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"Like this?"
Frank cast a glance at Wally's craft, but said nothing. He was not the paper-folding expert.
"Good job, little buddy," Eddie said. "The next bit's tricky, so watch real close."
Wally leaned forward, eyes wide as he focused intently on Eddie's hands. Eddie moved slowly and carefully, making sure Wally had a clear view as he made the next fold in the paper.
Both looked up sharply when a cheerful tattoo rapped against the front door, followed by the door bursting open to Julie making her grand entrance.
"Hiiiii, Frank!" she sang out and, catching sight of Eddie and Wally, added, "and Eddie and Wally and anyone else who's hiiiiiding!"
"It's just us," Frank told her as Eddie raised his hand in greeting. "Come in and join us."
"Hi, Julie," Wally said with calm good humour. "I'm making a frog."
"We're doing origami," Eddie clarified.
"A frog?" Julie exclaimed, charmed by the very concept. "Can I make one too?"
"I suppose so," Eddie said. "We're not too far along. I can show you what we've done so far."
"I tried to convince them to make a beetle or a butterfly for my garden, but I was outvoted," Frank said, feigning annoyance.
"I like beetles too," Wally said, "but I want to finish my frog."
"And you should," Frank assured him as Eddie patiently allowed Julie to pull his sample apart to see how much he'd done so far. "I was only teasing a little."
"Just need a sec," Eddie said as Wally's attention pivoted back to him. "I'm going to help Julie catch up to us."
"Okay," Wally said, crossing his hands on the table as he waited.
"Aren't you going to make any, Frank?" Julie said, putting extra folds in her paper, much to Eddie's vague distress.
"Not today," Frank replied. "How can I be a good host if my hands are full of paper? Speaking of which, can I get anyone a drink refill? Or first fill in your case, Julie. We've been having lemonade, but if there's something else you'd prefer-"
"Oh! Oh! I'd LOVE some lemonade," Julie exclaimed as Eddie carefully ushered her toward proper frog-folding techniques.
"Yes, please," Wally said. "I like your lemonade."
Frank put out a fresh glass for Julie, refilled Wally's and Eddie's glasses, and poured some for himself before sitting down to watch. Contrary to what he'd told Julie, he actually did participate in the paper folding, but did so in spurts, watching Eddie's patient teaching and making several folds at once.
Now, of course, he would probably be called upon to wrangle Julie's enthusiasm so that it wouldn't steamroll Wally's attempt to learn the craft. Her good humour could be infectious, but also overwhelming, especially in a largish group.
With their drinks refreshed, Eddie continued his teaching, slowly and deliberately making his folds so that Wally could see him, and fielding the flurry of suggestions and questions from Julie. Frank jumped in to distract Julie where he could, but Eddie's expertise was needed more often than not. Eddie didn't mind, of course, and Wally seemed unbothered, but Wally often seemed unbothered even when he was not.
If Frank would credit Barnaby with anything, it was with being able to read Wally's moods like a book.
Frogs complete, Eddie demonstrated how they could be made to jump, a discovery that thrilled Julie to no end and prompted a discussion about the great paper frog circus and all the acts of daring do the frogs would get up to. Eddie anxiously tried to remind her that the frogs didn't jump all that high, but Julie would hear nothing of it. Her imagination forged ahead at full speed and no brakes could hope to slow it down.
Wally prodded his frog carefully, eyes widening slightly every time it jumped, as though it were a new discovery every single time.
Eddie and Julie's discussion - rather, Julie's insistence and Eddie's dissuasion - merged into a noisy drone that Frank ignored in favour of placing his empty glass in the sink. A sharp rap on the door cut through the cacophony and he sighed inwardly wondering who it could be now. He seldom had so many guests at once and could not fathom who else in the neighbourhood would be seeking his company.
It turned out to be Sally.
"Franklin!" she cried.
"That's not my name," Frank reminded her, though she ignored him.
"Have you seen Juliette? I... Oh! There you are!"
"Would you like to come in?" Frank offered, stepping aside before Sally could push her way through. It was not that Sally was rude, per se, but when she had something in mind, her thoughts ran on rails and could not be turned.
"Hi, Sally!" Julie said.
"Ma'am," Eddie said, pretending to tip his hat.
"Juliette, I'm so glad I found you," Sally exclaimed. "I have the most perfect idea for a stage play and could use your help. Actually, Franklin-"
"Sally," Frank sighed.
