Diagnosis: Murder and its characters are the property of CBS and Viacom. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author. This story may not be posted elsewhere without the consent of the author.
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"Everyone deserves a second chance". I sometimes amaze myself at how forgiving I can be. Here's the man who abandoned me as a child, never spared me a second thought, left me to grow up without a father figure, reappears when it suits him just in time to drag me into the middle of his problems and confesses to feeding me one lie after another, and here I am about to offer him a second chance.
He's out on the balcony right now with Mark. My mind is in a turmoil. I'm trying to get my head round the events of the last few days and the best way I know how to do that is to fix some food – it keeps my hands busy even if my mind is still whirling round.
I can see him through the window and I have to do a double take. My dad and Mark, two men who figure heavily in my life. I'm suddenly struck by the irony of the scene in front of me. They're talking earnestly. I can't hear them but I'm sure I'm in there somewhere and I'm also sure that Mark is telling Dad a thing or two about me. I'm overcome with a sudden, unexpected sense of sadness. It should be the other way round. Dad should know more about me than Mark. I guess that sums up our whole relationship. My boss, who's known me for a matter of years, has a better understanding of me that my own father.
I didn't realise that Steve was still in the room. He must have picked upon my mood because suddenly there he is, not saying a word – just a reassuring hand on my shoulder, grounding me. We stand in silence, watching our respective fathers.
I have to go out and talk to him. There's only so long I can put this off for. I can't deny that this business has brought us closer together but it's a huge bridge that has to built and I have to put the first brick in.
I take a deep breath and wonder vaguely when Steve melted into the background again. But here I am on my own, again, and this has to be done. I step onto the balcony, plates in hand.
"Everyone deserves a second chance . . . "