Family Business (2/2)
Part One
Soft laughter came from the bedroom, and Tommy groaned, covering his head with a pillow.
"I cannot just lie here and listen to my little brother...doing things to that guy."
Sarah snorted from where she was curled up on the couch. "Oh, come on. He just got dumped. And it’s a road trip! Let him have a little fun. Besides, how do you know that guy is not the one ‘doing things’ to Kevin?"
Tommy took the pillow off his face. "Come on, Sarah. Kevin’s not like that. He’s, you know, pretty masculine."
Sarah sat up immediately, throwing her hands up in disbelief. "One - this guy’s in the Army. Two, that is such a straight guy response. And - "
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Oh, come on, Tommy. Don’t tell me that straight guys don’t secretly define sex simply as getting in and getting off, with foreplay as just a necessary evil. And so, you have to put someone into the ‘woman’s’ role. Well, guess what, Tommy? It doesn’t matter who does what or if they even do, you know, that - they’re both still men. Sex is about...making yourself vulnerable and making a connection and doing what feels good. What you enjoy in bed doesn’t say anything about who you are as a person. And vice versa."
"That is such a chick response."
Sarah laughed and flopped back down onto the couch. "Well, I got news for you, little brother. I’ve heard far more than I’ve ever wanted to know about Kevin’s sex life while on drunken escapades. He’s what you might euphemistically call ‘versatile’ with a strong preference for ‘taking it up - "
"Sarah!"
Sarah laughed before turning serious. "Does it bother you?"
"What?"
"To think of Kevin...‘like that.’ Does he seem...less to you?"
Tommy turned to her. "No. Everybody always acts like I’m supposed to have some big problem with having a gay brother. I’ll admit it can be weird. I don’t always know how to handle it or talk about things with him. But I love him, and I want him to be happy."
They were interrupted by a rhythmic creaking of bedsprings, and Sarah and Tommy both stared in the direction of the bedroom.
"I just don’t want to hear it."
Sarah snickered quietly. "Yeah, me neither."
Tommy sighed and fell back onto his pillow.
"You know," Sarah said musingly. "You really should be more open-minded about these types of things. Kevin’s told me some stuff - well, let’s just say, after one conversation, I went home, and Joe and I experimented - "
"Ew! God."
Sarah laughed evilly.
***
Tommy swallowed thickly, leaning his head against the glass as he looked through the window of the hospital nursery. She was so tiny and so fragile.
"She’s beautiful."
Tommy turned to Kevin and gave him a small smile. Kevin handed him a cup of coffee, and Tommy nodded in thanks.
"How’s Julia?"
"She’s, ah, she’s sleeping. The doctors gave her something."
"That’s probably good."
"Yeah."
"Tommy, I am so sorry."
Tommy took a deep breath and stayed silent for a few seconds. "I feel like I failed him," he finally said. "I’m his father. I’m supposed to - to protect him, keep him safe and healthy. I didn’t know what to do; nothing seemed like the right choice."
"You made the right choice, Tommy."
Tommy laughed ruefully. "You sound like Saul. How could it be the right choice if he’s dead?"
Kevin pointed at the window with his coffee cup. "Look at her. She’s alive. She’s going to be fine. Don’t second-guess yourself, OK? No what-ifs."
"She’s got a hard road in front of her."
"Yeah," Kevin nodded, chewing on his lip. "But she’s a Walker."
The two brothers stood side-by-side, watching Elizabeth move in her sleep.
"I hope she’s yours," Tommy said quietly.
Kevin twisted his head to stare at him. "What?"
"I just...I want her to get through this, and I want her to grow up to be...strong and brave."
Kevin shook his head. "Justin went to war."
"I know," Tommy said. "But almost your whole life, you’ve had to deal with opposition and stand up for yourself." Tommy laughed before continuing, "And I want her to be independent, opinionated and smart."
Kevin smiled. "Definitely have Justin beat there."
Tommy laughed. Kevin looked over at his brother, and then placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I hope she grows up to be exactly like her father," he said significantly.
***
"Hello?"
Tommy glanced up at the sound of Kevin’s voice. He walked out of the bedroom and into the living room.
"Kev - what are you doing here? I thought you guys would be out of town by now. Or at least still in bed."
"Unfortunately, no. I had to talk to Mom about something."
"What?"
Kevin paused. "It’s nothing; it’s not important. So, anyway, I thought I’d return this."
He reached out his hand, and Tommy held his palm open. Kevin dropped his wedding ring into his hand. Tommy laughed.
"I can’t believe you forgot to get rings. See what happens when you rush things?"
Kevin smiled. "I didn’t want to wait."
"You’re such a sap," Tommy said, shaking his head as he slipped his ring back on his finger.
Kevin coughed. "Thank you, though. For the loan. It...meant a lot."
