh...yeah, tell him we're waiting on him and that he should come as soon as he can."

He clicked off the phone and stared over at Jeff, who returned the stare. Both their minds tried to work out the chain of events that could possibly have led to Porchea answering Brody's phone that morning.

"Who's Porchea?" Mrs. Sternosti asked as she mopped up the mess Jeff had created.

"No one mom." Jeff replied automatically, he stared at Will, "If he brings her, I'm gonna kill him."

Will extended his hands in a claming manner, "Relax, it will be okay. Jared's out of the shower, you should go and get ready..."

"'sup guys?" Jared asked as he came down the stairs and noted the tension.

"Porchea." Jeff exclaimed as he stalked up the stairs.

"Huh?" Jared inquired as he fumbled with the bow tie and finally abandoned the attempt.

"Brody picked up Porchea." Will walked over and tied the tie in a single fluid motion, stepping back to admire his handy work.

"The Stri..." Jared stopped when he noted Mrs. Sternosti's proximity, "Oh."

Will nodded, "Yeah, that's what I said..."

His phone rang and he clicked it on, "Go."

"William Carter," Scott Weippert's voice was unexpected, and Will's brow furrowed, "I'm staring at an empty office Mister Carter."

Will was confused, "Sir? I booked today off." He glanced back at the clock on the microwave, it read Nine oh two, "I have a wedding to go to."

"I wasn't informed," Scott's tone adopted a stern edge, "I can't give you a day off on no notice."

Will blew out a sigh, "Scott, I am best man at this wedding and it starts in under an hour. Ken can cover for me, but if you check my appointment book you will see I am cleared for today."

"I don't care about that," Scott responded, "I need you here today..."

Will rolled his eyes, "I booked this day off, you signed off on it. I have two weeks vacation that I haven't touched yet. I will be in tomorrow, it can wait until I arrive."

"This doesn't reflect well on your commitment to this company," Scott pressed.

Will lifted the phone away from his ear and stared at it in disgust, putting it back to his hear, "Mister Weippert I will discuss this with you tomorrow, as it stands this is my day off and I have other commitments, Good day." He clicked off and pocketed the phone.

Jared looked at him in confusion, "What now?"

"Work." Will replied, "My boss wondering where I was."

"Oh," Jared said after a moment, "You gonna get fired?"

Will opened his mouth to answer and swore when his phone rang again. He flicked it open, "Yes?"

"Hey Willy," Brody's cheerful voice, "Just got out of the shower and I'm on my way over now. Tell Jared not to worry, he's Jeep is fine, it's only a little dent in the side door..."

"Porchea?" Will asked ignoring Brody's attempt at humour over the Jeep.

"What about her? Just about to drop her off at her apartment. I promised her a ride home after work last night." He chuckled, "She needed comforting after you broke her heart."

"Ah." Will said as Jeff came down the stairs wearing the Kilted tuxedo, he suppressed a laugh, "Well get here as quick as you can...you have got to see this..."