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Even though it had been Earl’s unusual er than he should have been able, Ty’s father had still been seriously out of line Zane would never wish hiretted what he’d done

"Everything okay?" Zane asked as he stopped next to the older htly and gave him a weak s hisTy was asleep in the bed, hooked up to several IVs and his color looking better than he had even an hour before Deuce sprawled in a chair beside the bed, snoring softly Zane had just walked Mara downstairs to the truck; she was heading home with Chester to pack them all some clean clothes and would return in a couple hours

"Do you knohy Ty joined the FBI?" Earl asked Zane abruptly

Zane shrugged as he leaned against the doorframe He had lots of little pieces to Ty’s puzzle: the "official" story of why he’d left the Marines, which was co to Ty; that his last partner had been killed in the line of duty, even though Ty had tried to take the bullet for him; that he’d known Dick Burns since he was in diapers

"Not exactly," Zane answered

Earl glanced at him and smiled sadly "He joined the FBI ’cause his daddy’s best friend asked hi back into the room to make certain Ty and Deuce were both still asleep

Burns Zane didn’t couts, he could do it But Zane was the wrong person to be looking to for any sort of absolution He didn’t forgive and forget easily, not when he could still see the pain in Ty’s eyes

Earl nodded in response to his silence, his eyes still on his sons "Richard was payingabout work," he told Zane "He didn’t like what he was doing Said he didn’t trust any of the agents he orking with to get the job done I re atabout early retireood ood done’"

Earl sed heavily, cocked his head, and then turned and met Zane’s eyes "I told him where to find Ty"

"You say that like you think it was a ive TyRichard to hiain, as if knowing he deserved the harsh words "Richard and I never gave a thought to what he wanted or to how dangerous it was," he said, the words quiet and soleht Ty could handle it and carried on fro to meet what he felt like were our expectations," he told Zane as he lowered his head in apparent sha to walk slowly down the hall "Even when he was a young’un, he never made an excuse not to follow me into those mines He was scared to death of ’em," he told Zane with a tree of tearing up "I alave a soft snort and shook his head "A daured he’d done everything spectacular already," Zane said, looking over his shoulder to glance inside the room He didn’t have to study Earl to know the ry as he was, he couldn’t bring himself to be cold and cruel to a father so obviously torn up over mistakes he’d made with his son

How ht a fire under the man? Anyone who knew hierous was toto be okay," Zane finally settled on He didn’t want to think about the alternative He wondered if this was how Ty had felt when it had been hiht now he felt helpless He was hurting He was scared that hehe wasn’t even sure he’d had, and there hadn’t been a da," he said to Earl confidently

Earl stopped with his back to Zane, and he looked up at the ceiling of the hallway "I know he is," he responded with a hint of pride in his voice "But he thinks that’s enough," he said as he turned and ood man with him," he told Zane solemnly "Someone to watch his back"

Zane flinched in surprise That wasn’t so he’d have expected to hear from Earl Grady

Earl nodded as he observed Zane’s reaction "I don’t just say pretty words to hear myself talk, son," he informed him "I mean it Thank you for…" He was forced to look away and s hard as his voice faltered He pressed his lips together tightly as he fought to regain control

It was clear, seeing Earl’s e truthful It gave Zane an odd, bittersweet feeling of vindication He’d proved himself to Earl Grady--but Ty had been seriously wounded in the process "Yes, sir," he said quietly, watching the older ize to Ty as well "You ht keep that in mind the next time you talk with Ty"

Earl looked back at hi back his e to make his voice even once more

"You owe him a hell of a lot erinto a quiet, pained sadness "I don’t knohat you thought you were doing, but you couldn’t have said anything that would have hurt him more"

Earl was silent as he took a few steps toward the doorway and stared into Ty’s roouilt and worry were clear on his face, written in the lines around his eyes and ize enough I’ll never be able to htbut what he is"

Zane was silent There was a big difference between thought and deed, and what Earl had said up on that hed heavily and nodded in agreeht loud and clear

Deuce ca, and Zane wondered if he’d heard any of his conversation with Earl

"How is he?" Earl asked in a whisper

"Talking in his sleep," Deuce answered in a low voice

"What’s he saying?" Earl asked with a frown

"I don’t know," Deuce answered with a shrug as he looked at Zane and gave hiht be Farsi," Zane murmured

"Could be," Deuce responded with a closer look at Zane, as if he hadn’t expected Zane to know Ty spoke Farsi "But I think it’s just slurred cursing"