Never walk alone- Walk on - 19. Chapter 19

With the grandparentals visit over, things could now start getting back to normal. At least for their present circum-stances. The twins were still on holiday for five days - school would recommence on the following Tuesday. It was also the day that Jamie and Fiona would start at their pre-school. Which meant that Andrew and Ryan could return to the office as well.

Andrew was fretting a little. In his opinion, he felt there were too many things that were just hanging in the air. He sat at has desk at home and began making a to-do list. Ryan was out running an errand.

For one, the upcountry lodges had been very neglected and he felt badly as a result. The bright light on that front was that the financial reports he had received were all looking very good. With being the hands on type that he was, he felt he had let things slip. So a trip upcountry was one of his priorities.

Two - their own lodges and 'Belle Catherine' had been neglected as well. He consoled himself with the knowledge that they were in good hands and running like well oiled machines, but again, he just felt that he had let them down.

Three - there had been a flurry of emails from the owners of the Drakensberg resort enquiring whether Devlin-Major were in any way interested in either managing the resort or purchasing it outright. Either way, at some stage they had to pay a visit to the resort to assess the situation firsthand.

Four - MY Amira was finishing up her island season and would soon be sailing for Cape Town. Before she could be loaded onto the yacht transporter to Europe, they wanted to put her into dry dock to have her hull cleaned and repainted so that when she arrived in the Mediterranean, she would be in pristine condition, her crew having attended to the interior while on passage to the Med.

Five - the new yacht project needed his attention as well. Ryan was handling the project well, but he felt badly that it had all been dumped on his husband.

Six - the upcoming trip to Scotland for the George Cross ceremony, the details of which they were still waiting for and over which they had absolutely no control. Which he hated!

And seven - Claude and François wedding. His biggest fear was that the wedding and the Scotland trip were going to coincide with one another.

The first three were easy enough to resolve. Once he and Ryan were back at the office on a full time basis, he would have to schedule a visit to the upcountry lodges, and he and Ryan would have to find time for Blue Bay, The Cameron and for Darren and Kerry on 'Belle Catherine'.

Somewhere, between everything else, they would have to travel to the Drakensberg to investigate the resort. The only problem was if the resort could hold on until they made the trip. He had seen the previous years financial statements and they had not looked good at all. Although their forward reservations were looking very good, their financial situation was precarious, in Andrew's opinion. His instincts were telling him to purchase outright, it would be a very good acquisition, provided they could get it at a reasonable price. It also had to be relatively free of all encum-brances.

Andrew sat staring out of the window at Table Bay from his desk at home, as he mulled over Amira. He found the view and the movement of the water in the bay helped him to think and put things into perspective. He scowled as he realised he was chewing the top of his pen, and put it on the desk. It was something he only did when he was per-turbed. His mood lifted the moment he recognised a familiar shape moving across the bay to pass between the coast and Robben Island, spinnaker billowing out over her bows. 'Belle Catherine' departing on her latest charter, this time up the West Coast. Just the sight of her in her element made him happy. He watched as she sailed across his line of sight from left to right, finally disappearing behind the houses on the Bloubergstrand beachfront, decision made. Some things he would have to let go of. And one of them was 'Amira'. He must allow Ryan to run with the sale of 'Amira' and the related logistics. He had handled it perfectly up until now, so Andrew saw no reason to get involved unless requested to do so.

And that applied to the new yacht as well. His decor project that Ryan had asked him to get involved in was done and everything was now with the builders. Ryan knew that he was there should he need advice or assistance. But the new yacht was Ryan's baby, so Andrew must allow him to run with it.

Items six and seven concerned him the most. They had a date for the wedding, but still no date for the medal cere-mony. His biggest fear was that the dates were going to clash. They both desperately wanted to be at the wedding, but at the same time, how do you tell Her Majesty that you have another engagement. But there was absolutely nothing he could do about that until they heard from the palace.

