Late night

Jared stirs slightly at the sound of Grace's voice, but doesn't wake. Though his mind was trying desperately to pull itself out of the fog, his body was just too weak. 

It would be about half an hour before Lydia would arrive, and she enters the room quietly, smiling at Grace. She was happy that the younger woman was here - she'd done so much for Jared, not just with his legs.

Lydia goes over to the bed and gently strokes Jared's cheek while he slept. "He is so pale." She turns to look at Grace. "Has he been awake at all?" 

"Yeah, we just got back." Jason stifles a yawn, his keys jingling in his hand as he locked up his office. He'd just grabbed a few things and was ready to head out. Besides Ty and Hal, he and Katie were the only ones on the main floor... which wasn't surprising, since it was after midnight. Their stakeout had lasted longer than anticipated, and had then turned into them tailing the guy for several hours after that. Only now had Jason been able to call Misty. "I know it's late, but if you're up to a movie and some ice cream..." He grins, even though he couldn't see her. "I could think of something to keep you awake."

On Katie's desk, a handwritten note had been stuck to her computer:

So much for surprising you at work. Oops. They said you were gonna be on a case. til late. I'm off to the races. Wish me luck and text when you can. Late night coffee?

Hunter  

"It won't happen again." Clint would be ready for it next time... if there was a next time. Standing again, he picks the ice pack back up. "Thanks for your help." 

Heading for the door, he stops and looks over his shoulder at Angel. "And thanks for not saying anything. I'll see you later." Leaving, he aims for the garage. He knew he could trust Angel not to tell anybody, just like she'd said. And for that, he was grateful. This didn't need to become something bigger than it was.

Kaylee giggles again and gives Wes' other cheek another kiss. "Mwah! Now ah better!" 

Luke laughs and shakes his head. "Well, I'll leave you guys at it. I'll catch you later." 

Cindy just grins and tugs one of Kaylee's pigtails. "Lets get you inside, you big ham." 

In the dining hall, there were a few more people to greet who were so glad to see Wes again. Before long, the day had slipped away, and evening had arrived. Planned festivities really only consisted of good food and fellowship, though there was a bigger group than usual as no one stayed in their own homes tonight. Everyone was so happy to have Wes back in their midst, it was such a wonderful reunion. The laughter and chatting lasted late into the evening when finally people started to disperse - even though they wanted to stay, the morning would come early, and reality still existed. The best part was though, that Wes would be back tomorrow as well. 

There was only one person who had hardly been seen all evening. Clint had shown up for supper, but only after the meal had started, so a wave across the room was the only greeting he'd been able to give Wes. Sticking close to Wendy and Chase back in the corner, he'd made himself scarce before disappearing altogether.

Now it was getting late and everyone was going to their own homes and to bed. But in the garage, lights were on. 

Clint leans into the pickup's engine, still having difficulties finding all that was wrong. It didn't help that his mind was wandering though. He'd wanted to see and talk to Wes so badly. He'd been more than an uncle... he'd been a mentor, and Clint had missed him more than he'd told anybody. Every day in the shop, he'd thought of Wes. Every time he worked on another car, or found a new customer... everything here had Wes' fingerprints on it, and even if Clint had never told anyone, there were many days he'd just sat and listened to the quiet, missing his uncle. Tonight though, he'd just stayed out of the way. The Henson brother's had stuck together like glue, and that included Jim... and Clint was not going to socialize with him. Not to mention, a little bit of makeup had hidden his black eye if he was at a distance, but up close, it had still been pretty obvious, and he had not wanted anyone to ask questions. 

Alone in the garage, the makeup had long since worn off, and the bruise had spread, giving him a nice dark purple shiner. He'd told Wendy what happened, but she and Angel were the only ones who knew anything. The hard part would be tomorrow when more people would see him and it would be impossible to hide his eye. 

As his wrench slips and drops down through the engine, he growls in frustration. Going over to the work bench, he leans on it, looking down at his greasy hands. What was the point anymore? The business was going to go in the hole pretty soon, bills weren't getting paid, his own father couldn't care less if he was here or not... Why was he? Why couldn't he and Wendy find their own place closer to town? They'd be closer to friends, closer to church, closer to everything they wanted to do. He could find a job with regular hours... a while after the baby was born, Wendy could pick up painting again. Why did they stay here? 

Sighing, Clint takes his rag from his back pocket and tries to clean his hands. Maybe this whole thing with his dad was getting to him more than he thought.