You Take That Off

A "Westfall" Snippet by Jill D'Entremont

Timothy glanced up from his book when the sound of his son's voice reached his ears from the hospital office. He weakly shifted his legs along the side of the bed to face the edge of his privacy curtain, and sure enough, Hudson stepped into view.

"Hey Paw!" He smiled.

The father's lips tugged curiously as he closed his book and set it at his side. "Hey; what's got you all warmed up this evenin'?"

The grinning man produced a small blue sweater in his hands. "Do you remember this?"

Timothy squinted at the knitted fabric. "That's that old sweater Mrs. Davis gave you."

"Sure is," Hudson held it by the shoulders and laid it over his chest. "Ms. Wildfire had a real good idea; for Mrs. Davis' funeral today, we all wore things she made for us."

The older man cocked his head. "You put that on?"

Hudson rolled the sweater to match the thickness of the sleeves, set the rolled portion behind his neck, and tossed one of the sleeves over his shoulder. "As as scarf! That was Ms. Wildfire's idea too."

Timothy managed a short chuckle. "Seems she's gettin' a pretty good handle of things around here."

A smile beamed across Hudson's face. "Oh, she sure is; she knows how to do so much in the shop now. And—oh—this mornin' I was watchin' her practice with her fire... gosh, the way she moves, and the flames move around her—"

Hudson's ramble was cut short in embarrassment when the woman in question entered the room with Lillith.

"It was a beautiful service," Lillith was finishing their conversation. "Thanks for all your help."

Wildfire smiled, nodding simply, as she stepped into Timothy's portion of the hospital ward.

What lightness that had warmed Timothy's face was doused in an instant when he saw her. She was wearing a crocheted cardigan over her purple sweater. The dusty rose hue didn't exactly match, but the tassles that tied it at her chest and the long, frilled train that hung at the back of her knees ensured the cardigan was a perfect fit.

"Where'd you get that," Timothy's voice was cold and sharp.

Wildfire's smile faded as she brought a hand to the cardigan and glanced at Hudson. Behind her, Lillith's eyes had shifted to the floor nerviously.

"We were goin' through the boxes of clothes up in the loft closet lookin' for my sweater," Hudson stepped in, noticing the downward turn of their conversation. "We found a box of Momma's clothes, and Ms. Wildfire found—"

"You take that off." Timothy's eyes pierced into Wildfire.

"Paw—"

"That ain't yours!" He shouted over Hudson.

Hudson grabbed Wildfire's arm before she could slip off the cardigan and stepped closer. "So—what—we're just gonna keep all her stuff in a box forever?"

Lillith's eyes darted to Hudson in surprise.

"Wouldn't you rather see it get used?"

"Son," Timothy's eyes burned.

"You think by usin' her stuff, somehow all the memories are gonna get erased??"

"Hudson."

His fists clenched at his sides. "'Cause I'd like to think it's the other way around!!"

"Hudson!!" The father yelled, clamping his hands on the bed and balling the sheets in his fingers. His book slid off the bed and clattered onto the floor beside his feet.

The room fell to an uncomfortable silence. The wrinkles of Timothy's face were pulled taught by his frown. Hudson's thick brows were low on his forehead over his narrowed eyes; his lips mashed thin. Lillith worriedly watched the father and son closely, and Wildfire stood at Hudson's side, with one hand still on the rose-colored cardigan.

Only Timothy's eyes moved, meeting Wildfire's. "Take that off." He said, weakly, yet firmly.

Wildfire dropped her gaze and untied the knot at her chest, and she slipped it from her shoulders. Once Josephine's cardigan was folded and looped over her arm, her eyes slowly rose to meet the elder mechanic. "I'm sorry, sir."

Timothy did not acknowledge her apology as his eyes shifted to Hudson's silent scowl. He waited for him to storm out of the room, but the young man remained firm at the foot of his bed. It was Timothy who, at last, blinked and turned away.

With the standoff concluded, Hudson regained Wildfire's arm and left with her at his side, walking past Lillith without a word. 

The doctor followed them with her eyes, then returned her attention to Timothy.

The man's face was in profile as he stared at the bottom of the privacy curtain. A mixture of fuming anger and intense regret twisted his mouth and tugged at his brows. His expression twitched when the sound of the closing office door reached his ears.