Daisy

"Carson... this was supposed to be without onions." Dani hands back a plate of food through the kitchen window.

Carson growls in frustration and takes it back to remake.

Watching him for several moments, Dani furrows her brow. She was worried about him, which was unusual. Sure, her brother got in a bad mood every now and then - everybody did. Everybody had bad days too. What bothered her was that Carson's bad day was lasting more than a day. He used to smile and laugh and go out and mingle with customers. But for the last week or two, he'd been downright antisocial around the restaurant, moody, and snapping at his waitresses was becoming much too frequent.

Finally brave enough to wander into the kitchen, Dani comes up beside him at the counter to help out with the food. She opted to not complain about his mood. "You okay?" she asks softly.

Her tone was gentle enough that Carson couldn't get mad at her. His shoulders drop slightly but he keeps his eyes on the food. "I don't know."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Naw... just..." He sighs. and turns to put the food in the oven. "Misty and I had a fight and I just can't concentrate today."

Dani frowns and lays a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry. I'm sure it will all be okay. Everybody argues."

"Yeah... I guess you're right." Carson shrugs. "I guess it's so rare for her and me that I don't know what to do with myself when it happens."

Dani offers him a smile. "If I know you, you'll think of something."


...Lunchtime. It was the busiest time of day for Mom and Pop's, but Carson had left it in the hands of Dani, Thirteen and Herb for just an hour or so.

Entering the infirmary slowly, Carson felt more awkward here than he had in a long time. It wasn't a good feeling. Spying Misty very involved with the work at her desk, he approaches quietly, walking around out of her line of sight. Coming up behind her, he stops and watches for a moment. Then a long-stemmed daisy slithers over her shoulder.

"Care to join an Aussie for lunch?" he asks softly.


Sparky keeps a close eye on Dylan as the young man finishes cleaning a stall and hauls the wheelbarrow down the barn aisle. It had been a few days since he'd shown up again, and things were still a bit awkward, but it seemed he was genuinely trying to fit back in around here once more. As far as Sparky knew, his nephew had started his schoolwork again and he'd been seen spending a little bit of time with Ashlee. He'd also gotten back in the saddle to help Sparky exercise the horses as well. There was just one thing...

Sighing, Sparky goes back to resetting the hay rack in another stall. A shadow though, pauses him yet again. Looking up, he sees Mick. "Yes?"

Mick shrugs. "Just wondering how Dylan's doing. He doesn't talk to me now any more than he did before he left, ya know."

Sparky straightens, fingering his screwdriver as he leans on the open stall door. He knew Mick still struggled with the fact that Dylan worked and talked with him instead of his own father. But Sparky wouldn't turn down his nephew - if Dylan talked to anybody at all, it was a good thing. Sparky studies his brother's face. "He's doing alright."

Mick senses hesitance. "But...?"

Sparky's eyes lower and he fiddles with the screwdriver.

"What? What is it?"

Sparky shrugs.

Mick steps closer. "Tyler..."

Sparky's gaze shoots back up, annoyed. "Well, I just... I don't think Dylan's being completely honest."

"With what?"

"With... what he... might still be doing... since he came back."

"As in...?"

"I dunno. I... think he's on something."

Mick nods slowly. "Yeah. That's what I think too."

Sparky's eyebrows rise. He'd thought Mick would be upset with him for such an accusation against his son. "You do?"

"Mm-hmm... I thought so from the first time I saw him when he got back. I've talked to a few of the others too, and you and I aren't the only ones that have noticed."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I just wondered if you saw it too."

"Unfortunately." Sparky purses his lips in thought. He'd seen that look in Dylan's eye. The strange behavior. The odd moods. The poor physical condition. "You gonna confront him?"

"Nope." Mick shakes his head. "This time it's gotta be his choice."

"You're just gonna ignore it?"

"No... whatever it is he's got is pretty heavy - he doesn't think anybody's noticed the needle marks on his arm. But if..." Mick would rather not say it aloud, but he knew it was best. "...if it's heroin like it was before, he's gonna run out. And he has nowhere to go..."



"...Coming to supper?"

Dylan stops and turns around, en route to his bunk. He shakes his head at Sparky. "I, um.... I got a headache - I think I'm just gonna go lie down."

Sparky lifts an eyebrow but doesn't question him. He did wonder, though, if Mick had been right, when they'd spoken earlier. "Okay. You want me to tell Angel you want something f-"

"No." Dylan's answer cuts him off. "I mean... I'm fine. Thanks."

"Yeah, okay." Sparky shrugs. "Well if you need anything, holler."

Dylan watches as his uncle heads to the dining hall before continuing on to his bunk. Getting inside, he kicks off his boots and flops down on the bed. His head felt like it was splitting open, and the thought of food was rather nauseating. No... tonight he'd rather sleep. And in the morning... he had a feeling that it would be worse than it was now, but he could pretend, right?


Sparky continues on to the dining hall where most of the others were already. Glancing across the room he catches Mick's eye and shakes his head slightly. Mick nods in responds.

Weaving through the tables, Mick makes his way over to where Stacy was. "Stacy..." He motions to the door. "Can I have a word with you for just a moment?" He wouldn't keep her long, since supper was almost ready.

Leading the way out onto the porch, he sighs and tips his hat back a little. "I just wanted to make sure you were aware of something. Knowing you, you probably already figured it out, but..." He shakes his head. "I'm not a hundred percent sure, but Dylan's got all the signs of being on drugs. I've got a feeling he's about ready to run out, if he hasn't already, and things could get difficult. I wanted you to be aware, first, because of Ashlee, and second, because I don't know if Dylan will try to leave again, but I need you to keep your eye out for that."

He shrugs lamely. He still felt like a failure of a father, but there was no point in not facing the truth. "That's all I wanted to tell you."