Day 44

„McAvoy! You've got a visitor!" Taking the last step towards the latticed door of Will's cell the guard inserted the key into the lock und opened it.

Will quickly put the book he was reading aside and got up from his cot. He knew it was of no use to ask who had come to see him, so he just followed him to the visitor's area. Putting the hand on the door handle of the room assigned to him he turned around. „Thanks, Bob. Thirty minutes?"

„About." The guard confirmed. „Many people today, we might need the room."

Will nodded. He knew that normally the guards tried to give him at least half an hour with a visitor, if not more, but on busy days that sometimes had to be cut short. Seeing that he had the privilege of getting a whole room for himself and therefore real privacy that other inmates and their visitors didn't have, he wasn't complaining about that, but it was helpful to at least have an idea how much time he was going to have with his family and friends.

Opening the door he saw Charlie waiting, who had been coming to see him at least once a week from the start, and quickly walked over to him for a short hug. „Good to see you, Charlie. Everything alright?"

„Fine. How are you?"

„Well, I cut my walk short this morning because of the rain and for lunch we had this extremely delicious meat loaf again, dry as a log ready to be thrown into the fire... But otherwise..."

Charlie smiled sympathetically. „How about once you're finally out of here Nancy and I'll take you and your wife out to dinner to celebrate?"

„We'll definitely take you up on that..." Will returned the smile, but then turned serious. „How's Mac holding up?"

His boss didn't answer immediately and seemed to weigh his words carefully. „She's... good, I think... She doesn't really talk to me about herself, but this last week she has been looking better; she seems to get a little more sleep. The end of Genoa certainly helped with that. And her work's flawless, as always."

Will sighed. „I feel so bad for her... That's not how I wanted to start off our marriage, maybe we should have waited until I'm out of here..."

Charlie smirked. „Mac seemed pretty determined to me on your wedding day, Will. I don't think you would have stood a fucking chance with that suggestion."

„You're probably right." Will grinned, thinking back to the e-mail invitation Mac had sent out on the spot. „And at that moment it was what I wanted to do, but now...? She deserves better..."

His friend turned serious. „Will, it was exactly what Mac wanted, too, and believe me, she definitely hasn't regretted it for a single moment. Not only does she love you and didn't want to wait any longer, I think she was right: It's good for both of you to know what you can look forward to once you get to go home. Home, Will..."

„Yeah..." he smiled absently and it sounded like he was quietly talking to himself. „I really want to do that... Go home to MacKenzie..."

„And you will." Charlie assured him. „They can't hold you in here much longer, Rebecca is working on it."

The only answer to that was another sigh. „I hope you're right, I promised Mac to make up for the party we missed, hopefully she doesn't have to wait too long." Suddenly Will smirked. „At least we don't have to sweat over the guest list anymore..."

„Good for you." Charlie grinned in return, while Will leaned back in his chair and looked down at his hands. When he looked up a moment later his face had turned serious.
„Charlie, I don't know if I ever really thanked you for what you did for Mac and me... If you hadn't brought her back..." he swallowed hard. „I don't know where we'd be now..."

Charlie winked. „You probably wouldn't be sitting here but be preparing a segment on the newest Hollywood blockbuster."

„Probably..." Will indulged him. „But you know what? If I had the choice I'd always choose this."

„I know, son, and I'm fucking proud of you. As is the rest of ACN, even dayside, if you can believe that..."

Will smiled. „Still... Thank you, Charlie. I will never be able to repay you, I know that." Seeing the nonplussed expression on his friend's face he decided to change the subject. „Any news from Neal?"

Charlie shook his head. „I haven't heard anything. But I'm not sure if some of the staff aren't in contact with him."

„Hmmm, that's good... But we probably shouldn't be talking about him anyway... How are you doing? You look tired, Charlie."

