Kinda Hard

Aaron accepted the burger without complaint, proving he was hungry - and probably that he was glad for something other than the frozen dinner again. Today, even McDonald's tasted good. 

Glancing up at Sam between bites, he smirked a little. "Weird or not, you're kinda hard not to notice." A hint of a teasing smile hit his lips before refocusing on his burger. "So what's all the hubub with what's-his-name? Scott? You're the only person who talks to  be anymore."


Laura smiled as Nate came up behind her, and just leaned into his hug and kiss. "Mmm...good morning." She nodded, and moved to the refrigerator. "I can definitely send leftovers with you. I think sharing with Garret is a good idea. I...am sure being put back in that cell after being here isn't setting well with him. But at least he'll know we still care." 

It didn't take her long to get everything together, and as she walked with Nate to the front door, she stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "I love you." She looked up into his eyes. "You're doing an amazing job...just don't forget that, okay? God's going to take care of things in His time." She gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "Now go...and tell Garret I say hi and hope to see him soon." 


"And you think continuing to keep him here is a good idea?"

Reese sat at his desk, as usual, looking across at Kirk, who was seated in one of the extra chairs. Yesterday had felt like a nightmare, and today was proof it was reality. Scott was still in a coma, though stable, Wyatt, Pete, Jason and Katie were out a the facility already to disassemble the equipment and haul it in, and Garret was still in the cell downstairs. It was a mess, and it wasn't getting any better. "Well, there are three choices," he finally responded. "That, let him go free like he has been, or just finally send him to prison." 

Kirk cocked his head, studying him for a few moments. He was calm - this wasn't worth an argument. But whether he liked it or not, he had to play from the opposite perspective on behalf of the FBI. "Keeping him here does nothing but add up expenses for the Elite."

"We have to wait until Scott wakes up before truly assessing the situation."

"But how long is that going to be?"

"The doctors don't know."

Kirk nodded slowly. "And why not send him to prison? Just because that would be a failure within your rehabilitation program?"

Reese bristled. "No. Because that would be a failure to give the man a fair chance."

"Then why not just let him go free?"

"Because then I'd have the FBI to deal with."

Kirk grinned a little. "Rock and a hard place, huh?"

Reese sighed. "Yeah. But I know I have to do whatever you want because if I don't -"

"I'm not going to just run to the FBI and tattle on you," Kirk stated flatly. "That's not my job. And if it is, that's not how I'm going to handle it. There needs to be mutual trust between us. And...at the moment...I honestly can't see a better way to handle this. You're right - if you let Garret go back to Nate's family, the FBI won't be happy. They'll deem it unsafe. But up until this point, he's shown real progress - far faster than prison stays usually prove. So I don't think that's the answer...yet."

"Yet?"

"If Scott wakes up and confirms that Garret forced him into writing and signing that paper, then forced him into that upgrade... I would have to recommend putting Garret behind bars. That's too big of a deal to let slide."

Reese's shoulders sank a little, but he nodded. "Agreed," he responded quietly. He didn't like it...but he would have no choice at that point. "Let's just hope it doesn't come to that."

"I hope it doesn't." Kirk rose from his chair. "Garret could be a real asset around here. It's just going to take more than blind faith at this point."


Garret lay on his back on the cot, his arms up behind his head, his eyes closed. But he was far from sleep. He'd slept only a little bit all night, and felt drained today. The cot was even more uncomfortable than it had been before. He'd been spoiled at Nate and Laura's.

His mind wandered in that direction again. Tomorrow was Saturday. Tomorrow night was Maggie's dance. He could already see the look in her eye when told he wouldn't be there, and...it hurt. He'd never meant to do anything wrong or go against the rules. He never would have followed through with the upgrade, even if he had thought it was a good idea, if he hadn't had permission to do it. He hated it that Nate was the only one who believed him. And yet...he also knew that Scott had been here a whole lot longer, and there were a lot of people who cared about him. That said, he was far outnumbered. And if Scott didn't wake up soon... He didn't want to think about it.


Eli was a little surprised Ryan mentioned Hunter as an option. Did she really feel that comfortable around him? "That's...not outside the realm of possibility," he mused. Fishing his phone from his pocket, he sent a quick text, then turned back to his sister. 

"I can ask him for you if that would be less weird. I'm sure he'd be honest, and... if I get any bad vibes, I'll put the kabosh on it...if you want?"