Next morning (Sunday):
Veronica nearly leapt out of the bed in the RV as Walter's scream reached her. She had hit the door and stepped out of the RV when she remembered what Ralph had explained to her. Her eyes closed as she felt so sorry for Walter and his family, having to deal with such trauma. She shut the door and walked back into the bedroom area of the RV. She put on her robe before grabbing a change of clothes and her toiletry bag. She was glad there was a shower in the Garage bathroom, that would allow her a few minutes to compose herself after that horrible scream.
She paused once she got through the kitchen area and saw the whiteboard set up in the back. Curious as to why it was back there she walked towards the west side of the Garage and stepped up in front of the board.
Her eyes ran over all the numbers in the various equations. "What is Walter doing with this? And why hide it back here?" Veronica wondered. She didn't have to worry with the missing data, the math was too far over her head. She shook her head, whatever it was, it wasn't meant for her. She'd leave it alone and not mention it. Walter might need something that is just him right now.
As she started to walk away she stopped and then realized, all the writing was written in the lower three quarters of the board. She smiled as she realized that this was Ralph's work. "Ralph, you'd have loved our grandson. He's a chip off the block as they say. As much as you loved logic and order, not to mention all those math puzzles. You might not have been up to Ralph's ability, but you'd have loved working with him. I'm sorry I failed you and Paige. If you are together, let her know I love her and I'm sorry. I'll do my best to do right by him and Walter for her." Veronica thought as she sighed.
As Veronica came out of the bathroom she saw Ralph was over at the whiteboard staring at it.
"Hey Ralph." Veronica smiled as she walked up on him.
"Hey Grandma." Ralph answered without looking back.
"Looks like you had breakfast already." Veronica saw a plate with crumbs on it that hadn't been there before. "Even with your warning, I wasn't ready to hear Walter scream like that. How are you feeling?" Veronica asked.
"Yeah, his screams, none of us are quite used to them. I doubt any of us ever will be." Ralph sighed. "Breakfast was good. Grandma Louise made fresh biscuits and scrambled eggs. Grandpa likes to put ketchup on his eggs. I tried it yesterday, it was okay. I think I'd like salsa instead."
Veronica grinned.
"You get that from your Grandpa Ralph. He loved southwestern omelets. So what are you trying to figure out?" Veronica asked as she stepped up behind him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
"Well, don't tell Dad. But I'm trying to understand exactly the process of how Mom died." Ralph told her.
Veronica gasped at that.
"Why?" She said finally.
"I need something to distract me from missing her. I know how she died, but I think by understanding exactly what had happened to her, it might help me help Dad through this." Ralph told her.
"Is that why you have it set up back here? Hidden almost?" Veronica asked as she stepped back.
"Yeah, pretty much." Ralph sighed. "I don't think Dad would stop me, but he might grow concerned over it. And so back here it is just me and the math."
"What's with all the missing data?" Veronica pointed.
"Well I don't understand all the processes that took place. There is only so much info I can calculate from the articles available. I've contacted the guy who actually designed the system, I'm hoping he'll share the information I'm missing." Ralph told her before he stepped up and changed an expression on the board.
"You know I used to con people a lot…And part of that is recognizing when someone is holding back or not being one hundred percent honest with me." Veronica smiled.
Ralph chose to ignore the comment.
"Come on Ralph. Level with me, what are you not telling me?" Veronica pushed.
"I can't…It's pure speculation right now. And to speak of it without proof would be wrong and cruel. I won't do that." Ralph said as a tear ran down his cheek.
Veronica stood looking at him for several minutes as he stood staring at the white board.
"Okay, well I'm going to go get some coffee." Veronica said and kissed the top of his head.
"Okay." Ralph said without looking.
As Veronica's foot falls grew quieter Ralph shook his head. He had to be insane to even think that this was a possibility, but he was more convinced of it now than ever.
Everyone stepped quietly around Walter all day. He knew what they were doing and figured he must have let out another bad scream. He spent a good hour of the day going over Ralph's school work so he could turn it in tomorrow. He really wanted to keep him home but each time he thought about it, Paige's disapproving expression came up in his mind.
Louise had wanted to see The Arboretum and so the five of them went as a family and walked the grounds. After dinner Walter was so tired he went to bed right after eating.
Ralph gave him a couple of hours before he went into his bedroom area. Walter looked pretty comfy snuggled up tightly in the bed. His Mom had left some of her items at Walter's when she left and never came to get them. Ralph reached to the top of the dresser and pulled her tube of skin lotion over. Opening the lid Ralph took a moment to inhale the lavender fragrance. He smiled at the memory it brought forth.
"If this doesn't work like I think, I'm sorry Dad." Ralph said as he stepped closer to the bed. He squeezed a small dab onto his finger and then reached out. He lightly spread just a bit on each side of Walter's nostrils and then backed up. His hope was it would help him and not make the screams worse.
After a moment he saw a smile slowly build on Walter's face.
