Chapter 15

"Marie? Is everything alright?"

Jane opens his daughter's door to find her sitting against the wall and hugging her knees, she makes no complaint when he sits down next to her.

"I don't want to go."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. It'll just be a reminder of his death... To be honest I've had enough."

There's a moment of silence as Marie sinks into her depression and Jane is searching for words to say. He gets up momentarily to take a stuffed pink rabbit wearing a cute white dress off the shelf. Her father sits next to her, handing over the rabbit. Marie gives a perplexed look as she turns it this way and that, half-expecting a hidden message.

"It was your first doll."

"Oh."

Jane scoots close and wraps a arm around her letting Marie lean against him.

"When I married your mother, it was the best day of my life. Not even Red John could step in the way...," he looks at the door to make sure his wife wasn't coming, the next part was always the worst for her, "We found that your mother was...well let's just say it was going to be very difficult to have a child. I remember when she found out that she was pregnant because she was so excited, Teresa went up to the attic where I focused on catching Red John and just interrupted my research."

"That must have upset you."

"Not for long, she held up the pregnancy test and we were overjoyed. You were literally a miracle. And when you finally came into this world she let me hold you for the very first time.", Jane begins to tear up, the memory resurfacing again,"I held you in my arms and you looked up at me and with those blue eyes, I thought you were the most precious thing I had ever seen."

"..."

"I know that I can't make up for the years lost and you lost your family. But I can offer you mine, you could be our daughter again and all you'd have to say is yes."

"I think...I'd like that."