WriterFreak001:
Not a request, but I felt like it should go within this compilation all the same. :)
Title | Maybe One Day
Fandom | Scorpion (CBS)
Description | Paige finally tells Drew she and Ralph are staying in LA.
Rating| This fanfiction will be rated T for some mild language and fluff.
POV | Limited Third Person
Disclaimer | While CBS owns Scorpion, I am the owner of this masterpiece.
Claimer | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something should be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!
Maybe One Day
Written by WriterFreak001
One-Shot
~ SCORPION ~
Paige peeked through the thin crack in the door and spotted Walter in his hospital bed, staring at the ceiling. Without knocking, she pushed her way into the room and flashed him a warm smile. "Hey," she casually spoke and made her way to the chair beside his bed. When his deep brown eyes met hers, she gripped the case in her palms and muttered, "I thought you might want this."
Walter briefly looked at the black sack in her hands and then returned his attention to her. "Thanks."
"You want me to set it up for you?" Paige bit her lip, but he shook his head.
"Maybe later."
"Okay," Paige gave him a small smile and gently placed Walter's computer bag onto the floor against the wall. "Since you're going to be here for at least a couple more days," Paige briefly paused when she caught him staring intensely at her and felt her heart skip a beat, but she quickly recovered and continued as though nothing happened, "Cabe has asked me to come by every day until you're released to make sure you follow your doctor's orders and not strain yourself. The others are wrapped up in a case today so they'll pop by whenever they can."
"Sounds good." Walter mumbled as he shifted his eyes towards the ceiling again. "So I'm assuming Cabe was reinstated?"
"…It's a work in progress…," Paige hesitated and let out a small laugh, causing Walter to find her eyes again. "Let's just say… if Scorpion manages to solve the case, Cabe has his job back; if we don't…, well…," Paige decided not to finish her thought and quickly said, "it won't get to that. I believe in us… them… Scorpion."
"If Toby, Happy and Sylvester can save my life from a 97% chance of death, then whatever case they're working on should be a cinch." Walter grumbled as he slowly adjusted the back of his hospital bed, allowing himself to sit up more. The pain he expressed concerned her.
"Are you all right? Should I get a nurse?" Paige immediately jumped out of her chair, ready to bolt out the door, but he grabbed her hand and lightly (but not painlessly) chuckled.
"I'm fine."
"Normally you say that when you're not fine," Paige pursed her lips as her eyes landed on their conjoined hands.
"True as that may be," Walter was also looking at the way his fingers were wrapped around hers, "I promise…," he ever so slightly rubbed his thumb over her third knuckle and gulped audibly as he flicked his eyes back to hers, "I'm actually fine."
"Okay," Paige sweetly smiled as she sat back down in her chair and leaned closer to his bed. Their hands were still together. "I know Cabe didn't exactly ask you if it was okay and all, but… me being here is okay right? I mean… I," she suddenly found it hard to speak as her face flushed, "I wouldn't, um, I wouldn't want to impose."
"You're not imposing," Walter's simple response warmed her heart. "I mean, uh," he stammered, "h-having you here is a lot better than staring at the wall all day."
Paige laughed softly to cloak the sound her heart made as it pounded against her ribs. She hoped to God Walter couldn't hear it, but she was pretty sure it was loud enough for the entire hospital to hear. She unknowingly squeezed his fingers and gazed into his deep brown irises. "I bet."
Several long minutes of silence meddled its way between them, but their eyes never broke contact. She was tempted to ask him what he was going to say before his car started to fall off the cliff, but she was afraid he would clam up and shut her out. Walter wasn't one to open up so freely so she decided to wait and let him bring it up when he was ready. So, instead, she eventually said, "I'm sorry."
Walter's brow lifted. "For what?"
"What I said the other night," Paige started slowly and flashed Walter a sad smile, "was cruel and awful and totally unfair, especially after the kind of day you had had."
