#slg1e10

MARK- “So, Peter, Seth and I have discussed this, and I shared everything with Seth regarding your brother and what happened, and we both agree that you need to stay on here with us and continue as the twins nanny.”

PETER- “Are you sure. I mean I would understand if---

SETH- “Mark is right, Peter, we want you to stay. I think that over time your brother will realize that what happened had nothing to do with you. And the kids really like you and have grown attached to you. You are amazing with them.”

PETER- “But what if Joseph continues to try and communicate with them?”

MARK- “Once he sees that you have control of the situation and are not going to let anything happen to them, I think he will rest and leave you alone.”

PETER- “So you think he is trying to help me take care of them because he thinks I could allow the same thing to happen to them as did him??”

MARK- “I think you may think that. But you have to realize that you are fully capable of helping us raise Logan and Jonas and that you would NEVER let anything happen to them. Once you realize that, then Joseph will too.”

PETER- “I think you are right. I think he is just worried about them.”

MARK- “I am sure he is, and so we need to make sure he knows that they are safe with you. And YOU need to know that Seth and I trust you and that you will not allow anything to happen to them either.”

Over a period of several months up through the next year, Peter began seeing less and less of his “brother” He also sopped appearing to the children. Regardless if it truly was the ghost of Joseph Lowenthal or not, Peter began to gain confidence in his abilities and in time realized that his brother’s accident was not his fault and Josephs “ghost” finally was able to rest in peace.

JOSEPH- “Would you tell this asshole that i don’t want to hurt his kids. I am not here to hurt anyone!”

PETER- “Okay, I know that, but why don’t you just tell him yourself.”

MARK- “Peter??   Peter, is Joseph here now?”

PETER- “Sorry, yes, he is sitting right here next to me, he said he isn’t going to hurt the kids, he isn’t here to hurt anyone. I told him to tell you that himself, but he says you don’t believe he exists, so therefore you can’t see him or hear him.”

MARK- “I want to believe, Peter----

PETER- “Tell him, address him.”

MARK- “Okay, Joseph, I want to believe you are here, and I also want to believe that you do not want to hurt the kids and if that is the case, then why are you here?”

JOSEPH- “He doesn’t believe, and he doesn’t want to, or he could see me. I am here not for his kids, but for you, Peter. I am here to let you know we can still be best friends and brothers. I miss you, and I know you miss me. I am here to help you through this.”

PETER- “He says that if your really believed and wanted to believe you would be able to see him. He is not here for any other reason than for me. He knows I miss him and that he wants to help me through this.”

MARK- “Got it... Joseph, I want you to know that I understand that you just care about Peter. But this is not helping him. This is hindering him from moving on with his life. He does miss you, terribly and he feels guilty because you died and he couldn’t help save you. But you know as well as I do that he was not responsible for any of that. You need to tell him goodbye and let him move forward.”

JOSEPH- “Is that true, Peter? Do you think that you were responsible for me dying?”

PETER- “Yes, sometimes... I do.”

GENERATION ONE EPISODE 10 ~ Seeing Dead People

The weekend arrived and Peter went to the bus station to pick up his brother Scott and bring him back to the Schrieber home. It was August first and it seemed as though summer was going to end early this year as it had rained most of the day and as they drove past the docks it was finally subsiding, but the temperature dropped 15 degrees since the time Peter left to go to the bus station. It was late when they arrived back and the twins were already in bed, as well as Mark. Seth greeted them on their arrival and Peter made the introductions and Seth led them to the basement to the room that Scott would be using during his visit.

SETH- “It is so good to finally meet someone from Peter’s family. I hope you enjoy your visit, Scott.”

SCOTT- “I am the only family member other than Peter that travels outside of our home. Father and Mother both work. Father in town and mother in her garden. My sisters are both busy, one going back to college and the youngest is starting high school this fall.”

SETH- “I knew Peter had siblings, but had no idea he had so many. He doesn’t share much.”

SCOTT- “Peter is a closed person, he doesn’t share too much with others.”

About that point in the conversation Peter walked into the room.

SETH- “Sometimes that can be a good thing I suppose. So I hope yu like your room, and make yourself at home, Scott. Stay as long as you want, I know you were here for the weekend, but if you want to stay longer, you are more than welcome to.”

SCOTT- “Thank you.  I guess it all depends on Peter.  He may not be able to handle me being around for longer than the weekend!”

As Peter came out of Logan’s room, Mark met him in the hallway. (He was asleep, but now he was fully clothed...not sure how that happened!)

MARK- “Hey Peter. So you and Scott got back okay, I see. Did Seth get him all settled in downstairs?”

PETER- “Yes, and thank both of you for opening your home to him, even if it is for just a couple days.”

MARK- “No problem at all, Peter. You are family, which makes him family.”

PETER- “That really means a lot.  Thank you.”

MARK- “So I take it you looked in on the kids?”

PETER- “Yes, they are fast asleep. I checked the vent in Logan’s room, it was very cold in there when I walked in. The vent was fine, but maybe the AC is acting up??”

MARK- “Could be, I will have Seth check it in the morning before he leaves for work, but you my friend need to go to bed and not worry about the kids. You are officially on a mini-vacation.”

PETER- “Yes, mini-vacation... but I just had to make sure they were okay.”

MARK- “Understood, now go to bed.. (he chuckled)”

Peter got ready for bed, as he was exhausted. Long day in the car and then back here. His room seemed a little colder than normal as well. He was glad Mark said he would have Seth check the AC.

Picking up Scott and traveling back to Brindleton took all of Peter’s day, so before going to bed he checked on the twins...

Jonas was fast asleep

As he got closer to Logan’s door he thought he heard something inside...

