Distress

Jason is on edge for just a moment as Wes enters the mess hall, but he forces himself to remain cordial. This was the man his mother loved, and he needed to respect that. “Hey, Wes.” He returns a firm handshake. “I guess congratulations are in order. I trust you’ll take good care of my mom.” He gives his mom a little smile before answering Wes.
“I just got in a while ago.”

Cindy looks at Jason hopefully. “How long are you staying?”

Jason shakes his head. “I, um…I’m not sure.”

“Did Reese send you back here to take Con’s place?”

“No…no….” Jason hooks his hands in his pockets. “I’m on personal time at the moment. Just needed to get away for a while.” He excuses himself from them both to return to the table with Austin to finish his coffee.

Soon the rest of the gang filters in, each surprised to see Jason, but greeting him warmly, and even Jade dares to give him a hug.

As breakfast ensues, Jason declines eating, but remains in the mess hall, simply observing the activities around him, glad for any distractions.

“Hey, Jason…” Austin finishes his breakfast and looks at his grandson thoughtfully. “Clint’s been asking me about learning a bit of hand to hand combat…you wouldn’t mind showing him a thing or two while you’re here, would you?”

Jason quirks an eyebrow. “Clint and I don’t exactly have a great record.”

Austin chuckles. “So? You’re the best, and it’ll keep your mind occupied.”


Con gives Jamie a weary smile. “Katie’s not doing so hot right now. I don’t know if you heard yet that Jason took off. She’s taking it pretty hard…Wyatt’s with her now …but yeah, maybe stopping by with some flowers will help cheer her up a little. It’s worth a try.” He grabs a post-it note to jot down a reminder. “Noon? I’ll drive and we can grab lunch while we’re out, and it's on me.”


Wyatt smiles and shakes his head. “First off, you don’t need to thank me for anything. Second, it’s Saturday. I did have work to do, but I called in. And third, yes, I’ll go get your orange juice.” He stands up from his chair, glad just to see that Katie is at least trying. He knows she feels miserable, but as long as she still had the gumption to try, it was good. “I’ll be right back.”
About five minutes later, he comes back into the room with two styrofoam cups from the cafeteria, one with coffee for himself, the other with juice for Katie. “Alright, here you…” He can’t even finish his sentence, as his foot catches on the leg of the chair. Before he knows it, he’s on the floor, covered in hot and cold sticky mess, staring up blankly at the ceiling, sprawled out by Katie’s bed. The cups are somehow still in his hands, though completely empty.
Stunned, he blinks, and raises himself up on an elbow just far enough to see Katie. “Well… what happens when it’s the knight in shining armor that’s in distress instead of the damsel?”