Chapter Text
Carlos
Owen wasn’t sure why he was just sitting in Carlos’ driveway, wait, now TK and Carlos’ driveway, just staring at the front of the condo.
He didn’t know why he couldn’t bring himself to leave his Jeep and walk up the walkway.
Why the stairs at the bottom of the small porch looked daunting, he would never understand.
It’s not like he hadn’t been here before, hell, four days earlier he had helped TK move his belongings out of his house and into this one.
And he had felt welcome, it’s not like he wasn’t allowed there.
Except, he guessed, that maybe after everything that had happened during his ‘intervention’, that TK probably didn’t want to see him, much less talk to him.
And he guessed that Carlos probably wasn’t his biggest fan either.
He felt his body sag forward as his head hit the steering wheel, the car horn going off and causing him to jump.
Well he most certainly couldn’t hide from them now could he?
When he lifted his head after holding his breath for a few seconds, he was surprised to see Carlos standing on the front stoop, his arms crossed over his chest as he stared at Owen’s car.
Guess it was now or never.
So he exited the car slowly and shoved his keys in his pockets, walking a few steps toward the house before stopping.
“Captain Strand…” He knew that he had told the kid to call him Owen, but he supposed that he didn’t deserve that kind of formality right now.
“Hey Carlos.” He normally felt pretty relaxed around the man, except for now, now he was nervous as fuck.
“TK’s not home.” Of course he wasn’t. “He took a shift to cover for Matthews.”
“Right.” Owen should have known that, he had received the page for someone to step in, he had heard over the radio that the other man’s wife had gone into early labor, he should have known TK would step in and help. “I um… I guess I’ll just come back.”
He turned toward the Jeep and took a step before stopping, letting out a sigh before turning back around.
Carlos was still standing there with his arms crossed over his chest, but his posture had relaxed and his eyes had softened some.
“Actually, Carlos, can we talk?” He knew it was risky, talking to the man without TK around, but he had some things he wanted to say to him as well.
“Sure.” He was honestly shocked that he accepted the offer, but then he was opening the front door and gesturing inside, not closing it until both and Owen were in the foyer. “Can I get you anything? Water? Tea? That’s about all I have.”
“No, I’m good.” Always the gracious host this one. “But thank you.”
“Yeah.” Carlos nodded his head before heading into the kitchen, stopping on the other side of the small island and sighing. “I’m sorry sir, but this weird.”
“Yeah.” Owen nodded his head with a soft chuckle.
Weird didn’t even begin to cover it.
“Is everything okay?” He snapped his head up and offered Carlos a soft look, his brain trying to deduce what he could mean by such a simple question. “TK said you two haven’t spoken since… well, yeah know…”
“We haven’t.” And it had been a really hard four days without talking to the kid.
Even when they had worked an overlapping shift together TK had avoided him all costs.
But to be honest, so had the rest of the team, save for Judd who seemed hell bent on making him as uncomfortable as possible.
“I’m here because I talked to Michelle.” Carlos nodded, a small smile coming to his face. “She said that she was sent my way by some concerned citizens… if I recall correctly, you were one of them.”
“I was.” He wasn’t going to make this easy on him was he?
“I’m okay Carlos, I promise.” He hoped that the man bought his story and didn’t try to make him talk about his feelings.
“Pardon me sir, but you’re so full of shit.” Yeah he should’ve seen that one coming.
“You’re right Carlos.” Normally he would have scoffed at the thought of being talked to like that, but after Michelle had put him in his place, he no longer took anything of the sort too harshly. “I was being an asshole, to TK, to you, to everyone.”
“This isn’t about me sir.” He respected Carlos’ desire to remain neutral in all of this, but unfortunately, that wasn’t happening.
“Maybe not directly. But you’re dating my son, who has since moved in with you.” Something that Owen still couldn’t believe given that TK had wanted to propose to Alex without moving in with him first. “And I consider you a friend, or, at the very least, a colleague. And therefore, my attitude and my shitty decisions can hurt you just as much as anyone else.”
“Is that your way of apologizing?” He didn’t know if it was or not, because this was still something he was getting used too.
“Maybe. I don’t know.” He ran his hand through his hair and sighed. “I screwed up Carlos, I get that. I screwed up a lot of things. But I never meant to get this… lost. I never meant to hurt TK like this. I never thought…”
“You never thought that your actions would affect him?” God this kid was good at this.
“No. No I didn’t.” He took a deep breath as he found a spot on the wall to stare at, trying to focus his attention on something other than breaking down in front of his son’s boyfriend. “I was selfish and stupid and I can admit that now. It’s not easy, but I can do it.”
“That’s good.” Carlos nodded his head as he braced his hands against the counter and sighed. “That’s a step in the right direction.”
“I’m trying Carlos.” He didn’t need to beg and plead with this man, and yet, here he was. “I know it’ll take time to fix what I broke, but I’m gonna try.”
“And you’re gonna try therapy?” Owen found himself closing his eyes before opening them, shifting his gaze from Carlos’ windowsill full of cacti to the man himself. “Michelle said you were gonna give it a go.”
He couldn’t believe that she had ratted him out.
Although, in hindsight, he probably deserved it.
At least this way, he would be held accountable.
“I’m gonna try therapy.” God he hated saying that, it made him feel so weak and broken. “After my surgery, I’m gonna give it a go. Got the number of a guy that Michelle sees.”
“He’s helped her a lot sir.” The softness in Carlos’ tone didn’t go unnoticed and Owen hated that he hadn’t been there for her through whatever she was dealing with. “She really likes him, says he’s been patient with her. Which, I mean, you know better than anyone is hard as heck to do.”
