Seaweed

*Katie giggles at she watches the boys.* "There is never a dull moment with them is there." *Katie puts her arms behind her and leans back.* "Ya know its strange. I havent known you guys for long and I feel so comfortable. The only other person I have attacked to gast was Jason. Everyone alse, I was so leery about. You guys are just so....care free. I love it." *Katie smiles and looks at Jen.* "Someday we are gonna walk again, than we can beat those three up ourselfs." *As Kyle comes back over and sits down next to him she laughs.* "One of these days Kyle Jen is gonna kick the crap out of you and I want to be there to watch." *Katie smiles and lets out a content sigh.* "So...did you get that seaweed monster out of your pant leg? Or is he still hiding?"

*Wes gets on his horse and smiles holding his hand out and sliding back so Cindy can get on infront of him.* "This horse. We ride together today."

Wet

Kyle cocks his head at Katie, the corner of his mouth turning up into a slight grin as she looks at him. He makes her break the gaze first, then sighs with content. “Yeah…it’s peaceful… I think it’s kinda like life though… you get storms, and the waves can be high…so high you can’t even see over them. But then one morning you wake up, and the water is like glass, with the sun reflecting off of it just right to bring warmth to every fiber of your being, reviving the soul and refreshing the spirit.”
He stops and just soaks in the moment before finally giving a short laugh. “Okay, I’m gonna have to do something about that seaweed.” He trudges back through the water and walks across the sand to deposit Katie gently on the blanket near Jen. He goes back over to the waters edge and starts to shake one of his legs, trying to get the stray seaweed out.
Mike and Phil burst out laughing at his antics and go to “help” him.

Jen watches wide-eyed as Mike and her other brother go to Kyle. She and Katie are just far enough away not to be able to hear what’s being said, but it doesn’t take long before Mike has Kyle by the feet, and Phil has his arms and head. Within two swings, Kyle is airborn, landing in deeper water with a huge splash.

Mike and Phil’s laughter rings out as Kyle comes up sputtering and spitting out lake water. Glaring at the other two he’s quick to exit the water and start after them. All three make a mad dash along the beach. Kyle’s wet clothes hold him back, though his quick legs get him almost within reach of his brother. Pulling off his sopping shirt as he runs, he flings it at Phil’s head.

Smacked in the back of the head with the wet shirt, Phil staggers just enough slow him down, though by now Kyle has given up and just stand, panting, and leaning over to try and catch his breath. Mike is already far ahead and skids to a stop, spinning around and still laughing. “Give up, Kyle?!”

Kyle waves him off. “For now…for now. One of these days, when you least expect it….” He lets his humorous threat linger and turns around to walk back to the girls. This time it’s him who receives the shirt to the back of his head, and he grimaces, simply slinging it over his shoulder.

Reaching the girls, Jen is in stitches. “Kyle..you look so….ridiculous!”

Kyle smirks and goes over to her, shaking out his wet hair on her.

“Oh, stop!” Jen shrieks, holding up her hands.

Kyle grins and flops down next to Katie, still trying to catch his breath. “I’m sorry you had to witness that. I’m sure such a horrific scene will traumatize you for weeks to come.”


Cindy finishes getting ready, and heads out to the barn. Arriving, she sees Wes ready to go. “Guess I’m the one who’s late today, huh? Which horse should I take today?”

It's Amazing

*Katie giggles as Kyle takes her to the water. Any other time a guy has picked her up she usaly would object but in this case she dident. It was one of her only ways around not to mention she felt comfortable leting Kyle do it. Katie reaches down to touch the water.* " It feels so nice. Back at my Aunts ranch she has a pond but...nothing like this. The water is clear and cool." *Katie's hand still runs through the water. Looking up at Kyle she smiles with her arm wraped around his neck. For a moment gazing into his eyes she gets lost. Relizing she quickly looks away out at the water harozen.* "Its amazing no matter how rough if gets, or dark it might look there is still a pritty,calm, and brightside that can make anyone feel good."

