The Friday Afternoon Club: A Family Memoir

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death, graphic violence, physical abuse, mental illness, and substance use.

As soon as Nick got the call from Lenny, he called Griffin, stating, “Griffin, get over here now. I need you” (255). Together, they packed and organized his flight out, and then Griffin went to get Alex. All they knew was that Sweeney had attacked Dominique and that she was on life support.

Once they had all arrived in LA, the Dunnes headed to Cedar-Sinai, getting in through a separate entrance to evade the press that was already swarming the place. A sympathetic Detective Johnston met them inside before they went up to see a bruised and unrecognizable Dominique in the intensive care unit.

The Dunnes visited Dominique every day, talking to her constantly and hoping for her recovery. Upon news of Dominique’s condition, a temporary truce had been drawn between John and Nick, with John and Joan visiting every day. However, this truce evaporated when Nick learned that the owner of Ma Maison, Patrick Terrail, had hired an attorney to defend Sweeney while also sending condolence flowers—orchids—to John and Joan, with whom he was friends. Furious at the perceived betrayal and disbelieving that John and Joan weren’t frequenting Ma Maison anymore, Nick, Alex, and Dominique’s best friend, Melinda, fell out entirely with John and Joan.