Hidden Stash
"Do you believe him?" Punk asked, sitting at a bar with Dean who had filled him in on the visit he'd had from their father.
"I don't know. I don't see what difference it makes." Dean said, "He still admitted that he walked freely." He said, "Just because he decided to come back years later doesn't make it ok." He shook his head, "He also said mom knew."
"What?" Punk turned to him.
"She knew he was gonna come pick us up that night apparently." Dean nodded, "I don't know, man. I don't like this." He shook his head, "I don't believe him and I don't believe he was coming to get us." He said, "Why can't your daughters behave themselves?" He asked angrily, "This is Cassie's fault-"
"Hey, it's not Cassie's fault." Punk defended, "She thought that we'd… we'd wanna talk to him, or at least hear him out." He said, "Tell me about this hit and run?"
"He didn't talk much about it." Dean said, "They charged him with hit and run but he never ran, so I don't get it. He thinks it's because the girls family was rich and they pulled some strings but… I don't know, it wasn't believable. It was like he was just making it up as he went along. I mean… I find it convenient that the night he had an epiphany that he should be a good dad and help us was the same night he wound up going to prison." He said as Punk ran his hands over his face.
"Mom knew about this and she never told us?" Punk said, "Why wouldn't she tell us?"
"Because I don't think he's telling the truth. I don't trust him." Dean said.
"Well obviously you don't. He's a stranger." Punk said, "He's telling the truth about the prison thing. And the hit and run. Cassie saw it on his record." He said.
"Yeah it's just the other stuff around it that doesn't make sense." Dean shook his head, "I was pretty at peace with not knowing who he was." He nodded to himself.
"Were you?" Punk asked him.
"Yeah, yeah I'm too old for this shit, Phil." Dean sighed to himself, "When I was a kid, sure I would have loved to know why the fuck he left but now… I just don't care. I don't have the energy to care." He shook his head.
"But why would he be lying?" Punk asked, "What would he be lying about that he couldn't tell us? We don't know him so… it's not like he's keeping things from us that would even matter." He said.
"I don't know. I don't know what his deal is." Dean said, "Renee was acting like everything was fine. She welcomed him in. Poured him some of my whiskey. Mine." Dean said angrily as Punk scoffed, "I don't understand women sometimes. I really don't." He said, "They got the best poker faces in the world."
"Yeah, I know. I see four of them every day." Punk nodded to himself, "Actually, five. Sofia's got a pretty good one nailed down already." He said as Dean sighed.
"What are we supposed to do?" Dean asked.
"I don't know. I just wanna be there for April right now. I don't wanna deal with this shit." Punk said, "Her parents showed up at the hospital, you know."
"April's parents?" Dean turned to him.
"Yeah." Punk nodded.
"Fuck. Why?" Dean shook his head.
"Sounds morbid to say it but I think… I think they thought she was on the way out." Punk said, "There's no way they would have come over here just to check on her. We haven't spoken to them since that night I was arrested. Well I haven't. I know April had words with them after that but… as far as I know that was it." He said, "And they just walk in like nothing's wrong. I fucking hate them." He shook his head with frustration.
"Or they've came for money." Dean said.
"They ain't getting shit from us." Punk shook his head.
"How is April?" Dean asked.
"She's ok. Up and down. She should be getting out soon." Punk nodded, "Told her about this guy… I can't even call him dad." Punk sighed to himself, "Just doesn't even sound right."
"Yeah, I know." Dean agreed, taking a sip of his drink.
"Do you remember it?" Punk asked, "Growing up? Mom's… mom's boyfriends?" He asked Dean.
"Some of it, yeah." Dean nodded, "Not in full but little bits here and there." He said, "What about you?"
"Yeah, some of it." Punk nodded, "Why wouldn't she tell us about dad?"
"Well to be fair, the woman was always drunk or high." Dean said, "It's not like she was even around to tell us." Dean said.
"But she had opportunities over the years. She's not one to shy away from the truth. Why not tell us that dad planned to see us again but ended up in prison?" Punk asked.
"Because there's obviously something going on. It's us. Things are never simple for us." Dean shook his head, "There's always a… story to another story." He scoffed, "I blame Cassie. No good comes from being a cop. I told her this."
