Disclaimer: I don't own The Night Shift

Jordan hesitantly pushed the rooftop door open and stepped outside. Just as she thought, TC was sitting by the edge, staring at the city lights with an unreadable expression on his face.

She had known she would find him up here; even after Ragosa had dismantled the tailgate and moved it, TC still came up here from time to time, just to enjoy the peacefulness.

She cautiously joined him at the edge, taking a seat and dangling one leg over, just like him. Heights had never bothered her before, but it was still several stories down, and a kid had tried to kill himself from this rooftop last year.

"Did you know he was around?" she asked quietly, leaning into his side in the hope that she could offer him some comfort.

TC immediately shook his head. "He moved back to Kerrville when he got out." He had religiously avoided visiting his hometown ever since he had left, and his father's return didn't exactly endear him to go back any time soon. "I thought he was still there."

He sounded completely lost, to Jordan's immediate concern.

TC took a deep breath and shook himself off. "I'm fine," he tried to assure her, but knew that she didn't believe him. "I just hoped I would never have to see him again, and now…" He shuddered slightly and looked down. "I never wanted anyone to know. What am I supposed to tell Topher? He thinks my parents are both dead."

Jordan sighed and gave him a one-armed hug. "You can tell him as much as you're comfortable with," she informed him. "He's your best friend, he'll respect your wishes if you don't want to talk about it."

TC bit his lip. "And everyone else? Scott and Michael already hate me, they have no reason to hold back."

Jordan shook her head. "They don't hate you." TC let out a disbelieving snort, and Jordan rolled her eyes. "They don't. They might not like you very much, but they don't hate you. And if they push too hard, I'll kick their asses. Sound good?"

TC snorted, leaning over to kiss her. Jordan was so amazing, he was constantly wondering why she had chosen him.

When they pulled apart a minute later, Jordan took a deep breath, hoping that what she was about to say wouldn't be taken the wrong way. "T… you'd tell me if seeing him again brought back any of those… other… feelings. Right?"

TC raised an eyebrow. "Are you asking me if I came up here to jump off?" he asked slowly, trying to decide if he should be mad, or grateful that she was concerned.

Jordan shook her head quickly. "No," she rushed to explain, "I just… You haven't seen him in a long time, and a few weeks before he was arrested, you tried to kill yourself! T, I love you so much, the thought of living without you, now that we've finally gotten back together… I can't do it. I need you."

TC silenced her with a kiss, smiling slightly as he leaned back. "I love you too," he assured her. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. "I promise I didn't come up here for any reason other than just wanting to think. I was in a really bad place back then, J. I got better. Besides," he smirked softly, bending over to place a gentle kiss on the top of her head, "why would I ever willingly want to leave you again?"

Jordan smiled thankfully, and was about to say something, when a gleam of metal caught her eye. "What's that?" she asked, alarmed, as she took in the gun sitting next to TC.

TC glanced down, and grimaced. "He had it on him," he admitted softly. "I thought it would be best to make sure he didn't leave with it. I'll call the cops and give it to them. It has to be a violation of his parole, right?"

Jordan nodded shakily, trying not to imagine the confrontation that had taken place out of view of everyone in the ER, and how there had been a gun involved.

She leaned into his side, taking comfort in his steady presence. "Please tell me you got a good shot in."

TC shrugged, holding out his right hand to show her the bruised knuckles. "In my defense, I didn't start this one either," he grinned.

Jordan laughed lightly, remembering her first night shift, when TC had come in looking like crap with bruises on his face, and she had given him a hard time about it. He had told her that he hadn't started that fight.

"Did you do any damage?"

TC gave her a slight smirk. "I was a Ranger, Jordan. I know how to throw a punch. He'll probably have to get his nose set, but as long as he breathes through his mouth, it shouldn't… no, it'll still hurt."

Jordan shook her head, but there was no remorse in her expression or her voice as she replied, "Good."

TC nodded, using both arms to draw her into a tight hug. "I love you, J." It was another minute before he sighed gustily and stood up, grabbing the gun and sticking it in his waistband. "We should probably get back to work."

Jordan grimaced slightly, but knew he was right, so with a weary groan, she allowed TC to pull her to her feet.

Together, they made their way back inside.

