Colin nodded, “You can tell her I’d like to talk with her, if she’s okay with that” he said as he looked back over at him. “Do you have a way to get home, do you need a ride or anything?”

“I think she knew it would happen… she gave me your name.” Elijah shrugged slightly. “I just didn’t tell her that it was going to happen today.” He stuck his hands in his pockets awkwardly. “She just finished work though so I’ll probably just tell her when I get home.”

“How do you think she’ll react to me knowing?” he asked, genuinely curious. He hadn’t talked to her since they were just kids, he didn’t know what kind of person she was now. She clearly didn’t want him knowing when they were younger, he wasn’t sure if she’d even want him to know now.

Elijah nodded, smiling a bit at the man when he said he wanted to be involved. “So, uhm… I didn’t tell my mom I was talking to you about this… I probably should let her know that you know now, huh…” He figured that this way, if it didn’t go well, he simply wouldn’t tell her and when she questioned it he’d just say he didn’t want to anymore.

“It doesn’t matter why, now you get to see your cool big brother everyday” He looked back at him, “Well they aren’t good people. And you deserve better than that”

“I’m just glad they’re finally letting my go the school you teach at. I think they just said yes so I’d leave them alone, but I don’t really care why.” he admitted with a small shrug. “Your places is way more like home then theirs. I don’t think they even notice when I’m there or not.”

Colin looked worried at her when she spoke again, “What’s wrong, what’re you talking about?” he asked, concerned. “Is there anything I can do to help?” he thought to ask, knowing that no matter what he would do anything he could to try and help Chloe. “Yeah, it’s good to see that they’re okay, the ones that come in. I know a few that are in the hospital but I’ve been told they’ll be back soon”

“Thats.. yeah, it is.” She faltered a little, for a second being plagued by a quick series of flashbacks to that night in the apartment. It made her shudder involuntarily. Looking back up at her big brother, asking her the million dollar question, Chloe couldn’t bring herself to keep telling the same white lie. Not anymore. “No, I can’t say that I am. I thought that if I didn’t talk about it, it would all just.. disappear..” Her voice was low her eyes filling with moisture. Chloe swallowed hard running a hand trough her hair. “Oh thats good. I’m sure its nice just having the students show up this week.” Selfish.. Thats what you are. He doesn’t need to hear this. Remember how Connor reacted. Connor.. she’d promised.  

Colin nodded slowly. “Good, good, in that case I really want to be a part of your life” he looked over at him, before saying what he felt he needed to. “You know...you know that if I knew, I would’ve never left right?” he asked, needing to be sure that the boy knew he was wanted. It would’ve crushed him if Eli left this conversation thinking Colin didn’t want him.

Elijah was trying to not make himself shrink down because of how nervous he still was, but it was hard. He didn’t know what he’d been expected from Colin, but it wasn’t really this. Not that he was disappointed, not at all. “Yeah, I mean obviously it’s okay or I wouldn’t have come and told you because that would be kind of pointless.” He said probably quicker than he should have, just glad that he wanted to be in his life.

“yeah it’s hard to stay in the loop with those circumstances. If it makes you feel any better, I am probably just as out of the loop as you are” he nodded. “Their house is not a home, and you really need a home to come back to.”

“It does.” Connor agreed, “I guess I’m kinda just a little out of the loop, with the private school mom and dad had me in , then all the hospital stuff.” he said with a small shrug. “I think I’d lose it if all I could do was just go back to mom and dad’s when I’m out of the hospital, and they’re not even there.”

Colin nodded, “It seems like everyone knew everyone around here.” he said, looking around at all of the people who came to the memorial for a moment. “Sometimes you just want to step back from the hospital life, I get it.” h looked back at him, “That’s what my place is for, you know you always have a room there”

“Yeah, I mean it seems like everybody knew somebody who was hurt … or who didn’t make it.” he said, shaking his head slightly. It was still hard to believe something like this hard really happened. “Me too. I mean, Dr. Yates is great and all, but I’m pretty sick of all the hospital stuff.”

“There’s always a way to know and I should’ve known” he said as he looked over at him. “I don’t leave people, that’s not who I am.” he shook his head, “And if I knew then, I wouldn’t have let her hide you from me. And I know now, and I’m not leaving” he said as he looked at him, his soft eyes looking down for a moment. “If it’s okay with you, I’d like to be a part of your life”

Elijah just shook his head when the man apologized, glad that he wasn’t arguing about it anymore. “You wouldn’t have had a way to know.” He pointed out. She hid it from him, that was that. “And if you, like… don’t care or whatever, that’s okay. I just thought you should know. You don’t have to do anything.” Even though it would be more disappointing than he’d say, he wasn’t going to force himself on his father.

Colin just shut his eyes when he heard Amber’s name. “I’m so sorry, Elijah” he said quietly before looking over at him. “I should’ve known. I’m sorry” he spoke softly before taking a deep breath and just looking at the boy, trying to find the resemblance between them.

Elijah’s eyes widened slightly when he asked him the same question twice. “Amber Brooks.” He answered quietly. “I thought you already knew that.” They had the same last name, he just figured he would already know who he mom was even if he hadn’t put together that he was his father. “She told me after I got out of surgery.”

