Chapter Four #3
When Caryn found him, he was sitting in the treehouse, and Wyler was silently brooding about something.
And that was never good.
She’d gotten a call from Demeter, that the dream walking went sideways, and that Wyler might need someone to calm him down.
So, here she was.
After that call, Caryn felt the need to get there. After dealing with the runaway tutor, she finally headed out, wanting to make sure her husband was not in a bad place.
At this point, she wasn’t sure what he would do.
The man sometimes made questionable choices.
Case in point?
Running away.
It worried her when Wyler wasn’t answering his phone, and while he normally would take a walk into the woods, they were on lockdown.
For their own good.
Hopefully, he remembered that.
They were still running short of security, and they didn’t have anyone to spare until more people were hired.
Or shipped here from DC.
When she climbed up to find him, he glanced over.
“Hey,” he said, not shocked that someone had called his wife to update her.
That was about right.
He had babysitters.
“You’re all a bunch of rats!” Wyler shouted, knowing Demeter and Muriel were on patrol not far away. He couldn’t take a leak in the woods without a Marine up in his business.
There was only laughter in response.
No.
Shock.
There.
Deep down, he knew they were doing it for his own good, but still…
He was a grown ass man.
Did they forget that?
He didn’t need his wife alerted when he and his son had an argument.
As she sat down, she held his hand.
Finally, she went there.
“What happened with the dream walking?” she asked. “You were looking forward to it.”
Wyler shrugged.
He had been.
That was the sad part.
“I ran headlong into Ethan. He’s so goddamn stubborn,” he admitted.
That made her laugh.
Why?
Oh, well, she knew where he got that streak from, and it was certainly no coincidence that the man busted balls like his father.
That was for damn sure.
“You don’t say, oh, stubborn one. I recall me trying to get you onto a plane to see your great-grandson born. That didn’t end well for me. I’m pretty sure I know all about that Blackhawk stubbornness.”
He sighed.
“Are you going to use that forever?” he asked. “It wasn’t my brightest moment. That was for sure.”
Oh, she absolutely was.
“That depends on your future behavior, oh, sneaky one,” she joked, giving him a kiss on the cheek.
Then, she went there.
“What went down?”
He told her.
“He’s still angry at me, and he pushed me to the point I got angry and exploded. I told him off and walked out. Now, I feel bad. He’s entitled to have his feelings.”
She shared.
“And so are you. Ethan is tough,” she said. “He’s going to come around. You just have to be patient. You just have to be calm,” she added.
He.
Was.
Aware.
Only, he didn’t have much time left. Despite doing the chemo, he knew at some point, he was going to expire. He could feel it in his gut.
What he’d wanted to spare them all from was exactly what he couldn’t.
This was the long goodbye.
His body would give out, and he’d be forced to see his family crying and losing him.
Yeah, he’d fight, but he was well aware that the shit was going to happen.
That was going to suck.
“I had hoped this would change our relationship,” he admitted. “I wanted to take that walk into the smoke with him, so maybe, just maybe, he’d forgive me. I know I haven’t been the best father.”
She held his hand.
“No, but no one is a perfect parent. We all make mistakes. Duke is edgy, and I want to help him, but sometimes, the best thing we can do is let our kids work through it alone.”
He knew she was right, but it still hurt and upset him to know that he and Ethan might end up estranged during their last days.
“Have you reached out to him?” she asked. “Maybe text him, and see if you can open a line of communication?” she asked.
He shook his head.
Caryn picked up his phone and handed it to him. It was clear that it was bothering Wyler enough that letting it go and having it work itself out was not an option.
That meant he needed to take the next step. While Ethan was just as stubborn, he wasn’t irrational. He was aware his time was likely limited with Wyler.
Her money was on him.
When he took the phone, he began typing, and he settled on one simple text message.
Hopefully, it would help—not hurt.
‘Son, I know you’re angry with me right now, but I want to just tell you that I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have walked out in anger. I’m just desperate to fix what’s broken between us before I run out of time. Please forgive me. Hopefully, we can talk later if you’re available. I love you. Dad.’
He showed Caryn, and she hit send.
It was an honest text, and it wasn’t inflammatory. The next move would be up to Ethan, and she trusted the man.
He was decent and kind.
Like his father.
When Wyler went to tuck it away, it chimed, and he’d not been expecting a reply.
That was so very un-Ethan-like.
But it was, indeed, a text from his son.
‘The fault is mine, Dad. I shouldn’t have been pissy still.
