Page 65 of All The Things: The Last Thing He Needs Omnibus

She sniffled like she was mad at herself for crying. “Are you sure? Because, swear to God, Tommy, we’re better off knowing now if that’s how you’re gonna go.”

“I’m sure,” he said with conviction. Colleen swiped at the tears on her face when Tommy loosened his grip on her. “If I ever let ya down again like that, you can kill me yourself.”

“Oh, I will.” Her tone told him she meant it, but she laughed after she said it.

Tommy felt like he should explain. He knew he couldn’t excuse anything, but he said, “Look, I mean, just so ya know, I went down to the police station after I found out. The guy told me no one could help me till Monday.” Colleen was listening, but she didn’t look convinced. “After that I went and looked for Pop all night.”

“In the bottom of a bottle?” As if she realized what she’d said, she added with another laugh, “I mean, that’s probably where we’ll find him, but you didn’t have to dive in to look for him, did ya?”

Tommy still felt ashamed of his choices and he didn’t think that would ever go away. “No, I didn’t.”

Colleen muttered, “Stupid bastard.”

“I know.”

“Yeah, well, as long as we’re clear on that.”

Tommy nodded. “Completely clear.” He reached inside his jacket and pulled out the paperwork. “Would it help at all if I told ya I got up before dawn and dragged my sorry ass down to DFACS to try and figure out what to do?”

Her green eyes searched his for a long moment and then she looked at the papers in his hand.

“Maybe,” she said in a begrudging tone. “A little.”

Tommy was stupid enough to feel relieved at her words until she reminded him, “But if you’d bothered to talk to Bobby, you would’ve known where we were to begin with, you dumbass.”

“I know, I know.” He dropped his head back against the wall behind him. “I promise, from now on I’ll check in with Bobby before I even wipe my ass, okay?”

“For normal people I’d say that was excessive, but in your case….”

They were both laughing when Tommy pulled her into a hug and kissed her on top of the head. When he let her go, he asked, “What about Mike and Davey?”

Colleen let out an exasperated sigh. “What about ’em?”

“Do they know where I was, or….”

She shrugged and said, “Mike figured you’d gone on a bender. Davey said you probably had but that you’d get your shit together. Carrie didn’t say what she thought, but she was scared as hell. Collin was the only one that insisted there was no way you’d do anything stupid. He said you were probably just figuring things out, and you weren’t talking to Bobby because you knew he’d called Family Services on us.”

“So Davey hit the nail on the head.” Tommy thought that was funny given the way they always went round and round about things. He thought about Collin and his unwavering belief that he was out there doing what needed to be done. “How many years have I been looking after all of you? And only one of you had any faith in me at all.”

Guilt flashed in Colleen’s eyes and she looked like she was about to apologize, but then she said, “Wait a minute, asshole. You only get to pull that kind of shit when we assume the worst and we’re wrong.”

She had a point. Rather than try to fight it, Tommy asked, “Can we go in before we both freeze to death?”

Getting back in good graces was easier with the rest of the kids. Carrie had been the first to crack. She’d hugged him tightly and told him how scared she’d been. Mike asked him if he’d gotten his shit together and seemed to take Tommy at his word when he told him he had. Davey had grinned at him and said, “I was right, wasn’t I?” Tommy smacked him softly on the back of the head and told him to enjoy the feeling while it lasted. Then he hugged him. Collin, of course, had never doubted him so there was nothing to forgive, and the twins were climbing all over him from the moment he’d stepped foot in the door.

Bobby and Judy had given them a few minutes alone. When things had settled, Judy came into the living room and said to Tommy, “Why don’t you come into the kitchen and have some chili?”

Tommy thought it sounded like code for you’re due for an ass kicking and it’s my turn, but he went anyway.

When he got there, he had a bowl of homemade chili and a pile of crackers waiting on the counter. Judy stood with her arms crossed, watching him. She didn’t look as angry as Bobby had been earlier. She looked like she was contemplating what to do with an unruly student who was slightly below average intelligence.

When he didn’t say anything, she asked, “Have you learned anything from all this?”

He knew he should ignore the food, but he was still cold, and he hadn’t eaten anything since the sandwiches with Gene and Ben the night before. He picked up the bowl and leaned against the counter with it before he took a bite. He thought for a moment before answering. “I think so, yeah.”

Judy’s brows shot up and she waited. Tommy didn’t say anything else, and she asked, “And that is…?”

A few jokes and one or two flippant remarks sprang to mind, but Judy didn’t seem in the mood for that kind of answer. He said seriously, “I’ve learned that the stupidest thing I can ever do is not trust Bobby.” He was going to leave it there, but then he added, “And you.”

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