Part 6

'It's *good* to know people with private firing ranges,' Kermit decided. He re-loaded and took aim at the speck on the other side of the field, blasting the tiny target to hell. The day had finally arrived for the test results to come back. The doctor's office had called him earlier that morning to schedule an appointment for himself and Matthew Caine to come in to find out if they were, indeed, related. The nurse had adamantly refused to give him any information over the phone, no matter how much he growled and threatened. It annoyed him that the hospital personnel seemed to have stolen a page out of "Annie Blaisdell's Guide to Handling Mercs". He sighed in frustration, checked his watch, and again took aim.

********

The hospital corridor, as usual, was bustling with activity when they arrived at Dr. Sabourin's office door. Matthew Caine glanced over at Kermit but was met with the same unreadable, green-obscured expression that he'd already grown used to. He shook his head once and knocked on the door.

"Come in, please."

Dr. Sabourin stood to greet the two men, her expression as unreadable as Kermit's. Matthew nervously eyed the file sitting on top of her desk before accepting her invitation to sit down.

"So? Is he my father or not?" Kermit, who was still standing by the door, too full of nervous energy to sit, had never been one to waste time with pleasantries.

"Yes, Mr. Griffin, the tests show, with a 99% accuracy, that Mr. Caine is your biological father."

His nervous energy was suddenly expended in a full strength punch to the filing cabinet next to him.

"Ouch."

Dr. Sabourin merely raised a single eyebrow and watched as the younger man, now cradling his left hand, sank into the unoccupied chair next to the elder. She pushed the file across the desk, inviting either man to see the evidence for themselves.

Matthew watched his son's violent reaction to the news in silence. He was aware that Kermit had been avoiding him all week, despite Matthew's attempts to try to get closer to this newest addition to his family. He had respected the younger man's wishes until the test results were in, but now firmly resolved not to allow another day to pass without speaking to his son. After all, Kermit could no longer deny that they had quite a bit to talk about.

As expected, Kermit immediately reached for the file and flipped it open on his lap. He studied the papers inside intently but was not exactly versed in medical lingo. Still, everything appeared to be valid and official. The only thing he knew for sure at that moment was that he had absolutely no idea how he felt about the revelation. Part of him wanted to run away and try to forget the entire past week, forget that his mother and "father" had lied to him all of his life. But another part, the part that had sculpted Kermit Griffin into the man he was today, refused to do anything other than meet this newest challenge head on. Noting the silence, he glanced up to see both Matthew and the doctor watching him with concern.

He smiled slightly and placed the folder back on the desk. Turning to face Matthew, he nodded toward the door, "I guess we have a few things to talk about. How about we go grab a bite to eat?"

Matthew bowed his head. "I would be honored. Thank you doctor, you're assistance has been greatly appreciated."

Kermit added his own thanks and stood to proceed Matthew out of the office.

******

Chandlers was fairly empty when Kermit and Matthew walked through the door. The lunch crowd was more or less gone and "Happy Hour" had not yet commenced so the pair had plenty of privacy. Kermit pointed to a small booth in the back corner and, after stopping at the bar to get them each a drink and a menu, joined Matthew at the table.

"Order first, then talk?" Kermit inquired.

Matthew nodded affirmatively and ducked his head behind the safety of the menu. Now that the moment had arrived, he was more than a little nervous about what to say. How does one get acquainted with a full grown, life-jaded, newly found child? The joy of discovering Kwai Chang and Peter still alive had been an intense experience. Learning of the existence of two other sons, Martin and Damon, had proved even more overwhelming. And now there was Kermit, his youngest child and biggest surprise. The joy flooding his heart was just barely tempered by the much weaker emotions of confusion and hesitation. Matthew continued to study his menu and fought to order his thoughts. Facing the truth was the way of the Shaolin and he knew that he could do no less.

When the waitress arrived, they placed their orders and watched as she walked away with their last excuse for silence. Matthew turned back to face his companion and found himself staring straight into the green tinted depths of Kermit's favored emotional blockade. At his raised eyebrow, the younger man sighed and removed the final barrier to discussion.

"So, where do we start this little father/son heart to heart?"

Inwardly, Matthew grimaced at the sarcastic tone. This was not going to be easy. His face, however, betrayed no signs of his inner turmoil. He merely shrugged his shoulders once.

"I do not know. I suppose we can start with the truth. You already know the story of how your mother and I met but you must have other questions, do you not?"

"Oh, yeah."

********

Peter couldn't sit still. Although this came as no surprise to any of his co-workers, his constant pacing back and forth was starting to wear a bit thin on everybody's nerves. Most people were willing to cut him a large dose of slack, however, once they realized the significance of the day. Truth be told, many of them were just as curious to find out if Kermit Griffin was actually Caine's uncle.

"Detective Caine!"

Peter pulled up short just before he slammed into an immovable wall of retired Marine.

"Wha...oh, sorry Chief."

"Detective, have you finished the McMurtry report yet?"

"Um, I'm working on it."

Chief Strenlich glared at the younger man.

"Exactly how are you 'working on it' when you've been wearing a hole in the squadroom floor for the last hour?"

"Well, I..."

"Forget it, Detective. We are obviously not going to be honored with even your partial attention today. I suggest you take the afternoon off. Just remember that I will be expecting you here at 7:30 sharp tomorrow morning. Clear? Oh, and Peter?" Strenlich grabbed the detective's arm just before he shot past him and out the door. "You'd better call in just as soon as you have confirmation. That's an order."

"Yes, sir." Peter's grin nearly split his face in half. "Thanks, Chief."

Strenlich grunted and let go of his arm, allowing Peter to sprint from the building, still grinning in anticipation. Behind him, he heard Mary Margaret and Jody laughing.

"Get back to work, people. Or do you think crime has come to a screeching halt in anticipation of the newest Caine family development?"

"Wouldn't surprise me," Jody whispered to her partner. Mary Margaret just laughed as Strenlich turned his glare on the two of them before stalking back to his office.

End Part 6

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