Loony Bin

Rosalyn was more than happy to settle in to Chad's lap, just leaning her head on his shoulder and listening. She sighed deeply, but was glad to know he hadn't had any encounters with her dad. And even though she'd sworn Clint to secrecy, she couldn't be mad at him for pointing Chad in the right direction.

"I don't want to keep you from anything important... but I can't say I'm not glad you can stick around for a little while." Her fingers fiddled with a button on his shirt. "I've got some cleaning jobs now, but the hours are a bit flexible if I'm creative so... I should be able to spend time with you." 

It felt odd...talking about a job. She'd just worked at the ranch as a part of daily life for so long, that having actual jobs that she couldn't just reschedule however she wanted was a new sort of sensation. And at the moment, it was also a bit depressing, since all she wanted to do was spend every moment with Chad. "I have Wednesdays and Sundays off too," she added.

She glanced up before leaning in and giving his lips another soft kiss, then returned to nuzzling into his chest. "Things have been...so...hard." Her voice started to quiver as tears filled her eyes. "I... I just... I didn't want to tell you. I didn't want you to feel responsible." She sniffed. "Dad, he... Things just got worse and worse. I couldn't.... I just couldn't take it anymore. I'm...so sorry I pushed you away. Clint's the only one who knows I'm here. I couldn't even tell my mom and...and it just breaks my heart."

She wiped her eyes, though tears remained. "But... This...having you here... It at least makes what I did worth it. I know I already said thank you for coming, but...thank you...again."


After taking another bite of the sub, Garret's eyebrows rose at Sapphire's offer to help with her workload. He thought for a minute, then shrugged. "Don't know if I'm any good at it, but I can follow directions."

He cocked his head, giving her a queer look. Was her behavior...normal? In his world, he'd feel the need to be quite suspicious at this point about her motives. But what about in this world? "I'd actually like something to do, other than stare at four cell walls the rest of the afternoon. You might wanna clear it with Nate though. I'm not sure anybody wants me near any of your computers."

"You as good with computers as you are beating people up?"

Garret glanced across the table to Jason. "Truth? I'm computer savvy, not tech savvy."

Jason's eyes narrowed. "Meaning...?"

"Meaning I can navigate, and I can type better than a five-year-old. I've got passwords, access codes and more, but I can't do the hacking." Garret tried to ignore Jason's mistrusting stare. "So if you're worried, don't be."

"Oh, I'm not worried. We've got kiddie locks on the important stuff." Jason stood and cleared off what was left of his lunch, throwing Sapphire a warning glance. He wasn't trying to be arrogant, and he wasn't upset - he just wanted to make sure she was careful. Truth be told, he was envious of Sapphire's ability to connect to people. He just didn't want anything bad to happen with Garret. "While you two work, wanna finish that paperwork on the Fulmer case?" He grinned. "Then I'll owe you one..."

It wasn't too long before Garret was in Sapphire's cubicle on an extra chair, taking a swig of Mountain Dew. He scrunched his eyes as he swallowed hard, and put a hand to his chest. "Man...been a while since I had this stuff. Forgot how sweet it was." He shrugged and took another sip. "Okay so...now that I'm headed towards a sugar high, what do you want me to do?"


Justin thumbed through the book Hope handed him, and nodded. "Thanks. I really appreciate this." He glanced around her office for a moment and grinned. "I've always wondered about working in an actual office, rather than running all over the place to visit my clients. And then I wonder about my claustrophobia kicking in."


Glancing first left then right, Gunner put a finger to his lips, winking at the young patient smiing at him. There was momentarily no one at the nurse's station. 

Hopping up to sit on the counter, Gunner grabbed the phone and hit the intercom. "Calling Nurse Bree to the front office. Calling Nurse Bree. Your vampire awaits."

"Mr. Franklin!" One of the nurses had returned, and swatted his arm before grabbing for the receiver. "Get your hind end off this counter at once!"

"Help!" Gunner struggled to get his last words in before she hung up. "I'm being abducted by aliens!"

Giggles made him look over his shoulder at a couple kids on their way back to their rooms, and he waved.

"Gunner!" It was the little girl that trotted over to him, despite the orderly's promptings to remain on task.

Gunner slid off the counter and gave the girl a gentle hug. "Hey there, kiddo. They're trying to kick me out. Can I come hide under your bed?"

"Yes!"

"With a teddy bear? I'm scared of the dark."

"Uh-huh!"

"No." The nurse smirked. "Has anyone ever told you that you belong in a loony bin?"

Gunner laughed. "You have no idea."