*Wes smiles and nods to Cindy.* "Sounds good to me. I'll be in the barn geting my horse ready. Just mean me out there when your ready." *Wes heads to the barn a smile on his face. He had already told Clint that the shop was all his for the day and if he wanted to close up early he could. It was such a nice day out he dident want to keep him inside, figureing he might want to do something with Wendy. Once geting to the barn he goes over to Saviour's stall.* "Well buddy, its time for you to strech your legs." *Taking him out Wes grabs his saddle and slings his pack with the blanket and food onto the horse as well. Today he was only going to need the one horse. Cindy was gonna ride with him.*

*Jamie smiles as Con leave. She sure did miss him while he was gone and was happy to have him back.*

friends

Kyle grins at Katie, cocking his head. “Jason, eh? Well…I’d like to hear about that sometime.” He sees that something isn’t quite right, and decides better of asking her about it now. But she certainly had piqued his interest. “As for now….we’re going to give you that sunshine you’ve been missing.” He goes to the back of the wheelchair and grabs hold. “Geronimo!” Finding the smoothest path, Kyle gives Katie a fast speed ride down to the little beach, stopping near Jen. “Ahhh…here we are.” He takes a deep breath. “Smell that salty air.”

Mike rolls his eyes. “First it was Lake Erie, now it’s the ocean. I’m still not convinced it was the map that had us going in the wrong direction.”

“He had us going towards Bedford,” Phil adds.

“Beauford,” Kyle corrects.

“I thought it was Hampton.”

“No, that was Hillside.

“But it was supposed to be east.”

“South.”

Jen groans and throws her hands up in the air. “We’re here, okay?!”

“Hmm?” Kyle chuckles, looking down on Katie. “Well, young lady, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you need a pick-me-up. So, that said, I’m going to be the one to pick you up.”

Before any objection can be made, Kyle easily sweeps Katie up out of her wheelchair and into his arms. “If I’m not mistaken, someone wanted to get their feet wet.” He grins mischievously and heads for the water.

“Kyle!” Jen calls after him, noting he may be in bare feet, but he’s still fully clothed. “You dweeb!”

Kyle just ignores his sister and wades into the cool water just enough so Katie can’t get wet unless she wants to. “Ahhh…” He looks out over the small lake, the sun sparkling off the water. “Now that’s a sight.” Suddenly his eyes get wide. “But I think I shred of seaweed just went up my pantleg.”


Jason sits for several minutes at the mess hall table, his mind slowly becoming clearer as his headache and dizziness disperse. Finally looking up, he sees Clint is still standing there, his arms folded across his chest. “Sorry…”

Clint shrugs it off. “No worries, man. But you better start watching that. I had a friend like you…he didn’t take care of himself, and now he’s got diabetes really bad. I doubt you want that to happen.”

Jason scoffs a little, and buries his face. “Was that really Katie on the phone?”

“Yup.”

“Great.”

“Yeah, you did a good job with her.”

Jason rolls his eyes and leans back in his chair. “I did, didn’t I.”

“Why don’t you just go back?” Clint shakes his head. “You know it’s the right thing to do.”

“But what about Wyatt?”

“Forget about it. If you just throw your friendship with Katie down the garbage disposal, you’ll regret it the rest of your life.”

Jason sighs deeply. “Maybe you’re right…maybe I was stupid to leave.”

“Eh…you needed time to think. Can’t blame a guy for that. But quit moping. You’ve got answers staring you in the face.”

“That easy, huh?”

Clint grins a little. “Why not?”

Jason looks up at him for just a moment, changing the subject. "So when did we become friends anyway?"

"Beats me." Clint shrugs and aims for the door. "But I got work to do. Come get me when you're up to finishing our session."


Cindy laughs. “Oooh, lots of energy, huh? That could be dangerous.” She grins. “I would love to go for a ride with you. Just let me get my boots on.”


Con chuckles at Jamie’s punch to his arm. “Alright. I’ll catch you later, Jamie.” As he’s walking away, he calls back over his shoulder. “Need anything, you know my number.”