Glancing at his watch, he saw it was almost lunch time, so he stood up and strolled to the kitchen to see what Yvonne was rustling up for lunch. They were expecting Byron too, as Marge was dropping him early to relieve Liz at The Cameron, who had an emergency. It was supposed to be her day off, but Liz had broken a tooth on a peppermint candy, so she had called Marge to help out so that she could go to the dentist to have the tooth attended to. As thd coming weekend was Marge's weekend off, Liz had offered to relieve her early on Friday to compensate, and Marge was happy to oblige. It would only be a short shift, just 5 hours, and she would fetch Byron again just after the shift ended at 6pm.
As if sensing that their daddy was on the move, four human whirlwinds and one furry, canine one blew down the stairs, all clamouring for attention. Andrew hobbled back to the lounge carrying Cameron and Elizabeth while Jamie and Fiona hung onto his legs. Rascal added to the mayhem by running around them, barking excitedly at all the shrieks and giggles. Yvonne just laughed and shook her head at the antics of the family. She wasn't the only one shaking their head. Ryan had come back, in the midst of all the ruckus, and stood at the top of the stairs, grinning as he watched Andrew collapse on the thick shaggy white rug and be tackled by four very excited children. Rascal was almost beside himself with excitement barking like crazy, his little body wriggling back and forth and his tail whipping around frenetically, posing a real danger to anyone who may be in range. But what made Ryan happiest was the natural, genuine belly laughter coming from the children and particularly from Jamie and Fiona. It made him realise that their two youngest were getting back to just being children, instead of having to deal with the reality of the world.
The hysterical giggles from the bodies writhing on the rug changed to shrieks when Ryan joined the cuddle puddle, that is, until his four children decided it was his turn to be bombarded. They all struggled out from beneath him, very breathless and flushed and tried their best to roll him onto his back beside Andrew. He playfully resisted their attempts for a while and then allowed them to accomplish their mission before dog-piling him, giving rise to more commotion. Andrew, weak with laughter, crawled to the couch and dropped onto it to watch Ryan get worked over by their off-spring. It only lasted a few minutes before they were interrupted by the doorbell. Andrew stood up and walked to the window and saw a familiar Toyota sedan parked in the drive way.

"Okay, you lot. Get off your dad! Byron is here! Cam, go down and let Aunty Marge and Byron in, please boy"

The huddle on the floor broke up and relative calm returned to the Devlin-Major household, as all four, plus Rascal, took off downstairs to greet the guests.
They heard the children greet Marge and then the gang came pounding up the stairs again, Byron giving them a very cheery, "Hi Uncle Ryan, hi Uncle Andrew, hi Yvonne", as they breezed upstairs to the bedrooms, followed much more sedately by Marge, who grinned at her bosses slightly dishevelled appearance.

"I'm actually afraid to ask, but what on earth was going on up here? It sounded like a kindergarten at playtime". Her bosses both had a good laugh.

"Just some rough-housing with the children, Marge", Andrew explained, still slightly breathless.

"I just got home myself and found Andrew being dog-piled by the kids, so I joined in and promptly got the same treatment. I hope their bad habits don't rub off on Byron", Ryan added grinning as excited high pitched voices were heard on the landing above.

"Well, it certainly sounded like fun. I'm just happy that Jamie and Fiona seem to be finding their feet and becoming children again. The were two very serious little people for a while".
Ryan nodded.

"I was thinking the exact same thing when I stood watching them all clambering on top of Andrew. I really hope they are settling down. They go to preschool from Tuesday, so I guess that's another change for them. But we have to get them into some sort of routine, not only for them, but for us as well. We need to get back to the office on a daily basis, and with the schools reopening on Tuesday, it just makes it a bit easier".

"l hear you Ryan, and you're absolutely right. It will do them the world of good", Marge replied. She glanced at her wristwatch. "If you'll excuse me, I must run. The Cameron awaits".

"Off you go then", Andrew told her. "And thanks for giving up part of your day off to help out. It doesn't go unnoticed".