"-I could have a role for you too. But only the two," she stressed. "I really don't want a very large cast for this. It will be an epic story with a theme of role reversal. What I can't decide is whether I would like a princess with gorgeous hair and a beautiful dress fighting her way to rescue a prince or a princess dressed in a prince's armour doing the fighting. The prince, in this case, would be wearing the beautiful dress. Fighting in a dress seems difficult, but I think that would only make the scene more impressive. Even so, I wouldn't want to put the safety of my actors at risk. Either way, there must be a beautiful dress somewhere. This is the theatre! What do you think?"
"I think Frank should wear a beautiful dress," Julie said. "He doesn't get to nearly enough."
"Well, it's hard to garden in ruffles," Frank sighed. "The stage is something different though. If you're asking Julie to do the fighting, then I think she should choose whatever costume will make her comfortable."
"I could wear the dress if you want," Eddie offered. "I've never been rescued before. Would I be trapped in a tower? I don't really like heights."
"I'm not sure the dress would fit," Sally replied icily. "It was made to compliment a much more... petite figure."
"Oh, so you want Wally then," Eddie said, nonplussed.
"I still think Frank should wear the dress," Julie said, "but Wally would be good too. Do you think you'd like to be my prince in distress, Wally?"
When she received no answer, Frank cast a glance toward Wally, who only stared dazedly at his frog.
"Wally?" he prodded gently.
Wally said nothing, but slumped forward slightly. He then snapped back up to attention before tilting forward again.
Frank swore inwardly and caught Wally before he hit the table.
"Walliford!" Sally gasped, her voice a tangle of concern, affront, and surprise. If she hoped to startle Wally out of his stupor, she did not succeed, and Frank waved her into silence as she opened her mouth to try again.
"Be quiet," he hissed at them. He didn't truly understand Wally's moods, but knew noise had something to do with them. "Wally," he said in a low voice, "can you walk? I'm going to help you into the other room, if that's all right."
"Mmn," Wally hummed, if he could be said to have made any sound at all. He slumped against Frank, but made no move to stand.
"Um... you want?" Eddie said, trying to keep his voice low and making a lifting gesture.
Frank nodded. Wally was light enough that Frank could have carried him, but Eddie was stronger and more sturdily built and could no doubt do so with far less jostling.
Eddie gingerly stood up and inched Wally's chair away from the table, giving himself room enough to crouch down and work his arms behind Wally's back and knees as Frank tilted Wally into his arms.
"I got ya, little buddy," Eddie murmured, standing slowly as Wally hung limply in his arms.
Frank gestured towards the door that led into the front room. Eddie nodded once in understanding and carried Wally off as Frank turned to his other guests.
Sally stared at him, stunned, one hand pressed to her mouth as if in horror, but more likely to remind herself not to speak. Julie flapped her hands frantically - her whole forearms, if truth be told - anxious to ask questions, but unwilling to voice them.
Fortunately for them both, Frank knew her well enough to address her concerns.
"He'll be all right," he told Julie in low tones. "He just needs to be away from people for a little while. Can I count on you to be the hostess? You know where everything is. I'm going to sit with Wally for a bit, just to keep an eye on him. It should be okay to talk as long as you do it quietly."
"Okay, Frank," Julie whispered-shouted and immediately turned to Sally, pantomiming pouring her a glass of lemonade.
Frank left the pair to converse in charades and entered the front room where Eddie was settling Wally on the sofa. If his eyes had been closed, Frank might have thought Wally had fainted, but he stared into nothingness with an expression that was... not so much blank as neutral.
He let Eddie finish placing pillows beneath Wally's head and removing his shoes before touching him on the shoulder. He had tried not to startle Eddie, but Eddie startled all the same, and then rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly as he stood and stepped away from the sofa.
He mimed holding a phone receiver to his ear and mouthed, Barnaby?
This gave Frank pause. He was not especially fond of Barnaby, but it was true that Wally cared for and trusted him. His presence might be a comfort.
Of course, his presence might also be another source of noise and confusion.
Frank shook his head and, leaning in closer to Eddie, murmured, "Not right now."
Eddie nodded his understanding and gestured toward the kitchen, indicating where he would wait. Frank nodded in return, and then he was alone in the room with Wally.
