Chapter 10 - The Meeting
Steve stood in front of the hallway mirror, nervously fiddling with his tie.
"Steve," Mark spoke, "your tie is fine, leave it alone. Everything is going to be okay. You are a good man and Nick will be able to see that."
It was over a week since Steve had received his letter from the adoption agency. Both he and Nick had contacted the people there and a meeting had been arranged at a local restaurant.
Steve looked at his watch, "I guess I'd better go."
Resting a hand on his son's arm, Mark said, "Say hi for me."
Squeezing his father's hand, knowing that the day was as difficult for him, Steve left the house.
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A similar scene was being enacted at the Carter house. Nick had been awake since the early hours, alternately pacing the lounge floor or sitting on the sofa trying to take in the days news. It wasn't just the meeting with Steve that was on his mind. The day before Jenny had come from her doctor's appointment with the news that they were to be parents again. Nick was thrilled and so was Jenny, although the constant feeling of nausea was taking the shine off it a little for her.
"Are you going to tell Steve?" she asked, they had both taken to calling him Steve rather than the 'birth-father', which sounded so awful now that they knew a name.
"I don't know," Nick replied, "I need to find out what sort of person he is before I can decided how much, if at all, I want to let him into our lives."
"What are your Mom and Dad going to do today?" both Jenny and Nick were aware that the day would be difficult for them too.
"I think that they are planning to go out somewhere," Nick replied, "They seem to be okay with it all and they have said that they are one hundred per cent behind me. They know that I love them and whatever happens today, nothing will change that."
In an echo of Steve, Nick looked at his watch and continued, "I'd better go. Wish me luck."
Kissing him, Jenny said, "You don't need luck, my darling. If Steve doesn't see what a wonderful man you are then he must be blind."
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As Steve drove towards his lunchtime rendezvous he had to work very hard at keeping his concentration on the road and not on the forthcoming meeting. So focussed was he, that it took a few seconds for the ringing of his cell phone to penetrate his hearing. Cursing under his breath, Steve pulled over to the side of the road and retrieved his phone from his jacket pocket.
"Sloan here," he snapped, then closed his eyes in disgust as he heard the voice of Captain Newman come through the earpiece.
"I need you to go to the Westside Mall, Sloan." Captain Newman said, "There has been a triple shooting. Two dead, one injured."
"Captain, "Steve protested, "You know I am going to meet my son today."
Steve had told Jim Newman of his situation and he had promised to keep him free that day, so Steve's response was not a shock to him.
"I'm sorry, Sloan," to his credit, Newman sounded truly apologetic, "but I have no-one else to send."
"Okay,"Steve sighed, knowing that the phone call wouldn't have been made unless there was no alternative, "Give me the details."
Cutting the connection, Steve sat for a few moments and then, lifting his phone back up, called the restaurant where he and Nick were to have met and left a message saying he would be a bit late, hoping against hope that Nick would wait. Moving out into the traffic, Steve drove as quickly as he could to the Westside Mall, striding to the toy store where the incident had taken place. He rode the elevator to the toy department and was out of the doors almost before they were fully open. The first thing that he saw was a woman, blood covering her left arm and upper torso, lying on the floor being tended to by two paramedics. As he watched, Amanda rose from behind the sales counter where she had been checking one of the two bodies. She looked across and, on seeing Steve, a frown creased her face.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, "I thought you were meeting your son today."
"Me too," Steve agreed ruefully, "but I was the only homicide detective free when this call came in. So here I am. What have you got?"
"Two deceased," Amanda began, "One male, the perp and one female, an employee. The lady on the floor over there was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"Okay, thanks, Amanda. I'll see you back at the hospital. Autopsy?" he asked, hopefully.
"Tomorrow at the earliest, Steve, "she replied, with a small grin. Steve was always trying to rush her autopsies and she never would.
Moving across to the woman on the floor, Steve stopped next to a man who was kneeling beside her holding her non-bloody hand. He looked up when he realised that there was someone there.
