Walter had planned to go to the casino ship but after what happened over the weekend he decided to just go back home after leaving Paige at Harvard. The first thing he did after letting Veronica know he'd be in the basement if she needed anything was to write to Dr Cassandra Davis. He really didn't like how he broke down earlier.
As he sat there after sending the message he remembered Happy's rover project and he pulled up the files she'd sent him. He saw the solar panel array and it made him think of an article he read so he quickly found it on the web and sent Happy a link in case it might have any ideas they could implement. Next he turned to the computer controller. He began diagraming how it should work. Working in redundancies in case something went wrong.
So involved in the design he was shocked when he heard a ding and he looked and saw he had an email response from Dr Davis. It was nearly noon and he clicked on the message and read it. He sighed. He had hoped that she'd be able to take him on as a patient. He stared at Toby's name and sighed again. At least he already had some knowledge of who Walter was. Maybe it would be a good thing.
Walter quickly considered his options and he decided to send a message to Toby's phone. Toby responded quickly letting him know that lunch sounded like a good idea. Toby had sent a suggestion for where to have lunch and Walter messaged back that the place was fine. He agreed to meet him there by twelve thirty.
Walter sent a quick message to Paige, since they'd be so close maybe she'd want to have lunch.
Veronica had already left to visit with Ralph in the hospital. Silvia was taking care of Emmett so Walter just left word he would be gone to lunch and then got in his car. His phone beeped and after checking he saw Paige replied. She had wished she'd known earlier but she wouldn't be able to meet today for lunch. Walter sighed, he hadn't wanted to meet with Toby alone but he started the car and left.
Walter parked in the closest parking lot to Grendel's Den Restaurant & Bar and climbed out of their car. It was about a five minute walk but with the college students moving back and forth it turned into more of a ten minute walk. He still arrived before Toby. Walter got a table and some water. Toby was taking a bit longer than he was supposed to and the waiter kept bugging Walter by checking on him and if he was ready to order.
Walter's mind had quickly calculated the man was worried about tips and with him taking a table and not ordering his income was going down. When he refilled Walter's water glass he took out a twenty to give it to the guy.
"Look, I'm sorry it is taking my friend so long to get here. I'm not trying to cheat you out of a tip." Walter told him.
The man looked a bit embarrassed and swallowed as he shook his head.
"No, I'm sorry if I made you feel that way. It has just been a hard couple of weeks. College kids aren't that great at tipping. And I just assumed, you know?" The man told him and then moved on to another table leaving the money in Walter's hand.
"Hey Walt." Toby called over the din of all the students in the bar.
Walter nodded as he lifted his hand for some reason.
"Sorry I'm late. I'd gotten a call just as I was heading out the door." Toby told him as he sat down.
"No harm done, other than a nervous waiter over possibly losing tips." Walter nodded.
"Yeah, that's a real concern at these places. The management doesn't charge enough to pay properly to keep the prices down in order to draw in the college kids. And of course the kids don't bother tipping, making it worse." Toby said as he reached his hand out to Walter.
Walter shook his hand and then gestured at the waiter.
"Very true, I was just going to give him twenty dollars to settle his nerves but I guess it embarrassed him." Walter told him.
Toby laughed as he nodded.
"I can imagine." Toby said as the waiter stepped up.
They quickly gave him their orders and the waiter left.
"I suppose you are curious why I wanted to meet with you." Walter said softly.
"Well I figured it was either to do with Friday or with Ralph's heart attack." Toby told him as his eye probed Walter, gauging his responses.
"Oh, no, nothing like that. Umm, well Dr Cassandra Davis recommended you for possibly helping me with some anxieties." Walter explained.
"Oh she did? She was one of the doctors over me as an intern. I almost missed the opportunity to work under her. But a last minute change in her schedule allowed it before she moved to California anyway." Toby explained. "She isn't a genius like us, but don't let that fool you. She is wicked clever and able to grasp and put things together in amazing ways."
Walter nodded.
"She impressed me a couple of years ago after what happened. But I don't have a good opinion of psychologists." Walter explained.
"Well, I'm sure I made a stellar impression with my gambling." Toby joked over what happened.
"Well, you certainly impressed all of us Sunday. Thank you again." Walter told him simply.
"Not to worry, I'm really glad I was there and able to help. So, let's quit stalling, what happened that makes you feel like you need help?" Toby told him as his eyes bore into Walter's reactions.