XXX

Topher was surprised when two police officers arrived barely ten minutes after his phone call to security. He hadn't anticipated such a quick response.

"Can I help you, officers?" he greeted them courteously.

The one on the left nodded briskly. "I'm Officer Peabody, this is Officer Glass. Are you in charge?" When Topher nodded, he handed him a booking photograph. "The hospital's security called us. Did this man come in to your ER tonight?"

Topher glanced at the picture, and nodded again, his eyes narrowing. "One of our doctors kicked him out about fifteen minutes ago."

The two officers shared a look, before Peabody took the mug shot back.

Topher frowned. "Who is he? Should we be concerned?"

Peabody shook his head slightly. "Richard Callahan. He's the main suspect in an armed robbery that took place two days ago. Your hospital security was also informed to keep an eye out; by coming here, he's in violation of a restraining order."

Everyone who heard the officer immediately stopped and turned to face him. Drew, Kenny, and Gwen came up beside Topher, while Molly stood up at her desk, and Paul and Krista quickly set down the clipboards they had been holding, turning all of their attention to the police officers. Scott and Michael moved over from where they had been standing on the far side of the nurse's station, drawn by the name Officer Peabody had just dropped.

"Restraining order?" Topher asked, glancing at the mug shot in the officer's hand. What he wanted to do was demand to know who that guy was, and why he had TC's last name, but he figured that probably wasn't the most tactful question he could ask.

Peabody nodded as he flipped his notebook open and looked at the page. "Taken out by Doctor TC Callahan, six months ago."

"But why?" Michael asked curiously. He knew they had all noticed the same last name, but who was this guy to TC? Why had he taken out a restraining order? What the hell was going on?

The officers looked distinctly uncomfortable. This wasn't why they were here.

Fortunately, the man in question arrived at that moment, one arm still wrapped around his girlfriend's shoulders, while Jordan seemed stuck to his side, unwilling to let him go any time soon.

Peabody stepped forward. "Doctor Callahan, if you have a moment, we'd like to talk about your father."

TC flinched slightly, but nodded and gestured for the officers to follow him to the break room. Jordan wouldn't be left behind, and joined them as well.

"You said his parents were dead," Scott said, confused as he turned to face Topher.

The older doctor was still staring at the now closed door to the break room, wondering what the hell was happening.

Michael cleared his throat. "According to his personnel file, which I read through many times when I was trying to decide whether or not to fire him, his parents are both deceased."

Topher nodded absentmindedly. "He told me his father died in a car accident when he was fifteen."

"So then who was that guy?" Krista asked, worried about the man she had come to greatly admire.

TC was one of those people who just seemed so calm and in control of himself; he knew who he was and where he was going, and he rarely let anything faze him. So why did this have him so rattled? Was it possible that the completely confident doctor they all knew wasn't actually who he really was?

XXX

"Doctor Callahan, we'll try not to take too much of your time," Officer Peabody assured, once they were in the break room. "I understand your father came to see you tonight?"

TC nodded stoically, his jaw clenching at the thought of the man who, because they shared the same DNA, could technically be called his father. "I kicked him out," he said, taking comfort in the way Jordan stayed a steady presence at his side. "Why did he choose now to come? He was paroled six months ago."

Peabody grimaced slightly. "We're very sorry for all this. I don't know why he decided to come now, but I can assure you that we have many officers out looking for him."

"He never should have gotten out in the first place!" Jordan shouted, suddenly furious, despite her best efforts. "He was supposed to be in jail for twenty five years. Why the hell was he paroled?"

Peabody and Glass shared a look, while TC spent a minute calming his girlfriend down.

He turned back to the officers, his expression resigned but understanding. "Don't shoot the messenger, I get it," he said, to their relief. "He was arrested in Kerrville, you have no idea why he got out early." He pulled out the gun and held it out, handle first. "He had this on him when he showed up. I was going to call the police, but you showed up first. I don't know what he did, I don't care what happens to him. Please, arrest him, send him back, and maybe this time, don't let him out."

Peabody nodded, smiling slightly as he took the gun. "I am sorry for what's happened," he assured the couple. "We suspect that he was involved in an armed robbery a few days ago, so this may be the key to tying him to that, thank you." He gestured to the gun. "We understand how hard this must be. I'll leave you my card, and if he shows up again, or if you need to get in touch for any reason, just give me a call."

