Forgotten Times 1/17 By Debbie Eng (wan-ping@juno.com) ******** Pages for different doctors could be heard throughout the building. Nurses and orderlies were rushing about their business, carefully going around the crowd of people that were in the corner waiting room. They were all there. Skelany, the Chief, Kermit, the Ancient, and the rest of Peter's family. His foster family. They were all awaiting news on Peter who had just come out of surgery. Kermit kicked the soda machine, causing it to dispense a can of lemon lime soda, " Peter will be all right. He's been through worst. " He had been repeating that over and over again to himself and everyone else. The doctor finally came out to greet them, " You're all here for Detective Caine? " At their nods, he continued, " He had a lot of internal injuries, which we've repaired as best as we can. However, he is stabilized, but he is still in a coma, thanks to the steel pipes that crashed down on him," The doctor closed the metal clipboard in his hand, " Frankly I'm surprised that he's made it this far. " Annie Blaisdell gripped her husband's hand at the doctor's words, " Can we see him? " " Only two at a time, and only for a short while, " the doctor replied. Then he left to answer a page. The group decided that Annie and Paul should be the first ones to go in. After all, besides Paul being Peter's captain, he was also his foster father and Annie was the only mother that he had ever known. They left the group and walked into Peter's room. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Paul gently guided his blind wife to their foster son's bedside. Paul gasped softly at the sight of Peter's battered body. It was hooked so many different machines. This was the one time that Paul was glad that Annie couldn't see. He didn't want her to be subjected to this sight, ever. Not if he could help it. Annie sat in the chair that Paul had moved closer to the bedside, and was holding Peter's hand. She had heard Paul's small intake of air and she knew that if her husband was shocked by the sight of Peter, then it looked bad, very bad. She patted Peter's hand, " Oh Peter. " Watching his wife sit with Peter reminded Paul of the time when they had come to visit Peter after an experience with a foster family when he was younger. Apparently the father of that family had not wanted a child that was not his own, but his wife couldn't have children, so they had signed up to adopt one. Peter had been doing fine there for the months that he was there, until the wife had died in a car crash while she was driving Peter to his soccer game. Peter had escaped with only a couple of cuts and bruises and that had enraged the grief-stricken man. He had blamed Peter for the crash and had taken it out on him. Peter believing himself to be the one to blame had taken the beatings, saying nothing, until Paul and his partner had answered a call to that house from a concerned neighbor. They had already been on their way because Paul had wanted to drop off a birthday present for Peter's fourteenth birthday. They had arrived at the scene in time to hear a man yelling in the backyard and the sound of something repeatedly striking against something else. They had run back in time to see the drunken man yell at Peter for not dying instead of his beloved wife. Another man and his son had been there trying to stop him and get Peter out of the way, but Peter was no longer able to help himself. Paul had put on a burst of speed when he saw what the man was doing to Peter. His partner had yelled, " Freeze, police! " and the man had dropped the baseball bat. As his partner made the arrest, Paul had rushed to Peter, who had collapsed in a bloody heap long before they had gotten there. When Annie had heard what had happened, she had demanded that he take her to Peter's side immediately. By the time Peter had woken up in the hospital, they had decided to try and adopt Peter for their own. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Paul brought himself back to the present and went around to the other side of Peter to grip his other hand, " Damn it, Peter, " Captain Paul Blaisdell admonished the unconscious man on the hospital bed, " Why couldn't you have waited for back up? Why do you always try to be the hero?" I should have seen this coming, Paul thought. Then he inwardly sighed. Ever since Peter's real father, Kwai Chang Caine had left yet again for a journey without telling his son, things had been bad. Damn it, Caine. He silently cursed the man who had once again deserted their son. Why do you keep doing that to him? Ever time you leave without telling Peter, he gets upset and when he gets upset, he gets careless. Was it too much to leave him a note? God, even though he was an ex-mercenary, he at least let his wife, Annie know that he was going to be gone, even if he didn't tell her where he was going. He didn't disappear and make her worry that he had been kidnapped or something worst. Paul didn't know what was worst. The times when Caine left without telling Peter, or the times he came back. It had been the night after Christmas and it had taken many drinks before Peter had told Paul what had been bothering him. Paul flashed back to that night. " What's been bothering you, Peter? You've been distracted the last couple of weeks, and I don't think it was because of the holiday season," Paul had not had as much to drink as Peter. He had learned from his mercenary days that a clear head meant that you stayed alive longer. " Nuthin, " Peter had downed the rest of his glass. Paul had not wanted to push, " All right son, but you're going to spend the night though, you're in no condition to drive. " He had taken Peter's keys from him and had helped Peter into his old room. After he had turned off the lights and turned to leave the room, he had heard Peter ask in a child like voice, " How come my Pop doesn't want me? " The unshed tears in Peter's eyes shone brightly in the dark. Paul had quickly turned back to him, " What do you mean? " He had to wait a while for Peter to formulate an answer. " Pop said that the only reason he had came back the first time was because of the emperor, not because of me, " Peter had said softly, " He wasn't looking for me at all. He called finding me an accident. Then he left again. Just as I opened up to him. I told him that I understood, but I don't. Why does everyone else always comes first with him? Why am I always the last in line? " " Peter..." Paul came to Peter's bedside to comfort him like he had when Peter had first came to live with them, " Its not you. " He had to strain to hear Peter's next sentence. " Last time he came back, he said he hadn't wanted to come back that soon. Soon? It was six long months of hell...not even one postcard! And of course ... the only reason he came back was because the Chi Ru master had come back and he had to protect that author. And then after another couple of months, he left again. Damn it, why? Am I that bad of a son? " Peter was openly crying now. " No, Peter, anyone who doesn't want a son like you should be shot, " Paul had said. Peter had grasped onto that word, " Shot? Did you know that time when I was shot by that druggie looking for his next fix, he had more sympathy for the other guy then for me? " " Maybe your father just needs to get to know you again. After all, its been over fifteen years since you last saw him. A lot has changed. " Peter had given a little laugh, " I've tried, Dad, but every time I asked him if he wanted to do something, he would say that he had something else to do. I told him about everything that happened to me during those 15 years, but whenever I ask him about something, he tells me that its a story for another time. However there is never another time because he usually leaves for another one of those journeys. And every time, like the fool that I am, I welcome him back with open arms. " " Oh Peter..." " Know what I realized tonight? " Peter was having a hard time fighting the effects of the alcohol. " What? " Paul had been silently cursing the man who had done this to Peter. His heart hurt for what Peter had been going through. He vowed to have a good long talk with the man Peter called Pop the next time he came back. " You're my real Dad, not him. You're the one who loves me and listens. You're the one who cares if I live or die. And you're the one who is always willing to do something with me. Its always been you, not him..." Peter's voice drifted off as if this tirade had taken the last of his energy. Paul had quietly tucked the blankets around him and left the room with unshed tears of his own. That had happened months ago, but he still remembered it like it was yesterday. He went to Annie and hugged her from behind, " We have to let the others have a turn. Don't worry, Annie, he'll be fine. He always is. " Annie stood up and hugged him back. Then they left the room. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------