Work Text:
Sitting against the bars of a swing set sat Eddie Wells smoking a cigarette, face beat up and bruised.
Puffing out smoke from his lips, the gate creaks as Lilly Wells, Eddie's youngest daughter, enters the park, making her way over to Eddie, she stops in front of him looking down at him.
“Hiya dad”
Eddie looks over, looking up at her before he looks away, his lips in a straight line as he holds his cigarette with his right hand.
“Hi, Lil”
He says before moving his right hand slightly up “D'you want?” He says as he grabs a cigarette box from his front pocket, taking one out, giving it to her in which she accepts.
Things stay silent as Lilly holds the cigarette, staring down at her father as he takes a drag from his cigarette, her face plain but a frown.
“Can I tell you a secret?”
Eddie looks over, curiosity written on his face.
“If you like” he gives her a smile, seemingly slightly strained before he stops.
Lilly stares at her father with a look of disgust on her face as she speaks.
“I wish you were dead”
Eddie pauses before nods his head down as he looks down, a slight hint of hurt written on his face.
“You ruined my life, and I wish you were dead”
Slight aggression in her tone at the word dead and genuine as she continues to stare at her father with a look of disgust.
Eddie looks back, his face giving away that he's hurt, A frown on his face as he looks back up at Lilly.
He slowly gets up, his lips pursed as he lets out a slight groan of pain, most likely from the fight he got in not too long ago.
“Ok”
He says plainly, looking at Lilly, a slight height difference. He motions with his head “Come with me. Come on”
He starts walking off as Lilly stands there.
-
Eddie has his hands in his pockets of his plaid red and black flannel, Lilly follows him from behind, on a dirt trail with trees around.
“Where are we going?” Lilly says, a slightly worried tone as she follows behind Eddie.
Eddie stays silent for a few moments.
“You'll see” he says as he walks with Lilly four steps behind.
Walking on a trail with the woods in the distance and hills around, it stays silent.
-
Now in the woods on another trail they both walk, now slower and Eddie now has his hands out his pockets, his face stone cold but a frown.
“Dad? Dad, please can we go home? I'm tired” Lilly says with a hint of panic in her voice along with worry.
“Just keep walking” he says, Slightly louder, a hint of aggression in his tone as Lilly continues to follow with her face etched with concern.
-
“Why are we here? I wanna go back” she says with the same tone as before as they start to slow down and till they eventually stop.
Eddie looked off in the distance away from the trail and into the woods.
“Where are we?” Lilly says looking over at her father.
“We're near the lake” Eddie responds, still looking into the woods.
“We used to come here when… you were little” his voice sounded strained and forced, his gaze moving to Lilly then back to the woods.
“Just wait there” he says as he puts a hand up as he starts moving away he puts it back down.
“No. Where are you going?” Lilly asks, concern written on her face as she watches him walk away.
“Just-Just wait” he says as he starts quickly walking back down the path, Lilly looking at him with a scared expression.
Eddie walks off the path stopping halfway on a little slope as he crouches down.
He stays still, Crouched down before he picks up a black rock, looking down at it then back up in thought.
-
Joanne bangs on Jim's trailer door, a black duffel bag, filled with money in her hand.
She steps away from the door as Jim opens the door, looking slightly paranoid.
Joanne throws the duffel bag into Jim's arms, causing him to stagger backwards a few steps.
“You don't get to do that” Joanne says, pointing a finger at him.
“You don't get to march into my space throwing accusations about” irritation clear in her voice.
Jim looks at her bewildered.
“You don't know the first fffucking thing about me”
Jim continues to stare at her as she speaks.
“Pay you? Pay with what, exactly?”
“While you're sitting in here in your ivory drill tower, some of us are scraping our knuckles down here at zero”
“But you wouldn't know any of that, would you?”
“No. Cos you're all you, you, fucking you!” She says jabbing a finger at him making him flinch back.
Joanne's phone starts ringing in her pocket, she puffs at him as she searches what pocket it's in before she pulls it out answering it.
“Lil?” She says holding the phone up to her ear.
-
“Mum? Can you hear me?” Lilly says with her phone up to her ear, worry in her tone.
“Lil? Lil, you're breaking up darling” Joanne's voice comes over the phone all static-y.
“I'm-I'm with dad at the lake” Lilly stutters out.
-
“You're where” Joanne asks, her face now more worried looking.
“The lake. I'm really scared” Lilly's voice comes over the phone, her voice glitching.
“Lil?” Joanne says a little bit louder.
“I dunno what he's going to do”
“Lil?” her voice rises, slightly panicked as the phone line disconnects, she's breathing heavily as she pulls the phone away from her ear, looking quickly over to Jim who was watching her from the doorway of his trailer.
