Chương 13: Chapter 13: Revelations and Resolutions.
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"Hi, who are you?" Wally asked, eyeing the stranger at his door, flanked by two others.
"This might sound a bit sudden, but I am your father, Wally," Joe said.
Wally's expression shifted to surprise. "Y-Your... my father?"
"Wally, who's at the door?" Franchine called from inside.
As she arrived, her eyes widened in shock at the sight of Joe.
"Franchine," Joe greeted.
"Joseph," Franchine replied, her voice laden with emotion.
"This man claims to be my father. Is it true?" Wally asked, looking to his mother.
Their silence confirmed it.
"Yes, Wally. Joe is your father," I said, breaking the tension.
"If you're my father, why are you coming back now?" Wally demanded, his voice a mix of confusion and anger. "Why did you abandon us?"
"Wally, your father didn't abandon you; it was the other way around," Franchine admitted.
"What are you talking about?" Wally asked, bewildered.
"Maybe it's better if we go inside to discuss this," I suggested.
"What? No, I—"
"Wally, I understand you're angry, but we have guests. It would be rude not to invite them in," Franchine said firmly.
Wally fell silent, and we all went inside. Franchine agreed with my idea to have the conversation indoors. Joe took a seat in a chair, while Iris and I sat on the couch. Franchine settled in a lounge chair, and Wally paced the room anxiously.
"How did you find us?" Franchine asked, her tone demanding.
"I didn't. He did," Joe said, pointing to me.
"Yes, it's me, the super mad evil genius who figured out where you were hiding," I said in a mock villainous tone.
This elicited laughter from Joe, Iris, and even a small smile from Franchine and Wally.
"You were the one who found us, young man?" Franchine asked.
"Yes, and my name is Barry Allen, not 'young man'," I replied.
Franchine cleared her throat. "Barry, why did you decide to look for me?"
"Well, you were Iris's mother, and after losing my own mother, I needed to know if you were truly dead. Imagine my surprise when I found out you were alive."
"You lost your mother? What do you—"
"Now, Franchine, it's best not to discuss Barry's mother," Joe interrupted.
I nodded in agreement. "Yes, let's just say it's personal and leave it at that."
Wally's curiosity got the better of him. "Why? It can't be that bad; it's just a question."
I sighed. "Fine. If you must know, my mother was stabbed through the heart, and my dad went to prison for it." I replied bluntly.
Wally fell silent. "Oh. Well, that's... um," he struggled for words.
"Tragic. No one should have to go through that," Franchine said sympathetically.
"Yes, it was hard for Barry to get past it," Joe added.
"I—um, look, Barry, I didn't mean to bring up bad memories. I just—"
"It's okay, Wally. You didn't know," I said, raising my hand to stop his apology.
"Still, I shouldn't have brought it up. It was wrong of me, and um," Wally stammered, trying to apologize.
"You've never apologized to anyone before, have you?" I deduced.
Wally blushed in embarrassment. "No, I've never actually apologized to anyone before."
I smiled. "Well, you can start with a simple 'sorry'."
"Right, um, I am sorry for bringing up bad memories about your mother," Wally apologized.
"C'mon, Wally, there's no need to look so glum. You have a stepbrother and sister now. It's a time for reunion and togetherness," I said, trying to cheer him up.
"Yeah, I guess that's something to be grateful for," Wally said awkwardly. "I want to understand what my mom meant by saying it was the other way around about my dad abandoning me."
Franchine shifted uncomfortably. "I don't even know where to start, Wally."
"You can start from the beginning," Joe suggested.
Franchine began to explain her past: her struggles with drug addiction, the multiple rehab stints, and the incident that nearly cost Iris her life when she left the stove on. Realizing the danger she posed, she decided it was best to leave to protect her family.
"I don't believe this. You told me my father just left us," Wally said, his anger resurfacing.
"It was to protect your father and sister from me," Franchine cried.
"Franchine, why didn't you just tell me you had a son? I could have helped with child support," Joe said, his confusion and frustration evident.