SCOTT- “He said he wants to help you, Peter I don’t know why you are upset by this. Mark is a psychologist he is not going to do anything that will hurt you.”

PETER- “I know, but if Joseph doesn’t trust him it is not going to help.”

SCOTT- “Listen, Peter, if Joseph realizes that he is hurting you then maybe he will leave you alone and be able to move on and rest in peace.”

PETER- “How is he ever going to rest in peace, Scott. He died because of me. I should have tried to save him. I could have saved him. I could have told him not to take the horses out that night.”

SCOTT- “Peter, I never once thought it was your fault, neither did anyone else. It was an accident.”

PETER- “Dad did, He still blames me.”

An Hour Later...

MARK- “Okay, Peter. I know you felt bad about this morning, and I also know there is a very good explanation as to what is going on. I just want you to know first of all, you are not in trouble, and we think you are doing an amazing job with the twins, but over that last week or so things have seemed a little stressful for you.  We want to help. And we need you to talk to us.  I thought maybe you would be more comfortable with just talking to one of us to begin with. So tell me, what is going on with you?”

PETER- “Yes, there has been something going on, but it has been going on before I came here. I have been in therapy going on my third year, with Dr. David Davis in Windenburg. I was tested for Temporal Lobe Epilepsy, which was negative and the doctor feels that I may suffer from  hypnagogic and hypnopompic hallucinations. Sometimes I do not have to be going to sleep or just waking up, these sometimes occur if I have went without sleep or am under a lot of stress or just physically tired. And... I spent a few months at Brymoore Mental Care Facility.”

MARK- “Okay, so you have hallucinations then, seeing things that aren’t there?”

PETER- “Yes, exactly, but to me they ARE there. And it is not things, it is always my brother, Joseph.”

MARK- “And by your brother, I assume this is your brother that died in the fire?”

PETER- “Yes, and I never had these hallucinations or ghost sightings until after he died.”

MARK- “That is common many times when there is a tragic death of a loved one, especially if they are young. So, can you tell me the circumstances around your brother’s death. I know you said it was a fir, but can you be more specific?  I mean if you want to, you don’t have to.”

PETER- “This is really difficult, but--

MARK- “It’s okay, you don’t have to, we can go on without---”

PETER- “No, I need to.... It happened three years ago. I was twenty-two and he had just turned eighteen. Joseph and I were really close. We went to a party of a family friend and he and I rode together and decided to go back home early before the rest of the family. We live on a pretty large estate and Joseph loved riding the horses.  So he decided that evening he was going to take Lincoln, his horse out for a quick run. After about an hour one of our stable hands came running into the house screaming saying there was a fire in the stable house. I called the fire department and headed towards the stables. When I got there Alonzo, our stable manager was coming out of the stable which was engulfed in flames with Lincoln and tow other horses. But Joseph was no where around. I yelled asking where he was and Alonzo said he was inside the stable but could not locate him. I ran into the fire screaming for my brother, but the flames were to high and strong and I couldn’t get into to even look for him. Alonzo pulled me back.  The fire department finally arrived and it took hours to get the fire out.  Of course by this time my parents and the rest of the family were home as well. The fire captain said they found Joseph’s body in the back of the stable under a burlap cover. There were no burns, but he died of smoke inhalation. My father started yelling at me telling me it was all my fault, I should not have let him go out there by himself and that I was the older brother and should have been more responsible. Mother started yelling at him telling him it was no ones fault and they fought. I left. I went to a friends house for the night....

MARK- “Peter...I am so sorry. Your father should not have----

PETER- “He was right though. I should not have let Joseph go out there by himself.”

MARK- “But you had no way of knowing there was going to be a fire. Your brother’s death was not your fault, Peter. These hallucinations may very well be due to unresolved guilt. “

PETER- “These are NOT hallucinations, this is my brother, and now he is here, and he is communicating to Logan and Jonas!!  I was just trying to protect them from him this morning. It was Joseph I was yelling at!!”

Peter was sobbing as he said this. Mark just sat there quietly for a moment, looking at Peter, knowing how this young man must have felt and all the guilt he was carrying for no reason.

MARK- “Our minds can cause us to feel and see and do strange things, Peter.”

Peter just shook his head in defiance.

LATER THAT SAME NIGHT...

SETH- “So, he is seeing the ghost of his dead brother here and thinks that the ghost is communicating with our children?? I am sorry Mark, but I don’t think it is a good idea that we continue to allow him to take care of our kids. You said he is currently in therapy?? I wish he would have told us this in the beginning.”

MARK- “I am sure he knows that we would not have hired him if he had.”

SETH- “Exactly! But not telling us everything he has put our children at risk.”

MARK- “Wait, that is taking this way out on a limb, Seth. The kids are not being hurt, and I certainly do not think that Peter is wanting to hurt them either.  And he has said that “his brother” doesn’t want to hurt them either. I think that if I can convince him that I am getting through to his brother, I can help him overcome this.”

SETH- “Don’t you think you are feeding into this, Mark? And it may not be a good idea to be his therapist, you are too close to the situation. I understand you care about Peter, but you need to think of the kids.”

MARK- “I am not trying to be his therapist, and I am thinking of the kids. They love Peter, that have grown very attached to him. I want to help him and honestly I don’t want to try to hire another nanny. Peter is holding a lot of guilt because of his brother’s death. His father has made him think that it was his fault, which is causing him to think his brother’s ghost is haunting him. Once he realizes he isn’t responsible his can have some peace of mind and hopefully stop the hallucinations.”

SETH- “Okay, this is your area of expertise, I trust you, but if this gets out of hand we will need to let him go, okay? We certainly don’t want our kids to think there is a ghost in this house.”

MARK- “Yes, I agree.”

SETH- “So are we both going to talk to him then?”