Disclaimer: I don't own anything here (except for Al) and am just doing this for fun and to pass the long months until Season 4.
Author's Note: Thanks for reading and for reviewing! Hope you're enjoying it so far.
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After finishing his second beer on Friday night, Tim swore Billy to secrecy on Al's pregnancy and made him promise to find some less physical work for her to do around the garage. Then he'd headed home, where he spent a happy weekend with Al and the dogs, doing not too much of anything in particular. Al had made it clear that she didn't want to talk about names or buy baby furniture or make any plans until after the ultrasound.
Tim woke up early Monday morning in an empty bed, with faint sounds of retching coming from the bathroom. He got up, pulled a shirt on and went over to the door.
"You okay in there?"
"I'm fine. The baby hates Mondays though." Al's voice was faint but Tim could hear the shadow of a smile in it.
"Do you want me to get you some water and crackers?" Tim heard the toilet flush and then heard running water.
"Please."
When Tim returned with a glass and a box of saltines, Al was sitting up in bed. He handed her the glass, put the box on the night stand and then sat down next to her.
"Thank you. You're very sweet."
Tim kissed her forehead. "Well, it's easy to be sweet to you."
Al looked at the time and cursed. "Mr. Wilson is dropping his truck off this morning and he's probably going to be in early. I've got to start moving."
"It's okay – I'll go in for you and you can just come in when you're feeling a bit better."
"Are you sure? I think if I sleep for a couple of hours, I should be good as new. Tell Billy I'll be in by 10."
Tim stood up to get dressed. "I'll tell Billy you'll be in when you feel up to it. And if it's not today, then it's not today. Don't you dare come in just because you think you have to."
Al rolled her eyes but didn't argue, which confirmed Tim's suspicion that she felt worse than usual. Still, he was trying to be more rational about all of this and he knew if he tried to stay with her, she would just worry about the garage.
"I'll take the dogs with me," he said as he went to the door. "Come on, George, Bruno, let's go."
George was up in a flash, dashing out of the room to go dance around the front door, eager for a car ride. Bruno got up with great difficultly and staggered toward the door slowly, his legs stiff and unsteady.
"Hey Al, is it just me or does it seem like Bruno's slowing down these days?"
"It's the rain – bad for his arthritis. That's all."
Tim nodded but couldn't shake the feeling that the dog had lost a bit of his spark.
"Tim, he's getting old. You're going to slow down too when you get old. Don't compare him to George."
Tim went back to the bed and kissed Al goodbye, then headed to the garage. He took care of the morning drop-offs and then got to work fixing a minivan that had been making weird noises. Billy got in before Al and told his brother to send her into the office when she got there.
It was close to 11 when she finally arrived, looking much better than she had that morning.
"Boss wants to see you," Tim said, still half under the hood of a pick up truck, trying to loosen a bolt.
"Thanks." She slapped his ass as she passed him.
"I think I was just sexually harassed. I might need to file a complaint."
"Trust me, I don't think you'll be complaining," she said with a sly grin and a wink. Then she continued on her way to Billy's office. Curious, Tim couldn't help but trail after her.
He hung back in the hallway from a vantage point that gave him a clear view of Billy's desk, but Al couldn't see him unless she turned all the way around.
"Have a seat, Al."
"Sorry I'm late. Tim told you I was going to be, right?"
"Oh yeah, yeah," said Billy with a wave of his hand. "That's no big deal. I've just had some time this weekend to think, about the business and all, and I need to ask you to do me a big favor."
"What sort of favor?" Al asked, her voice tinged with suspicion.
"Well, I'm thinking we need to do a complete audit of the oil change place. Go over the books, make sure the kids have been doing things right. Dot all the i's, cross all the t's....you know, that sort of thing."
"Are you joking?"
"No. I think it would be a good idea and you get the computer stuff best so you're the one who should do it."
"No way, Billy." Al folded her arms and Tim shook his head. Nothing good ever happened after Al folded her arms. It was like her own personal version of a warning shot.
"It needs to be done and I want you to do it. End of story."
"No, not end of story. The accounting software I installed has plenty of features to do auto-reconciliation, create records for audit, and perform different auditing activities."
"Yeah, but I don't trust computers. I want a set of human eyes to check everything out."
"Well then hire yourself an accountant. I'm a mechanic and I've got cars to fix. That's what I do."
"Al-"
"Billy, seriously, go find those guys that tabulate the results for the Oscars and leave me the hell out of it."
Billy had the helpless look of a new swimmer in the deep end. He looked up at the door, trying to get guidance from Tim. Al spun around, following Billy's gaze.
"Billy, can you give us a minute please?"
"Yeah, of course." Billy could not get out of that office fast enough. He shot an apologetic look at Tim and then disappeared down the hallway.
Tim slouched into the office, knowing from Al's overly polite tone and carefully controlled voice that he was in big trouble.
"Sit down, I don't want you towering over me." She leaned against the desk as he sat in the chair in front of her.
"You told him."
"I didn't......exactly..... he just sorta guessed," said Tim, his words sounding hollow.
Al sighed. "First one is free," she muttered, as if reminding herself. Then she took a deep breath and continued. "I know you're excited, but...I guess I'm just superstitious about it or something."
"Sorry. I've been good otherwise, I swear."
"I know you have. You've been great, Tim. Really sweet and understanding and about the best husband a girl could ask for..."
"But I'm driving you crazy?" He looked up at her through a curtain of shaggy hair.
"Worse. More like bat-shit insane. Seriously, you need to calm down. Soon enough, I won't be able to see my feet and I'll have a gigantic belly that will make it impossible for me to work on cars. Let me do what I can now. Please?"
Tim nodded. He hadn't thought of it that way. He held out his hand. Al took it and he pulled her closer until she was standing between his knees.
"I just....I love you both, you know?" he said, putting his hand lightly on her stomach.
"I know you do. We love you too. And we'll be fine. Really."
She kissed him and then stepped back. "I've got to get to work. I mean it though – no one else."
"No on else," he repeated as he watched her leave the office. Billy came in a few minutes later.
"So, you've driven her crazy with the overprotective thing?" Billy asked as he settled into his chair and started rifling through the invoices on his desk.
"What, were you listening in?"
"Nah. Same thing happened with me and Mindy when she was pregnant with Amber. I got that talk a lot sooner though and it involved a lot more shouting – Mindy's got a way shorter fuse than her cousin."
"So, you knew trying to get her to slow down was a mistake?"
"Yeah."
"Then why'd you do it?"
"Because you asked me to." Billy found the invoice he needed and began stacking the rest of them into neat piles.
Tim shook his head. "You coulda warned me."
"Yeah, but you wouldn't of listened anyway. Every day that she doesn't break, you'll start to believe that she's not going to break until eventually, you don't worry so much anymore."
"You make it sound so simple."
"That's because it is simple, Timmy. Look, just enjoy the time you have together right now because let me tell you, it all changes after the baby is born."
"Thanks, Billy. Hey, the ultrasound is two weeks from now, on a Friday. Is it okay if we both take the day off?"
"Of course. Make sure you block the day out on the computer calendar. Or at least the morning, before the interns get here."
Tim thanked his brother and left the office, thinking that the next two weeks were going to feel like an eternity.