Forever

"Mm, thanks." Eric was grateful Chad was there, and didn't resist the help. He shakes his head at Chad's question though. "No, I-"

He stops mid-sentence as Stacy approaches, and keeps himself from rolling his eyes. Not because she cared, but because he didn't particularly like much attention when it came to things like this. "Yeah, I'm alright." He pauses, letting half his weight lean on Chad. "Static just decided he'd rather go to the barn than stick around and listen to an argument. So now..." 

He starts forward again, gritting his teeth as his leg protests more than he thought it would. "Since nothing's broken and I ain't bleeding to death, I'm going to the barn to retrieve that ornery brute, and I'm gonna get back in the saddle."


Air. Room to breathe. That's all Rosalyn wanted. Heading at a fast pace back behind the barns and out to the back pasture, she keeps going. Her vision blurred through her tears but she didn't stop. She just wanted to get away. To get away from all the tension. 

Finding herself in the small orchard, she easily finds the tree that had become "hers and Chad's." Sliding down to the ground as she cries, she leans back against the rough bark, covering her face with her hands. How could such a peaceful night be so quickly torn away as she was yanked into another horrible scene? Why couldn't she have just remained in bliss a little while longer? What was happening? Whose fault was it really? 

She wasn't sure how long she remained under the tree, but she didn't want to move. It felt like every muscle in her body hurt and her eyes burned so badly that her head pounded. With her tears finally subsiding, she just closes her eyes and stays seated in the long grass, feeling the morning sun pouring down on her. So many questions ran through her mind. So many concerns. She didn't know what was right anymore. She didn't know what to do. 

Though missing breakfast entirely, she didn't care. She was supposed to have helped in the kitchen, but she lets it slide. She wasn't going to reappear in this shape anyway. She wasn't sure if she wanted to reappear at all. She just wanted to stay out here forever.


Listening quietly, Justin studies Hope's face as she spoke, taking note to her body language and eyes. Sliding one foot up on the chair, he wraps his arms around his knee and takes a moment to think. "Well, I'll try to figure out what's going on with him, but from what you just told me, it sounds like a classic case of someone caring enough that they don't want to hurt somebody else, so they push them away." He pauses, just letting his eyes roam hers. 

"Love isn't easily hidden, and Scott's a smart man." It was so obvious to Justin that Hope still loved Scott deeply. Whether her suggestion of taking Scott to the park was just a friendly gesture or not, Justin could only guess that Scott knew good and well Hope loved him. "And knowing him, he's already thought of the big picture. A picture of you and him. Together for the long haul. And he sees himself having violent nightmares almost every night. He sees himself barely able to keep his eating disorder under control. Constantly battling depression. Being angry and not knowing why. And when a man envisions that next to a woman he cares about, well..." Justin gives her a wry grin. "Maybe it's a guy thing, but we'd rather sacrifice our own happiness than put a woman through all that with us - regardless of whether or not the woman is willing."

Sighing, he nods slowly. "And... all those things, added together with his fears as well, probably make him feel pretty weak. And most guys I know don't particularly like it when a woman is stronger than they are."

He pauses again, thinking through the whole situation. "Unfortunately, you're Scott's best friend next to Dalton, and he needs all the support he can get. For a guy like him, retreating like this can get him in trouble again, and none of us want him to go back down the path to Brookshire. That said, I see he's not at work today so I might just slip on over to his house and check on him."