Knee

Emotions swirl within Carson, threatening to overflow. As Misty steps forward to take his hand, he doesn't know whether he should curl his fingers around hers or not.

He stands still as she leans up to kiss his cheek. He'd like to think he was forgiven. But he knew better. Something had broken. Something precious. Something that could not be glued back together with a lame apology or excuse.

Misty's words make him want to scream. He'd done this. This was his fault. No one else was to blame. And as she says goodbye, the cold hard truth stands tall. It was over.

Too many words want to come. Too many emotions want to spill over. But all Carson can do is stand stunned, watching Misty leave...watching the swinging doors close behind her. And he just stares...at nothingness...at the void he had just created. He had just lost Misty, and even that fact couldn't yet be fully comprehended. His own mind didn't even want to process that or think about it. It caused too much pain...it was too much like a nightmare he couldn't wake up from.

Turning back around, he sees Herb again. What could he say...what could he do... It was as if he were in shock and his mind could no longer function. He was hurt...embarrassed...irritated...frustrated...angry. All those feelings boiled up into one big ball of misery. And there was absolutely nothing he could do about it. The chain around his neck that he'd held so close felt heavy...he could feel the locket underneath his shirt, and dared not let his mind wander back to the day Misty had given it to him. If he thought of that for too long, he'd be apt to break down.

Leaning back against the wall, he closes his eyes, taking a deep breath, his hands finding his pockets. "I'm sorry you had to hear all this," he finally manages to Herb. "If it's all the same to you though, I'd just as soon go home. I don't think I'm going to do you much good today."


"Jason, I'm sorry!" Rick throws his hands up in the air. "I'm not signing that release."

"But Rick!"

"No buts!" Rick shakes his head and tosses his clipboard onto the counter. "Look...I've told you a million times. Your knee did not heal the way it should have. I've done all I can with medications to help the process and help with the pain. But if I keep giving you these shots, your system will grow immune to it, and then what? You need to take other pain medications, you need to ice the knee every night, and you need to start taking it easy!" Rick sighs with frustration. "How many times have I told you to take some time off work? How many times have I told you not to ride your bike until your knee is healed? How many times, Jason? And you still do all those things. You're hurting yourself by not taking care of yourself."

Jason sits on the bed in the infirmary and looks at the floor, gritting his teeth. His fingers dig into the mattress as he can feel his anger starting to boil. This whole thing was just stupid. He should be fine. He should be able to function normally. And yet he couldn't. "There's nothing else you can do?"

"I could go in again." Rick crosses his arms. "But I risk doing even more damage. I could try to repair things more. But I risk tearing things too greatly. I could have you go to a specialist and have them operate instead of me, but they'll tell you the same risks. I'm sorry, Jase...it was a bad injury back when you were kidnapped, and whatever happened to it when you fought with Carson just did it in. As long as it's inflamed like that, I'm not going to give Reese a release on you. There's still infection in there...there's still fluid in there and if I let you go and something happens, it's on my head."

Jason just sits, his frustration surging through him. He'd told no one about this...he'd told no one about how frequent his visits were to the infirmary. Lately it had been every day. He'd slipped in an out without anyone noticing...he'd hidden it from Reese...from Nate...from Katie...and he'd even gotten away with getting past Misty half the time. But now what?