"How could you let him get this drunk?" Martin fumed "look at the state of him"

"I...I'm sorry Martin,I didn't realise,I'm sorry" James replied.

Martin let out a heavy sigh,soon realising how unfair he was being "no I'm sorry James,it's not your fault,you're not responsible for him,if anyone should be looking after him it's me,I just haven't seen him like this before"

Martin patted James on the back "you go back to the party,I'll take it from here"

"Sorry Martin" James repeated.

"Don't worry James" Martin smiled weakly "our Decky here will get his punishment when the hangover sets in tomorrow"

James made his way back to the now very quiet party while Martin looked down sympathetically at his little brother.

"Come on Declan,I guess we'd better try and get you home,God knows how I'm gonna do that without Mam seeing?"

"Hmmm?" Dec groaned "Mart?"

"Yeah it's me,now up ya get"

Martin lifted Dec to his feet,placing one arm around his waist and the other hand held Decs as he leant drunkenly against him.

Even though Dec was a small guy,when Martin had to carry his dead weight,it felt like he weighed a ton.

Pausing just outside the toilet door,Martin wasn't sure exactly where to take him.If he went back into the main room of the irish centre,everyone including Anne would certainly see the state Dec was in,but Martin wasn't too keen on having him in his car just yet because of the risk of him vomiting all over the nice interior of the vehicle he'd worked so hard to buy.

After a few moments pondering what to do for the best,Martin decided he might as well take Dec back into the hall,Anne and everyone else were going to find out about this eventually anyway so why postpone the inevitable?also he might be able to get some water down Decs throat and sober him up a bit.

Martin took a deep breath before maneuvering Dec through the double doors and placing him down at the nearest table.

"Oh my goodness" Anne exclaimed as she rushed over to the table "Decky?baby,what's happened?Decky what's wrong?"

Martin could sense the panic rising in his mothers voice.

"Mam,MAM,it's ok,he's just drunk,don't worry,he'll be fine" Martin assured her.

"Drunk?" Anne snapped "how did he get drunk?he's not old enough to drink,what's gone on here?"

"I don't know Mam,I have no idea where he got the booze from,all I know is he found it from somewhere and we now have to deal with the consequences"

Anne sighed and touched Decs clammy forehead "I guess we'd better get him home then"

Anne made her way back to her husband and other family members that she had been talking to before she spotted Decs current predicament.

"Our Declan is drunk" she stated "it's time to get going"

"What?" Fonsey asked with a subtle hint of amusement in his voice "our Decky is drunk?"

"This is not funny" Anne retorted "how on earth did he get hold of alcohol?"

Dermott and Cam,who had been listening in on the conversation,quickly averted their eyes.

Of course Dermott had to be nothing but honest "I'm sorry Mam,I bought him a pint,but only one"

"Dermott" Anne snapped "how can you have been so stupid?"

"Oh come on Anne" Fonsey smiled "what sixteen year old hasn't done this?he'll be fine,he'll feel the roughest he's ever felt when he wakes up in the morning,then it'll be forgotten.Just look at it as a coming of age experience,no one ever forgets their first hangover"

Anne glared at her husband "you do realise he's got work tomorrow don't you?how's that going to go then?"

Fonsey just shrugged "guess we'll find out tomorrow"

"I'd still like to know where he got hold of the drinks?" Anne insisted.

Cam chose that moment to go to the toilet,no way was she going to come clean and hoped Dec wouldn't be stupid enough to grass her up.

"Never mind that now" Fonsey sighed "let's just get the boy home"

Everyone huddled around Dec after saying goodbye to the last few guests.

"So whose car is he going in?" Patricia enquired,there was only Martin,Patricia and Anne who hadn't been drinking so they were the only choices.

"I'll take him" Martin reluctantly offered "but I swear if he pukes on my seat,I'm gonna make his life a misery"

Everyone knew that was an empty threat but understood Martin's annoyance.

Marie,who had heard what was going on while clearing glasses and wiping tables,came over to offer her assistance.

"I'll get you a blanket to put down on your seat Martin and a bowl in case he's sick on the way home,you can return them next time you're over"

"Thanks Marie,I appreciate that" Martin smiled as Marie went off to find the items.

"Cam" Martin called out as she returned from the toilets "you come with me,sit in the back with Dec and if he pukes,make sure he does it in the bowl.Thank God it's not a long journey home"

"Ok" Cam agreed sheepishly.

It didn't take too long to get Dec laid down on the blanket in the back seat of Martins car with his head buried into Cams lap.

"How's he doing Cam?" Martin asked worriedly as he heard Dec retch.

"I think he's gonna blow" Cam shouted.

"Get the bowl Cam for fucks sake"

"Alright,don't shout at me" she snapped back.The fact was she was just as worried about Dec hurling all over her nice new,slinky black dress that she'd bought especially for the christening as Martin was about his car.

She soon had Dec sat up and leaning his head over the bowl,Martin making sure he drove extra slowly in case of any spillages.Thankfully Dec didn't actually bring anything up as there was nothing left in his empty stomach.