Tommy shrugged. "It might not have been a typical wedding, but you still needed someone to be the best man and step up. And clearly, I’m a better brother than Justin so I get to be your best man."
Kevin laughed, looking away.
"OK," he finally said. "I’m going home and dragging my husband back into bed."
"Have fun."
"Oh, I will."
When Kevin was almost out the door, Tommy called out his name. Kevin turned around and looked at him curiously.
"I like him," Tommy said. "You guys are good together."
Kevin smiled brilliantly at him and slipped out the front door.
***
Tommy pulled a piece of grass out of his hair. He looked over at Kevin, who was cringing as he wiped some antiseptic on a scrape on his elbow.
"I’m sorry," he said quickly.
Kevin glanced at him through the mirror but didn’t say anything.
"It was wrong of me to fire you."
Kevin remained quiet.
"Kev, come on."
"I accept your apology," Kevin said.
Tommy nodded. "Good," he said.
Kevin threw away the wipe and walked out of the bathroom. At the door, he turned.
"But that doesn’t mean I forgive you."
***
Kevin bent his head, listening to the phone message with an amused smile on his face. It was hard to hear Scotty’s voice over the sounds of the restaurant bar, not to mention the somewhat poor connection. He heard someone enter the room and glanced up, expecting Justin. It was Tommy.
Kevin held one finger up as he continued to listen to the message. Tommy nodded, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms. When Scotty’s message ended, he hung up and looked at his brother.
"Got your phone back, huh?"
"Yeah, finally." Kevin turned away again and started packing his suitcase. "Saul and Henry took Scotty out last night. Saul, of course, is the calm, rational, relatively sober one - actually, he sounds upset about something; I should check in with him - but it sounds like Henry and Scotty had a bottle of wine each. Scotty just listed all the different ways he’s going to punish me for abandoning him on our anniversary."
Tommy made a sympathetic face. "I’m sorry. Tell him I’m sorry."
Kevin waved his hand. "He told me to come; I didn’t even want to."
"Then...why is he going to punish you?"
"Oh!" Kevin laughed. "No. That was a euphemism."
Tommy nodded once in understanding. "This family really has no boundaries," he said, and Kevin smirked at him.
They were both silent for a few minutes. Tommy watched as Kevin walked around the room, packing the last of his clothes.
"I meant what I said," Tommy said quietly. "I’m trying to make up for things."
"I know," Kevin said tersely.
"It just seemed - I don’t know, it seemed like you didn’t particularly believe me."
Kevin stayed quiet for a few seconds before talking. "It’s just hard to see that right now."
"OK, but..."
"No buts. These people here - yeah, I’m sure they appreciate your work. And you’re doing good. But you’re not making up for anything. You want to make up for stuff? Justin can tell you how that works. You go make amends with the people you hurt. Deal with us, deal with the employees you stole from, go to Seattle and deal with Julia and Elizabeth. You’re still hiding."
"I’m not ready for that yet."
"Then I’m still not ready to forgive you."
Tommy laughed ruefully. "You know - Justin said once that he appreciated that I was the only one who was seeing him for what he was, holding him accountable for his actions. He was right; it’s good to have someone...put a mirror up. Force me to see what I did wrong; allow me to own my mistakes. But it’s really annoying and frustrating at the same time."
"Well, I’m your little brother. Annoying and frustrating is what I do."
Tommy laughed again, more amused this time. Kevin looked at him and gave him a small smile.
"Sarah told me what you did. About the house, I mean. Thank you."
"I didn’t do it for you."
"I know. But I’ll pay you back, I promise."
"I’m not worried about the money."
"God, Kevin, what do you want from me?"
"I don’t know!" Kevin sighed. "I don’t know."
Kevin wiped quickly at his eyes before reaching forward and zipping his suitcase shut. Without looking at Tommy, he began talking quickly. "You’re my big brother, Tommy. I - I looked up to you. I admired you, and I trusted you. I thought, despite all evidence to the contrary, you were still a better man than Dad."
Tommy didn’t say anything and after a few seconds, Kevin added quietly, "You broke my heart."
Kevin picked up the suitcase and walked to the door. He stopped next to Tommy and turned to face him.
"Are we going to be OK?" Tommy asked.
Kevin nodded. "Someday."
"How do you know?"
Kevin shrugged. "You’re going to put things right; you’re too damn stubborn not to. And I’m too damn stubborn to ever stop loving you."
Tommy pressed his lips together, giving Kevin a small smile. Kevin reached out with his free arm and pulled Tommy into a hug. They held each other for a few quiet moments.
"Take care of yourself," Kevin said.
"You too."
Kevin pulled free and walked away. He didn’t once look back - not until his mother exclaimed and hurried to the rear of the bus. Kevin twisted around and watched the water start to flow from the fountain, and he smiled.
