Date: Sat, 03 Apr 2021 13:32:16 +0000
From: Isuccum <Isuccum@protonmail.ch>
Subject: Started at the busstop 53

Started at the Bus Stop
Chapter 53

They enjoyed their time in town. They bumped into Dan and Nicky, and the
four chose a film to go and watch. They had a good time together before
separating to go their respective ways.

After their evening meal Percy and William sat in the lounge having a chat
with Grace. The television was on, but no one was paying much attention to
it. However, when the news came on William and Percy stopped talking and
began to pay closer attention. The Home Office story was still being talked
about, but there was nothing that the two hadn't heard earlier. After
talking about it and agreeing that it did sound a lot like their own story,
Grace said she would ring the solicitor on Monday to find out if he had
anything to say about it.

On Sunday evening, after William had gone home, Percy and Grace were again
in the lounge watching the television, having just finished their meal.

"Mum, I've noticed you're not spending as much time in your study as you
used to. Has something happened at work?" Percy asked.

"Yes and no. With the change that came over Elliot and how that affected
us, I realised that I was using my study as a place of retreat. I saw that
I had missed out on most of your growing years by not sharing quality time
with you. I was talking with Mavis a while back, and I realized that she
knew you better than I did. I talked to my manager and told him that I
couldn't do as much research as I had been, as I needed time for my family
as well. We talked for a bit, and that was when he first learned how much
research I was doing out of working hours. He was rather upset. He felt
that he had failed me by not making sure I was getting a better work/life
balance. Because of that talk I've had my workload cut and been given a
raise. I know we don't have your father's income anymore, but there are a
couple of insurance policies that will soon be paid out. Even if we don't
get a penny of what Mr. Bridgewater thinks we should, you'll still be able
to go to university without having to get loans or a part time job. We will
be quite comfortable, and I get to spend more time with you as well."

"That's great. I've been enjoying these times we've had together. I think
I've got to know you a bit better as a result."

"I know I've got to know you a lot better, and I'm really enjoying our
chats too. I also enjoy it when William is with us, so please don't think
you have to exclude him ever. He is a good man, and I think you two make a
lovely couple. I can see you both love each other. That is something I
think I lost with your father."

"I don't think I really knew Dad. I mean, I can't remember him ever doing
anything with us as a family until I got with William and he helped us to
have that meal and go to a movie with all my new friends. But then he
changed with what was worrying him and I don't think I could ever
understand him like that."

"Even though he's gone now, try to find it in your heart to forgive him for
his wrongs. It's not going to affect him, but it will make a difference for
you. That will also make a difference in my life."

"I don't hate him. I despise what he did, but I don't hate him. I think
somewhere inside me there is still some love for him. I think my head is in
conflict with my heart over Dad. I do need to get the two parts of me in
harmony."

"Well, I know maths is your strongest subject and you want to do something
with maths in your career. But I think you might also do well to spend a
bit of time on philosophy. You have an outlook on things that is more
mature than your years."

"Do you really think that?" Percy asked.

"I don't think it; I know it. I'm guessing that all those years when you
didn't have anyone you could call a true friend, you had a lot of time to
think, and that gave you the ability to think things through and come up
with lessons for your own life."

"Now who's philosophising? Or should that be fantasizing?" Percy asked with
a huge grin on his face.

"You may be more man than boy, but I'm still your mother, so I'll not be
putting up with any cheek, young man," Grace said with a grin. She was glad
that Percy felt confident enough to enter into a little banter with his
mother. However, he would have seen a different mother if she thought he
was being rude and sassing her.

After their time together, it was with a lightness of heart and deep love
for each other that the two of them went up to their own rooms for the
night. They both enjoyed a good night's restful sleep and awoke in the
morning ready for work and school.

When Grace arrived home from work, she told Percy what she had learned from
John Bridgewater.  In an effort to help build his case he had used a
friend, who had a friend in the right place, to pass on some of the facts
of the case. This led to word coming back to him that the Home Office were
launching an investigation. He didn't want to risk the Home Office trying
to hush it up, so through another friend of a friend he had leaked the
information to the media. He leaked it so it would make the early news in
an attempt to keep the pressure off Grace and Percy; he was hoping it would
not headline in the later news reports, which would be seen by many more
people. He told Grace that this might just hurry things up; the Home Office
would want it cleared up and out of the news as quickly as possible. In
answer to Grace's question he assured her that while not strictly correct,
he had not broken any laws to get what he had wanted done.