Ralph capped the tube and slid it back in place. His head turned as he heard Walter moan. It wasn't a bad moan as far as Ralph could tell.
"I hope you sleep better." Ralph said softly.
As he turned and started walking away he froze.
"Thank you baby, sleep well." Walter said sleepily but in a pace and cadence that shouldn't have been possible.
Ralph spun around staring almost in fear at Walter.
"Mom?" Ralph said softly.
"Did you have a bad dream baby?" Walter said. His eyes still closed and his voice sounded very tired.
"Uh, no Mom, I didn't. I just really missed you." Ralph said, trying not to cry.
"Oh baby, that's so sweet. We'll see each other in the morning. But it's much too early and I'm so tired. I should have taken some aspirin, my arm is killing me. Go to bed sweetheart." Walter told him.
"Okay, good night Mom." Ralph said.
"Night baby." Walter told him before snuggling deeper into the covers.
Ralph walked out of Walter's area and then ran back to his bedroom area, completely bewildered.
Paige smiled. She had fallen in love with Ralph shortly after learning she was pregnant. While the circumstances weren't what she wanted, she still loved the life growing in her. Then the struggles after he was born. She fought tooth and nail to get every bit of help she could to help him.
What Walter and to some extent the guys had done to bring Ralph out was nothing short of a miracle. She'd owe Walter for that for the rest of her life.
But for him to come in and check on her while she slept, just showed how much he was connecting to his emotions and that was a major victory to her. She just wished she wasn't so tired still, or that her arm hurt so much. She also wondered how long this night was going to go on. But slowly she fell back asleep.
Ralph sat down at this laptop and checked the web camera feed. Ralph couldn't believe what was recorded. He broke down and cried quietly for nearly a half hour. He saved that portion of the recording before getting ready for bed.
"Sure feels weird not having Ralph here today." Cabe said as he sat drinking coffee as Walter worked.
"Agreed." Walter said rather stiffly.
"What's going on son?" Cabe looked at him puzzled.
"Sorry, I know I'm being short. Just between the pain, how tired I am…and…Well, I had dreams that Paige was alive all night." Walter sighed.
"Oh man, those are the worst. And there is never a rhyme or reason for them either. They'll crop up from time to time as you heal." Cabe said sadly.
"I guess." Walter sighed and picked up his phone. "Scorpion, Walter O'Brien speaking." Walter said.
"Walter, it's Janice. How are you feeling today?" Janice asked.
"Much the same, no improvement." Walter told her.
"Okay, well I went over your scans and even had a friend of mine that's a specialist in nerve pain look at them. And sadly, it doesn't look like there is much to be done for your arm. Other than the therapies you are doing for it. But nothing about it gave us any ideas that it is your arm causing your screams." Janice explained.
"What are you sitting on?" Walter asked as something told him she had something on her mind. "Is there something wrong with my heart?"
"I saw you were in the hospital over the weekend and I did look at the records. But they are still waiting on the device you are wearing. Actually, I'm curious about something. Before my office, when was the last time you weighed yourself?" Janice asked.
"Oh." Walter said, surprised. "Um, it was just over two months ago."
"Do you remember what you weighed?" Janice asked.
"One hundred seventy three pounds." Walter told her.
"Do you feel like you've put on a lot of weight since then?" Janice drummed on her desk.
"That's a little odd." Walter said while looking at Cabe. "But now that you mention it. I don't look like I have, but because of how tired I've been, going up to my Loft is more of a task than before."
"Well, I ask and you will think I'm insane, but the assistant wrote down that you weighed three hundred and two pounds." Janice told him. "Now, I know." Janice cut him off. "But she swears that's what it read and we double checked the scales and it measured correctly. I'm thinking maybe something might have been interfering with proper measuring of your weight. Would you mind going to check your weight? I'll wait if you will." Janice asked.
"Sure, let me put you on hold." Walter sighed and pressed hold on the phone.
"What's going on son?" Cabe asked.
"Janice's assistant wrote down that I weighed three hundred and two pounds the other day." Walter said as he stood.
"What? There is no way you weigh that much." Cabe told him as he chuckled.
"Might explain why I'm so tired if it is true." Walter nodded as he walked over and climbed the stairs.
"Did you need something Walter?" Louise asked as she was dusting.
"No, thanks Mom. The doctor wanted me to check my weight on my scales." Walter told her. "You know you don't have to do that."
Louise brushed it off.
"It gives me something to do." Louise smiled.
Walter pulled his scales out from the wall and checked to make sure it was zeroed. He stepped up on the scale and he frowned as he watched the dial spin around and around before finally stopping on three hundred and six pounds.
"That's not possible." Walter frowned as he grabbed at his stomach but there was no obvious bulge and he had no issues looking straight down his body.
Walter walked back out into the Loft with the scale. He sat it down and grabbed a generator he had on hand for experiments. It was a known weight of fifty eight pounds. He placed it on the scale and watched. The scale measured it at fifty eight and one half pounds.
