Unexpected Family Part 3
Disclaimer: anything resembling reality is a mistake
They reached the end of the garden and began to walk back equally as slowly. Alexandre was still looking pale, more so than he had earlier and he was starting to get rather worried. To distract himself he decided to ask the question that had been puzzling him for a while. "Why was all your alcohol in the kitchen?"
"I might have decided that crawling into a bottle was the right way to go. It didn't go down very well so they removed temptation for me."
"Drinking with the painkillers you're on?"
Alexandre looked at him crossly. "Like you can talk, you were going to do exactly the same thing last night, just minus the painkillers."
Philippe had to acknowledge that it was the truth but at the same time he mixing it with painkillers so it wouldn't be exactly the same. He looked across at his friend and decided that it probably wasn't a point to make while Alexandre was using crutches. He might find himself on the receiving end of one of them. "I'm sorry I didn't come to see you before now."
"You were busy at the Tour, there's nothing to explain," Alexandre pushed aside his explanation.
"That's no excuse, we're friends and I shouldn't have let things get this bad. You should have called me if things were getting that bad."
"Called you? When was I meant to call you? I didn't want to speak to anyone, Philippe, it was too much."
There had been news coverage and pictures he'd ignored because he didn't want to think about it too much. He didn't want to see Vino in a hospital bed looking nothing like the man he knew. It was hard enough seeing him now and here the man was on crutches and mobile to a certain extent. He couldn't have handled seeing his friend in more pain that he was now. Right now he was looking at the shadow of a man he had known at the start of July and he wasn't sure what to say.
Alexandre shouldn’t have been alone to make the decisions he was thinking of. They were huge things that were going to change his life, decisions that would take him from the road and to something more resembling the life that normal people had. Philippe wasn't entirely sure that Alexandre had made a decision at all in this. Sure, the Kazakhstani had planned on retiring at the end of the season, but this wasn't retirement. This was being beaten into submission and going along with it without putting up a fight. It wasn't something he ever thought Alexandre was capable of but maybe he'd not known the man besides him as well as he'd thought.
Maybe the reason he'd come here of all the places he could have gone is because he knew he wouldn't be able to wallow in his self pity. He'd be pushed on his bike and he'd be driven to make decisions that he needed to make. Alexandre would push him to consider his options whilst letting him work through his emotions. They'd probably never had talked about what was going on with him, nothing bar the basics of what happened, and that was all right with him.
Now, thanks to his agent he had an angry Alexandre to deal with, one who was struggling enough without him adding to the burden. That was something he could help with and when they were back in the house he was going to make a call. He was needed here, at least until he could persuade Alexandre to invite the team over and let them help him. Only to help, he didn't need more pressure right now and he didn't need to be making decisions that he could come to regret when the pain wasn't clouding his judgement. Those would come soon enough and of their own accord when his friend was ready. "What's the plan for today?" Philippe asked.
There was no response but he waited patiently until they were nearer the house again. "Breakfast," Alexandre said. "I need to check in with the team and then I'll no doubt be poked and prodded by Dr Evil. Other than that no plans."
"I need to get out on the bike for a bit but how about when I come back we watch a film of some description?" he asked.
"How about you watch the film by yourself?"
"Not feeling sociable?"
"You invited yourself here, Philippe, I didn't. I'm not really good company at the minute."
"I don't care," he said. "Besides, if we're watching a movie then you don't have to be good company. You don't have to talk, you just have to sit there or lay there or whatever and shut up."
"You might change your mind when you get back."
"I might, or I might decide that I have a way better idea!"
He had no clue what that might be right now but he had some time on the road when he could come up with something. "You're okay if I go out, right?"
"You've got races to do and it's my own fault that I'm stuck at home."
"Vino-"
"Look, I'm okay if you need some space and a break to think things over. You don't have to be sociable while you're here, you don't even have to see me if you don't want to."
"Yeah like that's ever going to happen. You'd be dragging me out of the spare room and forcing me to tell you my plans for next year at the very least."
"I don't care what you do next season, it doesn't concern me."
"You mean you're not going to attempt to persuade me that I absolutely must try out the Astana colours?"
There was an uncharacteristic lack of response which worried him more than he wanted to admit. "Though to be fair at the minute it wouldn't be so much Astana colours as just sponsors. You know I'm still surprised that your bedroom isn't painted the same colour as your kit."
“Jerk,” Alexandre said as they reached the patio again.
This was more the Alexandre he knew and if he could only get to see more of it then he was sure recovery would go a lot better.
When he got back from his ride he found Alexandre lying on the sofa with an arm flung over his face. He wasn’t sure if this was a hint to leave well alone or if this was one of those times when an interruption might be appreciated. “Hey,” he said.
There was no movement from the sofa so he headed further into the room and put a hand on Alexandre’s arm. “Hey,” he repeated.
“Ugh, you’re all sweaty.”
He smiled at the protestation. “I’ll make sure I have a shower next time before I let you know I’m back.”
“You do that.”
Despite the objection he saw the arm move so Alexandre could look at him. “Why do you look like you should be living in my garden?” Alexandre asked.
“I had a bit of a disagreement with a bush on the way back.”
“I take it the bush won.”
“Hey!”
He saw a brief smile and counted it as a win in his attempt to cheer his friend up. “You make a good bush.”
“I’m going to go have a shower, clean up. I’ll be back in a bit.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
True to his word he hadn’t moved by the time Philippe returned to his room and sat on the arm of the sofa. “I do believe we were going to be watching a movie now.”