"In spite of the emotional impact your words had had on me," Walter swallowed loudly and blinked, "what you said… made sense…. At the time of the argument, I was temporary blinded by an onset of emotions I hadn't yet processed and couldn't see the logic behind your reasons for going to Portland. But…, um," he paused briefly, "Uh…, after the morphine wore off early this morning, I was able to analyze the argument in full and, uh, m-make sense of your decision to leave." Walter's thumb continued caressing her knuckles, but he seemed oblivious to it as his eyes never left hers. "I understand your need to keep Ralph safe – that is top priority, and if I wasn't emotionally vulnerable, I would have seen that clearly. And you're right – I am partially responsible for Ralph's heroism; what I said to him that morning – that he was a very important part of the team – only encouraged him to risk his life, and that was reckless on my part. I should have seen that one coming, but… uh… b-because of my attachment to him…, I, um, I didn't." He pursed his lips and gulped. "Yeah, well. Like I said…. I understand."
Paige's eyes trailed to their hands as she twisted her hand around his and interlocked their fingers together. "Thank you…," she whispered softly as she brought his palm to her lips and lightly kissed it. "That means a lot, but…," she scooted her chair closer to him and quietly giggled, "do you mind if I continue with my apology anyway?"
"Oh. Um… Okay."
She bravely reached over and brushed her fingers through his curls, and she eventually said, "I think it's safe to say neither one of us was thinking properly that night; I was an emotional wreck because of Ralph, and you were upset because of Cabe and the case… That being said, the things I said to you were not entirely true…. Yes, nothing is more important to me than Ralph's safety, and it scares me to think of him risking his life every single day just because he wants to be like you, Walter…." Her fingers grazed down the side of his face, "You… Scorpion… are the best things in Ralph's life… and mine…; I just… I can't bear to watch Ralph put himself in danger again – he's just a boy. He shouldn't have to carry Scorpion's responsibility on his shoulders at such a young age," she paused and gave Walter a fleeting smile, "The world has you, Walter, and that is a huge burden for you to always carry on your back, I'm sure…, and I think it's great that Ralph wants to be like you…. To be the mother of a genius who wants nothing more than to help people and save lives is an amazing blessing, and that is something I will treasure… someday. But not now." She bit her lip. "I'm just not ready to share my baby with the rest of the world yet."
Walter nodded. "I understand."
"Do you?"
"Yeah." Walter gave her a small grin. "I'll be sure to talk to him about restricting his Scorpion activity to the garage only… and, of course, under supervision."
"Thank you." That wasn't the exact answer Paige was hoping for, but she took it anyway. A faint thought passed her mind as she remembered seeing Walter on the edge of the cliff, and her heart suddenly felt heavy with guilt.
Walter's brows furrowed. "Something else is bothering you."
"Hm?" Paige's eyebrows popped up, and she bit her lip, wondering how a guy who claimed he couldn't read emotions could read her so well.
"Uh…," Walter cleared his throat, "Um, you, uh, you blink a lot when you're upset about something…."
"Oh…." Paige hadn't really noticed. "It's… It's nothing."
"If it's bothering you, it isn't nothing." Walter stated, and when her eyes flicked towards his he quickly shifted his eyes away from hers and added, "Toby, uh, Toby once said it's a good strategy to, um, to have someone to talk to so you don't… uh… don't hold everything in… I'm a terrible example since I do nothing but, and… well… I am horrible at giving advice, b-but…, um, I mean, well, if you're comfortable with, you know, sharing…, I d-don't mind listening…. B-but, uh, you don't have to t-talk if you don't want."
Paige stayed silent for a few minutes and gazed at their entwined fingers; she eventually said, "I… I can't help but feel partially responsible for your accident…."
Before she could continue, Walter cut her off. "Stop right there." Paige met his eyes with a mixture of curiosity and confusion as he continued, "You weren't driving 190 miles per hour that night, and you certainly did not push the coyote in front of the road. Driving that Ferrari was my decision. I don't blame you for my accident."
"And yet, if it wasn't for what I had said, you wouldn't have gotten into that damn car." Paige felt a tear fall down her cheek, but she ignored it.