Walter sighed and took the generator off but left both items there and walked back downstairs.
"Janice." Walter said when he got back to his desk.
"I'm here Walter." Janice told him.
"According to the scale I am three hundred and six pounds. I tested it with an object with a known weight of fifty eight pounds and it measured it at fifty eight and a half pounds." Walter told her.
"Walter, how is that possible? You would have a very noticeable stomach bulge." Janice asked.
"You've got me Janice. Something else to check on the list of weird things for me." Walter sighed.
"What's your diet been like?" Janice asked.
"Normal until Paige died. I didn't eat much for a few days and the last four days I've been ravenous, probably consuming twenty five hundred to three thousand calories a day." Walter told her.
"When are you bringing that heart monitor back?" Janice asked.
"After lunch." Walter told her.
"Okay, I'm going to order a hydrostatic weighing. Bring some swim trunks with you." Janice told him.
"Okay." Walter sighed. "Thanks Janice." Walter hung up.
"How could you weigh three hundred pounds?" Cabe demanded.
Walter shrugged.
"But it explains why my bed mattress feels so bad, if true. Even with that piece of plywood Dad put under the mattress, it doesn't help much." Walter told him as he looked at his watch. "Is Homeland going to be able to help get a death certificate for Paige issued for us?"
"I haven't talked to Katherine today, let me call." Cabe told him.
"I'm going to go up and get my swim trunks. Janice wants me to do a water weighing." Walter told Cabe.
Cabe nodded as he called Katherine.
Walter sat on the scale as he was lowered a final time into the tank of water. He was glad for his IQ while doing this. It allowed him to sit calmly even though he had to expel all the air out of his lungs and then be completely submerged under water.
Normally they did it three times, but they couldn't believe the result they were getting and decided to do it the ten times they sometimes use.
The techs stared at Walter as they got him out of the sling.
"Obviously you guys have a problem with the result and my appearance." Walter said tiredly.
"Mr…I mean Walter." The one tech said. "We're at a loss. You might not have a six pack but according to these numbers you should have a significant paunch. More than what I could squeeze my hands around…"
"And yet, I obviously don't." Walter finished for him.
They all nodded.
"It just doesn't make sense." The tech shook his head.
"Well another oddity for me then. But I have to get going. I've got to pick up my son." Walter told them as he went to the bathroom to dry off and change clothes.
Greetings! I hope this finds you all well! Well hopefully what has been plaguing FFN won't affect this chapter. Actually since about mid Sept, metrics have been down, email notifications have been spotty and new stories are constantly disappearing and reappearing multiple times every hour.
James - hehe Well of all the things in this world to be addicted over, that might not be a bad thing. lol So glad it is resonating with you. Your Mom sounds like an amazing person! The stress is definitely taking a toll on Walter. Hopefully, maybe, there is a smidge of relief in this chapter for you...
Railman - Well, we now know something about what Ralph is up to. Sure looks like there is something about Paige merged with Walter...So far Veronica seems to be there to at least support.
DaToad - Yes, I can't imagine Veronica not coming back when she learned her child has died, no matter how complicated their relationship was. Well we know one thing for sure, Ralph didn't get it from Grandma Veronica! lol Yes, Walter and Ralph's relationship in the show was a very good one. And Walter truly cared for those in his Cyclone. Not to mention children in general. Owen, the little girl that needed the heart transplant, the subway train were great examples of how much he cared. As much as I disliked the disruption of Waige, I'm not sure I ever felt Tim was fake...I think he really loved Paige and he knew if he wanted the relationship to go the distance, he needed a good relationship with Ralph. Of course with so much going on in the show, they couldn't show a whole lot so it did seem a bit over the top, or fake.
Lucy - So glad you enjoyed it. I got to admit, I'm with you about the inner dialogue going on there, LouBe's a bit suspicious of it too. Thank you, it has been very nice writing so much again. The last 2 days have been a bit slower, so hope that picks back up soon.
LouBe - Now would I do that? *cackle* So glad you enjoyed his promise to Paige. The best laid plans of mice and men. Looks like Ralph's plan had a twist he hadn't fully expected, at least...Definitely going to have to wait to see about Ralph and Dr Philips meeting, next week! hehe No his eradicator wasn't repurposed from something else. Walter's stress and feelings of guilt are definitely weighing on him...Yup, the grey matter is quite lovely this time of year! lol Thank you, so glad you enjoyed it! I wouldn't be surprised if she hadn't thought of some nasty vengeance...Thankfully 16 and 17 have been finished! Haven't started on 18 yet. It's looking like "Shattered" will get a 6th chapter and I'm working on the 5 chapter for the next installment of "Dark Walter" as well. lol Well I guess in that case, I'm glad we're not waiting on an update from you on a story! LOL Cause I'm already old and quite grey! lol
To the Adventure! -Tim
