RP LOG with itwontstopme & comeswithcuffs | Freedom, sort of
[Follows THIS]
Strangely, it felt like longer than just a couple of weeks since Tim fell ill and landed in hospital. Everyone had been up in the air since it happened, waiting for any news, and time had just slipped away but rather than feeling like it passed quick, it seemed to drag. But after a lot of examinations and medical discussions, Tim was allowed to be discharged, albeit with a pile of medications and strict restrictions and instructions. Again, Jason and Billy ended up having not-so-polite and heated words. Billy was being a stubborn prick and the guilt wasn't letting him just back off and accept that going back to Dillon wasn't the best thing for Tim. But Jason, in his typical QB style, did eventually get through to the older Riggins brother. It was true that the now Austen-based crowd of Tim's friends were just in a better place to take care of him now, and it seemed to be the scenario that put Tim in the better frame of mind. Every time Dillon was brought up, it was like a depression set in. Going back there just wasn't the right thing at that point, which was something the others really understood. They had all been in that boat at some point.
Now he was finally back at the Austin home, and all he could really do was stand there and watch in amusement as Taylor fluffed up the three pillows waiting on the sofa for him and made sure the light blanket there wasn't creased. Taylor patted the pillows and turned to Tim with a smile. "Alright, y'all just lay down there now. I don't wanna hear no arguments now, alright? They said ya' still gotta rest and take it easy for a lil while, the only reason they even let ya' out. Ya' know I ain't beyond givin' ya' a good slap if ya' ain't doin' the right thing." She waited while he laid down and then pulled the blanket up over his legs, tucking it in.
It was then that Tim found himself eye level with Taylor's belly, and light pink tank top she was wearing made it impossible to miss the small bump there. He blinked a few times and then raised his eyebrows. He could've swore that wasn't there yesterday. He leaned back a little, to catch Jason's eye with a smirk from where he was parked in his wheelchair nearby by his fiancée busied herself with fussing. "Why don't y'all just get hitched already? Ain't needin' no more proof Mac's knocked up. Sure she ain't been on the Baskin Robbins that much," he joked, even if it was risking one of those hormonal slaps.
Taylor straightened back up then and put her hand on the bump, eyeing him to try and determine if he was calling her fat or not. It was true, even to her, it felt like the bump there had just popped up overnight. With everything going on, life had been hectic and her feet had barely touched the ground. With work, and hospital visits, and grocery shopping, and whatever else came along, she only realised she had a bump when she went to put on her jeans and not only could she not get them done up, but there was a rather large gape at the zip. Most of her underwear didn't fit, either, and she had to go out and invest in some comfortable Bridget Jones style knickers because she was discovering that being pregnant and having a wedgie just really weren't two things that happily existed together. "And so what if I have? Ain't like y'all throwin' up all over me and blackin' out ain't set my stress levels into overdrive. Chocolate is like Valium. At least, that's the story I'm stickin' to," she insisted and shot Jason a sheepish look over her shoulder. It was going to remain unmentioned that the box of chocolate he had bought her as a surprise the day before lasted all of three minutes in her presence. Nor was it going to be mentioned that she dipped everyone in mayonnaise before eating it. The only thing was, she was only about two thirds the way through the box when she found herself with a lapful of puppy and a faceful of puppy kisses, with Jason sheepishly admitting he hoped the chocolates would dull the revelation that he had bought a puppy. Mostly for Tim's sake, but also for them all. Taylor had been stunned, and with the puppy there all with her big eyes and puppy love, it was impossible for her to be mad, even if she had reservations about who would do all the puppy training and cleaning up. The way she was right now, there would be no way she could clean up 'accidents' without the morning sickness kicking in to send her vomiting all over the place.
With a grin, Jason wheeled himself closer and wrapped his arms around Taylor's waist to rub his hands over the bump there that he was already in love with. He couldn't help it, not only was he over the moon that his baby was in there, but he found it a complete turn on. He found his pregnant fiancée extremely sexy, it was even a turn-on when the hormones kicked in and she was reefing someone a new one. Maybe he was weird, but he didn't care. The whole thing might have been an unexpected accident, but after they got over the hurdles, it had actually brought them closer together again, and every day he was reminded of why he fell head over heels for her when he saw her back in Dillon that day, even if it now felt like a lifetime ago. "I'd marry her right here, right now, but she keeps putting me off," he joked and pressed some kisses to Taylor's arm. More like, they had talked about it and agreed to just postpone it until things settled down in general. They didn't really have the time or the cash right now to be thinking about planning another wedding. The first attempt had been a miserable failure, and they lost a lot of money over it. Jason figured it was a sound decision for them focus on Taylor and the pregnancy, knowing that losing a baby in the past had been one of the hardest things for them. This time, he wanted to get it right.