The End
Soft laughter came from the bedroom, and Tommy groaned, covering his head with a pillow.
"I cannot just lie here and listen to my little brother...doing things to that guy."
Sarah snorted from where she was curled up on the couch. "Oh, come on. He just got dumped. And it’s a road trip! Let him have a little fun. Besides, how do you know that guy is not the one ‘doing things’ to Kevin?"
Tommy took the pillow off his face. "Come on, Sarah. Kevin’s not like that. He’s, you know, pretty masculine."
Sarah sat up immediately, throwing her hands up in disbelief. "One - this guy’s in the Army. Two, that is such a straight guy response. And - "
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Oh, come on, Tommy. Don’t tell me that straight guys don’t secretly define sex simply as getting in and getting off, with foreplay as just a necessary evil. And so, you have to put someone into the ‘woman’s’ role. Well, guess what, Tommy? It doesn’t matter who does what or if they even do, you know, that - they’re both still men. Sex is about...making yourself vulnerable and making a connection and doing what feels good. What you enjoy in bed doesn’t say anything about who you are as a person. And vice versa."
"That is such a chick response."
Sarah laughed and flopped back down onto the couch. "Well, I got news for you, little brother. I’ve heard far more than I’ve ever wanted to know about Kevin’s sex life while on drunken escapades. He’s what you might euphemistically call ‘versatile’ with a strong preference for ‘taking it up - "
"Sarah!"
Sarah laughed before turning serious. "Does it bother you?"
"What?"
"To think of Kevin...‘like that.’ Does he seem...less to you?"
Tommy turned to her. "No. Everybody always acts like I’m supposed to have some big problem with having a gay brother. I’ll admit it can be weird. I don’t always know how to handle it or talk about things with him. But I love him, and I want him to be happy."
They were interrupted by a rhythmic creaking of bedsprings, and Sarah and Tommy both stared in the direction of the bedroom.
"I just don’t want to hear it."
Sarah snickered quietly. "Yeah, me neither."
Tommy sighed and fell back onto his pillow.
"You know," Sarah said musingly. "You really should be more open-minded about these types of things. Kevin’s told me some stuff - well, let’s just say, after one conversation, I went home, and Joe and I experimented - "
"Ew! God."
Sarah laughed evilly.
***
Tommy swallowed thickly, leaning his head against the glass as he looked through the window of the hospital nursery. She was so tiny and so fragile.
"She’s beautiful."
Tommy turned to Kevin and gave him a small smile. Kevin handed him a cup of coffee, and Tommy nodded in thanks.
"How’s Julia?"
"She’s, ah, she’s sleeping. The doctors gave her something."
"That’s probably good."
"Yeah."
"Tommy, I am so sorry."
Tommy took a deep breath and stayed silent for a few seconds. "I feel like I failed him," he finally said. "I’m his father. I’m supposed to - to protect him, keep him safe and healthy. I didn’t know what to do; nothing seemed like the right choice."
"You made the right choice, Tommy."
Tommy laughed ruefully. "You sound like Saul. How could it be the right choice if he’s dead?"
Kevin pointed at the window with his coffee cup. "Look at her. She’s alive. She’s going to be fine. Don’t second-guess yourself, OK? No what-ifs."
"She’s got a hard road in front of her."
"Yeah," Kevin nodded, chewing on his lip. "But she’s a Walker."
The two brothers stood side-by-side, watching Elizabeth move in her sleep.
"I hope she’s yours," Tommy said quietly.
Kevin twisted his head to stare at him. "What?"
"I just...I want her to get through this, and I want her to grow up to be...strong and brave."
Kevin shook his head. "Justin went to war."
"I know," Tommy said. "But almost your whole life, you’ve had to deal with opposition and stand up for yourself." Tommy laughed before continuing, "And I want her to be independent, opinionated and smart."
Kevin smiled. "Definitely have Justin beat there."
Tommy laughed. Kevin looked over at his brother, and then placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I hope she grows up to be exactly like her father," he said significantly.
***
"Hello?"
Tommy glanced up at the sound of Kevin’s voice. He walked out of the bedroom and into the living room.
"Kev - what are you doing here? I thought you guys would be out of town by now. Or at least still in bed."
"Unfortunately, no. I had to talk to Mom about something."
"What?"
Kevin paused. "It’s nothing; it’s not important. So, anyway, I thought I’d return this."
He reached out his hand, and Tommy held his palm open. Kevin dropped his wedding ring into his hand. Tommy laughed.
"I can’t believe you forgot to get rings. See what happens when you rush things?"
Kevin smiled. "I didn’t want to wait."
"You’re such a sap," Tommy said, shaking his head as he slipped his ring back on his finger.
Kevin coughed. "Thank you, though. For the loan. It...meant a lot."
