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.
The next morning, Tim tried to get tickets for the circus, but learned that it had been sold out for weeks. With a knot of dread in his stomach, he went to tell the kids, who were watching Saturday morning cartoons.
"Are we leaving now, Uncle Timmy?" asked TJ, who leaped up from the couch and turned the television off with a jab of the button.
"Yeah, about that...." Tim took a deep breath, but he could already see TJ's face shutting down, closing the shutters against the inevitable bad news.
"Actually, we weren't able to get tickets," Tim continued. "But me and your dad will take you anywhere you want to go. Maybe the Children's Museum in Midland?"
TJ collapsed on the couch and kicked his heels hard against the leather. "We went there on a school field trip. It's boring. And stupid."
"Can we go to Chuck E. Cheese? And can my best friend Sarah come too?" asked Amber.
At the mention of Chuck E. Cheese, Jack began jumping up and down on the couch. Tim sighed. It was going to be a long day. At least he'd have Billy to help him.
"OK - Chuck E. Cheese it is then. If it's okay with Sarah's mom, then she can come. Get your shoes on. Amber, help Jack. Train's leavin' in ten minutes."
Tim left the room, feeling TJ's accusing eyes boring a hole in his back. He thought he heard the boy muttering something about promises. Tim was angry with Al's carelessness on the matter and the way she'd left him to clean up the mess.
From the kitchen, Tim could see Billy sitting on the back deck, a row of empty beer bottles lined up at his feet. Tim pulled open the sliding glass door and stuck his head out.
"Billy, c'mon, we're taking the kids to Chuck E. Cheese."
"The one in Midland?"
"Yeah the one in Midland. Unless there's one just opened in Dillon that I don't know about."
"No, Timmy. No way." Billy shook his head and folded his arms. "I can't go to Midland. I can't."
Tim was about to ask why, but the pain on Billy's face brought it all back to him. Midland. The last place Mindy and he were together. The last time Billy's life was normal and happy.
Tim mumbled an apology and shut the glass door, then headed into his room to put on his shoes. Al was there, changing Nicky's diaper and getting him dressed for the day.
"No circus. I'm taking the kids to Chuck E. Cheese," said Tim as he sat on the bed and put his shoes on, purposely facing away from Al.
"Thanks, Timmy. I really do appreciate this." She picked up Nicky, walked over to Tim, and put a hand on his shoulder. He shrugged it off and turned to look at her.
"Billy can't come, so will you come with me, please?"
"We can't take Nicky and Cody – it would be total chaos. Someone has to stay home with them."
"Billy can."
Al gave a bitter-sounding laugh. "Billy, in case you hadn't noticed, is already three-quarters of the way to shit-faced and it isn't even noon yet. You really want to leave your infant son with him?"
Tim sighed, rubbed his face and closed his eyes, wishing that when he opened them, everything would be back the way it was before the accident.
"OK, I'm going then." Tim stood up from the bed, brushed past Al and headed for the door.
"Timmy, wait."
He stopped and turned around. Al looked exhausted and miserable.
"Are we still friends?"
Even though he was still angry with her, he took three long steps over to her and kissed her cheek with a resigned sigh.
"Yeah, we're still friends. It's just.....you know....look, we'll talk about it later. I have to go." He squeezed her shoulder and leaned down to kiss the top of Nicky's head.
*** **** *** **** *** **** *** **** *** **** *** **** *** **** *** **** *** **** *** **** *** **** *** **** *** **** *** **** *** **** *** **** *** **** *** **** *** **** *** ****
After three hours in Chuck E. Cheese, Tim was convinced that hell would also have a freaky animatronic mouse, screaming children and bad pizza. Amber and Sarah amused themselves, coming back to him only for more tokens.
Corralling Hurricane Jack had been a nightmare, especially when the boy had gone up into the hamster tubes attached to the ceiling. Tim hadn't expected the little monkey would be able to climb the rope ladder up into the tubes. Thankfully, TJ was able to go up and coax his brother down.
Otherwise, TJ had been quiet and sullen for the whole trip. Tim felt bad and wanted to spend some time talking to him, but Jack made that impossible.
All Tim could think about on the drive home was putting his feet up and having a beer in a room without noise or children. When he pulled up to his house, Billy was sitting on the front steps. The kids ran up to greet their father, Amber and Jack enthusiastically talking over each other while TJ was more subdued. After the kids went inside, Tim sat down next to Billy.
"What are you doing out here?"
Billy's eyes lurched drunkenly and his words were slurred. "Al....well....we kinda had a fight."
"About what?"
Billy shrugged. "Your wife's gotta big mouth and a lotta ideas 'bout how things should be."
Tim stood up. Talking to Billy when he got like this wasn't worth the effort. Tim went into the house, where he found Al in the kitchen, working on dinner. Nicky was in the baby swing and Cody was in the small playpen, both of them making happy baby sounds.
"What'd you and Billy fight about?"
Al looked up from the potatoes she was chopping. "That's between Billy and me. Although, just for the record, I don't consider it a fight. It was just a conversation that he must not've liked since he's been sulking outside like a spoiled brat for the last two hours."
Tim leaned against the counter and jammed his hands into his pockets. "I thought we didn't have secrets."
"This isn't a secret. I just don't want to talk about it," said Al.
"Why not?"
"Because I don't."
"That's not a reason."
Al closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose before responding. "Look, you want the reason? I'm trying to keep you out of the middle."
"But maybe I can help."
"There's nothing to help."
"If you two are pissed off at each other-"
Al interrupted him. "Tim, it's fine. Billy's just drunk and there's no reasoning with him right now."
Tim hung his head and held his hands up in a gesture of surrender. "OK, fine. Forget I asked."
Al put down the knife, walked over to Tim and wrapped her arms around him. Tim tried to hold back, but when she pressed her head against his chest, he couldn't help sliding his arms around her waist and pulling her close. He felt the tension start to drain out of him as his body relaxed.
But still, he had an unsettled feeling in his chest. He knew things weren't quite right, but he had no idea what to do about it.