This chapter has got a lot in it, i meant for it to be shorter but once i started writing it just kept coming. I really appreciate the reviews ive gotten so far. PLEASE COMMENT
Thanks and look forward to Chapter 8 tomorrow
Chapter 7
After Abigail walked out Shawn felt a rush of emotions, he turned to Gus, looking like he'd just been punched in the stomach.
"Gus...She broke up with me" he let it all sink in.
"I'm so sorry Shawn, but if that's the way she feels maybe it really is best you go your separate ways." Gus tried to comfort his friend, thinking he was in pain when all of the sudden Shawn started to smile.
"Dude, it's okay! Besides now maybe...maybe I can finally tell Jules the truth!" But how?
"Shawn don't you think maybe you should wait till the shock of this all sets in? I mean she just broke up with you and you are clearly not over what happened that night yet, maybe you should try talking to your mom, she is a psychiatrist after all"
"I don't know Gus, talking to my mom about all this? I don't know it just feels weird besides, I don't want her to worry about me. She's had to deal with enough this year what with the whole Mr. Yang thing and now me getting kidnapped, I'd rather not worry her."
Gus nodded "that's true dude but she can probably help you with your nightmares, and besides I don't think you give your mom enough credit Shawn, she's pretty tough!"
Shawn nodded "Yeah...must run in the family" he smiled
Shawn reassured his friend "I'll tell you what buddy if it will make you feel better I'll give her a call okay?"
Gus smiled "Okay Shawn, so are you hungry?"
"As a rabid wildebeest Gus, when have you ever known me to turn down food? Besides my dad doesn't have anything decent to eat, I get the feeling he hasn't bought junk food since 1987...so I'm thinking...Smoothie's?"
"You know that's right!" Gus and Shawn fistbump
"Well you know me, as long as it's got pineapple in it, we're good to go. I'm buying!"
Gus looking annoyed says "Which means I'm buying! Shawn!"
"You know that's right" Shawn smirked.
After smoothies Gus took Shawn back to his Dad's. Henry was glad to see his son starting to get back to his smart ass self. He had come to close to never being able to hear his son's voice again, he was sure he could not have handled that because despite all their bitching, he really did love Shawn...he just couldn't bring himself to say the four little words that his son has probably always wanted to hear. "I Love You, Shawn"
"Hey Shawn, Gus, what have you two been up to?"
"Hey Dad, we just went to get some smoothies because your house is kind of like...out of food."
"My house is not out of food Shawn, it is just out of certain foods"
"Whatever dad, it's cool, me and Gus here just went go get ourselves some smoothies."
Shawn took a sip from his smoothie "Pineapplicious, so what's going on with you, dad?"
"Just getting some work done around the house, you know it stayed cleaner when you weren't staying here, not that I mind, you just need to take responsibility for yourself Shawn, I'm not the maid, the least you can do is clean up around the house because I know you aren't working on any cases."
"Well dad, the key word in that sentence is "my" room, so since it's mine I don't mind not cleaning it up, besides it's not like I can do much cleaning with this" he points to his arm in the sling. Henry looks at him with pity
"Fine Shawn, but at least clean up your messes in the kitchen, that's the least you can do" Gus sees where this is going and decides to leave.
"I'll see you later Shawn, I've got to get back to working on the inventory for my new route, remember what we talked about" Shawn nodded
"Okay dude, see ya" they fistbump and Gus leaves.
Henry looks at Shawn curiously
"You wanna tell me what's really going on Shawn?"
"Dad, please, nothing is going on" Shawn clears his throat
"Shawn I've known you long enough to know when something is bothering you, what's going on kid?"
Shawn finally gives in, secretly glad that his dad asked
"Well dad, it's like this...I've been having nightmares and I haven't slept really well since...well since before it happened"
"I know that Shawn, you are living in my house remember? You think I don't hear you at night? What else is wrong?"
"Well dad, I was talking to Gus about what happened and I told him that my last thought after being shot and kidnapped was...that I'd never get the chance to tell Jules I love her."
"Detective O'Hara?"
"What about you and Abigail, I thought things were going so well, what happened?"
"Well let's just call it a mutual parting, she broke up with me dad, I think that's a first"
Shawn smiled and his dad said "So are you okay with that?
"Yeah dad, I think I am"
"So speaking of Juliet, you still haven't told her, kid, I think she knows how you feel"
Shawn put off by his dad knowing about his feelings for Jules asked
"How did you know that? I haven't told anyone but Gus about that?"
"Kid, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see what's going on between you two" "Do you think she feels the same way?"
Shawn closed his eyes and flashbacked to that night at the drive in, Juliet came in looking beautiful as ever, trying to tell him how she felt, asking him out on a proper date, unfortunately her timing was just dreadful. "Why did I have to be out with Abigail that night?" "Why couldn't she have said something sooner?"
"Shawn? Kid? Come back to earth"
Shawn came back to reality "What? Huh?"
"Were you daydreaming?"
"No...just, just remembering" he had a hint of a smile.
"Well you wanna talk about what happened?" Henry asked he hoped Shawn would finally open up about what happened, to him.
"Not really much to say, I got shot, that's about it" Shawn deflected
"I know it might be hard to talk about kid but it's going to eat you up inside unless you talk to someone about it. The best way to get over what happened is to try to understand it, so it never happens again."
"Dad, I seriously doubt it will ever happen again, I mean really how many times can I get shot and kidnapped in a lifetime? It was a fluke, I was too close to catching them and they had to stop me before I had a chance to ruin their plan. What are the chances of that happening to me again, really?"
Henry was trying to be supportive but the way Shawn kept joking about it infuriated him, how could he be so casual about such an ordeal? Joking about getting shot and trying to say it couldn't ever happen again, "God knows what else the kid went through"
"Shawn did you ever stop to think that it could happen again? I mean look at what you do for a living, you and your "psychic detective" thing get a lot of attention, especially from the people who want to get away with their crimes, they know you are probably the only one who could stop them, don't you think that means that they could...try to get rid of you?"
Henry's voice was shaky. Shawn had never seen his dad like this, ever since the shooting he had noticed his dad being more, dad like and he was honestly a little weirded out by it. "Dad has never been this way before, it's almost like, he's...a normal father"
Shawn decided to open up to his Dad for the first time in a long time. He told him about his nightmares, waking up in a cold sweat every night, the throbbing feeling in his gunshot wound every night, feeling like he was really back there, fearing for his life, every night.
Henry tried to tell Shawn "the best way to make the bad memories go away is to try to make new memories, so that you don't have to remember going through that Hell."
Shawn had a new found respect for his father, since he found out the man he blamed for his mother leaving hadn't actually initiated the divorce, Shawn had been trying to mend his broken relationship with his father, but there was still a long way to go thought they did have their moments. For the first time in a long time he felt as though his father actually cared about him, and dare he say it...he felt like he was starting to feel love towards his father.
"Thanks dad, I'll try to remember that, though that is one bad thing about photographic memory, being able to remember everything. Every detail every sound, every feeling I had, and every smell. Everything from the storage yard, to the kidnapping, to riding on the hood of Lassie's car is burned in my brain. Maybe Gus is right, maybe I should give mom a call"
"Your mom?"
"Well yeah dad, she is a psychiatrist after all."
Henry nodded, if anyone could help Shawn deal with this it would be Madeline, she's probably the best there is. End of Chapter 7
