Lost and Found

Chapter 7

A/N: Thanks so much guys!

Enjoy!

"And then I discovered I had a daughter I never knew about." Richard gripped the stand in front of him and swallowed. "Thirty years..." he sighed. "It was either come here, or have a drink, so I came here."

The group murmured their support of his admission, and he wiped his forehead in relief. In speaking at AA, a giant weight lifted off his shoulders. As he stepped down, he saw a familiar brunette head of hair moving out of the group. Amelia?

He strode quickly to reach her, "Amelia!" He called out. She stopped and looked back toward him. "You go to AA?" He asked. It was an obvious question, but he didn't know what else to say.

"Damn. Caught." Amelia said sarcastically.

"Do you want to talk about it? Today must be hard for you." He motioned to a bench.

"I-uh," Amelia started nervously, shoving her hands into her pockets.

"It's alright, I'm not going to say anything," Richard encouraged. He sat down on the bench, ready to listen.

"You have a daughter," Amelia blurted. "Maggie Pierce is your daughter. How crazy is that? That's like, soap opera epic isn't it?"

Richard nodded, it was truly unbelievable, that was for sure. "I-uh..." He shook his head. "I'm just in shock."

Amelia now sat down beside him too. "You're gonna tell her right?"

"I want to... I just don't know how."

"You'll figure it out."

Richard smiled. "Yes, I will." He had a daughter. Amazing. But enough about him, Amelia was trying to change the subject. "Now, how about you?"

Amelia's shoulders slumped and she rubbed her thighs. "I'm managing," she said solemnly.

"Mmm hmm." Although Richard believed her, he wanted her to open up more. That was part of the process.

Amelia shook her head, "He hated me. I crashed his car, hopped up on drugs... I could've gotten him in so much trouble... I was so self involved, you know? And I think all he wanted to do was protect me."

"That sounds like Derek."

"I just... I never got to say goodbye!" Suddenly Amelia burst into tears. Richard pulled her into his arms. She tried to stop and hold it in, but it just resulted in heavier sobs. After a couple minutes she sat up and wiped her eyes. "God, that felt... good, I think."

"It's okay to feel, Amelia."

"I've been holding it in... all day."

"It's okay... just let it out."

Amelia lay her head on his shoulder and sighed loudly. They sat there for a long time, silent in the cool night air. Finally Richard swalllowed, he had something to confess. "Sometimes I blame myself, for the shooting."

Amelia sat up, "What?"

"He took my job, because I was starting to let it slip. I let my addiction take over my problems..." Richard looked at the young woman with deep regret in his eyes. "It should've been me."

"Richard... no." Amelia huffed. "It's not your fault. It's Gary Clark's fault. He pulled the trigger. Just like the bastard who shot my dad. You don't get to blame yourself for this."

"I know... but I do, because it's part of the process, Amelia. Things were left unfinished between you and Derek, and that will always be painful. But let yourself go through the process, don't get stuck."