Author's note: Thank you so much Nichole33, Anamia 1 and Raki157 who are always leaving me encouraging reviews. There are hardly words to describe my gratitude.

Here's part 3 involving their mother (whom I have giving the name of Irene Riggins).

Je n'appartiens toujours pas Friday Night Lights. Par contre, le nom Irene pour décrire le charactère de leur mère est à moi car il y aucun information à son sujet.

Kaze-Chan

Chapter 8

Part 3

"Good night Billy, don't forget, big day tomorrow." His manager wink at him as they headed towards their separate hotel rooms.

Billy chuckled. "Like I would forget a golf tournament Dwight." The Vermont landscape was definitely amazing and Billy was looking forward to tomorrow. He was determined to win his 5 tournament in a row. He stayed up later, polishing his golf clubs and making sure everything was in order. The silent ring of his cell phone made him look up from his work. Who would be calling him at 2 in the morning? He answered the second he saw the called ID.

"Tim what's wrong?" His heart was already pounding in his chest. He could here shuffling on the other side. "TIM?"

".. she's gone." Tim's raspy voice filtered through the line. "I'm sorry. I don't know what I did…. I'm sorry." He was fighting back tears, that much was clear.

"Who's gone Timmy. Talk to me." Subconsciously, Billy had already started packing his things.

He took a second to regroup his thoughts. " Mom. I got home from school and …" he sniffled back more tears. "I thought she would be back…..everything's still a mess and no one's here." Billy could here the pain in his brother's voice. "I don't know what to do Billy. I'm sorry."

"Timmy listen to me. I'm coming home right now. I'll be there in a few hours. I want you to lock the doors and stay in my room till I get there. Can you do that?" Tim let out a small yes. "K. Keep the phone with you alright?" Tim reluctantly ended the call and did what his brother had said. Everything was dark and silent and it caused goosebumps down his spine. He wrapped the blanked from Billy's bed over his head and waited.

In his rush to get home, Billy grabbed only what he needed. Luckily, he was able to catch a night flight back to Dillon to be there around 8 in the morning. Every possible scenario played out in his mind, depriving him of any sleep and keeping his stomach in a tight knot. His first concern was Tim. He knew Tim would never have called unless he was really in trouble. His second thought was pure anger towards both parents. He knew it was a gamble leaving Tim at home so he could do the golf tournament tour but the brothers had decided that this was Billy's dream.

Not waiting for his change from the cab driver, Billy charged up the driveway pulling out his front door keys. "TIMMY" He nearly charged down the door in his haste. The state of the house stopped him in his tracks. Everything was trashed; furniture, picture frames, windows. Everything. Billy ran down the hall towards his room. He let out the breath he didn't know he was holding when he spotted Tim wrapped up in his comforter fast asleep.

Billy lowered himself next to his brother. "Tim." With a gentle shake on his shoulder, Tim's eyes flew open as he sat up in alarm. "It's just me buddy." Without so much as a hesitation, Tim flung himself towards his older brother, tears already staining his small cheeks. Billy hugged him tightly, fighting back his own tears of relief at seeing that his brother was alright.

After what seemed like an eternity, Tim seemed to get his emotions in check. "Please don't leave again." Tim's small voice was muffled into Billy shoulder.

"I won't, I promise." And with that, Billy put an end to his professional golf career. He would stay to look after his brother.

In the few days that followed, Tim barely spoke. He moved around the house in a sort of daze that had Billy worried. Billy had quickly noticed the purple bruising on Tim's cheek but his brother wasn't talking.

"It's my fault." Billy looked up from what he was doing, and turned to face his brother who was sitting on the edge of his bed, tears already rolling down his cheeks. "I'm sorry Billy, it was my fault. I forgot to wash the dishes before I left and then…"

"Hey, stop. It wasn't your fault, alright?" Billy knelt down to be at his brother's eye level, putting the pile of clean laundry he was holding on the floor. Tim nodded slowly wiping the tears with the back of his hand. "Tell me what happened." Billy quietly urged.

