"Paige, thank you for coming." Walter said softly as Paige cautiously entered his room. He had a small smile on his face as he greeted her.
"You're welcome, thanks for asking me." Paige said. She had her face mostly looking down at the floor. Her left hand rose up and pushed her hair on that side back behind her ear as she paused where the small walkway of the room ended.
"You are welcome here Paige, you don't have to worry or hesitate…I'm not going to yell at you, or call you any names, again." Walter's smile changed into one of embarrassment. "I asked you here to say I'm sorry for how I acted at the Garage and what I said and accused you of. As well as refusing to let you see me down in the ER."
"Oh…" Paige looked surprised as she looked up at him. "Thank you, I accept your apology. I wasn't very kind so, if I want to be forgiven, I've got to forgive as well."
"Well Cabe gave me a…what did he call it?" Walter seemed to be searching his brain for a moment. "Oh yes, a come-to-Jesus talking."
Paige giggled a bit.
"You seem to find that funny, I suppose I might if I understood the vernacular of what he was saying." Walter gave her a wry smile.
"I mainly giggled because it was probably like the talk I gave him the day before. He wanted to come over and kick your butt for just walking out on me." Paige smiled as she stepped a bit closer. "But it is basically a talk to make a person wake up to certain things…I assume you know who Jesus was?"
Walter nodded.
"He mentioned you had promised him a hard time if he wasn't supportive to me. I think his talk was a special type of support that doesn't require you to do anything about it." Walter promised.
"So I'm gathering." Paige smirked as she felt more at ease finally. She sat down on the chair closest to the head of his bed. "How are you feeling?"
"Okay overall, it only hurts when I breathe." Walter grinned.
"Silly." Paige sighed with a smile. Paige's eyes opened wider as what he said hit her. "Walter! Y-you made a joke?"
Walter smiled as he nodded.
"Did they give you anything for the pain?" Paige asked.
"They offered but I turned it down. They are considering a chest strap for when I'm not lying in bed." Walter said before he moved his hand to the edge of the bed, closest to her. He wanted to test his earlier thought and Paige's words in the letter, of Paige wanting to be back in his life.
Paige smiled before she reached out and took his hand.
"The Doctor told me they were just keeping you overnight tonight." Paige said softly.
"Yes, that's still the plan." Walter nodded as his thumb began gently caressing the tops of her fingers. "Despite me telling him, I was past the issue that caused the vomiting." Walter grumbled.
"Better safe than sorry, I suppose. Will you need any help at the Garage?" Paige asked as she watched his thumb moving across her fingers and the back of her hand. "I can come over and help with anything you need…Or want."
"That's really kind of you." Walter told her. "Well other than a ride home in the morning, there is one thing I'd like to ask."
Paige looked up and nodded as their eyes met.
"Would you be willing to go see…" Walter started.
"Dr. Rizzuto?" Paige asked quickly.
Walter nodded as his eyes opened wider.
"I'll be happy to pick you up tomorrow and take you home. And I'd be more than open to going to see Dr Rizzuto. Toby even said we should try going to see him." Paige smiled.
Walter looked at her in disbelief.
Paige laughed as she nodded.
"Yes, seriously. He tore into me about our relationship, about how I did lie during it, or kept stuff from you really. Lies of omission as they say. Much like you had done." Paige sighed. "Happy got on me about having taught you about white lies. And if you really are sure you want me to be completely honest with you…" Paige kind of winced at the thought of what could come apart here.
Walter nodded quickly.
"Paige, H-how can I put this?" Walter asked. "Before you, as I've told you, the longest relationship I had was with Janice, at three months. Instead of talking to me, or explaining what I was or wasn't doing that was causing a problem…While I broke up with Janice, everyone else I dated just dumped me, rather than giving me a chance to adapt."
Paige swallowed hard at that, knowing she did the same as everyone else had done.
"I…As I think back to the evening after Sylvester's birthday party you had come to me. You spoke of how you didn't want me to pretend to be someone I'm not. But the problem is, I don't know anything, not really, beyond who I am. Because no one ever took the time to help me understand what a boyfriend is." Walter sighed. "My only role model for that was my Father. But other than occasionally kissing my Mother's cheek, all I saw was him going to work, coming home, cleaning up and eating before going to bed. We never had "the talk" about anything either. Well, other than if I was going to "do it" to wear a condom."
"Books that I could find even remotely close to the subject seemed to be flowery, more metaphorical than practical to me, which to my stunted EQ, they made even less sense. Megan dated very little…and…and so I didn't even get to observe that way. And…and I get it, it has to be awful to try and teach me how to be a good boyfriend. Especially when I have over twenty years of this behavior driving me." Walter paused as he considered how to continue.
