Jamie (The O’Connor Brothers #4)

Chapter 1

Jamie

I’m heading down the stairs at The Bridge with Nick when I spot Ryan, his brother, at the counter. We join him, threading our way through the crowd. I tap him on the shoulder to get his attention.

“Hey! You’re finally here!” He stands up, holding a pint.

“Didn’t you wait for us?” Nick asks, sitting down.

“The bride-to-be is late, and I’m tired of waiting.”

Ryan moves the stool and sits again, revealing someone who clearly doesn’t belong here.

“What about him?” I ask, pointing at him.

“I have a name, you know.”

“He’s just the designated driver,” Ryan replies.

“Well, thank you, little O’Connor,” he says.

“Don’t you dare call me that,” Ryan warns.

“I’m not afraid of you. All those muscles don’t impress anyone anymore.”

“We can discuss that after your face meets my fist,” Ryan says.

“So, Doctor,” I say, inserting myself into the conversation, “you’re here solely for practical purposes.”

“He’s family, after all,” Nick says, cutting in.

Ryan looks sideways at his brother.

“What? He’s always around, and he’s Evan’s father — he’s basically one of the outsiders.”

“Outsiders my arse!” Ryan snaps.

“Don’t worry, O’Connor. I’ve no interest in joining this merry gang. I’m here to do the girls a favour.”

“Well, since you’re the designated driver… what do you say, Nick? Let’s get the party started!”

“Let’s do it!” he exclaims, slamming his hands on the counter.

“But no beer. Let’s kick things off with some whiskey.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake! What are your intentions?” the Doctor asks.

“Don’t worry, Doctor. No one’s taking advantage of you tonight.”

“Definitely. Also, you’re not my type. Too many muscles, too much confidence, and zero brain.”

I don’t respond to the Doctor’s provocation; it has no effect on me. I leave him to his intellectual deductions and turn to the barman to order drinks for everyone.

“Get some for Ian, too; he’ll be here any minute,” Ryan suggests.

I get whiskey for the group, and we find a table.

The Doctor/designated driver/pain in the arse is following us.

I suspect he’ll be keeping a close watch on us tonight.

That’s his problem. He doesn’t know who he’s up against. We’re players, we’re pumped, and we’ve got something to celebrate.

No one is going to kill our enthusiasm. In two days, two of the most important people in my life are getting married, and nothing will ruin my mood — not even him.

A few minutes later, Ian appears, weaving through the crowd and heading straight for us.

“About time!” Ryan groans. “Where have you been?”

“You left me stranded, so I had to get a taxi. Traffic was a fucking nightmare.”

“I came with him,” Ryan says, jerking his thumb toward the Doctor.

“You could’ve picked me up.”

“You weren’t on our way.”

“We live in the same neighbourhood!”

Ryan shrugs.

Ian lets it go and immediately picks up his drink. He knows it’s pointless to reason with that idiot Ryan. He raises his glass, and we all follow suit, ready to toast this extraordinary event that will inevitably complicate everyone’s lives.

We down our drinks in one go. I turn to the Doctor. “Do you mind?” I point to my empty glass.

“Are you kidding?”

“Aren’t you here because you have to make yourself useful?”

“Fuck you.”

I laugh, amused, slowly getting up, then reconsider and bend down to his ear.

“You wish.” I straighten and turn away. I don’t need to see his expression, and I don’t even care.

I just wanted to take the piss. I head to the bar, order another round, and sit on a stool, eating nuts while I wait.

I should have eaten something before I started drinking, but I can afford to be a bit of a dickhead for once — after all, I’m with the O’Connors. I have to adapt.

I grab the glasses, careful not to spill, and carry them back to the table. As I sit down and pass the drinks to the brothers, I realise the Doctor is gone.

“Where is he?” I ask Ryan.

“Who?”

“The Doctor.”

“How should I know? I’m not his babysitter. His only job is to get us home safely.”

I scan the room and spot him leaning against a column, talking to a guy I’ve never seen here before.

I watch the scene silently for a few minutes, ignoring the brothers’ chatter. When the other guy pulls out his phone and starts typing, I realise they’re exchanging phone numbers.

“Wow,” Nick says. “The Doctor has definitely got it.”

“Actually, he didn’t even try,” Ian adds. “He just got up, and that guy was all over him.”

“After all, he’s a decent guy,” Nick continues.

“What?” Ryan raises his voice.

“What did I say?”

“Are you taking the piss?”

