Grizzly

Being taken to the spare bedroom and left alone, Garret's mind was in such a fog, but he desperately wanted to understand what was really going on here. Why was he here? And didn't Nate know he didn't want anything to eat? He hadn't the energy to fight, though, so he remained silent.

In the kitchen, Laura smiled at Nate and Brian. This was her favorite part of the day - when Nate returned from work. She snorted at his comment as she stirred the soup on the stove. "Carson's skull is made out of the hardest substance known to man. Garret might be giving Rick a bad time, but he's here, which means I think Carson's still got him beat in the hard head department." 

She paused to taste the soup and shrugged. It was turning out okay but the noodles weren't quite done yet. "I don't know what you think about the daytime when you're gone..." She hadn't thought that far earlier and now regretted it. "Maybe if Rick's not too busy he can at least be next door or something. Or I suppose if you're not too overloaded you can maybe stick around part of the day?" It wasn't really a fear of Garret that drove her questions, but more of what was appropriate for the situation. Garret was not the typical man to have hanging around the house, and he might not intend to do anything wrong, but he wasn't used to this kind of world, and mistakes could be made if they weren't careful - even if he was sick at the moment. 

"Oh, and I didn't tell Maggie about him coming yet. She's been upstairs doing some schoolwork. So you might want to warn her that Garret's here but sick. I know some men who are total bears when they're not feeling well, and I can imagine he can be quite the grizzly." 


Left alone, Garret set his backpack near the bed out of habit - keeping his belongings close by. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he noticed how soft the mattress was. Softer than the one at the Elite. It was a cozy room. Warm, like the rest of the house. A window looked over the backyard. It made it light in here. Welcoming. But why was he here again? His head hurt too much to think. 

Kicking off his boots and at least having the sense to shed his hat and jacket, he just let them lie at he end of the bed before crawling in on his stomach and letting his head sink into the pillow. Another wave of chills forced him to pull up a blanket...how soft it was. His body wanted to sleep so badly, but his ears wouldn't shut off the sounds around him. Muffled voices. Creaks in the duct work. A barking dog next door. He was out of his element, and though too sick to deal with it, his training wasn't allowing him to rest. At the same time, he was too tired to focus enough to shut it out. All he could do was close his eyes and wait for his body to calm down.


Smirking at Adison, Kirk brushed out the rest of his beard just in case any other crumbs had been missed. "Thanks, Mom," he teased. 

A sigh followed, but agreed - they both needed to clean up and make an appearance. "Yeah. I'll see ya later." Letting her leave and closing the door behind her, he then turned to scan his apartment. For as much of a mess as they'd made last night, they'd done a good job at organizing once finished. Now...he was in dire need of a shower and clean clothes before he went in to work. 

Barely over a half hour later, he was already walking into the office, file folder in hand. His personnel reports were deposited on Barnes' desk with the assurance - after a stern reminder about how this investigation was taking him too long - that he would have an overall report of the Elite within the next twenty-four hours. 

Stopping by his desk in the work room to pick up a few things, he glanced over to Adison's space, hoping no one would notice how tired she looked today. If anybody got wind that he'd included her in any part of this investigation, it could mean their badges. He hadn't meant to directly disobey...he'd just felt that strongly about needing help. 

On his way out, he left two dollar bills on her desk with a sticky note that read, "This afternoon's coffee is on me." She was going to need it. 

Back to the Elite, it was Reese's office he aimed for. This was not going to be pleasant. But it had to be done. 


"Six-thirty?" Travis nodded. "I can handle that. Think maybe you could show me around this afternoon? If you're not too busy, I mean. I know you got work and school." 

Dylan trudged to the barn, his hands in his jacket pockets and his cowboy hat pulled low enough to hide half his face. He'd slept through his alarm, which always set him off with a bad pace to start the day. Coffee sounded like a good idea, but he would get chores done first, then go in when breakfast was on.

Getting into the barn, he couldn't help a bit of surprise at seeing Travis up and going already. He sure was recovering fast. At least he seemed to be making Ashlee smile more than she had been lately. Walking by them both, he didn't plan on saying anything, but then spotted the kitten. Pausing just past them, he glanced over his shoulder. "Rest of 'em are up in the loft," he commented. His eyes glanced to Ashlee. "Saw the mama cat move 'em last night."

As he continued his route, Travis grinned at Ashlee. "We should go find them - I bet this little one can't get back on her own and she's too small to survive down here." He looked around to find the hayloft opening, knowing full well he shouldn't try navigating a ladder yet, but...he could probably manage okay. "I'd hate if something happened to her when we could have helped rescue her."

Barely out of earshot, Dylan rolled his eyes and kept walking. Ashlee worked in the barn around the cats every day - it was nothing new. She wouldn't fall for that lame attempt at charm. He grabbed his pocket knife to open a bale of hay and start helping with the feeding. He had more important things to do than cuddle the kittens.