"Why did you say that? That it has to be awful?" Paige asked quickly when he paused.
"Oh…" Walter blushed a bit. "Umm…well…Toby told me I suck at being a boyfriend a couple of days after all of you left me. He was rather proud that they were your words." Walter sighed. "But I don't blame you if you did say them." Walter hurried on. "I know I am awful to deal with, I have years and years of people telling me that to know it is true. The one time I tried to act like I thought you wanted, on the island…the attempt seemed to bother you, with the pet names. And I know I'm conceited in my logic and knowledge, I'm stuck in my ways of what I like and how I like things. I get really annoyed by most people who take too much time to say what they mean. But just so you know, I never felt that with you."
While his admission about how she made him feel over the pet names gnawed at her, Paige held up her hand for him to stop. She had to address part of what he said before they went any further.
"Look…Walter, I did say something to that effect to Toby, I was looking for help from him and I got absolutely nothing. He was more interested in trying to find where Happy went so he could have sex with her. And it was that same day, at the faire for Sylvester's birthday. I couldn't understand why you can't just relax, even for a minute. To enjoy a beautiful day outside with me, just being in the moment with me. Walking hand in hand, bumping hips occasionally as we walked. Little kisses here and there. And it seemed like I was constantly telling you how to act but it never seemed to change anything about your behavior." Paige sighed. "I don't mean to hurt you, I'm just trying to be honest."
"Paige, words spoken to me as you just did, will never hurt me. The words that hurt were the ones before you walked out, because then you walked out. That's when my voice rose in anger. As long as you are staying with me, I'm willing to listen and I promise to try and do better if I know you are speaking about how I should act with you. But please be patient, as I said I've got over twenty years of how I've always done things to adjust from. It's like muscle memory. And as for relaxing, I-I, I only have my Father as an example. He worked every day, except Sundays, unless one of the sheep were sick or got loose. And if he wasn't working he was in his recliner." Walter sighed. "I never saw romance between him and my Mother. I never learned how to make small talk…When I try, I just seem to irritate people…probably seem like a snooty college professor with all my facts."
Paige kind of giggled as she nodded.
"You do seem a bit like a snooty college professor when you do that." Paige smiled. "But too, I've missed that these past two weeks. I thought I would feel so much relief not hearing it, but whenever I sit down with Ralph to eat and you aren't there to tell me about some obscure fact about something we were eating…It really made me sad."
"I'm sorry it made you sad." Walter said as he kind of squeezed her hand.
Paige smiled and then held up her other hand as she pulled out her phone.
Walter let go of her hand and Paige pulled up a contact.
"Yes, hi, my name is Paige Dineen and my boyfriend Walter O'Brien and I would like to schedule the first available appointment with Dr. Rizzuto." Paige said into the phone.
Walter grinned really big at Paige calling him her boyfriend again. And then it hit him, she'd called to set up an appointment for them with Dr. Rizzuto.
"Well, we're not exactly new patients and we're friends of Cecil's." Paige answered back.
"Tomorrow at one?" Paige looked at Walter and despite his shock he nodded. "That'll be fine. Yes, you haven't moved from that strip off the bluffs have you? Okay, we know exactly where the office is then. Thank you, we'll see you tomorrow." Paige hung up. "Good, that's taken care of now." She smiled.
"That still leaves something I need to be honest with you about in our relationship." Paige said a bit with trepidation.
"You can tell me whatever you need to." Walter smiled.
"Not sexually speaking but it might feed into how you thought I was thinking about a romanticized version of you." Paige said softly.
Walter frowned at first and then nodded.
"No, I need to know anything that pertains to us." Walter said firmly.
"Okay, remember the PANDS laboratory?" Paige asked and watched Walter nod. "When those toxins had built up in your blood and had curtailed your IQ, your EQ emerged and it was beautiful and wondrous. You had this sense of innocence and light heartedness about you. And there were times when we were together or out and about that I missed that. Especially because you enjoyed music at that time. And music is such a big part of me, it feels weird not being able to share it with you. But I promise you, you always satisfied me, especially sexually. I had worried a little…about how it would go our first time…It was clear you were nervous but however you learned what you know, you used it remarkably well. You could have given Drew lessons to be honest. And I never thought of you as "Dopey Walter", or anyone else, during those times."
Walter smiled at the wicked grin Paige had on her face.
"But that day also brings up what happened during game night, we tried to have with my friends. And this is the thing about that. All day, every day, I am surrounded by people with far greater IQs than I have. And that's okay, there's nothing I can do to change that and I don't want to change you. But just because you don't need me to keep up with you intellectually speaking, that doesn't mean I don't want to keep up with you. Or at least feel connected to you that way. To do normal things with you and my friends, people who don't make me feel like an outcast. To find a way that after fifteen minutes I don't feel like you are looking for a gun to shoot yourself with." Paige sighed. "It kind of hurts that if I want to spend time with you, it's more like I'm just sitting there and you are off in another land."