"What can I say? I like to play hard to get," Taylor joked in return, reaching behind her to ruffle Jason's hair. She paused then, and indulged in a small sigh of relief when the penny dropped that Tim was home and seeming to be okay at the moment. She knew it could change literally in the blink of an eye. He was still having seizures, but they were small, and controlled by medication. She knew she and Jason would be around to help him recuperate, so they had both done a lot of research on the condition, and how to deal if a seizure happened. She had made sure everyone else in the house had the information too in case it happened when they were around. It was still fresh in her mind finding him on this very sofa looking like death warmed up.
Tim snorted softly and sunk back against the pillows. He was tired, even the short trip home had taken a lot out of him. Ironically, too, he had no urge for a beer. He just wanted to enjoy being nowhere near a hospital, and maybe sleep for a year. He still wasn't sure how he felt having everyone step in to take care of him, but he was glad he wasn't alone this time. Life had already been a whole lot of being alone, usually for bad, if not illegal, reasons. It meant a lot for him to see Jason happy, too. It had been a fucking bumpy ride. He still had the odd bad dream here and there these days of being on that boat and realising Jason had thrown himself off it. "How far along are ya'? Ain't y'all got one of those scan photos? I thought Billy was gonna take out a story in the Dillon paper when he got his first one of those. Ya' don't want one?"
"We had one, dude. About a week and a half ago, just after Mac hit four months along. You just had a lot going on. We figured we'd show you when you got out." Jason went over to the mantel and picked up the scan print-out that was sitting there proudly. It had confirmed everything was going perfectly with the pregnancy. The baby was healthy, strong heartbeat, but they had chosen not to know the sex. He handed the photo to Tim with a smile, leaning forward so he could see it too. "Pretty damn amazing, huh?"
"More than, Six. More than," Tim agreed as he looked at the photo with a nod. But he looked back at the couple with another smirk. "Still ain't no reason why ya' gone four months after ya' intended weddin' day and not given it another shot. Don't y'all just wanna be hitch, no matter how ya' pull it off? Be hitched for ya' kid? Just do it, dude. No regrets. Why not do it here? Get in a priest an' shit. Get the ring on her finger! Too much shit in the world, stick to ya' happy stuff. Gettin' hitched, baby on the way. More than most of us all have."
Jason gave a slight shrug, pulling his lips to the side as he looked at the photo. "I still needed my Best Man, and he's been indisposed."
"I ain't been indisposed for three months, J," Tim said with a snort, still looking at them expectantly. "Y'all coulda come and gotten hitched in the hospital. Woulda made for good weddin' day stories, or some shit. I ain't buyin' none of these excuses. Ya' ain't gotta single reason in the world to not just get hitched. That part of it don't cost much."
Taylor sighed softly and shifted to sit down on Jason's lap, draping her arm around his shoulders and looking down at him fondly. "He's lyin', Riggs. Or at least stretchin' the truth. We ain't been thinkin' too hard on the weddin' 'cause truth is, we're kinda scared to give it another shot. Seems whenever we start thinkin' 'bout it seriously again, everythin' goes wrong. Still tired from the failure back in winter, even if it did give us a baby."
"Then don't go thinkin' seriously 'bout it no more. Just do it. Ya' might be dead tomorrow," Tim added with a shrug, shifting under the blanket so he could roll onto his side.
Those words did hit Jason in the face like a sharp smack to the forehead. Oddly enough considering his own situation, he hadn't thought about it like that. He had just taken to being overcautious over the years, because it was safer. But it never really stopped anything bad happening. Things still went wrong. Maybe Tim was right, and they should just bite the bullet, go to City Hall, and just do it? He could see the small frown of thought on Mac's face, too, but neither of them had a chance to answer before a little ball of fluff came tearing into the room and threw herself up onto Tim, who was lying on the sofa. Last Jason saw, she had been curled up in a tiny ball asleep on the end of Silas' and Tyra's bed. He had been going to explain it to Tim, but they got sidetracked. Now it seemed he was going to just get up-close-and-personal with her by default.
Tim was stunned, and it was probably a miracle he didn't shriek like a girl in surprise or fall off the sofa. His hands immediately cupped around the wriggling puppy in an attempt to stop her licking all over his face and her little tail whipped at the side of his hand enthusiastically. "What the hell?" he drawled, looking at Taylor and Jason uncertainly. "Y'all gotta dog? With a rugrat on the way? Ya' mental?"
