Stuck

Clint remained quiet for a few more moments until finally responding. "I'm sorry," he apologized softly. "I was in town. I just... needed time to think." 

He rolled onto his back but kept his head in her lap and looked up at her. His eyes were missing their energy. Their humor. Their spark. "I can't stand it here..." Tears emerged, though he refused to let them fall. "But I can't live without you and the kids." His hand found hers and he interlocked their fingers. "I can't keep working in the garage. It's driving me insane. So I just... I was looking... for something else. Work in town... so I wouldn't have to be stuck in this garage all day every day."


Eli kept his smile as he nodded at Ryan. "Of course you can leave it here overnight. It's not going anywhere - it's here when you're ready, no matter when that is."

"You don't have to be alone either," Hunter reminded. He'd gladly be a passenger if it gave her confidence. He wandered around the car, admiring the work, and really was impressed. It had to have taken countless hours, and it couldn't have been cheap either. 

Leaving for now, they parted ways with Eli, and Hunter took Ryan on his bike once more, this time heading for his apartment. It was a two story building, and his place was on the second floor. After unlocking the door, he let Ryan inside, then just stopped and gestured. "Welcome to my humble abode." 

He shed his jacket and laid it over a chair. "Bathroom down the hall to your right if you need it, don't go in the bedroom - it's a disaster area - kitchen's right here, this is the living room and... that's it." He grinned. "It's not much but it serves it's purpose."


"Here... this will help calm your system." Rick handed a couple pills to Jason, along with some water. It was later in the day, and though there had been no incidents, Jason still felt unwell.

Jason took the pills, but hesitated. "I will... take things to help reduce my symptoms... but..." He glanced at Katie as he sat with her in the bed, then back to Rick. "I don't want you to try and cure me this time."

"But Jase, you-"

"No. We thought it was gone once, but it came back. It'll just come back again. I'm tired of fighting." Jason sighed. "We haven't ever tried just letting it run its course. What if all the meds were just prolonging the inevitable? What if trying to stop it just made it worse?" He shook his head. "We talked it over and we want to see this thing through. The only hitch is getting Katie up to speed so she can help me."

Rick sighed and ran a hand over his face. "Then I don't know what to tell you. We don't call it a foreign element for no reason. We could hardly restrain it, let alone speed it up." He shook his head. "Besides that, I don't know if I can be a part of knowingly letting it kill either of you."

"If Katie doesn't progress, you can try and treat me," Jason assured.

Rick looked to Katie to study her face. "You really agree with this?"