Smiles

*Katie sighs at Jason's attitude. She knows his sugar was low and he dident know what he was talking about but the word still stung.* "No problem Clint. Just keep an eye on him. If anything alse dosent seem right go to Angel at once than call me. I'll talk to ya again soon. Call anytime. Bye!" *As Katie buts her phone away she sighs again. Seeing Kyle coing over she smiles and starts to push herself half way.* "Hey you. Sorry about that. When I comes to Jason I have a gift and sometimes a curse. Maybe sometime when you have time you can hear about it." *Katie smiles up at Kyle.*

*Jamie smiles at Con.* "I'll see what I can do with Reese, but I know your needed here so its not a problem." *Jamie dosent addmit it but she really did want Con's help but she wasent going to push it.* "I'll be here tomarrow. Bright and early. A big all of sunshine." *Jamie giggles and throws a playing punch at Con.* "See ya tomarrow."

*Wes grins back at Cindy giving a small bow.* "Well my dear its a wonderful day out, and I am full of energy, I was wondering if a lovly lady as yourself would go for a horse ride with me and have a picnic lunch."

Reluctant Compliance

Con raises his eyebrows as Jamie mentions him helping out. “Ohhh, I get it,” he teases. “Now I know why you chose me to mention this to.” He shrugs. “If you can convince Reese to give me the time off, I might be able to come down and help out.” He offers only a wry grin at her statement of him being sweet, then shakes his head. “If you told me you were doing something exciting, I’d ask which town you were going to other than this one.” He sighs and looks to the door. “Guess I’ll head out myself. See you tomorrow, I suppose.”


Clint does as Katie tells him to, not really sure what’s going to happen.

Jason’s head still rests on his arms at the table, and his eyes are half-closed, but he raises his eyebrows at the familiar voice. “What the…” He finally brings the phone into focus, hearing Katie talking to him. He rolls his eyes, the sugar low affecting his mood. “Oh, great, now I’ve got two mothers. Jason do this, Jason do that…why can’t anyone just leave me alone?!”

Clint cringes. He knows that Jason isn’t acting himself, though he feels a bit sorry for Katie.

Jason retaliates against the instructions. “Yeah, well I do feel like crap, and no matter how much orange juice is pumped into me, I’m still gonna feel like crap. Ya wanna know why? Because I’m an idiot, that’s why! I haven’t done a dang thing right since the day I was born.”

Clint sighs in disgust. “Well then start by drinking the stupid juice before you say anything more you’ll regret.”

Growling a curse, Jason snatches up the juice and downs it quickly, letting the glass clank back down on the table. His head falls back to his arms, his voice muffled. “Just hang up the phone.”

Clint picks the phone back up, turning the speakerphone off. “Well he’s not happy, but he drank it. I’d give him about five minutes and he should start perking up again. Thanks, Katie.”


Jen settles down on the blanket on the small strip of sand along the lakeshore. Phil and Mike go to the edge of the water to see how cold it is, and Kyle heads slowly back to the truck, his hands in his pockets. He takes his time, seeing Katie still on the phone. Something was wrong somewhere…maybe it had to do with Wyatt. Or maybe the breakup was why she’d seemed upset the day before. At any rate, he hoped the phone call didn’t ruin her day. She’d been so excited.


Cindy hears the knock at the door and finishes putting up her hair in front of the mirror. “Just a minute,” she calls. The task done, she goes to the door, a smile spreading as she sees Wes. “Hey, Handsome. Can I help you?”

Please

*Jamie smiles at Con.* "Ya I could ask them. Maybe a certin someone standing with me right now might help out too. Its not hard to run a grill." *Jamie cant help but giggle at Con.* "Your a sweet guy yourself Con." *Looking down at her papers Jamie groans.* "Well I better get this stuff done before I head out. Not that I am doing anything exciting." *Jamie giggles again.*

*Katie listens to Clint coaking Jason as she watches the guys and Jen find a spot for the picnic. Katie hoped the would understand when she was done what had happend.* "Clint put the phone up to Jason's ear. Hold it for him...just put it up there and put me on speaker phone ok." *As Katie hears the click on the static in the background she know she is on speaker. In a very soft tone Katie speaks.* "Jason...listen to me J. Its Katie. You need to drink you OJ ok. Its important. I am sure your feeling like crap right now, and if you dont drink that OJ your just gonna feel worse. Please drink it for me." *Katie pauses for a moment.* "Clint hand Jason the OJ again." *As Katie waits she hopes Jason will drink it. If not Clint would have to go get Angel. But Katie wasent geting off the phone till she new he was ok.*

