Seeking A Chat
"Hey, what are you doing here?" Thea asked, walking down the hospital towards the front desk where she saw her father standing.
"I'm here to see my daughter of course." Punk smiled as Thea nodded.
"Well that's nice but I'm really busy right now. I really can't stop." She told him truthfully, walking in behind the desk to get some water from her purse, "So if there's a reason you're here spit it out." She encouraged, assuming there had to be a reason.
"Maybe I'll just come see you another time, when you're not busy." Punk waved his hand.
"No, go on. What's wrong?" Thea asked him.
"It's just about my dad. It's silly, actually." He shook his head to himself, "I'll let you get back to work."
"What about him?" Thea asked.
"It's fine. You're busy. We can talk another time." He assured her as she looked across at him.
"Ok, well I'll hold you to it. Sorry I can't stop." Thea shook her head.
"It's ok." Punk shook his head, "I'll see you later." He nodded, watching her leave the desk, rushing back down the corridor, no doubt with a million and one things to do.
He left the hospital, getting back into his car and driving to Cassie's house, getting out and knocking on the door.
"Oh, hey." Cassie smiled, opening up the door as Punk walked into the house.
"Hey." Punk smiled, "How are you?" He kissed her cheek as she nodded, a little frantic.
"I'm fine. How are you?" Cassie asked him, making her way down to the kitchen quickly as Punk followed.
"I'm fine. Is this… a bad time?" Punk laughed a little.
"Uh… kinda. Theo's mom was taken into hospital about an hour ago. Apparently she's… she's ok, she just had a nasty fall, possibly a broken hip."
"Oh." Punk frowned, "Shit, that's not good."
"No, I was actually going to see if you could watch Chase for a little bit. Theo's already gone to the hospital and I wanna catch up with him." Cassie nodded to him.
"Uh… sure. Yeah, I'll take him to ours and give him some dinner." Punk nodded.
"Thank you." Cassie nodded gratefully, "What were you stopping by for anyway?" She asked him, putting her coat on as Punk watched her.
"Uh… nothing, it's… nothing." He mumbled, "Is Chase in the living room?"
"Yeah." Cassie nodded, "I think he's watching TV. I'll text you when I get to the hospital."
"Ok. Hey, take a deep breath." Punk nodded.
"Yeah, I forget that sometimes." Cassie said.
"I'll go get Chase and take him to our house. Just give me a call when you're coming to get him."
"Yeah… yeah, ok. Thanks dad." Cassie nodded gratefully as Punk headed into the living room to get Chase to take him to he and his wife's house for the night.
"What are you so afraid of?"
"I don't know." Punk shrugged, sitting in the kitchen at the table with the laptop in front of him, "I think it's cause I don't know him." He said.
"Well yeah but… you would get to know him if you let yourself." Jude said through the computer, skyping with her father after he'd messaged her.
"Well I went to Thea today, thinking maybe she might be the best to talk to considering she's had to… let a father into her life." Punk said, "She was busy at work though." He nodded, "And I also wanted to talk to Cassie, since she knows the most about him, but… Theo's mom had a fall so they had to go to the hospital." Punk shook his head as Jude nodded.
"Well I'm glad you're talking to someone about it." Jude nodded, "I think you really gotta open up to him, though. You can't live on small talk forever. Tell him about yourself, and he'll probably reciprocate. That's how you get to know someone, right?" Jude nodded.
"Well yeah but… I don't know why everything feels weird when it's with him." Punk admitted.
"It's just cause you're not used to it, you're not used to him." Jude said, "From what I hear he seems like a quiet guy who keeps to himself-"
"That might be the problem." Punk nodded, "At least with Sam, she was an open book. I knew everything I needed to know about her… and more." He rolled his eyes, "But he's like… he's still a mystery."
"So you get to know him. It won't be as daunting as you think. Think about how you first started to learn about Cassie, and what she was like as a person." Jude said.
"It's not really the same." Punk said.
"It's not… but it's sort of similar." Jude said, "You had no idea who she was. Then in such a short time you figured out what her personality was like and who she was as a person. The things she liked."
"It's easier getting to know an eight year old than your old father." Punk said.
"I bet." Jude nodded, "But I guess the methods are the same." She said as Punk nodded.
"How are you anyway?" He asked.
