Tense Eve

"Yeah, I gotta go back since still nothing has changed... but she let me have today and tomorrow with the promise if the pain got worse or anything happened, I'd tell her." Axel leans back against the counter and pops a celery stick with cream cheese into his mouth, raiding the snack tray before it was even finished.

Carson works in the kitchen and chuckles. "Trust me. Once she gets here, she'll watch you like a hawk."

"I thought you were the one she was watching." Axel glances at his friend coyly.

Carson looks up and shakes a knife at his friend. "You better believe it."

A grin spreads on Axel's face and he holds up his arm, the other resting in a sling. "Hey, I don't care. I got my own woman to look at me."

Laughing again, Carson returns to making up snacks that would last all evening. "And when is your date arriving?"

"Oh, any time. She said she had some running around to do. Speaking of which, where's your sister?"

"Shopping." Carson rolls his eyes. "She's crazy to shop Christmas eve."

"Mmm, well, she shouldn't be too long, if Dalton is coming."

"This is true." Carson pauses in front of the stove as if lost in thought. "If she goes on and on about the Hulk one more time, I'm gonna puke."

Axel laughs outright. "Aw, now you'd be disappointed if Misty didn't go on and on about you, wouldn't you?"

"I don't care what she says to other people. It's what she says to me that I'm worried about."

"Ooh, like 'I do'?"

Carson grins. "Yeah, maybe."

Axel chuckles again and shakes his head. "Well, give your sister a break. Pretty soon you'll be moving into Misty's apartment and you won't have to listen to Dani rant about her boyfriend anymore."

"Heh, yeah." Though thrilled with the prospect of marriage to Misty and moving to her place, Carson had to admit to himself at least, that he'd miss having his sister around all the time.

Axel seems to read his friend's eyes. "At least you'll still have her every day at work."

"Oh, yes. Far as I know she's satisfied with the job so far."

Hearing a car outside, Axel wanders to the window to look down to ground level. "Speak of the devil."

"What? Dani, already? She certainly didn't shop very long."

"You know women... she probably plans on two hours of preening before Dalton gets here."

Carson laughs, finding a big bowl for the corn chips. "You better be quiet before she gets in here, or you'll never hear the end of it."

Axel's eyes widen. "Or she might sic Dalton on me. I can handle a lot of things but..."

"There's nothing like getting pinned by a giant."


Something twitches Alec's lips almost forming a smile... almost. "Yeah, talking to dead people isn't very fun. Only good thing is, they can't argue with ya."

Sighing a little, he watches Ryan prepare to leave, something in his eye resembling disappointment. "Well, um..." Yeah, feeling a loss of emotions did suck, especially when wanting to feel more than just a touch when she'd patted his hand.

He hesitates, not even sure what words he was looking for. "Merry Christmas I guess."

His eyes drop again. He felt like he should be calloused and mean again so nobody got the wrong idea but this day just didn't feel like the others. He wasn't sure what had created this mellow feeling, but it didn't seem worth the effort to get rid of it now.

"And uh... thanks."


Gage smiles down at Sapphire, his eyes mirroring the emotions. "I still don't know why a friendship of mine could mean so much to you but... I'm sure glad it does. 'Cause without you around, I don't know how much would be worth the effort anymore."

He sways a little, his arms still around her. "So... what are we doing the rest of the day?"


Trent shakes his head, sinking down into a chair again. It had been several hours. "Not a thing. I don't know what to do. I got a couple more hospitals I can call, but I doubt they'll have anything - they're pretty far from the scene of the accident. Nobody's got Eric as a patient and I can't get through any other way."

He sighs deeply. By now, Jeff knew and the word was slowly spreading. No one was in a panic, but it wasn't good. "I don't know what else to do."


Heard about Eric. Wish I could help out somehow.

Jason walks alongside Katie as they ambled around the ranch hand-in-hand. He'd come to the ranch shortly after breakfast to join in with everyone else.

I can see everybody still trying to have a good time and be in good spirits, but it's hard. If Trent can't find Eric maybe we can call back to TJY and get somebody else on it.


"She's pretty, isn't she?" Ryder pets the sleek neck of the mare who stood patiently in the barn, letting him and Thirteen brush and pet her. One of the guys had gotten her out of the stall for them and Ryder enjoyed seeing Thirteen around the big gentle animal.

Things inside had gotten a little tense and Ryder had heard about Eric. It was hard knowing that it was Thirteen's uncle and she didn't even know it. But he held his tongue, swinging wide of Trent for now. But his patience was growing thin. Not only was Trent being quiet, he was downright avoiding them, and it just wasn't setting well with Ryder.