TC inclined his head, just once, and took the offered business card, stuffing it into his pocket to hide his shaking hand. He really hated this.

The two officers offered very brief farewells, before they quickly left the room.

Jordan nearly melted into TC's firm embrace, getting as much comfort from him as he seemed to be from her.

"I'm all right," he murmured into her ear, hoping that he sounded convincing.

Jordan sniffed and pulled back, studying him critically. "I don't believe you," she said matter-of-factly.

TC snorted, but didn't contradict her, as he leaned back against the arm of the couch, pulling her with him so that she was half-sitting on his lap. "I don't think I'd respect you as much if you did," he admitted ruefully. Jordan raised an eyebrow and TC sighed. "There's a part of me, and I really don't want to admit how big that part is, that just wants to go running for the hills. I hate this. I hate that almost sixteen years later, he still has this power over me. When does it stop? When do I get to breathe again?"

Jordan had to make a concerted effort not to start crying as she leaned into his chest, embracing him tightly.

"They're going to ask," TC whispered into her hair, closing his eyes in defeat. "They're going to ask, and I'm going to have to tell them something."

"You don't have to say anything you don't want to," Jordan tried to reassure him, but he just shook his head defiantly.

"You know how Topher can get. They're all going to want answers, but I just can't…" he shuddered slightly, imagining the inquisition he would have to face from his friends and colleagues. "I spent so long building up this image. I never wanted anyone to know."

Jordan sighed regretfully, knowing how TC must feel. He really had built up this persona of a guy who never had to work for anything. Many times, it came off as arrogant and self-centered, but Jordan had always known that it was all an act. He was remarkably insecure, the result of years of being beaten down and abused. But he was also smart and good at his job, and years with the Army had taught him how to act confident even if he didn't feel that way.

"Whatever happens, I'm here," she promised, hoping it would offer some small amount of comfort.

TC nodded slightly, grateful for her presence. "I know I can be difficult at the best of times," he admitted, "but you've always been there for me. I don't know why you put up with me for so long." Jordan made to interrupt, but TC silenced her with a soft smile as he ran a hand gently through her hair. "I've done a lot of stupid things over the years, you know it's true. I put you through hell." He shrugged, looking down sadly. "I was a mess after Thad died; he was the only person before you who actually cared about me. He's the reason I didn't do it again, after he found me that night." They both knew exactly what he was talking about. "We'd been dependent on each other for so long, it took me a while to figure out how to live without him. And it's still hard. Every day, something happens that I wish I could tell him about. I miss talking to him, pretending not to enjoy the way he would always be looking out for me."

TC snorted in amusement. "Didn't matter to him that I was emancipated, or that I was just as much a Ranger as he was, he always insisted on acting like I needed to be bubble wrapped or something." He sobered. "I never really told him how much I appreciated everything he did for me. He's the one who called the cops. Did I ever tell you that?"

Jordan shook her head slightly, amazed at how much he was opening up to her tonight. TC didn't normally share like this.

TC nodded, his gaze fixed on a point in time that Jordan knew only he could see. "He called the cops and got him arrested, he got me out of that foster home five months later, he got someone to represent us when I applied for emancipation… he's the reason I joined the Army, became a Ranger, went to med school. Everything in my life, I owe to Thad."

And suddenly, Jordan felt a rush of understanding. TC felt that Thad had been the reason behind everything good in his life, and when Thad had needed to depend on him, he had let his big brother down. "T…"

TC shook himself off and refocused on the present. "I'm happy with my life right now. I was doing good, we were doing good. And now I just feel like a teenager again. I hate this."

Jordan knew that he did. TC was a strong, independent Army veteran. But he hadn't always been that way. He had spent the first fifteen years of his life terrified of just going home each afternoon. He had lived each day afraid of saying the wrong thing that would set his father off, afraid that someone would see the bruises, that a doctor would ask the wrong questions. That ingrained learning was clashing with the man he was now, both sides warring for dominance.

Knowing that she couldn't say anything that would help, she just leaned into his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him tightly.

XXX

Everyone was still crowded around the nurse's station when the cops left the break room shortly after entering it.

