Secrets and Consequences - SBI AU

7

"Wings."

Phil stiffened at Tommy's answer. So, he did remember, which was good in a sense, but he also didn't know how Tommy was going to react.

"Wow, all three of you tensed up. I've never been able to catch all of you off guard before." Tommy chuckled at his joke, though it devolved into a coughing fit.

Phil stepped towards his son, wanting to help, but Tommy held up a hand, stopping him. Pain speared his heart as well as fear. He looked at his older sons and saw the same shock, fear, and pain mirrored in their own expressions. "Tommy, we... I...."

"No", Tommy coughed, taking shallow breaths in hopes of stopping his coughing. "No more talking." He sat back in his chair and closed his eyes. He looked so tired, so sick. This shouldn't have come up... not now... not while it only made things worse. "Leave."

He didn't want to leave Tommy. He wanted his son to understand why they kept it a secret. He wanted to help him get better.

Wilbur grabbed his arm and dragged him away from Tommy, Techno following them. "We'll be here if you need anything, yeah?" Wilbur said as they left the room. Tommy didn't respond, instead he just sat in the chair trying to catch his breath.

Wilbur dragged them to the dining room and closed the door.

"It's my fault," Techno whispered into the still air, "I asked him if he remembered what had happened right before you guys came in. I should have waited. I'm so stupid." He flopped into a chair and placed his head in his hands. "We could have just gone on the way things were, at least for a little bit, until he was better."

"Shhh, Techno it's not your fault. It would have come up sooner or later, whether we asked him first or he brought it up." Phil knelt next to Techno's chair and gently rubbed circles into his back. "We just have to give him time."

"What if he doesn't want time?" Wilbur asked, his own worry finally showing. "What if he doesn't want to be here? He knows we aren't crazy, he saw your wings, but what if he doesn't want to live with us after this?" Wilbur's hands were pulling at his hair while he paced back and forth across the room. "What if once he's better he leaves and doesn't come back? What if we lose him?"

"Wil, come here." His son obeyed, sitting down next to him. Phil put his other arm around him as he continued. "This is Tommy we are talking about. He wouldn't leave. And you saw how he was last night... he just needs some time.

"But what if he hadn't remembered until today?" Techno asked, looking up. "What if now that he remembers he doesn't want anything to do with us?" Techno went quiet again as he looked to the floor. "He flinched and pulled away when I touched him... he's never done that, even when he was mad at me."

Phil sighed. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know if they had lost Tommy or not. Didn't know if Tommy hated them. All he could do was give Tommy time to work through the information he was told and come to his own conclusions. That's all any of them could do.

***

561 words

Another short chapter... oh well, it was a good spot to stop.