Biggest Issue

Hal laughed outright at Sam's last comment and turned away from his computer again. "Normal? Us?" He grinned. "I'm not sure there's been a normal person working here since the beginning."

A sigh surfaced though, and he did have to nod. "You're right though. We've all been so strung out lately, we don't know which end is up. I think probably it started when we got so shorthanded. And then, no offense, having the FBI around has added to the stress. But maybe since we've got more hands on deck now, we'll be able to keep more regular hours instead of overtime every day."

He gave a light chuckle. "We used to hang out... go for pizza..." That recollection didn't help his hunger any, as his mind wandered to Mom and Pop's. "I guess life got complicated and we all just...shifted into survival mode. It was either that or jump ship and none of us could do it." He frowned as he considered Rick, and even Con. "Most of us anyway. There's a fine line between caring about the job and making it your life. And most of us around here have crossed that line and need to regain some balance before we all burn out completely. So...yeah."  He nodded again. "You're right. Just making it happen is the hard part."


Scott sighed and wriggled his thumb a little, playing with Hope's as she held his hand. "You've always been too good to me." That's all he'd say about it though. He'd been fighting her for so long. He'd been trying to push her away for so long. Maybe, just maybe he was finally seeing that she simply wasn't going to let him go. No matter how stupid he was. 

The rest of the day was quiet as he slept on and off. He was alert enough to talk to Dalton when he came to visit, but didn't do well once the nurse tried to get him to eat, which resulted in an IV just as JT had warned. He was a little surprised that by evening, Reese hadn't returned to hound him about all that had happened, or about what kind of intel he might hold now. He'd thought this whole thing was so important...yet no one else seemed to think so. They just all seemed upset that he'd gone through with it. Which, in the end, left him feeling even more low than he'd started out. He'd just wanted to help...

...It was fairly early the next morning when Justin once again showed up. He'd been called...and he couldn't refuse. He didn't feel like he was back on his game, but...maybe getting back to work would do him good. This time though, he came prepared with two coffees. One for him, and one for Hope, who he knew would still be here. Seeing her in the chair, he gave her a small smile. "Good morning," he greeted quietly. He saw Scott was still sleeping...which was okay at this point. 

He handed Hope her coffee before taking up the other chair. "JT called me. I thought when Scott's released later today, I could take him home. Wanted to talk to you first though and get your take on things." He studied her tired face, hoping that she'd be able to get some good rest after all this. "Everything considered... what do you think is the biggest issue here?" He had his own theories, but he wanted to hear Hope's perspective before forming a plan of action.


Kirk smiled as he looked over at Adison and nodded. "I think that's a fantastic idea. I don't want to be thought of as the guy who came in and forced everyone out. I want them all to like it here too. Getting them all involved would be perfect. Not to mention, the whole team should help decide where people and things will go around here." 

He pushed off the window sill and came over to her, wrapping an arm around her waist, and taking her hand to start slow dancing on the dusty wooden floor. "I think we ought to keep this space up here empty," he mused. "Just so we can escape and come dance whenever we want." 

Still moving, he leaned his head down close to hers until his lips reached her neck. "And...maybe some kissing," he teased. Moving back up, he kissed her lips before straightening again, his eyes twinkling. This place really would take quite a bit of work. But between the Elite team and what the FBI would fund, it shouldn't take too long to be up and running. He liked the feel of it here. It was older, but the woodwork held a character that he liked. He just hoped everyone else would feel the same.