AN: Same disclaimers apply. There's a little bit of overlap at the start of the chapter since this is from Vic's POV. Thanks for reading!
Ch 2
Vic hung up the phone and started to get dressed quickly. Walt had never called her about "not work" except for manipulating a situation at the Red Pony into a ride home, which was at a most inopportune time. His voice didn't sound right on the phone and she imagined that it was probably due to the fight with Cady the other day. All bundled up, she grabbed her go bag just in case and headed out the door.
Upon arrival, she went up the main stairs not knowing for sure if Branch was still there since he was on call. She could have looked for his car, but her single-mindedness in getting to Walt had impeded her situational awareness. Not seeing Branch, she called out Walt's name and glanced into his office. As she took in his defeated posture, she realized that he probably hadn't heard her come in. She approached him slowly and put a hand on his shoulder, letting him know she was there. She decided to start on a easy topic.
"Walt, do you want some coffee or tea?"
She felt him release his breath, as he often did when he was troubled. His voice was soft, almost a whisper and her concern for him was ramping up.
"Whatever you feel like."
Vic decided to make a pot of coffee. It would give him something to do with his hands instead of hiding from her. It would also stay warm on the brewer in case either of them wanted more. While the pot was brewing, she checked the headlines on her phone to give him a few minutes to collect himself. Two mugs in hand, she approached his office. He had not moved from the couch but he did sit back and position himself in the corner, looking out the window through the blinds.
"Thank you."
He took the mug and sipped from it as she settled at the opposite end facing him. Her eyes wandered over his form. His shirt had an extra snap undone and it looked like it was pulled partially out of his waistband. His eyes were bright blue, but the whites were tinged with red as if they were irritated. His hair was flat against his head, a side effect of wearing his hat all day. Not knowing where to start or what was causing all this, she decided to tip her hand and take an educated guess.
"You're welcome. Did something happen with Cady?"
His face, normally stoic, showed surprise then acquiescence. Another sigh from him as his mind worked to put words to his feelings.
"Yeah."
So she was right. She had heard the fight between them and his parting shot to Cady, which made her angry and sad all at once. Cady must have sought him out because Walt seemed too stubborn to cave that early after declaring he was relieving her of the burden of caring for him.
Her eyes sought his and she decided to just give him a look to see if he would start talking.
"She was at my place when I got home. We got into another argument."
His eyes moved back to his mug, avoiding hers. His anger from that afternoon had left him and there was a vulnerability in his voice she'd not heard from him before. Vic said the only thing she could at this point.
"I'm sorry."
"Yeah. You remember the other day, when we pulled up to the Lamebull's house?"
Confused at where his train of thought had gone, she struggled to remember what he might be referring to. A long pause from him gave her time to try and recall that day, but nothing special came to mind.
"Yeah, why?"
"You told me I had to let this thing with Branch and Cady go. To not let it bother me."
Now that he mentioned it, she remembered the conversation.
"I did. I'm sorry, it's really not my…"
"Don't be."
"Ok."
She let her acknowledgement hang in the air. It truly felt like pulling teeth at times to have a conversation with him.
"I said nothing gets to me."
He looked up at her and she nodded.
"I lied.
Vic watched him before her. Coffee mug abandoned on the floor, he sat forward again with his elbows on his knees and his hands balled into fists. On the surface he seemed relatively calm, but his clenched fists indicated the turmoil he was holding in. She put her own coffee down and slid over next to him, adopting a similar pose.
"I know."
He cut his eyes over at her and raised his brow in question.
"Come on, Walt. Things get to everyone. It's human nature. Shit, I jumped Mathias when he got in your face and you had to pull me off. You take it in, bury it and explode later. I'll give you credit, you take an awful lot of bullshit in your position and not show it bothers you, but your fight yesterday with Cady? It wasn't just about her and Branch. It was too loud and too hurtful for that. I don't know why you said it and I can't begin to understand your relationship with her, but you said some pretty hurtful shit to her Walt."
His eyes never left hers but the flame of anger at her words was unmistakable. She didn't want him to be mad at her. Maybe he was just mad at himself.
"Yeah."
His fingers relaxed as his emotions shifted again. Back to one word answers. She should've known it was only a matter of time. It made her feel good that he had called her tonight. She felt a kinship toward this man deep in her bones. It was like nothing she ever experienced before. She was drawn to him on a spiritual level. Wanted to be his friend, his partner. If she was completely honest with herself, she wanted to be with him in every way. Of course she was attracted to him from the start. What woman wouldn't be? He was all man and a God's honest cowboy to boot. But she was married, he was chained to his past, and she just chalked it up to a crush. It was time to push him a little.
"Walt?"
She waited but got no answer from him as his thoughts turned inward again. She leaned into his side to give him a nudge.
"Walt?"
"Yeah"
"Look at me."
He slowly turned toward her, meeting her eyes. Finally, she had his attention again.
"What's really on your mind tonight? We're here and you have my undivided attention. Whatever you say or do here is just between us. If you don't want my opinions I can do that. If you don't really want to talk anymore, you don't have to. We can just stay here and watch the morning come. It's up to you. You can trust me."
He nodded.
"I know."
His eyes still held hers, showing he did know that he could trust her. That there was meaning behind his words, not just an answer.
"Vic?"
There it was. He knew she had more to say. He knew and he wasn't shutting her down.
"You called me, Walt. You didn't want to get drunk and you didn't want a lecture from Henry. You didn't call Lizzie or any number of other people you know in this town. Maybe because I'm an outsider. Maybe because I'm a woman. Maybe because I'm not running against you for sheriff or maybe because I was the only one to pick up the phone. Whatever the reason, it wasn't to tell me that you lied about things getting to you. That realization brought you here, but that's not what you came to say. I know that. You know that."
He regarded her again and this time she could tell he was evaluating what she said before he took action. It was a common expression from him at work.
"Sometime after Martha's passing, Cady came back home and felt she needed to take care of me. I know it was out of love, but it made me feel weak. Still does. What kind of man am I that his daughter felt she had to give up her life as she knew it to come back here and hold my hand. I'm certain Henry was involved in that decision, but I haven't confirmed it with him yet."
They both sat back and relaxed, surrendering to the reason they were here together on this night. He had his long arms along the back of the couch and she sat next to him. Close, but not making contact.
"Who the hell is he to pull Cady back here? Convincing her to give up everything she was building for herself. Taking about me behind my back. Deciding what's best for me like I'm a two year old who needs babysitting."
"He's your best friend. He wanted to help, I'm sure."
"Well, he's also Cady's godfather so he should be putting her interests first, not mine."
Vic didn't quite know how to respond to that, because she kind of agreed with Walt. As her godfather, Henry had a duty to protect Cady.
"I'm with you on that count, Walt. Doesn't that make you wonder why he intervened and would ask her something like that if he actually did? He's your best friend and your daughter's godfather. How long have you known him anyway?"
"Since we were boys."
"So, you've known one another for more than 30 years. You trust him to take care of Cady in your stead. Don't you think he would have to be in near panic mode to call and uproot Cady? I don't know him that well, but I know he's not a man that scares easily."
"Yeah."
Her heart broke for him in that moment. So much was unsaid but clear nonetheless, both in the words he agreed with and pain in the whispered response.
"I was in a dark place, Vic. It was my fault. I should have protected her. She was my wife and I failed her."
Caught off guard by his words, she tried to figure out why he would say such a thing. Of course it wasn't his fault. Word in town was that she died from cancer. The only thing that came to mind is she had some sort of incident while he was at work. Even still, he shouldn't blame himself.
"It's not your fault."
TBC