Logan

Chapter 7

The car ride back to 1712 Oak Trail was a short one, if not uncomfortably quiet. When they reach their destination, the three of them file into the kitchen. Charlie heads to the pantry.

Logan takes a breath and goes to speak, "Mrs.-"

"Logan if you're going to apologize again I won't have it. If you're going to do it while calling me Mrs. Nelson, we will get back in that car."

"Okay," Logan knows she's joking, probably, "But I am sorry Kate. Mr. Nelson-"

"Charlie." He corrects, but doesn't turn from the pantry. None of them had eaten dinner.

"I'm sorry to both of you. I understand I couldn't control not having a key today, but this whole mess wouldn't have happened the way it did if it weren't for things in my past. So I'm sorry. I'm not proud of the things I've done and if I had known at the time they would effect other people I would have adjusted both my attitude and my actions. I was a stupid kid."

"Logan you are a kid! Right now, currently, you are still a kid." Kate takes a seat at the kitchen table. "You're seventeen years old, sweetheart. You don't have to have it all figured out. That's what the adults are for."

"Yeah, but no adults are ever figuring it out for me! It's just me." Logan's voice cracks at the end of his sentence. He doesn't hide it. Tears fill the bottom of his eye-line.

Charlie has turned away from the pantry now. He looks Logan in the eye, "Logan look. I know you've had some problems in the past, but I'm not here to judge you or punish you for that. We're starting fresh. I'm glad to have you here. We're glad to have you here." He crosses the kitchen to stand next to Kate, "And we're here for you. If you'll let us, we'd like to help you figure it out."

Kate stands again and puts her arm around Charlie's waist. "It was an unfortunate mess we got into today, but we don't blame you for it. We blame that stupid, jackass of an Officer."

Logan doesn't trust himself to speak, but isn't sure he would know what to say anyway. Instead he walks the few feet to the table so that he's standing in front of the Nelsons.

"He never gave me his badge num-"

Before he can talk himself out of it, Logan has reached his arms around the two of them. For a split second, he thinks he's made a mistake. But the he feels them return the embrace and can't help but let the tears he's been holding fall.

It's an awkward hug. Logan hasn't done this in a while and hugs weren't made for three people. But as he stood there in the warmth from these two people he had met mere days ago he realized something. For the first time in a very long time Logan felt safe. He felt cared for. He felt hopeful.

And the thought terrified him like nothing else.