Cassidy*Others

As promised, Dr. Marachek had discharged Raine the morning after her discussion with the parents on that topic, and had given Lanny a sheet of paper on which was a very strict schedule to follow on just when Raine was to be fed, put down for naps, put to bed for the night, assigned activities for her mental stimulation like cuddling and playing. This included instructions for each of those activities, like the water temperature for her baths, the amount of formula she should drink, and a very explicit direction for the young man to hold the infant as much as possible, preferably against his chest where she could feel his heart beat. It had been explained to him that this was because, as a premature baby, Raine was still partially dependent upon her environment to provide her body with the cues to function properly, and being close enough to feel his heart and respiration would in turn help to steady and strengthen her own. With a sheaf of papers that was almost fatter than the infant herself, Raine had been sent home with him.

However, the first night had not gone very well, on either end. Raine had not slept more than an hour altogether, as young infants will, and had been up most of the night crying and taking up all of the younger Zelkovii's efforts and attention. Randy had been asleep by the time Lanny had come home with the baby, and had miraculously slept through the noise, so he hadn't met his half-sister yet, but she'd certainly made her presence known to everyone else. For a child who'd started out on oxygen for her underdeveloped lungs, she'd caught up quickly - her cries were not the full, ear-shattering volume of a normal child, but they were plenty enough to wake the household.

Cassidy also had not handled the first night well. She'd been dry-eyed and calm when Charlotte had brought Raine in to say goodbye, and hadn't displayed any upset for the rest of the day - but when night came, she'd awakened abruptly, sitting up with a half-strangled scream. Johann had jumped up out of a dead sleep, firearm in hand and thinking that someone had somehow gotten past the guards - and a moment or two later, Charlotte had bustled into the room, her mind running along the lines of a medical emergency. It had become clear, very shortly, that it had only been a nightmare, but the old man hadn't been able to calm her - it had taken a second visit from the nurse with a sedative to get her to go back to sleep. And come the following morning, she was still sleeping it off - and Johann was wide awake, his eyes a little bloodshot, because her disturbance had troubled him to much to permit him to go back to sleep.

Laurence Zelkovii

Leaving Cassidy at the hospital dug at the man, mostly because he was taking Raine with him, and knew how much that was hurting the mother to have her baby separated from her. But on the other side of that, he had been anticipating bringing his 'daughter' home, and introducing her to Randy. Unfortunately, that hadn't worked out as he'd planned - eager as he was to wake the youngster, he decided against it, and let him go on sleeping. In the end, it proved better, because Lanny hadn't realized just how much work caring for a young baby entailed, nor did he anticipate the level of detail he had to look at with all that he did for her. By the next morning, Lanny had gotten no sleep, and wondered how in the world single parents coped with raising their children.

Cassidy had been on his mind most of the night, and rather than wait for Randy to wake up like he planned to do, Lanny decided it was best not to keep the girl waiting and went ahead and set out early from the apartments. At around seven thirty, he was knocking quietly on the door, giving a moment's notice before he opened it up and stepped into the room. A large pack - filled with Raine's supplies - hung from one shoulder, while the girl herself was cradle in his arms. A glance at Johann suggested the man hadn't gotten much more sleep than he did, and further hinted that Cassidy must not have had a good night, either. "How long's she been asleep?"

Cassidy*Others

"Since about two-fifteen," was Johann's quiet answer, pitched to keep from waking the young woman just yet. He shifted his weight a little as he said this, rolling his shoulders and turning his neck about to alleviate the soreness in his spine that had been brought on by remaining in one position for so long. "She actually fell asleep at about midnight - maybe a little later. But about one thirty, she woke me up screaming bloody murder. Woke the whole wing. I thought someone might be in the room at first... it was just a nightmare. But bad enough where I couldn't get her to calm down - Charlotte drugged her under." He offered that information out grimly, not sounding as disturbed as he had when the young woman's life had been actively in danger, but his tones troubled nevertheless - the intensity of her fear had frightened him. He was quiet for a long while before he asked, "Do we know who Isaiah is?"

Laurence Zelkovii

It took a lot of time for Lanny to shuffle Raine to get her settled against one arm, so that he could shrug off the back from one shoulder; he still hadn't gotten use to holding her, but he was confident and careful enough about it that he wasn't afraid any more of carrying her. "Must have been some nightmare." Lanny sat himself down with a low, almost soundless whistle, not liking to imagine what the girl had been dreaming about, or what it would have been like for Johann and the others around them to hear her waking up from something like that. With Johann's question, of course, he suddenly got an answer to what the nightmare had probably been about, and it took him a few moments to offer and answer. "Yeah, I do." Well, that was a start. He wasn't too keen on sharing something that dark with Johann, if Cassidy had gone through all the trouble to keep that from him all this time. A tiny seed of fury came to life in him at the thought of the young kid being killed, and as if to settle his own mind on that horrible image, he focused on the sleeping infant in his own arms, and ran a finger over her tiny head, "Someone that Cass knew."

