What if I was nothing (Tommy Conlon fanfiction)

Part 30

Man in an army uniform entered the police station, came to the reception.
"Conlon," he said quietly and woman took his ID.
"Take a seat, please."
He was sitting in silence for few minutes, before two detectives came to him and took him to the interrogation room. He looked around, it seemes like the room in the center for wild animals, just smaller, darker.
"Shall we begin, sir?" one of the detectives looked at him and Tommy nodded.
On his uniform side by side many medals, colourful awards. Who knows why did he get them. For bravery? For being honourable? Maybe he doesn't know at all. All those sparkling medals, crosses, colours.
He spend the long time in Iraq, he watched his friends from his unit going home and then back and everytime it seemed he might go to see his family an order came, something really serious, unexpected the most important mission, they always said. And he was sent to the combat. For every mission he received this medal, buckled on his chest, having no sense, no meaning to him. Just a reminder, that he had to stay, when everybody else could go home.
Medals of betrayal. But you know, what people say? Every cloud has a silver lining. Thanks to all of these awards and prices, nobody now questioned his testimony. War hero, veteran who served his country for many years.
Detectives listened to him telling the story, they asked questions. Minutes turned to hours. He talked calmly, when tears tried to run from his eyes, he just took few seconds to find a lost balance.
"Take your time," detective said, when they get to the moment he entered Jack's house. Lair of horror. Is it even possible to forget all that happened there? All that he heard, all that he saw?
Few more questions, few more details, few more memories.
"Thank you, sir. Well, we have your adress, your number, if we need something, we will let you know."

Tommy stood up and followed them outside to the hallway. He stopped and looked at one of the detectives.
"Do you think I could talk to him? I- I really would like to talk to him."
"Well, uhm," they have exchanged looks and senior detective took Tommy to the back part of the building.

"I will be present for the whole time, alright?" detective said and waited behind at the doors.
"Thank you," Tommy whispered.

"Well, this is unexpected," Jack in a prison jumpsuit, sitting on the bench behind bars. "Look at you, you came to make sure, that I am here? Or you are here to laugh at me?"

"There is a big difference between you and me," Tommy said in a deep voice. "Her happiness was always more important, than my own. I have never pushed her to be with me, if she said let me go, I would do that, even though it would destroy me. But I wanted her to be happy with or without me. You have always claimed, that you want the same for her, but that was a lie. You never cared about her happiness, just your own."

"Bullshit," Jack stood up and spat toward Tommy.

"No, the truth. If you could accept her completely, we could have been family-"

"Family? You think I'd accept you? What are you - crazy? She is my only child, she carries my name and that would be the greatest disgrace, if my child would end up with someone like you. Average being, useless, no money, no rank, no meaning. I have told you! I'd rather see her death than to be with you. I can live happily ever after now, when I know, that you will suffer for the rest of your pointless life. With the awareness, that she died because you were too selfish to let her be alone." Jack started to laugh.

"I would like to be here, when your brain will finally realise, what have you done. When you realise, what have you lost and that you will rot in the prison. I wish you a long life, seriously, I hope you will live for many years, decades with mind full of remorse," Tommy turned with tears in his eyes and left.

He came home, empty apartment waited for him, pictures on the wall, few things on the floor, they fell there from the table. He touched the massive brown piece of furniture and smiled sadly.
He noticed himself in the mirror, came closer and looked at the pictures glued around the mirror's frame.

"Look at me, I promised I will never wear this again. Who would tell I'll break that promise so soon."

He sat on the bed and put hands on his face. Tears rolling from his eyes, few of them fell on the floor. His phone started to ring, he cleared his throat and answered.

"Yes?"
"Are you done yet or still at the police station?" Tess spoke from the other side of the phone.
"I just came home."
"Alright, good. How are you? Will you come here?"
"I spoke to him- you know? I thought, he might show a regret or something," Tommy said, his voice shaking.
"You did what? Tommy! Why on Earth did you do that? He's nothing but a monster filled with a dirt and evil. He shot his own daughter, twice! You really think he might feel something like regrets? No, no, he might actually feel something at all?"
"You are right. I don't know, what I was thinking. I will change my clothes and I'll come. I can't imagineto be here alone."
"Okay, we will be waiting," she said and hung up.