[ He doesn't know how long it will take before he's fully sure of himself around his daughter, but he could not pass up the chance to wish her well on the day of her birth. He's mindful that today must present a mixture of emotions for her; as hard as it is to think about sometimes, Frank was apparently an incredible father. He took good care of his daughter, and for that, Jamie will forever be in his debt. It also means, of course, that he could never possibly measure up or fill that void left behind by the loss of him. Nor would he want to.
There's no wisdom to draw upon for circumstances such as this, for how to be a father in your child's life when they're fully grown and haven't known of you until recently. And when you happen to be nearly their same age. The two of them will have to figure out a way forward together that works best for both of them. All that he's sure of is that he loves his child to the very depths of his soul, and he wants nothing more than to truly be her father. He's not sure that he can or that she'll grant him that. She's grown now and she had the father she needed in her formative years. Perhaps for them, it has to go a different way, perhaps they will not be more than friends of a sort. Family, of course, but not father and daughter. That would be his one wish, though.
But today is a special day, the day of her birth, when her first breath, her first cry, cast a bright light out upon a day that had apparently been shrouded in gloom and unrelenting rain. Yet there was Brianna, the beacon of hope in all things. It aches to know he couldn't be there, but he can picture it so clearly in his mind. Sometimes he can almost see it in her face, what she must have looked like on her first day, and how preciously Claire must have cradled her.
He has nothing much to give, nothing special, but he places a basket of fresh strawberries by her door, along with a warm wool scarf bearing the Fraser crest. He's planning to simply leave the items and go about his day, assuming perhaps she might prefer that. But after a moment of standing by her door and contemplating the proper course of action, Jamie finally knocks. ]
for the birthday girl.
There's no wisdom to draw upon for circumstances such as this, for how to be a father in your child's life when they're fully grown and haven't known of you until recently. And when you happen to be nearly their same age. The two of them will have to figure out a way forward together that works best for both of them. All that he's sure of is that he loves his child to the very depths of his soul, and he wants nothing more than to truly be her father. He's not sure that he can or that she'll grant him that. She's grown now and she had the father she needed in her formative years. Perhaps for them, it has to go a different way, perhaps they will not be more than friends of a sort. Family, of course, but not father and daughter. That would be his one wish, though.
But today is a special day, the day of her birth, when her first breath, her first cry, cast a bright light out upon a day that had apparently been shrouded in gloom and unrelenting rain. Yet there was Brianna, the beacon of hope in all things. It aches to know he couldn't be there, but he can picture it so clearly in his mind. Sometimes he can almost see it in her face, what she must have looked like on her first day, and how preciously Claire must have cradled her.
He has nothing much to give, nothing special, but he places a basket of fresh strawberries by her door, along with a warm wool scarf bearing the Fraser crest. He's planning to simply leave the items and go about his day, assuming perhaps she might prefer that. But after a moment of standing by her door and contemplating the proper course of action, Jamie finally knocks. ]
Brianna?