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The next day, Logan had been sitting in the living room since half-past seven in the morning trying to sort out his thoughts. He was overcome with emotion and trying desperately to think logically. There was so much he wanted to say to Tristan.But unfortunately, he and Rory didn't have the chance to talk to him again.
The whole evening was exhausting for both of them. Even Colin, who was usually very level-headed and patient, came out of the interrogation room quite exhausted and pretty pissed off.
Moreover, they were very curious about what had come out of the heated conversation between Colin, Tristan, and O'Donnel. But out of consideration for Colin, they left it for the time being to give their best friend a little time to process or realize this situation. After all, this wasn't a typical divorce or rape case for Colin. This was about his goddaughter. It was also challenging for him to hear from Logan and Rory that Norah had been kidnapped when Norah was six months old.
But Rory and Logan knew that Colin would do his best and pull out all the stops to make this case end well. And if Logan and Rory could count on anyone, it was the three stooges: Colin, Finn, and Robert. No matter their emotional state, their friends never let them down. Logan sighed softly. Looking across the room, a smile grew on his face as he saw his sleeping daughter on the opposite couch. His beautiful daughter looked so vulnerable and brave at the same time.
Logan was, of course, aware that he could not protect her from all the evil that lurked in the big wide world, but he could at least prepare her for it and give her advice along the way so that she would be better prepared for her life. It was all he could do. And he intended to do it as well as he could.
Moments such as then, when there was no interaction, his heart filled with joy and happiness in just looking at her. He cherished those rare moments. And that's precisely what he needed to get through these difficult times.
Colin was about to enter the living room but paused before stepping foot through the door. Finally, after what felt like five minutes, Colin cleared his throat and forced himself to take steps forward. He took a deep breath and looked at Logan.
But before he could say anything, Logan turned to him. "Morning, Colin." he smiled at him, laid his glasses on the table, and looked at him expectantly.
"Good morning Logan. I hope you slept at least a little better than I did. I think I got about 3 hours," he replied in a low voice so as not to wake Norah.
"Better not ask me, Colin. I've been awake for quite a while... " he said.
"Sorry, man," Colin said with a sympathetic smile. "I see she's still asleep."
"Yeah, I envy her deep sleep. And I've also been thinking for a long time about if we should include Robert. Not that you couldn't bring O'Donnel down by yourself, but Rob's support would help us a lot," Logan tried to broach the subject.
At first, Colin was surprised but knew that Logan would never underestimate him. But he looked at the desperation on his friend's face and decided giving Logan hope was worth more than his pride. "Hm, that would be a good idea, Logan. Should I call Robert, or oh look, sleeping beauty wakes up..." Colin said with a wide grin as a sleepy brown pair of eyes looked at him and Logan.
"Oh, good morning Dad. Uncle Colin," she greeted them both sleepily and smiled shyly at them.
"Good morning, honey bee. I mean Norah..." Logan smiled at her, slightly embarrassed.
"Good morning, and did you sleep well, Norah?" inquired Colin, sitting down next to Logan on the couch.
"I slept well, thank you. I don't know what you're up to now, but I'm hungry and need a cup of coffee urgently. We could go to Reggie's for breakfast unless you have more important things to do..." she smiled at them hopefully.
"Oh, we can do our work later. Breakfast with you and your dad sounds very tempting..." Colin winked at her and then turned to Logan.
"That's a great idea, but before we head out, either you or I should call Rob," Logan said with a side look at Colin. He was eager to move along with things but also trying to act normal for Norah. Norah observed him with a kind of irritated gaze on her face.
"I can call him right now. Knowing Robert, I'm sure he's still awake. Shall I explain the situation to him in a fast-track procedure?" he asked while he searched for Robert's number on his iPhone.
"Fast-track sounds good, Col, thanks..." Logan nodded at him. Colin just nodded and left the living room. Logan watched him leave. He wanted to hear the conversation. But he was well aware Norah was listening.
"Dad, what's wrong? Who's Robert?" asked Norah timidly when she was alone with her dad in the living room.
"Robert is a good friend of mine and your mom's. He works at Colin's law firm as an associate," Logan explained to her as quickly as possible. He didn't want to divulge too much information but wanted to answer her.
"Oh.. okay, dad," she mumbled, trying to hold back her curiosity. She had many more questions, but she held her tongue. Maybe her dad wouldn't like it now if she had asked him how last night had gone, especially what would happen next.
For a brief instant, she closed her eyes, and with a smile, she thought of the conversation she had had with Grandpa Mitchum yesterday. He had assured her several times that her entire family was behind her. It brought her comfort. She decided to trust in his words.
