Just as he placed his hand on the doorknob and turned it to go, Hawke spoke up.
"Stringfellow?"
"Yeah?" the wiry young man replied, casting a glance over his shoulder.
"I didn't know. I wish she had told me," Hawke gestured vaguely, flushing. "It's just…" he trailed off. Clearing his throat, he tried again. "I got shot down, ended up in the hospital - by the time I got out , Saigon had fallen. And she was just…gone.
I didn't see her again until right before getting you out of Omryklot, Russia."
Closing the door, Roper turned to face Hawke. "And then?" he asked crossing his arms expectantly and waiting.
"Then, then there was the plane and the Russians and Sam." Hawke grimaced his hands in the air. "What was I supposed to do? When she said, Sam saved my life back when it meant something she was right. He might not have told her, but she knew. She was right, I owed Sam. How could I step in and destroy him like that? And only on a supposition."
"Did you ever ask her?" Roper asked, pushing away from the wall.
"Yeah, I asked her," Hawke said frustration in his tone as he shrugged uncomfortably. "She said your last name was Roper, it always had been and that was the only answer she'd ever give. It wasn't what I wanted to hear, but it was what I had to accept.
I told her," Hawke continued, "that if her son ever needed me I'd be there." Looking the younger man in the eye, he said, "It still stands."
Begrudgingly, Roper had to admit that sounded like his mom. Biological father or not, she had picked Sam to be his dad. And Sam, he admitted had been a great father. Yet strangely enough, it was to this man she had sent him when he was in trouble…
Glancing back at the man silently waiting before him, his private demons apparent in his eyes, Roper acknowledged maybe she had known what she was doing. Hawke's regret was obvious, but so was the determination and the dangerous edge he wore. This was not a man to be lightly crossed. And he had a feeling that if he gave his word, he'd keep it - no matter what the cost.
"Okay," he said at last, reaching out to shake Hawke's hand. "You've got yourself a deal. I'd appreciate whatever help you can give me."
"Fair enough," Hawke replied grasping his hand firmly. The coil of tension that had seemed to be tightening around his chest ever since he'd laid eyes on the younger man loosened a notch. Perhaps, just perhaps there might be a chance to fix some past regrets here after all.