Attack

Pulling out her phone Mable exits the hospetil tears streak her face as she has dark circles under her eyes proving she had been there for a while.

Dialing Carson she hated bothing him right now when she new he was busy but it was an emergncy. Waiting for Carson to answer.

"Carson, I am so sorry to bother you I know you took time off and all but I wanted to let you know there has been an emergncy. Carson Herb had a heart attack. We think he is going to be ok but he needs to stay in the hospetal for a few days."

Mable is quiet as she sucks in a deep breath her voice wavering just a little.

"Aerith is back at the restront at the moment and its not busy yet but do you think you can go check on her and help her out for me? I can give you a key as well and if you can open the next few days. Aerith said she would be there to help you too. and when I know more I will tell ya."


Wrap her arms around Carson Misty brings herself closer to him.

"That past might always come back to haunt you but I have no doubt who you are anymore...I'll always be here with you no matter w..."

As Misty continues to talk she is cut off by Carson's phone ringing.

Can't be easy

Carson doesn't answer Misty right away, but he moves his arm to wrap around her waist, bringing her closer. "I don't know," he admits. "I never thought I'd be doing something like this. I don't know how to feel. She's a cute kid... but I know the truth that I'm not ready to take her on, even if the system would allow it - which they won't."

He shakes his head. "There's no point in letting her get close because then she'll just get more confused about where she belongs."

But even though his words spoke of the logic, his heart reminded him that he was talking about his daughter here. His daughter. How strange and frightening that sounded. He sighs. "This never should have happened. If only I hadn't been such a fool all those years ago."

Turning, he leans his back against the tree and faces Misty, letting his hands rest near her hips. "I'm sorry... seems my past keeps coming back to haunt me. I know it can't always be easy for you, even if I am entirely yours now."

You

Misty continues to watch not saying anything. The scene was heart wrenching in some ways and in others she was proude of Carson that he held up as well as he was.

It felt strange to have a scene like this hit home for Misty and makes small tears well in her eyes though he refused to let them spill over.

Though Misty could tell in his eyes this was harder then he exspected. Watching the girl Misty lets out a sigh. What could she say? She new that Carson was hurting but there really was nothing to say.

Laying a hand Carson's shouler Misty lets it slide down his arm as she gives it a gentil squeeze.

"You did good."

Stepping so she could be along side him Misty let out a sigh.

"She'll be ok, but how about you?"

Misty didnt want to say anything else about the girl not right now. The wound was to fresh and still hurt she would wait untill later.

Busy

Mackenzie stares at Misty for several moments before turning back to Carson. "What did..."

Heather intervenes. "Mackenzie, Mr. Banks doesn't have a whole lot of time. He's a very busy man."

"Too busy for me?"

Heather cocks her head, giving the child a gentle but firm look. "I already told you that. We made a deal, remember? You get to see him, then no more trouble."

Mackenzie ignores her and looks back up at Carson, having to crane her neck to see out from under her hat brim. "Are you really that busy? 'Cause you don't look like the busy type."

The corners of Carson's mouth start to twitch and he finds himself playing along for just a moment. "And what does a busy type look like?"

"You know... a suit and tie or something. But Miss Jones said you were a criminal, so I didn't think you'd be in a suit."

Carson throws Heather a look of annoyance. Sometimes the whole truth need not be told to a child. "I guess you were right then."

"So you're not too busy to see me?"

Carson's eyes meet Heather's. Her look warned him to play the part he was supposed to. He was supposed to make Mackenzie feel unwanted so she wouldn't want to stay. But a fresh feeling welled up inside of him. One that fed his bullheadedness. No matter the impression he wanted to give this kid, his actions were being dictated by this woman, and he didn't like it. "Nope," he states flatly, retaliating against Heather's suggestions. "I'm not too busy."

Heather's stare turns into a glare. "I'm sure you have other things to do, Mr. Banks."

"Actually..." Carson glances at his watch. "I planned for the afternoon. My employer already approved me taking off several hours."

Hope shimmered in Mackenzie's eyes, and for a moment, her mature stance fades just a little to reveal that she is indeed, just a hurting little girl. "Really?"

Carson shifts his tactic. Maybe he could do this his own way, and still accomplish what they wanted. "Why would you want to spend time with a criminal?" he counters.