"I really don't mind, Andrew. In fact, it's the least I can do. Devlin-Major helped me up when I needed it most, so I'm happy to do it. And I get an extra half day added to my weekend. So I think I'm coming out on top".
Ryan walked to the bottom of the stairs and yelled,

"Byron, come say goodbye to your mom. The rest of you can come say goodbye as well, and then we're going to have lunch".
The gang all came running down the stairs, Rascal leading the way. Byron hugged his mother and gave her a kiss. The four 'Devlin-Majors' all said goodbye as well and she hugged each one of them as well before leaving. Ryan saw her out, while Andrew took them into the guest bathroom to wash their hands.

After lunch, Andrew and Ryan sat on the patio watching the children, and Rascal, playing in the garden,and later, having a swim, and discussed Andrew's to do list.

Andrew would make an upcountry trip on Thursday and Friday of the following week. They would meet with Claude, Richard, and Darren and Kerry on Tuesday and Wednesday.

They also took the decision to travel to the Drakensberg resort over the next long weekend, which was in three weeks time. The whole family would go, including David, Janice and Rascal.

Ryan was happy to take control of 'Amira' and the new yacht, but reiterated that he did not want Andrew to exclude himself completely as the new yacht was his as well, which Andrew agreed with.

The only conundrum they couldn't solve was the one concerning the George Cross ceremony. They knew it was due to take place in June. They decided to wait until the middle of May before making enquiries to the palace if nothing had been received by then. It didn't sit well with Andrew, but he really had no choice. It was out of his hands.

When the children were finished in the pool, they dried themselves, changed into clean clothing and disappeared into the house. Andrew and Ryan remained in the patio chatting about what had been discussed.
They both seemed to realise at exactly the same moment that it had suddenly got very quiet in the house. They stared at one another for a moment before standing up to go check on the children, afraid at what they were going to find. Climbing the stairs to the bedrooms, they could hear a TV was on, obviously showing cartoons. But ominously, there was not one other sound. Nothing!

In the bedroom wing, the TV was playing in Cam and Jamie's room, so that was their first stop. And breathed a sigh of relief. All five children, and Rascal, were on the two beds, fast asleep. Ryan grinned at the
peaceful tableau in front of them.

"I honestly thought they were up to no good. It was just too quiet", he said, looking at Andrew, who nodded.

"Me too. It got too quiet too quickly. I feel awful now because I thought they were doing something they shouldn't. Rascal should have been the clue that they had all fallen asleep, because he went quiet as well".

Returning downstairs, Yvonne was getting ready to go home, having made them a tray with tea and coffee, and a plate of cookies. Once she had left, they sat in the lounge while Ryan brought Andrew up to speed on the new yacht project which seemed to be progressing well.

"The biggest problem right now", Ryan ended off with, "is we still do not have a name for her. And she's going to be needing one very soon".

"Okay, let's give it some thought. Unless you already have a name in mind", Andrew replied, then hesitated. "Actually, I may have a name", he added, wriggling his eyebrows at his husband, grinning gleefully and then going quiet, knowing it was going to annoy Ryan.
Ryan sighed dramatically and glared balefully at his annoying, but very sexy, lovable partner".

"Okay, I'll bite, babe! What name would you suggest?"

"Well, seeing as 'Belle Catherine' is named for my mom, the new yacht should honour your mom. So I'm suggesting 'Lady Janice".
Ryan's eyes widened, and he grinned at Andrew.

"Now I know why I love you so much. You come up with most brilliant ideas! I think 'Lady Janice' would be perfect. It fits with 'Belle Catherine" too. I can see it now in the advertising brochures.
"Belle Catherine' and 'Lady Janice', Devlin-Major Charters two Queens of the Sea. I love it! And I love you! Thank you for thinking of my mom".

"She's my mom too remember, if only because I happened to marry her only son. "But yeah, the two names do compliment one another"

"And her name stays a secret until launch day", Ryan added, his blue eyes twinkling mischievously.
And just like that, the new yacht had an identity. 'Lady Janice'!

The last weekend of the school holidays was glorious. Clear, warm, almost wind free days, classically late Cape summer days.
The twins returned to school on Tuesday, their dads and younger siblings dropping them off , before they made the short drive to the pre-school a few blocks away, where they left Jamie and Fiona in Elaine's capable hands, both dads experiencing very similar emotions to when the twins went to school for the first time. Jamie and Fiona took it in their stride and were quite content to accompany Elaine to join the other tots, while Andrew and Ryan were the ones leaving with tears in their eyes.