Topher stepped forward, drawing their attention. "Do we need to be worried?" he asked hesitantly, just wanting someone to tell him what the hell was happening right now.

Peabody sighed, handing the gun off to Glass and gesturing for him to go to the car, before he turned to the group of doctors. "We'll speak with your security, and make sure they have a few people in the ER, just in case. We have a BOLO out, and I don't believe it will take too long to re-arrest Mr. Callahan."

"Is he really T's father?" Drew asked curiously.

Peabody managed to contain a grimace. He really felt for the doctor in question; as one of the officers assigned to the armed robbery from three days ago, he knew the details of why Richard Callahan had been arrested sixteen years ago, and he could make an educated guess that Doctor Callahan had probably not intended for his colleagues to ever find out. "I'm not here to spill any secrets. I'm just trying to do my job. If you'll excuse me, doctors, I need to go." He quickly made his way to the exit, leaving the doctors even more confused.

Topher didn't waste any time in hurrying to the break room, everyone else following behind.

XXX

"Maybe we should take the rest of the shift off," Jordan suggested softly, one hand absentmindedly playing with the hem of TC's shirt.

TC gave a one-shouldered shrug. "I'm fine." He wondered if she was keeping a running tally of how many times he had said that over the last couple of days. He wondered if he was getting any more convincing.

Jordan pulled back and gave him a light glare. "You don't have to keep doing that with me," she admonished. "I'm not here to judge, and I know you're not fine. For Christ's sake, T, the guy tried to kill you."

Unfortunately for the couple, both had their back to the door, so they didn't notice when it opened.

Everyone heard Jordan's comment, but TC was already responding, his voice strained. "I don't think that's what he was planning. It was an accident."

Jordan's glare intensified, as she reached out and pulled TC's shirt up slightly, revealing a faded scar right above his hip. "T, he stabbed you!"

TC shrugged, looking down. "If he had been trying to kill me, he would have picked a more vital spot. It was always about the pain, with him. Why kill his punching bag?"

"T…?" Topher trailed off, not knowing what he was supposed to say. He had just learned so much more about his friend than he had ever thought possible. And he knew that TC had not planned for this to happen; TC hadn't wanted him to find out. Topher was his best friend, and he hadn't wanted him to know.

TC flinched violently at the sound of his friend's voice, cursing himself for not realizing that the door had opened. He held a sliver of hope that Topher was the only one who had come in, but he didn't trust his luck that much.

Indeed, by Jordan's wide-eyed look of worry, he would hazard a guess that there was probably a large group standing in the entrance to the break room.

Knowing that nothing good could come from turning around, he just continued to stare at the far wall, his hands clenching the arm of the couch he was leaning against; a muscle in his jaw ticked as he tried to control his emotions and keep his expression neutral.

Jordan bit her lip in distress, glancing from the group of doctors, plus Kenny, Molly, and Gwen who were all crowded in the doorway, to her boyfriend, who looked like one good poke would shatter him into a thousand pieces.

Damn it, why hadn't they heard the door open?

"Was that man really your father?" Topher asked cautiously, trying to figure out why his best friend would lie to him. They told each other everything. TC had no trouble coming to him to borrow money, or when he needed a place to stay, but he couldn't even tell him the truth about his parents? Was his mother still alive too?

A slight shudder wracked TC's tall frame, and despite their curiosity, all of them were immediately concerned. Jordan rested a hand lightly on his arm, trying to tell him without words that he didn't need to say anything.

"We all have our pasts." TC's voice was emotionless and dead to their ears, not a tone any of them had ever heard from the doctor before. They could imagine the expression on his face even if he was deliberately not looking at them. "Not all of us like to share."

Silence met that claim.

Scott once more thought back to a few days ago, and the way TC seemed to connect so well with Kevin. Analyzing the relationship TC appeared to have with his father, it didn't take a genius to figure out that he knew how to interact with Kevin because he knew what it was like to be Kevin.

Damn it, Scott hated feeling like he had misjudged someone. He hated feeling concern for someone he thought he didn't like. But TC looked so destroyed right now, it just made the surgeon want to apologize for every mean thing he had ever said to the guy.

Topher felt his gaze being drawn to TC's right side, where a patch of scarring was now once more covered as Jordan had dropped his shirt as soon as she had realized they had company.