Cassidy*Others

"In other words, someone you're not going to specify for me," Johann answered, but he didn't sound angry. He was more tired and disturbed than anything else. Raine shifted a little in her father's hold and rolled her head toward him, letting out a low, airy sigh - after being up all night crying, the poor kid was tuckered out. It was no wonder she was sleepy. Silence passed between the two men for a while, and then the old man went on, "That was about all the sensible words I could get out of her last night. 'Lanny, they've got Isaiah'... she said it over and over. In fact she was still saying it, when she finally fell asleep again." He shifted his gaze toward the window for a moment - he didn't look at Raine, not making the connection between the deceased baby and the live one in Lanny's arms, but he was troubled by the words. Well - and maybe a little jealous that she'd been asking for Lanny instead of him.

Laurence Zelkovii

Lanny didn't have the luxury of enjoying this stretch of quiet time with his daughter, now that he was enlightened to the hellish night that Cassidy had gone through. He almost felt guilty for not being here, since she was calling to him in her sleep. "Not now." The young man confirmed a little shortly, not in snappiness to Johann, but to the knowledge that her first child had been taken in such a horrific manner. All he could think about was the night he'd found her out in the Downs, half-frozen and bewildered by the haunting memories - and he didn't like it. It made him determined to talk with her when she woke up, and when they had some private time, "All this hospital stuff, and the stress is getting to her. I'll stay up with her tonight and see if I can't keep her calm." It came out almost as a murmur, and he didn't stop to consider whether he could really stay up effectively this following night. "Did they say when she's suppose to wake up?"

Cassidy*Others

Lanny's confirmation that he wasn't going to share the identity of this 'Isaiah' person resulted in an intent look being adopted by the older man - not one of threat or anger, but of intense thought and consideration. And finally, he nodded quietly, and replied, "Alright. I'll respect that." He wasn't entirely happy with the young man's answer, but there was already so much tension between them due to the 'I shot you' incident that he didn't press Lanny for more information. And, in his usual straightforward, blunt sort of way, he indicated that with his words. Just as soon though, he moved on to answer the younger man's question. "Here pretty soon, I should think. They only gave her something to help her get back to sleep - I don't think it's meant to keep her down long." An awkward silence fell after that, where he could think of nothing to say to Lanny; finally, he asked, "How'd Raine fare last night?"

Laurence Zelkovii

The politics and hierarchy in the gang made this a particularly delicate situation. On one end, he was higher in power than Johann, and with the shooting incident, he had what he felt was a lot of leverage over the man; enough to have him assassinated, if he were foolish and callous enough to do such a thing. But of course, Lanny wasn't either of those things; he'd had a few days now to rehash their conversation in his mind, and while he was still beyond furious at the man, he was moving back into the realm of respecting him again, albeit with far more caution than before. On the other side of the coin... a part of him was relieved to hear the man's respectful acceptance that he wasn't going to tell him who Isaiah was, because if Johann really persisted, Lanny might have given in and talked. The co-lead didn't make any remarks to the first few things that Johann said, and in doing that he let the deafening silence stretch on until the elder man found something else to talk about. "Not well. She spent most of the night crying. I read everything in the instructions, and nothing would quiet her." Even with a 'how to' guide being sent home with his youngster, Lanny hadn't been prepared for all the fussing, though he would have really been lost if they hadn't been considerate enough to make up those details for him.

Cassidy*Others Johann didn't smile, but there came to his face a slightly lightened look, as if to indicate that Raine's fussing wasn't as big a deal as it probably seemed like. "If there's one steady truth in this world, son, it's that no manual can prepare you for being a parent. I don't think anything can, really. When I took Cass home, I spent the whole first month thinking that I was doing everything wrong and that she was going to grow up warped or something because I was a terrible parent." He shook his head a little there; certainly, Cass had her issues, and perhaps a few more than most others because of being raised in the gang by such a peculiar person as Johann, but he thought that she'd turned out very nicely, considering. "One bit of advice I'll give you Lanny, and then I promise I'll shut up about it unless you ask - don't try to 'make up' for not being her genetic father. For the first several years of Cass' life, I drove myself crazy trying to compensate for the fact that both of her folks had died and she didn't even know them. It didn't do her any good, and it really wore me out. And after I relaxed, mostly because I was just too worn to do it anymore, things got better. Turns out, she didn't even think about the fact that she didn't have a father or mother - never crossed her mind. And all the time I was trying to compensate for what I thought was the loss of her parents, when she'd never felt that at all."

