Rest

Hal had to chuckle at Sam - he'd started out with a bowl for his ice cream for the very same reason. He didn't like eating it fast, but it was melting pretty quickly. 

Her question made him fall into thoughtful silence for a few moments as he sucked on another spoonful of ice cream. "I've had issues with sensory overload since I was a kid," he admitted. "I had a hard time concentrating in school... I dunno, maybe today they'd call it A.D.D." he shrugged. "As I got older it got a little worse but I learned to deal with the headaches and constant underlying anxiety. Then... when I was a junior in high school, there was some kind of a riot at the school. They tried to get all the kids out but somehow I got caught in a mob of people. I was trying to go up the steps and I got knocked down, but nobody noticed. They just kept... coming."

He took another bite of ice cream to allow a pause. "I woke up in the ER with a concussion and some bruised ribs. I guess I didn't think a whole lot of it til the next football game. I wasn't playing, but when I got to the school's field, there were so many people. Someone bumped into me and... I'll never forget the wave of panic that hit me. I had to leave."

A sigh surfaced. He'd only ever told his wife this, and she hadn't been very sympathetic. No one else knew. Until now. His eyes rose to meet Sam's. "I had flashbacks of the riot for a while but didn't tell anyone. Thought I was going crazy. So... then, not only did I have my normal sensory issues, but the whole crowd of people thing just made the panic ten times worse."

He fiddled with his spoon for a moment. "It got better. Or rather, I could control it better. Hide it better." He shrugged again. "By the time I got married, some days I could go out, work all day, and spend all evening out and about. But too much too often and it would take all I had just to step outside again." It had just become such a part of his every day life that he really didn't think about it much anymore. "I... say I miss the action at the Elite. And that's true. But... If I'm really honest... I've never tried to get back out of my security job there because I'm just not sure I could handle it. If I had a bad day when I needed to do something, I could totally jeopardize a mission." He hated that feeling but wasn't sure there was much he could do about it.

A grin surfaced, curling his lips. "So if you ever come to work and I've got the lights off and the door closed...don't take it personally. It probably just means I've got a headache from the lights and dealing with more than two people at a time is too much."


As Ryan rolled off beside him, Hunter closed his eyes for just a moment and took a deep breath. This... these feelings... shouldn't be happening. With her arm linked with his, his fingers automatically found hers, and moved ever so softly against her skin. He was about to tell her they really should get up because a horse returning without a rider could cause quite a buzz, but quite suddenly a horse's snort made him jump.

Sitting up quickly he saw Buttons wandering back over as if wondering what on earth they were doing there. Hunter grinned and stood, walking over slowly to grab her reins. "You silly thing." He glanced back down to Ryan  and nodded her over. "Come on."

Walking just a short distance away, he tied Buttons to a tree with some rope and took her bridle off so she could munch some grass. A few feet away was a large oak tree, and that's where Hunter sat. Leaning back against the bark, he patted the spot next to him. "Now no one will worry."

Maybe he shouldn't be encouraging this, but he could tell she was tired and he just wanted to make sure she was okay and didn't overdo it.