Real Food

Waiting for Ryan to get home, the kitchen is unusually quiet, with both Eli and Tal trying to make smalltalk once in a while, but neither admitting aloud that they were both concerned about Ryan. She'd seemed fine on the phone but... both men were still wondering what had really happened at the store.

Hearing her enter the apartment and seeing Zidan go trampling to the door, Eli breathes a little sigh of relief. Watching his sister come in, he studies her perhaps more intently than usual, as if trying to read a story between the lines. Her accusation though his jaw drops. "Slacking? Us?" He looks at Tal for help.

Tal smirks and points to the door. "Do you really think we were gonna cut a hole before you came back with the supplies so we'd know what size to cut it?"

"Who's 'we'?" Eli intervenes. "You've just been sitting on your butt since you got here."

"Hey, I'm the cripple, remember?" Tal taps his leg cast. "All I can do is sit."

"Yeah. Until you're on the couch with my sister."

Tal's cheeks flush red and his eyes narrow. "Ooh... low blow... low blow." 

Eli grins and stands up, swallowing the rest of the beer he'd been working on. "Okay, so... what did hard working sister bring home for us, eh?" Wandering to the bag, he noses around. "Ahhhh.... yes, this will do. Very nice, very nice." 

Tal rolls his eyes before looking up at Ryan. "When did you say Scarlet's coming back? It's like babysitting an eight-year-old when she's gone." 

"I heard that," Eli mumbles, still busy with the supplies.

Gaining a smile, Tal stands up, setting his hands on Ryan's shoulders and giving her lips a light kiss. "Next time, I'm going with you so I don't have to stay home with him," he teases. Or...was it a tease?

Seeing Katie's message, Hunter grins. 

Morning!

And wait...coffee IS real food didnt u know that?

He pauses in thought, considering his stomach which really didn't feel an awful lot like eating anything this morning. Ever since last night, he just didn't feel quite right. 

Nah. Just coffee.

Thanks.

Sending the text, Hunter lets himself lie in bed a few more minutes before finally forcing himself back up again. Grabbing his crutches, he heads for the door and manages to get himself out on the porch. Easing down on the top step, he leans against the railing and sighs a deep sigh of the fresh morning air. It would be nicer drinking coffee with Katie out here.

The ice cream was in the freezer, the sink was fixed and the kitchen floor all cleaned up. It hadn't taken Alec too long after getting home to finish everything up, and he'd had a bit of time to work in the shed as well. But there were only so many ways he could keep his mind busy and off of earlier events. Off of Ryan. 

Now standing in the bathroom and leaning over the sink, he lets the cold water drip off his face. Looking in the mirror, he sees his eyes that were still red and swollen. When Misty came home soon, would she notice he'd been crying again? Probably. She always knew. 

After splashing some more cold water on his face, he finally takes a towel to dry off, and heads for the living room. Sitting in the corner of the couch, he pulls his knees up close to his chest, not bothering to turn the television on like he did some afternoons. He'd done his fair share of work today, but it didn't seem like it was that, that was making him feel so tired. It felt more like heartache that was draining his energy. 

Reese laughs outright and shakes his head, returning his focus to the stove. "I'll take that as a compliment, but you might get pretty tired of the five things I know how to make." It was probably more than that, but he didn't think much of it. He'd had to learn to cook after his wife had died, if he and Wyatt were going to have any good meals. So learn, he had.          And every once in a while, like tonight, he did enjoy it - more for the purpose of doing something nice for someone else, rather than thinking his food was all that great. 

"Okay..." He stirs the veggies a little more and checks the rice one last time. "I think we're ready to go. Wanna get some plates?" 

Supper really did taste good, and even Reese had to admit the stir fry had turned out better than he'd thought it would. After scraping their plates clean, both moved to the living room couch where Reese put on some relaxing music. Settling back with his arm around Angelica and his feet up on the coffee table, he sighs deeply. "Now this... this is the life." 

He turns to kiss the top of her head. "I love my job but... maybe retirement wouldn't be so bad." He chuckles. "But you'd have to retire too, otherwise I'd go crazy."