Topher remembered seeing that scar before, when he and TC had served together. He had asked about it, and TC had told him that it had been a shrapnel wound he had received during his first tour.

Topher hadn't questioned it. Why should he have? He had had no reason to believe that TC was lying to him.

And now?

Topher understood being embarrassed about your past, but TC had never struck him as the kind of guy to have any shame. He just always seemed so confident; that was one reason why it had been so startling to hear about his break down nearly six months ago, after Topher had been shot.

Krista and Paul looked distinctly uncomfortable, but didn't want to make a scene by leaving. Even if they had worked with TC for months, and admired him, looked up to him, respected him, he was still a superior, and not quite a friend just yet.

Everyone else looked torn between pushing for more, and just leaving the couple alone.

Jordan leaned over and whispered something in TC's ear. He sighed, his shoulders wilting slightly as he nodded in resignation, and Jordan turned to face the crowd at the door. Her expression was determined, and she looked like she expected nothing but their immediate cooperation.

"What happened tonight is in no way any of your business. You're going to go back to work, pretend you saw nothing, and never talk about this again. Are we clear?"

"But don't we…" Michael trailed off suddenly as TC stood and turned around, fixing the former administrator with an intense glare as he folded his arms across his chest. It could have been a show of dominance or defiance, if he hadn't looked so close to fracturing.

"Let's get one thing clear, here," TC growled, causing everyone to intentionally lean back at his sudden anger, "I don't owe you anything. You want answers? I really don't care. You don't see me prying into your financial issues," he turned to Drew, "or your relationship trouble." He looked at Gwen. "Yours either." Gwen flinched slightly at the insinuation, startled at the fact that he knew about her ex. TC glanced at Scott. "I don't ask about your drama with your sister and her custody battle with her ex." Scott looked surprised that TC even knew about that. TC turned to Topher last. His expression was confident but there was a very real thread of fear behind it, that only Topher and Jordan could see. "I'm allowed to have a life. I don't have to share everything with you. I can –"

He cut himself off and looked away, his jaw clenching as Jordan rested a hand on his arm, calming him down.

TC took a deep breath to steady himself. "I'm going to take the rest of the night off."

Before anyone could stop him, he pulled himself away from Jordan, and pushed his way through the group still standing in the entrance to the room. They separated easily, not wanting to make things worse by attempting to stop him.

"Jordan?" Topher was hesitant to actually speak, hoping she was a little calmer than her boyfriend.

Jordan's glare was not reassuring. "He's right, Topher. He doesn't owe you anything. He might be your best friend, but do you really tell him absolutely everything?" Topher looked away, guilty. Jordan nodded decisively. "Exactly. Everyone is entitled to their privacy, so stop prying. If he wanted to tell you, he would."

"The police had to be called in," Michael reasoned, worried about TC but trying to hide it. "Shouldn't we at least be able to understand why?"

"Not at his expense," Jordan replied snappishly. "I don't care who you are, you hurt my boyfriend, I will end you."

She left the break room, hoping to catch up to TC before he actually left.

Knowing that there was no reason for them to still be here, Topher gestured for everyone to get back to work.

Once he was alone, Topher quickly made his way towards the staff parking lot. It was a long shot, but he was hoping TC hadn't left yet. He knew he had crossed a line tonight, and he wanted to apologize.

Luck seemed to be with him, as he ducked around a car and saw TC sitting on his motorcycle. Jordan was at his side, and they looked to be in the middle of an intense conversation.

As he got closer, he managed to overhear what she was saying.

"… knows where you work, T, he's got to know other things too. Doesn't your home address have to be disclosed with a restraining order? Please, just go to my place, all right?"

TC seemed to wilt slightly. "I spent fifteen years living in fear of that man, Jordan. I finally got out from under it, and I can't go back."

"This isn't about being tougher or stronger, T, this is about staying alive! Damn it, he had a gun tonight. What if you hadn't been able to get it away from him?"

TC immediately got off his bike so that he could give Jordan a proper hug, rubbing her back reassuringly. "Don't think about the what-if's, J," he murmured. "You'll only wear yourself out."

Topher knew he needed to either announce his presence or leave, so he hesitantly cleared his throat, and was rewarded as both doctors stiffened and pulled apart, looking at the night shift chief with apprehension.