Laurence Zelkovii

"It's going to take some getting use to." Lanny admitted a little tiredly, with a glance to Johann. There wasn't a moment of it he regretted, or even a second's thought that he wanted to turn around and back out of being the child's father - he knew he could handle it, but only now was he getting a taste of just how much commitment and dedication it really took, and how very far off base he was trying to compare raising Randy to raising an infant. From looking down at Raine again, his blue eyes lit on Johann to devote a bit more attention to the advice that the other man was offering. Truth be told, he'd wondered vaguely about what would happen when Raine was older, and whether they'd let her believe he was her real father, or tell her otherwise - he'd eventually put that aside, willing to let Cassidy make the decision on that, considering she was the mother. "Cass turned out fine, and so will Raine. She'll have two parents." Until Johann spoke about it, Lanny didn't realize how much he'd though subconsciously about the same thing that the elder man had struggled with in raising Cass, and though he wasn't going to admit it to the man, Lanny was thankful that he'd shared his wisdom. Lanny knew he'd need plenty of it in the days to come.

Cassidy*Others

"Aside from the occupation I let her get into," Johann corrected, pointing out that he hadn't exactly been a responsible parental figure in allowing the young woman to become the town's most well-known prostitute. "Though mind you - that was my fault, not hers. I'm going to do my best to correct that. We don't need the income now; I'm pretty well set up for a while. I'd rather see her out of that business." He knew that he didn't have to advise Lanny not to allow Raine to get into that circle of things - he'd been plenty vocal about how he felt about Cass' profession, and how he'd like to see her out of it. And the younger Zelkovii was already devoted to and protective of Raine - Johann knew that Lanny wouldn't let his daughter anywhere near that sort of thing. And at this point, he had to stop speaking on the topic, because Cass was shifting a little and mumbling under her breath. Something about 'uncle' and 'potatoes' came out in a jumble of half-asleep garble, along with 'Lanny' prominently featured a couple of times before finally her eyes opened and cleared, indicating that she was fully awake. And only a moment later, she smiled. "Hey - you brought her."

Laurence Zelkovii

"Oh trust me, she's out of it now." A determination in his tones let it be known that he was right on track with Johann about getting Cassidy out of that profession. And Raine certainly wouldn't be getting into it as far as Lanny could help it, based entirely on his fear of what had happened to Cassidy, and not wanting that to happen to his daughter. The fact that she was his daughter, and he the co-lead of the town's most powerful gang, would help to repel most people from even thinking of doing her harm, lest they wanted to tempt the anger of the CrypticSilvers. But that was far enough down the road that he didn't bother thinking about it too much just yet. Besides, Cassidy was starting to mumble things and his attention shot straight for her. "Just like a promised. Here - want to hold her? She missed you last night." Lanny was already standing up as he spoke, but he waited for Cass's reply before he'd set the girl down for her to take, making sure that Cass was awake enough and situated to take her.

Cassidy*Others

Johann looked up at the younger man, hearing the sound of iron in Lanny's voice. "Good - then you can help me convince her that she needs to quit it." And he sounded satisfied - he was mentally ticking off all the little features of Laurence that made him more willing to trust the young man; of course, there was already a level of trust between them, since he'd watched Lanny grow up and had been working for him for several years now since he and his brother had taken over the gang. But trusting him to take care of Cassidy - and her child, who was essentially his granddaughter - was a whole new level of trust. And ever so slowly, the younger Zelkovii was passing all the little tests.

"C'mere, kiddo," Cass answered, reaching to take Raine from him and cuddle the infant against her. Her tones were warm and joke-like enough, but the intensity at the back of her eyes and the way that she kept one arm wrapped closely about Raine spoke clearly as to the remains of her fear - she didn't feel safe if the baby wasn't in her arms, where she knew that the little girl would be protected. And considering what had happened to Isaiah when he'd been left with his sitter, it was no wonder she was a little overzealous in her protective instincts. Raine whined a little bit at the shift in position, from lying on her back in Lanny's arms to on her stomach across Cass' chest, but the young woman made a couple of shushing sounds and ran one finger lightly down the back of the tiny crooked leg. What would have been ticklish for an adult was soothing to Raine - she quieted right down and cuddled into her mother, closing her eyes and looking ready for the sleep that she had refused to get the night before.

Laurence Zelkovii

Lanny only nodded to Johann's reply, leaving the tone of his previous words answer enough to attest to his will. After what happened to Cassidy and Michael, he was liable to be slightly over protective when she was in the proximity of other men, let along hanging out in her usual spot on the bridge. In all this time, Lanny hadn't fully considered that Johann was silently judging him, though if he'd thought about it, it came as no surprise. He was like a father figure to the girl, and it came naturally that he'd be very critical of anyone who spent so much time with her, and was helping to raise what was basically his granddaughter.

"Would you believe that she spent almost the whole night doing the opposite of this?" A smile came easily to his features when he spoke, and he temporarily dismissed the notion of the nightmare that was toying with his anger and sorrow at the same time, "She looks perfectly content now though. Must be a mother's touch, huh?"

