PromptedAwards

Brian decided to set the plan in motion that next day.  Emma was going to have another surgery in the morning, and, if everything went according to plan, Brian could convince her to break up with Walt before she was fully back to herself.

Brian got up bright and early that next morning and called Walt.

He answered with a groggy "Hello?" on the fourth ring.

"Hey, Walt," Brian began, "I was wondering--"

"Hey, Little Man!" Walt interrupted, "What can I do you for?  Ha, ha, see what I did there?"

Brian ignored every obnoxious part of that sentence and continued, "I was wondering if you were going to see Emma later?"

Brian could almost see Walt frown into the phone as he replied, "Emma's having surgery.  She's in the hospital right now."

"I know," Brian said through gritted teeth, "I was wondering if you were going to visit her at the hospital after her surgery."

"Ohh, yeah, I'll do that."

Brian smiled.  "Great."  He then gasped like he had gotten a sudden idea.  "Hey, you know what Emma would love?  Some nice flowers."

"Flowers?" Walt asked, as if he wasn't sure what flowers were.

"Yes, flowers."  Brian was getting more than annoyed.

He imagined Walt shrug as he said, "Whatever."

Brian decided to take that as an okay.  "Remember," he told Walt firmly, "Emma likes oleanders.  You need to get her those."

"Oleanders?"  Brian detected more than the usual confusion in his voice, "Aren't oleanders--"

"No, that's something else." Brian interrupted, "Remember to get the pink ones, okay.  They're her favorite."

"Yeah, okay."  Walt said before hanging up the phone.

Brian's plan was in motion.

"Babe!" Walt said, bursting into the room that afternoon and shoving the pink flowers into Emma's face, "It took me all day but I found them!"

Brian tried to keep from smiling as she stared at Walt, appalled.  "Are those oleanders?"

"Yep," Walt said proudly, "your favorite, right?"

"Wrong." Emma stated, pushing them away from her, "Walt, those are poisonous!"

Walt's face fell.  "But Brian said--"

"Brian said not to get them,"  Brian interrupted, "but you thought it would be a funny joke.  You wanted to see how long it would take before she noticed."

Emma gasped and glared at her boyfriend.  "Walt, is this true?"

Poor Walt's brain seemed to have exploded from all of the comprehension it suddenly had to do, so he just stared at Brian, slack jawed.     

Emma looked like she wanted to cry.  "Walt, this is so unlike you."

"Is it, Emma?" Brian asked, going all in, "This is the kind of thing I was trying to warn you about.  Walt isn't who you thought he was."

"Walt," she said, "turning to him with sad eyes, "we're through."

The next few days were filled with darkness.  Emma's surgery had been successful, but it hadn't made anything better.  She just didn't want to be better.

Brian should've been happy.  After all this time, he had won, but that didn't make the emptiness go away.  He knew that he shouldn't have thrown Walt under the bus like that, but it was the only way Emma would ever see sense.

What sense, his mind asked over and over, was there ever really a problem?

Somehow, Brian knew he had to make things right.

Gathering all of his courage, Brian once again dialed Walt's number.

"You've reached Heartbreak Central." Walt answered glumly.

Brian swallowed hard.  "Walt," he began, "I wanted to say that I'm very sorry I got you in trouble the other day.  I was just scared that you, well..."

He really wasn't sure what to say.  Was he sorry he had destroyed this guy's relationship, or was he just saying what he thought Walt wanted to hear?

He tried again.  "Walt, I know Emma said it was over, but she really needs you."  Brian was suddenly overcome with emotion.  "You were the only thing that made her happy anymore.  You were what gave her hope, Walt, and, now that you're gone, she's about had enough.  Go back to her, Walt.  I swear I'll explain everything."

After Brian had finished, he was surprised to hear muffled sobbing from the other line.

"Th--that was so beautiful, Little Man!" Walt cried into the phone, "You really got a way with words!"

"So, will you do it?" Brian pressed.

