Title: Steve's Last Resort
Author: Janet Rampley
E-mail: trevor.rampley@virgin.net
Rating: PG 13
Challenge: #112 Steve goes into The Last Resort, only this time
he is not undercover. What drove him over the edge? Will Mark be
able to get through to Steve to help him? Will Steve let Mark
help him?
Summary: Killing a suspect in the line of duty causes Steve to
spiral out of control.
Feedback: Yes please!
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Steve shot upright in his bed. He was dripping with sweat, it ran
in rivulets down his muscled torso. His breath was coming in
short bursts. He had had that dream again! He was lying in what
seemed like a narrow tunnel, surrounded by debris. His right arm
was stretching out into the darkness towards something, he didn't
know what. He could hear crying, which seemed to be growing
fainter all the time. Suddenly something fell on him. It was
always at this point that he woke up.
Steve swung his legs out of bed and padded across the carpet to
his bathroom. Leaning over the sink, he splashed cold water on
his face. Looking up he saw his face in the mirror.
' You look like hell Sloan, ' he muttered to his reflection.
If he didn't have a decent nights sleep soon, his dad was going
to start asking some very awkward questions. Steve had already
noticed a few concerned looks coming in his direction. He went
back to bed and , fortunately, slept dreamlessly for the
remainder of the night.
Next morning Mark was not surprised to hear Steve's outside door
open and close, then his car start up and drive off. He sighed.
It had been a while since they had shared a morning cup of
coffee. In fact, the more Mark thought about it, the more he
realised how little he had actually seen of Steve recently. It
was not unusual for their paths to diverge now and again, they
were busy people, but this time it felt like Steve was avoiding
him. Mark decided to have a word with Jesse, to see how Steve was
acting at Bob's.
Steve was feeling only slightly refreshed that morning. The sleep
had done him little good. He had woken up feeling muzzy headed
and tried a cold shower to wash the cobwebs away, along with
three cups of strong coffee to kick start his brain. Nothing
seemed to be working. Lately he felt like he was walking through
treacle and had cotton wool in between his ears. He couldn't
figure out what was wrong with him. He looked out of the car
window, even the sight of his beloved ocean failed to lift his
spirits. Arriving at work, Steve slowly made his way to his desk.
He was about to dive into the mountain of paperwork that covered
the surface when the phone rang. He picked it up,
'Sloan here'.
' It's dispatch. They've tracked down the suspect in the drive by
shooting. 512 West 73rd.'
'I'm on my way', Steve replied,' Show me en route'
When Steve arrived, he saw two black and whites parked around the
corner from the building with the officers crouched next to them.
Steve got out his car, reaching across his body to unholster his
gun and ran across to one of the black and whites.
'Guys, what's happening?' he asked.
'The perp's on the 3rd floor. 2nd window from the right'.
'Ok. You two go round the back and you two follow me,' Steve
ordered.
After giving the first two time to get into position, Steve led
the remaining two in through the front. They reached the 3rd
floor without incident.
Steve motioned for the other two to take up their positions and
when they were set he rapped loudly on the door.
'Police! Open up!'
The only reply was bullets whistling through the door, sending
splinters in all directions. Waiting only for the sound of the
gunfire to die away, Steve stepped in front of the bullet riddled
door and kicked it in. He had an impression of a male figure in
front of him. A figure who was raising a gun. Steve fired. The
figure slumped to the floor. Steve ran across the room, his gun
still out in front of him. He knelt down, pressing two fingers
against the pulse point in the mans neck. Slowly Steve stood,
'Call it in guys. We need the coroner'.
The men left to carry out Steve's order and he turned back to the
body to carry out a more detailed survey. His features grew
taught and all the colour drained from his face. It was a kid
Time stood still for Steve. He saw himself in that dark tunnel of
his dreams reaching out to something. This time that 'something'
had form. It was a teenager with the face of the dead body lying
in front of him. He heard the crying, only this time there were
words, 'Help me please'.
Steve turned on his heels and ,for the first time in his long
career, left the crime scene without making sure everything was
in order. He walked blindly past the two black and whites, got
into his car and drove off. The officers he left behind looked at
each other in amazement, they had never known Steve Sloan do
anything like that before!
