Thinking

Jeff smirks a little, but his eyes give away a teasing glint. He would just about bet anything that Hunter drove fast whether he was racing or not. But as long as he was doing it safely, Jeff was glad Katie could at least have some fun. And he certainly wouldn't tell on them. 

Hunter's own expression had turned a bit sheepish as he concentrates on his sandwich. Katie's comment though snaps his gaze back up. "I have you know that my pants never have, nor ever will be smart." He taps his head. "All those brains are mine." 

Jeff chuckles and rolls his eyes. "Case in point." 

Hunter just grins and takes another bite of sub, giving Katie a silly look. 

It wasn't too long before everyone had finished their subs - not long enough, if it was going to end their time together. But as Katie clears up the leftover trash and goes to find a garbage can, Hunter takes advantage of staying in the room alone with Jeff for just a few moments, hoping for an open door to talk to him. 

Seated in the chair, he studies Jeff, cocking his head slightly.

Jeff catches his eye and wonders what's going through the young man's mind. "So... what do you think of the ranch?" 

"I like it." Hunter's response didn't take much thought. "It's peaceful. Just like Katie described."

"Mmm... it always has been. I give Rosetta credit for that." Pausing, Jeff chews the inside of his lip, mulling over his thoughts. "How's Katie doing?" It might seem an odd question, but though he knew Katie was struggling lately, he wondered if Hunter had any different insights. 

Hunter takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "I think she'll be okay. Seeing her out here is different. I think it's good for her." He pauses, wondering if this was the chance he'd been waiting for. "She's... pretty worried about you, ya know." 

Jeff sighs and gives a half roll of his eyes. "Everybody is." 

"No, seriously." Hunter's tone had grown firmer. "I don't pretend to know what it's like to have a good relationship with one's father. But I can tell Katie adores you. And I may not have known her long, but this is the first time I've seen her this scared." He pauses, pursing his lips. "I know something like a heart attack can't necessarily be helped - you didn't mean for it to happen. But it's really stressing out Katie... especially when she thinks you're not going to take care of yourself when you get back home."

Jeff glances down for a moment, toying with the bedsheet. He hadn't meant to worry people, least of all Katie. He hadn't meant to make things worse for her, and it made him feel awful to think he was just adding to her already-huge amount of stress. "You don't pull any punches, do you?" 

"No, sir. Never have, never will. I make a lot of risky bets, but one bet I know for sure is that the truth and honesty are always best." 

Jeff's gaze rises once more and he studies Hunter's face. "You must really care about Katie to tell me all this." 

Hunter swallows hard. "She's a good friend."

"Are you a good friend to her?" 

Hunter wonders now who's not pulling punches. "I make a lot of mistakes... and I've made some stupid moves, but... I'm doing my best to be a good friend to her. She's too special to lose." 

"Now that... we agree on." 

Hunter mirrors Jeff's smile, getting the sudden feeling that Katie's father approved of him. Why, he wasn't sure - Hunter figured he wasn't the type that others would trust, especially with someone they cared about like Katie. But they all seemed to accept him. Was it Katie's word they were going on? Or... did they somehow see past all the trouble he'd gotten himself into in order to hide from the world? He wondered. 

Hearing Katie reenter the room, the conversation is dropped and Hunter looks up at her, still smiling. "Thought maybe you fell into the garbage can or something. We were ready to come looking for you." 

Five. Jason shuts down his computer and stands, stretching. For once, he wasn't tired after work. He'd slept well the night before after such a fun evening, and having this evening to look forward to too was.... well, maybe it was just motivation to not want to just go home and sack out on the couch. 

Wandering from his office, he heads down the hall to the infirmary and sees the door open. The room was void of Rick though, and Jason enters, ambling towards Misty's desk. "So did you decide where we're going to eat?" 

Sitting on the edge of her desk, he gives her a silly grin. "Unless you wanted to see a double feature tonight instead and pig out on pop corn. But... that's not always the healthiest choice. Not that... I've ever done that..." 

Dani giggles again, nudging Dalton's knee with her bare foot. "I like thinking..." 

Leaving her hands to slide through his hair, she accepts his kiss again, murmuring her pleasure. Feeling his arms around her. His warmth. His protection. His love. She could stay like this forever. 

She'd never be one to say she'd had a hard life, or a bad one. But looking back from where she was today, she could see many holes that she hadn't realized existed. And one of them, Dalton was filling, whether he realized it or not. Haunted with memories of the past, he chased them all away, giving her reason to keep moving... keep walking... keep loving and accepting love. 

Moving her lips from his, she kisses him lightly up his jawline to his ear then trailing down his neck as her hands move to tuck around his shoulders. Coming up for air, she returns to his lips, speaking softly between deep kisses. "Is this... the kind of... thinking..." She cocks her head to continue her passionate affection, her foot teasingly running down his leg. "...you were... thinking about?"