Bad day

Still sitting up in the corner of the bed, Garret knew full well that Maggie had come into the room, but as usual, his eyes didn't move. His face wore no expression, his gaze simply hollow and void. Until Maggie sat down and tried to open the jar.

Garret's eyes moved to see her struggling, then her tears. She looked so frustrated and sad and alone. He could relate. He was struggling with his own virtual pickle jar and was just as sad and frustrated as she was. He wanted to ignore her. He wanted to wait until she'd go away like she had been. He wanted to just be alone again, left to his own world and own misery.

He closed his eyes, only to open them a couple seconds later. She was still there. Still struggling. Still crying. And his heart hurt.

Scooting closer to her, he pulled his legs in to sit cross-legged, and ever so gently, took the jar from her hands. He easily popped the lid and handed it back to her without a word. Leaning over, he grabbed a tissue from the nightstand to wipe away her tears - if not for her sake, for his, since he just couldn't take seeing her cry any more.

Shifting again, he sat sideways on the bed and leaned back against the wall before patting the spot next to him so she could scoot back beside him. Only then did he reach over and take a pickle from the jar for himself, finally speaking. "I had a bad day too." He took a bite and almost cringed. A week without food, then straight to a dill pickle maybe wasn't the smartest thing, but...it did taste good. Maggie had no idea this was one of his favorite foods too. He took another bite. "What happened?"


Down the hall, Laura stopped in her tracks as she was heading for the living room. Was that...Garret's voice? She glanced down to the open door but couldn't see in. Waiting a moment, she shook her head. It must have been her imagination. But no, she heard it again. It was definitely Garret's voice. With wide eyes, she looked over her shoulder where Nate was still in the kitchen. How had Maggie done it?


Hearing the rattle of dishes in the kitchen, Jason stirred from his sleep. Opening his eyes, it took him a few moments to get his bearings. According to the dim light coming in the windows, it was early morning, and...he was still at Katie's... still wrapped up with her on the couch. 

Sighing deeply, he stretched carefully, trying not to wake Katie yet. He couldn't remember the last time he'd slept so well. It just felt...nice. Hearing someone in the kitchen again, he decided to rise. He'd have to go home before getting in to work, and he really didn't want to explain to Reese any reasons if they were late. 

Ever so carefully, he shifted up off the couch, leaving Katie with the blanket. He didn't have the heart to wake her quite yet. Wandering to the kitchen, he found it was Ryder making coffee.

Ryder was dressed for work in his jeans, zoo t-shirt and cap, and just hit the button on the coffee maker before Jason showed up. Glancing over his shoulder, he smirked a little. "Sleep well, mate?"

Jason quirked an eyebrow. "Yep."

"Uh-huh. Back together, ay?"

"You got good eyes."

Ryder chuckled and grabbed two different mugs, handing one to Jason. "Good onya."

Jason grinned. "Thanks... I think."

"Mm. She awake?"

"Not quite. Why?"

"Just was gonna tell her I'm grocery shopping with Thirteen later, and wondered if she wanted anything."


Ending the call with Nate, Justin remained seated on the swing for several quiet minutes. Why did it always seem like he took two steps forward, then three steps back? He'd thought he'd finally found somewhere he fit - helping the Elite. Helping the tough cases. He didn't do well in the system, so to break out of that and be able to use his own methods had been just what he'd needed. And now this. And it was his own stupid fault.

"You really care, don't you?"

Justin's gaze shot up as Jared pushed open the screen door and hobbled onto the porch with his crutches. "Eavesdropping?"

Jared shrugged. "Maybe. Just a little." He leaned on his crutches and just studied his brother. "Mom told me what's been going on."

"Great." Justin rolled his eyes. "Let's tell the whole world my shortcomings."

"It wasn't like that." Jared shook his head. "She's just worried about you, that's all. And hearing you on the phone just now...so am I."

Justin quirked an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because you're giving up something you love when you don't have to. Helping people is your life. It's what you do. And you're just willingly walking away."

"Someone died because of me!" Justin stood up and stuffed his phone in his back pocket. "You haven't seen Beth lately. Her sister was the only family she had left, and now Sarah's gone because of me. You, of all people, should understand with what happened to Grace, too."

Jared frowned, but remained calm. "And quitting does what?"

"Look... it's more than just all that. I not only failed a client, I destroyed him in one blow, and I did it on purpose. Is that the kind of counselor these people need? No! It's not. Obviously I can't handle this kind of pressure, so better to back out now before I go and screw up someone else's life."

"So you had a bad day."

"I can't afford to have bad days like that, Jared!" Justin threw his arms in the air. "Not when people's mental and emotional stability is resting in my hands!" He growled and leaned on the railing, taking a moment to calm down. "I'd already decided to remove myself from the Elite, then Reese pushed me to do one more session with one of the guys I'd been working with. I said I didn't want to, but he pressured me into it anyway. I never should have gone in that room the way I was, but I did, and I ruined any chances I had left of helping him. Now he's floundering and it's my fault."

"And...so...you're giving up on the Elite... you're giving up on this guy... and you're giving up on yourself." Jared pursed his lips. "Since when are you the quitter in the family? Walking away was always my job, not yours."

Justin glanced over his shoulder at him. "Are you finished yet?"

"Getting close." Jared tossed him a grin. "I just think you're making up your mind too fast. The whole Agency thing was not your fault, no matter how much you want to take responsibility for it. Logic itself dictates that you were not the cause of the killer's actions. Your client...well... sounds like you took out your frustrations on him because he was an easy target in that moment. And it sounds like you made quite a mess out of him. But I just can't believe you're gonna roll over and take it. You've never quit before...why start now?" Without getting a response, he hobbled a little closer. "You may not know this because I've been a royal jerk most of my life...but I've always looked up to you. I may be older, but... You've always, you know... been the good guy with a goal." He shrugged. "One thing you never did was quit."

Justin sighed and looked out at the passing cars. "I'm not quitting, I'm just...surrendering. I know when I've been beat."

"Oh, come on," Jared scoffed.

"I just ruined a man's life!" Justin spun around to glare at his brother.

"People heal! That's why there's people like you!" Jared was growing weary just standing here, but he ignored the pain. "You made a mistake, you're trying to fix it by going through someone else... so quit feeling sorry for yourself, get up, brush yourself off and get back to what you love!"

Justin had little to argue with, but crossed his arms stubbornly anyway. "And what? Just ignore the Agency?"

"Basically...yes."

"And when they come after you? Grace again? Ma? Beth? Any other family member? Then what?"

Jared shrugged. "Any of us can get hit by a bus, too..." He offered a small smile. "I don't know much about the Agency, but from what I've gathered, they'd be pretty proud of themselves if you quit now. You really want to let them win?"

"But what about-"

"I think you should stay involved with the Elite because they're fighting against the Agency. If I get caught in the middle, so be it. You think Mom's answer will be any different? Or Beth's? Any one of us is willing to take the risk. You should be too. And whatever happens, it's not your fault - taking on that responsibility is far more than you need to."

Justin's eyes sank before rising again to meet his brother's gaze. "Since when did you become the counselor?"

Jared chuckled. "I'm just a good actor. And I couldn't have watched you all this time without learning something, now could I?"