Topher grimaced, hating the way his best friend was looking at him right now. He would give anything to never have TC look at him like that again. "I just wanted to apologize," he said cautiously. "I didn't mean to pry. I just…" he trailed off, uncertain of how to finish that sentence. What had he been trying to do? He had been curious, and he hadn't really thought about TC, just his own selfish desire for information.

"I'm sorry, T," he finally continued, when neither TC nor Jordan looked like they were going to speak. "You don't owe me anything. I was surprised, but it's your life, and you don't have to tell me anything."

TC nodded stoically, not trusting himself to speak just yet. Jordan smiled approvingly at the night shift chief, but was more focused on making sure her boyfriend was all right.

Topher was about to go back inside, when TC's voice stopped him. "He was arrested when I was fifteen."

Topher turned back around, and TC leaned against his bike, taking a seat as Jordan clasped his hand tightly, offering her support.

TC sighed wearily, his gaze fixed on the ground, so that he wouldn't have to see Topher's pitying gaze. "I'm fine with people seeing me as self-centered or arrogant," they all knew he was talking about Scott and Michael, who had never tried to hide their opinions on the tall doctor. "I really don't care. But I don't want people to look at me the way you all did in there. I don't need that. I'm not weak, or helpless."

Topher bit his lip, considering, before he decided to throw caution to the winds, and hesitantly moved over to sit next to TC on the bike. "No judgment," he promised. "As far as I'm concerned, you're still the crazy son of a bitch who saved my life countless times in the sandbox. Nothing could ever change that."

TC drew in a shaky breath, and then let it out, trying to steady himself. "I didn't exactly have the best childhood," he admitted ruefully, feeling better when Jordan squeezed his hand reassuringly.

"You don't have to tell me," Topher said quickly, not wanting TC to feel like he was obligated.

TC smiled slightly and glanced over at the older man. "I know."

Topher nodded slowly. "Just making sure."

TC bit his lip as he turned his gaze back to the ground. "My mother died having me. My father always blamed me for that." Topher inhaled sharply, but didn't speak. "Thad did his best, trying to provoke him, keep his attention off me. Sometimes it even worked." TC snorted lightly, shaking his head to clear it of the errant memories. "Things got… bad, when Thad turned eighteen. He wanted to get out, but he didn't want to leave me. I told him to go, and then dad kicked him out anyway, so it wasn't like he had much of a choice."

TC swallowed harshly, feeling a burning sensation in his eyes that indicated he might be about to start crying. He ruthlessly squashed that down. He wasn't going to lose it. Not here, in the middle of the staff parking lot at the hospital, and not in front of Topher. "I…" His voice trailed off, and Jordan leaned into his side, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. He shook himself off and forced himself to keep going. He had started, and damn it, he was going to finish. "It was a couple months after Thad left that I kind of… made a mistake."

Topher frowned in confusion, and Jordan rolled her eyes at his phrasing, though her expression was full of worry.

TC took a deep breath, steeling himself for the reaction he expected when he told his friend the truth. "Things just got worse, and I couldn't deal with it anymore. I kind of… well, I took a bunch of pills, drank a bottle of vodka, and…"

Topher's eyes widened as he inhaled sharply. "You tried to kill yourself?" His voice was quiet and disbelieving. Even after Afghanistan, after Thad's death and his break up with Jordan, he had never seen TC low enough to attempt that. He just seemed like such a happy guy, it was just… it didn't seem possible.

TC grimaced and shrugged. "I don't know if I really meant to do it," he admitted. "I was just so tired of hearing how worthless I was, and how I would never amount to anything. Anyway," he shook himself off, "Thad found me and called an ambulance."

"And your father was arrested… right?" Topher asked worriedly. He hoped this story was almost over.

TC shook his head tiredly, his eyes showing a world of pain that Topher had never seen before. "He managed to convince the doctors that it was a stupid teenaged mistake, and signed me out AMA. He then proceeded to spend most of the next few weeks showing me the error of my ways." He sighed, slumping down slightly, though he brightened minutely when Jordan began rubbing his back reassuringly with her free hand. "I shouldn't have done it," he said quietly, and Topher had to strain to hear him. "That was rule number one: don't draw attention."