Cassidy*Others

Cass chuckled just a little, and Raine's eyes opened briefly in response to the sudden vibration of her sleeping-surface. Still petting at the little malformed limb, the young woman smiled and managed to get the baby quiet again, after which she answered, "More likely the poor kid's just worn out after all that. She doesn't know what a mother is, right now - all she knows is that she's warm and it's nice and dark in here, and that something feels nice on the back of her leg. And she can hear my heartbeat - that's important. That's pretty much all that babies hear before they're born. It's familiar, and soothing. She doesn't know me from Adam yet." She offered out all of those logical explanations for just why Raine was being more quiet and relaxed with her than she had been all night for Lanny - but the tiny smile that was daring to awaken in her eyes said that she liked to think it was 'a mother's touch', even if she wasn't going to admit to that.

Raine was practically asleep by the time a soft knock came on the door. "Mr. Jones - your tray's here." The tones were soft and deep - Charlotte. "Thank you," the old man called, and got to his feet. He could have brought his tray into the room, of course, but one of the medicines that Cass was on made the very smell of food cause her to be very nauseous - she was on a mostly-liquid diet right now, and thankfully all of that was scentless, and she expected to be off of the medicine in a couple of days. But until then, Johann had resolved to continue eating at the nurse's station, so as not to make her endure the upset stomach. So he got up and leaned over to plant a gentle kiss on Cass' forehead, and to run one finger gently down Raine's back. "Powdered eggs, burnt bacon, and old coffee await me," he joked a little, and the young woman smiled. "I'll be back," he told her, and then he stepped out of the room.

Laurence Zelkovii

The chuckle was a very welcome sound, as much so as the merciful silence of a content and sleeping Raine. The smile he bore couldn't help but stretch a little further until a single dimple formed where he characteristic lop-sided grin drew one corner of his mouth up more than the other, "Nah, I still say it's a mother's touch. I tried everything I could think of, and read that manual front and back at least a hundred times, and nada." He believed what she said of course, but he could also see the fondness in her eyes and the joy at having Raine back with her, and he was going to talk it up as much as he could to support those feelings. His eyes shot to the door a second later when Charlotte arrived with Johann's meal, and he gave the man a single nod to see him off. For a few moments after Johann left, Lanny fell quiet, and couldn't seem to repel the thoughts of her nightmare from picking at the back of his mind. At long last, his face softened a little from the brightness it had carried, "I heard you didn't have such a good night yourself."

Cassidy*Others

She continued to smile with all the contentment she felt - after all, Johann and Lanny were both with her and well, and Raine was positively adorable and precious curled up asleep on her chest. Who wouldn't be happy with that? And beside that, being with Lanny just set her at ease and made her feel safe. She wouldn't say that aloud, because to admit to that was to admit to the fact that the young man had become more than a 'good friend', and neither one of them was quite ready to admit that yet. But she allowed it to soothe her and calm some of her worries, so by the time Lanny finally brought up the topic of her rough night, she didn't jump in surprise, as she might otherwise have done. Instead, the smile faded a little, and she looked down at Raine, adjusting her arm a little more snuggly around the sleeping baby. "I take it that you and Johann have been talking," she ventured quietly, and paused to blink her eyes rapidly for a moment to dispel something - either the memory of the dream, or something else even less pleasant. "I haven't had nightmares like that for over a year."

Laurence Zelkovii

He felt badly for spoiling the quiet moment the three of them had been sharing, and almost regretting bring the nightmare up. But as he looked at it, it was something that he wanted to make better if he could, and he couldn't do that with Johann still in the room, for the sake of keeping Cassidy's secret safe. "He mentioned you had a nightmare last night." Unsure of how or even if he should inform her that he knew what the dream had been about, Lanny stated that first in vague terms. "I'm going to stay here tonight with you, and Johann's looking after Raine at your place. Hector and James are going to be watching the place, so they'll both be in good hands." He hadn't actually talked to his brother about helping to watch the upper apartment floor, but he knew James would be up for it considering the circumstances.

Cassidy*Others

You keep coming back like a song.
A song that keeps saying, 'Remember'.
The sweet used-to-be
that was once you and me
Keeps coming back like an old melody...

"I don't know if the word 'nightmare' does it much justice... but yes," she admitted, seeing no point in denying it since he clearly already knew what had transpired. She fell silent then, working things over in her mind and once again adjusting her arm around Raine as if she expected someone to snatch the child up right this very minute and take her away. There was a long pause before she spoke again, quietly and slowly. "I... got to watch them-" She broke off and didn't finish, because she refused to allow her voice to falter - but the pause in and of itself said what the dream had been about. She'd been at work when they'd killed Isaiah, but her nightmare had put her back in the apartment, and filled in the bloody details for her just as though she'd been there - that had been why she'd been so hysterical, and why she'd called out for her deceased son instead of her living daughter. She closed her eyes for a minute, because even though she kept her face calm and collected, she couldn't keep the horror out of her eyes, and didn't want him to see that - not that the simple way she closed her eyes wouldn't tell him that anyway. It just made her feel as though she still had some control over it. When her voice came back, it was a little steadier. "It keeps coming back - every time I see her. I can't seem to shake it."

