Disclaimer: I don't own Everwood, the town, or it's characters. I'm just a college student.

Chapter 23 uses "The Story of my Old Man," by Good Charlotte. This chapter isn't a happy one and deals with serious issues, so please remember this while reading. It works out for the best, but unfortunately not all situations like this do.

Chapter 23: The story of my Old Man

"Now when we walk upstairs, Micah let me do all the talking. I'll let you know when it's okay to say something to grandma and grandpa, okay?" Tommy said, sweetly instructing the small brown haired boy. Micah nodded, already working on staying quiet. Hand and hand, father and son walked reluctantly up the stairs. Micah never really was exposed to his grandparents yelling at his dad, so Tommy hoped today would follow suit.

Slipping into Micah's room, Tommy tucked him into bed, gave him a kiss on the cheek, and left the door open a crack, just as he liked. "Night, Daddy," he whispered, being afraid to say it any louder.

"Goodnight, I love you," he said now walking into his parent's room. It was only three in the afternoon, but he hadn't seen them downstairs and they were no doubt waiting for his return. He knocked twice and eventually his mom came to the door. As always, she looked stressed out,

"Thomas, where have you been?"

"Where's Dad?" he asked looking around nervously, hoping that maybe his Dad was at work or out for awhile. He pushed the door open a little more and turned his gaze side to side, relieved to not find him.

"Oh I'm right here," a grumbling voice said as he exited the master bathroom. "Hoping I was gone?" he said seriously.

```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` ``````````````````````````````

"I don't know too much

Too much about my old man

I know he walked right out the door

We never saw him again

Last I heard he was at the bar

Doing himself in

I know I've got that same disease

I guess I got that from him"

```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` `````````````````````````````

"That IS typically what I hope for, yes," Tommy said not looking his father in the eye. What Roger and Thomas Callahan had for a relationship wasn't in the slightest way similar to Andy and Ephram. It was true, the Browns didn't always see eye to eye, but at least Andy reprimanded out of love and concern. Roger yelled and punished for fun.

"Don't start with me," Roger said walking closer to him, "you think I don't know you hate me?"

"Roger," Faith Callahan interjected, foreseeing and discouraging her husband's behavior, "let him talk, he looks upset," Tommy nodded politely at his mother. Faith and Thomas had an okay relationship as was, if fact, if it weren't for Roger maybe they could've been closer. He imagined it was hard for her to have to choose sides, what with her husband always on her back about something and her son usually the reason why. Not to say that she didn't love her husband, she just didn't love the way he treated their family.

"Well then talk, I haven't got all day," he said annoyed.

"I was with my son," he started pacing around the room,

"Stand still boy!" his dad reprimanded.

"Why? Why should I have to stand still? Because you said so? Well, that's not good enough anymore Dad, I'm turning eighteen in a few days and you know what? I won't be here anymore."

"Watch. Your. Mouth," his father said, anger becoming fiercer with every word.

"Why weren't you watching him?!" Tommy spoke louder, pointing in the direction of his son's room. He then lowered his voice so not to make it audible to Micah. "I came home, expecting to find him asleep, it was 11 pm for god's sake, and he was sitting there putting glass in his mouth!" he started to gasp for breath.

Faith gasped, placing her hand over her mouth and sitting on the bed to listen to the rest. Roger turned his gaze away from his son and began to look out their bedroom window.

```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` ``````````````````````````

"This is the story of my old man(man)

Just like his father before him

I'm telling you,

Do anyhting you can

So you don't end up just like them,

Like them

Monday he woke up and hated life

Drank until Wednesday and left his wife

Thursday thru Saturday lost everything

Woke up on Sunday miserable again"

```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` `````````````````````````
Bottom of Form

"He," Tommy breathed, "is MY son!" He began to walk over to his mom to sit next to her on the bed, "And just because you adopted him doesn't mean I'm not his father,"

"You're nothing but a drug consuming alcoholic!" his father felt the rage boiling up in him, "You're no father! You couldn't be! Not the way you carry yourself,"

Tommy now stood up, trying to remain calm so Micah couldn't hear, "I am a better father than you'll EVER BE!" He said now crying, "You say I'm all those horrible things, you say I can't make anything of myself because of what I did in the past. Well listen to me now. I KNOW that what I did was wrong when I was 15. You think I'd do it again? You think I tried to be come addicted?"

"YES!" His dad screamed, "YES, I DO. YOU ALWAYS WANTED ATTENTION. That was your way to get it,"

"Roger, lower your voice," Faith reminded him, face in her hands.

