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.
Tim had known Al for five years, so he knew how she operated when something bad happened. First, she'd go into super-competent organizing mode. Later, when things were quiet, she'd feel whatever she was going to feel, whether it was scared, sad, or angry. But she never liked to dwell on those feelings – she always liked to do something productive or physical for distraction.
After the Taylors left, Tim sat down on the couch. Al laid down on her back, using his lap as a pillow, Nicky asleep on her chest.
"Billy wants me to bring Amber and TJ to him at 7.30. I just hope they don't ask me anything in the car. I don't want to lie to them, but I don't want to tell them anything either."
"Tim, you're going to have to at least prepare them for seeing Billy. How do you think they're going to feel if you bring them here and then surprise them like that?"
Tim sighed. "Could I bring them here first, so they can see Nicky, and then if I can't do it, you can help me?"
"Yeah, we can do that. So, I've been thinking about everything and I think Tyra should stay with the kids at their house, until Billy gets out of the hospital. Then, when he's out, he and the kids can all move into our place until he's recovered enough to take care of them by himself."
"Sure, if that's okay with you. How long do you think it'll be?"
Al thought about it for a minute. "Major abdominal surgery, going to be at least five or six weeks before he's going to be able to keep up with Jack."
Tim smiled and nodded. His three-year old nephew was called Hurricane Jack for a reason.
The plan in place, Tim could feel Al start to slip out of competent planning mode. She went quiet as her eyes filled up with tears.
"You okay?" he asked in a concerned voice, feeling a little stupid since she definitely was not okay, none of them were, but he didn't know how else to start the conversation.
"I just can't believe she's gone, you know?"
Tim nodded and brushed a few escaped tears off her face.
"Every good thing in my life right now, every single one of them, happened because of Mindy." Al's voice was a harsh whisper.
"I know, me too," he said softly.
Tim didn't know how long they sat there, grieving together but separately, while their son slept peacefully. Eventually, Al pulled herself together.
"You know what I want to do now?" she asked with a wry half-smile.
"No, what?"
"Go to the batting cages, then run about ten miles."
Tim smiled. "Don't think that's going to happen."
"No, I suppose not. Well, if I can't do something, least I can watch other people do something. There's got be a football game on," she said as she slowly sat up.
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Later that evening, Al was in bed, feeding Nicky while she and Tim discussed what they needed to do to accommodate their houseguests and what the sleeping arrangements would be. Building a four-bedroom house for two people had seemed like a bit of overkill to him at the time, but now he wished they'd gone for a few more rooms.
Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Tyra and Landry. Tyra stalked into the room, her eyes red and puffy, her mouth tight and mean. She pointed at Tim, who felt his heart sink because nothing good ever happened when Tyra started pointing.
"What the hell happened? And don't just tell me it was an accident."
"I don't know, Tyra. Billy missed a stop sign or something and they got hit by a truck."
Landry tried to calm Tyra down, putting a hand on her shoulder, but she pushed it off.
"Where is he, Tim? Because I know he had to have been drinking or something."
Tim raked his hand through his hair. He'd never been good at defusing Angry Tyra. Usually, all he was good at was pissing her off even more. "Tyra, it was an accident."
"Shut up, Tim," she snapped.
"Time out," said Al. "Landry, can you do me a favor?"
Tim looked up and smiled as Landry went red, not sure where to look.
"Take Tim to pick up Amber and TJ. Timmy, you're going to want to drive the minivan, since it's got their booster seats in the back already. And maybe, Landry, you could be nice enough to stay at the house with Jack and Cody until someone gets back, so Celia can go home."
"Sure, absolutely," said Landry as he nodded his head and looked everywhere but at Al and the baby.
Tim kissed Al on the forehead and left the room without making eye contact with Tyra, since he knew she was trying to burn holes into him with her angry stare. Part of him wanted to loiter outside to the room, to listen in on whatever Al was going to say to her, but the other part of him just wanted to get the hell out of there.
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Getting Amber and TJ into the car had been much easier than Tim had expected. He just asked them if they wanted to meet their new cousin. Amber had enthusiastically jumped up to get ready to leave. TJ had shrugged, but moved fast enough when Tim told them that they'd stop for ice cream on the way home.
