Special Someone

Kirk just grinned and shook his head at Adison. He was glad she was comfortable enough here to just fall asleep and not think a thing of it. If ever asked, he'd have to admit it was kind of nice to have her around as much as she was, and...in the back of his mind, he always knew if she found that special someone, this would be over. So he needed to enjoy it while it was here. 

"Yes, I do know you, there's nothing to be sorry about and yes, I finished my report." He patted her leg before standing and going over to his desk to print out his papers. "It is what it is. I was honest on all sides, and even though I wasn't directly asked for a recommendation, I slid a few little ones in here and there. So...I think I've done all I can." 

He gathered the printed pages to put in his work bag, then retrieved his own cup of coffee that was half gone by now, from the table, and returned to stand by the couch. He took a slow sip and sighed. "So...that's that." His fingers tapped the mug absentmindedly. "I put Mike Reese through the wringer yesterday." A frown emerged. He hadn't liked using that tactic on the man. "I know I'm good at it, and I don't mind it when we're trying to get intel from a criminal, but..." He shrugged. "I don't think Reese has done anything wrong intentionally, and I just...don't like the person I am when I do that to someone. I'll be lucky if he ever even acknowledges me on the street now."

He downed the rest of his coffee and took the mug to the kitchen to rinse it out. "I gotta get going," he called over his shoulder. "If you're not ready to go, just stay then lock the door when you leave - I don't care." 


Feeling a kiss to his forehead, Garret's eyes flew open, and his face gained such a look of confusion, one might think the world had just stopped. What had that been for? Too tired to ask, he just watched the two leave before drifting off again. What a strange, strange world this was... 

Early morning. Garret was barely aware of his surroundings. Though having slept hard for several hours, the rest of the night had been spent tossing and turning and kicking the blankets to the floor. His fever had not broken, but had worsened, leaving him hot and even more lethargic than the night before. 

Laura stood near the doorway with Nate after helping check on Garret, and she shook her head. "He's burning up...we need to do something different." She was still a bit shaken up from yesterday, and she'd needed Nate's strong arms last night as she had cried, but today was a new day, and as long as Nate was close by, she was okay for now. She could do this...Garret needed them. 

"Come on." She led the way to the kitchen and had Nate help her prepare a large bowl of ice water, then grabbed a couple hand towels from the bathroom. Back in the bedroom, she set everything to the side. "Help me get his shirt off." 

Garret didn't like being touched, but something inside of him knew that he was to the point he couldn't do this on his own. He knew he needed help, and though in a fog, his good sense understood that fact. For now, his fight mode was shut down. 

Getting him to sit up, Laura let Nate help him get his shirt off. She hadn't known what to expect, but when she saw the scars, she sucked in her breath. What had this poor man been through all these years? She'd caught sight of a scar on the back of his neck before, but she had no idea it went all the way down through his shoulder blades. It was accompanied by various smaller scars from who knows what. His chest and sides were no different, and Laura recognized some scars to be from bullet wounds. It looked as though he'd been through war...and her compassion grew. 

Recovering quickly, she pointed to Nate. "Lie him on his back. We're going to cover his head and chest with these cold cloths." 

Garret didn't resist as he was sat up, moved, put back down, and a thermometer was slipped in his mouth. His eyes slit open just enough that he recognized Nate and Laura, but he really wasn't quite sure what they were saying. He opened his mouth to respond, but whatever he said didn't sound quite right.

Laura caught the thermometer before it was spit out on the floor, and she almost giggled. "I could be wrong, but I think he just said something in Russian." She shook her head as she looked at the temperature. "Somebody needs to sit with him and keep changing out these cloths to keep them cold at least until his temperature comes down a little." If she had to, she would, but she wasn't so sure she was ready to be left alone with him again. 


Travis turned a little so he could see Ashlee better, and cocked his head. She really had a nice depth to her thinking. There was a lot to her - he could see it already, even if they'd just met. 

"Well... I'll be around for a few more days until Angel's happy at least. So... you have a little while to get to know me." His smile returned. "After that..." He shrugged. He wasn't yet ready to voice to her what was really going on. And that was he now had the choice of staying here. Living here. And he had no idea what to do. 

Realizing it was starting to get dark, he sighed. "Can I walk you back to your bunk?" He chuckled. "Or I guess since I don't know which one is yours, technically you'd be leading me, but I can pretend."