"Sweetie? Norah, are you okay?" Logan brought her back to reality and looked at her with concern.
"I..honestly don't know. I wish my stupid fear and thoughts would disappear. I barely know you guys. Dad, what if I don't make friends at my new school when I live in Hartford with you? What's my life going to be like?" she rambled, barely daring to look at her father. The mere thought that she had to attend a new school and meet new people who might didn't like her at all, terrified her.
Logan could sympathize with his daughter's worries and fears. And if he were honest with himself, he would have expected a meltdown from Norah much sooner.
In this way, Norah was like him and Rory. Trying to protect the people you are close to before burdening them with your worries. But he knew that strength was a facade.
"Norah? I can't give you an answer right now, but you're going to decide which school you want to go to, okay? I can promise you that we'll take all the time in the world to get to know you, and I'm glad you're opening up to me. I know it's hard for you to accept the current situation. But you can count on me and your mom always.
And if you need a shoulder to cry on, I'm always here for you. And I'm so incredibly proud of you for using my coping strategy to tell me what's bothering you. Keep that strategy, and it will help you immensely in a difficult situation." Logan tried to reassure her, sat down next to his daughter, and laid his arm around Norah's shoulders, giving her a caring kiss on her temple.
Norah's tension eased, and she felt safe in her father's arms. She buried her face on his shoulder and tried not to think about anything.
She allowed herself to let go of all the thoughts that occupied her mind, even if it was only for a few minutes. "Thank you for not resenting my meltdown, and your strategy is helping me a lot.
Especially with Melinda. Do you think it's possible to overcome such breaches of trust and betrayal at some point?" she asked him with a thoughtful voice.
"In my experience, it takes a lot of time, Norah. It takes time to heal. And of course though it sounds impossible to you to forgive her now, you may in the future. But you don't need to be a people pleaser. The most important thing is that you'll be true and honest to yourself," Logan said logically.
"And don't worry because of your meltdown. Nathalie has much worse meltdowns every day a week before she's having a huge mathematics test in her mathematics class. So don't worry about that honey.." Logan laughed and stroked a red strand of hair behind her ear.
"Ha! That sounds very familiar," Norah laughed. "I'm going to freshen up now so we can go to have breakfast at Reggies Cafe."
"Did I hear breakfast? Good morning Norah, dad!" Nathalie now came into the living room with a sleepy but happy smile on her lips. She was dressed in blue jeans and a baby blue t-shirt.
"Yep, you did. Do you want to come with me, Nathalie? Reggies has the best breakfast in Manchester, and the coffee is pretty good too..." she nodded, looking expectantly at her twin sister.
"I think it's a good idea that you come, Nathalie." Logan interrupted her immediately.
"Sounds great! I'll go freshen up. See you later!" Norah disappeared from the living room.
"And did you guys have a good evening yesterday Nathalie?" Logan inquired before Nathalie would ask how yesterday's evening with Tristan had gone.
"We had a lot of fun, dad. Did you know that Michael Curtiz, an Austrian director, directed Casablanca? He was of Jewish descent and immigrated to America to make a career in Hollywood," Nathalie asked. She didn't wait for an answer before she continued, "We even made homemade pizza together and watched many classic movies like Casablanca, The Cat on the Hot Tin Roof, and Giants. You can't imagine how glad I am that you found Norah, daddy. I never thought that I could have a connection with her so fast! And dad?"
"Yeah, Dolly?" Logan smiled at her.
"What's the next step? I'd like to know if you and mom had the chance to kick this jerk's ass? After all, he has caused us all so much pain and suffering..." Nathalie asked aggressively.
Logan sighed softly and tried to keep a clear mind. On the one hand, he loved his daughter's protectiveness of her sister. On the other hand, he knew he needed to tread lightly and not fuel any fires. "Nathalie, your sister asked me almost the same questions before, and I'll tell you again that mom and I don't have the answers yet.
We have to wait and see how the whole situation develops. The most important thing, for now, is that we all stick together and take care of your sister.
Mom and I have also considered family and couples therapy to work through all the issues and insecurities that have accumulated over the years when we are back home," Logan explained to her.
He hoped it was enough of an answer to satisfy the girl. Nathalie didn't really look satisfied. But before Nathalie could ask any questions, Colin returned to the living room with Norah.
"We can go get breakfast now!" interjected Norah with a smile. "And I just say In Omnia Paratus, right Dad?" said Nathalie looking at her sister and father with a smile.
With relief, Logan nodded. "In Omnia Paratus."