Sometimes, I forget that time is not always a given, and I don’t want to be angry with you.
I’m going to be home from this case tonight since I have to sit down with Lance tomorrow.
Will you join me when I meet with him in the morning?
I could really use your backup since Elizabeth is going to be working in Holladay. I love you too. Ethan.’
At his words, there was hope.
In fact, Wyler had tears in his eyes.
“Well, shit. It actually worked.”
Caryn touched his cheek.
Yeah, she wasn’t shocked. Ethan was a good man, and she knew he’d do the right thing.
The Blackhawk men were cagey and trouble, but they were decent human beings.
“My love, he’s your son. He loves you. There’s time to fix everything, and it’s clear that he wants you to be by his side as he takes on the role of Shaman. Be there for him, and he’ll be there for you when you need him.”
Yeah, he was seeing that was definitely happening. Wyler wouldn’t miss it for the world.
So, he messaged him back.
‘I’ll stay at the cabin tonight if you’d like to have dinner with me. I’d like to have some time with you, and it would be my honor to go with you to the council tomorrow. I’ll be there, Ethan. I promise.’
What he fully expected back was something about how he never kept his promises, and he would have a valid argument.
In the past, Wyler hadn’t.
He had an MO, and he stuck to it.
But over the last fifteen years, he’d kept all of them with the exception of going home to see Oliver’s birth. That would be the last one he’d broken.
That was for damn sure.
When he got a reply, he wanted to weep.
‘I’ll stay with you at the cabin. Can you make dinner? I could use some of Granddad’s stew. Seeing him when I went into the smoke alone made me want to reconnect on this plane, too. Please make me dinner? If you’re not up for it, I can pick something up on my way home.’
Forget that.
He’d cook.
Wyler knew his son was trying, and for that, he was so goddamn grateful. Deep down, he didn’t deserve it, but he would take it.
Ethan was giving him a second chance. It appeared that he’d gotten forgiveness.
Finally.
He rattled off a reply, and when it was sent, he stood up, and pulled Caryn up.
“We have dinner to make.”
She was honest.
“I’ll help, but I think that tonight should be about you and your son. I think that tonight, you need to have these moments with him. Ethan deserves to feel your love in case there’s not many moments left.”
She was right.
And he appreciated that.
“Thank you, Caryn.”
She kissed him.
“It’s my pleasure, Wyler. He’s my son, too, and I want this healing for both of you.”
She was a good woman, and he was lucky.
“Well, then, let’s go make dinner. I have a lot to do. I’m going to cook something I know he loves. He said he wanted stew, and there was a specific one that Timothy made it for him every year on his birthday.”
That sounded perfect.
She held his hand, and together, they climbed down the ladder. Before they walked into the cabin, he hugged both Muriel and Demeter.
“I don’t know which of you ratted me out, but thank you,” he said. “I love you both.”
They let him go.
What could they say to that?
Family took care of each other.
For now, though, it appeared that the Blackhawks had averted another calamity.
All it took was a little help from their friends.
A village.
* * * The Blackhawk Family * * *
Washington D.C
The Redwolf Home
Same Time
Because this wasn’t a talk to have over the phone, Chrissy left work, saying she wasn’t feeling well.
It was a lie, but her PTO was her PTO. She knew there were no difficult cases, so Zane would be fine without her for the day.
Now, longer?
That was anyone’s guess.
To be honest, she was ‘Team Head to Damascus’, but this was going to be Kane’s call.
She had to give him a choice.
When she walked in, the kids were playing, and he was sitting at the kitchen table, drinking coffee. He’d pulled a late night the previous night, and their children were off for the summer.
Unlike the Blackhawks, they didn’t have summer tutors to make sure they kept the kids moving forward with their education.
Well, not yet anyway.
A million dollars could buy them some damn good educations, while padding a nice retirement fund.
As she came in, he glanced over.
“Uh, are you okay?”
She nodded.
“We need to talk.”
His eyebrow went up.
“Oh, shit. Did you quit your job again?” he asked, the lines around his eyes more prevalent as of late.
The crime rate was killing the cops in the city. They were back-to-back cases, with no downtime in between.
“No, but it is about work.”
He sighed.
When she held out her hand, she led him into their kitchen. That’s when she began selling him on this plan.
“What if you could retire?” she asked him.
That made Kane laugh.
“Oh, well, did we win the lottery?” he asked, joking. “Did you rob a bank?”
Well, maybe.
“In a way, yes.”
Kane stared at her.