Mark was late for work. It hadn't happened in a while. He had
taken a long time getting ready after Steve had left and
consequently caught all the traffic on the way in. The first
person he saw as he walked through the door was Jesse, who made a
great show of looking at his watch.
'Not funny Dr. Travis, 'Mark snapped on his way past.
Jesse fell into step with his friend and mentor, shocked at the
response to a trivial joke.
'Mark, are you okay?' he asked
'What? Oh, sorry Jess. No , no I'm not. I'm worried about Steve.
He seems to be avoiding me. He went out to work this morning by
his own door, without speaking to me again. What's he been like
at Bob's recently?'
Jesse was silent for a little too long for Marks liking.
'Jesse?'
'We haven't seen much of him lately either Mark, ' Jesse
acknowledged reluctantly.
'Have you spoken to him?' Mark queried.
'Tried to, but he's just coming in to make the sauce and then
going off again'.
'Dr. Sloan, call on Line 1' came a voice over the tannoy.
Mark walked across to the nearest phone and picking it up said,
'Mark Sloan here'.
'Dr. Sloan this is Captain Newman'.
Mark gripped the receiver, 'What's happened? Is Steve hurt?', he
saw Jesse look up quickly at his words.
'Not as far as I know. I was actually wondering if you knew where
he was. He left the scene of a shooting this morning without
securing the area.'
'Steve did that?' Mark was staggered, ' Have you tried paging
him, or calling him on his mobile?'
'Yes we have. There's been no answer. Dr. Sloan, have you noticed
anything odd about Steve lately?'
Mark was reluctant to put a voice to his fears, especially to
Steve's superior.
'Dr. Sloan, covering up won't help Steve. He's been very erratic
at work of late.'
Mark decided to be honest, 'We haven't seen much of each other
lately. Steve seems to be avoiding me and Jesse and Amanda'.
'Well when he finally shows up, I'd like to see him please'.
Mark put the phone down and turned to Jesse, worry lines creasing
his already well worn face. In response to Jesses unspoken
question he said,
'Steve's walked out on a crime scene and no-one knows where he
is'.
'That doesn't sound like Steve,' said Jesse.
'Not the normal Steve, no,' said Mark, ' but you have to admit
that he has not been his normal self recently'.
'Morning guys,' came a cheery voice from behind Mark and Jesse.
They turned round and the smile that was on Amanda's face
disappeared.
'What's up?' she asked.
Mark quickly brought Amanda up to speed and she was as concerned
as they were.
' It's a shame my shift is just starting,' Mark said, 'I'd go
looking for Steve'.
'I'll go', offered Jesse,' I've just finished'
'Thanks Jess, I appreciate it'. Mark said gratefully.
Jesse changed out of his lab coat and going down to the
underground garage, got in his car and began his search for
Steve. He drove all over LA that day, going to all Steve's
favourite places and some of his not so favourites as well.
Throughout the day he periodically checked in with Mark to see if
he had heard from Steve. He hadn't. Finally, Mark said to him,
'Give it a rest Jess, go to the beach house and have a drink.
I'll be there soon'.
Jesse drove along PCH as the sun was going down, wondering where
on earth Steve could be and what on earth was going on in his
mind. As he drove up to the house that Mark and Steve shared he
was amazed to see Steve's car parked out front.
'Way to go Travis, the last place you look is the most obvious'.
He parked his car and walked round to Steve's front door. It was
open and looking inside he saw Steve sitting on the couch staring
into space. Jesse retreated back to his car and phoned Mark.
'Mark, it's Jesse. I'm at your house. Steve is here, but it
doesn't look good. He's sitting in his lounge staring into
space'.
'I'm on my way,' say Mark in an unconscious echo of Steve.
Picking up Amanda on his way out, Mark made his way home.
Jesse met them at the steps,' He's still not moved'
The three friends made their way round to the door of Steve's
unit. Mark gestured to Jesse and Amanda to wait outside while he
went in.
'Steve?'
