Welcome to Hickstead, home to both Seven Oak Stables, and Blue Acre - two rival stables. Both offer opportunities for their clients to reach the highest level of excellence. Each stable differs from the other, so choose wisely and never forget, loyalty is everything... Meanwhile as the stables battle it out, there's trouble brewing at the university. Be careful, if you don't pick a side you may get caught in the cross-fire...
This is an chilled out rpg with a super friendly and relaxed atmosphere! Remember to sign up with your characters full name in all caps and don't forget to do your claims! Thank you and Welcome, we've been established since 10th March 2009 but unfortunately have had to close guest view of our boards due to multiple sites ripping off our hard work, such a shame! Come chat to us in Discord before joining if you like!.
Shaun felt whatever strength he had simply abandon him at the sound of Nash's voice somewhere behind him. Was it bad that he had hoped that none of the boys were around when Jace was kicking off?
"Don't start Nash," he grunted in return, trying to keep his hands from shaking, "Please, just don't start."
He could feel everything starting to tank out, and if he wasn't careful he was going to collapse. That anger that had propped him up was running away as quickly as it came and for a moment the stabbing pain in his chest brought a momentary panic to his brain, but he didn't show it. Holding onto the wall, he made his way out to the kitchen table and sank into the chair. He couldn't let Nash see his weakness - he didn't need to be chewed out by his older sons again over the lack of care he was giving. How he was being selfish.
Tracey give me strength, I don't know how you did it... I'm so tired already...
Shaun felt like he was going insane. Jace was yet again on the war path after begging him for help. He'd hugged his boy and rang the clinic and promised to take him at three which was the earliest they could get him in. Maybe finally there would be a chance for change - but thirty minutes before they were due to leave, Jace refused. It was a lost fight and Shaun knew it the moment he started to try and force his hand.
But he couldn't allow it to slide either. So he had been verbally strong, and now again, taken to physically trying to man-handle Jace to the garage but getting him past the door frame was easier said than done. There was a lot of screaming, a lot of vulgar language and threats, and a few lucky hits that Shaun wouldn't admit made the world spin rapidly. Eventually Shaun gave up and just lost his temper, yelling back at Jace - throwing insults back and watching the young man snarl and bark back with tears running down his face.
"I HATE YOU SO MUCH!"
"AND I FUCKING HATE YOU TOO JACE!" Shaun yelled back. "I TRY TO HELP YOU AND ALL YOU DO IS THROW IT BACK AT EVERYONE! GO TO YOUR FUCKING ROOM NOW AND STAY THERE!"
Jace went storming off up to his room and slammed the door with enough force to rattle the photos on the walls downstairs. Shaun listened to the muffled yelling for a moment before letting out a low groan of pain. There was an immediate rushing headache, and he knew the hit he'd taken to the head wasn't a good thing either - the doctors had told him to avoid further head knocks for at least three months or more, and here he was barely a fortnight after the fact getting hit in the head by the same son. Leaning on the wall, he rubbed his face and reached for the wedding bands around his neck.
Maybe be late? What time do you think you'll be home then - I am just about to start a roast dinner going. I'd prefer you to get it when it's hot, not reheated.
You know you can call me to pick you up, that isn't an issue.
Shaun's smile, whilst small, was genuine, "Yeah, I don't disbelieve that. Just reminds me when your mother and I were young. We'd sneak out of home and meet up, just to climb up on top of the village church and watch the sun rise. We got caught a few times by Father Eugene, but it was worth it."
"I think I got everything from her."
He nodded, "Indeed, you were the lucky one in this family, you didn't get my poison. You got all the best parts of your mother... just like Elise would've too."
He dipped his head briefly to clear his throat before taking a bite of the cooled sandwich.
"If you're still hungry after half, I'll make you another one."
He finished what he had in his mouth before replying, "I appreciate the offer, but I think this half will do."
"Well we need food. We're out of nearly everything and I don't think Mav's feeling up to leaving the house today so I thought what the heck, I'd be nice and go."
His brow creased slightly, "Well, you can scratch that plan. I've been a bum long enough, so I'll go out and do the groceries."
"But after that, I was going to head to the field and practice."
He nodded, "And how has... soft ball? been going?"
Mentally he kicked himself in the balls repeatedly. He wasn't entirely sure what his sons did, what hobbies they had and liked to do. He was such failure of a father, fucking everything up royally.
"While I can confirm that, the gash isn't exactly what I am worried about."
Shaun raised a brow briefly but let it go. A head knock was nothing he wasn't unused to - he had been struck over a dozen times during his career - but this felt worse. Perhaps because it was coming from one of his kids and not a man in his class.
"I'm sure you don't really mean that."
He sighed as he held onto the wall, "I don't... not entirely. But he evokes those thoughts from time to time."
"Well, glad we can save time on the arguments."
He let that go too, fairly certain it wasn't even worth the come back.
"Dad, you need help? You can lean on me. I swear I can support your weight without an issue."
Swallow your pride damn it. Reluctantly, he nodded.
"Yeah.. I'd appreciate that," he said, his tone more reserved and quiet, "The world has a slight dizziness to it."
