Universe

Kyle’s eyes remained closed, but he vaguely makes out the sound of someone’s voice. His mind tries to slowly figure it out. It wasn’t Phil…Phil had left for work… It wasn’t Jen…she couldn’t come on her own…. Finally Kyle’s brain registers that it’s Misty.

He tries to focus as he feels her touch and her looking in his eyes, but he can’t seem to draw himself out of the fog far enough.

As Misty begins to question him, he finally opens one eye to squint up at her. He swallows hard, finding it nearly impossible. He didn’t know what was going on. It was extremely out of place to have Misty here. He felt in a strange state between awake and sleep, with no measure of how sick he really felt.

At first he tries to talk and nothing comes until eventually his voice is a hoarse whisper. “Nothing,” he responds lamely. “It was just…” He pauses, feeling as though he’s going to pass out, but fights it. “…about four…o’clock…then….” Finding the burning too much, he gives up. Gesturing to his nightstand, he accidentally hits the glass half full of water, knocking it onto the floor. The look on his face conveys annoyance, but without enough energy, he lets it go, his original gesture supposed to have pointed to the Tylenol to show Misty that’s what he’d had.

Exhausted, he lets his hand fall back down. Managing to open the other eye he starts to say something more. But with the effort, his eyes begin to roll back in his head, signaling him passing out. Suddenly his fingers have Misty’s hand in a vice grip as his body starts to shake.


Carson is immediately on guard as Jess approaches him. He hadn't realized she was even there. Her swaying and slurred speech proved she'd been there for a while.

Though not really wanting to listen to anything she has to say, as she talks, he suddenly realizes that perhaps she hadn't been in on leaving him behind in Vegas. As inebriated as she was, surely she wouldn't lie.

He looks down at the envelope, then back up at Jess. "I don't want it," he states flatly. "But since I'm flat broke and you're determined, I won't argue."

Taking the money, he listens to what Jess has to say next. Though it hits a little too close to home, he lets out a dry laugh. "Home? Yeah, that would be nice." He shakes his head. "A bloke like me just can't settle down."

Carson takes another swig of beer and waves Jess off as she starts to leave. Though the exchange had been short, it had gotten to him just a little more than he would have liked. And for the first time in a long time, he felt badly watching someone else walk away.

Turning his head, he just sees the door close behind Jess. A feeling emerges within him...one he would have thought he'd forgotten...one he would have thought didn't even exist anymore with as much apathy as he'd been feeling. But it was there...

He didn't have work today. He had nothing to do. Nowhere to go. No one to talk to. No plans. No destination. At least this would give him something to do if he got cooperation.

Downing the last of his beer, Carson slides off the stool, pays the bartender and strides across the floor to the exit. Once outside, he spots Jess. "Hey, Jess!" He comes up behind her and puts a hand on her shoulder. "I may not appreciate what went down, and I may feel like knocking someone's block off, but I can't let you drive like this. Let me take you home."


Jason props up his leg on another chair and works sideways at his desk, bored with the paperwork. Sending a paper airplane across the room to antagonize Trooper was as exciting as his morning had gotten.

Sighing, he opens a drawer and rifles through a bunch of old records. He hadn’t cleaned this desk in ages and it was starting to show. Pulling out a whole pile of stuff, his eyes catch sight of something further down.

Reaching in slowly, he withdraws the photograph that he hadn’t laid eyes on in so long. It had almost been thrown away…but instead had been stuffed in here earlier that year, then buried under work.

Jason leans back in his chair and holds the picture up for a closer look. He remembered that night as if it were yesterday. The feelings…the emotions…just being with someone he’d cared about so much. Katie had meant the world to him.

He runs a finger over the picture as if trying to touch the past. What had happened? His mind wanders freely back to that time, traveling forward, taking him on a journey towards the events that were set into motion so soon after that night.

Ultimately, the greatest pain was recalling how he’d hurt Katie during and after prison. He might have had good intentions, but he’d ruined something he’d never been able to gain back. Katie’s love. Maybe it was for the best… if that hadn’t happened, she wouldn’t be with Scott now. And though there had been rivalry there, Jason could see that Katie was truly happy with Scott…and he couldn’t deny her that joy.

But if there was ever a regret that taunted Jason’s heart…it was ever having let her go.

“When you look into her eyes, do you see the world?”

Jason looks at the picture again, a grin curling the corner of his mouth. He’d seen the whole universe.

Setting the picture back down again, he shuts the drawer on the memories and turns back to the paperwork. Being alone wasn’t so bad…at least his time was his own.