him.
"Aidan! How pleased I am to see you."
A beautiful woman with big black eyes and dark wavy hair was walking towards them. A broad smile covered her warm face. On seeing his sister-in-law, a flood of sensations swirled through Aidan. The pain that appeared with any memory of his wife competed with nostalgia and an arsenal of other emotions in Aidan's heart.
Jane greeted Lance first, who was happy to see her, but stepped aside straight away to let the others renew old acquaintances. Lance was conscious that it came down to a delicate but important situation in Aidan's life. And he really hoped that his friend would know how to behave.
Jane gave Aidan a warmer greeting. She threw her arms around him and hugged him with what seemed like all her strength. Aidan pulled back slowly and ran his hand across her cheek. Her eyes were watery; it was a moving moment. But then she punched him on the chest.
"Why haven't you rung or come around?" she demanded, her voice surprisingly hard. "We're still family. Have you forgotten that?"
"I'm happy to see you too. It's just that I've been busy," Aidan explained.
"Don't give me that. It's almost a year since we've heard anything from you. The last time we had any news about you was in the paper. A report about a court case. Something to do with drugs. It didn't give you much of a wrap." Aidan was about to say something. "Don't interrupt me. Imagine how I felt when the article talked about my sister's death. I wanted to help you, to be with you. But you wouldn't let me get close. I found out later that you'd punched the lawyer."
Jane's words were painful. Aidan knew that she was being sincere. It must have been bad for her reading all of that rubbish. There had always been a special feeling between them; she was the only member of his dead wife's family that he had really got on with. He'd never got on well with his father-in-law, even though he'd always been respectful and concealed his lack of approval as much as he could. He'd simply had nothing in common with the rest of the family. But Jane was different. He'd always enjoyed her company, her direct manner. In a way, she reminded him of Lance, in the sense that she got on with everyone, something Aidan couldn't lay claim to.
"I couldn't meet you on that occasion," he explained. "I was working undercover. No one could know I had family. I promise you I would've given anything to have had your support."
"Very well. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt," Jane said, relaxing, "And what are doing here? Are you sick?"
"No way. I'm jumping out of my skin," he said, but stopped when he realized that she didn't like hearing him treat his own health as a joke. After the accident and during the months of being in a coma, Jane had thought she might lose him as well. And despite his amazing recovery she still didn't like him taking his own health lightly. "We're here on police work. And you?"
"My back's been killing me lately. I came to see if the doctors can find a solution for the pain," she explained, running her hand over the lumbar region, which for some reason prompted her to go quiet as if she'd turned to stone.
"Come this year, Aidan! Do it for me," she begged, grabbing him by the shoulders.
"I don't want you to take this wrong, Jane," he said seriously. "It's got nothing to do with you. I'm not going to cry over my wife's grave. You know that."
Aidan watched her as she lowered her head and exhaled as if all the air in her lungs was leaving her right then. He knew he'd been unfair to her. He should have visited her a long time ago and although his excuse had been valid, he could have called around later on and it wouldn't have made any difference. He'd always been willing to accept any case and chase human scum wherever he had to to keep his mind occupied. But she didn't deserve the sort of treatment he'd been giving her. And more than that, he didn't deserve the brotherly affection that she offered him. He couldn't let it get
"Aidan! How pleased I am to see you."
A beautiful woman with big black eyes and dark wavy hair was walking towards them. A broad smile covered her warm face. On seeing his sister-in-law, a flood of sensations swirled through Aidan. The pain that appeared with any memory of his wife competed with nostalgia and an arsenal of other emotions in Aidan's heart.
Jane greeted Lance first, who was happy to see her, but stepped aside straight away to let the others renew old acquaintances. Lance was conscious that it came down to a delicate but important situation in Aidan's life. And he really hoped that his friend would know how to behave.
Jane gave Aidan a warmer greeting. She threw her arms around him and hugged him with what seemed like all her strength. Aidan pulled back slowly and ran his hand across her cheek. Her eyes were watery; it was a moving moment. But then she punched him on the chest.
"Why haven't you rung or come around?" she demanded, her voice surprisingly hard. "We're still family. Have you forgotten that?"
"I'm happy to see you too. It's just that I've been busy," Aidan explained.
"Don't give me that. It's almost a year since we've heard anything from you. The last time we had any news about you was in the paper. A report about a court case. Something to do with drugs. It didn't give you much of a wrap." Aidan was about to say something. "Don't interrupt me. Imagine how I felt when the article talked about my sister's death. I wanted to help you, to be with you. But you wouldn't let me get close. I found out later that you'd punched the lawyer."
Jane's words were painful. Aidan knew that she was being sincere. It must have been bad for her reading all of that rubbish. There had always been a special feeling between them; she was the only member of his dead wife's family that he had really got on with. He'd never got on well with his father-in-law, even though he'd always been respectful and concealed his lack of approval as much as he could. He'd simply had nothing in common with the rest of the family. But Jane was different. He'd always enjoyed her company, her direct manner. In a way, she reminded him of Lance, in the sense that she got on with everyone, something Aidan couldn't lay claim to.
"I couldn't meet you on that occasion," he explained. "I was working undercover. No one could know I had family. I promise you I would've given anything to have had your support."
"Very well. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt," Jane said, relaxing, "And what are doing here? Are you sick?"
"No way. I'm jumping out of my skin," he said, but stopped when he realized that she didn't like hearing him treat his own health as a joke. After the accident and during the months of being in a coma, Jane had thought she might lose him as well. And despite his amazing recovery she still didn't like him taking his own health lightly. "We're here on police work. And you?"
"My back's been killing me lately. I came to see if the doctors can find a solution for the pain," she explained, running her hand over the lumbar region, which for some reason prompted her to go quiet as if she'd turned to stone.
"Come this year, Aidan! Do it for me," she begged, grabbing him by the shoulders.
"I don't want you to take this wrong, Jane," he said seriously. "It's got nothing to do with you. I'm not going to cry over my wife's grave. You know that."
Aidan watched her as she lowered her head and exhaled as if all the air in her lungs was leaving her right then. He knew he'd been unfair to her. He should have visited her a long time ago and although his excuse had been valid, he could have called around later on and it wouldn't have made any difference. He'd always been willing to accept any case and chase human scum wherever he had to to keep his mind occupied. But she didn't deserve the sort of treatment he'd been giving her. And more than that, he didn't deserve the brotherly affection that she offered him. He couldn't let it get
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