Steve looked up and Mark was shocked to see how bad his son
looked . He looked as if he had aged 10 years in a day. What
concerned Mark more was the totally blank expression in Steve's
eyes. What he saw made Mark decide that no questions needed to be
asked that night. His police career could wait, all he was
concerned about was his son. Mark stepped back outside and said
to Jesse,
'Go and get my bag please. I'm going to give Steve a sedative
tonight and we'll talk in the morning'.
Jesse complied and after helping Mark put Steve to bed, they
joined Amanda out on the beach.
'What do you think happened out there today?' asked Amanda
Mark shook his head sorrowfully, ' I don't have the first clue .'
'Are you going to ring Captain Newman, Mark?' asked Jesse
'In the morning,' Mark was firm.
Amanda went home to be with CJ, but Jesse refused to leave. He
and Mark sat up all night on Steve's couch, talking in hushed
voice until they too, fell asleep.
Steve was struggling. He was in that narrow tunnel again. He
could hear the voice now, 'Help me please. My legs hurt. Help
me!' Steve struggled to reach the voice, but he was stuck tight ,
couldn't move.
Mark and Jesse were awoken by Steve's voice calling out (in a
mimicking of his dream) 'Help me please. My legs hurt. Help me!'
They both rushed into Steve's bedroom to see him thrashing about
in his bed, sweat dripping off him, all tangled up in his covers.
Mark went over to Steve's bed and attempted to put his arms
around him, to comfort him. Unfortunately, Steve was under the
joint grip of the nightmare and the sedative. This caused his
reaction to his dads touch to be extreme and he pushed Mark away
so hard that he fell backwards onto the floor and struck his
shoulder against the nightstand. Jesse rushed to help Mark up.
'Are you okay Mark?', he asked.
'I'll be stiff in the morning,' Mark replied.
'Leave Steve be', Jesse urged,' He's obviously to far under to be
aware of what he's doing'.
'Jesse look at him,' Mark sounded desperate, ' I can't just leave
him'.
'Mark, unless you want to be seriously hurt, that's just what
you're going to have to do. How do you think Steve would feel
when he wakes, to find that he's hurt you?' Jesse was firm.
With great reluctance Mark moved away from Steve's bedside, but
he would not yield to Jesse and leave the room completely.
Instead he sat down on the chair near the window. With no other
chairs to occupy, Jesse reluctantly withdrew to the living area
and the couch. However, he left the bedroom door open.
It was early in the morning when Steve awoke. Trying to get up he
found that he couldn't move and it was a few seconds before he
realised it was because he was wrapped up in his sheets. He
disentangled himself and was just about to swing his legs over
the edge of the bed when he was surprised to catch sight of his
dad fast asleep in the chair. Even more surprising, was the sight
of Jesse curled up like a baby on his couch in the living room.
Going over to Mark, Steve shook his shoulder gently. Mark leapt
up with a cry , which brought Jesse flying into the bedroom.
'What are you guys doing here?'. Steve asked in a voice that
indicated he was less than happy.
Mark looked at him, Son, do you remember anything about
yesterday?'
'Yesterday', there was uncertainty as well as a question in
Steve's tone.
'You left a crime scene,' Mark prompted.
Steve looked blank so Mark decided not to press the matter any
further at that point.
'Have a shower, get dressed and come upstairs for some
breakfast,' Mark said gently,' Then you have a meeting with
Captain Newman.'
Leaving Steve alone , Mark and Jesse went upstairs. Whilst
waiting for Steve to join them Mark made a number of phone calls.
He rang Community General to let them know he wouldn't be in that
day. Amanda, to bring her up to speed and finally, the one he was
dreading, Captain Newman to say that he was bringing Steve in.
Later that morning, having dropped a protesting Jesse at his
apartment, Mark and Steve arrived at the precinct house. Steve
was slightly more with it now, but he still wasn't talking much
and Mark wasn't pushing. Captain Newman was waiting when they
arrived and they straight into his office.
'OK Lt. Sloan ', Captain Newman began, 'what happened yesterday?'
Steve began to detail his day but was interrupted by his Captain.
Newman ,
' That was the day before yesterday'. Captain Newman paused
before he carried on, 'I think that you could do with a few days
off'.
Steve started to open his mouth to protest, but was overridden by
both his father and his captain. It was agreed that Steve should
take at least a weeks sick leave and see how he went from there.