The week was going really well up until Andrew left on his trip on Thursday.

As usual, he had spent a lot of time with the children, as he always did before his upcountry forays, but devoted more of that time to Jamie and Fiona who were not entirely happy that he was going away. Cameron and Elizabeth were so used to his monthly routine that they no longer were bothered by them. Their daddy went away for two days, they Skyped with him while he was away, and he came back home. It was no big deal.

It was an entirely different matter as far as Jamie and Fiona were concerned, and Ryan unfortunately found out just how insecure they still were on the Thursday morning after Andrew had left for Johannesburg
.
As usual, he slipped quietly out of the house for the first flight to Johannesburg. When Jamie and Fiona woke up and realised that he was gone, all hell broke loose and Ryan had his work cut out to calm two very distraught children. They were very clingy and weepy when he dropped them at preschool, and he had to explain to Elaine the reason for their sadness - that Andrew was away on a business trip. She assured him that they would be okay and that she would keep an eye on them.

When he picked them up at the end od the school day, they both came running to him , clung to him when he picked them up, and cried. Elaine followed looking concerned.

"Hi Ryan. I'm afraid they haven't had a good day today. At one stage, I was seriously considering calling you to come fetch them. They were both very distracted and when they had their midmorning rest, I went to get a cup of tea and when I got back, they were standing staring out the window, crying. I consoled them as best I could, and when I asked why they were so sad", Elaine hesitated and her own eyes filled with tears, "Jamie told me that they were scared daddy would not come back, like mommy! That just broke my heart, I'm afraid"

"Oh hell, Elaine. I really am sorry!. They're remembering when Beth and Nicky left on the ferry. They also left early in the morning, and never came back. Now they think the same is going to happen with Andrew! Wow, we had absolutely no idea that this would be their reaction".

"How long is Andrew away for", Elaine queried.

"Just today and tomorrow. He's due back late in the afternoon tomorrow", Ryan replied.

"I know it is inconvenient, but if they are still like this in the morning, I'd like to suggest they stay with you. I think they will be happier if you are around. Their little worlds will be more stable".
Ryan nodded.

"Yes sure. I'll see how they are in the morning. I might stay home with them if there is still a problem. They're going to speak to Andrew tonight on Skype, Cameron and Elizabeth always do when he is away, but this will be their first time, so I'll see what their reactions will be. But please accept my apologies that you had a tough time with these two munchkins today".

"No apology is needed Ryan. I understand what they have been through. You may have to consider some
professional help for them though".

"Hmmm. We hadn't really thought of that. They seemed to be coping well, what with all the love and attention we've been giving them. But maybe you are right. I'll discuss it with Drew when he gets back".

He got them into his vehicle and they were very subdued during the drive to the school to pick up the twins and Byron. In the seven minutes it took to get there, they had both fallen asleep, their little brains and bodies no longer able to cope with their fears. Ryan collected the other three, motioning them to not make too much noise, and drove home, where he and Yvonne gently carried Jamie and Fiona upstairs to the main bedroom to continue sleeping, explaining to Yvonne what was going on along the way. She lay Jamie on the bed and turned to Ryan as she headed for the door.

"Mr Ryan, I'll bring you your lunch here. I really don't think you should leave here. If they wake up alone, it will just make things worse. I'll get Cam, Elizabeth and Byron fed downstairs and keep them occupied"

"Thanks Vonnie. That will be fine. This whole thing has thrown me a little. We really thought they were doing so much better. But now we seem to have taken more than a few steps back. I'm very concerned".

Yvonne went downstairs to organise the lunch, while Ryan sat down carefully on the side of the bed and gazed sadly at their two youngest, his heart aching for them. He pulled out his mobile and pressed '1' , Andrew's speed dial. It rang twice before he got 'The subscriber you have called is not available at present. Please try again later', which meant his mobile was off. When he was involved in meetings, he always turned his mobile off and expected everyone else in the room to do the same.