*Wes smiles as he breaths the fresh air. What a nice day out it was. Wes was happy for these days. No storms coming it. It was warm yelt not to hot. This was perfect riding and picnic weather. Not knowing where Cindy was at this point in time Wes walks to her bunk and Knocks on the door waiting.*

Can't

Con rolls his eyes at Jamie's mention of Jason. "Yeah. I don't know what his problem is. If it's something Wyatt said, I've never known Jase to back down like this before, so I don't know what it is. I have a feeling he was trying to resolve the whole mess by removing himself from it, but it just made things worse. Anyway..."
He listens to Jamie talk about her parents, and when she finally ends, he chuckles. "I bet you could find somebody to help you out down there if you want to give your parents a break. Ed's got some vacation time backed up, I know, and so does Gary. You might check with them - I know they like Mom and Pop's as well as I do." He smiles. "You're sweet to do something like this for your parents...they deserve it...always giving of themselves."


Kyle lifts an eyebrow, at Katie's odd behavior, but he respects her privacy and continues to help the other guys and Jen as they argue about where to go on the little beach.

Clint heads to the refrigerator as he talks. "Jason? That butthead is in the mess hall here ready to pass out." He grabs the orange juice carton and shakes it up as he walks to the cupboard for some sugar. "He and I were out back - he's been showing me a thing or two about defending myself, and his sugar crashed big time." Clint has to open several kitchen drawers before finding a spoon, fumbling just a little as he tries to hurry. He doesn't want to worry Katie, but he knows he needs to act fast. "Hasn't eaten all day. He's plum miserable, as I would be, so I'm assuming he just wasn't paying attention to himself."

Clint pours some juice and adds a teaspoon of sugar, stirring it up well. "I'd hand you over to him, but I seriously doubt he'll make much sense at this point." He knew the truth was that had Jason been lucid, he probably wouldn't have wanted to talk to Katie anyway, but Clint holds his tongue. He may have razzed Jason, but good sense told him not to say so much to Katie. He aims back for the other room, his jaw tight with concern at seeing Jason's weak form. If he couldn't get him to drink this juice, he'd would have to go get Angel. He tries to keep his conversation casual though, masking his fear. "I heard you were up and walking a bit - congratulations."

He nudges Jason's arm and holds out the juice to him, but Jason shakes his head, as he's to the point of not even thinking straight. Clint removes the phone from his mouth and speaks to Jason hoarsely. "Come on, Jason. Don't give me a bad time or I'm gonna force it down your throat."

Jason kind of knows what's going on, but his mind is in a fog. He knows he feels stupid for some reason, and he's pretty sure that he should be doing something different, but his stomach doesn't feel like taking on anything, so the thought of a glass of orange juice is simply nauseating.

"Jason!" Clint holds the phone out to the side, trying to avoid Katie hearing too much. He tries to rouse Jason again, but it's not working. "Good grief." He puts the phone back to his ear. "Katie, I can't get him to take any sugar. I'm gonna have to go get Angel."

Is he ok?

*Katie is alittle saprised Clint answers Jason phone.* "Hey Clint. Its going I guess. Where is Jason?" *Katie holds her hand up tp Phil telling him one moment.* "Is everything ok? I got one of my feelings something was wrong." *A worryed look pass through Katie's eyes. It wasent like Jason to let someone alse answer his phone. Katie mouths to Kyle.* "Sorry....I'll explain in a second."

*Jamie smiles up at Con.* "Ya I figured I should. I am alittle behind and If I dont get these papers to Reese monday he is gonna kill me." *Jamie finishes up what she was working on.* "I was having a hard time typing I was thinking about so much. I was thinking how it was good Katie made some new friend, but I still wish Jason would come back for her. Its just not fair ya know." *Jamie lets out a sigh.* "I was also thinking about doing something for my mom and dad. I havent in a long time but I just couldent think of what. I know since the opend "Mom and Pop's" they havent had much time away. I was thinking maybe I could run things for alittle bit for them, but there is no way I could do it alone. and its not like I could pick someone right off the street I'd have to know and trust them. Blah blah blah..." * Jamie gets a silly look on her face relizing she was babbling. She laughs.* "Sorry Con dident mean to get carryed away."