When Grace had finished passing on the news to Percy, he said he felt he
should phone Adam to thank him again for getting a solicitor involved.

"Why don't you invite them to come and have dinner with us tomorrow
evening? That will give Mavis time to prepare a menu. It will also give
both of us the opportunity to show our gratitude." Grace suggested.

"Okay. Thank you. I'll see if they can make it. They won't be able to stay
late; they'll need to get Clive back by his bed time or he won't get enough
sleep," Percy said and went off to his room to phone.

After a fairly lengthy conversation with William during which Percy passed
on all that he had learnt from his mother, he asked William to let him talk
to Adam. He had already told William of the invitation to dinner and didn't
need to explain what he wanted to talk to Adam about. Adam happily accepted
the invitation and arranged for them to arrive at about six thirty the next
evening.

Mavis, as usual, provided a three-course meal that delighted everyone's
tastes. She enjoyed being invited to join them at the table. She glowed
with the praise offered by Adam and clearly enjoyed the comments from the
under-twenties at the table. After the meal Percy took the others upstairs,
and Grace told Adam what she knew of the situation and thanked him for
getting lawyers involved. She also explained how Percy had wanted to phone
to thank him, but she had thought a meal would give them both the
opportunity to thank him. Adam, of course, said that no thanks were needed,
and he was glad he was able to help.

"That night when they just dumped Percy on the road and didn't even check
that he could get into the house made my blood boil. I'm so glad that he
felt he could come to us for help. He looked so forlorn and lost when
William brought him into the lounge. When I saw that, I realised what I had
known for some time but not put into words. I love your son as much as I
love my children. What I would do for them is the same as what I would do
for Percy. Believe me, he just needs to ask for help and I will do what I
can. I actually felt like someone had punched me in the stomach when Percy
told us what he had been through. It took me a while to get to sleep, I was
so angry over it. I'm not sure what I would have done if my solicitor had
told me he wasn't interested, but I would have done something. Maybe gone
to the media. I don't know."

"Thank you, Adam. Words just don't seem to be enough. We are forever
indebted to you. I didn't know what had happened to Percy; he was taken
away before I got a chance to see him or talk to him. That was nearly the
catalyst that would have got me telling those goons anything they wanted to
hear. But I'm sure it would have got me no further than my refusal to lie
did."

Grace and Adam chatted for a while longer, mostly about the four teens
upstairs and the laughs they gave them. Then Adam said he needed to get
Clive home for his bed time. After thanking Grace for the meal he used his
mobile to call William and tell him to come down and bring the others with
him.

------------------------

John's thinking was correct. Less than a week after he had submitted to the
courts an intent to proceed with a civil case on behalf of the Nisbett's,
the Home Office contacted him and offered an out of court
settlement. Although the offer was higher than what he had told Grace and
Percy he thought it might be, it was still a lot lower than what he
estimated they could get if the case went to trial. John also advised Grace
and Percy that accepting an offer would give the Home Office an opportunity
to hush the whole thing up. Someone would certainly lose their job, but
whether Home Office staff would suffer any other repercussions was
questionable. On the other hand, going to court would force the Home Office
to put some house cleaning into practice and make it visible to the
public. The fact that they had offered a settlement indicated that they
knew they were unlikely to win in court. John also told them that the
senior partners of the law firm had said that he had the whole firm at his
disposal to take the case as far as he could, meaning he had access to
experienced and learned brains for advice. He also had a team of
investigators and researchers to build as much evidence as they could
before it went to trial.

The informal chat amongst the legal profession soon had news of this case
being quietly shared from office to office. Within days there were offers
of help and advice arriving on John Bridgewater's desk. It was apparent
that quite a number of lawyers had had a brush with the Home Office and
were keen to see them taken down a peg or two. When the case eventually
came to trial the Home Office's legal team were overwhelmed with a mountain
of evidence clearly showing that they had ignored the rules of detention
and interrogation for years. The fact that the Home Office had launched
their own investigation served only to incriminate the department
further. The government ordered a public inquiry into the whole affair.

