Disclaimer: Don't own guardian no profit from this
Author's Note: Thanks to all my readers and especially to christyzachman and to hgriss for reviewing, thanks guys.
Burton came back to Nick's room and was surprised to find Lulu and the kids gone.
"I convinced her to go home and get some rest," Nick answered his question before he asked it, "it's not healthy to spend too much time in a hospital,"
"You're in a hospital,"
"And I'm unhealthy," Nick smiled slightly at his own joke and Burton smiled too as he sat down beside Nick.
"I'll go home then soon but first I wanted to talk to you," he looked at Nick's unreadable expression acutely aware of the bandage around his head, "when you came out of the building, what you said. Do you really think I'm disappointed in you?"
"Yeah, you always moan I work at LSP and I did get fired, then there's being quiet and the drugs and drink. You must be ashamed of me, I've caused you nothing but trouble," Nick looked away, "I failed you,"
"No you haven't Nick, and I'm not ashamed of you," Nick turned back to look at him, "I'm the one that should have treated you better. I've never really appreciated you, until I realized I could lose you. I screwed up, really screwed up sending you away after Anne... died, it must have been so hard on you and I wasn't there for you when you needed me the most,"
"It's okay Dad," Nick said as tears fell down his cheeks.
"No its not Nick, I hurt you so much and you forgive me and I want to make things right because we don't have forever. I'd be lying if I said you were the perfect son and your not exactly what I imagined having a son to be like, but I still love you Nick and there's no son I'd rather have, I'm proud of you and I don't want you to die thinking that I'm not. I want you to know I love you, you're a good man, better than you think you are,"
"Really? Cause I always thought I wasn't good enough and that you didn't want me,"
"Of course I wanted you Nick, your my son. My only son, how can you think that?"
"When you left you said to Mom, you said `I'm through with you both` and then you sent me away because I'm a screw up,"
Burton just hugged Nick close, surprised at how much Nick seemed to believe that. He again felt a pang of guilt. Nick finally seemed to calm down and Burton realized he was asleep, he lay him gently down and wiped away his own tears. He considered staying but thought Nick'd prefer it if he went home, Nick was alive and he would be there when he went to visit tomorrow.
"Nicholas Fallin?" Nick jerked awake at the mention of his name.
"Yes?" he yawned it was night.
"I'm detective Charlie Sullivan-"
"No, no I'm clean now," Nick said instantly panicked he was clean why were the police bothering him, "I finished my probation and I swear I'm clean no drugs or drink,"
"I'm not here about that, I just need your statement about the incident," Nick instantly relaxed as the detective sat down and took out a tape recorder.
"Mind if I record this?"
"No," Sullivan nodded and pressed record.
"This is detective Charles Kyle Sullivan interviewing witness from the social services plane crash incident. Please state your full name, age and profession,"
"Nicholas David Fallin, 37 and I'm a lawyer. I run legal services of Pittsburgh," Sullivan nodded at him and gave him a thumbs up.
"So were you in social services when the plane crashed?"
"No, I was on my way there to talk to Laurie about a new case and pick up the appropriate files,"
"Who is Laurie?"
"Laurie Solt, she's a social worker," he nodded again.
"Okay, so you got there and then what?"
"Kate Shaw, another lawyer who runs children's legal services, came up and told me people were trapped inside and that the building was collapsing. She said help wouldn't come in time," Nick swallowed remembering the panicked conversation, he was glad Lulu and his Dad weren't here, "so I ran in to save them,"
"Pretty heroic of you,"
"There were some children unaccounted for and Laurie is a personal friend of the family. So I ran in and found the janitor, he had a twisted ankle or something,"
"Janitor have a name?"
"Bill something, I'm not sure," Sullivan motioned for him to continue, "then I saw the kids across a gap in the floor. There were six kids plus Jake Straka, he's a lawyer works at my old firm, he's married to Kate Shaw that's why he was there. We got them across and Jake told me Laurie was trapped further in, so I decided to come back for her later. We got the kids out and I helped Bill to the exit,"
"Then you went back for your friend?"
"Yeah," Nick winced inwardly at the painful memories, "a beam sort of fell on me while I was looking for Laurie but I got free and eventually found her, she was trapped behind some hot metal thing, it was so hot I could feel my skin burning as I moved it but I did and then... some other bar swung right into my other hand and mangled it against the wall, then I passed out," Nick could clearly the agonizing pain, he remembered screaming it hurt so much, "but she woke me up and we headed for the exit, barely making it across the gap. The building was collapsing so I scooped up Laurie and fled, we only just made it, and then I died,"
"And were revived," said Sullivan as he pressed stop on the recorder, "that was very heroic Mr Fallin, congratulations. On behalf of the city I thank you,"
"I didn't do that much," he said embarrased. Sullivan just smiled and said goodnight as he left. Nick fell uneasily asleep dreaming of bright fire and searing pain...
