"hold on" Tim says as he wheels Ana out of the hospital.
"what?" Ana asks, watching as Tim peeks into a hospice room.
"Tim?" Ana murmurs, but Tim is already pushing her past the room.
"who was that?" Ana asks as Tim sets her down in the passenger seat of his truck.
Tim is quiet for a long moment.
"Tim?" Ana prompts.
"my father" Tim reveals.
"oh" Ana whispers, before hugging him.
"Lucy said I was like him" Tim mutters, his head tucked into Ana's neck.
"for your Tim Tests?" Ana guesses.
"yeah" Tim nods.
"you're nothing like him" Ana promises him. "your Tim Tests were to teach us and help us, what your dad did was abusive and cruel"
"weren't my tests cruel?" Tim inquires.
"they never put us in danger, they never hurt us, they never did anything but teach us" Ana points out.
"still" Tim sighs.
"Tim, I promise you, you are nothing like your father" Ana murmurs, cupping his face in her hands. "you are who you are in spite of your father, not because of him"
Tim leans forward and kisses her forehead before clicking her seatbelt and putting the wheelchair in the back.
[Two Days Later]
"Well, Nolan says an open concept sells better, so I'm thinking we take out this wall and then move on to the kitchen." Tim says.
"don't you have to do some test to see if it's a center support or something?" Ana asks, the only one actually listening to what Tim is saying.
"Do you remember how Mom used to make us pose by the window for every formal dance?" Genny gushes, pointing to the window.
"Oh, my gosh. My mom did that, too. And I always had to have a wrist corsage." Lucy nods.
"Yes. Why was that ever a thing?" Genny agrees.
"No. No more reminiscing. This is about fixing up the house and selling it. That's it." Tim insists.
"What? Wait, wait, wait. Hold on. I mean, you guys are ending a huge chapter in your lives. You guys need closure." Lucy insists.
"What?" Tim says as he whacks a hole into the wall he wants to take down.
"I said you need closure!" Lucy yells.
"What?" Tim asks again.
"You're an idiot." Lucy groans.
[Ten Minutes Later]
"You guys are so lucky. I begged my mom and dad to have a sibling. They got me a turtle. Um, it was cute, but a little smelly." Lucy says.
"Cute and smelly pretty much sums up Tim's teenage years. You didn't miss much." Genny teases.
"Wow. And to think I was actually excited when they brought you home from the hospital. Little did I know." Tim comments but he trails off when he notices something in the wall.
"What is it?" Ana asks, approaching the wall.
"There's -- There's something in the wall." Tim replies.
"Ooh, is it my Malibu Barbie? She's worth a lot now." Genny giggles.
"No. It's -- It's metal. -- What the hell is a gun doing in our wall?" Tim pulls a gun out of the wall.
YOU ARE READING
Altruism | Part Four : Love
Action"Let me be your light at the end of the tunnel" - Ana Cabrera Ana Cabrera is a Cuban immigrant. She lives in a three bedroom apartment with her grandparents and is a rookie starting in the LAPD. This is Part Four. To find Part One, follow this link...
