TLC

Axel gave Jess an apologetic look and stepped close to give her a gentle kiss on the lips before answering her. "Accident at work. I'll be okay." His eyes betrayed him though, and he tried to smile. "Nothing broken anyway so... we'll see if I still have feeling in my fingers in the next couple weeks." 

His shoulders dropped a little. He was in pain and nauseous, but he hated spoiling their evening. Too many other times he'd ruined dates because of his mood swings, and he didn't like doing it to Jess again. "It's okay...we can still go to the lake. I mean... I might need a little extra TLC..." He threw her a sly grin. "But I know a great spot on the beach for that."


Waiting just a moment, Jason slid from the pickup too, purposely forgetting his leftovers in the back seat. Coming around the front, he moved close and gave Katie's shoulders a squeeze. He didn't linger though, and aimed for the door.

Before getting there though, he paused. "Hey... Don't let me forget to talk to Nate when he comes in. Maybe he can ask Garret about what's been going on and see if he's got any theories."


Maggie's sudden question made Garret pause mid-chew and he glanced over at her, surprised. He looked down at his own hand, questioning what she saw. He'd spent so many gruelling hours being humiliated and frustrated, sitting at a formal table, being forced to learn proper etiquette that now he forgot it wasn't normal outside certain circles. 

Later he would question the reason for his next move, but in the moment, perhaps he forgot where he was and who he thought he was. He set his own fork down and scooted closer. "Here..." He took her napkin and folded it neatly before setting it on her lap. "Elbows off the table," he directed softly. "There. And..." He took her hand to set the fork in a proper position between her fingers. "Then small bites. And if it's too big..." He took her other hand and set her knife in it, positioning her fingers to make to make it easy. "Cut, set the knife down, and take your small bite."

Across the table, Laura's eyes had gone wide. Her curiosity of Garret's background was killing her, but she didn't dare ask. All she could do was look at Nate again, showing him her surprise.