"Can I have a word with you please, Sir?" Steve asked.
The man nodded and, whispering a few words to the woman on the floor, he stood. Together, he and Steve moved away allowing the two paramedics to continue with their work.
Showing the man his ID, Steve said, "I'm Lieutenant Steve Sloan, LAPD. Can you tell me what happened here?"
"My wife and I were buying a present for our grandson, it's his third birthday soon. A young man, with a gun, appeared and threatened to shoot the cashier if she didn't give him some money. She refused and he shot her. My wife screamed so he turned on her. The security guard shot him and as he was going down his finger must have squeezed on the trigger because the gun fired again and my wife collapsed," as he finished speaking the man's voice cracked with emotion.
"I am sure that your wife will be fine, Sir." Steve said, "She will be going to Community General and getting the best of care. I think that will be enough for now. I will see you at the hospital later. Could you just tell me your names?"
"Nick and Elizabeth Carter."
"Thank you, Sir," Steve answered, noting the names down on his pad, "I will see you later."
Making sure that Amanda and the uniformed officers knew that he was going, Steve left the scene. Knowing that Amanda would not have the autopsy reports ready until the next day Steve decided to head for the restaurant in case Nick was still there.
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Nick pulled up outside the restaurant in plenty of time, switched his engine off and surveyed the cars around him wondering which one had brought his father there that day. He had spent so many years waiting for this moment to arrive, to meet at least one of his parents. Now that it had, he was terrified. What if he didn't like the man he was about to meet? What if they hated each other on sight? Nick could feel his breathing speeding up and his chest begin to tighten with the tension. He stopped his negative train of thought and took a few deep breaths.
"Come on, Carter," he admonished himself, "if it doesn't work out you haven't lost anything, right? You still have two really great parents, a wonderful wife and a terrific son. Get a grip!"
Not having convinced himself, but feeling a little calmer. Nick got out of his car and walked towards the restaurant. Just as he was about to enter Nick felt his cell phone vibrate silently against his hip. Reaching into his trouser pocket he pulled it out. He saw that Jenny had sent him a text message and expecting it to be a message of good luck he pressed the 'read' button. The message read, Rng hm now. V .imp. J. Concerned that there might be something wrong with Andy or the baby, Nick immediately dialled home. Jenny answered almost at once.
"Nick! Oh, I'm so glad I've got you."
"Jen, what is it?" Nick demanded, "Are you all okay?"
"We are fine," Jenny replied, "but your mom and dad have been involved in a shooting and your mom has been hurt."
"Where is she?"
"She's being taken to Community General," Jenny answered.
"I'm on my way," Nick answered, striding back to his car.
"What about your lunch?" Jenny asked.
"I can't think about that now," Nick replied, "I'll ring you when I know something."
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Steve arrived at the restaurant and rushed inside. He quickly scanned the room but was unable to see anyone who might be the person he was looking for. A waiter, seeing his indecision, asked, "Can I do anything for you, Sir?"
"Has anyone arrived for a table booked in the name of Tyler?" which was how the agency had reserved the table.
"Let me check for you," the waiter replied, moving across to the reception desk and perusing the reservations diary, "I'm afraid not."
"I see," Steve was disappointed beyond words, "Thank you."
He turned and went back out to his car.
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Jesse Travis was sitting in the doctor's lounge drinking a well-earned mug of coffee with Mark, when one of the nurses knocked on the door and said, "Dr. Travis, we have a gunshot wound coming in. ETA, five minutes."
"Thank you," Jesse answered, draining his mug and standing up.
Mark rose as well and Jesse said, "I can handle it, Mark."
Mark smiled, "I know you can, Jess. I just need something to keep myself occupied. It might help me stop thinking about Steve."
"Okay," Jesse smiled, "two for the price of one it is."
Five minutes later, as predicted, the paramedics arrived wheeling Elizabeth Carter in on a gurney, followed closely by a man who was obviously her husband as he looked pale and shocked. Without needing words, Mark peeled off from Jesse and moved across to the man.