"I got better; I haven't relapsed in the past 20 years," Franchine stated, feeling guilty. "I was afraid to face you and Iris after I left."
"That's why we never talked about Dad and why you didn't mention I had a sister," Wally said, pointing to Iris. "You've lied to me my whole life," he realized, storming out of the room in anger.
Franchine tried to follow, but Joe stopped her.
"Don't. He's angry and upset right now. Let me try talking to him," Joe said.
Franchine nodded, and Joe went after Wally.
I noticed Iris gripping my hand tightly.
"Iris, I understand that what you saw was intense, but please don't use my hand as a stress ball," I said, trying to lighten the mood.
Iris blushed in embarrassment. "R-Right, sorry, Barry."
I raised an eyebrow, curious about Iris's evolving feelings for me, which weren't present in the show's timeline.
Meanwhile, Joe caught up with Wally.
"Wally," Joe called out, trying to get his attention.
Wally stopped and turned around, arms crossed. "What?"
"I understand you're upset," Joe began.
"No, you don't. How could you possibly understand what I'm going through?" Wally yelled, his anger palpable.
"I understand because I just found out I have a son I didn't even know about," Joe said empathetically. "You're not the only one who's upset. I'm upset with myself for not being there to watch you grow up."
Wally took a deep breath, trying to calm his anger.
"This is all just a lot to take in," Wally said quietly. "I'm angry and confused about my mom keeping secrets about my sister and stepbrother."
Joe placed a hand on Wally's shoulder. "I know. I still can't believe I have a son standing right here in front of me."
"Where do we go from here?" Wally asked.
"We can start by talking to your mother," Joe said.
Wally opened his mouth to argue, but Joe interrupted.
"You don't have to talk to her right now. You can start when you're ready," Joe said.
Wally was silent for a moment.
"Are you going to be okay?" Joe asked, concerned.
"I need some time alone right now, please," Wally said.
"Okay. I'm here if you need me. I'm sorry I wasn't there before, but let me try to be here for you now," Joe said, leaving Wally alone and heading back to where Iris and I were.
"So, how did the conversation go with Wally?" Iris asked.
"He's feeling angry and confused," Joe replied.
"He should be. Finding out he has a dad, sister, and stepbrother is a lot to process," I said.
"Yes, and it's all because I was too scared," Franchine cried, guilt-ridden. "He probably hates me now."
"Franchine, look at me," Joe said, catching her attention. "He doesn't hate you. You took care of him on your own, overcoming your addiction to keep him safe and fed."
"Dad's right," a familiar voice said as Wally re-entered the room. "I'm still very angry, but I don't hate you."
Franchine wiped her tears. "So where do we go from here?"
"I'd like to get to know my dad, sister, and stepbrother. But for now, I think I need some time alone with my mother," Wally said.
"Of course, Wally. You can take all the time you need," Joe said, preparing to leave and signaling Iris and me to follow.
Once outside, I smiled. "See, that wasn't so hard, was it?"
"It was actually pretty hard," Joe said with a heavy heart.
It's going to be even harder to face the reality that Franchine is dying, but I won't let that happen to Wally.
I told Joe and Iris that I needed to meet someone as soon as I got home. Joe questioned who and why, and I explained that he was a friend I was looking forward to meeting again. Despite some concerns and a lecture about being careful, Joe allowed me to go. I had my Extremus nanobots packed in a briefcase, and Gideon scheduled my meeting to be private.
"Gideon, are you sure this is the right place?" I asked, glancing around at the small, dilapidated house before me. The structure seemed oddly familiar, as if I had been here before, but I couldn't quite recall when or why.
"Yes, this is the location where I arranged for Ramsey to meet you," Gideon's voice came through my earpiece. I had installed a mobile version of Gideon, inspired by the season 6 version from *The Flash*, to monitor my speed and assist with time travel logistics, ensuring I stayed on course and accurate with dates.
As I stood there, a voice broke the silence. "Excuse me, are you the person I'm supposed to be meeting?"
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