Martin shook his head at Dec in the rear view mirror "oh Declan,boy are you going to regret this tomorrow"

He was soon pulling up outside his parents house.

"Come on then,let's get you to bed" Martin sighed just as Anne,Fonsey and Dermott pulled up behind them,other members of the family having made their way to their own homes.

Anne shook her head despairingly as she watched Martin struggle to manoeuvre his little brother through the narrow front door of her home.

Once that task was accomplished and Dec had been flopped down on the sofa,Anne went into motherly overdrive.

"Dermott go and get his pyjamas will you?"

"Mam" Cam said "you can't strip him off in front of everyone,give the boy some privacy will ya?"

"Don't worry Mam" Martin laughed,now starting to see the funny side of the situation as he remembered being in a pretty similar predicament the first time he had got drunk "I'll get him sorted"

That was alot easier said than done as Dec wriggled,squirmed and kicked out,not sure what was going on as Martin attempted to get him out of his suit and into his night wear.

"Keep still will ya Decky" he ordered "you're not helping yourself mate"

After what seemed like hours of struggling with the intoxicated teenager,Martin and Anne were helping Dec up the stairs and into bed.

Cam soon followed them up with Anne's spare washing up bowl which was always used when one of the kids had been sick,placing it at the side of Decs bed.

"You'll keep an eye on him tonight won't you Dermott?" Anne pleaded.Dermott had always been a bit of a night owl,managing to survive on very little sleep,choosing instead to read or study into the early hours of the morning.

"Of course I will Mam,don't worry"

Soon everyone was safely tucked up in their own beds,sleeping soundly except for Dec.A few hours after he'd been put to bed,the drunkenness was wearing off and the hangover from hell was setting in.

"Dermott" he groaned loudly,which he immediately regretted as his own voice aggravated the marching band drumming inside his head.

"Dermott" he repeated much more quietly.

Dermott by now had drifted off into a light sleep,so it didn't take that much to wake him.

"You alright Decky?" He enquired concerned.

"No,I feel terrible man,what's wrong with me?my head is pounding,I feel sick and my mouth is so dry i feel like I've been licking a snooker table,i want Mam"

"This Declan I'm afraid,is a hangover" Dermott sympathised.

"Make it go away" Dec insisted unrealistically.

"I wish I could Dec,I'll get you some water and headache tablets but I'm afraid you have no choice but to ride it out until it passes"

"Don't like it" Dec stated childishly.

"No one does" Dermott assured him,this just made Dermott even happier that he'd chosen to be a priest and stay teetotal,for the most part anyway,although he did enjoy the odd tipple on a special occasion.

Dermott soon returned with a glass of water and the medication.

"Here we go lad,sit up" he helped Dec sit up,propping him against the pillow "do you remember you've got work today?"

"Shit no,I can't work today,I'm ill,Mam will let me stay home" Dec convinced himself.

"I don't think she will" Dermott replied "she was none too pleased with the state you got yourself into last night,I think she'll make you go to work as a punishment and anyway this isn't school,this is work,you have to be responsible for your own actions now,the show must go on and all that"

"You bought me the booze" Dec looked for someone to hold responsible other than himself.

"Don't even try that one Declan" Dermott retorted "I bought you one pint,you obviously had more than that,where did you get the rest from?"

Dec strained to remember the events of the previous night.

"Umm,Cam bought one then I nicked one from Uncle Mike when he went to the loo"

"And did you eat anything or were you lying to me?" Dermott insisted on knowing.

Dec looked down into his now empty glass "I was lying,sorry"

"No wonder you were in such a state then" Dermott sighed "but what's done is done,we can't change it so let's just hope you feel better soon"

"I hope so" Dec moaned "I feel worse than when I had gastric flu"

He laid back down,burying his head into his pillow,he desperately wanted to go back to sleep but the pain and queasyness just wouldn't allow it.

After a couple more hours of feeling sorry for himself and accepting that it was very unlikely he would fall back to sleep,he heard Dermotts voice once again.

"Look at the time" Dermott pointed at the bedside clock which showed 7.15am "you need to get ready for work"

"No Dermott,I can't,I'm ill,please don't make me" Dec begged.

At that precise moment Anne entered the room.

"Good morning Declan" she said authoritatively.

"Mam,I'm not well,I can't go to work" Dec knew his Mam would fall for his pleas,or usually did so he was extremely surprised when it wasn't seeming to wash with her for once.

"What you are Declan is hungover and it's all your own doing,I have no sympathy for you.I have no idea how much you drank or how you got hold of it and I don't think I want to know now either,but what I do know is you are going to work and will just have to deal with the fact you are feeling rubbish"

"Mam,please...." Dec begged.

"NO Declan,you are not ill,there is nothing wrong with you that couldn't have been avoided,now get up and get in the shower and I'll give you a lift to work and to be honest you're very lucky I'm even willing to do that"

Dec wasn't happy,where was the loving,sympathetic mother that always took care of him whenever he was ill?

There was alot of moaning and groaning coming from the regretful teenager as he attempted to keep his head still as he got ready.

His Mams anger was bad enough,but how were his employers going to react when they saw him?

He was dreading what lay ahead when he arrived at work that day!