After Tim parked the car at the hospital, he insisted that they hold his hand as they walked through the parking lot. He felt horrible, like these were the last few normal moments of the kids' lives. After they went into the hospital, everything was going to change.
"It smells bad in here," complained TJ, wrinkling his nose as they waited for the elevator.
"I know, buddy, I know," said Tim.
"Who cares? Is the baby really cute? I bet he is, even though he's not a girl," said Amber, bouncing on the balls of her feet with excitement.
Tim was saved by the arrival of the elevator, which was blessedly empty. TJ shoved his sister out of the way so he could press the button. Then, as they were getting off the elevator, he hung back so he could press every button.
"TJ, that's not a very nice thing to do," said Tim half-heartedly as he wondered what sort of state Tyra was going to be in.
When they got to the room, Al had changed into her pajamas and was sitting on the couch, with an alert and awake Nicky on her lap. A much calmer, more subdued Tyra was sitting in the rocking chair.
"Aunt Tyra! We didn't know you were going to be here," said Amber as she ran across the room to hug her favorite aunt. Then she sat down on the couch next to Al and looked at Nicky. TJ hung back, standing next to Tim.
"Hey, TJ, come here, he's got two different colored eyes," said Amber.
TJ shrugged and walked over. He sat down on Al's other side and looked at the baby.
"Two different colored eyes," repeated Amber. "Don't you think that's weird?"
"Nah, I think that's kind of cool." TJ smiled at the baby and then made a silly face.
The minutes ticked by as the children met their new cousin and then took turns holding them. When their interest was starting to wane, Al looked up at Tim and her eyes told him that it was time to start talking to the kids. He walked over and crouched in front of them.
"Amber, TJ," he paused, waiting for them to look at him. "There's one more thing we have to do here before we go home."
"Get ice cream?" asked TJ.
"No, before ice cream. Your dad was in a car accident. He's okay, but he got hurt enough that the doctors had to do a surgery to fix him. Do you know what that is?"
"Like that game where you reach in with the tweezer and pull stuff out?" asked Amber.
"Yeah, sort of like that. They took something out and your dad's going to have to stay here for a few days until he's feeling a bit better," said Tim, looking up at Al, who looked both sad and encouraging. "We're going to go up and see your dad now, then Aunt Tyra will take you home."
Amber climbed off the couch as Tim stood up, but TJ sat there, staring at Tim with big, hurt eyes.
"Where's our mom?" asked TJ, his voice suspicious and verging on belligerent.
"Let's go on upstairs now," said Tim with a sigh. Al put her arm around TJ, pulled him close and whispered something to him that Tim couldn't hear. He could see the fight drain out of TJ as he stood up from the couch.
Tim took his hand and the three of them walked out of the room. TJ didn't try to push any buttons, he just stood next to Tim and looked down at the ground. Tim felt for a minute like the boy was a helium balloon and if he let go, TJ would float up and out of sight.
On the seventh floor, they made their way to room 712. Tim didn't know if he was allowed to bring kids up here, but he didn't care. In the room, Billy was sitting up in bed, looking exhausted and sad. Amber ran over to him but TJ was practically dragging his feet.
"Timmy, can you do me a favor and pop this rail down, then help the kid up here?" asked Billy.
Tim did as instructed and soon TJ and Amber were sitting on the bed with Billy.
"Give us a minute, would you?"
Tim nodded and left the room. He stood outside the door and leaned against the wall. Inside, he heard Billy's soft voice explaining what happened. He heard Amber crying. Then he heard TJ ask in a flat, emotionless voice "So she's never coming home? Ever?" Tim didn't know how long he could stand out there, listening to his brother's family falling apart.
"Tim, you can go on back to Al. I got this now," said Tyra. Tim looked up, surprised that she was standing there.
"You sure?"
She nodded, so he turned to leave. "Wait."
He looked back at her.
"I'm sorry. It's just, you know, sometimes mad is easier," she said as she tried but failed to make eye contact with him.
Tim closed the space between them and put his arms around her. It was awkward for a few seconds, but then she relaxed and he could feel the tension and hostility draining out of her. She felt strange in his arms, too tall and with too many sharp angles, and he felt like their relationship had happened in another lifetime.
She pulled away and sheepishly wiped her eyes. "Go on. Your wife and son are waiting for you."