Hug

Jason fingered the strange material for a moment. It was heavy but...not. Thin but...super strong. He glanced out the window to where Kirk was just leaving. Why would he care? 

Leaning his head back, Jason let out a deep sigh. He was angry and frustrated and didn't know how to get rid of it. And now... He toyed with his keys. Where was the end to this thing? When would he stop running and hiding? The look on Reese's face flashed through his mind, and guilt was added to his emotional mix. 

After several long, silent moments Jason finally rolled his eyes. "Darn it all," he muttered, and got back out of his truck. Trooper gave a frustrated woof, but followed him as he went back inside the building.

Stopping to look down at Katie, he sighed. "Go...get some food. I'll pay for it." His shoulders dropped in surrender. "I won't go anywhere." 


Back in Reese's office, the door was shut, and the only light was a small lamp on his desk. Instead of sitting in his chair though, Reese was in the corner, on his knees. Angelica was the only one who knew about this spot. At first glance when looking into his office, one wouldn't even see him...which had happened a lot. But that was his intent. This was his place to kneel...and he did it far more often than anyone knew. This was his battlefield, and he fought every day for everyone here. His family, his friends, his agents, and even those like Garret and Aaron. Here was where battles were won, and here was why he could never give up. He had seen miracles happen every day in hearts and minds, and even out on the field. He had good people here. Smart people. People who had skills that were far beyond his own. And he knew where those skills came from and Who could bring those skills to their fullest potential. Here, in this place, no one knew the extent of the daily war being fought on the inside of all his agents. But he felt it. And he knew the only One who could bring healing was here as well. And so he knelt in prayer so heartfelt that often he could barely breathe. And would never give up.


Garret was just ready to leave the table when Maggie came back with her math homework. He'd forgotten. Or maybe he'd hoped she had forgotten. 

He gave a little sigh, but glanced over the paper. It wasn't the most simple math, but it was certainly within his range of know-how.  His eyes shifted around to the kitchen. Nate was helping Laura do the dishes. No one was settling in for the evening yet. He could stay here a few more minutes...right?

He pointed so a half-finished problem on the page and shook his head. "You got an eraser on that pencil of yours?" He nudged Maggie's arm. "'Cause we're gonna have to start over on that one."


At the sink, Laura didn't turn around, but just smiled and gave Nate a sidelong glance. Maybe they really were helping Garret. It was so sad, seeing him so torn down, and just by the power of hurtful words.  She was happy to see some improvement, and hoped he would eventually pull out of this. 


Kirk wandered into his apartment, kicked off his shoes, and flopped down on the couch. It had been a long day. Adison  would be here in a few minutes... He'd promised her he'd cook supper and... obviously he had nothing prepared. He hadn't gotten home as soon as planned, and now he was exhausted on top of it. 

Retrieving his phone, he sent her a text. 
Hey. Just got home. 
Uber long day.
What say we order out?
Eat at my place tho.
I need a hug.


JT paced the living room. They'd called the office - Susanne said Gunner had left work at the normal time and had not had any cases lined up for this evening. JT had called the hospital - no accidents reported. He'd called Con even, but still nothing. 

He glanced out the window to the now-dark sky. Gunner had run off before. More than once. Would be ever change? Was him marrying Bree really what was best for her? Worrying about him all the time? He could be so unpredictable...