Answering

Con tries to work, but he just can't concentrate. Finally he finishes off his pop, throws his folder to the side of his desk and leaves his office. He doesn't want to go back to his apartment, but what else is there to do...
Ambling back out onto the floor, he spies Jamie at her desk and lifts an eyebrow. Walking over, he leans on the top of the cubicle. "Hey...didn't know you were here today."


As the guys get a couple blankets out of the truck, get Katie settled in her wheelchair, and do the same with Jen, Kyle suddenly notices Katie going for her phone. The look on her face was worried. He elbows Phil and nods to her. Phil goes over to her with concern, though doesn't want to interrupt a call. "Everything okay?"

"She mentioned Jason," Mike informs him quietly as he grabs a bag from the back seat.


The mess hall is deserted, and Clint deposits Jason into a chair at the table. Jason leans forward to rest his head on his arms, the world spinning as he fights not to pass out. Way to go, Jason. This isn't exactly the first time this has happened. When will you learn?

Clint turns to go to the kitchen, but hears Jason's phone go off on his belt. When Jason makes no move to answer it, Clint impulsively reaches out and flips it open. Katie's name appears. "Speak of the devil." Not caring about consequence, he answers the call a he walks to the kitchen. "Yo, Katie! This is Clint. How's it hangin'?"

Not now

*Jamie walks out of the break room and see Con.* "Hey Con!" *As Con keep walking Jamie shrugs figuring he was probley busy. She heads to her desk so many she can leave early today but he dident think would happen. With Katie in the hopetal her work was backed up.*

*As Wyatt's name is braught up Katie's face hangs alittle. She better let them know now so they dont keep bringing him up. Katie just wants to forget for now.* "His name is Wyatt, and you dont have to worry about him anymore. He broke up with me the other day." *Katie pasts a smile on her face the best she an thanful for Mike kind arm of friendship.* "Its ok though. I'll deal today I just want to have fun." *Katie looks at Kyle.* "Witch I am sure I will." *As they drive alittle farther they finally arrive. Katie stairs out the window in awww.* "Ohhhh...it looks so nice. Look at that water, and the flowers." *KAtie cant help but feel like alittle kid again finding something new. As Katie is out of the truck a wave hits her. Jason...his sugar was droping.* "Oh man...not now." *Katie pulls out her phone and dials Jason's number.* "Come on J, Answer you idot."

Reasoning

Con wanders down the hall, a can of pop in one hand, an open filing folder in the other. He sighs and closes it, tucking it under his arm as he heads for his office. He didn't normally work on Sunday afternoons unless he was called in, but there wasn't much else to do, and he wanted to keep his mind occupied. Jason hadn't called him back, and it worried him just a little. Maybe he'd been too harsh...
Con stops walking and rolls his eyes with a little groan. He'd walked all the way down the hall, having passed his office. Where was his mind? Turning around, he heads back the other direction.


As the crew gets out onto the road, Mike sees Katie out of the corner of his eye, his instincts kicking in. He recognizes that look. As casually as can be, he slings an arm back behind Katie to rest on the seat and shifts his weight a little closer, acting as though he simply wants to see out the windshield, though his slight movement forms a sheltered cove in the seat. "Phil, you just missed our turn!"

"Oops."

"See?!" Kyle slaps the map. "Told you, you shoulda listened to me."

Jen shakes her head and leans back in her seat, turning to see Katie. "It's not the greatest beach in the world, but for a lake, it's not bad. It's got a lot of sand."

"Rocks," Kyle intervenes.

"And sand!"

"More rocks than sand."

Phil looks in his rearview mirror. "It has both."

'There's a nice spot where we have picnics every once in a while," Jen continues. "And actually, the end of the lake where we go, not to many people venture there, so it's usually pretty quiet."

"Which is good, when we have Kyle with us," Mike quips. "We don't like scaring other people away."