Yvonne brought his lunch, a simple tuna salad, and a few minutes later, three heads peaked around the doorframe. He waved them in, lifting his finger to his lips for them to be quiet, and Cameron, Elizabeth and Byron came over to where the was sitting. Cameron looked up at his dad, his blue eyes mirroring his own concern.

"Dad", he whispered, "What is wrong with Jamie and Fiona? Are they going to be okay?"

"I hope so, baby boy. They just don't like it that daddy is not here. They are scared that he is going to leave them like mommy did, and not come back. You and Elizabeth were the same once as well. Daddy also went away, on 'Belle Catherine', when you were still very small. You were both very upset and I didn't know what was wrong. I thought you were getting sick. So I phoned Ma Nicky, and she figured out that you were both missing daddy and that when he came home, you would be just fine. And that's exactly what happened. Daddy came back, and there was no problem. With Jamie and Fiona, mommy and Ma Nicky also went away, but they never came back. And now Jamie and Fiona are scared that is going to happen again and daddy is not going to come back"
Cameron, Elizabeth and Byron were looking at him with eyes like saucers.

"But daddy is going to come back, dad. Isn't he", Elizabeth asked, looking worried.

"Yes, of course he is my angel. You and Cam know that daddy always comes back after two days. You've seen it plenty of times. But this is the first time that daddy has gone away since Jamie and Fiona have come to live with us, so they don't know. And after what happened to mommy, they are very scared they are going to be left alone again".
Cameron and Elizabeth nodded.

"Can we sit here with you and play?, Cameron asked. "I promise we won't make a noise"

"Yes, of course. I'll put the TV on softly as well so that you can watch it".

He sat at the small desk in the room and did some work, made a few calls and kept an eye on the bed. When he saw some movement he lay on the bed with them.
Jamie woke first, his tawny eyes opening and gazing up at him. It took his breath away just how much the little boy looked like his daddy. He was a carbon copy of Andrew in miniature form.

"Hullo dad. Is daddy back yet?", he asked softly. Ryan shook his head and immediately saw his sons eyes become troubled again.

"No my baby boy. But we will speak to him just now."

"I'm so scared daddy will go away like mommy", he said, looking weepy again. Ryan gathered him into his arms and held the unhappy little boy tightly, his own emotions threatening to spill over. Fiona woke up a few minutes later and snuggled into his side.

Just after 4pm, Ryans mobile rang and glancing at it, he saw it was Andrew, and answered immediately.

"Drew, babe, thank god you called. I've got a huge crisis on my hands here".

"Ry, why? What's going on"

"I need you to connect to Skype ASAP. Jamie and Fiona are absolutely beside themselves. They have got it into their little heads that you are going to leave them like Beth did. I need to have them see you and talk to you. They're really having a time of it"

"Oh my babies. I just got back to my room. I'm connecting as we speak. Have you got your laptop handy?" Ryan carefully stood up and booted up his laptop.

"Yeah, on the desk here in the bedroom".

Jamie and Fiona had remained disinterested until Andrew's face appeared on the screen. Then both were suddenly very alert. Ryan sat down at the desk, moved Jamie onto one leg and hoisted Fiona onto the other.

"See, there's daddy. Say hullo to him", he told them. Fiona was quickest off the mark as her brother gazed at the screen.

"Daddy, where are you? We miss you! When are you coming home?, she asked anxiously.

"Fi my angel. I'm far away, in Johannesburg. I'm coming home tomorrow", he replied. When Jamie heard his daddy's voice he perked up.

"Daddy, I'm so scared you are going to leave us like mommy did. She also went away, but she never came back to us. Why daddy? Are you going to leave us too?", he asked, the words coming out in a rush, and beginning to cry again.
That was it for Andrew!

"Ry, I'm coming home tonight. If I can get on a flight. Give me ten minutes to see what I can arrange. I'll call you to let you know what's happening. I love you, my angels, all of you", and he disconnected.

Byron stood behind them, looking uncertain so Ryan motioned for him to come closer and lifted him onto the bed beside him, then looked at the foursome gathered in front of him.

