The Way We Almost Were ✓

39| blood brother

The expression on Dale's face only grew more helpless and he gave Nick's frame a once-over. "Did the trip to the precinct also buy you a new personality?" He then muttered a few choice words under his breath and frowned harder at Nick. "This is very suspicious, I don't like it one bit."

"So this person that you love," Nick emphasised again, pointing to himself, "is going to be a free man."

"Sorry, didn't realise we were keeping you under house arrest all this time."

"Dale, I am in a fairly good mood," Nick paused, "so I'll let your smartass attitude slip this one time." He lifted a finger in the air, "one time."

"And I'm ever so grateful, brother," Dale mocked with a roll of his eyes, only realising the gravity of the word he'd thrown out so nonchalantly after he'd said it -- if the way his posture suddenly went rigid was any indication.

Nick, too, felt the earlier smile on his face freeze. His cheeks felt too stiff now, and the lift of his mouth gradually dropped, till the smile was no longer evident.

"I didn't mean--"

"It's okay," Nick shrugged, not wanting to really think about it, let alone talk.

Dale dropped his gaze and awkwardly scratched at his arm, on the inside of the crook of his elbow.

Nick cleared his throat. "Where's Eileen?"

"Hmm?" Dale glanced up, distracted, and then his expression cleared. "Oh, mum's at Bree's. Checking with them about what happened and, you know, just getting reassurance for herself... She, um, she wanted to be at the station but your probation officer rang her and asked her to stay back. That it was best she didn't show herself as your guardian for now."

Nick narrowed his eyes to himself, contemplating why Westlake must have thought Eileen coming to get Nick was a bad idea. The only plausible reason would be that she knew exactly what she was getting into by providing a home for Nick, and was involved with keeping him safe...

...But that would be insane -- because Nick didn't even know Eileen. And why would someone he didn't even know want to take him in knowing the dangers that came with it?

"Nick?" Dale called, tugging him away from the wheels turning in his head.

"Mm?" He asked, meeting Dale's eyes but not really seeing him, still distracted about Eileen and how much she must know.

"It doesn't make sense that your probation officer wouldn't want anyone to know you're staying with mum."

This time, he did catch Nick's attention.

"People with badges," Nick waved it off with fake nonchalance. "You never know why they do what they do."

"I don't think that's it."

Nick pressed his lips together and stared at Dale, who stared right back with both worry and curiosity simmering in those green eyes.

"What is it, Dale?" Nick sighed, knowing that look by now.

"I know you noticed how... fidgety I've been this week," he said. "Did you wonder why?"

Nick nodded, slowly. "Yeah... Just didn't know how to ask," he mumbled under his breath, shifting awkwardly on his feet.

"I was going through some of the stuff stored up there, in the shed on the rooftop," Dale explained, pronouncing each word with caution, as if he was thinking each word through before uttering them.

"Okay?"

"And there were all these newspaper clippings from a long time ago stored in a box... Different headlines about a man named Frank Crawford."