"Ah, but Katie doesn't get scared!" Kyle exclaims. "She even gave me her phone number!"

Phil smirks at him. "Better not tell Jason."

"Not Jason," Mike corrects. "It's Wesley."

Kyle shakes his head. "Will."

"Walter."

"Wayne."

"What?"

Mike stops at Kyle's question. "Huh?"

Jen slaps a hand to her forehead. "It's going to be a long day." She shakes her head at Katie. "But I promise no one will let you drown. Kyle's trained as a lifeguard."


"Alright, so when someone comes at you like this, counter by taking there arm, bend down low, and shift your weight." In one movement, Jason kneels down, tossing Clint over his shoulder. Austin was being insistent about Clint getting some intensive training as long as he had the chance, so this afternoon came another round. He was learning quickly and his body mass was making Jason's job just a little difficult.

Clint catches his breath and rolls over to get up. "Like this?" He mimics Jason, winding up doing a pretty good job of getting Jason to do a summersault over his shoulders.

Jason is quick to get up. "Exactly." He takes a deep breath, feeling just a little dizzy. He was tired this afternoon, and working up a sweat like this wasn't helping any.

The two continue their sparring session, Jason guiding Clint as much as he can.

Clint takes a punch to the gut.

"Watch that move," Jason reminds. "You gotta watch my whole body." He wipes some sweat from his brow, feeling a little light headed.

"So when you going back?" Clint takes a shot at Jason's ribs and succeeds.

Jason winces just a little. "Good one. And I don't know. Eventually."

"Still scared, huh?"

"No."

"Ah." Clint spins around to try and take Jason's feet out from under him, but Jason jumps over his swinging foot. "So it's not her boyfriend that's got you running away?"

"I'm not running away!" Jason manages a slap to the side of Clint's head.

"So he's not the reason you left?"

Jason rolls his eyes. "Clint, will you just pay attention and let it drop?"

Clint shrugs, and ducks a punch. "Just asking. I figured if that was your reason, then you really were being stupid."

"Now what's that supposed to mean?" Jason tries to catch his breath, paling just a little.

Clint succeeds in sidestepping a kick. "Well if you're Katie's best friend, then it's stupid for you to give that up."

"Well Wyatt's the one who told me to back off."

"Wyatt, eh?" Clint receives Jason's knuckles to his chin. "So he can just tell you what to do?"

"That's not it."

"Then what is it? He told you to back off and you went hight tailing it out of there like a whipped puppy. That shows real guts."

Jason swings his leg at the back of Clint's knees, sending him to the ground. "I left for Katie's sake."

"I thought we already discussed that." Clint rolls over and gets up, starting to get used to being knocked down. "If she cares about you that much, it's probably harder for her that you're gone than for her to deal with you and whats-his-face."

Jason remembers Con's phone call, and grits his teeth. He had a headache, and wasn't in the mood for Clint to be giving him the fifth degree too. "Just pay attention to my hands."

Clint ducks a blow. "I just figured that if you really cared, you wouldn't let her boyfriend push you around like that. I'd say it's his job to work things out with Katie if he's that jealous, not yours."

Jason sighs, cringing at a wave of dizziness.

"Hey, you all right?"

"Yeah, yeah." Jason pauses for a moment, putting a hand to his head as he begins to see double. His hands start to shake, and his knees begin to buckle.

"Whoa, whoa." Clint reaches over to support Jason. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm fine."

Clint sees Jason's pale face, and for once grows concerned about him. "No you're not." A thought crosses his mind. "Say...you eaten anything today?"

Jason groans, and shakes his head. "No."

"You really are an idiot, you know that?" Clint puts Jason's arm over his shoulders and aims for the mess hall. Despite any dislike for Jason, he knew how dangerous it was to have a sudden crash like this, and Jason was going down fast. It takes a lot of effort to get to the mess hall door, and by the time they enter, Jason's vision is blurred and he can barely hold up his own weight.