They reached the end of the garden and began to walk back equally as slowly. Alexandre was still looking pale, more so than he had earlier and he was starting to get rather worried. To distract himself he decided to ask the question that had been puzzling him for a while. "Why was all your alcohol in the kitchen?"
"I might have decided that crawling into a bottle was the right way to go. It didn't go down very well so they removed temptation for me."
"Drinking with the painkillers you're on?"
Alexandre looked at him crossly. "Like you can talk, you were going to do exactly the same thing last night, just minus the painkillers."
Philippe had to acknowledge that it was the truth but at the same time he mixing it with painkillers so it wouldn't be exactly the same. He looked across at his friend and decided that it probably wasn't a point to make while Alexandre was using crutches. He might find himself on the receiving end of one of them. "I'm sorry I didn't come to see you before now."
"You were busy at the Tour, there's nothing to explain," Alexandre pushed aside his explanation.
"That's no excuse, we're friends and I shouldn't have let things get this bad. You should have called me if things were getting that bad."
"Called you? When was I meant to call you? I didn't want to speak to anyone, Philippe, it was too much."
There had been news coverage and pictures he'd ignored because he didn't want to think about it too much. He didn't want to see Vino in a hospital bed looking nothing like the man he knew. It was hard enough seeing him now and here the man was on crutches and mobile to a certain extent. He couldn't have handled seeing his friend in more pain that he was now. Right now he was looking at the shadow of a man he had known at the start of July and he wasn't sure what to say.
Alexandre shouldn’t have been alone to make the decisions he was thinking of. They were huge things that were going to change his life, decisions that would take him from the road and to something more resembling the life that normal people had. Philippe wasn't entirely sure that Alexandre had made a decision at all in this. Sure, the Kazakhstani had planned on retiring at the end of the season, but this wasn't retirement. This was being beaten into submission and going along with it without putting up a fight. It wasn't something he ever thought Alexandre was capable of but maybe he'd not known the man besides him as well as he'd thought.
Maybe the reason he'd come here of all the places he could have gone is because he knew he wouldn't be able to wallow in his self pity. He'd be pushed on his bike and he'd be driven to make decisions that he needed to make. Alexandre would push him to consider his options whilst letting him work through his emotions. They'd probably never had talked about what was going on with him, nothing bar the basics of what happened, and that was all right with him.
Now, thanks to his agent he had an angry Alexandre to deal with, one who was struggling enough without him adding to the burden. That was something he could help with and when they were back in the house he was going to make a call. He was needed here, at least until he could persuade Alexandre to invite the team over and let them help him. Only to help, he didn't need more pressure right now and he didn't need to be making decisions that he could come to regret when the pain wasn't clouding his judgement. Those would come soon enough and of their own accord when his friend was ready. "What's the plan for today?" Philippe asked.
There was no response but he waited patiently until they were nearer the house again. "Breakfast," Alexandre said. "I need to check in with the team and then I'll no doubt be poked and prodded by Dr Evil. Other than that no plans."
"I need to get out on the bike for a bit but how about when I come back we watch a film of some description?" he asked.
"How about you watch the film by yourself?"
"Not feeling sociable?"
"You invited yourself here, Philippe, I didn't. I'm not really good company at the minute."
"I don't care," he said. "Besides, if we're watching a movie then you don't have to be good company. You don't have to talk, you just have to sit there or lay there or whatever and shut up."
"You might change your mind when you get back."
"I might, or I might decide that I have a way better idea!"
He had no clue what that might be right now but he had some time on the road when he could come up with something. "You're okay if I go out, right?"
"You've got races to do and it's my own fault that I'm stuck at home."
"Vino-"
"Look, I'm okay if you need some space and a break to think things over. You don't have to be sociable while you're here, you don't even have to see me if you don't want to."
"Yeah like that's ever going to happen. You'd be dragging me out of the spare room and forcing me to tell you my plans for next year at the very least."
"I don't care what you do next season, it doesn't concern me."
"You mean you're not going to attempt to persuade me that I absolutely must try out the Astana colours?"
There was an uncharacteristic lack of response which worried him more than he wanted to admit. "Though to be fair at the minute it wouldn't be so much Astana colours as just sponsors. You know I'm still surprised that your bedroom isn't painted the same colour as your kit."
“Jerk,” Alexandre said as they reached the patio again.
This was more the Alexandre he knew and if he could only get to see more of it then he was sure recovery would go a lot better.
When he got back from his ride he found Alexandre lying on the sofa with an arm flung over his face. He wasn’t sure if this was a hint to leave well alone or if this was one of those times when an interruption might be appreciated. “Hey,” he said.
There was no movement from the sofa so he headed further into the room and put a hand on Alexandre’s arm. “Hey,” he repeated.
“Ugh, you’re all sweaty.”
He smiled at the protestation. “I’ll make sure I have a shower next time before I let you know I’m back.”
“You do that.”
Despite the objection he saw the arm move so Alexandre could look at him. “Why do you look like you should be living in my garden?” Alexandre asked.
“I had a bit of a disagreement with a bush on the way back.”
“I take it the bush won.”
“Hey!”
He saw a brief smile and counted it as a win in his attempt to cheer his friend up. “You make a good bush.”
“I’m going to go have a shower, clean up. I’ll be back in a bit.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
True to his word he hadn’t moved by the time Philippe returned to his room and sat on the arm of the sofa. “I do believe we were going to be watching a movie now.”