Long day

Laura watches from her desk as the team comes into TJY. Word was that they had retrieved Mick, but that Misty had been shot. She had stayed here working late to be around if needed, and to find out all that had happened.

As Nate comes to her and wraps her in an embrace, she senses his deep emotions. No matter how many times someone was out on a case, things like this just never got easier.

Laura rises from her chair and puts her arms around Nate, resting her head on his chest. "I'm glad you're okay," she whispers.


Scott receives Katie's hug, putting his arms around her in a comforting hold. Looking over her, he sees several pairs of eyes on them. Yes, the rumor that we're together is true. You can stop staring now. He pulls away slightly to lift her chin with a finger. "She'll be okay...Rick's good...we're not going to lose her."

Domino comes trotting out of Scott's cubicle, even though she'd been told to stay. She looks up at Scott and Katie, and puts her front paws up on his leg, giving a little whine.

Scott lowers one hand to lay on his dog's head. "It's alright. Go back where you belong."

Though confused, Domino obeys and retreats.

Scott heaves a deep sigh. He couldn't wait until all of this was over. He looks at Katie again, searching her eyes. "Can I do anything for you?"


Mick watches from a distance, still talking with Wyatt. "So Jason took getting out pretty hard, huh?"

"It hasn't been good. It's been a rough adjustment for him...things weren't easy on him when he was behind bars, and I think he feels like a fish out of water now. Especially since..." Wyatt's eyes drift back to Katie and Scott.

Mick lowers his voice just a little. "I've got an imagination, but what exactly happened there?"

Wyatt purses his lips in thought. He'd kept Katie in his sights ever since he'd attempted to build something with her, and had seen things crumble between her and Jason, while something new had been ignited with Scott. "Oh...Jason pushed her away. I could slap him silly, but I don't think he did it on purpose. It just...happened. But it hurt Katie enough that she got pretty down. Scott was around...I guess he gave her a shoulder. I don't know everything," he admits, "but I saw them together a couple times...once it was a tad intimate."

"Before Jason got out?"

"Yeah. In their defense, I know they both tried not to let anything develop because Katie was still willing to give Jason a chance once he got out, but...once a spark gets loose, it's hard to put out the fire." Wyatt glances to Katie and Scott, then back to Mick. "Jason got out and things went haywire. He wasn't himself...kept pushing Katie away...then one morning he beat Scott to a pulp. No one knows the whole story except those two, but one can only conclude that Jason found out about Katie and Scott...well...kissing...and lost it."

Mick raises an eyebrow, feeling compassion for the whole situation. It couldn't have been easy on anyone, least of all Katie. "Then what?"

Wyatt shrugs. "I don't know. Rumors have been flying around here left and right, but I'm pretty sure that Katie and Jason finally broke up. And...Scott was waiting. Some people will try to tell you that Katie had been cheating on Jason since he left, but that's not true...it was just recently that anything actually formed between her and Scott. I'm not so sure I liked seeing it before Jason got back, but...I guess I can't blame Katie. Jason was being a jerk."

"Poor girl."

It's Wyatt's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Poor girl? She's the one that started something before her boyfriend even returned, and at least has someone now."

"Yeah, but..." Mick remembers back at the ranch. He hadn't interacted with Katie much, but it didn't mean he'd been blind. "She loved that boy to death. I bet breaking up with Jason was one of the hardest things she'd ever done, whether she already had Scott or not."

Wyatt thinks for a moment, having to admit Mick was probably right, and he felt just as badly for the whole thing. He was over his own past with Katie, but that didn't mean he felt no compassion. "I suppose so...I'm just glad she's not alone."

"Scott a good guy?"

"Yeah." Wyatt nods. "He is. Never called him my best friend and he's got some quirks but...overall, he's a good Christian man from what I've seen."

"Good." Mick nods with satisfaction. In all reality, none of this was probably his business...but Katie was his fiancé's niece and soon he'd be part of that family. Without Jay around, he did feel just a little bit of responsibility, necessary or not. "Well..." He looks around, changing the subject. "Got a phone I could use?"

"Yeah, sure." Wyatt gestures to an empty desk space. "Have at it."

"Thanks." Mick eases down into a chair wearily and picks up the phone, dialing without even having to think of the number. Hearing Rosetta's answer on the other end, he smiles a little, keeping his voice soft. "Hey you...I'm at TJY...they got me out."


Carson continues to pace the infirmary, his eyes ever returning to the bed where Misty lay sleeping...so still...so quiet. Seeing her so sick once before had been bad enough...this was torture. Seeing her without life was worse than anything else.

"Carson, would you settle down?" Rick washes his hands at the sink. "You're going to wear a hole in the floor."

Carson stops for a moment, rubbing a hand over his face. "What's your opinion, doc?"

Rick thinks for a moment, trying to be realistic. "She's got a chance if nothing else goes wrong...if the antidote does its work on the poison...if there's no infection. She's young and healthy and has a strong body, not to mention a strong will to live..." He looks over his shoulder at Carson. "...and a reason to live too."

Carson grits his teeth against his emotions. The room felt small. He felt caged in. There were too many things going on at once...too much for him to handle. "I'll be outside," he informs. "Get me if anything changes."

Rick nods with understanding. "I will. I'm not going to leave her."

Carson steps outside the infirmary, taking a deep breath of air that was void of the chemical smells. A nearby waste basket receives the brunt of his pent-up frustration and a swift kick sends it flying down the hall like a soccer ball.


Jason hears Aerith's voice and recognizes it, but keeps his face hidden for several more moments anyway. He couldn't tell her what was happening...he couldn't tell anyone on the outside except those who had been accepted into TJY's trust, and even then, details couldn't be told. Would that ever end? He knew it would...but would that mean him ending up behind bars again, or the freedom to work in the open?

Finally he sighs and lifts his head to sink back into the booth, resting his head against the back. It takes him a moment to actually look at Aerith, the frustrated despair showing in his tired eyes. He can't even manage a smile tonight. There was just too much...the job...Misty...the Agency...Katie... His eyes beg for rest...they beg for comfort...but his mind manipulates his body language to form an abrasive outer shell, only succeeding in proving the severity of the war within himself.

Jason rubs a smudge of dried blood between his fingers. "Long day."