Wally's state unnerved him. How could it not? But it also hurt his heart. He couldn't understand Wally's reactions to his environment - it wasn't something he himself had ever experienced - but he understood being frustrated to the point where he burned with white-hot rage that would not subside until he yelled and stomped it out. He imagined Wally's situation to be somewhat similar, but where his energy grew until it needed release, Wally's diminished until he could no longer function.
That was, perhaps, simplistic, but it was the best explanation he could think of without asking Wally directly and that was something he would rather not do. He thought it might be rude and, if the truth be told, he didn't think Wally had any better an explanation for it than he did.
Frank grabbed an afghan from the recliner and spread it over Wally's body, noticing that Wally's arm dangled limply off the sofa. As he crouched to lift it and tuck it under the blanket, Wally's fingers wound around his own and gripped him tightly. He looked to Wally then and, while Wally had not moved, his eyes had rolled to the side, watching him.
"You don't like to be alone, do you?" Frank murmured.
Wally only stared, unnerving, and also sad.
"Well, I can't crouch here too long. It's very uncomfortable," Frank said, allowing his voice to soften when Wally's grip tightened. "I won't go anywhere. I just want to change position. Is it all right if I lift you a little to sit down? I'll put your head in my lap instead."
Wally said nothing, but his grip loosened. Frank thanked him and folded his arm over his chest before cautiously sitting him up. Supporting Wally while also turning to sit down proved to be more difficult than anticipated, but he managed. He crossed his legs and placed some pillows up against them so that he could lower Wally down into a reclined position. He took up Wally's hand again as proof he had not left, but Wally gave no sign that he had noticed apart from his eyes rolling back towards him, seeking him out.
Frank wondered if Wally even saw anything in moments like this. If he was truly seeking Frank out, or if instinct turned him toward the nearest available presence. He often seemed to absorb everything with his eyes, drinking in the world around him, but he did not seem to be looking at anything right now so much as through it.
Frank also wondered how long this mood - this displacement - would last. He had only witnessed it once or twice, but it seemed to him that Wally usually recovered quickly. Of course, Barnaby had been present on those occasions.
Perhaps that made the difference.
Putting aside his own opinions, Frank placed his free hand on Wally's brow and stroked his forehead with his thumb.
"Do you want me to call Barnaby?" he said.
Wally did not even twitch.
This put Frank in the awkward position of deciding for himself whether or not he was willing to tolerate the big, blue beagle pushing his way into the house for Wally's sake. In truth, it surprised him that Barnaby hadn't arrived on his own. He seemed to have a sixth sense about Wally, always showing up or calling around the time Wally needed him.
As Frank pondered the merits of getting Eddie to find Barnaby, Wally appeared to awaken from his stupor. At least his grip became stronger and he shifted uneasily, his eyelids drooping and diminishing the intensity of his stare.
"Are you feeling all right, Wally?" Frank said.
Wally seemed unable to answer with words, but leaned into him further, using Frank's arm to pull himself up until he could rest his head on Frank's shoulder.
"Oh! That's right," Frank said, moving his arm to better support Wally. "You like to be held, don't you? I'm afraid that's Julie's specialty, but I'm happy to do it if you're comfortable."
Wally drew his knees up a little to better curl into him and Frank adjusted his hold accordingly, feeling surprisingly touched that Wally trusted him as a protector. It felt... good to be needed this way and to be in a position to make things right.
Not that Wally was incapable of caring for himself, of course. He managed very well on his own. But everyone had weaknesses and moments of vulnerability. Everyone needed help sometimes. Frank knew he was terrible at asking for it himself, but he also surrounded himself with people who knew him well enough to understand the manifestations of his weaknesses and respond accordingly. To be seen as someone who could provide the same was...
Well, it reassured him that all was in balance. That he was able to give as much as he took.
As he perused those thoughts, Wally came back to himself bit by bit and progressed to holding and playing with Frank's hand, intensely focused on manipulating each finger, curling and uncurling them.
Frank let him and stayed quiet, observing the way in which Wally seemed fascinated by the mechanics involved with each finger, his thumb, his wrist, and the cuff of his shirt.
After several moments of this, Wally sighed deeply.
"Hi, Frank," he said.
"Hi, Wally," Frank replied. "How are you feeling?"
"I feel... I feel... Um..."
"Better, at least?"
"Yes," Wally confirmed. "I feel better."