His docility fooled both Mark and Captain Newman into thinking
Steve was merely overworked and tired. Mark and Steve exited the
captains office and were just about to leave when a Detective
Malloy entered the room with a second suspect from the drive by
shooting, a young thug by the name of Rico. The part Steve had
played in the shooting the day previously had spread rapidly
through the streets and the suspect knew very well who Steve was.
Rico, amongst his other problems, had an enormous chip on his
shoulders where the police were concerned. He took one look at
Steve and said, ' Keep him away from me, I don't want to be
shot'.
One moment Steve was standing quietly by his father and the
next., or so it seemed, he had Rico up against the wall and was
pounding him like he was a punch bag. Everyone stood, as if
frozen, for a few seconds. They could not believe what they were
seeing.
'Get him off me', came the breathless plea from Rico.
It took three men to pull Steve off of Rico and bundle him into
Captain Newman's office. Mark followed them looking totally
shocked. He knew that Steve had a temper, it was one of the less
savoury traits he had inherited from Mark. However, he had never
seen him lose it like that.
Steve sat on one of the chairs in the office looking as if all
the air had been sucked out of his body. Captain Newman sat
opposite Steve and said,
'Sloan, there are some things I can overlook and some things I
can't and what happened out there I cannot. You have got some
serious problems and I don't think that a week at home with your
dad is going to cut it.', he paused before carrying on, ' I'm
afraid the only option that you have, apart from handing your
badge in, is checking yourself in to The Last Resort. 90 days
lockdown, starting tomorrow morning'.
'Okay,' there was no expression in Steve's voice at all.
'Take him home Dr. Sloan. I'll arrange the paperwork and he'll be
expected on Ward 2 Community General tomorrow at 9 am.'
'I'll see he's there Captain.'
For the second night in a row, Mark gave his son a sedative and
sat up with him. Surprisingly Steve slept well with no
disturbances whatsoever.
The next morning at 9 am sharp, Mark took an unnaturally docile
Steve to Community General. Jesse and Amanda were conspicuous by
their absence and that was only because Mark had phoned them the
previous evening and asked them to keep their distance. Marks had
a shock when he and Steve arrived at Ward 2, he was not allowed
in. Steve had been into The Last resort before, undercover, and
Mark had been part of the deal. It hadn't occurred to Mark that
this as visit was for real ,different rules applied. Relatives
were only allowed access to patients at certain times and then
only with the patients agreement. So he had to content himself
with one last hug and the sight of the barred and heavily locked
door closing behind his son. The last sight he had of Steve was
his forlorn face looking back at him. It reminded him of the time
he had made Steve go on a Summer camp the year his mother died.
Steve watched the door close against his father and turned to see
the head of the clinic looking at him. Dr. Finching was a man he
had known all his adult life, he and Mark were great friends.
Somehow, the man looking at him now seemed different,
professional. Even in the mental turmoil that Steve was in, he
recognised that he was in deep trouble. The problem was, that he
couldn't bring himself to care. Nothing mattered. Steve became
aware that Dr. Finching was talking to him.
'Lt. Sloan, do you know why you are here?'
Steve nodded.
'Okay, let's go over the rules. You are here for 90 days, no
parole , no excursions. You will attend two encounter meetings a
day, in the afternoon and evening. In the mornings there will be
testing and physical exercise. There will be no drugs, no alcohol
and no sex. Any infraction and you are out of here to take your
chances with the system. Twice a week there are individual
sessions with a psychiatrist. Open your mouth please.'
This was something that Steve remembered from last time with
Reggie. They were checking for any smuggled in drugs. In the dark
recesses of his mind Steve laughed, that was one thing he didn't
have a problem with.
'Okay, your room is this way. You'll get your luggage back when
it's been checked'.
Steve followed the burly male nurse along to his room and sat
down on the bed. He looked around the room and sighed. Then he
lay down and slept.
The first week that Steve was in Ward 2 was the longest of Marks
life. Much as he wanted to he would not ring his friend Arnold
Finching and ask about Steve. Mark was too professional to ask
and Arnold was too professional to answer. He relied heavily on
the support of Jesse and Amanda that week, and would continue to
do so for all the succeeding weeks until Steve came home.
