Again?

"Mm, Hunter and Ryan both weren't there tonight." Jett quirked an eyebrow as he thought about it. "Ryan... I don't know, a while back she like, totally lost it and-"

"She's been through a rough time," Zan interrupted. "There's a lot of rumors flying around - don't believe ninety percent of them."

Jett recoiled just a little. "Well she hasn't been racing since she wrecked her car."

"She'll be back. Her car's back in shape, and any day now I have a feeling she's gonna race again." 

"And Hunter?"

Zan rolled his eyes. "Probably still recovering from a wicked hangover."

Jett frowned. "I thought he got straightened out." 

"Not everybody stays on the wagon." Zan finished off one of his chicken strips and gave Jett a knowing look." 

Jett stuffed another several fries in his mouth and kept his eyes on his plate. 

Hearing Destiny's response to the evening, Zan smiled. "Good. If you come a few times and get to know some of the faces, pretty soon it'll be old hat to ya." 

The conversation shifted back and forth while they ate, talking about anything from cars to the weather to Jett's fascination with thunderstorms. The hour was getting late, stomachs were full, and the Hangout was getting empty. Before long, the three were back outside in the parking lot. 

Jett waved to Destiny as he wandered to his pickup, stifling a belch as he went. Zan smirked and shook his head. "Told you you're gonna regret those fries," he hollered after him. He grinned and turned to Destiny, searching her face for just a moment. She'd sought him out earlier to thank him but... was this it now? "So..." He shifted his weight a little awkwardly. "Am I... gonna see you again?"


Jason had drifted off as he sat next to the bed, but Katie's silent communication woke him with a start. Shooting up straight, he leaned forward and took her hand. Was she really awake? Had she finally roused from her deep sleep? 

His hope was quickly replaced by fear as he realized she was in trouble. "Rick!" he called out into the hall. "Rick, get in here!" He squeezed Katie's hand and brushed the side of her face gently. "Shh, shh, it's okay, it's okay, just stay calm..." 

Rick had been in the kitchen, and came running. Seeing Katie awake but struggling, he was immediately by the bed, opposite Jason, and saw she was having a hard time breathing. Just a few minutes ago though, he'd checked on her and she'd been just fine. He quickly listened to her lungs, and hearing nothing unusual, he set a hand on her shoulder. "Katie.... calm down," he directed gently. "Breathe slowly for me... in..... out.... in... out..." He quickly listened to her heart as well, which was beating faster than it should be, but it didn't sound like anything unusual, at least as far as he could tell without tests. If he had to guess, he'd say she was simply hyperventilating and needed to slow things down, but he hated trusting guesswork. "Just slow," he kept prompting. "In through your nose, out through your mouth."