Try a Little Tenderness-Ch 3
Summary: Tim has a family reunion and gets a big surprise. Spoilers: after season 4. Note: These characters are not mine. Sorry for the lapse between chapters; life is busy!
Walt shook Becky’s hand, hanging onto it a little too long. She forced herself to smile, apprehensive after what she’d heard about him. Also for all she hadn’t heard about him.
“Let’s go into the living room, leave Mom to rest for a bit,” Tim said, teeth gritted, ushering Becky out with a hand at the small of her back. He shut her door behind him.
“This your little filly, Timmy? What happened to that Garrity girl you were so whipped over last time I saw you? Never could understand how that fat snake oil salesman Buddy could produce a hot lil thing like what’s-her-name. Damn, she’s fine.”
Tim shook his head and looked away, like he was counting to ten.
He was counting to ten.
“Ten,” he whispered. “Lyla. Garrity. She’s gone. Away. Becky here’s my, uh, friend.”
Becky shot him an indignant look. Tim winked without smiling.
“Kinda surprised you’re here with, uh, Mom,” Tim said, the word still foreign in his mouth. “You two weren’t exactly best buds last time we were all together.”
Walt shook his head and chuckled. “Yeah, well, they say time heals all wounds. I figured fixing the water heater was the least I could do since Dick’s away.” He said Dick’s name sarcastically.
“Then again, he’s away a lot of the time, so that leaves your mom without help,” Walt said.
“Well that’s pretty rich, coming from you,” Tim said. “I seem to remember you weren’t around much when I was a kid, either. Something called abandonment…?”
“Yeah, well, she wasn’t sick then. And you boys, you could… could take care of yourselves.” He clapped Tim on the back.
Tim flinched. “Don’t do that,” he said in a stern voice.
“What, you got a bruise there, son? Sorry bout that,” Walt said, laughing. “What’s that, from the slammer?”
“Not that. Don’t say we could take care of ourselves. It may have been convenient for both of you, but that don’t mean it was right,” Tim said gruffly.
Silence hung in the air like a thick curtain.
Becky cleared her throat. “Anybody thirsty? Glass of water? I need one,” she said, heading toward the kitchen.
“Dad. What are you really doing here?,” Tim said, waiting til Becky was out of earshot.
Walt raised his shoulders. “What? What do you mean?”
“I find it hard to believe you came just to help out Mom. What’s going on…”
Just then, Walt moved his hand to the table and slid some papers toward himself, trying to be nonchalant.
“What the hell’s that?” Tim demanded.
“Nothing. Just some papers,” Walt said.
Tim pounced on the papers before Walt could snatch them away.
“Mom’s last will and testament?” Tim said in disbelief. “Why you got this?”
He flipped to a sticky note and read as Walt started to back away toward the front door.
“You double crossing sonofabitch,” Tim hissed at him. “You were trying to dupe her into signing her property over to you, from Melissa!”
Walt turned beet red and looked over Tim’s shoulder. “Becky! Got some for me?” he said, as Tim turned to look at Becky.
Next thing he heard was the screen door slamming behind him, a car door slam, and tires squealing.
“Bastard,” Tim whispered, shaking his head.
“What was that about?” Becky asked, putting her hand on his shoulder.
“He was trying to take advantage of the fact that Mom’s drugged up… make her sign over some property to him that rightly belongs to Melissa,” Tim muttered.
Here he was, stuck in the middle of an estate dispute between his parents-and it didn’t even involve him, really. Why would his mother include him or Billy in her will?
Anyway, she mostlikely owned nothing of value, so what difference did it make.
So many negative feelings were coming back to him, in fact how he felt most of his childhood when he was at home.
He pulled Becky into an embrace, needing some comfort, appreciating her presence more and more. She nestled her head on his chest and tilted her head up to kiss Tim softly, twice.
Melissa came in from the patio. “Where’s Uncle Walt?” she said.
Tim rolled his eyes. She probably had no idea what a con man “Uncle Walt” really was.
“He, uh, had to go somewhere. Probly won’t be back for awhile,” Tim said. “When’s your dad supposed to be home?”
“Um, I think tomorrow. But I’m not sure. He doesn’t always tell us…” she trailed off.
Tim glowered at the floor. “Figures,” he whispered.
“Hey, Melissa, maybe you could show Becky your video games. I’ll go check on Mom.” Becky took the papers from him.
As he headed toward his mom’s room, Becky shot him a worried look. But Tim looked steady.
He took a deep breath and knocked once before entering.
Her eyes were closed. He sat down, folded his hands, and watched her for a few minutes before saying anything.
“Hey Mom. You awake?,” Tim said softly. But she continued to sleep, breathing deeply. He didn’t have the heart to wake her; she looked so peaceful.
He went out into the living room, and Becky was waiting for him.
“Tim, did you read this? Your mom’s will?”
He tilted his head. “Yeah, I… I read this page that was marked here, about leaving some property to Melissa… I assumed my asshat dad was trying to change it to himself.”
“Flip to the next page,” Becky said.
Tim’s jaw dropped.
In fact, his mother was planning to leave a big parcel of land she’d inherited, but never did anything with. Not just to Melissa, but to Tim and Billy as well, split evenly three ways.