Colin’s heart stopped when he mentioned his family. That was the only part of this that would’ve made sense. Every problem he’s ever had was because of his family. “My family..” he said quietly as he looked down before speaking quietly. “..What’s your moms name, Elijah” he said before looking back up at the boy and repeating himself. “What’s your moms name”

Elijah closed his eyes for a moment and shook his head. “My mom said she never told you, because of your family.” He said without hesitation, not really realizing what that meant. He always thought they were just super religious or something, he hadn’t done much research on the Andrews family before going to talk to his teacher. “She wouldn’t lie to me, I don’t have the wrong person.” He insisted.

Colin looked over at the boy for a moment, confused. “No, no, that’s impossible.” he spoke. “You’re what, fifteen years old? That means when you were born, I was only fifteen so there’s no way that I could’ve had a kid, it’s impossibl-” he paused for a moment, thinking back to when he was 15. Oh shit. It wasn’t impossible, and he knew it. He needed to change his defense, “I would’ve known if I had a son” he said as he looked at him. “So I’m sorry, but you’ve got the wrong person”

Elijah winced when the man didn’t think he heard him right and swallowed hard, taking a deep breath. “You’re my dad.” He said slower this time, meeting his eyes awkwardly. “I know it sounds weird and crazy and yada yada but it’s true. You and my mom were like… dating, I guess. I dunno. She didn’t tell me much.”

“I can’t believe it either. The world is a messed up place, no matter where you are” he looked down at her when she winced, “You okay?” he asked, noticing her short discomfort. He didn’t think it would be anything big, maybe just sore from working so much or a million other small reasons. “No, we just started up so I’m back to working again. It’s going to be a few days before it actually gets back into the swing of things though, I’m not going to have them doing much”

Chloe pressed her lips together to keep from crying again. Lately it seemed like she’d done so every day this week. She nodded, agreeing that the town as a whole needed this just as much as each individual. A lot of her patients were here and thought it was hard, she’d needed to be here too. “I just still can’t believe this happened here. But I guess kids still can be pretty cruel..” Chloe sighed, a small wince appearing briefly in her features as his hands put pressure on her ribs. Damn bruises.. “You still off work?” 

“Yeah it’s probably hard to think, they’re minds are so crowded trying to really comprehend what happened. I’m still having trouble wrapping my head around it myself, so i can’t imagine what it’s like for people who had it worse” he looked at him with a small smile when he mentioned Chloe, “She’s the only doctor or nurse I want to be around right now”

“A lot of them probably just .. haven’t had time. Or they’ve been affected by all this a lot more.” he said with a small shrug. He didn’t think he had really done anything by try to comfort a friend. “Yeah. No doctors and nurses hovering … except Chloe.” he added with a small grin. 

Colin looked puzzled at the boy when he spoke again. “I don’t think I heard you correctly, what’d you say?” he said, thinking he must have been mistaken when he heard the boy say he was his dad. It wasn’t possible, Colin would’ve known if he had a kid.

Elijah nodded a little bit. And, as much as he was glad that he was okay, he knew that if it never happened he wouldn’t be having this conversation. So he didn’t know how he felt exactly about it. “I, uhm, I don’t think I’ll need to.” He said slowly. He nodded again as he talked about his siblings and sighed. “You’re my dad.” He said quickly and suddenly, just wanting it out there.

“I know you do” he nodded, “It’s more than a lot of other people thought to do.” he said as he looked at him, “I agree with you there. Everything is just easier at home, I think.”

“I hope so.” Connor said sincerely, “It’s all I could really think of to do. I hate not knowing how to help.” he said with a small sigh. It was something he could never really get used too, not matter how often he had run into it since he had gotten sick. There were some things nothing could really fix, but that didn’t mean he had to like it. “Sometimes I think it’s all easier to handle at home. Probably because I don’t have to keep thinking about it all the time.” he said with a small shrug.

Colin nodded, “He’ll have something to focus on and he’ll be helping other people. Other victims and the families of victims” he looked back at him, “You two could do a lot of good with that” he said, his mood slightly lifted hearing that Connor’s day wasn’t a bad one. “That’s good, I’m really glad. It’s good to see that you’re okay”

“Maybe … if it doesn’t help now, it will help later. Give him something to focus on, to fight for, you know?” he said, looking up at his brother to see what Colin thought of that. He gave a slightly forced smile at the next statement and shrugged, “I will, but I don’t really think there is. It’s just …  not a 100% day. But not really a bad one either.”

“That’s good, I’m glad you’re okay” he nodded, offering a soft smile. Colin was the type of teacher that genuinely cared for each and every single one of his students, so he was very concerned when he knew that Elijah had been injured in the shooting. “If you ever need to step out of class or anything you can tell me, okay?” he said, knowing how difficult this must be for him. “I’m okay, a little shaken up, but I’m okay. And so are Connor and Chloe, which is what matters most to me” he spoke.

Elijah was relieved when the man said he didn’t have somewhere he had to be, but to come back tomorrow, or something of the sort. He couldn’t wait any longer, not when he was seeing Connor, who was apparently his uncle, and Mr. Andrews every day. “I’m okay, I guess. I just have to take some meds at lunch and stuff.” He said casually, having momentarily forgotten about his injury. “How’re you?”