Shaun glanced up for a moment, "It's not a matter of wanting Mav, it's a matter of principle. I fell off when I shouldn't have, and now whilst money doesn't fix everything, what you have spent on bills and food should be repaid."
"I rode horses, I mucked stalls."
He frowned a little bit as he began to pull trays from the oven, "So the doctor's have given you clearance to go back to doing things like that?"
He looked over at Mav, "How hungry are you? We're having steak, chips and eggs tonight."
He nodded, at least Derek knew that. Shaun was at least aware enough to know that if he even tried to joke now, it would be shot down in a ball of flames. He loved his sons, all of them regardless of the grey hairs they threatened him with. But his one regret was the tension between all of them, how much he'd failed them with working.
He sighed and shrugged, "I just finished a shift so was just going to chill out for a bit until tonight's work."
"And I interrupted your down time," he said quietly - he was not mad at Derek about that, not even close, he was more annoyed with himself.
"And you?"
"Just tidying up as best I can," he said, putting various tools up on pegs, "Get dinner going, washing done, get things packed away... I only have one more thing to ask - when you get a moment, tally together the money you spent on food and the like so I can pay you back. I know money isn't everything, and it doesn't fix stuff, but I know I put all of you in a bad spot - horrible spot. It won't fix things, it won't make things better, but I want to repay you and your brothers for doing what I should've been doing."
At that, Shaun frowned. Wiped the floor? Jace? Fuck he was getting slow. "Guess he did..."
Breckah men, exasperating as always, "No Dad. There's no 'probably', we need to get you checked out. We need to make sure Jace didn't give you a concussion. On top of that, that is a heck of a lot of blood on the ground that I assume it's yours."
His eyes drifted to the drying pool on the floor and reached up again to the split in the back of his head, "Most likely. Feels like a three or four inch gash."
"What do you want me to do about Jace? Do I need to call the cops or anything?"
Shaun grunted, his tone turning slightly bitter, "No. Let the mangy bastard get hit by a car at this point."
He didn't mean it, not fully, but right now the headache he was feeling, he would've let it go. He couldn't keep going with Jace's mood swings.
"Come on. Let's get you to the ER. I have a feeling we might be there for a while."
He was unsteady as he waved a hand, "Grab my wallet, put fifty on the bench, leave a note. I'll go purely to save arguments. Plus, I don't think you'd want to try super-gluing it back together."
Cautiously he began shuffling himself towards the back door, hugging the wall for support.
Shaun nodded, picking up on the way his son spoke but said nothing. He wasn't even sure any more if his sons cared all that much about him, not that he blamed them. If anything, he was surprised they hadn't all flocked out of the house after the funeral. He'd almost expected it. He might've been able to deal with it. Maybe he would've destructed less or more. Who knew.
"I know." He said gently, making a mental note to avoid bothering Derek any further than he had already.
"Got any other plans for the rest of your day?" he asked, slowly moving over to the assorted tools to begin putting things away.
He wanted a smoke, hell he wanted to sit down and sleep too, but it was probably for the best that he just kept working. Maybe tomorrow he could start work on the truck and avoid getting yelled at by his sons. Maybe be productive. He might just cook dinner after packing everything up in the garage.
"Dad?" Stephen's gaze moved back to his dad, "Do you need to go to the hospital? Also, what the heck happened?"
Shaun's gaze drifted slowly over to the origin of the voice, everything registering a few seconds later. Stephen. That was Stephan talking. His throat was dry as he summoned his voice to work for him.
"I um... I fell." He made a face, hearing his own voice tremble a little. "Jace and I fought... Told him not to go out... I don't remember much else."
He closed his eyes for a moment, wobbling a little as wave of nausea hit him, threatening to drop him to the floor but the only thing that kept him upright was his hands gripping the bench and the scraps of will power he had to remain strong in front of his son.
"Probably should go get it checked." He murmured and carefully rubbed his jaw again, pressing more to make sure he hadn't lost teeth.
He knew the cost of losing teeth, seeing as he'd lost a few over the years and had to have replacements fitted in. It was expensive as much as it was dangerous in all aspects.
Shaun couldn't help the soft sigh that escaped him - another aspect of their broken lives laid bare. His sons paying for shit that he should've been taking care of. He shook his head.
"I appreciate it," he said calmly, "I do. But you shouldn't have to deal with that. Let me know what you've spent out of your pocket and I'll get it put back into your account."
He moved about the kitchen, getting plates down and set them on the table, trying to pick things up that he used to do.
"Just like your mother," he said gently, reaching over to ruffle Creven's hair, "When she was a younger woman. We'd both get up early to watch the sun rise; we'd sit on the roof outside my window as just watch it come up. Must've gotten that from her."
"I already had one, you have it all."
Shaun raised a brow, "Compromise, go halves yeah? I'm finding Crev, that I just don't eat as much now, best not to waste it. Not like before where breakfast used to be a half dozen fried eggs and crispy bacon on warm toast."
"You doing anything today?"
Shaun shook his head, "Nothing important, just house work - not that there is much to do. What do you want to do today then, hmm?"