"This isn't Cassie's fault." Punk rolled his eyes, "She came across the file at work, got curious, I don't blame her." He said, "We just gotta figure out what we're gonna do about it. Ultimately it's… it's our decision."
"Hey, Jake." Cassie walked into the police station where she saw her boss.
"Cassie… hey." Jake smiled, "How you doing?" He asked.
"I'm ok." Cassie nodded.
"How's your mom? That was a terrible accident she was in." Jake sighed as Cassie nodded.
"Yeah, it was. She's doing ok. Still in hospital but… on the right tracks I guess." Cassie nodded.
"That's good to hear." Jake smiled, "I was… actually scheduled to call you in the morning."
"Yeah?" Cassie raised her eyebrows, "Well I know my leave of absence pay is stopping this week and I figured if my case was reviewed I'd be able to come back?" She wondered, "But since I hadn't heard anything I guess I was panicking so I thought I'd come down."
"Yeah, your case has been cleared, Cassie." Jake nodded with a smile.
"It has?" Cassie sighed with relief.
"Yes. You… were in every right mind to use a weapon, and you even managed to do it without anyone else getting hurt." Jake said, "You'll start back next week."
"Thank God." Cassie sighed with a smile, "I'm… I'm ready to come back now. I guess I was mad about having to take time off but in the end I think it… it worked out for the best." She said.
"Yeah, most cops say that." Jake nodded, "So I'll see you bright and early on Monday morning." He smiled, "There will be some papers for you to sign, I'll go over it with you then-
"Oh, so… who am I partnered up with now?" Cassie remembered to ask, "Obviously… Theo is no longer here." She folded her arms, looking down.
"Oh well… that must mean you're on your own now." Jake smiled a little as Cassie looked up.
"What?" Cassie shook her head, "As in… like no supervision?" She asked.
"You were with Theo for a long time." Jake said, "He had to do a report on you every month. I read them whilst you've been gone. I think you're more than capable of being on your own now." Jake nodded, "And I think Theo, if he was here, would agree." He nodded as Cassie raised her eyebrows.
"So… so I'm really just… on my own now?" Cassie shook her head.
"Well, we're a team here so you're never alone but in terms of being a rookie, I don't think we need to label you as that anymore." Jake said.
"So I get my own desk?" Cassie wondered.
"Yeah." Jake said, "Yeah, follow me." He nodded, walking on through to the back of the station where the desks were, "You'll work here now." He said, standing beside Theo's old desk.
"This… This was Theo's desk." Cassie said.
"Mhm, but… you also worked here too and I think you'd be his first pick to take over his spot here." Jake said.
"I… I don't know, I don't want to be a replacement. He was more than that." Cassie shook her head.
"You're not. But I know he thought very highly of you and… it makes sense." Jake nodded, "Plus, he gets the last laugh because you now get to be the one who clears out his entire desk." He smiled as Cassie looked at him.
"You're kidding." Cassie said, opening up one of the drawers which had stacks of paper work in them.
"Welcome back." Jake smiled, tapping Cassie's arm and walking off as she shook her head but with a smile, sitting down at Theo's desk and pulling herself in.
It oddly felt right to be sitting there, she felt connected to him through her job, and she promised herself and him that she'd do whatever she could to make him proud and do right by everything he had taught her.
She began clearing out his desk, separating all the paper work into piles, cursing him out for leaving her with this job, but also smiling as she done so. The thought of him laughing over her shoulder was making her smile.
"You had so much crap in here." Cassie mumbled to herself, pulling out all sorts from the drawers at the desk, dumping some papers on the floor for the trash.
She then got to the top drawers, pulling some papers out, sitting them on the desk as she got a quick glimpse of some familiar faces, little familiar faces.
"Wait a second." Cassie whispered, moving some papers out the way as she got to a folder which had 'Brooks' written on the top of it, opening it up where she saw pictures of her father and uncle from when they were little.
She shook her head with confusion, flicking through the papers and noticing Daniel's name appearing, along with the case file from his arrest.
"What the hell were you doing, Theo?" Cassie shook her head with confusion, noticing the date's which the papers had been printed was right before he died.