"Yes, he is," Taylor replied immediately with a smirk as she watched the puppy take to Tim like a duck to water. They had only had her in the house about three days now, but she already had them all wrapped around her tiny doggy paw. The first day, Jason had been the favoured flavour, and then yesterday, she had followed Silas around like a bad smell. At the very least, no one could accuse her of being choosy. "Technically, we didn't get anythin'. QB got her for all of us, but thought after ya' had to leave Skeeter back in Dillon, maybe ya' could do ya' Riggs Dog Whisperer mojo on her while ya' gettin' better. She ain't gotta name yet, so eat ya' heart out."
Tim glanced over at Jason, meeting his eyes for a lingering few moments. It was true, it had been hard for Tim to walk away from Dillon, from his truck, from his new dog, from his dream of owning that land, to be left with nothing but facing prison time. He tried not to think about it, but he could see what Jason had done here. He had gotten him a dog, something he could have for himself, but not outright admitting to it being soley Tim's because, like it or not, Tim was still facing jail and would probably push it all away if it had been just for him. He couldn't do that, and at the end of the day, he really was grateful to have something. Even right now, he didn't have the luxury of beer or sex to even indulge in. He had been left feeling like his life was nothing. He swallowed as he looked back to the small dog wriggling in his hands. She was a puppy, a lot smaller than Skeeter, but at least he didn't feel like he was going to break her. In fact, she looked like she would nip your ankles off if she wanted to. He always liked a chick with a bit of a feisty side. "She kinda looks like a Tex."
Jason laughed, a rush of breath releasing that he hadn't realised he had been holding, waiting to see how Tim would react to the gesture. All he wanted was to try and make Tim feel better, not feel so much like his life was over. The puppy was fun, she liked to play, and have a bit of a yap when she got over-excited. It was a pretty damn good way to relieve that burden of stress, worry, and anxiety they all had recently. She shifted a focus away from everything bad happening. "Tex? Are you serious?" he asked, nose scrunching up a little. But then the penny dropped. "Texas forever, right?"
Tim lifted the puppy up to study her, watching her little tail still wagging. He had about given up on the whole Texas forever dream, he had about given up on everything. But maybe giving it a bit more time wouldn't hurt. Someone had to teach the pup to be awesome, right? "Yeah... forever, Six."
Word Count | 2,573
Strangely, it felt like longer than just a couple of weeks since Tim fell ill and landed in hospital. Everyone had been up in the air since it happened, waiting for any news, and time had just slipped away but rather than feeling like it passed quick, it seemed to drag. But after a lot of examinations and medical discussions, Tim was allowed to be discharged, albeit with a pile of medications and strict restrictions and instructions. Again, Jason and Billy ended up having not-so-polite and heated words. Billy was being a stubborn prick and the guilt wasn't letting him just back off and accept that going back to Dillon wasn't the best thing for Tim. But Jason, in his typical QB style, did eventually get through to the older Riggins brother. It was true that the now Austen-based crowd of Tim's friends were just in a better place to take care of him now, and it seemed to be the scenario that put Tim in the better frame of mind. Every time Dillon was brought up, it was like a depression set in. Going back there just wasn't the right thing at that point, which was something the others really understood. They had all been in that boat at some point.
Now he was finally back at the Austin home, and all he could really do was stand there and watch in amusement as Taylor fluffed up the three pillows waiting on the sofa for him and made sure the light blanket there wasn't creased. Taylor patted the pillows and turned to Tim with a smile. "Alright, y'all just lay down there now. I don't wanna hear no arguments now, alright? They said ya' still gotta rest and take it easy for a lil while, the only reason they even let ya' out. Ya' know I ain't beyond givin' ya' a good slap if ya' ain't doin' the right thing." She waited while he laid down and then pulled the blanket up over his legs, tucking it in.
It was then that Tim found himself eye level with Taylor's belly, and light pink tank top she was wearing made it impossible to miss the small bump there. He blinked a few times and then raised his eyebrows. He could've swore that wasn't there yesterday. He leaned back a little, to catch Jason's eye with a smirk from where he was parked in his wheelchair nearby by his fiancée busied herself with fussing. "Why don't y'all just get hitched already? Ain't needin' no more proof Mac's knocked up. Sure she ain't been on the Baskin Robbins that much," he joked, even if it was risking one of those hormonal slaps.
