When The Truth Unfolds

Bacon, Pancakes, and a Child

"Hey!" she said upon opening her front door, finding Derek in his last night's clothes.

She wasn't used to this, not anymore. Over five years ago, waking up next to him had become a normal thing. When neither of them was on-call, they made sure to sleep together. If it was not in her house, it would be in his trailer.

"Can I come in?" he asked timidly.

His voice woke her up from thinking further of what they used to do together, "Y-yeah," she stammered. "I'm making breakfast, have you eaten?"

"I just had coffee," he answered, following her towards the kitchen.

"If you want more, help yourself. Bacon and pancakes?" she asked him, not sure if he wanted it as she remembered he was always into healthy cereals before, muesli.

Seconds had passed, noticing that he didn't respond, she turned her attention away from frying bacon to look at him sitting at the edge of the island table. He was staring at her. He was staring at her in a weird way, "What?" she asked, curiously.

"You cook now?" he asked back, sounding amused.

She laughed at his question, "Really, Derek. I have a kid. I had to learn one way or another or else she will starve," she boasted.

"Really?"

She laughed harder this time, "No, not really. Just this and that. You know, I can only do the frying."

He laughed softly, "You used to just eat cereals at breakfast."

"No, that was you and besides, having a kid changes you," she replied nonchalantly as she went back to frying some more bacon.

"Did it change you?" he softly asked, barely audible.

She turned and looked at him again. For the first time since yesterday, she clearly looked at him. He was the same Derek she once knew, noting that he still lean against things like he was currently leaning against the kitchen door with his perfect medium-length natural curly hair, wearing his deep blue very same dreamy eyes. Yet, something was different in him. It was not the way he look, not the way he walk, but something she herself couldn't even fathom what was it. Something was missing, something she couldn't pinpoint.

"Did it?" he asked again, distracting her from her myriad of thoughts as he walked behind the island table, reaching for a mug and poured coffee in it, not leaving her eyes.

"I'd like to think I did," she shrugged, carrying a plate of bacon and a plate of pancake, setting them up on the dining table, "My lifestyle did, at least."

"So, no one... I mean no husband or something?" he asked hesitantly.

She looked at him funnily, "Do I look like hiding a husband?" she joked.

Derek winced upon hearing that.

"Sorry," she replied right away, noticing his reaction.

She released an amount of breath she inhaled knowing that her daughter will emerge from her room and come down to eat any second.

"So how do we do this?" she heard Derek asked her as if he could read her mind.

"I don't know," she responded honestly, "Look. I came... we came here just with the intention of telling you about her and her knowing you, given that if you accept her. And... and I thought if you won't, it was fine because you know, I can tell myself that at least we... I tried. And I understand that... that if you don't... want her in your life... what I mean is it's fine, Derek. I accepted the job with the hope that if you don't... I mean if you want her, she won't be away from you. And... and also..."