"I don't know…," Walter tried for a joke, "I was pretty pissed off at Cabe for lying to me so getting into that Ferrari wouldn't have been completely out of the realm of possibility."
Paige wasn't laughing. "Maybe, but… that's not what happened. I enraged you, Walter, and because of me," More tears fell, "y-you almost lost your life."
"But I didn't." Walter blinked. "There's no sure way of knowing what would have happened if things had gone differently; you wouldn't have been angry at me if I hadn't told Ralph he was an important member of Scorpion and unintentionally encouraged him to risk his life. And… the whole case wouldn't have happened if I hadn't created that program when I was sixteen in the first place. The notion of causality is tricky, and I'd rather not get into it too much," Walter chuckled and captured her other hand in his. "It's not your fault. End of discussion."
"But –"
"No buts." Walter interjected, his eyes piercing into her very soul. She knew he wasn't lying when he said he didn't blame her, but that didn't mean she didn't blame herself.
"Okay," she closed her eyes and feigned a smile as she brought the back of his hand to her cheek.
"You're wrong, by the way," Walter suddenly said.
"Huh?" her eyes popped open, and she stared at him.
"You said Scorpion and I are the best things in Ralph's life." Walter blinked. "You're wrong in that assessment."
Confused, her brows furrowed. "Why do you say that?"
"Because," Walter pursed his lips and swallowed, "you are the best thing in Ralph's life. Sure, Scorpion… and I have helped him, but you are his core; you shouldn't sell yourself short, Paige."
"Thanks," Paige closed her eyes and inhaled a deep, heavy breath as another onset of tears fell down her face, "I needed to hear that…." Walter hesitantly touched her cheek and gently wiped away her tears. She instinctively covered the back of his hand with hers and held his warm palm to her skin; she didn't know why, perhaps it was because she had almost lost him, but she desperately needed to keep touching him… to keep reminding herself that he was still alive… that she wasn't living inside a dream… that everything was real…. She needed this to be real. She needed him to be real.
As another tear fell, she quickly dabbed at her cheeks and opened her mouth to say something, but her phone blasted from her pocket, bringing both of them back to reality Walter finally released her hand and pulled his palm away from her cheek as she turned to check her phone. She sniffed loudly and wiped her cheeks once more before muttering, "It's Drew… I should probably take this… Uh… I haven't told him yet."
"Okay," Walter nodded, giving her a forced smile.
"Thank you." Paige mumbled as she rose to her feet and headed for the door. "I'll be right outside."
"Okay."
Paige squeezed through the door and its frame as she answered Drew's call and stepped into the hallway. "Hello?"
"Paige?"
"Yes?"
"Is everything all right?"
Paige bit her lip. Now it was. "Yeah."
"Was your plane delayed?" She couldn't tell if he was just fishing for excuses or if he was actually genuinely concerned. Perhaps it was a little bit of both. She didn't know… and frankly, she was too exhausted to care. It didn't really matter what was going on in Drew's mind, she still owed him an explanation.
"No," she muttered, bracing herself for whatever response she was going to receive from the other end of the line, "It was on time."
Surprisingly, Drew was rather calm. Almost too calm. "…You're not coming, are you."
"No." Paige combed her fingers through her hair and leaned against the wall, "We're not."
Drew's exacerbated sigh did not go unnoticed. She could tell he was struggling to respond. "…Can I… Can I at least ask why?"
"We were going to… I mean… we had arrived to the airport and all, but…" Paige's voice faded.
"But what?" Drew snapped but then he swiftly apologized. "Sorry."
"…but we saw Walter on the news, a—"
Drew's sudden chuckle sent shivers down her spine but not in a good way. "Seriously? He's what changed your mind?" He laughed harder. "He's not even your type, Paige."
"Dammit, Drew!" Paige exclaimed louder than she had intended. A few nurses glanced at her so she rapidly spun around and leaned towards the wall as she lowered her voice while still maintaining her steel tone, "Just listen to me for once!" She inhaled a deep breath and continued when her ex didn't say anything. "Walter almost died yesterday!"