Tommy shrugged. "It might not have been a typical wedding, but you still needed someone to be the best man and step up. And clearly, I’m a better brother than Justin so I get to be your best man."
Kevin laughed, looking away.
"OK," he finally said. "I’m going home and dragging my husband back into bed."
"Have fun."
"Oh, I will."
When Kevin was almost out the door, Tommy called out his name. Kevin turned around and looked at him curiously.
"I like him," Tommy said. "You guys are good together."
Kevin smiled brilliantly at him and slipped out the front door.
***
Tommy pulled a piece of grass out of his hair. He looked over at Kevin, who was cringing as he wiped some antiseptic on a scrape on his elbow.
"I’m sorry," he said quickly.
Kevin glanced at him through the mirror but didn’t say anything.
"It was wrong of me to fire you."
Kevin remained quiet.
"Kev, come on."
"I accept your apology," Kevin said.
Tommy nodded. "Good," he said.
Kevin threw away the wipe and walked out of the bathroom. At the door, he turned.
"But that doesn’t mean I forgive you."
***
Kevin bent his head, listening to the phone message with an amused smile on his face. It was hard to hear Scotty’s voice over the sounds of the restaurant bar, not to mention the somewhat poor connection. He heard someone enter the room and glanced up, expecting Justin. It was Tommy.
Kevin held one finger up as he continued to listen to the message. Tommy nodded, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms. When Scotty’s message ended, he hung up and looked at his brother.
"Got your phone back, huh?"
"Yeah, finally." Kevin turned away again and started packing his suitcase. "Saul and Henry took Scotty out last night. Saul, of course, is the calm, rational, relatively sober one - actually, he sounds upset about something; I should check in with him - but it sounds like Henry and Scotty had a bottle of wine each. Scotty just listed all the different ways he’s going to punish me for abandoning him on our anniversary."
Tommy made a sympathetic face. "I’m sorry. Tell him I’m sorry."
Kevin waved his hand. "He told me to come; I didn’t even want to."
"Then...why is he going to punish you?"
"Oh!" Kevin laughed. "No. That was a euphemism."
Tommy nodded once in understanding. "This family really has no boundaries," he said, and Kevin smirked at him.
They were both silent for a few minutes. Tommy watched as Kevin walked around the room, packing the last of his clothes.
"I meant what I said," Tommy said quietly. "I’m trying to make up for things."
"I know," Kevin said tersely.
"It just seemed - I don’t know, it seemed like you didn’t particularly believe me."
Kevin stayed quiet for a few seconds before talking. "It’s just hard to see that right now."
"OK, but..."
"No buts. These people here - yeah, I’m sure they appreciate your work. And you’re doing good. But you’re not making up for anything. You want to make up for stuff? Justin can tell you how that works. You go make amends with the people you hurt. Deal with us, deal with the employees you stole from, go to Seattle and deal with Julia and Elizabeth. You’re still hiding."
"I’m not ready for that yet."
"Then I’m still not ready to forgive you."
Tommy laughed ruefully. "You know - Justin said once that he appreciated that I was the only one who was seeing him for what he was, holding him accountable for his actions. He was right; it’s good to have someone...put a mirror up. Force me to see what I did wrong; allow me to own my mistakes. But it’s really annoying and frustrating at the same time."
"Well, I’m your little brother. Annoying and frustrating is what I do."
Tommy laughed again, more amused this time. Kevin looked at him and gave him a small smile.
"Sarah told me what you did. About the house, I mean. Thank you."
"I didn’t do it for you."
"I know. But I’ll pay you back, I promise."
"I’m not worried about the money."
"God, Kevin, what do you want from me?"
"I don’t know!" Kevin sighed. "I don’t know."
Kevin wiped quickly at his eyes before reaching forward and zipping his suitcase shut. Without looking at Tommy, he began talking quickly. "You’re my big brother, Tommy. I - I looked up to you. I admired you, and I trusted you. I thought, despite all evidence to the contrary, you were still a better man than Dad."
Tommy didn’t say anything and after a few seconds, Kevin added quietly, "You broke my heart."
Kevin picked up the suitcase and walked to the door. He stopped next to Tommy and turned to face him.
"Are we going to be OK?" Tommy asked.
Kevin nodded. "Someday."
"How do you know?"
Kevin shrugged. "You’re going to put things right; you’re too damn stubborn not to. And I’m too damn stubborn to ever stop loving you."
Tommy pressed his lips together, giving Kevin a small smile. Kevin reached out with his free arm and pulled Tommy into a hug. They held each other for a few quiet moments.
"Take care of yourself," Kevin said.
"You too."
Kevin pulled free and walked away. He didn’t once look back - not until his mother exclaimed and hurried to the rear of the bus. Kevin twisted around and watched the water start to flow from the fountain, and he smiled.
The End