The Flowers Within Our Reach ~ A Thomesa AU Story

| Chapter Three

"Knowing that her brother is fine where he is also brings Teresa some ease, as he's the most important person in her life, period."

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"Well... I believe my day has come to an end." Mr. Twombly voices with a goofy chuckle the moment Teresa appears in the living room. He folds the sports magazine and places it neatly on the wooden table next to the couch before slowly standing up on his own.

Teresa doesn't miss the way his legs shake slightly with the effort. "I'm going to rest my eyes."

"Do you need my help?" Teresa asks gently, already extending an arm to his general direction out of pure instinct.

Dismissing it with a caring smile and a wavering of hands, Thomas' father walks towards the row of stairs in one of the corners of the living room with sheer difficulty.

"Goodnight, Teresa."

"Goodnight, Sir."

After making sure Stuart is on the second floor safely, Teresa takes the leftovers from his evening meal and heads to the kitchen, walking towards the sink to wash the small amount of dishes and cup.

She's been doing this for a little bit over than seven years. Perhaps it is a long time compared to her seemingly short life, but ever since her Mother died and living became slightly more difficult, Teresa had been more than grateful to be having the opportunity to work and earn some money for her brother and herself, since her Father had never been on the picture.

He still isn't, but Teresa always makes sure she stays truthful to her roots, visiting her hometown every once in a while.

Over the years, Teresa has found in Mr. Twombly the Father figure she's never been able to see or live with. Thomas doesn't stay excluded from her life, of course, as she lives with both, and Teresa is happy to have found a place she finds herself comfortable in.

Knowing that her brother is fine where he is also brings Teresa some ease, as he's the most important person in her life, period.

The dark haired woman turns the TV on as she's finishing her job (mainly to have a background noise) and it's a tad bit later than midnight when the soothing voices turn into a loud intro, the logo of breaking news appearing on the screen that is hanging on the wall in front of her.

Teresa's gaze shifts to the television, stopping her task immediately upon seeing the image of a person she knows too well on the left half of the screen while the other is occupied by a brown haired woman.

"Good evening, this is breaking news. Mr. Twombly's son, Thomas Twombly, has been involved in a violent car crash in the middle of a speeding highway. There's still no assurance about his condition, but it is already known that the driver that hit him had been driving in switched lanes."

The pivot then passes the word to an interviewer on the local of the accident, as Teresa can catch glimpses of flashing lights right behind his figure as the man speaks nonstop.

"It is still unknown to everyone the condition Thomas Twombly is in, but after some evidence from people who had been with him before the accident, it is believed that Thomas had been driving under great amounts of alcohol." He says. "It is also known that he'd been driving way past the speed limit. He's currently being transported to the nearest hospital as I'm speaking. We're still waiting for any developments on the case, so stay tuned for more information-"

Teresa turns the television off, her heart hammering inside her chest and her eyes wide as she takes in the information that has just been given to her.