Episode 60 - A Lot to Ask

"Good morning," Paige greeted Lance tersely as he joined his older brother at the breakfast table.

She started to put a plate with an omelet in front of him, but he stopped her.

"I'm not in the mood for omelets," he said, turning up his nose at her breakfast. "I'll have a waffle."

"I'm sorry," she replied with forced sweetness. "I didn't make waffles this morning, just omelets. I can put waffles on the menu for tomorrow."

"Hmmm," Lance pretended to think it over. "I think I might want something different tomorrow, Miss Paige. Oops, I mean Miss Parker."

Paige took the plate away and passed it to Lorna who had just entered the dining room. She spoke through gritted teeth, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Fine. One waffle coming up."

"You forgot to make your bed this morning, Lance," Lorna declared.

"Don't worry. It will be taken care of," he said pointedly with a glance toward Paige who was headed back into the kitchen.

"What's your problem this morning?" Artie scolded.

Lance shrugged, unconcerned. "I don't have any problems."

"I know you never liked having Jolene here, but she's only doing her job to help us and our dad. There's no need to be so rude. You don't get to boss her around like a servant."

"Maybe I'll go apologize," Lance smiled as he strolled into the kitchen.

In the kitchen Paige was cursing under her breath as she started mixing up the waffle batter. Now that Lance knew the truth about her, he was going to make her life hell and they both knew there was nothing she could do about it.

"Miss Parker, there is something else."

Of course there is. She took a deep calming breath and plastered a smile on her face before she answered. "Oh? And what would that be?"

"As you should know, my birthday is coming up. I was hoping you could put together my birthday party for me."

Paige blinked, surprised that he wasn't requesting something bigger than that. Maybe she had Lance wrong and he was just a little kid looking for love and attention. "I'm sure I could do that."

"Good," he said. He handed her a piece of paper. "This is what I need for my party."

As Paige started reading through the list, her eyes grew wide and she shook her head. "This is a lot to ask. I don't know if I'm going to be able to do all this."

Lance shrugged. "That sounds like your problem to figure out."

"And it's going to be expensive. What if your dad doesn't want to spend this much on a party?"

"He pays you, right?"

"Money that I need to pay my rent and buy groceries."

"Then maybe you need to get a roommate," he said pointedly.

Jolene frowned and then sighed in defeat. "I'll see what I can do."

* * * * *

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay home?" Cassie asked Blaine as she was getting ready to leave the house. "Because I don't have to go into work today. I can work from home or go in later after Zara gets back from her meeting.

"No, go. I'll be fine," Blaine insisted. Honestly, he was looking forward to everyone being out of the house, so he could have some quiet time alone with his own thoughts without the pressure of his family waiting and hoping for him to regain his memory.

"If you change your mind or need anything my number is by the phone," she said, hoping he would ask her to stay. "And you can use the bedroom if you need to rest. I really wish you would have let me take the couch instead." What she honestly preferred was for neither of them to sleep on the couch, but as Zara continuously reminded her, it was going to take time for things to get back to normal.

Blaine shook his head. "I don't mind. I don't want to put you out of your bed."

"It's your bed too."

While he knew that was true, it didn't feel like it.

Soon, the rest of the family was on their way to school and work and Blaine could breathe a sigh of relief to be on his own for a while.

He puttered around the house, trying to decide if he really remembered living here or if he was just recalling what he'd seen from the pictures Cassie had shown him. Ultimately, he felt like he was alone in a stranger's house, one where he was told to make himself at home, but he couldn't quite let himself feel perfectly comfortable.

Not sure what to do with himself and feeling suffocated in the house, he decided to go out for a walk to clear his head.

He had walked halfway around the neighborhood when he heard someone call out to him.

"Blaine!"

He looked up at the sound of his name to see a man getting out of a car in a neighbor's driveway.

"Hey, man! How are you feeling?"

"I've been better . . .I think."

The man laughed. "I'm glad you still have your sense of humor."

"I'll take your word for it." His first instinct was to continue on his walk, but since the man seemed interested in having a conversation, he walked over to him. "I'm sorry if I'm supposed to know you, but . . ." he gestured towards his bandaged head.

"I know. I was sorry to hear about your accident, man. I'm James, by the way. Cassie and I are old friends and she works for my club," he explained. "What are you up to?"

"Just taking a walk."

"You want to come inside and hang out for a while? Chloe, my wife, would be glad to see you. She's felt bad that we were away when your accident happened and we weren't around to be there for Cassie and the kids."

Blaine shrugged. "Alright."

He followed James into the house where he was introduced to Chloe who was getting off the phone with a client.

"Hey, look who I found."

"Blaine! It's so good to see you up and about," Chloe greeted him warmly, before inviting him to have a seat.

As they made small talk, James and Chloe talked to Blaine with the easy demeanor of old friends, old friends that he didn't remember, but at least with Chloe and James they didn't seem to have any expectations for him to remember.

"I really should get back to work," Chloe said as she rose from the couch after visiting for a while.

"We'll clear out of your way," James offered. He motioned for Blaine to follow him to the den, so Chloe could talk on the phone without interruption.

As Blaine followed James into the den, he noticed the musical instruments, stereo, CDs, and album art hung on the walls. He motioned to James' album covers hanging over the piano. "I see you're a musician. Are you very famous?"

"I'm pretty well known in my own circles," he said modestly. "I've had some success, but I'm not exactly mainstream."

"What kind of music do you play?"

"Jazz mostly, some light rock. Want me to play something?"

When Blaine agreed, James started playing a tune on the piano. Blaine took a seat on the sofa and listened, letting the music wash over him. The tune seemed familiar and brought images of memories to his mind.

"Have I heard that song before?" he asked once James finished playing.

"Yes. You and Cassie both really liked that song. I played it for your wedding," James explained. "I wondered if you would still like it."

"I did and it made me think of a wedding," Blaine admitted. "But lately, I don't know which memories I can trust."

"What do you mean?" James asked as they sat down to talk.

"I have a lot of memories rolling around in my head, but I'm not sure which ones are true." Blaine frowned as he struggled to find the words to explain. "There are some that feel so real and others that feel like a dream or something I imagined. Even some of them that seem real don't match with what I know must be true. Too many of the things I think I remember conflict with each other."

James nodded as he listened. "That's rough, man. I can't imagine what you're going through right now, but I do know that you have a lot of people around you who want to help you find your way and you can trust what they say is true."

Blaine was skeptical. "How can I when I can't even trust my own brain?"

James shook his head sympathetically but had no answers for him. "Maybe it just takes time."

"That's what they tell me, but everyone is so anxious for me to sort everything out right now. I can tell they're trying to be patient and not push me, but the pressure is always there. They're trying to give me time, but I feel like I need some space too, where I can sort out my thoughts and figure out who I am without the pressure to be who everyone else wants me to be."

"Have you talked to Cassie about how you're feeling?"

He shook his head. "Not in so many words. I know she's trying her best and that it hurts her that I don't remember everything. I don't want to cause her more pain, but I've been thinking about getting away for a while. Maybe staying in a hotel or getting an apartment. After everything they've gone through I don't want the kids to feel like I'm abandoning them."

"You think it would help you clear your head though?" When Blaine nodded, James had a suggestion. "Why don't you stay here for a while? It's just me and Chloe, so there's plenty of space and you'll still be close enough to your family to see them whenever you want."

"Are you sure I wouldn't be imposing?" Blaine asked. "It's weird to ask since I feel like I barely know you." But then again he felt like he barely knew his own wife and children who he was currently living with.

"Well, I know you and our guest room door is always open if you want to use it."