He didn't notice until a couple of weeks out, the conversations that stopped when he walked into the room, the shared glances, the knowing silences.
The morning he realised, he sat in his chair with a sigh, cradling his morning coffee. They were planning some form of birthday surprise for him. Walt hated surprises, particularly ones that might involve him, god forbid, having fun in public. Not good for the stern Sheriff image he had spent all these years cultivating.
Walt sighed again and prepared to act oblivious for the next two weeks.
xxxxxx
2 weeks later
He didn't make it easy for them, something had come up in the Powder Junction office and he had insisted on going down there early the morning of his birthday and didn't make it back til mid afternoon.
The office was oddly crowded for a Friday afternoon, all his Deputies were present, which wasn't right according to the schedule but he wasn't going to make a big deal out of it. Hanging up his hat and coat, he greeted the room, got the days postits from Ruby, and headed into his office with a well earned up of coffee to catchup on business.
After about half an hour of toing and froing and quiet conversation in the main office, a delegation arrived, Vic and Ferg perched on the sofa, Branch leaning back on the open door and Ruby, bright eyed and excited in the doorway. They all looked at each other, and then at Walt, who arched one eyebrow at his staff present enmass, and Ruby took a step forward.
"Walt we know you don't like a big fuss made when its your birthday, we understand" and he nodded slowly, heart sinking as he waited for the 'but' .
"So the whole team got together and bought you a present instead, something useful and practical" and she turned to Vic and Ferg who got up off the sofa and everyone waited in a meaningful silence until eventually the penny dropped for him and he said cautiously "You got me a new sofa for the office?"
Vic shot him a dirty look and said not at all under her breath "Idiot" and sighed "Ferg, you figured it out you demonstrate" and the Ferg hurried to the far end of the sofa and fiddled with something out of a sight, and surprisingly the sofa unfolded itself into two flat halves which were then pulled out further. They reassembled the device and Vic sat down on one end and ran a possessive hand over the cushion "We got you a SOFABED so you can stop sleeping in the cell or on the floor" She stroked the sofa again and said in a delighted tone "We can ALL use it!"
There was an uncomfortable awkward silence surprisingly broken by The Ferg, as he said tentatively but with humour "Vic I don't think we would ALL fit!"
They broke up laughing and Walt got up and graciously thanked them all, allowed Ferg to show him how the mechanism worked (and how to retain ownership of all his fingers). Henry arrived with cake, and beer, and a Navajo blanket that now adorned the new sofa.
Later after the office had cleared out, Walt carefully sat and experimentally bounced a bit, it seemed like it would hold up under his weight if he just did the two halves flat thing. No way was he going to risk the full unfolding, plus it would block the doorway if he did.
It was a thoughtful present. Lucian was going to be delighted.
I always felt sorry for Walt in the books, he spends a lot of time sleeping in unpleasant or uncomfortable places, usually in his own office. Are there no Ikea in Wyoming? This arose in the middle of my other piece, and I just had to get this oneshot out there, enjoy.