"So you're staying out of pity?" was Drew's first reply.
"Not even," Paige groaned and rubbed her temple. "We're staying because of Ralph. Ralph needs Scorpion… he needs Walter… Trying to take him away from one of the only constants in his life is wrong…," Paige closed her eyes and tried to wave away the memory of the argument she'd had with Walter the other night. She released the breath she didn't know she was holding and added, "What Ralph needs can't be offered in Portland."
"What about that school I told you about; he'd be surrounded by other gifted children his age. Isn't that the same thing?" Drew wasn't understanding what Paige was saying. They simply weren't on the same page anymore.
"No, Drew. It's not." Paige sighed. "While the idea of having Ralph surrounded by intellects his age seems nice, it's not the same. Ralph needs intellectual guidance – guidance in which we can't give him on our own."
"There are smart teachers at that school, Paige." Drew retorted, "He can get the guidance he needs from them."
"Why are you so bitter towards Scorpion? Towards Walter?" Paige bit her lip after her little slip but quickly recovered. "They are good people who do wonderful and unbelievable things. You shouldn't be so quick to judge them."
"I'm not bitter."
"Yes you are." Paige pinched the bridge of her nose and exhaled a long sigh. "I get that you're jealous of them because they can offer Ralph something neither one of us can, but shouldn't that be a good thing? Because of Scorpion…" She paused with a smile as she thought about Walter, "…Ralph has opened up more; he's happy and has made quite a few friends."
"He can make more friends in Portland." Drew scoffed.
Did he…Did he just scoff at her? Paige groaned. "Had you come back like you said you would, you would know he doesn't make friends too easily." She pushed her hair back. "I'm sorry… That was uncalled for." But totally deserving. "I appreciate everything you've done to be a part of Ralph's life, and I hope you will want to continue being in his life, but I can't leave Los Angeles. I can't take his life… his happiness away from him, and you shouldn't want to either."
"You seemed pretty on board with the plan to move to Portland the other day," Drew mumbled under his breath, but it didn't go unnoticed.
"I wasn't in the right frame of mind," Paige couldn't believe she had to defend herself, but it was Drew… she shouldn't be surprised. "I was panicking, and at the time, I thought Portland might be the safest option for him, but that doesn't mean it was the right one. I've already spoken to Ralph about what he did, and Walter said he'd talk to him too. Believe me, Ralph will be monitored more carefully but removing him from Scorpion isn't something I can do. Staying in LA is what's best for Ralph."
"Having two parents is what's best for Ralph," Drew snapped over the phone.
Paige rolled her eyes. "As if you would know."
"I'm just saying Ralph needs stability, and Scorpion is a group of unstable misfits who constantly risk their lives and act like children." Drew's accusations towards Paige's new family made her heart sank. He just didn't get it.
For reasons unknown to her, she laughed hysterically. "Unbelievable."
"Excuse me?"
"You really have no clue, do you?" Paige's laugher died as words of fire roared from her mouth. "You have no right to say those words to me, especially since you abandoned us all those years ago."
"I didn't abandon y—," Drew was quick to defend himself, but she cut him off.
"Yes you did." And now that the lid was popped open, she couldn't stop her tirade. "You left us for a stupid sport because you didn't have enough balls to support a child who didn't meet your standards. You don't have the right to tell me what's best for Ralph, Drew. He's my son; you lost the privilege to parent him when you decided baseball was more important to you than Ralph. And when you came back, I thought, maybe, you had changed… I thought having Ralph getting to know his father would be a good thing, but you haven't changed at all. Like always, you brought us nothing but disappointment. Once you had a shot with the major leagues, that was all you could think about. And who was to say the cycle wouldn't end there? Your coaching job would still require you to move from place to place during baseball season; Ralph and I would be right where we started – so who the hell are you to accuse one of the only good things in Ralph's life and say things like 'Ralph needs stability' or 'Ralph needs two parents'? Other than for few months, you haven't really given him anything like that!"