Beach

*Kate smiles and waves at Jen.* "Hey." *Once inside the truck Katie trys her best to keep her nerves calm. Cars, Cars when would she get over her nerves of cars. Mustering up her best smile Katie turns to Mike.* "I think I am gonna like your world. Its a nice sun spot on a rainy day." *As the engine starts Katie gives alittle jump." Coming on Katie get a hold of yourself." Katie trys to steady her breathing as they starts forword. Katie closes her eyes trying to relax than opens them again focusing on Kyle and Phil in the front seat. Katie turns to talk with Jen about the lake.* "So is it going to be like a beach and stuff? I've never been to the beach before to be honest. It should be fun. Maybe if SOMEONE wont let me drownd I can get my feet wet too." *Katie's excitement starts to build though she is still nervouse about the ride."

*Jamie wonders around TJY for alittle bit heading into the break room to do some some dishes she made this morning. As she is washing she trys to rack her brain. She wanted to do something for her parents but she dident know what. Maybe later when she saw Con they could think of something.*

On the road

“Yeehaw!” Kyle takes hold of the back of Katie’s wheelchair. “Let’s blow this joint!”

After a speedy ride down to the first floor and outside, Kyle skids to a halt by the pickup. “Alright, melady, your carriage awaits.” He bows with a flourish and reaches for the door handle, only to find it locked. “Whoopsies.” He throws Katie a cheesy grin and holds up his keys. “Locked my sister in by mistake.”

“Would you quit fooling around?” Phil asks.

“Yeah,” Mike teases. “What’s the holdup?”

“I’m coming, I’m coming!” Kyle finally gets the doors unlocked and opened, and he peers in at Jen, who’s in the backseat. “Hey, how come you locked us out?”

“Me? You’re the one that…”

“Ah, ah, ah,” Kyle wags a finger at her. “No arguing in front of our guest.”

Jen throws him a smirk. “Aren’t you glad.”

“Yes…yes, I am.”

Mike moves around next to Katie and smiles. “Alright…hang on to me, and we’re gonna get you up here next to Jen.” As he leans down and takes Katie in his arms, it’s obvious that he’s done this before, his gentleness coming through despite all the silliness he can evoke. Once he gets Katie settled and buckled in, Phil already has the wheelchair folded and in the back with Jen’s.

“All aboard!” Kyle hollers.

Mike climbs in the back next to Katie and shuts the back door. Kyle sets his hands on his hips and peers through the window. “You too my seat.”

Mike holds up his hands. “Oops.”

“Yeah, oops. Right.”

Phil starts the engine.

The passenger door open, Kyle has one hand on the door and one foot just starting to climb in.

Phil keeps a straight face and starts to pull forward.

“Hey, hey!” Kyle has to jog for a moment before jumping in and slamming the door. “You could have waited, you know?”

“Oh, but watching you run along side is just way too much fun!”

“You’re embarrassing me in front of Katie,” Kyle scoffs with mock embarrassment. He leans down and grabs the map out of the glove compartment. “Alrighty, Lake Erie, here we come!”

“Uh, Kyle…” Mike reaches up to tap him on the shoulder. “How about you give me that map?”

Kyle’s eyes go wide as he assumes a crazed look. “Never! It’s mine, I tell you!” He unfolds it and scans the roads. “We need to go… north.” He points out the window.

Phil rolls his eyes and points the other direction. “That’s north, and no, we need to go south.”

As the two brothers banter about directions, Mike turns to look at Katie. “Welcome to my world.”




“So I heard about why you came here.”

Jason ducks a punch from Clint, now even more on guard. “Oh?”

Clint tries another punch, his fist hitting air instead of Jason’s chin. “Yeah…Katie.”

Jason goes for Clint’s ankles, sending him to the ground.

Clint groans in frustration. “Why can’t I ever see that one coming?”

“Because you’re not paying attention.” Jason helps him up, resuming his stance. “So you think you know why I came, eh?”

“Sure.” Clint’s next attempt at a jab is blocked. “You got scared away.”

Jason’s knuckles meet Clint’s jaw lightly. “Now what would I be scared of?”

Clint grimaces and rubs his jaw. “The future.”

“Yeah, well I’m sure Katie’s just fine. She’s got Wyatt there, and she’ll get over me being gone.”

“That would make you feel good, wouldn’t it?” Clint takes a blow to the back of his head. “Aw, come on!”