Mackenzie has to think about that one.

Heather smirks a little smugly. "He's right you know," she cautions. "I told you he's been a very bad man. I'm not going to leave you alone with him."

Mackenzie ignores the social worker. Stepping closer to Carson, she reaches up to tug on his shirt, forcing him to bend down. Now at her eye level, her eyes pierce her father's with an identical steel gaze. "You're not bad," she muses. "Just sad."

For a moment, Carson squints at her, feeling out of control again. "What would I be sad about?" he questions.

"I don't know. Maybe because people say you're bad."

Carson straightens up again, giving a sigh. The little games were over. "Look, kid... you got a family waiting for you. Miss Jones is right. You should go back with her now."

Tears well up in Mackenzie's eyes. "No," she begs, "I wanted to spend time with you."

"Don't pay any mind to those tears," Heather warns. "She's a little expert at manipulation."

But Carson can tell that the tears are genuine. This was no game to this little girl. And for the first time, Carson begins to wonder what was really the right thing to do here. "It won't work," he explains, his tone becoming more gentle. "You'll be much better off with that other family that wants to adopt you."

"But... but you're my dad."

"That may be true. But kid..." He stops and swallows hard, throwing a glance to Misty that was confused and a little bit scared. "You're gonna have to let this go," he finishes.

"But..."

"No buts." Carson changes tactics again. "You want to make me happy so I'll like you, right?"

Mackenzie nods.

"Then you need to do what I tell you. You need to go back with Miss Jones now and start behaving yourself for that nice family." Carson extends his hand. "It was nice meeting you, Mackenzie."

She bravely takes Carson's hand, forcing her lower lip not to tremble.

"Come on, Mackenzie," Heather urges, taking her other hand. "We can't miss our flight."

As she's pulled away, Mackenzie's grip tightens on Carson's hand. "No," she begs. "I want to stay."

"You can't. Now come on."

"But I want to stay with my dad!"

"No!" Heather's volume rises to match that of the determined little girl. Several heads in the park turn to see what's going on.

A tear rolls down Mackenzie's cheek. "Please let me stay," she begs Carson.

Carson's own eyes flood with emotions, not understanding what he felt, and not understanding why this little girl cared. He lets go of her hand, forcing hers to slip from his as she's pulled away.

Planting her feet, Mackenzie rips her hand from Heather's and spins around to just stare at Carson, then Misty, then Carson again. Leaving would be on her own terms, not Miss Jones'. After hesitating several seconds, she turns around on her own to walk with Heather back to the car. Though this time her head was hanging.

Watching the car leave, Carson denies what he doesn't want to feel rising up inside of him. "She's better off this way," he concludes. "She's young... she'll bounce back and she'll be happy with a real family."

Who was he kidding? Turning his back on Misty, he leans up against a tree, his jaw muscles working to prove the tension he felt. A lump rose in his throat. This felt all wrong. But he didn't know what would make it right. He didn't know why he felt this way anyway.

Nice

Smiling down at the little girl Misty just watches her for a moment. She didnt saying anything at the moment because it was not her place but she took note to a few things anyways. First off she didnt like Heather at all and had to bit her toung and second there was no denying that this was Carson's child.

Giving a chuckel at her comment about being Carson wife Misty looks down at the young girl and takes her hand in a ferm hand shake.

"Hello, its nice to meet you."

Misty gives her a friendly smile looking her in the eye to show it was nice to meet her till finally she looks back to Carson waiting doe that happend next.

Meeting

Days are funny. For some, they are part of a new life as one struggles to find their path. They are an uphill climb, not something to be hated, but not easy either.

Ryder wanders the mall, feeling a bit lost. Katie had dropped him off two hours earlier, and by now he figured he had what he needed. Finding a bench, he just sits a while, watching the people walk by. It was different here. So much was the same as home, but so much was not. Would he ever get used to it?

For some, the days are like wading through mud. They stretch the emotional muscles, each step harder than the last, pure will-power the only thing that keeps one going.