"So you're saying I should have thrown away something I love… something I thrive in and give up my only source of income just to what? To parent a love child neither one of us was planning to have? A child who just stared at the wall and acted like we didn't exist? Wow… that's really selfish of you, Paige." Drew's comment enraged Paige, and she was tempted to hop on a plane, travel to Portland and strangle the man for insulting her.
"I never pegged you as a coward, Drew, but it seems my first thought about you never coming back was right – you found an opportunity to abandon your life so you took it." She closed her eyes to keep herself from crying. "I… I loved you, Drew…, and when I realized you weren't coming back, it tore me apart. I had to make myself believe you left because of something I had done because I didn't dare want to think your reasons for leaving had anything to do with Ralph, and I couldn't let him think that either. You were a hard part of my life I had to put behind me, but I wouldn't change anything; I've moved on, and my head isn't in the clouds anymore. I was loyal to you, Drew. When we found out I was pregnant, I left my family and followed you around so you could play your goddamn sport. I thought that after Ralph was born, things would change, you know? I thought you'd actually find something more important than baseball, but I was wrong.
"Even today, you haven't changed; you're still wearing your ass as a hat, and I'm tired of the constant tug-o-war you're having with Scorpion. We've been going about Ralph's best interests the wrong way; we shouldn't be the ones deciding where we think he should be…. The only one who knows Ralph's best interests at heart is Ralph, and Ralph wants to stay in LA so that is where we'll be staying. If you want to be a part of Ralph's life, fine. We can make some sort of working arrangement another day, but nothing you say will change my mind. I'm not young and naïve anymore, and I certainly won't fall for your boyish charm because those days are over. Any future you and I have will be strictly parental, but based on your parenting history so far, I don't have many high hopes."
Drew was silent for a few seconds but eventually said, "What poison does this Walter guy have you on?"
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me." Drew spat. "Clearly, he doesn't like me, and he obviously hates jocks. All nerds do. Basically, everything you've said to me so far sounds a lot more like Walter than it does you."
"Those words are my own; Walter has nothing to do with this discussion." Paige should have expected Drew to displace the blame onto someone else; he always hated owning up to his mistakes, and if he could find someone else to blame, he usually did.
"Oh, I disagree. He has everything to do with this discussion." She could imagine her ex rolling his eyes at her. She really didn't have time for this right now. "He clearly likes you and wants you all to himself; he's possessive and can't stand sharing you and Ralph with other people."
"Other people being who? You?" Paige sourly noted. "How Walter does or doesn't feel about me and Ralph has nothing to do with what we're talking about. And even if he was possessive, which he's not," (to a degree), "but if he was, at least Ralph and I would feel wanted by someone for a change." She closed her eyes and couldn't believe she had said that. She quickly changed the subject. "But like I said, it has nothing to do with Walter; it has everything to do with the fact that Ralph loves it here and wants to stay."
"Okay. Ralph loves LA. What about you? What do you want?" Drew swiftly spun the conversation around, and she felt like bright neon arrows were suddenly jabbing every surface of her body.
"I want to stay too," Paige said quietly. "But this conversation shouldn't even be about what I want, Drew. I am not your concern. You should be glad Ralph has somewhere he can thrive; there are people here who care a lot about him and only want him to reach his highest potential. One day, Ralph will be doing great things – things you and I won't be able to comprehend. It shouldn't be a question as to where he should or shouldn't live; it's obvious he's made his choice, and as his father, you should respect Ralph's decision regardless of how you feel about it." Paige rubbed her temples and tried to ease the headache Drew always seemed to give her.
Again, Drew tried to reroute the subject back to Walter. "What do you see in him, anyway? He's leagues beneath you, and because of his awkward personality, whatever fantasy you're dreaming of will never work; I know you, Paige. You've always desired wild men, and Walter is anything but. So why him?"
"I don't have to answer you," Paige grumbled, wanting nothing more than to end the conversation and turn her phone off for the rest of the day. She was certainly tempted. "What I do or do not feel for Walter, and what he does or does not feel for me would not impose on my duty for my son. If… in a different life… Ralph had wanted to go to Portland, then we would go, but he doesn't so we won't. End of discussion."
