Whatever
"Yeah, whatever man." Punk laughed a little, figuring he'd bumped into a crazy man harassing people outside the hospital. It wasn't hard to believe with the things and people he'd encountered in Chicago.
"No, really." Daniel took a hold of Punk's arm.
"Ok, don't touch me." Punk nodded seriously as Daniel put his hands up and stepped back a little, "Are you… lost or something? Do you need help?" He wondered.
"No… No, I'm fine." Daniel demanded, "I'm serious. I'm… I'm your father." Daniel said as Punk looked across at him.
"My father?" Punk questioned, "The guy who walked out on me when I was a baby? The guy who shouldn't and wouldn't know anything about me?"
"I'm that guy." Daniel nodded as Punk shook his head, not believing it.
"I'm not in the mood for this, buddy." Punk shook his head, trying to walk away.
"Cassie knows about me." Daniel said as Punk stopped in his tracks, "She… She was the one who came to me. Introduced herself to me." He explained as Punk stood still. There was no way this could possibly be his father.
"Say my daughter's name again and I'll punch you in the mouth." Punk turned around to him.
"Ask her yourself. She came to me. She'll tell you." Daniel nodded, "I'm… I'm sorry about your wife-"
"Who the fuck are you?" Punk shook his head, becoming alarmed as he heard this man talking as if he really knew him. Not once would he believe this was his actual father.
"I'm your dad." Daniel said, "I've spoken with Cassie a lot, well… not a lot, but enough to know that you're not in need of a father anymore. Maybe you never were." He said, "But she also told me how big a family you have and… how great you are. You and Dean." He said, "I've been debating with myself about it for weeks. Should I…. Should I not-"
"Are you on fucking drugs? Is that it?" Punk asked.
"No." Daniel scoffed, "No, I… I really am your dad." He nodded as Punk looked at him with confusion.
As someone who didn't grow up with a dad, who never knew what it felt like to have a dad, this didn't give him goose bumps the way some people may have thought. To him, this was still just a stranger.
"You're my dad?" Punk questioned.
"Yes." Daniel said, "And I… trust me, I know it's too late now to even begin to apologise. It's way too late but… Cassie seems to think you might want some answers from me and… and well I've been blocking out that part of my life for a long time but… I think I'm ready to talk about it now." He admitted as Punk looked at him, beginning to laugh which progressively got louder, "Did I… make a joke?" Daniel wondered, watching as Punk laughed to himself, "Cassie did tell me you were… a little bit of a nutter." Daniel said nervously as he watched Punk.
"It's just… it's just funny that you think I care." Punk laughed, "I mean… that could be my dad." He pointed over to a man getting out of his car in the car park, "Or that could be my dad." He pointed to a man coming out of the hospital, "Or that guy over there by the trash." He pointed to a doctor who had come out of a side door, "It doesn't mean shit to me. Dad is not a concept in my life. Never has been and it…" He laughed to himself, "Certainly won't be now." He said.
"Just to clarify…" Daniel said, "All those guys aren't your dad. I am." He nodded.
"Whatever, man." Punk chuckled, turning around and walking away to his car as Daniel shook his head with confusion.
Of all the ways he expected this to go, this was not one of them.
Punk got to his car, still laughing to himself as he got in behind the wheel, starting up the engine and pausing for a second as he placed his hands on the steering wheel, his laugh fading to silence as he sat for a couple of minutes in shock.
"When do you guys move in?" Cassie asked, sitting at the kitchen table with Dominic and Thea as they showed her pictures of their new house they were moving to, back in Chicago.
"Supposed to be next week but I don't know how we're gonna manage to get everything moved from Milwaukee back to Chicago." Thea shook her head stressfully.
"We'll manage." Dominic assured her, "Hey, Cass how about your job? You heard anything back from the station?"
"Just that my case was still being reviewed." Cassie shrugged, "Kinda scared they're just gonna tell me to pack it in and move on. Go be a… florist or something."
"That's not gonna happen." Thea scoffed, "They're just taking it seriously, that's all. You'll be back in no time."
"I hope so." Cassie nodded, "Although, I kinda wanna be around to help dad with mom. I know Jude is obviously busy with Sean, and you guys are trying to move back here-"
"Hey we'll all make sure we're here for mom." Thea assured her, "Houses and jobs and… kids, we can handle it all at the same time." She nodded.
"Yeah, this is why you smoke." Cassie said as Thea just made a face at her. In a way, it was nice to be back on a good page with her little sister after the hiccup they'd had. Nothing felt right when she had a fight with one of her sisters, so she was grateful they were back on the same page. The world just felt easier.
