In Too Deep by D C Grant Page B

to close as his father was struggling to pull off the sodden jeans.
    “Hey, Josh, don’t go to sleep on me just yet,” his father said, shaking him as he tugged at the jeans that were gathered at his ankles.
    Josh smiled sleepily. His head sunk onto the pillow and his father pulled the covers over him. He was home. He could sleep.
    From a distance he heard his father say, “We’ll talk in the morning,” then he was gone, lost in the darkness that engulfed him.
     

Chapter Nineteen
     
    Josh woke with a pounding headache and a dry mouth. His body ached and he moved around to try to relieve the stiffness in his limbs. He was aware of the ache in his side and remembered that Bevan had kicked him there. There was something in the bed with him and he reached down and pulled out a hot water bottle. There was another lying on his other side. His father must have put them there after he had fallen asleep. He was naked under the sheets and dimly remembered his father undressing him. He pushed the covers back and slowly sat up. The pounding in his head increased. He sat on the edge of the bed, lowered his head into his hands and groaned.
    The door opened and Josh quickly pulled over the sheet to cover himself.
    “Welcome to the morning after,” his father said as he came into the room.
    “Go away,” Josh mumbled.
    “You might as well get up and get dressed. A shower might be a good idea. I’ve rinsed out your clothes from last night but I think you need to get some water on you too. And no sea water this time.”
    “Then get out so that I can get dressed,” Josh protested.
    “Why so shy, Josh? You didn’t complain last night. I’m your father, remember. I used to change your nappies.”
    “I’ve grown up now, or haven’t you noticed?”
    “No, Josh, I haven’t noticed. You’re acting like a two-year-old.” He strode over to the chest of drawers as he spoke and opened a drawer. “Here,” he said, pulling out a pair of boxer shorts. “Put these on. When you’ve had your shower, I’ll make you a cup of coffee.”
    Josh grunted an acknowledgement as he took the boxers from his father’s hand. After his father left, he slipped on the boxers then rummaged around for a shirt and shorts to take to the bathroom. Once there, he put the shower on ‘hot’ and relaxed as the warm water washed off the reminders of the previous night. A bruise just below the right side of his ribcage was evidence of Bevan’s kick. He wondered if his father had seen it. When he looked in the mirror after he’d dried himself off, he could see a red mark on his chin where Bevan had punched him and his tongue explored the cut on the inside of his mouth.
    After dressing, he left the steamy bathroom and went into the lounge. His father was in the kitchen and the kettle had boiled. Josh sat down at the dining table and held his head in his hands.
    “Not much fun, is it?” his father said, as he spooned coffee granules into a cup.
    “Don’t give me a lecture, Dad. Not now.”
    “I don’t think I need to. The morning after is punishment enough.” He opened up the fridge door. “We’re out of milk. I’ll have to go to the store and get a bottle. You wait here. I won’t be long.”
    Josh was about to tell his father to forget it when the phone rang.
    His father answered. “Yes, that’s fine,” he said after a few seconds. He looked down at his watch. “In the next half hour? Well, I suppose that’s alright. Yes, I’ll be here. See you later.”
    He put down the phone and looked at Josh.
    “The real estate agent is bringing someone through the bach in half an hour.”
    “Great,” Josh muttered.
    “I won’t be able to get the milk. Can you go and get me a litre from the store, Josh?”
    Josh was about to tell his father to get lost, then remembered that someone was going to be invading his house. He’d prefer not to be around when they came through.
    “Yeah, sure,” he said, getting up from the table. “A walk will do me