The perfume of roses in May
returns to my room in December -
From out of the past
where forgotten things belong,
you keep coming back like a song.

Laurence Zelkovii

He was ready to back off and try to broach the subject at another time if she reacted badly to him bringing it up, but she braved ahead and opened up about it. She also opened up the conversation to Isiah, which Lanny himself had been struggling for a way to bring up without causing her so much pain. The young moved his arm in a careful manner, giving Cassidy plenty of time to see the gesture, before he put a hand to her own arm since her hands were occupied with holding Raine. "He mentioned you calling his name." Lanny didn't say the boy's name, and he didn't need to; they were both on the same page now, "I didn't tell him who's name it was, and he didn't push for it - that's your own secret to keep." First, he had to dispel any fear on her part that Johann had learned about her hidden past and the son that she had, "It'll get better Cass, I know it will. You've had too much to think about lately, and with her being away from you last night... it'll get better." He gave her arm a little squeeze, to make up for the smile that he couldn't muster. Honestly, he wasn't sure if his words would hold true or not, and it worried him... but more than ever, he wished he could bring Michael back just for the satisfaction of ending the man himself.

Cassidy*Others

The young woman took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to steady her nerves some, and draw her thoughts away from the bloody scene her overwrought mind had showed her last night. By this time, other women would have long ago reached for tissue or become incoherent with tears - but Cass was not most women. And now that she was not being constantly sedated and drugged to keep her comfortable and resting, she was aware enough that she would not permit herself to show any display of overt distress. "I woke up, and I couldn't find her," she told the young man slowly, not moving her arm out from under his head, but also not opening her eyes again. "I wasn't thinking at the time, or I'd have remembered that you took her home." The eyes blinked open again, and she tried to lighten the topic a little by joking, "Wish I'd have had the sense to remember that - I tore out two of the stitches last night when I sat up so fast. They'll be re-doing those sometime this afternoon."

Laurence Zelkovii

You've been under a lot, it's understandable." He affirmed softly. These were the kind of gentle words that he rarely used, and certainly very few had heard him speak in this way before, but he did so from the bottom of his heart. He'd do anything to block the nightmares from haunting her, but since he couldn't do that, he comforted her in the only way he knew how. "Just look at it this way - in a few days, you'll be going home too, and you won't have to worry about her not being with you." To follow up with the way that she was trying to lighten the conversation with some joking, he added on, "Then you get to stay up all night too and listen to her cry. We'll both be insomniacs." He could have winced to know she'd torn out some of her stitches, and it told him just how strongly the nightmare had hit her if she jerked out of bed so quickly.

Cassidy*Others

About the only thing that would make Cassidy feel better would be to be at home with Raine, and to know for certain that the infant was safe. Of course, that couldn't happen until she was discharged from the hospital - and the nightmares were likely to continue until then, or possibly even longer. It was pretty well a forgone conclusion that she wasn't going to be willing to let Raine out of her sight for a good long while, once she got to go home with her daughter. However, Lanny at least knew the right way to cheer her up and pull her mind away from the negative things and get her to laugh a little again. "And you better believe that the minute she wakes me up, she'll be coming down two flights of stairs to visit Daddy," she joked with a smile, not at all serious about dropping the child off with Lanny but needing to say something ridiculous like that in order to make herself feel a little better about the whole thing. "You might not need sleep, but I'm on doctor's orders to be 'resting'" She made little air quotes to go along with that final word, and then giggled a bit, slwoly allowing herself to be drawn away from thoughts of the nightmare.

Laurence Zelkovii

The edge of a smile returned to his face in a mild, tempered sort of way. He knew as well as she did that no amount of talking and hashing things out were going to make these nightmares go away, and he wasn't keen on the idea of drugging her to keep her calm. The only other thing he thought might help was to be here tonight, so that when she inevitably did wake up during the night, he might be able to shake her out of it this time. "Oh, is that so?" The young man raised an eyebrow, but had to chuckle at the end and concede, "I guess can't say I didn't sign up for this, can I?" With the mood tentatively raised, Lanny departed from the joking a little to get back to Raine herself, because he knew that she was one surefire way to make Cassidy happy, "I bet she'll settle right down once you're home with her. Look at her now; happy as a clam."