"Hi, I'm Dr. Mark Sloan. Why don't we have a coffee whilst my colleague, Dr. Travis, takes care of your wife?"
Leading Nick Carter off to the visitors lounge, Mark produced what passed for coffee and handed it to Nick, with an apology.
"Thank you," he said, then looking anxiously at the door, "Will my wife be okay?"
"She is in excellent hands." Mark replied, "I will go and check on her in a minute."
Putting the coffee down on the table, Nick held his head in his hands and said, "I can't believe that this is happening."
"I know just how you feel," Mark replied.
"Do you really?" Nick asked, somewhat sceptically.
"Only too well," Mark continued, with a slight grin on his face, "My son is a homicide detective and I have sat by his bed too many times to count."
"Sloan!" exclaimed Nick, "That was the name of the officer that spoke to me at the store."
"Steve?" Mark was puzzled, "but he had an important lunch appointment."
"How important?" Nick was intrigued.
"Very," assured Mark and was about to speak again, when the door opened.
"Dad," Nick spoke from the doorway, "is Mom okay?"
"I was just going to find out how she is," Mark replied, rising from his seat and moving towards the door.
He returned a few minutes later with positive news.
"She will be fine," he said, "a bullet needs to be removed, but that is very straightforward. There will be some repair work involved, but she should make a full recovery."
"Thank you, Dr. Sloan," Nick Snr. replied.
"When can we see her?" Nick Jnr., wanted to know.
"You can go and see her now, if you like, before she goes into surgery." Mark replied, "I'll take you to her."
As Nick and his father entered the room containing Elizabeth Carter, the elevator doors opened and Steve exited. The look on his face told his father everything that he needed to know.
"You missed him at the restaurant?"
"He didn't even bother to turn up, Dad." Steve sounded despondent.
"I'm sure that there is a perfectly logical explanation." Mark tried to be reassuring, "After all, he had also contacted the adoption agency and agreed to the meeting. He must want to meet you, Steve."
"I hope so, Dad," Steve replied, "Anyway, I'm here to check up on a patient, Elizabeth Carter. She was involved in a shooting earlier on."
"She's going to be fine," Mark replied, "her husband and her son are in with her now, before she goes to the OR."
At that moment, the door behind them opened and Nick Jnr. came out. Seeing Mark he moved across to him and asked, "Dr. Sloan, is there a phone I could use? I need to make a couple of important calls and my cell phone has just died on me."
"Certainly," Mark agreed, taking him across to the nurses' station, "use this phone here."
Mark and Steve continued their conversation as Nick phoned Jenny.
"Yes, sweetheart Mom is going to be fine. She needs an operation but she will be okay. I love you too, see you later."
It was the second of his calls that gained the attention of both the Sloan men.
"Hello, is that the Bay Tree Restaurant? I had a noon reservation in the name of Tyler. I was unable to get there, can you tell me if anyone else arrived? No? Oh. Thanks anyway." Nick placed the receiver back on the cradle and turned round.
Both Steve and Mark were staring at him as if they couldn't believe either their eyes or ears.
"Dr. Sloan, is everything alright?" Nick asked.
For once in his life, Mark was utterly bereft of speech and it was up to Steve, equally stunned, to talk. He moved forward, saying, "Did I hear that you had a lunch reservation at the Bay Tree Restaurant in the name of Tyler?"
"Yes I did," Nick replied, "you just heard me talking to them."
"I can tell you something that I didn't hear you say," Steve continued, "that the name of the person you were to meet was Steve and that he is your birth father."
"How could you possibly know that……………..?" Nick stuttered.
"Because, I am the person you were due to meet," Steve replied, "I am your birth-father."
Authors Note: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story. It really is a great encouragement. I was very humbled, this morning, to read a review from someone who knows about adoption from a personal point of view. It made me realise that, whilst we are writing fanfiction here, there are people for whom some of our words are about their lives. So thank you for that review, it made my day in lots of ways.