Tim took a deep breath. "Everything was fine at first, but then mom had one of her spells. She was screaming about you and then dad…" Billy waited silently for his brother to continue. "I tried talking to her but she… didn't know who I was. She started throwing things and breaking windows." Billy placed a reassuring hand on his younger brother's knee. Finally, Tim continued. "She said everything was my fault. She said that everything was fine before I was born but then I screwed it all up and then she…." He brought his hand up to his swollen cheek. For the first time Tim met his brother's gaze, before quickly looking down at his knees.

Billy knew his mother was not well but he hadn't thought she was this bad. "Timothy, listen to me," Billy turned Tim's face to force eye contact, "it wasn't your fault. Mom's an idiot and she's not well. Mom and dad are both idiots and we're better off without them. It's you and me from now on, okay?" He was pleased to see a small smile on his brother's face. "We don't need them, not anymore."

A week after his return, Billy got a phone call from Rosembalm Institute. A Doctor Barlow claimed to have in their custody a woman identifying herself as Irene Riggins. After dropping Tim off at school the next day, Billy drove the 3 hours to meet the doctor.

Doctor Barlow asked question after question, furtively scribbling on his note pad. His mother was found semiconscious in an alley two towns over. When police approached her, she became hysterical. By the state she was in, they immediately suspected substance abuse. They had to sedate and restrain her at which point, they immediately admitted her to a psychiatric evaluation, and to no surprise she was later admitted.

Finally after what seemed like hours of family history and standard questions, the two sank into silence. "She's highly delirious and suffering from emotional trauma and severe substance abuse." Billy listened, the words hardly imprinting themselves in his consciousness; this was nothing he hadn't already known. "Mr Riggins, are you understanding the severity of the situation?"

Billy shifted his weight, attempting to get comfortable. "Yes, I'm sorry." Doctor Barlow eyed him skeptically from across his desk.

"Your mother is severely unstable. She needs immediate care and to be hospitalized." Again, something Billy had known for years.

Billy let out a deep sigh. "How long will it take?" Doctor Barlow frowned, clearly trying to find the right words.

"You need to understand, every case is different and it's a day to day assessment." He paused, making sure he had the younger man's full attention. "It could take years before we can assess that, and even more before she's able to function in society."

Billy thought about this. At the moment, he was still beyond angry with her for what she had done. But what worried him the most was the state his brother was in. Both their parents had wounded his little brother in their own way, leaving deep scars that would probably never heal. Billy had already noticed how Tim averted anyone's gaze and rarely ever defended himself verbally.

With their father gone and Billy's golfing career over, they had no means to pay for food let alone any treatment or hospitalization. With a heavy sigh, he slowly got to his feet, his subconscious had already made the decision on the drive down. "I can't take responsibility for her." He eyed the doctor tiredly. "I can't right now." All he wanted to do was run out of there. Tears prickled his eyes while a lump formed in his throat. He mentally prepared himself for what he had to do next.

"I'm afraid I don't understand." Doctor Barlow also rose to his feet, his face near scowling in disbelief.

He took in a deep breath, steadying his voice. "She's not my responsibly. Do what you want with her. I can't pay for any treatment and I'm not taking her back with me." Before the doctor could process the information, Billy was already out the door. He ignored the Doctor's pleas to come back, afraid his courage would fail him, and forced his feet forward. He didn't stop till he was in the car and 5 miles from the Institute. Finally, the stubborn tears he had fought against fell freely down his cheeks.

At the age of 20, he had just made one of the hardest decisions of his life. He knew he couldn't help both his mother and Tim; not now and certainly not on his own. He had to choose. He pulled the car over to the shoulder and turned off the engine. It would take years for his mother to resemble her former self, years of patience and understanding. Tim needed him now. Millions of thoughts screamed for his attention, his mind turning into a tug-of-war for his attention. He could think of thousands of reason to keep driving, but just as many to make him turn back.

But despite what he told himself, and despite all the reasons, it came down to one decision:

Who would he help, his mother… or his brother?

He silently prayed he made the right decision.