Whilst it was fair to say that Steve attended all the sessions
that were required of him, it would also be accurate to say that
they were a waste of time. Each time it was Steve's turn for the
'hot seat' his answers to Arnold Finchings questions were
monosyllabic and unhelpful. At the end of the week it wasn't only
Mark that was worried. Arnold Finching had never seen a patient
as withdrawn as Steve was. A healthy Steve had a very expressive
face that reflected all his moods. This Steve had only one
expression - blank. It was as if his face had turned itself off
all the way up to his brain.
Six weeks later and there was very little change to be seen in
Steve. During the group sessions he was still monosyllabic, still
unhelpful. The only improvement to be found was in his sleep
pattern. No longer did the nurses hear him crying out for help in
his sleep. Arnold Finching had not been able to get Steve to talk
about anything, particularly the shooting of the drive by
suspect. Every time that it was mentioned, Steve's face took on
the all too familiar blank expression. Whether that was lack of
memory or refusal to
co-operate was anyone's guess.
However, it was during one of these sessions that a breakthrough
was made.
Arnold Finching, frustrated by Steve's lack of response to his
questions quipped,
'Am I going to have to put a bomb under you to get a response
Sloan?'
Steve, who had been slumped forward looking at his feet, jerked
up in his seat,
'Do you have any idea what 'having a bomb' put under you feels
like? No , you don't', he shouted,' Do you have any idea what it
feels like to come to and be stuck in a room with a dead man and
one unconscious friend, not knowing where your father was or even
if he was still alive? No! Do you have any idea what it feels
like to be lying in a tunnel made of debris, trying to get to a
teenage boy who was dying in front of your eyes? No!" by
this time Steve was on his feet, pacing the room and his voice
had got higher and higher.
Arnold Finching slowly got to his feet and walked over to Steve,
placing his hand on one of Steve's shoulders.
Quietly Arnold said, 'No Steve I don't know. Why don't you tell
us?'
Steve sat down in the chair that he had just vacated,
' I was terrified. I woke up and could only see Jesse. I didn't
know where dad or Amanda were. I didn't know whether we were
going to be able to get out or what I'd find it and when we did.
I have never felt so helpless in my life.' Steve paused,
'Helpless and terrified.'
'What happened after you all got out?', prompted Arnold.
'When we got out, there were still people trapped. They said that
there were some children still trapped inside. Jesse, Ron and I
went back in. Jesse and Ron carried two children out, but I heard
one crying out for help. He was behind some debris and I had to
crawl through narrow tunnel', Steve stopped and looked up with
eye filled with tears and pain at the memory, 'I couldn't reach
him the gap was too narrow. All I could do was stretch my arm
through and hold his hand. I never saw his face, I only heard his
voice crying for help. His voice got weaker and weaker until it
stopped. Then his hand went slack in mine. He died.'
There was silence in the room when Steve had finished talking.
All that could be heard was Steve's sobs as he finally let go of
the pain that had been eating at him for so long.
Arnold Finching finally spoke, 'Steve, I think we've finally made
a breakthrough here. Can you tell us what happened on the day of
the shooting?'
'I was back in that tunnel. I could hear the voice again, only
this time there was a face. I looked down at the body on the
floor and he was the one I couldn't save from the bombing'.
'But you know it wasn't really him, don't you Steve?' Arnold
asked
'Yeah, now I do, but then ……….no I didn't..'
'Why did you leave the scene?'
Steve shrugged, ' I don't know. All I know is that I needed to
get away, from there, from police work , from everything'.
' How do you feel now? ' Arnold questioned, he knew he was
pushing Steve, but he had to see how far he could go.
'Empty. But a different kind of empty from before. It's like I
needed food, but I'm only just now ready to eat'.
Arnold smiled, 'That's a good analogy Steve. I think that that's
enough for now. Why don't we carry on next time?'
Steve looked at Arnold, 'Can I see my dad please Arnold? I know
that it's not his day but I'd like to'.
Arnold judged that seeing Mark would be more beneficial than not
seeing him so he agreed.