“Oh God yes.” Carlos chuckled at his response and he couldn’t help but smile. “I promise Carlos, I wanna make things right.”
“Good.” He hoped that the other man understood just how badly he wanted to make this work. “I just hope you know that TK is gonna need time. This isn’t going to be easy for him.”
“I know.” He didn’t expect the kid to forgive him anytime soon, to be honest, he would be surprised if he ever did. “I’ve said some things, and done some things… I really have screwed up a lot haven’t I?”
“I think that you just lost yourself a little sir.” Carlos almost looked terrified to speak and Owen felt his shoulders slump as he tried to make himself smaller. “I think you both did.”
“Do you think I can fix things with him?” If there was anyone in the world who would tell him how it was, how TK was feeling, it would be him.
“I think it’ll take time, and effort.” Yeah, the effort was the part he needed to get into his hard head. “If you both work toward it I think you’ll be okay.”
“I wanna fix things.” And he did, he missed his son, his best-friend, it just wasn’t the same. “I know he’s going through his own stuff and I hate to think that I might be part of the reason that he strays, again.”
Owen didn’t know how much Carlos knew about TK’s past, but he figured it wasn’t his place to bring it up, especially not right now.
“You said you’re getting the surgery?” He nodded his head as he sighed, his legs starting to itch to pace the small room.
He was getting antsy and that wasn’t a good sign.
“On the 16th.” He had twelve days to go and he both wanted the time to hurry up and pass, and also slow down to a crawl.
“You’ll need someone to take care of you afterward right?” He wasn’t sure where Carlos was going with this but he had a feeling he wasn’t going to be too fond of the idea. “I mean, you can’t drive yourself or anything can you?”
“No. I just figured I’d get an Uber or something.” He had asked Michelle, but she still seemed to be on the fence about things.
“No.” Well okay then. “TK and I will do it.”
“Carlos, you don’t have too.” The man probably knew that he didn’t have to do anything, especially take care of his boyfriend’s father after minor surgery, but he guessed that Carlos probably didn’t do much that he didn’t want too.
“I know that, but I want to. And TK will want to help too.” Owen shook his head back and forth and Carlos sighed. “You’re his father, regardless of whatever crap you have going on between you, he will want to be there for you for this, and therefore, so will I.”
“You’re a good man Carlos.” He felt silly saying that, because he felt like it honestly wasn’t enough. “TK’s lucky to have you.”
“I’m the one who’s lucky sir.” He couldn’t help but chuckle because he believed it wholeheartedly.
Carlos was the least selfish man he had ever met, and he had met a lot of good men over the years, but none of them with a heart as big as his.
“I’m glad he found you.” He had always worried about the kid finding someone to love him and take care of him and make him happy. “His mom and I… we weren’t exactly the best example…”
“Everyone makes mistakes sir.” He didn’t know if Carlos was trying to butter him up or what, but he was being far too kind.
“Yeah, well, we made a lot of them.” In fact, he was pretty certain that they had to hold some kind of record. “Especially me. I… I should have set a better example for him. I should have been a better husband and God knows I could be a better father.”
“Well maybe this is your chance.” God he hoped so. “Maybe this is a chance for you two to start over, to clear the air, to make things right again.”
“I hope so.” He shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans because he was getting nervous and antsy and he couldn’t handle it. “I’ve missed him.”
“He’s missed you too.” Those words were like a dagger to his heart and he sighed. “He knows you’re trying sir, I think he just needs to see it actually happening.”
“Well it is.” And he wasn’t going to stop trying, not until he had made things better. “I’m gonna get the surgery and I’m gonna go to therapy. I want things to be better.”
“Good.” Carlos offered him a smile before pushing himself away from the counter. “It’s almost time for me to leave, I was going to pick TK up after his shift.”
“Right. Sorry.” He hadn’t meant to monopolize so much of the poor man’s time. “I should get going.”
“Do you want to join us for dinner sir?” He shook his head, despite his burning desire to say ‘yes’.
“I’ll take a raincheck if you don’t mind.” The confusion on Carlos’ face made him chuckle, he really was making things difficult wasn’t he? “I think the next time we talk, it should just be he and I. No offense.”
“None taken.” He didn’t want Carlos to think that he didn’t enjoy his input, because this conversation had done wonders for him. “Should I tell him that we talked?”
“That’s up to you son.” He didn’t want things to be awkward for dinner, at least no more than they might already be.
“I’ll let him know that you stopped by and wanted to see him.” Owen nodded his head in acceptance of the man’s offer.
“Sounds good.” He turned on his heels and headed for the door, opening it before turning back around and offering Carlos a small smile. “Thank you for hearing me out.”
“Anytime.” He shook his head as he crossed over the threshold. “Have a good night sir.”
“You too Carlos.” He wanted to call over his shoulder that the kid should just stop with the ‘sirs’ and start calling him Owen, but he knew better.
“And Owen!” The sound of his name leaving Carlos’ lips caused him to stop in his tracks, turning back toward the door with a perplexed look on his face. “If you need anything, you’re always welcome here.”
“Thank you son.” He was thanking him for the use of his first name and for the offer, neither of which he had expected.
Carlos simply nodded his head at him with a smile before closing the door, leaving Owen standing alone on the sidewalk, a small sigh leaving his lips.
He guessed maybe he had a few more people he needed to talk to other than just TK.
And he didn’t know who would be next, but he had a feeling the 126 was going to be his next stop.