Unfounded Fears
Part 10
"Is he still on the swing?" Annie asked her stepdaughter.
Kelly pulled the living room drape away and looked out the window, "Yeah. Still there." She turned back to Annie, "So are you going to tell me what's going on?"
Annie said nothing, choosing instead to make her way into the kitchen. Paul had been sitting on the porch swing since she had left him over an hour ago. Paul had asked, practically ordered her to leave him alone. Annie debated arguing with him, but then the petite woman came to the decision that she should leave him. It was obvious that he wanted to play martyr and she refused to be a party to it. So she had left him there. Alone he could deal with the issues which seemed to be bothering him so, at least until he was willing to listen to reason.
She heard the light footsteps of her daughter follow her into the kitchen. "Do you think I should talk to him?" she asked.
Annie smiled at her stepdaughter, "I know Paul would appreciate you wanting to help him, but I think this is something he needs to handle by himself."
"What? What is it he needs to handle?" Kelly's tone revealed her concern for her father.
Annie stepped towards Kelly's voice and reached out a hand. Kelly grabbed it instinctively, "I'm sorry, Honey, but what is happening to Paul is private."
"It's about Peter, isn't it." Annie smiled at the young woman's deductive skills. Sometimes Paul's daughter was more intuitive than she gave her credit for. "Oh, don't look so surprised, Annie. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to know that whatever was bothering Dad last night was still an issue this morning. What did Peter do? Is Dad really mad at him?"
Annie shook her head. "Paul's just confused right now, I think. He is upset that Peter didn't follow instructions, but he's mad at himself. We just have to let him work through it and be here for him when he decides he needs us."
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"Surprise!" Mary Margaret Skalany's voice startled the two occupants of the small hospital room.
"What!. . .Ahhh" Peter sat up too quickly and, once again, regretted the movement. He had just drifted off to sleep when the shrill of the woman' voice shot him upright.
"Hey Partner, you sleeping?" She grinned as she leaned over the bed to give him a quick kiss on the forehead.
"Not. . .anymore," the injured detective grunted, collapsing back onto the mattress.
Too late, Mary Margaret realized the pain she had caused. Her grin left her face, "Oh, Peter. . .I'm sorry." She looked with guilt at Kwai Chang Caine, "Kermit said he was feeling better."
"I. . .was." Peter narrowed his eyes at her. Seeing the look of regret in her eyes, he suddenly smiled. "And now that you're here, I am."
Skalany sighed in relief. "So when can we spring you from here?"
Caine stepped forward to the dark-haired woman, "Not until tomorrow morning. The doctor says that she wants to keep him here for observation."
"Shoot. Guess that means I get Kermit for the next few days, huh."
"Oh, you love him and you know it," Peter chuckled.
Mary Margaret shot a sidelong glance at Peter's father, "Oh, there are others I save for that category."
Caine shifted his position and smiled at the woman. Peter looked at his father then at his partner and grimaced, "Mary Margaret, he's my father. . .please."
The woman chuckled, "Party pooper." She pulled the visitor's chair closer to the side of Peter's bed. "So I hear you decided to take things into your own hands last night."
Peter shifted in the bed, and suddenly found himself entertained by the fraying fringe of the blanket covering him. "Peter decided to disobey Captain Blaisdell," Caine answered.
Peter said nothing, just continued to concentrate on the blanket. "Ooh, not a smart move, Pete. I would think that all your years around the captain would have taught you that."
"I was caught up in the moment," Peter mumbled.
Skalany laughed, "Yeah. . .right. . .whatever."
The room was silent for a moment. Peter took a deep breath and asked the question he had been dreading, "Did Paul come into the precinct this morning?"
Mary Margaret shrugged her shoulders, "I didn't see him. But he could have had a meeting elsewhere. Who knows, he could be explaining to the commissioner why you are laid up in the hospital. . .again."
Peter's eyes dropped down, showing his disappointment. The woman frowned at him and then looked with questioning eyes at the Shaolin priest. Understanding her silent question, Caine shook his head and gave her the one-shouldered shrug, clearly indicating that he did not know the exact reason for his son's mood.
"Hey, Partner, what's up?" Skalany asked, not trying to shroud her concern.
"Nothing," he whispered in reply.
Mary Margaret shook her head, "Why do you always do this. Clearly something's bothering you. . .why deny it?"
Peter raised his right arm and rubbed his eyes, "I'm just tired, Mary Margaret."
She looked at him suspiciously then she looked at his father. Neither man spoke. "Okay, well if you're tired, I'll leave you alone to rest. I just wanted to stop by and make sure you were really okay." She leaned forward to give him another peck on the forehead, "Hurry back, Partner. I don't want to get too spoiled working with Kermit."
Peter grinned. Mary Margaret approached the senior Caine with a serious face, "Take care of our boy here. He seems to have a hard time staying out of trouble."
"I will do my best," Caine responded with a smile. Reaching out he wrapped a warm hand around hers, letting the contact linger.
Mary Margaret smiled warmly and winked, "I'll see you later, okay?" The grin never left her face as she walked out of the room.
Peter shook his head, mocking disgust. "He's a priest, Skalany!" he shouted as she disappeared around the corner and into the hallway.
Without missing a beat, the dark-haired woman peeked around the doorway and back into the room, "But not that kind of priest," she smiled. Peter could hear her chuckle echoing as she walked down the hallway.
Peter's eyes drifted back to his father's face. Seeing the penetrating brown eyes staring unwaveringly back he diverted his attention back to the blanket and slowly slid his sore body down into the bed.
"Why Peter?"
""Why' what?"
"Why did you lie?"
"I didn't."
"You did. You said there was nothing bothering you," Caine responded flatly.
Peter was silent. Caine sat in the chair next to the bed, "She is you partner and your friend. . .as is Kermit. Why do you not choose to tell them what is hurting you."
"Because there is nothing that they can do to help. This is something that I need to deal with on my own."
Caine tilted his head, "And I can not help you with this 'something'? Peter continued to look down at the blanket. Caine reached forward and cupped his son's chin in his hand, lifting it so that he could see the hazel eyes. "Peter, please. Tell me what is bothering you."
Peter closed his eyes and shook his head, "I'm sorry, Pop. But not this time."
"Peter, please." Caine pressed his son. He could see Peter's eyes squeeze shut, as if he was trying to block out his father's words. . .or hold his words in.
"Pop, I don't want to talk about it," Peter's words were sharp.
Caine took a deep breath, "My son, I can see your pain. Not just your physical pain, but your emotional pain, as well."
"Pop, it doesn't concern you." Peter turned away, "I really just want to get some sleep."
"Anything that has you this upset concerns me, Peter. I know you are worried about Captain Blaisdell. . .Paul being angry at you. . .being disappointed in you, but Peter I believe you are. . .jumping to conclusions."
Peter turned quickly to face his father, and then groaned when the pain caught up with him, "'Jumping to conclusions,' Pop? Yeah. . .sure that's it. That's why Paul won't talk to me. . .why he hasn't seen me."
"Peter, please. You know that Paul cares deeply for you." Caine saw the skepticism in his son's eyes. "Yes, he may be upset with your failure to follow his orders, but that anger will be as a police captain towards his officer. . .not as a father towards his son."
Peter closed his eyes, saying a quiet prayer that Caine had interpreted his foster father's feelings accurately. He could not live with the alternative.
End Part 10