Late

Five-thirty, Jason’s alarm goes off in his bedroom, unheard from the living room. It’s over hour before Jason opens one eye groggily, trying to get his bearings. Couch…living room…the night comes back to him slowly. Starting to stretch, he suddenly feels the warm weight on his leg and remembers that he’s not alone. Katie.

Opening both eyes, he takes a deep breath to yawn and stretch. There was light coming in through the windows, and Trooper was standing, ready to be let out. Jason’s eyes shift to the side and he squints at the clock on the far wall. “Oh, no.”

His body feels as if it’s been run over by a truck, and his mind functions as if it’s in a fog. But he should have left for work half an hour ago. It was almost seven. “Dang,” he mumbles, throwing off his blanket. He slowly sits up to swing his legs over the side of the couch, Katie’s head winding up in his lap. “Hey, sleepy.” His hand hovers over her soft hair before he thinks better of it, and moves to simply give her shoulder a light pat. “Sorry, Hero, but Reese is gonna kill me if I get in any later.” He slides off the couch, making sure Katie sits up rather than letting her head drop.

Limping to the door to let Trooper out, he calls over his shoulder. “There’s OJ in the fridge. Help yourself, Katie.” Heading back down the hall, his knee feels like it’s on fire, and his mind just isn’t working any faster despite his attempts to fully wake up. After a quick shower, Jason finds an old t-shirt and some jeans that he thinks are clean before heading to the kitchen to get himself some orange juice. His eyes are bloodshot, underlined with dark circles, though he does his best to force himself to appear alert. He grabs the keys off the counter while chugging down the juice. “Want me to drop you back off at Laura’s on my way?”