Open Case File [COMPLETED]

Shutting Out (Part 1)

The door shut slowly behind Donovan, closing Carter inside with the gaping hole where he'd been. Carter didn't move. She didn't cry. How could she when he'd ripped out her heart and taken it with him.

She remained a pillar of cold stone, staring at the place he'd stood, watching the shadows shift until the darkness of night made it impossible to see.

Finally Carter roused herself. She felt small, vulnerable in a way she hadn't in years. Not since her mother had come back into her life. Her mother. The one who'd left the scar of abandonment on Carter's heart. A scar so deep it tainted the best thing in her life.

Carter grabbed her satchel and left her apartment. A metro and bus ride later she descended the steps into her old neighborhood. She crossed the street, heading into the narrow lane. The lights were still on in the living room window of the apartment.

When Carter knocked, her father opened the door. Behind him, Maggie was bouncing a wet haired Danny in her arms. Carter looked from Maggie to her father, who looked at her with worry.

"Can you take a walk?" she asked.

Captain called back to Maggie, then slipped on his shoes. Together they headed away from the apartment. Carter didn't say anything as they went and her father kept his peace. When they got to the old playground, they both took spots on the swung set.

"How did you learn to trust Maggie after everything mom had done to you?" she said.

Captain looked at her keenly.

"Because every day she showed me she was trustworthy."

"Even when she messed up?"

"Trust isn't based on someone's flaws, its based on someone's actions. Making mistakes is human nature. And..." He looked at the play set, as if needing a moment to gather his courage. "After I was shot, I was ordered to see a therapist. A common thing after an injuring. Besides talking about my injury, I talked about your mother."

Carter didn't know what to say. He'd never told her he went to therapy. Did he feel embarrassed by it?

"I know we never talked that much after your mother left," her father continued. "We both handled it in our own ways. But maybe we should have." He sighed. "I realized I held onto to so much anger and hurt that it stopped be from seeing the truth of Maggie. I'm not saying you have to go but...maybe talking to someone could help you find closure with what happened."

A therapist. Carter had never given it thought before. But now... She thought of Donovan. His face as he looked at her before he walked out the door.

Carter pushed against the ground, setting herself swaying. Her father said nothing as Carter gently swung back and forth. Donovan's words ran through her head. The last years of being with him filled her mind. The moments where the pain of her past had interfered with their relationship.

Finally, she came to a stop and looked at her father.

"Thank you," she said.

Captain stood up and kissed the top of her head.

"Whatever happens, you will get through it."

She nodded.

When they made it back to the apartment, Carter left her father at the stairs. She had somewhere to be.

It was late by the time she stood outside Donovan's apartment. She wondered if he'd be asleep. It was possible he was. But Carter knew she couldn't spend the night with this hanging over her.

She knocked.

For a moment, she heard nothing.

Then she caught the soft patter of footsteps and the door opened.