Normal

"How are you feeling?"

Jason looks up quickly from his desk, seeing Rick. "Physically?"

"Yeah."

"Fine. Little headache, but fine."

"And... emotionally?"

Jason thinks a moment. "Normal."

Rick just nods. "Okay. It had been a while so I just wanted to check."

Jason watches him start to leave, but stops him. "Have you checked Katie?"

"She left. I didn't get a chance to talk to her."

"Oh." Jason sighs. "Thanks." Left alone, he just sits quietly for a few moments. Trooper comes over to him, but he doesn't even feel like paying attention to his dog. He was happy, he was sad. He was relieved, he was tense. It didn't make any sense, yet it made a world of sense. He just wished Katie would be on board with him. He knew their connection was important, but... couldn't they survive without it? Couldn't they have a relationship without it? They'd both lived before... they were both human beings. Yes, they had shared something unique and special... something intimate. But if they were really meant to be, couldn't they survive without it? Why couldn't Katie understand what his points were? Couldn't she see that it tore him up inside every time something went wrong? Couldn't she understand that he was doing this for the both of them? Why was she being so stubborn about not being happy with it? He just didn't understand.

And now she'd left work. Jason knew it was because she was upset. Maybe his emotions weren't feeling it, but his gut told him. He wanted to go find her... go to her and try to talk through this and work it out... but he didn't even know where she was, and probably she wouldn't want to talk to him anyway.


Getting Katie's voice mail, Jen sighs a little, but she tries her best to be cheery anyway. "Hey, Katie, it's Jen. I just wondered if you wanted to get out and have some fun or just sit and talk or something. I called TJY and they said you'd left, so I don't know if you're home or not, but I'll just leave you this message. Mike's working and my folks are gone all day so I didn't have anything to do... thought maybe we both could use a friend today. Let me know, I'll be home."


Reese lifts his eyebrows a little, wondering what kind of trouble Hope could possibly be in. "I'd love to sit and talk. I don't know when you're free, but I'm open all day if you'd like to come in, or I can meet you somewhere."