"You guys got James back in his old school again?" Cassie asked them.
"Yeah." Thea nodded, "Although I'm just worried that we're moving him around so much and… it affects him. He didn't really make a lot of friends in Milwaukee. And Sofia was a nightmare. She wouldn't go to playgroup." She said.
"They're still really young." Cassie said, "Sofia's only three. Just three. And James will be fine. He's such a bright kid."
"He is, it's crazy." Thea nodded, "He always corrects me when I speak sometimes."
"That's because you and your sisters have a made up language of your own." Dominic shook his head, "Like calling the TV remote the bleeper. What's that about it?" He looked at them both.
"Mom calls it that." Thea shook her head, hearing their dad come in through the door, "Hey." Thea called, eating some of the popcorn from the bowl in the middle of the table, "Dad, you wanna see pictures of the new house?" Thea asked, "Dominic settled everything today." She said as Punk appeared in the kitchen.
"Just spoke to my dad." Punk said casually as Cassie turned to him whilst Dominic looked at Thea.
"What?" Cassie shook her head.
"Yeah, just… spoke to this guy who says he's my dad." Punk laughed a little, opening the fridge up and grabbing out a bottle of water as Thea looked at Cassie with concern.
"Can you… elaborate?" Thea asked.
"Well apparently Cassie has been talking to him." Punk nodded, looking at Cassie, "It's just funny to me." He shrugged.
"Why… is it funny?" Thea asked with confusion, looking at Cassie.
"Dad, I swear I was just trying to do something good, I thought maybe you'd want some answers and-"
"He just was like… I'm your dad." Punk laughed a little as Thea shook her head with confusion. She'd never seen her father act this way. To many he was very hard faced and blunt, especially when it came to serious situations. To see him nervous laughing was… strange.
"Dad, are you ok?" Thea asked with concern.
"I'm fine." Punk shrugged, "Yeah, whatever." He said.
"Well… what did he say?" Cassie asked.
"Um… I can't really remember, something about being able to talk about this now and… yeah, something like that." Punk said calmly as Cassie nodded slowly, "What are you guys doing?" He asked, reaching over and grabbing some popcorn as Thea looked at him with shock.
"Well… what did you say to him?" Thea shook her head, "Stop acting like a crazy person." She demanded.
"I didn't say anything. It was just… some guy." Punk laughed.
"Yeah, some guy… your dad." Cassie looked at him with confusion, "You don't have anything to say about this?"
"I mean… no, whatever it's just… it's some guy, my dad, right?" Punk shrugged, "Maybe it wasn't even him." He paused as Thea turned to Dominic with concern.
"Dude, are you ok?" Dominic asked.
"Yeah." Punk nodded, "Yeah, good news about your mom. They did more tests and scans and things are looking well. She ate some jello tonight." He added, "She talked a lot more." He said as Cassie and Thea nodded.
"That's good." Thea nodded gladly.
"Yeah." Cassie nodded.
"Well I'm gonna go to bed." He announced.
"Wait, dad…" Cassie stood up as Punk turned around at the door, "Don't you wanna talk about this?"
"About what?" Punk asked them.
"About you seeing your dad, you crazy man!" Thea shook her head.
"No, well… there's nothing to talk about." Punk shrugged, "Goodnight." He smiled to them, walking away as Cassie stood with confusion, slowly turning around and looking at Thea and Dominic.
"What just happened?" Cassie shook her head with confusion, sitting back down at the table.
"I know a cocaine laugh when I hear it." Thea scoffed.
"Thea." Dominic tutted.
"What?" Thea said, "The man has lost his mind. The clean hospital air has gotten to his head." She shook her head.
"I thought he'd be mad with me and… he'd have stuff to say about this." Cassie said.
"He's clearly in shock." Dominic pointed out, "He doesn't know what to say. He's never me this dad and it's… it's kinda late in life to be meeting your dad now." He said, "Plus, he's been exhausted and… everything with your mom… it's a lot."
"Or he's finally just… lost his mind. Like for real." Thea nodded.
"Stop it." Dominic warned her.
"I wonder what he actually said." Cassie said.
"Sounds to me like there was a lot of whatevers and… laughing." Thea said, "I don't think I've ever seen him like that."
"Yeah, me neither." Cassie agreed, "That was… uncomfortable." She nodded.
"Let him sleep on it. Maybe we'll get a better conversation with him in the morning." Thea said.