Walter frowned through most of what she said as he nodded periodically and considered what she said.
"And it doesn't help during our time together at work that Toby and Sylvester are like 6 year olds, just with vast knowledge. Just so juvenile in their words and acts until something happens that they need to pull out their adult vocabulary. But Toby, especially, still acts so immature." Paige sighed as she worried if this was going to break things.
"I'm sorry." Walter said as he looked down at his right hand on his lap. "I never considered how that must have felt to you…It all goes back to me having to be nearly, completely, self-sufficient. But if I try to change this about me…You've got to be extra sure, because I'll be working on it as…Well a juvenile. Because I don't have a lot of experience relying on people in that respect. I'm sorry, I can't help remembering how I was on the island, with my pet names."
"Walter, please don't be embarrassed about that, or that I seemed unhappy with your attempts back on the island. It is going to be a learning experience…for both of us." Paige smiled. "And I promise to give you the time and space needed to explore what you have never known as long as you promise to discuss things with me. Please give me the chance to help you."
"I can promise that." Walter smiled.
Paige stood up and leaned over the bed and kissed Walter tenderly.
They both smiled as they broke the kiss.
"Oh, what's that?" Paige pointed to the top of a bedside cabinet. "Did the last occupant leave some reading material behind?"
Walter looked and blushed.
"Ah…no…The doctor had some physical therapists come work with me. And we t-took a walk down to the small gift s-shop. And I saw the m-magazines and thought…" Walter paused and breathed for a moment. "I thought they might help me. T-T, to become a be-better boyfriend."
"Walter…" Paige smiled as she caressed his cheek before sitting down. "Don't be embarrassed, trying to improve yourself is a good thing. Just be careful with some of that advice. And you can always ask me, or Cabe about whatever advice you are considering from it."
"I had tried it before, back when things were so bad between us over…Timothy. I thought if I could learn to be a better friend, then I could help make things between us better." Walter explained.
"It takes a lot of guts as they say to understand a personal weakness and seek to improve on it, Walter. I'm really proud of you." Paige smiled.
Greetings! I hope this finds you all well! Thank the Lord, Railman finally got back home, but he let me know there won't be an update this week to his story either.
LouBe - I'm with you, I think Cabe got it right this time for sure. And it looks like Paige approves as well. lol Yeah, hair loss serum wouldn't be a good relationship patch! lol Ralph can be sneaky when he sets his mind to it. Paige and I agree! But might be nice to have a switch that functions like 2x a week for an hour or so that Walter could flip and give her a more EQ connection with him. But it sounds like he wants to work towards it now! She would miss his intellect. Did I keep my promise? lol
Guest #1 - He did take it to heart I think, how about you? I agree, Toby was very close to the epitome of Katy Perry's song "Hot N Cold" as it came to Waige!
Guest #2 - Thank you and you're welcome! We'll get there...eventually! lol
Pearliegirl - hehe The Muse definitely loves her drama/hurt/comfort! lol Thank you! LOL I'm not sure I couldn't even guess how many times the end of Scorpion has been healed by Fan Fiction. I'd really have to think over how many times I've healed it. lol
DaToad - Yep, loved them trying the sensory restaurant, but later I thought, if I was Walter, that would confirm she'd been feeling bored by him all along and just faking being happy. I'm glad the Muse didn't go with that in this story as well. lol Yes, they definitely insinuated that Paige spent the night at the Garage, from "Buckle Up Nerd" to the next morning of "Extinction" to the episode of Walter's dismay at all the beauty products Paige kept there. I had never heard of "Change Curve" so I looked it up and found it dealt with grief (which I knew about the stages of grief, just not what it was called) so I was confused by your comment, so then I looked up unconsciously incompetent and found what you were referring to. Interesting bit about it. Never heard of it before. While I didn't see a listing of steps like you said, I feel like Walter was definitely "consciously incompetent" with EQ in most of the show. I think Walter is adaptable, no doubt. Next chapter we'll might just see some light coming from Walter...
Masikka - I know...it breaks my heart too, to know he really wants to be a "real boy" but seems to keep falling short. When they had Veronica call him Pinocchio in that episode it just just echoed out in a glaring klaxon! Looks like they are trying to be honest now...hopefully it will continue. Right? I thought, why would the writers have Paige teach him about white lies? That just screamed "trouble" and then we saw exactly why they did it. So they could torpedo Waige with it. Bitter truth will cause resentment, hard truth will hurt feelings, soft truth will express that something isn't right while being kind...no one wants to be lied to.
To the Adventure! -Tim
