“Shane?”.

“Yeah…”.

“Why don’t you take a seat?”. He pats on the mattress.

“Carmen, you too. I like to be surrounded by beautiful women”.

Carmen giggles.

“It’s official. You can be a total dork. Cassandra’s right”.

He smirks and pats again on the mattress and Carmen rolls her eyes. I chuckle, I can’t help it. He’s trying to ease the tension. Something into his eyes tells me that he knows exactly why I am here and how I feel and he’s taking it easy. And I feel grateful. I feel grateful that nobody is feeding my already ferocious guilt. I am grateful to feel that I am in the right place.

I am grateful I have a family. Finally.

”It’s the weight of the world, I know, as I struggle to be…whole.
It’s the weight of the world, I know, as you were mine, and we will find…”

We sit down. Dante takes off his specs, closes the book and places both of them on the nightstand.

“Shane, I want to thank you”, he says calmly, out of the blue, and my eyes pop out.

“I want to thank you because, despite the huge amount of stress you where subjected to, you acted like the brave, honest, reliable person you are”.

“You’re lying”, I reply weakly, narrowing my eyes.

“No, I am not”, he says quietly, shaking his head.

“I was about to shoot myself and I have to remind you that I shot you”, I murmur, bitterly.

He shakes his head again, that half smile still plastered on his unshaved face.

“Nope. I acted like an idiot and I deviated your gun toward me instead than toward the wall. You didn’t shot me. I shot myself like an asshole. That’s the truth”.

“I am not buying it. You’re a professional”.

“Professional make mistakes like everyone else”.

“I shouldn’t have pulled the trigger”.

“Yes, you’re right. Not because the bullet hit me…”, he pats my knee, “…. But because you could have hurt yourself”.

“It was stupid and I feel guilty for that. I am ashamed…”, I turn my eyes to Carmen, and she’s looking at me and her face is sad, “…Carm, I am sorry. I am sorry. I didn’t think how my action would make you feel. Basically I wasn’t thinking at all, I just wanted it to be over and I wanted you to be safe. I am so sorry”.