So Easy to Shatter, So hard to Rebuild

Part 12

" Shawn, are you sure you want to do this? Just say the word and I'll turn the car around. We'll go home and come up with a different way. you don't have to go in there like this and confront all of them, confront him."

From where he sat in the front passenger seat of his father's old truck, Shawn let Henry's deep yet unusually soft voice wash over him.

He felt a small surge of warmth towards the older man sitting beside him in the driver's seat.

However, his father's quiet concern did very little to ease the thundering of Shawn's heart within his chest.

And the reason for Shawn's unease stood just across the street from where Henry's white truck was park in the form of a building.

The Santa Barbara Police Department Headquarters.

The station where Shawn's life had literally shattered around him like glass all those long months ago.

Taking in a deep rattling breath to steady his already trembling nerves, Shawn spoke.

" Yes Dad, I'm sure. If I don't do this now then I may never be able to and besides that, I been running scared for long enough. They all need to know... He needs to know." He said, his voice quiet but hard with determination.

Henry took a moment to digest his son's words and look at Shawn's face.

Indeed, Shawn's face said it all.

The time for running was over, now was the time to face the guilty and decide whether or not they could be forgiven for the pain they had all caused.

" Okay then, let's go." Said Henry as he pushed the driver's side door open.

" Yeah." Agreed Shawn as he unlocked his own door and pushed it open.

Shawn carefully climbed out of his dad's truck and let the warm afternoon sun bath him in its light for a moment.

But, he soon turned away from the light and lightly pulled the suede jacket he was wearing more closely to him to further hide a certain physical feature he'd been sporting for four months now.

" You ready." Asked Henry once he was standing beside his only son.

" As much as I can be at the moment." Mumbled Shawn before with a huff, he and Henry both stepped forward, carefully but quickly crossing the street.

When they reached the other side of the street, Shawn did his best to keep his gaze straight ahead at the front doors and his mind focused solely on his objectives of getting to the people inside the building, most importantly the oblivious other father of the unborn child he was carrying inside him.

He did his best to ignore the sharp intakes of breath and the exclamations any of the uniformed Santa Barbara Police officer who'd happened to be outside and caught sight of him approaching.

Henry's silent but faithful presence beside him gave Shawn some much needed reassurance as father and son finally made their way inside the police station.

The moment Shawn stepped over the threshold and into the building his mind was instantly and mercilessly assaulted with the memories of that horrible day that had led to his exile to Bandon.