***Illogical Lovers---Present Day***
Duncan was hurting. Tessa could see that. But what she couldn't see was how a man with experience so vast and a heart so large could be so naïve. How could he be so oblivious to Richie's feelings about him?
"Duncan, you know that isn't true. Richie trusts you more than anyone."
"Maybe so." Duncan allowed. "But obviously not enough to come to me when he's hurt."
"You weren't even home when he got back." She said, amazed at finding herself using the same argument the teen had unsuccessfully tried on her only hours earlier.
But the look Duncan leveled at her made it perfectly clear that the "you weren't home" argument wasn't going to fly anymore when she launched it than when Richie had. The boy knew the number at Gino's and both adults would have been out the door in seconds had he simply called them.
She decided to get back to the true issue at hand: Duncan's guilt over Richie not trusting him. It was a topic she would have preferred to skirt. After all, if she was going to convince her lover that trust had nothing to do with Richie not letting them know he had been robbed, she was probably going to have to reveal what she believed was the true reason he had attempted to hide the assault from them and that was something she wasn't sure Duncan was ready to hear. Whenever the child was hurt, he always felt as though he was somehow to blame. She highly suspected that irrational sense of responsibility didn't only apply to Richie's physical injuries. It had been clear to her very early that, where Richie was concerned, Duncan just wasn't always rational.
***Flashback---Tessa's perspective***
When the pair she was awaiting finally came through the double doors, Tessa was on her feet immediately. She had been sitting in the waiting room for far too long for her taste. Especially considering how anxious she was to find out what she was really doing there in the first place.
Two hours later, Tessa still had no more understanding of why the boy was with them than she had when she first discovering Duncan cornering the thief in her kitchen.
She was a bit surprised by the way Duncan was still clinging to the teen. She had watched with interest peaked as Duncan had lead the boy down the hallway earlier. But that careful maneuvering was nothing compared to how tentative he was with the boy when they reemerged from the treatment area.
Duncan was to the teen's right, awkwardly holding the injured right wrist. That she had watched him do earlier. But now he also had his left arm wrapped tightly around the boy's shoulders.
Tessa looked up at him, eyebrows raised, as he finally approached her.
"Would you mind bringing the car around? Richie's a bit dizzy."
She was about to demand an explanation, having already surpassed her normal amount of restraint, when the teenager looked up at her. The few brief seconds that their eyes met changed her mind about confronting Duncan immediately. She could tell that was what the teen was expecting. The way he looked at her made it clear that he believed she would throw a tantrum right there and refuse to take Richie with them. And if there was one thing Tessa detested being, it was predictable. Instead, she smiled at the boy and walked out the door to retrieve the car. There was no way she was going to be so transparent that a teenage thief who'd just met her could predict her behavior.
Fortunately, she didn't have to wait much longer to get Duncan alone. Not five minutes after they arrived at the shop, Duncan had Richie set up in the guestroom, sleeping soundly on one of her best sets of sheets.
"Duncan." She pleaded as soon as he had shut the bedroom door.
"It was a bee sting." His response was not exactly what she was looking for. "He wanted me to think he was injured stealing."
"Duncan." She said more firmly this time. "What was he doing here to begin with?"
"I brought him here." He dismissed the question with a wave of the hand. "Why would he lie about how he got hurt?"
Tessa was getting very agitated now. "You brought him here? Why the hell did you bring him here? And to top it all off, you didn't even tell me you were going to see him." Extremely agitated.
"For dinner." Duncan's thought process was definitely not following Tessa's. It was like they were having two separate conversations. "He could've died." Duncan frowned. "Why would he risk that?"
"Mac!" She yelled it this time; finally drawing Duncan out of himself.
Somewhat at least. "What?"
"What were you thinking, bringing that thief here? And why didn't you tell me?" She was going to get answers to her two most pressing questions, at the very least.
Duncan finally took the time to defend himself. "I wasn't planning to bring him, Tess. You know I would've told you if I had been. I just, um, ran into him. Inviting him seemed, well, appropriate."
"Appropriate." She just couldn't help herself, this was one situation where yelling could not be avoided.
"Shh. He's sleeping." Duncan's scold hardly cooled her temper but it did remind her of the vow she made to keep her opinion between Duncan and herself.
She managed to lower her volume, even if the tone wasn't changed. "He broke into the store, he almost revealed your secret to the police and now he lied to you. What could possibly make you think bringing him here is appropriate?" She hissed.
"He needs help, Tess." He put in quietly.
It managed to calm her somewhat. Duncan's heart never ceased to amaze her. "Duncan, it isn't safe to bring him here. For anyone."
"I'll make it work." Duncan resolved.
In that second, it dawned on Tessa that Duncan was thinking well past the night. "Duncan, no."
"Tessa."
"Duncan." She shot back. This was not going to happen.
"He's a child."
"He's a teenager. A teenage criminal." She tried to reason with him, but she was losing her resolve.
"This isn't just because he knows about you, is it?" She finally asked when he didn't respond. But his silence was having the exact opposite effect on her that it usually had. His quiet was somehow draining the anger from her. "You don't even know him, Duncan. Make me understand why you want to take this stranger into our lives."
"He needs us, Tess." He fully faced her now.
"Why him? Why now?"
The totally atypical response he then leveled at her threw her completely.
"Because." He said flatly.
Inadequate. Illogical. The response of a child. But, as she was beginning to realize, there was something about this particular teenager that made her usually practical, logical partner completely irrational.
