Timid

An invite to go with Chuck? Though it brought on a little bit of fear, there was a warm feeling that Susanne liked. Would him actually wanting to be around her always make her feel so good, or would it wear off? She wouldn't mind if the feeling was always there. No man had ever paid attention to her. This feeling was... worth keeping.

As Chuck reaches over to brush away the strand of hair and his fingers glide across her cheek, Susanne can feel her heart begin to race. Staring into his eyes, she wonders if it was disappointment or relief she felt that he had retreated.

She'd never felt things like this before... it was a scary thrill, almost like a riding a rollercoaster. But looking into those never-ending eyes... she felt a strange urge to let him know she was okay... that she wouldn't slap him away. Lifting her hand, she slowly stretches it out until her fingertips lightly brush his face, almost mimicking his own movements. She withdraws quickly, her gaze turning to one of asking permission - it felt rather silly, but at the same time, it was something she wanted to do.

Swallowing hard, her hand moves forward again until her palm is resting against his cheek. Her eyes roam to every curve and line, studying his face as her thumb moves past his mouth to touch his lips, down to his chin, then up again. Her fingers wander to trace under his eyes, up to his forehead then down his hairline by his ear to follow his jawline. His skin under her touch sent tingles up her arm and her fingers wander down his neck and around to his hair in the back, then up through his hair to his face again. When her palm rests on his cheek where it had started, her eyes look into his once more and her lips curl into a little smile, even though she's blushing.

"I... I think I'd like to go on one of those trips with you," she responds softly... timidly. Her hand slowly moves back to her own lap and her eyes finally drop. "I don't find you repulsive in the least."


Hearing Katie, Cindy turns around in the kitchen, doing her best not to panic. Jason wasn't waking up? It was what she'd feared. Though she wanted to trust Katie, at this point, she was going to go with her gut instead.

"No... I'd rather call Angel now. I don't want to prolong it if there's something really wrong." She turns off the stove and goes for the phone. "Keep trying though," she prompts. "Maybe you can rouse him by the time Angel comes."

Picking up the phone, she calls Angel to let her know what was happening and what Rick had told her about moving Jason and putting him on an IV. And after hanging up, she calls TJY. Getting the answering service, she knew it was late, so she dials his home phone instead. How she remembered it, she didn't know. She remembered a lot of things from the good old days of living near TJY. It felt like a lifetime ago. "Rick, I'm so sorry to call you at home."

"Cindy? No, no, it's okay. What's up?"

"Katie can't wake Jason. I already called Angel and told her what you said so we're going to move him if Katie still can't get him up."

Rick sighs deeply. This wasn't good. Jason had been very tired after attacks before, but never had he been to the point of not waking up. This really had been a bad one. "Okay." He speaks calmly and gently. "You're doing the right thing. As long as he's resting, that's a good thing, okay? It means his body is trying to recuperate."

Cindy tries to hold on to his assurance. "Okay."

"All Angel needs to do is make sure he remains stable and get some fluids into him. He's probably dehydrated, but I'm sure she'll see that."

"What if... what if he still doesn't wake up?"

"Don't worry about a thing. Jason is going to be alright. I promised you things would be fine - I still mean it. Now... I'm going to pack my things, grab some stuff from the office, and fly a jet down tomorrow. If anything changes, you just call my cell phone, okay?"

"Okay. But... but why are you coming? What can you do here?"

"Oh, I just want to talk with Angel a little and see how Jason's doing. I've got a bit more information than she does about what's been happening with Jason, and it's easier to relate in person than over the phone."

Cindy swallows hard. "No, you're just worried about him and it's your last ditch effort to do something that probably won't be any different than Angel."

"Cindy... What I told you was true. There's no last ditch efforts here at all. The fact that Jason is asleep is good, okay? Trust me." All Rick had said was true. But it was also true that he wanted to see Jason for himself and make sure he ended back up in Nevada in one piece. He trusted Angel and he trusted Katie. But he'd been looking after Jason for a long time and wasn't about to leave him now. "Remember - call my cell phone if anything changes. Otherwise, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Alright." Cindy sees headlights reflecting through the window and knows someone has arrived. "Someone's here now. Thank you, Rick."

"Goodnight, Cindy."