This time it was Charlie's turn to sigh. „Pruit is getting to me, Will... Seriously, I don't know what the fuck I'm doing anymore, what's going on with the news! What happened to old school journalism? Getting to the bottom of important stories? Rules and ethics? All Pruit wants is fucking ratings, ratings, ratings and that by making so-called news for teens and twentysomethings because they presumably generate more advertising profits than other age groups. I don't understand it anymore, Will... Why the fuck didn't he buy MTV or Nickelodeon if he wants kid's TV?"

Will shook his head. „I'm sorry I can't be there with you. I wish I could."

„I know. But we all also know that what you are doing is much more important. You're fighting for the survival of quality journalism in the first place. If we can't protect our sources, journalism will go down the fucking drain. Who would ever come to us again with information on a possible story again?"

„I know, Charlie, that's why I'm here." Will agreed. „Still I wish I could be there by your side and fight for our show."

„Will!" Charlie said insistently. „It's not only about the show anymore. I'm trying everything to save your jobs! I'm close enough to retirement and set for life, I don't care what happens to me, but you kids are young, you still have half your careers ahead of you."

Will snorted. „Mac does, Jim, Elliot and Don do, but I certainly don't. I'm not that much younger than you are... But I know what you mean, we're not just fighting for ourselves."

„Right...We have to find a compromise, a balance between what we want to do and what Pruit tells us to do, or he will replace all of us..." Charlie contemplated for a minute. „The two of us have come a long way, Will... As terrible as 9/11 was, and as sure as I am that I never want to experience anything even close to it again: I'm fucking grateful you have gotten the opportunity to show your extraordinary abilities as a news anchor on that day. You've done good things over the years, focussed on important issues which needed to be addressed."

„Well, except for the three years Mac wasn't around to kick my ass..."

„Everybody needs a break once in a while." Charlie excused him generously. „But you do stand in a line with Murrow and Conkrite and we'll have to start making a fucking plan what to do once you're back. You can't waste your talent on the kind of news Pruit wants to see..."

„I'm pretty sure Mac wouldn't let me." Will winked. „But seriously, Charlie... Thanks for standing up for us and fighting the good fight."

„That's what I do, son."

„Yeah..." Hearing Charlie call him 'son' Will hesitated for a moment but then decided to continue. „You do know that you've always been like a father to me, more than my own has ever been?"

His friend smiled. „And you're the son I've never had, but don't go all mushy on me now..."

Will rolled his eyes. „I won't, rest assured. But I did want to mention... Hell, I've got a lot of time to think in here, you know, and being a husband now myself and maybe, maybe even getting the chance to have a child one day, I've been starting to think about my father again. And I found that there is nothing, really not a single thing I learned from him that would help me with all that."

Charlie looked at him for a moment. „You're gonna do fine, Will. You're not your father..."

„How do I know that before I am in that situation myself? I'm not worried about Mac and me, we've lived together before. But being responsible for raising a child?"

The door behind Will was opened. „McAvoy, two minutes."

„Thanks. Bob, I'll be right there." Will wanted to add something, but then stood up with Charlie following his lead.

„I'm serious, Will, you are nothing like your father. I have seen you with Sophie when she was younger, remember? I see you with the kids of your newsroom every day, who see you as a father figure and would walk through fire for you. I've seen you help Maggie to get over what happened in Uganda. And above all: Don't forget that you're not alone in this, Mac is right by your side. As unlikely as it is in the first place, do you really think she would ever let you harm your child?"

Will let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. „Yeah... You're probably right... And I know that I've got you to thank for it... If you hadn't brought Mac back into my life..."

„Well, we've been through that already. Grant me half a dozen dances with your wife at the wedding reception and we'll call it even." Charlie grinned with a spark in his eyes.

„Deal!" Will laughed. „But seriously: Thank you, Charlie... For everything."

„Anytime. Oh, and listen, Will, if you're not out by then anyway I won't be able to see you next week, I'll have to go to Washington, but the week after that I'll be back. Take care."

„You, too, Charlie. And give my love to Nancy."

„Will do."

After another short hug they both walked to their respective doors where the guard was already waiting for Will, who turned around once more before leaving the room.

„Charlie? Tell Rebecca to shift up gears? I'd really like to go home..."

„You bet, son."