(for Daniel)

[jamesthorn]

James returned to the disorganized mess of paperwork on his desk following lunch and a staff meeting with his supervisor, only to find that his office phone was lit up with voicemail messages and so was his cellphone. He had missed call after call, several text messages, and even emails urging him to go to Thornton Estate now. Something was wrong. 

He figured their father was summoning them, but all the phone calls was strange. He informed the office assistant he was headed out for the rest of the afternoon and drove out to the edge of town where Thornton Estate sat primly on its acres of manicured lawn, surrounded by tall trees and flanked by the ocean. Despite the fact that he never came home unless forced, James had a fondness for this place. It reminded him of his mother. 

There was a confusing deluge of staff and family lawyers gathered in the foyer when he walked inside, and he was quickly ushered into the family library, behind closed doors where his father's most notable assistant, Phillip, broke the news to him in a business-like voice. 

William Thornton had a heart attack shortly after breakfast, and he didn't make it. 

Their father was dead. 

Comments

[under_the_radar]

"She really wouldn't." Daniel said. "So what now?" He asked, looking into the bottom of his glass.

[jamesthorn]

James walked over to Daniel and patted him on the shoulder, giving him a somber smile. This hadn't been how he intended to spend the day. "Let's just get through the next couple days with the press and the funeral, and we'll go from there..."

[under_the_radar]

Daniel nodded and gave his brother a half smile. "I have to be polite to the press, right?"

[jamesthorn]

"Yep," James said, giving Daniel another pat on the shoulder. "Extremely polite."

[under_the_radar]

"I can't promise June will be. You know what she's like." Daniel said, huffing a laugh.

[jamesthorn]

James managed a small laugh. In spite of everything, he still had his siblings, that's all that mattered. They would get through this funeral together. "I know what the two of you are like together," he said.

[under_the_radar]

"I resent the implication." Daniel said, falling back on a mild form of their usual bickering. It was comforting in a way he hadn't realised he'd needed. "And besides, you know Demetri is the proper face of the family. June and I are tabloid faces at best."

[jamesthorn]

"At best..."

Chuckling, James reached out to pull Daniel into a hug. Between the funeral and everything else, it was going to be a long few weeks. He hadn't expected to hear this news today, but he was glad that he had his siblings around to make it a little less harrowing. He released him, patting him on the shoulder. "Well, I suppose we can't hide in here any longer. Phillip is probably pacing by the door," he said.

[under_the_radar]

The hug surprised him, but Daniel found himself leaning hard into it. They weren't a demonstrative family, really, but occasionally they remembered that they loved eachother and could show it without punishment. Actually, now they'd never have to worry about it again.

Nodding Daniel took a breath. "Fine. Lets do the family image thing." He said, putting on his 'dealing-with-family-business' face. "But after this we're getting pizza delivered to the house and drinking at least a bottle of fathers best."