"I'm fine." Jude smiled, "How's mom? Where is she?"
"She's in the living room with Chase." Punk said, "She's doing ok." He nodded, watching as Mirren came into the screen, looking on at the camera as Punk chuckled to himself.
"Hi, papa." Mirren smiled, noticing who it was her mother was speaking to.
"Hi, sweetie." Punk smiled, "How are you?" He asked.
"I'm good thanks." Mirren nodded, "I'm waiting on my bath."
"Me too." Punk played along as Mirren smiled, "You getting bubbles in yours?"
"Yeah!" Mirren yelled excitedly, sitting on Jude's knee, "Lots of bubbles."
"Hey, where is your sister?" Punk asked.
"She's with daddy. We have our bath together." Mirren said as Punk nodded. He wished he could have used his laptop as a teleporter to jump inside and see them all in person. He missed Jude and her family so much every day.
"Do you splash her?" Punk asked.
"No, I'm not allowed because she cries." Mirren rolled her eyes as Jude laughed a little.
"It's not nice to splash, baby." Jude said, "Why don't you go get daddy?"
"Ok." Mirren said, "Bye, papa." She waved, running off as Punk smiled.
"She's getting so big." Punk shook his head as Jude nodded.
"Tell me about it." Jude said, "Hey, I have a suggestion. Why don't you go out for coffee with Dan." She said.
"I don't think he's the coffee type." Punk shook his head.
"So take him out to a bar. But… not with mom, or Renee or anyone else. Just you and him." Jude nodded, "That's how you're really gonna get to know him."
"I don't know." Punk said nervously.
"Come on, why not?" Jude said, "If anything, he'd probably be just as nervous as you. And I get the feeling that you do want to know him. Otherwise you wouldn't be making this such a big deal."
"I do, it's just… finding the way to go about it." Punk said, "And then feeling like it might be a waste of time. That's how Dean feels anyway."
"He'll come round too. Eventually." Jude said, "I just… I think you've lived a life where… not many good people have crossed paths with you. He's one of the few who has. Take advantage of that." She nodded as Punk looked at her.
"Yeah, I know. That's what your mom says." Punk said.
"Think about… little Punk." Jude smiled a little, "And what he'd want." She nodded as Punk smiled a little.
"Yeah, I try to." Punk said, "Thanks for doing this with me. Even though it took me an hour to set the computer up." He shook his head as Jude smiled, "Normally one of your sisters help me."
"Hey, I'm always here. Virtually." Jude smiled, "I've been stuck at home all day actually, working on a project for an exhibition. This kitchen looks like a bomb has went off in it." She laughed a little as he smiled
"Well I better go. Your mom has probably fallen asleep in the living room with Chase." Punk nodded as Jude smiled.
"Well give her my love." Jude said.
"I will." Punk said.
"I'll talk to you soon." Jude smiled.
"Ok." Punk nodded, "Wait, how do I end this?" He asked her quickly.
"It's fine. I'll hang up and you can just close the computer down." She smiled.
"Oh, ok." Punk nodded as she chuckled, hanging up on the call as Punk watched the screen disappear, closing the computer down.
He got up from the table, walking out of the kitchen and into the living room where AJ was laying up on the couch with Chase fast asleep on her, watching a movie.
"Hey." AJ smiled quietly.
"I thought you were asleep in here, too. It'd gone quiet." Punk smiled, massaging her scalp sweetly as she smiled.
"No, just him." AJ said, brushing her hand through her grandson's hair, "How's Jude?" She tilted her head up and looked at him.
"Yeah, she's doing good. They all are." Punk smiled.
"Cassie text me. They're on the way home so they shouldn't be too long. Theo's mom fractured her hip but… she's gonna be ok." AJ nodded positively.
"Poor woman." Punk said as AJ nodded.
"How did your chat with Jude go?" AJ smiled as Punk sat down on the opposite couch.
"Yeah, it was fine." Punk nodded briefly.
"A man of very few words." AJ nodded to herself, brushing her hand over Chase's hair in soft rhythms.
"You look comfy." Punk smiled as AJ nodded.
"He's so cuddly." AJ frowned as Punk smiled, feeling soothed and calm just by watching AJ with Chase who was peacefully asleep. She always had a magic touch, and she still had it.