And it wasn’t just plain old land, it was in the gorgeous lakes section a short distance from Dillon.
Walt shook Becky’s hand, hanging onto it a little too long. She forced herself to smile, apprehensive after what she’d heard about him. Also for all she hadn’t heard about him.
“Let’s go into the living room, leave Mom to rest for a bit,” Tim said, teeth gritted, ushering Becky out with a hand at the small of her back. He shut her door behind him.
“This your little filly, Timmy? What happened to that Garrity girl you were so whipped over last time I saw you? Never could understand how that fat snake oil salesman Buddy could produce a hot lil thing like what’s-her-name. Damn, she’s fine.”
Tim shook his head and looked away, like he was counting to ten.
He was counting to ten.
“Ten,” he whispered. “Lyla. Garrity. She’s gone. Away. Becky here’s my, uh, friend.”
Becky shot him an indignant look. Tim winked without smiling.
“Kinda surprised you’re here with, uh, Mom,” Tim said, the word still foreign in his mouth. “You two weren’t exactly best buds last time we were all together.”
Walt shook his head and chuckled. “Yeah, well, they say time heals all wounds. I figured fixing the water heater was the least I could do since Dick’s away.” He said Dick’s name sarcastically.
“Then again, he’s away a lot of the time, so that leaves your mom without help,” Walt said.
“Well that’s pretty rich, coming from you,” Tim said. “I seem to remember you weren’t around much when I was a kid, either. Something called abandonment…?”
“Yeah, well, she wasn’t sick then. And you boys, you could… could take care of yourselves.” He clapped Tim on the back.
Tim flinched. “Don’t do that,” he said in a stern voice.
“What, you got a bruise there, son? Sorry bout that,” Walt said, laughing. “What’s that, from the slammer?”
“Not that. Don’t say we could take care of ourselves. It may have been convenient for both of you, but that don’t mean it was right,” Tim said gruffly.
Silence hung in the air like a thick curtain.
Becky cleared her throat. “Anybody thirsty? Glass of water? I need one,” she said, heading toward the kitchen.
“Dad. What are you really doing here?,” Tim said, waiting til Becky was out of earshot.
Walt raised his shoulders. “What? What do you mean?”
“I find it hard to believe you came just to help out Mom. What’s going on…”
Just then, Walt moved his hand to the table and slid some papers toward himself, trying to be nonchalant.
“What the hell’s that?” Tim demanded.
“Nothing. Just some papers,” Walt said.
Tim pounced on the papers before Walt could snatch them away.
“Mom’s last will and testament?” Tim said in disbelief. “Why you got this?”
He flipped to a sticky note and read as Walt started to back away toward the front door.
“You double crossing sonofabitch,” Tim hissed at him. “You were trying to dupe her into signing her property over to you, from Melissa!”
Walt turned beet red and looked over Tim’s shoulder. “Becky! Got some for me?” he said, as Tim turned to look at Becky.
Next thing he heard was the screen door slamming behind him, a car door slam, and tires squealing.
“Bastard,” Tim whispered, shaking his head.
“What was that about?” Becky asked, putting her hand on his shoulder.
“He was trying to take advantage of the fact that Mom’s drugged up… make her sign over some property to him that rightly belongs to Melissa,” Tim muttered.
Here he was, stuck in the middle of an estate dispute between his parents-and it didn’t even involve him, really. Why would his mother include him or Billy in her will?
Anyway, she mostlikely owned nothing of value, so what difference did it make.
So many negative feelings were coming back to him, in fact how he felt most of his childhood when he was at home.
He pulled Becky into an embrace, needing some comfort, appreciating her presence more and more. She nestled her head on his chest and tilted her head up to kiss Tim softly, twice.
Melissa came in from the patio. “Where’s Uncle Walt?” she said.
Tim rolled his eyes. She probably had no idea what a con man “Uncle Walt” really was.
“He, uh, had to go somewhere. Probly won’t be back for awhile,” Tim said. “When’s your dad supposed to be home?”
“Um, I think tomorrow. But I’m not sure. He doesn’t always tell us…” she trailed off.
Tim glowered at the floor. “Figures,” he whispered.
“Hey, Melissa, maybe you could show Becky your video games. I’ll go check on Mom.” Becky took the papers from him.
As he headed toward his mom’s room, Becky shot him a worried look. But Tim looked steady.
He took a deep breath and knocked once before entering.
Her eyes were closed. He sat down, folded his hands, and watched her for a few minutes before saying anything.
“Hey Mom. You awake?,” Tim said softly. But she continued to sleep, breathing deeply. He didn’t have the heart to wake her; she looked so peaceful.
He went out into the living room, and Becky was waiting for him.
“Tim, did you read this? Your mom’s will?”
He tilted his head. “Yeah, I… I read this page that was marked here, about leaving some property to Melissa… I assumed my asshat dad was trying to change it to himself.”
“Flip to the next page,” Becky said.
Tim’s jaw dropped.
In fact, his mother was planning to leave a big parcel of land she’d inherited, but never did anything with. Not just to Melissa, but to Tim and Billy as well, split evenly three ways.
And it wasn’t just plain old land, it was in the gorgeous lakes section a short distance from Dillon.