-
“Mum?” Lilly says before pulling her phone away from her ear.
-
Eddie walked down a path, his face stone cold with a frown.
-
Jim stops his car, Parking it as Joanne quickly unbuckles her seatbelt, exiting the car and running into the woods.
“Lilly!” She Yells as she runs. Jim watches her run off, staying in the car.
“Lilly!”
-
Eddie slowly walks towards the frozen pond, crouching down at the edge of it, touching the ice cold of the frozen pond, looking up at the trees as a bird screeches in the background, looking around in thought.
-
Lilly stands looking at the ground before her mum yells out at her.
“Lilly!” Joanne pants out as she runs over to Lilly “Fuck” he mutters as she quickly embraces Lilly into a hug “Oh, what's happend” she says in a soft voice.
“Hey. Hey, what is it?” Joanne asks as Lilly starts to sob into her shoulder “Hey look at me” Joanne says as she cups Lilly's cheeks.
“Where's your dad?” She asks in a more serious tone, looking up towards the path
“Where is he?”
-
Eddie stands up from his crouching position, he looks down at his feet as he starts cautiously stepping onto the frozen lake.
His lips pursed together “hm” he takes another step this time more confident.
“Mm”
His lips still pursed together as he looks forward, taking more steps as he lets out a breath, looking down at his feet for a moment as he stops walking before he looks back up taking a few shaky breaths as he takes another step forward.
“Eddie!” Joanne yells out as Eddie stops in his tracks.
Joanne and Lilly run down the small hill to the frozen lake before they start slowing down.
“Eddie?” Joanne says cautiously, putting a hand forward as if she's talking to an aggressive animal, as she makes it about a meter from the edge of the frozen lake.
“Eddie, Come back!” She says desperately as Lilly stands behind her.
Eddie remains still, looking down slightly to the side before he looks away taking more steps.
“Eddie”
“Eddie. Look at me” a look of desperation and determination crosses Joanne's face putting her arm down.
Eddie continues to take steps forward, his facial expression looking scared and lost as he turns around to face Joanna and Lilly.
“When you came home… I didn't give us any hope” Joanne crocks out, tears welled up in her eyes.
“I… I shut that out” she stammers “I shut you out”
“I were angry…” Her voice is now starting to break even more, on the verge of tears.
“That you'd walked back into a life that I'd built”
Lilly looks at Eddie, her face scared and tears in her eyes.
“Me, on my own, and I were angry about that” a tear drips down her cheek as Eddie looks on at them with dead eyes.
“But… I were wrong to be”
“I should've given us hope” Joanne says desperately, trying to coax Eddie off the ice like a scared animal.
“Why?” Eddie manages to choke out, his face twitches, his voice filled with emotion of a broken man, a broken man he is.
“Because… we chose each other” Joanne chokes out.
“For a reason, all those Years ago” she says, pursing her lips.
“And that has to mean something..”
“Dad!” Lilly Yells at him in desperation.
Eddie's face looks like he's about to cry, his eyes squinted, his lips pursed.
Jim suddenly starts walking down the path with a green rope in his hand.
“Jim…” Joanne's voice shakes as she speaks.
Jim makes a step on the ice grunting “Jim!”
“Eddie” Jim says, looking at him.
“It's too warm” he says as Joanne holds Lilly in her arms as they watch in horror.
“The ice won't hold” he says, shaking his head in a subtle movement.
“It's too late Jim”
“This is what monsters deserve” Eddie says, His voice low.
“Dad, please!” Lilly begs.
Eddie suddenly turns around quickly walking further onto the frozen, his steps big and heavy.
They watch in horror as the ice breaks under his feet, hitting his stomach on the edge of the ice, causing Lilly and Joanne to let out a scream. They watch, waiting for Eddie to resurface but he doesn't.
“Eddie! Hold on!” Jim yells as he throws the rope to the hole in the ice.
-
Jim sits in the back of his car, rubbing his hands together as he sniffs, his body is trembling.
Riya approaches Jim with a Thermos flask which possibly has tea or coffee inside it.
Riya pours the drink into a little plastic mug “Here… have this” she passes the cup to Jim as he clears his throat.
“You saved his life, Jim” Jim looks at her tilting his head to the side for a split second “hm”
“However that makes you feel” Jim blows on the steaming drink, clutching it in both hands.
“You did right”
“I didn't do it to be right. I did it because I'm owed an explanation” he says with slight aggression.