Taylor straightened back up then and put her hand on the bump, eyeing him to try and determine if he was calling her fat or not. It was true, even to her, it felt like the bump there had just popped up overnight. With everything going on, life had been hectic and her feet had barely touched the ground. With work, and hospital visits, and grocery shopping, and whatever else came along, she only realised she had a bump when she went to put on her jeans and not only could she not get them done up, but there was a rather large gape at the zip. Most of her underwear didn't fit, either, and she had to go out and invest in some comfortable Bridget Jones style knickers because she was discovering that being pregnant and having a wedgie just really weren't two things that happily existed together. "And so what if I have? Ain't like y'all throwin' up all over me and blackin' out ain't set my stress levels into overdrive. Chocolate is like Valium. At least, that's the story I'm stickin' to," she insisted and shot Jason a sheepish look over her shoulder. It was going to remain unmentioned that the box of chocolate he had bought her as a surprise the day before lasted all of three minutes in her presence. Nor was it going to be mentioned that she dipped everyone in mayonnaise before eating it. The only thing was, she was only about two thirds the way through the box when she found herself with a lapful of puppy and a faceful of puppy kisses, with Jason sheepishly admitting he hoped the chocolates would dull the revelation that he had bought a puppy. Mostly for Tim's sake, but also for them all. Taylor had been stunned, and with the puppy there all with her big eyes and puppy love, it was impossible for her to be mad, even if she had reservations about who would do all the puppy training and cleaning up. The way she was right now, there would be no way she could clean up 'accidents' without the morning sickness kicking in to send her vomiting all over the place.
With a grin, Jason wheeled himself closer and wrapped his arms around Taylor's waist to rub his hands over the bump there that he was already in love with. He couldn't help it, not only was he over the moon that his baby was in there, but he found it a complete turn on. He found his pregnant fiancée extremely sexy, it was even a turn-on when the hormones kicked in and she was reefing someone a new one. Maybe he was weird, but he didn't care. The whole thing might have been an unexpected accident, but after they got over the hurdles, it had actually brought them closer together again, and every day he was reminded of why he fell head over heels for her when he saw her back in Dillon that day, even if it now felt like a lifetime ago. "I'd marry her right here, right now, but she keeps putting me off," he joked and pressed some kisses to Taylor's arm. More like, they had talked about it and agreed to just postpone it until things settled down in general. They didn't really have the time or the cash right now to be thinking about planning another wedding. The first attempt had been a miserable failure, and they lost a lot of money over it. Jason figured it was a sound decision for them focus on Taylor and the pregnancy, knowing that losing a baby in the past had been one of the hardest things for them. This time, he wanted to get it right.
"What can I say? I like to play hard to get," Taylor joked in return, reaching behind her to ruffle Jason's hair. She paused then, and indulged in a small sigh of relief when the penny dropped that Tim was home and seeming to be okay at the moment. She knew it could change literally in the blink of an eye. He was still having seizures, but they were small, and controlled by medication. She knew she and Jason would be around to help him recuperate, so they had both done a lot of research on the condition, and how to deal if a seizure happened. She had made sure everyone else in the house had the information too in case it happened when they were around. It was still fresh in her mind finding him on this very sofa looking like death warmed up.
Tim snorted softly and sunk back against the pillows. He was tired, even the short trip home had taken a lot out of him. Ironically, too, he had no urge for a beer. He just wanted to enjoy being nowhere near a hospital, and maybe sleep for a year. He still wasn't sure how he felt having everyone step in to take care of him, but he was glad he wasn't alone this time. Life had already been a whole lot of being alone, usually for bad, if not illegal, reasons. It meant a lot for him to see Jason happy, too. It had been a fucking bumpy ride. He still had the odd bad dream here and there these days of being on that boat and realising Jason had thrown himself off it. "How far along are ya'? Ain't y'all got one of those scan photos? I thought Billy was gonna take out a story in the Dillon paper when he got his first one of those. Ya' don't want one?"
"We had one, dude. About a week and a half ago, just after Mac hit four months along. You just had a lot going on. We figured we'd show you when you got out." Jason went over to the mantel and picked up the scan print-out that was sitting there proudly. It had confirmed everything was going perfectly with the pregnancy. The baby was healthy, strong heartbeat, but they had chosen not to know the sex. He handed the photo to Tim with a smile, leaning forward so he could see it too. "Pretty damn amazing, huh?"
"More than, Six. More than," Tim agreed as he looked at the photo with a nod. But he looked back at the couple with another smirk. "Still ain't no reason why ya' gone four months after ya' intended weddin' day and not given it another shot. Don't y'all just wanna be hitch, no matter how ya' pull it off? Be hitched for ya' kid? Just do it, dude. No regrets. Why not do it here? Get in a priest an' shit. Get the ring on her finger! Too much shit in the world, stick to ya' happy stuff. Gettin' hitched, baby on the way. More than most of us all have."
