Not every day

Carson relents to Jess' help, knowing it was no good fighting her. Only when she mentions her lip does he give a double-take, now seeing that she'd taken a worse hit than he thought. Apology floods his eyes. She'd been hit because of him.

"Because of a stupid dog," he grumbles. Though his tone was angry, the look in his eye proved he had compassion for the dog - otherwise he wouldn't have rescued her in the first place. "I'd give her to you, but she's not mine to give. I can't give her back to that guy and I can't turn him in either because I haven't got proof. It's a lose-lose situation, and in the meantime, I'm harboring a stolen animal, not to mention illegally without a license."

Wincing as Jess cleans the cut on the side of his head, Carson reaches up to stop her hand, lowering it, and taking it in his own. Though still upset, he reaches over for a damp cloth, making himself wait, and gently wiping the blood from Jess' own lip. "I'm sorry," he offers quietly. "This is all my fault."

Pausing, he takes his fingers and softly tucks her hair behind her ear. "Thanks for jumping in there for me though... I just wish you hadn't gotten hurt."

Heaving a sigh, he sets the cloth down and slides off the stool again, not caring that he wasn't completely cleaned up yet. "Dani can wait...she'll be fine... I have to clean this up."

To Carson, the worst thing wasn't getting slugged in the face... He'd survived worse... he'd endured a whole lot more pain than this. The worst thing was him knowing the disappointed look on Herb's face come morning. Carson could clean up the mess alright, but there was still a window that needed to be replaced, chairs that needed fixed or replaced, and glasses that needed to be replaced. Carson would pay it all if he could, but almost all his last paycheck had gone to bills, and the little amount leftover had gone for dogfood. And that was it.

Carson trudges to the broken window again, breaking off all the pieces around the edge not caring when he accidentally sliced his finger. He needed to sweep up all the glass and find some cardboard for the night. It was cold outside, and the inside of the restaurant was quickly becoming cold as well.

Piling up all the shattered pieces, Carson's mind continues to mull over his outburst at Dani. He'd told the truth about his mornings...but it really was no excuse for being late to work. Maybe he was making a couple old people happy, but he couldn't spend all his time there. Sure, he was cleaning up trash, but maybe he needed to do it after hours. He was taking care of a dog, but that was turning into a mess. And maybe he needed to cut out his long routes... but for some reason he hadn't been able to stop going past Misty's place those two days.

Staring at the mess, Carson keeps working. He'd ruined his own evening, he'd ruined Dani's evening, and he'd certainly ruined Jess'. There went their date...again.


Jason just grins up at Katie, then lets her roll down next to him. With anyone else, he would have felt utterly ridiculous, knowing they were lying on the kitchen floor. But for some reason, he didn't care.

I don't think I could not enjoy this...

His hand crawls up around Katie's shoulder before he gives her a squeeze, bringing her close enough so he can crane his neck and kiss the top of her head.

It's not every day a guy is as lucky as this.

Hearing Katie's statement about family, Jason stops his communication for a moment, a strange pang hitting his heart. Family?

"I think I want to finish my supper," he suggests abruptly. "If my dog would behave himself."

Trooper groans and rolls over on his back.

Jason shakes his head and manages to sit up, then stand, offering Katie a hand too. Smirking at his dog, he points a finger at him. "I don't know what's gotten into you tonight, but you can stop now."

Trooper flops down on his side and sighs deeply, seeming to give up.

Jason sits back down at the table, and has to look around for a moment to find his fork again. "Okay, so where were we?"


Scott is quiet as Misty checks him over again, used to the routine, even after just a day. He watches her, understanding what she did, and not flinching, even when something hurt.

Settling back in bed and rolling onto his side again, he doesn't focus on much, but still hears Misty talking to him.

How did he feel? He'd never felt so turned around in his life. Never had he felt like this, and he wasn't so sure he could even adequately describe it. "I feel like I'll never be the same again," he answers softly. "The pain doesn't really matter... and the time that's passed doesn't really matter either..."

His words drift off for a moment, and one might think he'd fallen back to sleep. But he finishes, his thoughts still quiet. "I feel good and bad and all mixed up all at the same time."

Not even know why he was expressing this, and realizing that Misty probably hadn't intended for her question to bring about quite that kind of answer, Scott shifts his head deeper into his pillow, not embarrassed, but not wanting to say anymore either. So many things ran through his mind... so many images that were haunting him. He was tired... so tired... but he feared the dreams that would come.