“Look” he mutters as he takes a sip of his drink. He stands up, turning around, reaching in the back of his car, opening the black duffel bag to Riya, revealing a whole lot of money inside.
“Eddie's sin. Left at my door every week”
Riya looks at the bag of cash, picking up a bundle of bills, getting held together with a rubber band.
“I thought it was her, the wife…” Jim starts slowly moving away from the car “but no…” he says as he walks off.
Riya flips the bundle of cash in her hand observing it before putting it back in.
“Who was it..?
-
Eddie sits on the steps of the back of an ambulance, wrapped in a towel and a foil sheet, holding it close to his body as he looks around.
He sniffles, rubbing his nose with his hand before he grabs a handle from inside the ambulance to assist him getting up.
Jim sits on a wooden bench, clutching his drink, still trembling when Eddie approaches.
“There's things that need saying”
Jim looks up from his drink at Eddie, standing a meter from him. Joanne, Lilly, and Katie sit on a separate bench as Joanne watches while holding them.
“I see your pain, and I promise you that I can match that” Eddie's voice is shaky but firm.
Jim put his cup on the arm of the bench “what…” he quickly stands up from the bench his arm shaking in anger “...the fuck would you know about pain?”
He snaps as Eddie looks at him, a hurt look in his eyes as he clutches the blanket to himself.
“I had five years screaming in my sleep”
“Five years of injections, just… trying to get me through the next five minutes” Jim glares at Eddie.
Riya approaches them both, a slightly shocked look on her face.
“Match that!” Jim snaps once again.
“Jim” Riya says firmly, the duffel bag in her hand making him look over at her “Tell me about that night”
“You know what happend” Jim says, confused.
“Just…” Riya puts a hand up “...walk me through it, one last time”
Jim jabs a finger at Eddie “He was convicted by a jury beyond reasonable doubt”
“He was convicted because there were no witnesses” Riya says firmly.
“He was found covered in my blood!”
“With a broken bottle in his hand. I get it” she says firmly once again.
“So what else do you need?”
“Clarity” Jim pauses at that.
“It was dark. I was walking home” he takes a breath in “I heard… laughter” Jim says, pointing a subtle finger at Eddie. Eddie's looking at the ground next to Jim, still clutching the blanket to him.
“I turned and saw him at the top of the street. He was swaying, drinking from a… a glass bottle”
“I turned back, I carried on walking” Jim motions with his hands “He attacked me from behind!”
“Did you see his face?” Riya blurts out at him. Jim pauses “Uh?”
“Did you see anyone else?”
“No!” Jim says, shaking his head.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes I'm sure. There was no-one!”
Riya subtly nods, pursing her lips before licking them.
She looks over at Eddie “Eddie” Eddie looks over at Riya “The day of the attack, where had you been?”
“At work” Eddie says softly “And then what?” Riya says, pushing for more details.
“I finished work early, went… went the dog”
“Who was in the dog?” Riya motions her hand for him to continue.
“I can't remember”
“Did you speak to anyone? Did you drink with anyone?” Riya pushes for answers.
“No. No, I mean not-not apart from Jakub. No, no-one” Riya nods “So Jakub was there?” a slight hint of aggression in her tone.
“Well, yeah. I mean, he'd come in and get his wages early, you know”
“Did he leave with you?”
“No” Jim is staring at Riya, a confused expression on his face “Are you sure?” She asks.
“We weren't mates. So…”
Riya stares at Eddie, her face blank.
“Why are you asking this again?” Jim blurts out.
“Because… this money…” Riya hesitates, shaking her head “...it's from someone who feels guilty about this…” Jim looks at Riya with a perplexed look on his face.
“…someone who was there that night” Eddie is looking at Riya as she speaks.
“On some of the notes, there were some… marks” she says as she opens up the duffel bag, shuffling through the money and notes inside “Some stains…”
“Like oil”
Eddie could feel his heart drop as Riya throws the bag of money to his feet as she walks away. Jim looks at the money then back at Riya walking away, still having that perplexed look on his face.
Eddie crouches down, quickly opening the bag, grabbing a wad of bills out, looking at the stains on it.
Jim watches Eddie as he makes a realization, Eddie looks up at Jim.
“Fucking hell” Eddie's words are muffled and broken as he stuffs his face in his elbow. Joanne runs over picking up a wad of bills from the ground looking at it as Eddie picks up the bag then throws it back down twice.
Joanne looks over at Eddie as he sniffles, keeping his head in his elbow as he starts to break down.
Jim watches them, A look of dread on his face.
Joanne puts a hand on his back, crouching down beside Eddie as he starts to sob. Her own face having a look of dread on it as she watches Eddie sob into his elbow.