Mark was off duty that evening. He was cooking a meal for Jesse
and himself. Since Steve had been away, both Jesse and Amanda had
made sure that Mark spent a little time as possible on his own.
It was their way of paying both Mark and Steve back for all their
support in the past. Mark was just putting the finishing touches
to his pasta sauce when the phone rang.
'I'll get it Mark, ' called Jesse,' we don't want the sauce to
spoil'.
He picked up the phone saying, 'Sloan residence '.
'Jesse', came a familiar voice through the receiver.
Jesses face lit up, he hadn't heard his friends voice in a long
time 'Steve hi. How are you?'
'Better Jess. Is my dad there?'
'Sure, ' Jesse answered and called out, 'Mark, it's Steve on the
phone'.
Spoiled pasta sauce or not Mark left the stove and rushed to take
the phone that Jesse was holding out to him.
'Steve? Are you okay? What's the matter?' he rushed his
questions.
'I just wanted to talk to you. Arnold said you could come in
tonight if you wanted.'
Steve barely had the chance to finish his sentence when Mark
said, 'I'm on my way'.
'Jesse,' Mark said, 'I'm going to the hospital. Steve wants to
talk'.
'That's great,' smiled Jesse, 'Go! I'll finish up here'.
Mark drove as fast as he dare to the hospital, without breaking
any speed limits. He rushed up to Ward 2 and found Steve alone in
the patients lounge
reading one of the many magazines that had been brought in for
him. He looked up as the door opened and smiled at his father.
That smile was the best present that Mark could have had. He
walked over to Steve and put his arm around him, ' It's good to
see you smile son,' he said.
'It feels good to smile again dad. I feel like I have been in a
long tunnel with no exit in view. I don't feel like I am out of
the tunnel yet, but I can see the light up ahead.'.
'It's a start Steve. The way from here won't be easy, but it
certainly won't be as bad as the road that's behind you', he sat
down and continued,' So what happened today that prompted you to
call me?'
Steve sat down and told Mark what he had told the group earlier
that day.
When he had finished Mark said,
'Why did you keep this to yourself Steve?'
'After it first happened, we were all so busy getting better.
Then we were looking for Carter and Caitlin Sweeny,', Steve
stopped and shrugged, ' After that, I just put it to the back of
my mind. It wasn't until the shooting that it all came back to
me'. Steve yawned.
'You're tired son. I'll go now and let you rest.'
'Thanks dad', Steve looked up at Mark, 'for everything'.
Mark briefly gripped Steve's shoulder on the way out.
The following few weeks saw great leaps in the recovery of Steve
Sloan. He began to take an interest in the thing around him,
spending hours on end in the exercise room. At the end of his
mandatory 90 days he had his final patient/doctor meeting with
Arnold Finching.
'Steve, I have to say that 90 days ago I could not see this day
dawning in the way it has. You were a totally different person. I
am very pleased with your progress. I only have one reservation
though. I still don't think that you are fit for duty yet.'
'I agree with you doc. Actually, it's more a case of I don't want
to go back to work yet. I can't even be bothered to think about
chasing murder suspects, writing reports, shooting people. I'm
not sure that I'll ever want to'.
'Okay, I sign you out of here, but with the rider that you will
not be fit for work for another 3 months. After that, you can
make your own decision.'
Mark had come to pick up Steve and this time he was unable to
keep Jesse and Amanda away. The second Steve stepped outside Ward
2 he was enveloped in a double hug from them both.
'Hi guys,' Steve smiled, 'it's good to see you'.
Mark smiled, 'Come on kids, let's go home'
Later that day Steve stood on the deck of the beach house looking
out over the ocean. He took a deep breath in and let the aromas
course through his body. He hadn't realised just how much he had
missed being able to just stand and look at the ocean. He became
aware that he was no longer alone on the decking and her turned
round to see his dad , Jesse and Amanda behind him with glasses
of wine each and one for him. Mark handed Steve the glass and
said
'It's good to have you home son. Let's drink to your continued
recovery.'
They all drank and Steve said, ' I'm still unsure about my future
dad, that's why Arnold has given me another three months off
work. I think that I need to clear my head completely', he
paused.
Mark looked at his son, he knew he wasn't going to like what was
coming next.