Walter looked down at his hands in his lap for a moment.
"Do you remember a few months before 9/11? The US bombed Baghdad?" Walter asked softly.
"Yes, I remember that." Toby nodded, noting all the small reactions. Something was eating Walter alive over this.
Walter sighed.
"Toby, earlier than that in 2001, one of the members of Paige's detail approached me. He'd been bringing me encrypted messages from the US Security council to break. But this was different. He had been told that an aid relief organization wanted software that would allow them to fly into hostile space and drop off supplies." Walter told him.
"Except they lied to this person, and because he didn't know better, because you trusted him you accepted what they wanted done at face value. But it was used to help them do this bombing?" Toby finished.
Walter swallowed hard. Talking about this was making him feel like someone had a hot knife in his gut and was twisting it.
"Toby, the only way to make it work was to make the drop offs happen with about a 10% inaccuracy. What could have been precision strikes turned into mass murder." Walter said even softer.
Toby waved at their waiter.
"Hang on Walter." Toby told him. "Hey, I'm sorry, we've got to go, can you get our food into a box for us?" Toby told the waiter as he came over.
The waiter nodded and left.
"We'll take a walk, eat and find a better place to talk." Toby told Walter.
Walter just nodded.
Toby paid for their lunch and tipped the waiter heavily and they walked out the door. Walter followed along with Toby who talked animatedly as they walked. Doing his best to help settle Walter. They came to the John F. Kennedy Memorial park and found a quiet area to sit and eat.
Walter pulled out two twenties first but Toby refused them.
"Lunch is definitely on me after what you did for me." Toby told him brightly.
Walter just nodded but they ate in the quiet air on some rocks under a shade tree that no one seemed to be around. All the picnic tables were completely swamped with young adults.
Toby continued talking of mundane things as they ate. Once they finished he looked at Walter who still hadn't said anything.
"So I suppose you've been blaming yourself all this time for all the deaths of that day and the ones that followed it." Toby finally went back to the story.
Walter nodded.
"When 9/11 happened, I really thought that was my fault too. All those people and I didn't have Paige anymore. They were in lockdown over safety concerns and I retreated into my mind." Walter told him.
"Happy and I talked a bit about that. I didn't know it at the time but I had actually made the recommendation that they get your girlfriend to help you out." Toby explained.
Walter nodded.
"The second she walked in the door of the room I was being kept in I heard her voice. But I couldn't trust it. I thought I was just hearing what I wanted to hear. It took me over a day to finally convince myself that she was there. That I could come out of hiding." Walter told him.
"And you've never really done any counseling to overcome what happened." Toby finished.
Walter sighed as he shook his head.
"But earlier today the Iraqi government moved to have the UN charge those responsible for that bombing with war crimes. At best I could go to prison for life or be executed for my role in it. Paige and the rest of my family will be pariahs over it." Walter told him.
Toby grinned.
"Walt, no you won't and neither would they. You were completely innocent in this whole thing. Come on, 197." Toby told him as he reached over and chucked his shoulder.
Walter looked up at Toby puzzled.
"197, Happy said that is your IQ. I'm a master behaviorist Walt. I know so many of your tells just from what little time we've spent together, and I can tell you, I 100% believe you are innocent." Toby explained.
"So, what do I do?" Walter asked as he felt some reassurance.
"Well, you and I need to have a series of talks. Probably three times a week for at least a month and then we'll see where you are." Toby told him. "And they're on the house for what you did for me."
Walter smiled and looked down at his hands.
"Thanks Toby." Walter said as he looked back up at him.
Paige walked the halls of Harvard on her way to her last class. She'd wished Walter had contacted her earlier. She hated that she wasn't able to have lunch with him since he didn't go to the casino cruise. She was singing softly as she moved down the hallway with her security detail. Most of the young adults viewed Paige as a bit aloof or that she thought she was better than they were. With her cool protective detail walking her everywhere and keeping people at bay. For Paige it was just life and had been that way since her first day of school. She'd love to have more friends but this was just part of the cards she was dealt.
At first when they arrived at the hospital she was going to stay with her Dad at the hospital until he was released. But he assured her he was fine and she needed to stay on top of her grades so after seeing Walter nod she reluctantly left with him to attend her classes.
"Excuse me Ms." An unfamiliar male voice spoke up.