Cassidy*Others

The tiny smile she'd mustered up strengthened a little, and some of the shadows faded out of her eyes. "Nope - and I might note that you volunteered for it. Nobody drafted you." She reminded him of that clearly, trying not to attach too much significance to the fact that he had come to her and offered to pose as Raine's father. It had hit her oddly at the time, and still was a cause of some puzzlement for her. She was glad he'd done so, of course - she could think of no better father for the baby than Lanny - but why had he done it? To help an old friend...? Surely, that was a little more than could be expected, even from a good friend...

She pulled her mind forcibly away from that, not about to let her thoughts get into that tangled mess - there were too many thoughts and feelings involved for her to try to work all that out right now. So she deftly put it aside, and turned her attention to Raine. "She's too cute to be a clam," the young woman challenged, for once sounding just like any young mother with a brand new baby. "Don't tell Johann I told you... but he used to call me 'Tater Toes' when I was little. Because he said my toes were cute like tater tots. I don't know... does she have little tater tot toes?" She didn't want to shift the baby and wake her up, so she posed this question to Lanny, since he could likely see better than she could.

Laurence Zelkovii

The shadows departing from her eyes did for him what their quiet conversation couldn't, and retorted a brightness to his smile that made it more sincere again, "Okay, okay, I can't argue that one." His line of thought was still trailing after Isiah and what tonight was going to be like, but if he had been a mind reader, he'd have been just as alarmed by what Cassidy was puzzling over. It was something that he didn't let himself think about too much, because it confused him so much, and despite the fact that he'd had plenty of girlfriends, and wasn't the least bit shy in that department, it was entirely different with Cassidy. She'd been his close friend since they were young, and the transition into something more than that was just... a very big step for him to take, or even to acknowledge. "Tator-toes?" The young man chuckled and shook his head, "Now that you mention it, I'm not sure..." Given permission to touch Raine, even though he knew he could have done so without Cassidy getting defensive, Lanny shuffled the blanket aside to expose his daughter's tiny feet, which earned him a bigger smile, "...well look at that. They weren't lying when they said she took after you, tator-toes and all."

Cassidy*Others

"And you'd best not try to, Zelkovii," she answered, pulling up a pseudo-threatening look and sparing one hand to make a fist to shake at him. "Just 'cause I haven't lambed you since I was six doesn't mean I couldn't still do it. And Johann isn't here, so he couldn't punish me for using my fists." She said it with a grin now, but at the time, she'd been in deep trouble - the old man had very little tolerance for Cassidy getting into fistfights without good cause. He'd always told her that fighting had its place, and the playground wasn't it. He'd punished her as severely as she could ever remember when she'd punched Lanny when they were kids, and she'd never done it again. And her smile turned into a laugh when Lanny pulled the blanket aside and announced that her toes matched her mother's. "Poor kid - I spent the first ten years of my life tripping over my own two feet because of those toes! And I didn't even have to have braces... I talked to Marachek. She says that we'll need to bring Raine in on the twelfth to be fitted for orthopedic shoes. They'll have a bar between them and they'll turn the angle of the shoes every two weeks until she learns to walk. And after that, she might still need hip-height braces for a while."

Laurence Zelkovii

Lanny adopted a look of mock surprise and leaned back as if he truly expected the frail young woman to land a punch on him. "You wouldn't use violence in front of the baby now, would you?" In his own fuax-defense, the young man grinned back. It was quite the contradictory statement coming from the co-lead of the CrypticSilvers, who's life was more violent than the average person's, and who had readily fought in front of Randy a few times already. "And I might just tell Johann on you." He referenced the same memory, with his tattle-tale response to being decked by Cass. That statement struck him with a completely different afterthought however, and for a brief second, his smile fell and a hardness shone in his eyes; it had reminded him that he had quite the secret himself, revolving around Johann. In a bid to dismiss that, he pulled the grin back in place and listened intelligently to Cass's explanation on the braces. "Did she say how long Raine will need the braces?

Cassidy*Others

"Wanna bet?" Cass' eyebrows rose on her face, bringing on an expression that was assertive and daring, just waiting for him to try to deny it. But it was all in good nature - she wouldn't have socked him. Well, not unless he'd really done something wrong. There were a couple of things that might have convinced her to lay a good one on him, but this wasn't one of those things, so she unballed her fist and lay her arm down again, cradling Raine tenderly. "She said that it all depends on how fast the bones adjust - it's different for every person. But she did say that most kids are out of the braces before they hit kindergarten. They grow enough by the time they're five that the braces are pretty well effective by then. She might be a little pigeon-toed when she gets older, but other than that, she ought to be fine. No reason that she can't go on to be an Olympic runner or something."

