The Longest Road

The first time Tess meets him, really meets him, it's in a hospital bed in Vegas.

The eldest Conlon steps out of the room just as they finally reach the right hallway. It took a while to get through the press on their way out but Brendan was adamant about coming to the hospital before anything else. The estranged father greets them with a tired nod while arguing with a uniformed man who accompanies him down the hallway. The subject of their conversation isn't hard to guess.

It's the first time she notices he's here. The last time they met face-to-face was several years ago and that was an impression that stuck. For now, she pushes the awful memory associated with this man out of her mind and follows her husband into the room.

She won't admit it in front of Brendan but his brother is still intimidating, lying in that bed. Even more so than when he's beating the shit out of guys in a cage.

His shoulder has been reset immediately after the fight and according to the nurse, he's been ordered to remain still. She's never dislocated anything but she's sure that recovery is far from pleasant. She heard him scream in the arena when her husband put on the pressure, this isn't just a twisted joint.

As Brendan pulls up a chair next to his estranged brother, reaching to clasp the man's hand, Tess feels the Marine's heavy gaze on her.

She can't really bring herself to smile at him and he doesn't either, only looking at her silently. Probably trying to place her. She wonders if he's on medication. At least that would explain his hazy gaze that just wont tear away from her.

Her husband seems to notice their staring contest at last and makes an effort to introduce them. She nods politely and Tommy doesn't move at all, only shifting his eyes back to Brendan as he speaks.

Neither of the brothers says much but the hulk of a man doesn't pull his hand away from the friendly grip. It looks like he can't muster the energy. He listens to Brendan's hushed apologies, grunts a dismissive reply and keeps his focus on the bedsheets. Tess thinks he's just being rude but comes to realize that it's the way he knows to react - not acknowledging his acceptance openly.

She watches them, Brendan's tired, heavily swollen face, Tommy's hard expression and his purple eye, the distance in their closeness. She doesn't really know why she came along. She could have gone back to the hotel but she was curious. Maybe she irrationally wanted to protect her husband, knowing fully well that no more fighting was going to happen. She feels out of place and quietly settles down in the chair in the far corner.

A good ten minutes of one-sided conversation later, Brendan gets up, offering to grab her some coffee. He's still used to his water and protein diet but after the last 24 hours' events, a coffee sounds damn good to her. She nods gratefully.

Then the room is still and she's alone with the injured Marine who has taken an interest in the nightstand rather than her.

She's unsure why Brendan left. Does he want her to talk to his brother? Establish some kind of acceptance? He knows she doesn't share anything with him, can't relate to the man or his relationship with her husband. For all she knows, this is the guy that tried to beat Brendan to a pulp in there. He barely looks anything like he did in those childhood pictures she's seen of them.

She fiddles with her shirt, pulls her hair back into a ponytail, trying to appear busy when she's really evading the man's eyes. What are you even scared of, she mocks herself, he's done nothing to you. Tess takes a deep breath.

"I remember you," Tommy says suddenly. The gruff voice pulls her out of her reverie and her head snaps up immediately.

It's strange to hear him talk. There's so much repressed emotion in his tone. Even stranger is the fact that he initiated a conversation with that statement. She's lost for words. He doesn't look at her exactly, but in her general direction and she's glad he's not pinning her down with his eyes.

"I don't think Brendan ever introduced us," she replies, wondering if he will be angry that she can't recall any encounter between them, "You moved away before he had the chance"

He doesn't give any comment. He seems to be making a real effort to communicate with her and she wonders if this is a favour to his brother or if he's truly interested in their life. "When d'you marry?"

"2004. Brendan wanted to send you an invitation but… " she trails off, not wanting to place any blame. He probably understands well enough what she's trying not to say. You disappeared, nobody knew where you were and Brendan's father barely made it to the ceremony because he was hungover. He wanted you there but there was no way to find you.

He's chewing the inside of his mouth, looking at the ceiling again. She slowly stands and crosses over to the abandoned chair at his bedside. So close, she can see their relation. Not physically so much, but that determination in their faces is exactly the same. Always fighting for a cause. Other than that, they could be strangers for all their similarity.