“God, Ryan, relax! It was just a comment.”

“Don’t. Apart from the fact that he’s a dick and I can’t stand him, I don’t think it’s appropriate to make comments about him. Or maybe you have a particular interest?”

“Shit, Ryan, I was just talking!” Nick downs his drink in one go.

I do the same with mine. It hits my stomach like fire. I slam the glass down on the table, clutch my gut, and pant for breath.

“What’s wrong?” Ryan asks.

“This fucking whiskey.”

“Did you eat before you came here?” Nick worries about me as if he were my big brother.

I shake my head.

“Well done, Captain! I’ll get you something to eat. I don’t want you to vomit on my shoes tonight.”

“Wait, I’m coming too,” Ryan says, standing up. “I’ll get another round for everyone. If you can handle it, Jamie.”

“Fuck you!” I tell him through gritted teeth.

Nick and Ryan leave, and Ian moves closer to me.

“Heartburn, huh?”

“Fucking whiskey.”

“The whiskey, you say…”

“What do you want, Ian?”

Ian’s eyes flick to the Doctor. He’s still leaning against the column, with the same man looming over him, breathing against his neck. He takes a sip of his drink, keeping his calm facade. The other guy looks ready to throw himself at him, and I can only imagine his intentions.

Actually, no. I can’t and won’t imagine anything.

Besides, why the hell should I care what the Doctor does? Or what he might be capable of? Or what that guy might do to him?

Their intentions are not my concern.

The Doctor is not my concern.

Yet the pain becomes unbearable, and I groan in agony.

“Ah, Jamie, this is bad — no, it’s shitty. Really, really shitty.”

“Shut up.”

“Why don’t you see if you can do something about that… heartburn,” Ian says.

I can’t help looking at him one more time, and it feels like my stomach is being ripped open, clawing for something that doesn’t exist and was never worth finding.

With the Doctor’s help, I get Nick into the car and close the door.

He’s completely out, and Ryan is in much worse shape.

Ian manages to climb into the car on his own, but I’m not sure he’ll make it home without passing out.

Maybe one of those strip clubs would have been easier, but the O’Connor brothers aren’t into that sort of thing — and neither am I, let alone the Doctor.

They’d rather spend time at their usual pub with friends and teammates than go clubbing.

“Do you need a ride, too?” the Doctor asks.

“I actually came with Nick, and I still have his car’s keys.”

“Can you drive? You’ve had a few, haven’t you?”

“Did you count my shots?”

“Of course not.”

“Plus, you were so busy…” The words just slip out of my mouth.

“Hmm?”

“Never mind. I’m drunk, and I don’t know what I’m saying.”

“I can see that,” he comments, letting his eyes slide over me. “Come on, Nick will manage. He’ll come back for his car tomorrow. I promised I’d get you all home safely, and I don’t intend to lose anyone on the way.”

“Professional ethics?” I tease him.

“Common sense,” he replies, getting into the car.

Okay, what should I do? Should I go too, or take the risk?

After all, I don’t live far from here — just a few miles.

If I hadn’t drunk the place dry, I could have run home.

But I’m tired. I don’t feel like driving; besides, I told Nick I’d stay at his place.

I have a feeling he won’t be happy when the hangover wears off.

I get into the car and sit in the front passenger seat next to the Doctor. He starts the engine, and we drive out of the car park, heading for the other side of town. The Doctor drives in silence, keeping a watchful eye on the road, his calm almost getting on my nerves.

Is he seriously not stressed about this? If I were him, I would’ve put them in a taxi and sent them on their way. They’re not even friends, and the Doctor’s only doing this because of the girls.

I lean back and close my eyes for a moment, hoping to nip the headache in the bud. But my thoughts are racing, giving me no peace and no chance to rest my mind.

“Why did you do that?” I ask him suddenly.

“What are you talking about?”

I turn my head to the side and open my eyes.

My gaze settles on his profile, lit by the headlights of passing cars and the street lamps lining the road.

I want to look away — I should look away — but each time the light catches his features, I hold my breath, hating myself for noticing how his jaw tenses when he concentrates on the road.

“Why did you agree to this?”

He turns his gaze to me for a moment and smiles. “For Casey.”

“Are you two very close?”

What the hell am I asking? Why do I care? Why am I talking to him? Why am I in his car?

“Yes.”

“And you’re also Christine’s friend.”

Again. I mean, Jamie, mind your own fucking business.

“Of course.”