At the trial John asked both Percy and Grace to testify. The evidence he
brought out through the questioning, combined with the proof of the
doctored recordings, was enough that the defence team treated both of them
with kid gloves. They knew when they were beat. However, John's suggestion
of the possibility of huge compensation payments proved a bit
optimistic. The judge did award the maximum he was allowed to grant, with a
warning to the defence that if they appealed it to a higher court the
payment would most certainly be bigger.  Grace and Percy each left the
court half a million pounds richer than when they entered. This was nearly
ten times what they had been offered by the Home Office.

The Home Office's own investigation found evidence that certain members of
the department had been instrumental in informing the people who had been
blackmailing Elliot that he still had secrets that he had not revealed when
they interrogated him. This was most certainly the catalyst to his
murder. In the end there were several criminal trials; five members of the
department received prison sentences ranging from eight to fifteen
years. How those people would survive prison was anybody's guess.

----------------------------

After much thought William decided that seeking his father's advice might
be a good thing.  He arranged for Percy to spend the night, and he made it
clear to Juliet and Clive that he and Percy needed to talk to Adam
privately. As it was summer, they went out into the back garden to talk,
sitting at the same table where William had come out to Adam some months
previously.

"I think I should begin, because I'm the one who started it all," Percy
began. He went on to tell Adam what he felt he needed to do and expressed
his concern about how Clive and Juliet would take it.

"Before you give an answer to Percy, Dad, I just want to say that I intend
to continue with Clive and Juliet. We were experimenting before Percy, and
he just fitted in with what we were doing. But I've thought about it a lot,
and I feel that I do need to cut back with them until I can give myself
solely to Percy. Sorry, Percy. I should have told you that last bit before,
but I've only really just come to that conclusion."

"Percy, I'm glad you've come to that decision. I'm sure Juliet will
understand, and she may even be expecting it. Clive, on the other hand, is
going to be upset, but I'm sure that the way you've found to talk to him
will help. You do seem to be able to explain things at his level of
understanding. I do ask that you let me know when you are going to speak to
him, so that I can be at home for it," Adam said.

"Thank you. I think I would like to talk to him tomorrow. I've been
thinking of how to approach it, and I have it pretty much already worked
out in my head," Percy said.

"Tomorrow would be good. I'm not working at all this weekend, so do go
ahead. William, you know that I'm not really keen on any of you having this
sort of activity. I will be glad when you bring it to an end. I can
understand that doing it at the same time as Percy would be too much for
Clive to cope with. But try not to drag it out too long. Give Clive a
chance to see that Percy still loves and cares for him without the sex and
then let it happen. I would suggest that you don't talk about it ending,
you just drift away from it until it no longer is at the forefront of all
your minds," Adam said.

"Thank you, Adam. I do appreciate that you've been quite cool with us about
all this, and I'm glad we are moving more into a situation that will make
you happier.  You've done so much for Mum and me, and no matter what
happens in the future between William and me, I will always be grateful for
the way you've stood by me and helped us," Percy said.

"Yeah, thank you, Dad. You helping Percy and Grace has been good for me
too. I couldn't have helped them the way you have. And I'm grateful for
that. But more than that, I love you, Dad, and always will."

"I've been glad to be able to help. I love both of you and will always try
to help you when you need it. I'm really pleased that you came to talk to
me tonight. It lets me know that you trust me and trust my advice. Whether
you'll always follow it may be another matter, but I'm willing to listen
whenever you want to talk. I can't promise to have all the answers, but
I'll do my best for you both," Adam said. "Now I think it's best we get
back inside and make sure Clive is getting his bath in, or the rest of us
will be waiting till long past our bedtimes to get washed up."

"I think it would be best for me to talk to Clive on my own tomorrow. After
I talk to him I'll talk to Juliet. If he needs any comforting, you guys can
help while I'm talking to Juliet," Percy suggested.

"Okay, I'll give you the time to do that. If I hear Clive sounding too
distressed, I'll come in before you've finished," Adam said.

"Thank you. I'll let you know when I'm about to start so you can be
nearby," Percy promised.

The three of them went back inside to find that Juliet had managed to get
Clive off for his bath already. Even with waiting for water to heat, they
would all be able to get washed up before they went to bed.