Laurence Zelkovii

"Nah, I'll let you win this one." He poked a little fun at her, when really she would have won regardless even if she were being serious. Lanny wasn't a pushover, but he was far more giving than James and some of the others were; and besides, he knew that Cassidy could swing a pretty impressive punch, and didn't need to be painfully reminded of it. Lanny leaned forward again, and returned his hand to her arm without so much as thinking twice about the action, "So a few years? At least it'll avoid surgery, and it's something that can be fixed." It made him a little worried to envision Raine's leg strapped up in a metal brace - she looked so tiny and frail as she was, that the image just didn't sit well with him. "Lucky her, she'll get it off before she starts school. No one can call her Forrest Gump then."

Cassidy*Others

She grinned at him, the dream put aside and forgotten for now in the casual rapport they were enjoying. "I always knew you were a smart guy," she teased, and then sobered some, turning her attention to the more serious but not frightening topic of Raine's leg. "That's what it sounded like to me. And she's such a tough girl already, I can't imagine that it'll be much of a problem for her." She might have gone on, but at this point, Johann reentered the room, apparently done with his breakfast. It took him very little time to see that the young woman was more relaxed now that she had been when he'd left, and he wrote that entirely up to the presence of Lanny and Raine. "I see you two found plenty to talk about," he quipped as he moved across to his place with the remains of his cup of coffee in his hand. "Anything interesting?"

Laurence Zelkovii

The young man had to remind himself that this wasn't some horrible, life-threatening issue they were looking at with Raine, and that even though she'd have to deal with wearing cumbersome equipment for a few years, it would all work out well. To further pacify his mind on the matter, he likened the brace to those that so many kids were forced to get for their teeth - and no one ever died of braces, did they? "She's like you, remember? Something like this isn't going to keep her down, not in the slightest." With that, he refused to worry any more about the braces, though surely he'd be anxious the day of the meeting with Marachek to talk about Raine's leg. Johann's entrance distracted him from these thoughts however, and he shrugged a shoulder in response to the question, "Nothing much, aside from baby stuff." He'd been tempted to crack a joke about the girl's toes, but remembered quick enough that Cassidy didn't want that shared.

Cassidy*Others

For the purpose of not allowing Johann to catch onto the more solemn topic that they'd spoken about, Cass kept her mind on the lighter things and on the anticipation of going home with Raine soon. And it was effective enough - the older man didn't seem to notice that only moments ago, she hadn't been this relaxed. Before she could venture any words though, another knock came at the door - Cassidy's breakfast. On a rolling over-the-bed table, Charlotte brought in a tray of liquids - apple juice, orange juice, grape juice - there were about six flavors of juice on the tray, along with two cups of jello, a bowl of soup, and a large shake made chiefly of protein and nutrients, which was supposed to be strawberry, but tasted more like a children's vitamin than the dairy treat it imitated. Cass groaned at the sight, and made a face. "Not another of those cardboard shakes!" The nurse nodded grimly as she positioned the table over the bed, and answered, "Courage, Miss Jones - they're almost edible today." The young woman sighed, and shifted her hold on Raine - she didn't want to give the baby up, not even to eat, but she knew that the sooner she gained the weight that Dr. Marachek wanted her to have and healed from the surgeries, the sooner she'd be discharged. So she murmured, "Here, Uncle - take her a minute," and shifted the sleeping infant onto the old man's arm. The hands that could so easily take a gun and end a life took hold of Raine with a curious gentility and dexterity that was strange to see in him, and he cradled the baby against him with old practice - where Lanny's movements were awkward and slow, Johann was confident in his handling of Raine, likely because he'd raised Cassidy already.

Laurence Zelkovii

Lanny hadn't given up his hand's placement on her arm, but he'd leaned back once more to prop his back against the chair, and the slightly reclined position made him very aware of how tired he really was after going all night with virtually no sleep and being boggled by all of Raine's crying. The young man did his best to retain an alert facade however, and even manage to wrinkle his nose when he saw the breakfast that was heading Cassidy's way. "There's something else for you to look forward with getting out of here. Real food." He was never a fan of hospital food, and certainly didn't envy the meal Cassidy was about to enjoy. Taking his attention off the bland liquids, he watched Johann move in to take Raine, and while he would have preferred to have the little girl in his arms, Lanny figured it was best that she go with her 'grandpa', since he was going to be watching her tonight.

Cassidy*Others

"I've almost forgotten what 'real food' is," Cass quipped with a sigh, though after Charlotte fixed her with one of her best strict looks, she obediently took up a cup of cranberry juice cocktail and began drinking it down. "I've gotten nothing but liquids for days and days - I'm half afraid I'll forget how to chew. I'd be grateful for any kind of food that has some substance to it." The nurse shook her head a little, an impassive look taking over her fleshy features. "Don't get too excited about 'real food' just yet - Laura's going to send you home by the end of the week, if all goes well, but it'll be with a strict assigned diet to keep from upsetting your stomach or making it work too hard until the stitches come out. No grease, no fat, no complex carbs - you'll be eating bland for a while yet." That reality check got another groan out of Cass, even if she knew that she would have to abide by the rules if she wanted to avoid another hospital stay. That idea would be enough to make her obey - just barely.

