Skunked

Laura couldn't help a chuckle at Maggie, and shook her head. Walking into the dining room, she smiled. "It's okay, Hun. I'm sorry it was taking us so long."

Able to at least push aside her emotions for now, she made it through dinner as usual, just trying to focus on making sure Maggie was taken care of, and making sure Brian was kept happy. Once dinner was over though, reality was back. But she wasn't ready to face it yet.

Rinsing out their bowls in the sink, she caught Nate's eye. "He'll need a new cold cloth," she mentioned quietly. "Hopefully he's been sleeping but he really should eat something." She wasn't upset with Garret - she truly wasn't. And it wasn't him she was afraid of...it was just facing her own fears that now made her leery. She couldn't regret her suggestion to bring him here - he still needed them. As for tonight, it would be up to Nate if he'd allow Maggie to see him or not. Laura knew how much the girl liked him, but she'd leave that decision with Nate.


In the bedroom, Garret was now sprawled on his stomach having lost the cloth and kicked the blankets to the floor. The chills had passed for the moment, leaving him hot and miserable. He wasn't sure if he'd slept any or not, and he had a vague recollection of Laura coming in, but that was about it. And were he to be asked where he was, he wasn't totally sure of the answer. He could hear muffled voices, but otherwise, he was trapped in a feverish world that kept reality just barely out of reach. If only his head would stop pounding.


Reese grinned at Angelica's suggestion before burying his face against her neck and kissing it with a playful growl before his laughter broke the moment. "Oh Wyatt...I'm gonna kill him." He laughed again before looking up at his wife with love and admiration. "Thanks for making me smile," he mentioned softly. "Whatever happens here...at least I've still got you." 

One last kiss to her lips, and he stood, letting her slide off his lap. "Pizza does sound kind of good," he agreed. "And besides...he's buying, so I guess we can't really pass that up." He grabbed his jacket and keys and let Angelica walk out in first. Before shutting his door though, he took one last look into his office before turning off the light. He was going to miss this. With a sigh, he finally closed the door and slung his arm around Angelica's shoulder to walk out with her. Change was in the wind...and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it. 


It was six-thirty. After having been with his dad for a good hour and a half that morning, Travis had disappeared. Angel was the only one who knew he'd wanted time alone - he'd asked if he could just use her and Luke's house to hibernate so he could think and also rest without anyone bothering him. He had accomplished the physical rest through several naps, but his mind felt far from rested, even now. 

Walking slowly back across the ranch yard, he saw most people were still in the main house after supper. Luke had made sure he'd had something to eat earlier, so he was okay with skipping out on the evening festivities. However, there was one thing he didn't want to miss. 

Spying a lone figure by the corral fence, he wandered that direction. Coming up beside Ashlee, he nudged her shoulder with his before leaning on the fence. "I'm sorry I missed the grand tour," he apologized. He'd totally skunked her after agreeing to let her show him around the ranch after lunch. "I...wouldn't have been very good company, but I should have at least said something." He really was sorry, and hoped he hadn't hurt her feelings. 

"Can you...still show me the best view for the sunset?" 


Incompetent. Untrained. Haphazard. The negative words stood out like neon signs within the virtual document. Giving a yell of frustration, Kirk grabbed the nearest object - a plastic coffee mug - and sent it flying across the living room where it hit a framed picture on the wall, which came down with a resounding crash as it hit an end table and knocked off several more objects. 

Standing from the desk, Kirk put his hands to his head and growled at himself. He was too tired. This was impossible. Every word in that report was the truth. And he hated it all. 

He'd gotten in a short nap before starting to work again, which helped, but it did nothing to ease his frustrations. He knew the end result was not his decision. He couldn't be responsible for what happened after this. But he still felt like he was. He still felt like he was taking a perfectly good thing and intentionally destroying it. 

Hands still on his head, he closed his eyes and paced a small circle, his bare feet leaving imprints in the carpet. He had to shut off his personal feelings and just do this. He had to.