McCormick's POV ch7

He awoke with a start. Slowly he sat up and then walked into the bathroom. It was 2 am, and the judge was laying on the other bed in the room.

When he returned, he was surprised to find a milkshake on the bedside table, and Hardcastle sitting at the table again.

"What's this?" Mark asked.

"It's a milkshake."

"How did you…"

"I put it on ice so it would stay cold."

Mark picked up the cup and took a sip. It was chocolate, his favorite flavor, and it was delicious.

"This is really good," Mark said after his first sip.

"Time for your pills and then I want you to get some more sleep," Hardcastle said as he opened the bottles and motioned to Mark to hold out his hand. Cool water appeared next and the pills were taken without complaint.

"Thanks for the milkshake judge," Mark said and smiled for the first time since they had been robbed.

"Well, I didn't want you takin that medicine on an empty stomach."

"And you had to think to buy it and get ice and save it for me," Mark thought. He wasn't sure, but he thought that made it taste just a little bit better than if he'd gotten it himself.

Mark sipped on the milkshake in silence for a few minutes, then put it down and spoke.

"My uncle used to tell me I was a loser...every day."

"He was wrong," Hardcastle responded immediately.

Mark glanced up at him, and continued, "he said that's why my father left."

"He was an idiot."

"I believed him…. for awhile anyway."

"What kind of a man was he, to say those things to a kid?"

Mark paused, "I don't know. But even though I know it's not true, when bad things happen, I can still hear him so clearly, and it's like I'm transported right back to when I was 12."

"You lived with him right after your mother died?"

"Yeah."

"That makes it even worse."

"Why?"

"Because you were grieving. That's like kicking someone when they're down, and to do that to a kid, well, he deserves to be shot!" The venom in the judges voice startled Mark. The fact that he would be so angry on Mark's behalf was kind of ...nice.

"I never really thought about it that way," Mark said.

"You were probably just trying to get through every day. Sometimes you need to be removed from something so you can see things from a different perspective. It helps you understand what really happened."

Mark exhaled loudly, "well, I know what happened this time."

"This time, you were an innocent victim… just like when you were 12."

"That's not exactly what I was going to say."

"Listen kiddo, when life comes up and kicks you in the teeth, it's easy to feel down. When you're in pain, or when you have a fever, it's easy to stop caring about anything. Right now, you've got all three of those workin against ya, and I can see you feel a little beaten down, but you'll feel better once the infection is cleared up and the pain isn't so bad."

Mark stared at the jurist for a moment and then sighed, "well this time one thing IS different," he offered.

"What's that?"

"I've got you."

"Now yer cookin. Now go back to sleep."