'I need to get away. I might visit Carol and she how she's going.
I might even give her new boyfriend the once over,' he was
grinning.
Despite the fact that Steve was going away, Mark was pleased to
see that his beloved son had obviously regained his sense of
humour. He made a mental note to ring Carol and warn her about
that. He was also pleased that brother and sister had mended
their fractured relationship to the extent that Steve wanted to
spend some recovery time with Carol.
A few days later and Steve was ready to leave. He stood by his
tightly packed jeep and looked at his father. Neither of them
knew quite what to say.
Mark broke the silence,' Have a good journey son and give Carol
my love and a big hug when you see her'.
'Sure dad. Look, I know that you have gone through as much as me
the last three months and I feel bad at going away, but I need to
do this'.
'I know Steve. I can't pretend that I like it, but I do
understand'.
With that, the two men hugged each other and Steve got into the
jeep, started the engine and drove off. Mark waited until he
could no longer see him, the turned and slowly walked back into
the house.
Life at the beach house fell into a new routine for Mark. By and
large he had no-one to think about but himself. That is if you
didn't count the number of times that Jesse invited himself to
dinner. Or the number of times Amanda turned up unannounced with
CJ for an afternoon or an evening. Steve checked in occasionally
with news of how he was progressing and how Carol was.
Slowly the three months passed by.
A few days before Steve was due home, Mark enrolled Jesse and
Amanda into giving the downstairs unit a spring clean. They
started early one morning and worked late into the afternoon,
making sure that the place was spotless. By the time they
finished, the three friends were exhausted. They slowly climbed
the stairs to Marks unit , made some sandwiches and coffee and
sat down on the chairs in Marks living room. Conversation was
desultory and eventually petered out altogether. One by one the
three nodded off. Much later Jesse was woken up by a tap on the
shoulder. He looked up, a smile lit up his face and he was about
to open his mouth to speak but was silenced by a hand over his
mouth. Amanda was woken up in much the same way. Jesse and Amanda
scooted along the sofa and the new arrival sat down next to them.
Mark slowly opened his eyes to see three faces grinning broadly
at him. He closed his eyes and yawned. Then something in his
brain clicked. Three faces! He opened his eyes again to see
Jesse, Amanda and Steve watching him.
'Steve! It's good to see you! Why didn't you let us know you were
coming home early?'
'I wanted to surprise you all. I didn't expect you to be that
bored with waiting'.
'Cheek of the man!', Amanda grumbled,' I'll have you know Steve
Sloan, that we have just spent the best part of the day cleaning
your unit out ready for when you got back'.
'Thanks Amanda, Jesse, dad. Well. I'm back', Steve announced
unnecessarily.
'So you are son,' Mark said,' How are you feeling?'
'Actually, I'm feeling really good. I've had a great time with
Carol and her new boyfriend is really good for her.'
' That's good,' said Mark, before asking the question they all
wanted the answer to,' Have you come to a decision about the
future?'
Steve sat silent for a few seconds. Then he took a breath before
answering,
' I've decided that I do want to stay with the force, but perhaps
take my career in a different direction. What I'd like to do is
to do some work with the teenagers, help them out. I know that
there is a specialised juvenile unit and I
think I'd like to explore the possibility of working with them'.
Everyone in the room knew that this was the right thing for Steve
to do. He would be able to bring his wide ranging experience to
bear in helping troubled teens.
Mark said with a voice full of emotion, 'I can't think of a
better person to do that job son and we'll help you all we can'.
Later, when Jesse and Amanda had gone home, Steve and Mark sat in
a companionable silence. Steve leaned back in his chair and
closed his eyes with the tiredness that comes from a long
journey. Mark looked at his son, with the love he felt for him
radiating out from every pore of his body.
Life for Steve in the future may have its pitfalls. Who knows if
he would be able to change direction successfully? Still, the
Steve that was sitting opposite him - the real Steve, the well
Steve - he would be able to cope. Marks last thought before he,
too, leant back and slept was that life may well have its
problems, its ups and down but - with his son well, his daughter
back in his life and good friends like Jesse and Amanda - nothing
was too difficult to overcome.
THE END
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