Too good to me

Kip is quiet for a few minutes. It might seem as though he hadn't heard Karla, but he had, and it just took him a while to think it through. For something so simple, right now, everything seemed more complicated than it should.

"I... don't ever want you not to come anymore," he responds quietly. "I like you here, even... even if I don't say so." He knew right now he wasn't communicating well. He knew he was depressed and was no fun to be around. He knew that he might have even hurt people's feelings by the way he'd acted or things he'd said. But as of yet, he still couldn't pull himself through. Not yet.

Slowly, carefully, he turns onto his back, trying not to wince as he did. He didn't want Karla to know the pain he was in. Making sure her arm was still around him, he slips his own arm under her head so she could use his shoulder as a pillow and he could hold her close. A deep sigh follows.

"I talked to Gram a little today," he admits. "I... told her something that... that I hadn't told anyone else yet." Another pause ensues and his eyes roam the ceiling. It was going to come out eventually - Karla might as well know and if he told someone else, then maybe telling Erik later wouldn't seem as hard. But what would Karla think? Would she feel the same, knowing he was broke? Knowing that he was going to struggle to keep up, financially until the band took off? If the band even did take off?

"My dad, he, um... well, I mean, I..." Yes, it was him. It was his fault. He's the one that gave in. He's the one that gave up. "I gave him all my money." He swallows hard, feeling his emotions rising again. "So... so it's all gone now." His stomach hurt from lack of hunger. His heart hurt from lack of life. "Erik's gonna kill me," he whispers.


Sheesh.

Jason couldn't help that some of what he felt was confusion. He didn't know Eric as well as some of the other family members, but it still seemed out of character for him to have spoken harshly enough to upset everyone like that.
I'm sorry...

He knew that whatever had been said really did hurt Katie's feelings - otherwise she wouldn't have gotten so upset.
If I can do anything, let me know. I'm gonna work a while longer but...

He hesitates. He knew Katie would be able to feel it though, so he might as well just say it.
...Rick thinks I ought to go home soon and rest. So I probably will.


"Hey..." Ryder's first reaction was to be stern, but he makes sure his voice is soft and gentle. "You did nothing wrong. That woman's got a whole lot more going on than meets the eye. Whatever she thought she was doing, it was more than just putting you down. And even if she was directing everything at you, she had no right. You couldn't be more above reproach if you tried, and I'm very, very proud of who you are."

He rubs her arm lovingly. "When Katie gets back, we'll all have some ice cream and maybe we'll watch a movie. There's no point in dwelling on any of this. It's over and we can move on."


Trent leans on the doorway between the living room and kitchen, holding a glass of water. He'd heard Ryder, and though it didn't bring a smile to his face, it did touch his heart. Jasmine really was being well taken care of. God had provided, even though he had failed as a father. Trent's biggest concern now was her and Ryder's spiritual well-being, but he knew that hanging out with Katie and their other friends, that there was no way God would be excluded. He was confident that soon, Jasmine would come to know Christ too. And then the family tie would be even stronger. For now though, all he had to ride on was patience.

But if anyone knew patience, it was him. He'd rushed too many things. Hurried one too many times. Cut too many corners. Life for him could end tomorrow, and he would be ready. He didn't know what plans God might have for him now, and he was willing to wait and see, but he was in no hurry to go anywhere. No, time was too short to go around making more mistakes.

He glances to the door. He hoped Eric knew the same thing.


Jeff leans back in his chair and closes his eyes, forcing himself to relax. He remembered the days he would have stood up to Eric and probably gotten into a fist fight. It was frustrating now, to know he wasn't physically well enough for that anymore. Rick had been right... he never had fully recovered and probably never would. The most he could do was enjoy life as much as he could, and being able to see Katie... that made the effort worth it. As far as anything else went... there was a lot of good and a lot of love where he was at - God had him in a good place, whether or not he felt useful. As far as Eric went... This whole chaotic visit hurt... it hurt a lot. But what was done was done, and no matter the pain or insults, he hoped and prayed his brother was happy and would be happy with Dana.


Eric strums his fingers on his leg, his mind wandering as he waits for Dana at the rest stop along the interstate. They'd been on the road several hours now, taking time to stop for supper, then heading to his next pick-up. After making his delivery the next day, they'd head for Las Vegas. It was decided, and he was determined to follow through. Dana had told him what happened back at the house, and he knew that there were two sides to the story, but he didn't really care. He still felt his family's actions and attitudes were despicable and he couldn't believe what Katie had done. Here he was, trying to show off his girl and he was so happy... and no one shared his joy. No one accepted Dana. No one returned the happiness. He'd been alone all his life - had finally found what he wanted, and none of his family could even say congratulations. It hurt.

Checking his watch, Eric grabs his cell phone. It was evening - most likely everyone was preparing for supper back at the ranch, or taking care of guests. Today it meant a good time to call.

Dialing Mick and Rosetta's house, the familiar answering machine message greets him just as he'd hoped. "Yeah, it's Eric. I'm just calling to..." His eyes roam the parking lot, finding it difficult to say what he really wanted to, despite his stubbornness. He wouldn't mention the earlier argument though - they'd find out soon enough.

"...to let you know that in about twenty-four hours, Dana and I'll be married. We agreed it was better this way so no one would hafta feel obligated to show up at a formal wedding. We'll be spending our honeymoon in California for a week, then we're planning on coming back to the ranch. You guys can decide if you want us both living there. We'll be on the road a lot, but if you'd rather we didn't call the ranch our home... we'll find our own place prolly somewhere out east. So..." He purses his lips, not sure if he liked how he'd said it or not, but it was done and it was the truth. "I'll see you soon."

He hangs up just in time to greet Dana with a smile and a kiss as she returns to the semi. "Ready?"

"As ready as always." She grins and puts on her seatbelt as she pulls out her own phone to browse the web. "Okay... so tonight we need a hotel with internet access so we can take care of my situation back home."

"Right."

"You're too good to me."

Eric smiles. "Nah. How could I not help you out? Your situations are mine now too - there's no "I" in "team," ya know."

Dana giggles. "I guess not. I just feel like it's all too good to be true. Like I'm taking advantage or something."

"Oh, stop." Eric pulls from the parking lot and checks his mirror before getting back on the interstate. "I'm just glad you didn't dump me after today."

"It would take an awful lot more than that to dump you." Dana shakes her head. "Though I must admit they got me pretty worked up."

Eric's fingers tighten on the steering wheel. He hadn't explained Katie... not yet. "Yeah well, it's over now. Just you and me, and we can deal with the others later."