Not accustomed to people approaching her, Paige had ignored the voice as it couldn't have been meant for her. One member of her detail tapped on Paige's shoulder and Paige stopped as she turned to look at him. He gestured towards a man moving towards her from a class room she'd passed by.
"Oh, I'm sorry, were you talking to me?" Paige asked even as the agent held his hand up signaling to the man that he was close enough.
The older man nodded.
"I'm Rudolf Verina, I'm a director of theatrics here. You have an amazing voice." Rudolf explained.
"Well thank you." Paige blushed.
"One of our directors is currently holding tryouts for Grease. I think you would be a natural." Rudolf told her.
"Oh. Wow, umm. I'm not sure. I've never really acted before." Paige told him.
"You don't have to decide right now. We've got the next three evenings set aside for auditions for the show. Please, think about it. I've a good feeling about you." Rudolf smiled.
Paige blushed again.
"Well, thank you. I will consider it." Paige told him.
Rudolf nodded and turned to walk back to his classroom.
Paige watched for a moment as he walked away and then turned and continued to class. She'd always wanted to try performing. And Walter was constantly encouraging her to try out for some of the extracurricular activities. She was smiling as she walked into her last class. Her smile disappeared as she saw Becky.
Becky had been talking to another girl and she rolled her eyes as she saw Paige walk closer.
"Well if it isn't Ms Priss." Becky said as Paige passed by.
Paige stopped after she passed her and turned around.
"Becky, you are an adult now, try and act like it. You asked and I turned you down nicely and I'll say again I have a boyfriend. Just let it go and move on with someone else." Paige told her loudly.
"Why you! I did no such thing." Becky sputtered.
"Oh please Becky, everyone in this class saw how you were all over me when we left last week. Some of them probably wondered if we hooked up over the weekend." Paige told her. She grinned inside at how she twisted what Becky did to seem like she'd tried hitting on her.
"You pressed me to dump my boyfriend and go with you, remember? Telling me how you dumped your high school boyfriend." Paige continued. "Not to mention how you loved my legs, what did you call them? Oh yes, I have killer legs. Those were your words, weren't they?" Paige asked with her brow arched.
Becky stared white faced at Paige even as snickers were coming from all around them. Becky resolutely turned to look at the girl she had been talking to even as her face began turning bright red. Paige looked the other girl in the eyes and rolled her eyes.
The girl tucked her upper lip between her teeth as Becky just sat there trying to figure out what to do or say now.
As the professor walked in to start the class Becky grabbed her books and left the room quickly. Paige felt a little bad about that.
"So Becky's a lesbian?" One of the other girls leaned over to Paige and whispered.
"Well, I can't say that for sure. If not, I just can't understand why she wants me to dump my boyfriend to go with her." Paige told her.
"Well Becky was right about one thing." The woman told Paige.
"About what?" Paige frowned.
"You do have killer legs." She grinned.
Paige blushed as she laughed a little nervously.
"Thanks." Paige told her.
Greetings! I hope this finds you all well!
Railman - hehe Well, we had to get Walter and Toby on a more friendship level. Seemed like a good hook for it. lol
Marti - Indeed "Marigold" is...Next chapter we'll see the return of Cabe's three friends and just what "Marigold" sets in motion! Yup, similar to what Walter wanted to do for Megan in the show...That was his fear. If it had just been for controlling drones and similar tech, Walter wouldn't be so worried over it. After how his aid program was perverted he is highly cautious of others' motives. As for Richard...Chapter 62 will help settle that.
2LawDog - heheh When I went back to find the poor kid there was only one person left, everyone else was busy...Walter! hehe Toby certainly came through for them in a major way! Walter really is...in some ways he might have been better off dealing with the Baghdad incident without Paige and her family. But with all the dynamics that have changed with it, I think Walter and the gang will be much better emotionally. Well Walter has to be Walter...if he can't break into Richard's computer system is he even trying? lol
LouBe - Who? Me? LOL Hold onto your pillow for the next chapter! I can neither confirm nor deny Mark's involvement in the brain interface...Chapter 62! lol Richard welching on paying Walter would be very stupid! lol Definitely wasn't about to rewrite the chapter...so definitely a good move to me. lol Not too big of a pillow...you won't be able to see the screen to read! lol
Pearliegirl - Thank you! Hope you continue to enjoy it! Well they certainly have potential for becoming better friends as the next few chapters might show...Meme...did you mean Muse? hehe If so, yes, the Muse must be allowed to tell the story.
To the Adventure! -Tim