"Sure," Walt agreed, "but I'll need to bring her something real nice."

Brian laughed.  "Just not oleanders, okay?"

Brian ran to answer the door an hour later.  He opened it and there stood Walt, soaked from the evening's rain shower.  He held out a bouquet of roses for Brian to inspect and stepped inside.

"Okay," Brian whispered as he helped him take off his coat, "she's in the living room.  Just act natural, okay?  Try to be a gentleman."

Walt gulped and moved past Brian further into the dim hall.  They tiptoed until they reached the doorway of the living room.  Brian's eyes scanned the room cautiously until they came to rest on a sleeping figure on the couch.  He gestured to Walt, who entered slowly.

"Babe," Walt said, moving toward the couch, "Babe, wake up."

Emma woke with a start.  "Walt, what are you doing here?"

Brian stepped out of the shadows. 

"I brought him here." he said with more courage than he felt, "You needed to know the truth."

"What truth?" Emma asked.

Brian took a deep breath.  "I was the one who told Walt to get those flowers."

Emma's mouth fell open.

"You told him to do that?" She asked incredulously, "Brian how could you?"

"I thought that--well, maybe you would break up with him if you saw what an idiot he was."

Emma sat up straighter in her chair, her face red.  "Of course I knew what an idiot he is, but he's my idiot--at least he was.  No offence, by the way," she added turning toward Walt.

Walt shrugged.  "None taken.  I get that a lot."

"Brian," Emma finished, "why would you do this?"

"I don't know," Brian said to the carpeted floor, his face hot, "I was just worried I was losing you.  We used to be inseparable, and know you hardly even acknowledge me.  I just want my sister back...and I thought, maybe if Walt was out of the way, things would go back to the way they were."

Emma frowned.  "Why didn't you just tell me?"

"I don't know," Brian whispered, "you seemed so happy.  I didn't want to mess that up."

Emma reached over and took Brian's hand.  "I'm sorry, Brian.  I didn't know you felt that way."

"You've been going through a lot lately.  I didn't want to make things worse.  But it's okay now," he added quickly, "I want you to be together.  I know I was wrong.  Your happiness means more to me than anything, and I want you to get back together with Walt if that's really what you want."

"Yeah, Babe," Walt cut in, holding out the now wilting pink roses, "what d'ya say?"

Then, to Brian's surprise, Emma burst into tears.

"Oh, Walt," she sobbed, "I do love you and I want to be with you, but you deserve to be with a girl who can actually be there for you, not a crippled invalid!"  She then sighed and wiped her eyes.  "I can't ask you to stay with me.  It's not fair."

Walt knelt down beside the couch and took her hand.  "Em, he said softly, "I know I'm not the smartest, but I know that leaving you would be a big mistake."  He then slid in next to her and put his arm around her.  "I love you, Emma, and I don't want to be without you.  Please don't make me."

Emma gazed into his eyes, searching them for any indication of untruthfulness.  She then took a ragged breath and whispered, "Okay."

Brian had never seen anyone smile as widely as Walt did at that word.

"Oh, Babe!"  He exclaimed as he pulled her into a tight embrace.

Brian's heart was filled with more joy than he could possibly imagine.  He hadn't counted on this actually turning out to be the thing that he wanted, he had just planned on grinning and bearing the heavy burden of a life full of Walt for the sake of his sister.  Now, Brian couldn't think of nothing else that would make him quite so happy.

"Come on, Babe," Walt said to Emma, "let's go do something."

Brian expected her to refuse, but Emma just smiled.  "Like what?"

Walt grinned mischievously, "My dad has some fireworks left over from the fourth of July.  Wanna go try them out?"

The words slipped out before Brian could stop them.  "Do you have any ideas that don't involve blowing stuff up?"

"Do you have any ideas that don't involve criticizing my every move?" Walt countered, but he was smiling,

"I'll say it once again: you got spunk, kid."

The three of them laughed, and Brian knew that he had made the right choice.