Drew wasn't listening to her anymore; he only pressed for more answers. "…What does he have that I don't?"
Paige sighed. "He's… No. We're not having this discussion. This isn't about you and me or me and Walter; it's about Ralph. You don't have the right to know anything else about my life so unless you have something you want to say about the son you abandoned, this conversation is over."
"Fine." Drew's response was quick and dispassionate. "Whatever. Fair enough." Paige was about to end the call when he suddenly asked, "Do you love him?"
Paige clenched her teeth and sighed. If she said no, she would only be lying to herself. But if she said yes, she would be robbing Walter the chance of finding out her feelings first (even if they were visually evident to everyone else). So she eventually said, "I don't know…, but I'd like to think of him as my best friend. Next to Ralph, he's the second most important person to me." It was technically true, but she already knew how she felt about Walter (Drew didn't need to know that, though).
"That's not what I asked."
"It's the only answer you're getting," Paige retorted as she took a step away from the wall. "Listen…, we can talk more about parenting arrangements for Ralph later. I've gotta go." Without waiting for her ex's reply, she ended the call and then turned off her phone before shoving it back into her pocket. Her heart leapt out of her chest when she noticed the door to Walter's hospital room wasn't completely closed. She hoped to God Walter didn't overhear her part of the conversation with Drew, but knowing the man inside the room told her otherwise.
Great. Just great.
Quietly, she hesitantly slipped inside Walter's room and found him watching her intently as she returned to his side. His eyes told her he had heard her while she was talking to Drew. Perhaps it was a good thing.
They didn't speak for minutes after she sat down next to him until she eventually said, "You heard all that, didn't you."
Walter's dark eyes found hers, and he nodded. "Yeah."
"Oh. Okay." Paige muttered softly as she pulled her knees to her chest. She didn't dare ask him what he thought about it, though.
"You, uh," he pursed his lips and gave her a small smile. "You handled things pretty well with him."
Paige couldn't help but smile. "You think so?"
"Yeah, I do." He chuckled. "Uh, if he ever bothers you…, just give your phone to me; I can put him in his place."
Paige laughed and surprised herself when she climbed into his hospital bed and rested her cheek against his shoulder. She felt Walter's eyes on her as she draped her arm over his torso and entwined their fingers together. "I think, for now, we should just focus on you getting better."
"Okay," was the only response Walter's brain could summon as he froze under her touch. They lay together in silence as Paige closed her eyes; she could feel him gradually relaxing under her arm, and she secretly grinned when she felt his fingers slowly combing through her hair.
"For the record," Paige sweetly smiled as she lifted her head a little to meet his gaze, "I'm glad you're alive."
Walter's lips curled upward. "Me too." As she lowered her head and rested against his chest, Walter brought his lips to her forehead and grazed her hairline with a fleeting kiss. Several minutes of silence passed between them until Walter quietly uttered her name.
"Hm?" Paige bit her bottom lip and slightly lifted off of Walter's chest to meet his intense gaze. "What is it, Walter?"
"Um…" He pressed his lips together and swallowed. "Uh…"
Paige suddenly clamped his lips with her palm and gave him a reassuring smile. "Tell me when you're ready. Okay?"
He nodded curtly and mumbled against her skin, "Okay."
Paige removed her palm from his mouth and leaned back down against the man's chest. She brazenly gave him a fleeting kiss against the base of his neck and was tempted to plant one on his lips but dismissed her temptation as she mindlessly pulled him closer to her.
Maybe one day she'd tell him how she felt about him; just not today.
Not yet.
But someday.
Both of them welcomed the silence that filled the room, but the words that followed and fumbled out of Walter's mouth were more precious than any reticence ever between them.
"Paige?"
"Yeah?" This time, she didn't look up.
Her heart thumped hard against her chest as he brought their conjoined fingers over his own heart. "You're my best friend too."
…
She smiled.
~ SCORPION~
WriterFreak001:
Writing this took a lot longer than expected, but I had fun either way! :)
Let me know what you think!