In spite of this assessment, Wally did not immediately move to stand, so Frank simply sat quietly with him until Wally began to shift and squirm. He helped Wally to sit up and passed him his shoes, leaving him to finish dressing and straighten his clothing.
"Thank you, Frank," Wally said, looking up at him, eyes heavy-lidded but bright. "I really liked visiting and having lemonade. Oh, and making a frog. But I think I should go home now. I feel better, but... um..."
"Of course," Frank told him. "It must be very tiring when there are so many people and so much noise. Do you want someone to walk with you? I have guests, but I'm sure Eddie would be happy to help."
"Okay. I'd like it if Eddie could walk with me."
He escorted Wally into the kitchen, where Julie gestured frantically at Sally, who responded in long, expressive movements. Eddie merely watched them with calm interest, sipping lemonade at intervals.
"WALLY!" Julie cried when she spotted them, and then clamped both hands against her mouth and loudly whispered, "Hi, Wally!"
"Hi, Julie," Wally replied. "Hi, Sally. Hi, Eddie. What are you doing?"
"We're talking about a play with our hands!" Julie told him, gesturing between herself and Sally by way of demonstration.
"We felt it would be most considerate of us to communicate in a way that would not cause undue disturbance," Sally clarified.
"That sounds like fun," Wally said, much to Julie's delight.
"Do you want to join us?" she said.
"Oh, I would," Wally said, "but I feel tired now. I would like to go home. Eddie, could you walk with me? I usually walk with Barnaby, but-"
A knock at the door interrupted them and Frank left the group to answer it. He was surprisingly unsurprised to find Barnaby.
"Eh.. Hi, Frank," Barnaby began, sounding strangely uncertain. "Have you seen Wally? I thought I should check on him, but no one's at the post office and-"
"Hi, Barnaby," Wally said, ducking under Frank's arm. "Eddie and I came to visit Frank. We had lemonade and folded paper. I made a frog. Oh..."
He patted his pockets until Eddie reached around Frank to tap him on the shoulder and pass him the paper frog.
"Thank you, Eddie," Wally told him and held up the frog for Barnaby's inspection. "See?"
"You did that yourself? I'm impressed!"
"Eddie showed me how."
"Eddie's a talented guy, but you're still the one who folded it," Barnaby reminded him. "Are you going to stay and make more?"
"No," Wally admitted. "I want to go home. I asked Eddie to walk with me, but if you're walking home too, we can walk together."
"Sure, little buddy. You should make sure Eddie's okay with being left behind."
"Okay," Wally said. "Eddie, is it all right if I walk home with Barnaby? You can walk with us if you want to."
"It's kind of you to offer," Eddie said, "but if you've got someone else to walk with, I think I'll stay with Frank and the others for a while."
"Okay," Wally said, lifting his hand in farewell. "'Bye, Eddie. 'Bye, Frank. 'Bye, Julie. 'Bye, Sally."
"'Bye, Wally!" Julie called from the kitchen.
"Farewell, Walliford," Sally echoed.
"Goodbye, Wally," Frank said. "You're welcome to visit any time."
"Wow, you had quite a visit," Barnaby said, nudging Wally in the direction of Home. "I hope it was a good time."
"Yes," Wally told him as they walked away. "First, I went to Eddie's. And then he got some packages to deliver to Poppy and Frank..."
"You didn't tell Barnaby what happened?" Eddie said.
"Wally will tell him eventually," Frank said. "There was no point in alarming him and ruining Wally's story. By the time Wally gets to it, Barnaby will know he's all right and won't worry so much."
Eddie chuckled.
"Awful sweet of you, considering you're not much fond of Barnaby."
"I don't need to be fond of Barnaby to not want to ruin Wally's story," Frank told him. "Or to admit that he cares about Wally."
"Well, I think you did a fine job of takin' care of him too," Eddie said warmly.
"Stop, you," Frank said, waving Eddie away. "People will think I have a heart."
"I know ya do. Even if you don't like to show it."
Frank snorted. "There's a difference between heart and duty. Wally was my guest. I always take care of my guests."
"Sure, Frank."
Frank did not even need to see Eddie to know he was smiling.
"Enough," Frank told him, trying but unable to hide his fondness. "I've got other guests too, including you. Unless you're leaving, step back and let me close the door. Then get back into the kitchen so we can convince Sally to let you play a prince in distress."
Eddie laughed wholeheartedly at that, but did as he was told as Frank closed the door behind them.