"Okay, daddy is going to try to come home tonight. We'll just have to wait to see if he can get onto a plane", he told them, his gaze mainly on Jamie and Fiona who stood between Cameron and Elizabeth. "Do you understand what I am telling you?" Four heads nodded at him, the two in the centre with some hesitancy. "Good, now until we hear from daddy, how about we go downstairs and get something to drink". This time five heads nodded accompanied by a few smiles.

Andrew called back while they were in the kitchen, and Ryan thumbed his mobile when it rang.

"Hi babe".

"Hullo, my love. Okay, I've managed to get a seat on the last flight out tonight. But it means I'll only be getting into Cape Town at about 11.30pm, so I should be home just after midnight".

"Okay babe. Just drive carefully. You'll be tired after the long day", he told Andrew, taking in the five pairs of eyes watching him..

"I will, my love. Fortunately the seat is still in business class, so I'll be able to have a nap during the flight".

"Okay, good. Text me when you arrive. What are you going to do about the Durban and Port Elizabeth lodges?"

"I've sent them all emails advising a family emergency has come up and that I'm heading back home. I'm going to have to change these trips until Jamie and Fiona are more settled and know what to expect. But that's tomorrows problem. Right now I just want to get home to you and my babies. Put me on speaker so that they can hear me".
He turned the speaker on his mobile on, held it between the children, and said,

"Daddy wants to speak to you. Go ahead Drew, they're listening"

"Hullo my babies. Daddy is coming home tonight. But I will be very late. And when you wake up in the morning, I will be there, I promise".
Four heads nodded slowly.

"They're all nodding Drew"

"Good. I'm going to check out now and go to OR Tambo. I'll go on standby for the earlier flights, you never know, but I'll keep you advised if there are any changes. I'll get something to eat in the lounge so that I can nap on the plane. One way or the other, I'll see you a bit later"

"Okay babe. Safe travels. We'll see you later. We love you".

After Andrew's call, Ryan noticed that Jamie and Fiona seemed to be a bit happier, much to his relief. Marge picked Byron up just after 6.15pm and then he got his four into the bath and ready for bed. Yvonne had prepared a simple cooked meal and left it on the warmer. Meatballs with gravy, mashed potatoes, sweet carrots and broccoli with white sauce, which they ate at the dining room table. He let them watch TV until 8.30 and then shepherded them all upstairs to brush their teeth and get into bed. He was half expecting the two younger ones to be difficult, but they went down with no problems at all. Then he had a hot shower, slipped into his bathrobe and relaxed on the bed watching the TV while waiting for Andrew. At some stage he nodded off and woke up with a start when his mobile message alert dinged on the bedside table just before 11.30, Andrew advising that he was just leaving the airport.

Ryan went downstairs, put the kettle on to boil and set up a tray for tea and coffee. In the quiet òf the night, he heard Andrew gun the motor of his SUV as he turned the corner to come up the road to the house. He pressed the button on the coffee maker for his coffee, filled the teapot with water and was waiting at the top of the stairs when Andrew came up from the front door. He dropped his bags and walked into husbands welcoming arms for a kiss.

"Hi my love, you look like I feel", Andrew said, taking in Ryan's weary face."Was it very bad", Andrew enquired, resting his face on Ryan's chest.

"Well, let's just say I've had better ones. But on the other hand, I've had worse as well"
Andrew held Ryan's face in his hands, looking into his blue eyes.

"I'm so sorry you had to deal with everything today, babe. If I had known Jamie and Fiona would react the way they have, I would never have gone. As it is, I was thinking on the plane and I've decided that for the forseeable future, the upcountry trips are going to be day trips spread over the month. One lodge per week. It just means that for one day of every week, and I was thinking Tuesdays or Wednesdays, I won'tbe in the office".

"That sounds like a plan to me. But I think we leave that for tomorrow. I'm really tired and you must be too. So I vote we go get some shut-eye. And I think you want to look in on our munchkins?"
Andrew nodded.

"Yeah, I do. Just tuck them in and give them each a kiss".
They each grabbed a mug of hot refreshment, and hand in hand they moved towards the staircase, turning off the lights as they went.