Shoulder

Hearing Ashlee call him Dad, Eric looked up at her quickly. For a second, he completely forgot what was happening. Had she really just...? A little smile tugged at his mouth. So that's what it was like. It was...a feeling like no other. He knew it was most likely just a slip of the tongue, and he didn't want to embarrass her, so he opted not to draw attention to it. He did tuck it back in the corner of his heart though.

"I just didn't want you to get run into or kicked," he explained. Holding his arm, he winced. "Um. I think I dislocated my shoulder when that beast yanked my arm back." Not that the fall itself had helped any.

He managed to get to his feet and closed his eyes for a second. His bad leg was starting to throb now too - not good. It would jostle him more to ride back, but it would be faster than walking, and right about now, all he wanted was his shoulder back where it belonged. "For time's sake, let's just both get on Moonbeam - she'll be alright carrying us both a short distance. I'm gonna hafta have Angel take a look at my arm." He forced a half smile, trying not to make Ashlee worried. He knew his injury wasn't too serious - it was just more painful than anything.

Mounting up on the little mare, he waited for Ashlee to swing up behind him and then aimed back to the ranch yard. Thankfully they hadn't gotten too far out, but it was far enough that by the time they got back, his arm was almost numb with pain. 

"Eric!" Mick walked up to them quickly. "We just got a hold of Static and Seven is still running loose. What happened?"

"Oh... you know... just all in a day's work." Eric let Ashlee slide off before dismounting carefully. "I thought I could handle ponying him, but he went nuts on me. Tore loose, pulled me out of the saddle and convinced Static to run back here with him."

Mick's eyes narrowed. "You okay?"

"Uh... sure. Where's Angel?"

Mick eyed the odd angle of his arm and frowned. "In her office, last I knew. Need help?"

"Nope." He looked to Ashlee. "You can ride more if you want, or put Moonbeam away. I'll see ya in just a few minutes." He wasn't even going to ask where Static was or even try to help catch Seven - not with his arm in this kind of shape. Heading towards Angel's, he tried not to limp as his leg reminded him it had taken a beating too. 

Mick watched him go, then glanced to Ashlee. "Well this has been fun. Be careful til we get Seven corralled - he's pretty wound up and I don't want him trampling you." Just as he said it, Seven raced past one of the barns, knocking over some empty water buckets, the leadrope still flying behind him, while Trent and Sparky ran after him, splitting up to try and corner him. 


Making it to Angel's, Eric entered carefully, giving Angel a sheepish look for a greeting. "Hey, um... I just took a tumble." He bit his lip as he winced. "Think I dislocated my shoulder..."


Kirk knew he'd put the whole lunch break on edge, and he felt badly, but there wasn't a lot he could do about it at this point. He waited for Adison to gather what pizza she wanted to save, then walked with her outside. The ride back to the Elite was quiet. Kirk gripped the steering wheel tightly, proving his tension. "Barnes isn't happy with me. He didn't like the way I wrote my latest report - he thinks I'm being bias, and he's furious about the whole Aaron thing and can't understand how the Elite could ever let something like that happen. He wants me to come down right now for a meeting."

He gave Adison a sidelong glance. "I'm sorry I've been a bear and I'm sorry I made a mess of lunch. I don't know what I'm gonna do if I can't make Barnes happy. He could even replace me." He left the matter be again, and dropped Adison off at the office before heading back downtown...

...It was two hours later. Kirk returned to the Elite, but on his route across the main floor, he didn't stop at his space, but simply caught Adison's eye and motioned for her to follow him. He was very tense - that much was obvious. He didn't break stride until he'd reached Reese's office and had been allowed to enter. 

Reese looked up from his desk expectantly. "Kirk... Adison... what's up?"

Kirk stood back and folded his arms. "What's wrong with Jason and Katie?"

Reese blinked. That's not what he'd expected at all. "Excuse me?"

Kirk pursed his lips. "What. Is wrong. With Jason and Katie?" He gave Adison a quick glance. He really should have briefed her first, but he was too worked up after his recent meeting - he did want her here though, since they'd talked a lot about this. 

Reese straightened in his seat. "I'm not sure I follow you. They both came in to work today and as far as I know, they're quite healthy. Unless something has happened I don't know about?"

"When will you stop playing games? When will you stop lying?" Kirk's voice reflected his agitation. "We're supposed to be a team, but you insist on keeping secrets. I just spent almost two hours getting raked over the coals by Barnes who thinks I may not be the man for the job anymore because the only positive thing that has happened here is acquiring a new building. Other than that? It's even like pulling teeth to get reports written around here because everyone knows the FBI won't be happy with how cases are handled! If I'm going to do any good around here and try to make this merge work, I need full disclosure, and that's only fair." He paused to take a deep breath. "Have Jason and Katie been compromised by Agency drugs?" 

The suggestion was enough to make Reese's jaw drop. "That's... quite an interesting theory."

"It's the only one that makes any sense. Why they've had random medical leave. Why they've had to take time off without explanation. If it's something else, please tell me. Because if that's the case, You will have to remove them from duty. We can't keep functioning around here with secrets from the FBI."

Reese had hoped it would be longer than this before Kirk pressed the issue. But it looked like he wasn't so lucky. He leaned forward to press the phone's intercom. "Jason? Would you please come to my office? Kirk and Adison would like to speak with you. And please bring Katie." 

Jason immediately tensed. "Be right there." 

Katie... Reese wants us in his office... with Kirk and Adison. I think this is the meeting you wanted.

He rose from his desk and went to the main floor to pass by Katie's cubicle. His face was one of worry. His emotions panic. 


Zan slid his free arm around Destiny, holding her tight as he let the kiss continue. He'd been waiting half the day for this, and was going to enjoy it. 

Jett, tired of waiting for the ibuprofen, shuffled from the living room and came into the kitchen, stopping short as he saw the two of them in their embrace. He cocked his head and grinned, though maybe his expression contained just a little bit of... sadness? Or something close to it. Destiny was an incredible woman - he'd liked her from the first night he'd kept an eye on her at Zan's race. Of course... it was no surprise she was with Zan now. It's always how things worked. At least she liked being his friend. Maybe someday he'd be as lucky as Zan. Maybe.

He grabbed the pain killers off the counter and turned to go back to the living room. 

Hearing the rattle of pills, Zan's eyes opened and he withdrew to look at the doorway where Jett was just disappearing. He turned back to Destiny and grinned. "I think we were caught," he whispered. "We gotta do this sometime when he's not around."