Chapter 11

"Damnet!" Sonny said, beating his hand on the railing. "Come on, Rico!" he said as he headed out of the building.

"What?" Rico asked, as he hurried to catch up with Sonny.

"We've got to go save his sorry ass!" Sonny said. "I forgot about the handcuffs!"

Laughter followed them as they left the building.

Nash, Joe, Harvey and Evan waited as three soggy people found their way back to the shore. Carson was still handcuffed as they dragged him back on land.

"This is…" Carson said, as soon as he stepped foot back on dry land.

Sonny glared at Carson. He was cold and wet and in no mood. He jerked Carson's arm, pulling him closer. He unlocked the handcuffs and took them off. The, in one swift motion, Sonny pushed Carson hard in the chest, causing him to wall backwards, into the water. There was a small drop off of about 3 feet, just past the shoreline. It was not much, but enough to make Carson think that he was going to drown. He started to flail his arm and yell for help.

Neither Sonny nor Rico looked back as they climbed up the rocks to the pier. They ignored Carson's protests and threats, and his feeble attempts to get out of the water.

Sonny looked at Nash. "If he makes it out of there, he's all yours. I'm done!"

######

Sonny hugged Nick again. "I'm going back to Florida tonight, Dad. This has been…."

Nick nodded as he hugged Sonny back. "I'm going to miss you, Son." He stepped back and smiled. "When do I get to meet my grandson?"

"School's out in mid-May." Sonny said, thinking out loud. "So, it will probably be early June."

Nick nodded. "I'm glad you decided to look for us."

Sonny smiled. "Me too, Dad." He bowed his head as tears came to his eyes. "Rico's back at the hotel packing and checking us out. He's gonna be by to pick me up."

"Do you really have to go?" Nick asked.

Sonny smiled as he nodded his head. "I really do. I've got a life back in Florida. But, I'm going to visit, often."

"I'm going to hold you to that." Nick replied.

######

"Do you have to leave?" Cassidy asked as she hugged her uncle tightly.

"I do, Baby Girl." Sonny replied. "My life is in Florida."

"You could move to California." Cassidy offered.

"Billy lives in Georgia."

"He can move out here, too." Cassidy said.

"Rico's family is in New York."

"That's why planes were invented."

Sonny shook his head and laughed. "You have an answer for everything."

Cassidy didn't respond. She just hugged him tighter.

"Meeting you all has been…amazing. I'm thrilled to have another niece. And, I won't be a stranger." Sonny told her. "I told Dad that I am planning on coming back in June, after school is out."

"Really?" Cassidy got excited, then she realized. "That's two months away."

"It'll go by, just like that." Sonny said, snapping his fingers.

Sonny hugged Cassidy tightly for a moment. "You'll take care of your dad and your grandpa for me?"

Cassidy nodded. "Of course."

"Tell your mom I said goodbye."

Cassidy nodded.

Sonny kissed Cassidy on the cheek. "I'm going to miss you."

######

"Our plane leaves tonight." Sonny said as he walked up to Nash's desk.

Nash came out from around his desk and enveloped his brother in a huge hug.

"This went so much better than I had even imagined it would." Sonny told him. "I don't want to leave."

"You could always move here, to California." Nash suggested.

Sonny chuckled. "I've already had that conversation with Cassidy."

Nash smiled. "She can be very persuasive."

"I told Dad and Cassidy I would be back in June. Billy's going to come with me." Sonny stated. "I told…." He sighed. "I never imagined saying goodbye to someone I just met would be so hard."

"Yeah," Nash replied, his voice cracking. "…me either. There just might be some truth to that whole twin-connection thing."

"Give me your address." Sonny said. "I've got…I've been saving things, for years. Things that I wanted you to have. Things that I wanted to share with you. It's going to be a big box."

A very large box arrived at the Bridges' residence a couple weeks later. It was filled with photos. Many from Sonny's childhood, and of his adopted family. He had enclosed pictures from his college years, on up to the present day. Copies of certificates Sonny had received, pens and ribbons from sporting events. He had had duplicates made of some of the awards he had earned on the police force.

There was a letter enclosed. The edges were ragged, and it contained several different styles. Sonny had obviously added to it as the years progressed.

His last 2 entries read:

April 15, 1-

I was not sure that this day would ever come. I've searched so long, for so many years. And so many times, I felt like giving up. But, there was always one thing that kept me going…meeting the other half of me. Because that is kind of what I have come to think of you. The only other person in the world who knows me better than I know myself. And, we've never met. I don't' even know your name. But, I know you. Because, in so many ways…I'm just like you. Besides the obvious, of course. Like about 4 years ago, I had a pain in my shoulder, it lasted for a week. A dull, throbbing pain that would not go away. I had x-rays done, even had an MRI done. COULD NOT find an issue with my shoulder. What was going on with you about that time? I bet you were having problems. It's called sympathy pain when a man experiences his wife's pains during pregnancy. Not sure what they call it when it happens between twins. I was shot in the chest, 7 years ago today. Retaliation from the girlfriend of a drug dealer I killed in self-defense. I was in a coma for week. I'm curious as to what you were feeling during that time. I don't mean to shock you, by giving you this news. I'm just drawing parallels.

Since returning home from California:

May 5, 19-

I've not always been the most open person. But some things have happened that have changed my perspective. They changed my life. I was the consummate, textbook, workaholic. I had nothing else in my life. I needed nothing else in my life, or so I thought. I neglected my family. My wife, Caroline, divorced me as a result. I neglected Billy. In the span of two years, I was shot, my second wife was murdered, and I lost my memory. I will address the murder and the memory issue another time. I retreated for a long time, dwelling on…my life. I was just existing, working. That was it. I was not living. Without my family in my life, I was just existing. When Billy came back into my life, I started to live again. It was a hard lesson, but I finally got it.

Meeting you, and your family and friends, and Dad. That was awesome. Things went so much better than I ever thought that they would. I wanted to send you these things because I want you to have a bit of my life. I am grateful that you were so willing to share your life with me. I would love to have any piece of your life that you would want to send me.

Your long-lost brother,

Sonny

THE END

END NOTES: I Realized, as I started to write the last chapter of this story that I didn't' include Nash's sister, Stacey. I had intended to include her when I started to write this story. And now, at the end, I think I didn't include her because she might have done something like press charges against the Crockett's for Sonny's kidnapping, or something like that. And that is not the direction I wanted to take this story in. I guess I was not sure how I could write around it. Also, FYI: Nash was shot in the shoulder, in cannon. That is the incident Sonny addresses here, though he doesn't know it.