Jason gave a slight shrug, pulling his lips to the side as he looked at the photo. "I still needed my Best Man, and he's been indisposed."
"I ain't been indisposed for three months, J," Tim said with a snort, still looking at them expectantly. "Y'all coulda come and gotten hitched in the hospital. Woulda made for good weddin' day stories, or some shit. I ain't buyin' none of these excuses. Ya' ain't gotta single reason in the world to not just get hitched. That part of it don't cost much."
Taylor sighed softly and shifted to sit down on Jason's lap, draping her arm around his shoulders and looking down at him fondly. "He's lyin', Riggs. Or at least stretchin' the truth. We ain't been thinkin' too hard on the weddin' 'cause truth is, we're kinda scared to give it another shot. Seems whenever we start thinkin' 'bout it seriously again, everythin' goes wrong. Still tired from the failure back in winter, even if it did give us a baby."
"Then don't go thinkin' seriously 'bout it no more. Just do it. Ya' might be dead tomorrow," Tim added with a shrug, shifting under the blanket so he could roll onto his side.
Those words did hit Jason in the face like a sharp smack to the forehead. Oddly enough considering his own situation, he hadn't thought about it like that. He had just taken to being overcautious over the years, because it was safer. But it never really stopped anything bad happening. Things still went wrong. Maybe Tim was right, and they should just bite the bullet, go to City Hall, and just do it? He could see the small frown of thought on Mac's face, too, but neither of them had a chance to answer before a little ball of fluff came tearing into the room and threw herself up onto Tim, who was lying on the sofa. Last Jason saw, she had been curled up in a tiny ball asleep on the end of Silas' and Tyra's bed. He had been going to explain it to Tim, but they got sidetracked. Now it seemed he was going to just get up-close-and-personal with her by default.
Tim was stunned, and it was probably a miracle he didn't shriek like a girl in surprise or fall off the sofa. His hands immediately cupped around the wriggling puppy in an attempt to stop her licking all over his face and her little tail whipped at the side of his hand enthusiastically. "What the hell?" he drawled, looking at Taylor and Jason uncertainly. "Y'all gotta dog? With a rugrat on the way? Ya' mental?"
"Yes, he is," Taylor replied immediately with a smirk as she watched the puppy take to Tim like a duck to water. They had only had her in the house about three days now, but she already had them all wrapped around her tiny doggy paw. The first day, Jason had been the favoured flavour, and then yesterday, she had followed Silas around like a bad smell. At the very least, no one could accuse her of being choosy. "Technically, we didn't get anythin'. QB got her for all of us, but thought after ya' had to leave Skeeter back in Dillon, maybe ya' could do ya' Riggs Dog Whisperer mojo on her while ya' gettin' better. She ain't gotta name yet, so eat ya' heart out."
Tim glanced over at Jason, meeting his eyes for a lingering few moments. It was true, it had been hard for Tim to walk away from Dillon, from his truck, from his new dog, from his dream of owning that land, to be left with nothing but facing prison time. He tried not to think about it, but he could see what Jason had done here. He had gotten him a dog, something he could have for himself, but not outright admitting to it being soley Tim's because, like it or not, Tim was still facing jail and would probably push it all away if it had been just for him. He couldn't do that, and at the end of the day, he really was grateful to have something. Even right now, he didn't have the luxury of beer or sex to even indulge in. He had been left feeling like his life was nothing. He swallowed as he looked back to the small dog wriggling in his hands. She was a puppy, a lot smaller than Skeeter, but at least he didn't feel like he was going to break her. In fact, she looked like she would nip your ankles off if she wanted to. He always liked a chick with a bit of a feisty side. "She kinda looks like a Tex."
Jason laughed, a rush of breath releasing that he hadn't realised he had been holding, waiting to see how Tim would react to the gesture. All he wanted was to try and make Tim feel better, not feel so much like his life was over. The puppy was fun, she liked to play, and have a bit of a yap when she got over-excited. It was a pretty damn good way to relieve that burden of stress, worry, and anxiety they all had recently. She shifted a focus away from everything bad happening. "Tex? Are you serious?" he asked, nose scrunching up a little. But then the penny dropped. "Texas forever, right?"
Tim lifted the puppy up to study her, watching her little tail still wagging. He had about given up on the whole Texas forever dream, he had about given up on everything. But maybe giving it a bit more time wouldn't hurt. Someone had to teach the pup to be awesome, right? "Yeah... forever, Six."
Word Count | 2,573