Duncan was hurting. Tessa could see that. But what she couldn't see was how a man with experience so vast and a heart so large could be so naïve. How could he be so oblivious to Richie's feelings about him?
"Duncan, you know that isn't true. Richie trusts you more than anyone."
"Maybe so." Duncan allowed. "But obviously not enough to come to me when he's hurt."
"You weren't even home when he got back." She said, amazed at finding herself using the same argument the teen had unsuccessfully tried on her only hours earlier.
But the look Duncan leveled at her made it perfectly clear that the "you weren't home" argument wasn't going to fly anymore when she launched it than when Richie had. The boy knew the number at Gino's and both adults would have been out the door in seconds had he simply called them.
She decided to get back to the true issue at hand: Duncan's guilt over Richie not trusting him. It was a topic she would have preferred to skirt. After all, if she was going to convince her lover that trust had nothing to do with Richie not letting them know he had been robbed, she was probably going to have to reveal what she believed was the true reason he had attempted to hide the assault from them and that was something she wasn't sure Duncan was ready to hear. Whenever the child was hurt, he always felt as though he was somehow to blame. She highly suspected that irrational sense of responsibility didn't only apply to Richie's physical injuries. It had been clear to her very early that, where Richie was concerned, Duncan just wasn't always rational.
***Flashback---Tessa's perspective***
When the pair she was awaiting finally came through the double doors, Tessa was on her feet immediately. She had been sitting in the waiting room for far too long for her taste. Especially considering how anxious she was to find out what she was really doing there in the first place.
Two hours later, Tessa still had no more understanding of why the boy was with them than she had when she first discovering Duncan cornering the thief in her kitchen.
She was a bit surprised by the way Duncan was still clinging to the teen. She had watched with interest peaked as Duncan had lead the boy down the hallway earlier. But that careful maneuvering was nothing compared to how tentative he was with the boy when they reemerged from the treatment area.
Duncan was to the teen's right, awkwardly holding the injured right wrist. That she had watched him do earlier. But now he also had his left arm wrapped tightly around the boy's shoulders.
Tessa looked up at him, eyebrows raised, as he finally approached her.
"Would you mind bringing the car around? Richie's a bit dizzy."
She was about to demand an explanation, having already surpassed her normal amount of restraint, when the teenager looked up at her. The few brief seconds that their eyes met changed her mind about confronting Duncan immediately. She could tell that was what the teen was expecting. The way he looked at her made it clear that he believed she would throw a tantrum right there and refuse to take Richie with them. And if there was one thing Tessa detested being, it was predictable. Instead, she smiled at the boy and walked out the door to retrieve the car. There was no way she was going to be so transparent that a teenage thief who'd just met her could predict her behavior.
Fortunately, she didn't have to wait much longer to get Duncan alone. Not five minutes after they arrived at the shop, Duncan had Richie set up in the guestroom, sleeping soundly on one of her best sets of sheets.
"Duncan." She pleaded as soon as he had shut the bedroom door.
"It was a bee sting." His response was not exactly what she was looking for. "He wanted me to think he was injured stealing."
"Duncan." She said more firmly this time. "What was he doing here to begin with?"
"I brought him here." He dismissed the question with a wave of the hand. "Why would he lie about how he got hurt?"
Tessa was getting very agitated now. "You brought him here? Why the hell did you bring him here? And to top it all off, you didn't even tell me you were going to see him." Extremely agitated.
"For dinner." Duncan's thought process was definitely not following Tessa's. It was like they were having two separate conversations. "He could've died." Duncan frowned. "Why would he risk that?"
"Mac!" She yelled it this time; finally drawing Duncan out of himself.
Somewhat at least. "What?"
"What were you thinking, bringing that thief here? And why didn't you tell me?" She was going to get answers to her two most pressing questions, at the very least.
Duncan finally took the time to defend himself. "I wasn't planning to bring him, Tess. You know I would've told you if I had been. I just, um, ran into him. Inviting him seemed, well, appropriate."
"Appropriate." She just couldn't help herself, this was one situation where yelling could not be avoided.
"Shh. He's sleeping." Duncan's scold hardly cooled her temper but it did remind her of the vow she made to keep her opinion between Duncan and herself.
She managed to lower her volume, even if the tone wasn't changed. "He broke into the store, he almost revealed your secret to the police and now he lied to you. What could possibly make you think bringing him here is appropriate?" She hissed.
"He needs help, Tess." He put in quietly.
It managed to calm her somewhat. Duncan's heart never ceased to amaze her. "Duncan, it isn't safe to bring him here. For anyone."
"I'll make it work." Duncan resolved.
In that second, it dawned on Tessa that Duncan was thinking well past the night. "Duncan, no."
"Tessa."
"Duncan." She shot back. This was not going to happen.
"He's a child."
"He's a teenager. A teenage criminal." She tried to reason with him, but she was losing her resolve.
"This isn't just because he knows about you, is it?" She finally asked when he didn't respond. But his silence was having the exact opposite effect on her that it usually had. His quiet was somehow draining the anger from her. "You don't even know him, Duncan. Make me understand why you want to take this stranger into our lives."
"He needs us, Tess." He fully faced her now.
"Why him? Why now?"
The totally atypical response he then leveled at her threw her completely.
"Because." He said flatly.
Inadequate. Illogical. The response of a child. But, as she was beginning to realize, there was something about this particular teenager that made her usually practical, logical partner completely irrational.
