Cillian was surprised the tea Jesse just made was actually really good and he had to internally tell himself not to show that on his face. The last he was in the US, not all that long after Merlin would've been conceived, he found the tea to be utter shite. Any time he had been served to him, it was usually bag tea, which he hated, and if he was fortunate enough to be served loose-leaf tea, it was usually weak and not left to steep long enough. Jesse knew what he was doing making tea and he wondered if he learned from a Brit but that wasn't a conversation for today. With an empathetic slow nod, he put his mug on the coaster Jesse set down on the table beside the sofa. "Ah, aye. One's free agency and independence. Slippery suckers to juggle when ya' faced losin' them in any capacity. It was a big contributin' factor to the end of my engagement so the last thing I'd want to do is impose on the kids when they're tryin' to navigate their marriage through a second cancer diagnosis. I'd imagine Brandon was probably just beginnin' to get back on his feet. There aren't adequate words to express how difficult what they're jugglin' would be. Ya'd have to have been young dealin' with similar challenges with ya' hubby. Were ya young when ya' got married? If it's okay to ask. Ya' hardly pushin' anywhere near my own age. Ya' don't wish anythin' but peak health on young folk but if only life was that simple, aye? Please make sure Merlin knows he doesn't need to feel pressured 'bout anythin' to do regardin' me bein' here. If there's too much goin' on for him to deal with it, I can head home and come back another time."

"The how isn't a factor for me. Not even the who. Just that this kid who's my son came o' it. It's true, the accident left me infertile but I don't want Merlin to feel obligated because o' it. Truly, the only thing I hoped for is to meet him. Even just once." He picked up his mug again, nursing it to his chest. "They were all shock, o' course. A wee bit sad that we couldn't have known sooner. But we realised given his age that he'd have a whole life he's already lived without any o' us in it, which could mean he's content with that and only that. They're all very curious 'bout him. Who he is, what his life's like. Kind o' mindblown who he is and who he's connected to but we aren't starstruck. It's just a pretty cool part o' him. I get there's probably concerns that's why I'm here but it's not. We're just all excited at the possibility. Of gettin' to know a kid, grandkid, great grandkid, nephew. We'd written that off as a thing that'd be in my life. Do ya' mean Dr Tara Campbell? She went to the same university as my older sister. I know she's a world-renowned oncologist here and we heard the news locally when her fiancé at the time was shot. Her hometown's less than an hour drive from mine. I don't know her personally, though."