"NO Dad! I just expected to be paid attention TO. Just even a little sign that you loved me would've been fine! You're the complete OPPOSITE of what I'm going to be as a father, of what I already AM as a father," he said through gritted teeth, spit flying out in anger and resentment.

"Don't you EVER speak to me that way!" Roger yelled coming closer to him.

"You weren't watching MY son, the little boy you claimed you loved enough to adopt,"

"That was your mother's idea, to me that little snot bag is nothing but a spawn of the son that's disappointed me his ENTIRE LIFE,"

Faith burst into tears now and screamed at her husband, "Shut up, Roger! Would you just knock it off?! Can't you see that Thomas is trying to be the best father he can? He KNOWS he made wrong decisions; he's not doing those things anymore. Why can't you just accept it?"

"Its okay mom, let dad and I handle this," Tommy said helping his mother into Micah's room to make sure he was still asleep. "Here," he said giving her a piece of tissue, "dry up your tears so Micah doesn't worry if he is awake," he kissed his mom on the cheek, and she smiled.

"I love you, you know," she said.

"I know, I love you too," he said as he went back to confront his father.

```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` ```````````````````````````````

"I remember baseball games

And working on the car

He told that he loved me

And that I would go far

Showed me how to work hard and

Stick up for myself

I wish he wasn't too hard

To listen to himself

This is the story of my old man

Just like his father before him

I'm telling you,

Do anything you can

So you don't end up just like them,

Like them"

```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` ```````````````````````````````

"What is it you REALLY want to say dad?" he asked now trying to stay calm. "Are you embarrassed that you've spent your entire life criticizing me; that maybe, in the two, almost three short years that I've been a father I've beat every expectation you've had for me?" He was now inches from his father.

Roger lifted his hand and hit him across the face, causing Tommy to fall backwards onto the floor. When he looked up he saw his father standing there smiling, as if he were proud of what he had done. Tommy caught the blood dripping from his mouth in his hand as he began to stand up.

"Well come on, aren't you gonna fight back?" he said, encouraging his son.

"No, there's never a reason to hit," he said starting to walk out of the room, "I will never HIT my son."

Those were the last words Thomas Callahan spoke to his father before he left.

```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` ````````````````````````````

Monday he woke up and hated life

Drank until Wednesday and left his wife

Thursday thru Saturday lost everything

Woke up on Sunday miserable again

Again

Again

Uh"

```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` ````````````````````````````````

He walked into the bathroom, trying to wipe his face up so it would look presentable and not scary to Micah, and then made his way into his son's room. Micah was sitting up now and Faith was telling him a story,

"Daddy took you to his work to show you off and ALL the girls thought you were so HANDSOME," she explained in a sweet voice.

"When I was born?" he asked.

"Yes, about 3 weeks after," she said and smiled, now noticing Tommy standing in the background. Her mouth fell partially open when she saw that he looked hurt, but said nothing.

"Daddy!" Micah said excitedly. Tommy kissed his mom on the cheek and then whispered in her ear,

"The day after tomorrow, when I turn eighteen, Micah and I are leaving. I can't have my son living in a house where violence is tolerated," she cringed and whispered back,

"Where will you go?"

"I don't know, but I have a few days to work that out," he said telling her he loved her and walking her out of the room so he could have some alone time with his son.

"Micah," he started as he sat on the bed next to the small boy. "You and I are going to move into a new house pretty soon, won't that be fun?"

"Away from grandma and grandpa?" he asked sadly.

"Yes, Daddy's pretty grown up now and you and I can start making a life of our own,"

"But my friends," he said, "And my birthday . . ."

"Oh, your birthday won't change," he said smiling, Its next month, and it'll be the best party ever. We can still invite your friends,"

"Okay Daddy," he said hugging him.

"Alright, you go back to sleep, you've had a long couple of days," he smiled, pulling the blankets over him, "I love you,"

"Love you too, Dad," he said as he closed his eyes.

Tommy left the room to enter his own. He paced around, tears streaming down his cheeks, wondering what to do next. His eyes fell upon a picture of him and Abby when they were younger. "Oh Abby, what should I do? I wish you were here to help me. I wish you could see him, he's so handsome, he has your eyes,"

He put the picture down, attempting to shoo away his tears. He lay on his bed and looked at the picture frame next to him on the shelf. It was a picture of him and Amy. He smiled. He reached for the phone, knowing that while his first best friend wasn't available to talk to because she was in heaven, his second one never failed.

```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` ``````````````````````````````

"Someday he'll wish that he made things right

[Made things right]

Long for his family and miss his wife

[Miss his wife]

Remember the days he had eveything

[Everything]

Now he's alone and

Miserable again"