Wise or unwise

“Hey, hey.” Carson sees Misty’s tears and moves to put his arm around her, speaking softly. “Your uncle loves you, and people at TJY will know the whole story so they can’t whisper, alright? And Nate’s right…think about this. You love TJY and they need you. If you leave and throw all that away, I’ll blame myself and be miserable for it.”

He gives her a little squeeze. “Come on…let’s get out of here before they start asking us to pay rent.”

Moving out of the cell, Carson catches Nate’s eye for a moment to convey a message of thanks. Under the surface though, lies an uncertainty, almost a fear, of his own future, despite his calming words to Misty. He was taking his own fate very well, while on the inside it was killing him.

Making their way outside, they get into Misty’s car, and Carson drives back to her place. They eat a light supper, both exhausted, and Carson claims the couch for the night, still leery about Frankie being around.


Morning. That time in which we want to save our dreams…just keep our eyes shut for a little while longer, if only to prolong the coming of a day marked with unknowns. But even the most powerful of wills can’t stop the sun.


Scott strolls down the hall at TJY, whistling as he goes. Clear at the end was the door he was looking for. Unlocking it, he peers inside and flips on the light to discover a mountain of boxes, furniture, technical equipment and anything else one could think of. Yes, it was a catch-all storage room. But…he’d talked to Reese a little bit more, and Reese had been serious about giving it to Scott if it could be cleaned out. Scott grins…it was funny…he’d been looking forward to an office in Arizona, but had forfeited it for what was so much better here…and now he was still getting an office.

Moving inside, Scott starts to sift through a few things. Today and for several day after probably, he’d be in here cleaning things out. To some it might seem a chore. But to him, nothing could make him down. He was on top of the world, and he knew it showed on his face. He was engaged to the prettiest girl he knew, she had a ring on her finger they’d bought last night, and in five months, he’d be married to that same beautiful girl. What more could he ask for?


Jason stirs restlessly, writhing in pain but unable to wake fully until Trooper nudges him. As his eyes fly open, he winces. So much for ignoring the pain killers again. He knew he’d have to relent today. It was just too much.

Trying to relax, he pulls himself up in bed a little, getting his mind functioning again. He’d thought a lot last night. A lot about himself, his knee, his work here. And he wasn’t about ready to give any of his life up because of this stupid injury. But Rick had said mobility in his knee would probably be limited. Strength would be limited. It would take time to even be able to move or walk at all, as the muscles had been torn and moved around – they would need to be retrained.

It was all a depressing thought…but he had to make it through…he had to. There wasn’t anywhere else he belonged….anywhere else he fit in.

Looking around the infirmary, Jason knows Rick will show up in about half an hour. Biting his lip and thinking, he finally gets his legs swung over the side of the bed and stands on his good leg. He was hungry, he wanted some orange juice, and he was going to do it on his own whether Rick had told him to stay in bed or not.

The trip to the door was excruciating and slow, and Jason has to stop and lean on the doorway for several moments before turning and leaning up against the hall wall to slowly make his way down to the break room.


Carson slips the spatula under the eggs in the frying pan as they sizzle, scooping them out onto two places along with bacon. Setting them down at the kitchen table, he wanders to Misty’s bedroom.

Opening the door a crack, he sees her snuggled under her blankets, and he enters quietly. Sitting down on the edge of her bed, he reaches over to run a hand along her face. “Morning, Sassy. Want some breakfast?”