"Sometimes I wish we'd met. Before," she tells him and the words are both strange on her tongue and a tumble of honesty, "I stopped asking after a while but Brendan, he missed you so much. He felt guilty."

She looks at the tattoos peeking out under his hospital gown, just following the patterns. They're much bolder than her husband's, a brutal, tribal design. He's still not looking at her but his lips twitch, like he's trying not to laugh at her statement. She almost misses his quiet answer and the ironic tone of it ignites a rush of anger in her. "Right"

"None of us have had it easy," she retorts.

He raises an eyebrow, as though it is ridiculous for her to use such a sweeping declaration, and says roughly, "Getting kids is a choice"

Her words are just as bristly. "So is joining the Marines."

He is quiet, staring at the grey surface above them. He doesn't appear to take offense but there's something new, something regretful in his stance. He doesn't argue back. Her eyes fall to the drip in his arm, fluid leaking into his body.

She's seen the officers outside his room. Looking utterly bored but still, they're stationed there to prevent him from escaping unnoticed. She hasn't been following the news but it doesn't take much to know that he's probably in trouble of sorts.

Her voice is softer as she asks, "What's going to happen to you?"

He shrugs with a single shoulder and even though it's the healthy one, his eyes narrow as he represses a wince. He's clearly still in all kinds of pain.

She almost feels pity for him then. Almost puts aside the fact that he's done so much damage to Brandan. He's fought all the way up to here and if it's anything like his brother's hard work, he's put everything into it. Now's he has been beaten, strapped to a hospital bed with nothing but gloomy prospects ahead. She doesn't even know what kind of punishment they dish out to soldiers who abandon their unit.

She presses her palms against each other, resting them against her lips as she thinks. She can sense that this man surely doesn't want comfort, especially from some stranger. She's not even sure if he deserves any from her. The way he's lying here though, she can all but feel the pain under the surface of that stony expression. As a mother, she is strangely inclined to offer him sympathy.

"You know," she begins, then pauses to make sure he's paying attention, "If you're ever in the area and let Brendan know, maybe you could visit. Sometime."

He clearly didn't expect that gesture, despite its reluctant phrasing. His eyes slowly move to really take her in but he does well in hiding the surprise. It takes him a bit to process the invitation. They listen to the banter of the guards outside, the bustle of hospital staff and the scrape of the door as Brendan returns.

She keeps her eyes on Tommy and he finally gives her a hint of a nod, barely a movement. It acknowledgement, not even close to an eager response but she knows that's probably all she'll get.

She receives her coffee with a kiss on the cheek. He tells her the kids just called and asked when they'd come home. Two days without their parents is already a stretch and naturally, she asks how things are with the sitter. When they turn back to the youngest Conlon, his eyes are finally closed and his features more relaxed than before. The drugs have kicked in.

Brendan cracks a gentle smile and gives the sleeping man's arm a last squeeze. Tess can't help but find it strangely endearing how easily he falls into the big brother role. She hasn't seen it on him until now, didn't expect to ever see it. Fourteen years of silence and grudge between the two and a good beating seems to have brought their worlds back into the right place.

She resists the urge to shake her head. The irony. But she knows this family has never been easy.

He holds the door open for her as they leave the room, brushing past the uniformed men and she takes note of the way his eye lingers on his sibling.

Out in the glaring sunshine, she links her fingers with his. "I invited him over"

"What?" He looks beyond surprised. After getting pummelled by the man, he obviously didn't expect her to accept Tommy Riordan. Much less let him enter their home or come near the children. God knows, he thought twice about it after that conversation on the beach.

"I think we'll see him soon," she tells him and is rewarded with a dizzying kiss. She laughs as she pulls away and raises a placating hand to frame his face, all swelling and bruises. The injuries don't bother him as he looks at her with pure adoration.

"Thanks, Tess"

Her smile stays and her fingertips ghost over his skin, "Come on. Let's get you home. That Marine isn't the only one that needs fixing here"