He doesn’t seem bothered by my questions, so I keep going, because now I really want to know. My mania for prying into other people’s lives is my biggest flaw.

“And how is that? Knowing she’s with Ryan now?”

“How come you’re so interested in my life?”

“I have nothing better to do, and the journey is long. I try to keep myself awake as much as I can.”

“Chris and I have a great friendship and deep respect for each other despite her terrible choices,” he says, alluding to Ryan.

I can’t help but smile.

“Besides, don’t forget we have a son.”

The Doctor is Christine’s ex and Ryan O’Connor’s partner.

They had a child when they were sixteen, before the Doctor realised he was gay.

As far as I know, they’re best friends. It’s not like the Doctor and I are friends — in fact, he’s not even friends with the O’Connor brothers — but, as besides being Christine’s ex, he’s also a friend of Casey’s.

So, let’s just say his entry was almost a forced step.

“Your son is a smart kid.”

He smiles again. I can tell he’s proud of Evan.

“Are they asleep?” he asks, alluding to the three morons crammed into the back seat.

I turn to look at them. “Out like babies.”

“Will you be able to carry them all on your shoulders?”

“Obviously. Who do you think you’re talking to?”

“What a stupid question. Are you the Captain or not?”

When he says that word and looks at me again, the heartburn returns.

“Yeah,” I mutter under my breath before turning away and remaining silent until we reach our destination.

After dropping Ian and Ryan off at Ryan’s, we take the family’s biggest dickhead, Nick, home.

“God, you’re heavy, Nick,” I say, struggling to hold him up.

“Don’t leave all the weight on me,” the Doctor complains. I try to lift him a little and load him over my shoulder — after all, I’m the one with the muscles.

We both slip into the house, holding Nick between us, and lean him against the wall to deactivate the alarm. He’s not unconscious, but he’s not quite aware of what’s happening, and he doesn’t have the strength to stand on his feet.

We carry him to the sofa. Nick drops like a sack of potatoes. I definitely won’t take him upstairs to his room to undress him.

“Where is Casey?” the Doctor asks, realising no one is home.

“At Riley’s. The girls are spending these two days there.”

The O’Connor women have bonded so much that they’re now inseparable. I think it’s a survival instinct: I can’t see any other way to deal with the O’Connors than to present a united front and hope they don’t kill each other at one of their family dinners.

“Well, I’ve done my job. Do you want me to take you home or…?”

“No, I’ll stay here tonight. Someone has to watch over him, and since Casey isn’t here…”

“Do you want me to help you take him upstairs?”

“He’s fine where he is.”

“You can’t leave him on the sofa.”

I shrug.

“Come on, just one more little effort.”

I snort, but I let the Doctor convince me to take Nick to his bedroom.

What a fucked-up situation! I knew it would end like this, but I didn’t think I’d end up babysitting the O’Connor brothers with the Doctor.

“If you’re going to undress him, I warn you I’ll leave you to it.”

“Such a fuss,” he comments as he helps me up the stairs, this mountain of stupidity slung over my back. We take a few clumsy steps towards the bed, and when we put him down, we both fall with him.

“What an idiot,” I say, trying to free myself from his arm looped around my neck.

The Doctor laughs as he tries to free himself from Nick’s grip, too.

We pick ourselves up at the same time and, for an instant, find ourselves close — too close — in the dark.

It’s the kind of closeness you should never experience in a moment like this, especially when you’re drunk, your senses are numbed, and your mind lost in an unknown place.

When you’re under pressure, and everyone around you seems to have found a way forward, while you stand still and watch them run past you.

We get up slowly and walk away in silence. The Doctor clears his throat and fixes his unruly hair.

“So, I’ll leave you with him,” he says, nodding towards Nick.

“I’ll try not to kill him in his sleep.”

“If you decide to go through with it, nobody will ever know I gave you a ride tonight.”

We both smile awkwardly. This kind of exchange is unusual for us.

“Take care, Captain,” he says before turning and heading for the door.

I watch him walk away into the darkness, then instinctively call out, “Be safe!”

He turns back to me.

“Well, it’s night, you’re alone in the car, and…”

The Doctor smiles gently, then heads down the stairs.

I hear his light footsteps, the soft creak of the door, the gentle click as it shuts. Then I hear his shoes on the gravel, the car door closing, the engine’s roar, and at last, the sound of silence.

I sit on the bed beside Nick’s helpless body, listening to the wall clock’s rhythmic ticking while something wild pounds inside my chest, refusing to slow down no matter how deeply I try to breathe.