Jason quirks an eyebrow. “Keep your eyes open, Clint.” He ducks a jab to his face. “And why would that thought make me feel good?”

“Because if you convince yourself that Katie is fine, then you won’t feel guilty for leaving.”

Jason frowns as he sidesteps a kick. “It has nothing to do with me feeling guilty or not,” he counters. “All I want is for Katie to be happy, and I’m sure Wyatt can help make that happen.”

“You’re Katie’s best friend!” Clint looks at him as though he’s crazy. “And you took that away from her. Yeah, that’s using your head alright.”

Jason stops and lowers his arms, not knowing why Clint was on this train of thought or what he hoped to prove.

Clint swings his fist and it lands squarely on Jason’s mouth with such force that it knocks him over. Clint’s eyes widen. “Oh, crap, Jason, I’m sorry. You okay?”

“Mm-hmm.” Jason sits up on the ground and feels his lip where it’s begun to bleed. “Nice.”

Clint gives him a hand up. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have swung so hard.”

“And I shouldn’t have let my guard down.” Jason rolls his eyes. “You got me on two counts. One for distracting me, and one for following through with it.”

Clint sobers just a little. “What I said wasn’t meant to be a distraction.”

Jason doesn’t want to admit that Clint’s words about his actions and Katie hit him just a little below the belt. He hadn’t been ready for that. Not wanting to discuss it further though, he turns it around by going for Clint with a quick move to pin his arm behind his back and put him in a light choke hold. “Maybe not, but you distracted yourself too.”

Clint rolls his eyes. “Alright, alright, but if you kill me now I won’t be able to improve.”

Jason releases him and takes another stance after wiping his lip with the back of his hand. “Now come on and use that maneuver I showed you yesterday.”


Jason flops down on his cot, not having done a whole lot today, but feeling tired nonetheless. Realizing his phone has been stuffed in his bag since he got here, he fishes it out and flips it open. He’s got a message waiting, and it’s from Con. Surprise, surprise. He was probably chewing Jason out for leaving.

Sighing, Jason listens to the call. But it’s not quite what he expected. “Jason…what do you think you’re doing? I thought you had more brains than this, boy!”
Jason cringes as he continues to listen.
“Look, I don’t know what your problem is, or what was said between you and Wyatt, but you better get your head out of your rear end and get back here. Do you have any idea what you did to Katie?”
Jason rolls his eyes. She was fine. She had Wyatt. She’d get over it.
“She’s miserable, Jason. Her best friend walked out on her without even looking back and guess what? That’s you. I don’t know if you assumed she’d just deal or what, but let me tell you something – pull this stunt again, and you’re gonna have me to deal with. You’ve hurt her enough, Jase. It’s time you realize she needs her friend. Whether you knew it or not, she counted on you for protection and support, and you’ve let her down. I’m just glad she’s got a distraction right now so she doesn’t fall back into the depressed state you left her in. Now I’m warning you, Jase…no, I’m asking you…as your friend…don’t wait too long to come back.”
Jason lets his arm drop from his ear as the message ends. He closes his eyes and leans back against the wall. Katie had taken it that hard? He honestly thought she wouldn’t have…he knew she’d been crying when he’d left, but…he hadn’t known he was that important. He knew he valued her friendship more than anything…but maybe he hadn’t realized that the choice he made would affect her…had he been that selfish?
Clint had been right…he’d used Wyatt as an excuse to make him feel less guilty about leaving. He’d needed to clear his head…he hadn’t known how to deal with Wyatt telling him to back off, so the option he’d chosen was to simply get out. But it looked as though there were greater consequences than he’d thought.
But how could he go back now? He still couldn’t deal with Wyatt. He still couldn’t just go on like nothing had happened…Wyatt had been ready to kill him the other day. How could he possibly go back into that situation?
Jason begins to feel a dread in the pit of his stomach. Con’s words scared him. Was he risking losing Katie for good? But…even if he was…how could he go back?

He rises from his cot, heading out to take a walk. He needed to think…needed fresh air. Shutting the door behind him, the computer on the desk goes ignored. He’d check his email tonight.