"It's sweet that he's been so considerate but he truly doesn't have to worry 'bout me on any front. I'm not comin' in expectin' anythin' o' assumin' anythin'. The ball is entirely in his court and if he still feels like he wants to pull the plug, I won't think anythin' bad o' him. Entirely the opposite. If it's really not the right time o' he ultimately feels like he's not ready to face any o' it, I'll understand and I really want him to understand that, if ya' think ya' can convey that to him before he makes any decisions. He's overloaded and he's not well. Plus, he's got conditions that impacts his emotional regulation. Truly, I'm takin' on board everythin' ya' sayin'. The last thing I want is causin' him stress that'll make him feel sick o' impede his recovery. Please just make sure he knows that. I can go home and come back any time. I own my own practice, so I can take leave at my leisure. All my other commitments can take a back seat. If I'd have known he and Brandon has so much on their plate, I wouldn't have tried to reach out now. But at the same time, I guess since my accident, I know how fragile life is, so once I knew I had a son, I needed him to know he mattered to me. Not sayin' I know anythin' 'bout bein' a father o' havin' a kid o' my own but it's not like he needs parentin'. Parentin' and love are two very different things, though. Family's one o' the most important things to me and always has been. But this is on Merlin's terms. If he needs anythin', though, even if he decides he's not ready to meet, I'm a call o' a text away. Anythin' at all," Cillian insisted, hoping that, if nothing else, Jesse could deliver that message to Merlin. He really had taken on board everything both Brandon and Jesse had said to him and he respected the complicated and difficult situation it was. If there was one thing he understood needing in times or trauma or stress, it was time and space. For many months after his accident and paraplegia diagnosis, he hadn't been able to face up to seeing any of his extended family. He knew they loved him and wanted to help, but he hadn't been psychologically ready to talk about what happened. Even to this day, he had days with his PTSD that he just couldn't talk things out. He would never want to push his son into anything he wasn't ready or strong enough to face. "Even still, he can ask me as many o' as few questions as he needs. There's nothin' I won't talk to him 'bout, no matter how hard."

He felt an excited tickle in his gut when Jesse said he had photos of Merlin and Brandon's wedding he could see. That was an unexpected but pleasant surprise and he was smiling when Jesse handed him the beautiful photo album. Even from the first page, he was awed by how beautiful the whole thing was. "Bloody hell, it's amazin'. Wow, everyone looks so glamorous. Guess that's the perks o' bein' a celeb and rubbin' shoulders with others like ya'." Then he came across the first picture of Merlin and Brandon smiling at each other with a backdrop of fairy lights, candles and lanterns and he touched his finger to the image. "They look 'bout as happy as any couple could be. If ya' didn't know, ya' wouldn't be able to really spot that Brandon's ill. They're beautiful kids. Can't quite believe I made one o' them but I see a family resemblance. Merlin's like my mum. She's short and has glasses, same kind o' thick wavy hair. The O'Donovan hazel-green eyes too. Long line o' that on our side. Ya' don't know what it means for me to see these, Jesse. Thank ya'. I mean that from the bottom o' my heart. I'm glad he's found the love o' his life."