He trailed off, his mind still trapped in the past, and Topher let him have a minute, before he felt it was safe to speak.

"What happened next?"

TC flinched slightly, his jaw clenching in anger and fear and worry and a hundred other emotions Topher was certain he was feeling right now. "A few weeks after the… incident… he got kind of drunk, and just… wouldn't stop. Usually, he'd go to a certain point, and then pass out, but that time…" TC shivered lightly. "He wasn't stopping."

Jordan quickly moved her arm so that she was hugging him, whispering something she hoped was reassuring in his ear.

Topher was fine letting them have a moment. He needed one himself.

Holy crap. Topher suddenly thought about all the times he had complained about his parents over the years – their inability to speak English around him, how they were always offering him unsolicited advice, and countless other remarks that had seemed totally innocuous to him.

God, he was an idiot. TC had always offered a word of encouragement and advice when he could, and Topher had never thought anything about it.

But what had he been feeling, every time Topher had complained about his parents? Had he thought about how lucky Topher was, to have these small problems? Had he wondered why Topher was upset that his parents cared enough to annoy him?

It was several minutes later when TC straightened up and seemed to brace himself for impact, before turning slightly to look at Topher out of the corner of his eye.

Topher did his best to keep his expression neutral, as TC grimaced and forced himself to finish. "Thad picked the right time to stop by for a visit; he called the cops, I ended up in the hospital for a few days. It all worked out."

Jordan cleared her throat pointedly, and TC rolled his eyes. "OK, so I ended up in a foster home with a less intense version of my father, but it only lasted five months. I got emancipated as soon as I turned sixteen. Thad planned it all out – I got my GED, we found a place to live together… everything ended up all right."

Somehow, Topher doubted things had been as simple as TC was trying to make it out to be, but he didn't question the man. He wanted to say something to reassure TC that he didn't see him any differently, but what came out was, "And he's out now."

TC swallowed harshly, looking away as he tried to control the onslaught of emotion. "He served fifteen years of a twenty five year sentence, and was paroled six months ago," he admitted quietly. "When he got out, I took out a restraining order, because he's not really the kind of guy to leave things unfinished."

Topher wanted to question that, but Jordan was already comforting him, whispering reassuringly in his ear. Topher didn't hear every word, but there was definitely something about how the asshole would have to go through her first.

After a few minutes of silence, TC looked slightly calmer, and Topher felt it was safe to speak. "Jordan said he tried to kill you?"

TC grimaced and shrugged, looking down. "I really don't think he meant to, but the added charge got him a longer sentence, so I'm not complaining."

Topher let out a soft sigh, trying to think of something comforting to say, but coming up short. Finally, he decided to just screw it, and say what was on his mind. "This sucks."

TC snorted, glancing over at him in amusement. "No arguments here."

Jordan nodded emphatically, and Topher felt some sense of relief. It didn't seem like TC was regretting telling him, so now he just had to worry that he would screw this up.

"Look, T, I don't know what your life's been like. Yeah, part of me wishes you had told me before now, but I don't blame you. And it doesn't change anything." He bit his lip. "If you need anything, you know you can always come to me."

TC nodded slightly, one side of his mouth quirking up in a smile. "Yeah. Thanks." He shook himself off and sighed. "I'm not really sorry that I didn't tell you before now, but I am sorry if you felt like I don't trust you. I do. It's just…" he grimaced. "It's not exactly a life I'm proud of, you know? It was always just easier to tell people that my father was dead, rather than in prison for trying to kill me." Topher flinched at the harsh words, and TC and shook his head minutely. "I'll feel better once they re-arrest him."

"Me, too," Jordan commented, wrapping an arm around TC's waist as she rested her head on his shoulder. "I still can't believe they let him out in the first place."

TC shrugged, not bothering to answer. He didn't get it either, but then, he could admit that he was a bit biased.

Topher stepped away from the bike, giving TC what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "You should go get some rest. We'll talk later, yeah?"

TC nodded slightly, before Jordan gave him a hug. "Go to my place, T," she whispered, "please."

TC nodded again as he pulled back. "I'll see you in a few hours," he promised, before getting back on his bike and riding away.

Topher and Jordan watched him leave, before they wearily headed back inside to finish their shift.

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