Carson sinks down in a chair in the kitchen, weary from the day. He only had a few hours left, but it felt like today had been the longest ever. He'd worked. He'd talked with Rocky, trying to gain wisdom. He'd called Jess and left a message, just to say hi. He'd called Misty, and found relief that she would be with him tomorrow to meet Mackenzie. He'd seen Dani over lunch and had talked about Alec. He hadn't talked to Herb about his job though. And talk of Mackenzie had so far only been kept between him and Dani and Misty. There was just so much going on. He prayed the day would come to a close quickly.

For others, the days can be quiet victories, ones that continue to expose the scars, yet shed light in the dark corners, chasing away the fears and relieving the soul.

Scott sits in Hope's office, talking quietly, with Domino in his lap. Today had been a calm session, one that he had talked a bit more than normal. He felt better today. He felt more confident. He was dealing with discovering how to stand up for himself without the anger, and was realizing how he could overcome fears by knowing he was not weak. The only damper on the day was the realization that his days with Hope would soon be coming to an end.

And yet for others, the days might signal the coming of a new walk in life. The closing of a chapter and the starting of another. Something that would perhaps bring slight fear, but not one to make a soul tremble... not when they had someone to walk with them down that new road.

Axel sits with Jess on the porch swing, the afternoon hours passing by. It had been a very quiet day, but one that he would remember always. Peace existed here, that much was for certain. And being with Jess... well, there was a new element there, and he couldn't deny enjoying it. He only wished they could stay here always, but he knew they had to move on. Just a little longer... just another day or two...

For wandering souls, the days are sheer torture, agonizingly slow, full of hours that drag by. They seem pointless and dull with nothing to look forward to.

Alec slouches on the cot in the holding cell. At least he wasn't cuffed to the pipe today. He'd been to the interrogation room twice. Once with Reese. Once with Jason and Nate. Each time he'd wound up talking, though grudgingly. He hadn't had much of a choice, and now was beginning to realize that there really was no way out of this. He wasn't going to be let free... and no one would be coming for him. This was it. This was his fate... and soon, they would throw him behind bars.

But regardless of how days are viewed, they all come to and end, to start the cycle all over again. Sometimes they brought on new perspectives and new feelings. Sometimes they brought on the very same feelings. But in the end, the clock still ticks. Time still moves on.

Carson paces beside the tree in the park, his eyes bouncing from the parking lot to the street to Misty, to the ground and back again. They'd only been waiting for fifteen minutes but it felt like an eternity. Misty had picked him up from work and they'd both come to the park to wait on the meeting. Carson knew that Misty would want to get back to TJY soon as Angel was continuing to improve, but he was just nervous enough that he wasn't about to tell her she could go. He wanted her there with him.

A rental SUV pulls up to the park, stopping in the gravel lot. Heather gets out from the driver's side, then walks around to open up the passenger door. Emerging is a slim little girl, her blond hair pulled back into a ponytail at her neck, covered partially by the baseball cap she wore. She looks around the park, her eyes searching. Refusing Heather's hand, she chooses to walk alongside on her own.

Approaching the couple, Mackenzie spies Carson, and her eyes never leave him. The question was evident on her face: was this her father?

Carson swallows hard, and shifts his weight, feeling ridiculous. It was a little girl. A kid. What on earth was he scared of?

Heather leads Mackenzie up to Carson and Misty, giving Carson a nod. "Mr. Banks. I'm glad you made it." She looks down to the girl. "Mackenzie, this is..."

"My dad," Mackenzie finishes. She gives Carson a bold once-over and extends her hand.

Carson quirks an eyebrow. There was no fear in this girl. He accepts the handshake, his own rough hand enveloping hers.

"Miss Jones said you didn't want to meet me."

Carson blinks. "Well now... you certainly cut right to the chase."

"What does that mean?"

"Um..." Carson is at a total loss, completely out of his element. He'd killed, he'd tortured men and women, he'd done everything in the book, but when it came to kids, he felt like an idiot. "It means you say exactly what you mean without waiting."

"Oh." Mackenzie continues to stare up at him. "Do you have an accent 'cause you're from Australia?"

"Yes."

"Mom said that's where you were from. How come you're not there now?"

"Well, it's..." Carson stops, shaking his head. "It's a long story."

Mackenzie's eyes drift to Misty. "Is she your wife?"

A laugh sticks in Carson's throat. "No. She's my girlfriend though."

"Oh." Mackenzie thinks for a moment, then extends her hand to Misty too. "Hi."