The fact that Lanny was still holding onto her arm didn't go without Cassidy's noticing it - that was why she'd used the opposite arm to take up her juice cup. And she also was fully aware that Lanny would have liked to hold the child again, but she'd sort of noticed the way that he was keeping Raine to himself and not letting Johann touch her much - she wrote it up to a jealousy factor going on, and knew that the younger man wouldn't say anything if she handed the baby to her uncle. He might not like it, but he wouldn't object, so she took the opportunity to allow Johann to hold Raine, in order to chase back some of the shadows she'd seen in his eyes. And that it did; though it was difficult to see, there was a slight lightening of the heaviness in his fact, allowing him to look more content as he cradled Raine and watched her mother eat.

Laurence Zelkovii

The co-lead was doing an admirable job keeping a cool outward composure, even while he felt the subtle sting of jealous, which was only spiked because of the distrust that had come up against the man a few days ago. He wasn't willing to tell Cassidy about it, but it was putting a strain between he and the elder man that had at least simmered down in the past few days while they both shared the common interest of seeing Cassidy and Raine work their way to good health. His attention was taken from Johann and the little girl while he followed along with the conversation Cass was having with the nurse, "What kind of foods are alright for her to eat?" He figured that Johann would be the one to stock up most of the foods for Cassidy, but Lanny was in a mode to protect and provide for mother and daughter alike, and was keen to know what he could do to help her. He figured Sarduccis breadsticks would be one of the times off the list for a while, considering the grease aspect, "And what about Raine? Is there any special formula she needs?"

Cassidy*Others

Directing her attention to Laurence now, Charlotte answered, "Unfortunately, bland is going to be the key thing, for a while. No spice, no grease, very little fat - she can have salt, but not much. Fish and rice will be core food groups... brown rice, mind you." She paused there to fix both men with a careful glance, to be sure they got this point - Cassidy had been here enough by now that she knew that the young woman didn't do her own cooking. Either Johann cooked, or Lanny ordered in, so she wanted to be sure that they knew the reasons as well as Cass did. "White rice is basically starch without the nutrients that rice is meant to carry - the bleach they use to make the rice white takes out the nutritional value. Brown rice still has those vitamins. Wheat breads; simple, unsalted, unbuttered vegetables. Fruit, milk - things like that. You'll be given a list of examples that says what she can and can't have." With that topic covered, and Cass nodding to indicate that she understood, Charlotte then turned her attention to the matter of the baby. "We sent home several cans of formula with you, as I recall - keep her on that until further notice. It's formulated for premature, low birth-weight babies - Dr. Marachek will tell you if it needs to be changed."

Laurence Zelkovii

The more she listed, the narrower the foods of choice went in his mind, until he was having a hard time figuring out just what Cassidy would be consuming besides water. He was a fan of fast food and frozen dinners, supplemented with the occasional cooked dinner by his brother - who was a surprisingly adept cook, when he had the time and inclination to do so. "A list will be helpful." Raine's choices were much easier to go by, if not far more expensive. He'd never had to buy baby formula before, but he'd seen the prices at the store, and could only imagine that specialized premie-mixes would be even more than the average stuff. He'd already figured that Cassidy wouldn't be feeding her daughter right away even after she was discharged from the hospital, with her low weight and need to recover, "What about medicines? Anything besides the iron supplements? Actually - best just to put that on the list of foods." For as many questions as he was asking, Lanny was sure he'd forget half of it by the time Cass was set to go home.

Cassidy*Others

"I can arrange that," Charlotte confirmed with a nod, moving forward to peek at Cass' heart monitor to be sure that all was well and to check what few iv medications she was still receiving, to ensure that they were not empty. "Mostly it's going to be iron and calcium she'll need for a bit - iron until her body's had time to completely recover from the hemorrhage, and the calcium for as long as she intends to feed the baby. That won't be possible for a while, but after Raine gets her weight on properly - up to about seven pounds - you can start feeding her, Miss Jones. By the time she gains that much weight, it should be safe enough for the both of you - provided that you don't let your own weight drop." Her eyes turned keenly to Cass as she said this, emphasizing it with the intentness of her face. "You still need five more pounds on you to be a healthy weight for feeding Raine - which I assume you mean to do, since formula can be pricey. And once you stop nursing her, you don't need to lose more than ten pounds of what you are now. You're tall and you lead an active lifestyle, and you don't eat enough to compensate - you're too thin, and that's probably one of the factors that contributed to the hemorrhage in the first place. And don't think Laura won't bully you about that; she's going to have you coming in every month for the next year, same as Raine - routine with high-risk pregnancies to make sure there are no long-term effects of delivery. She'll check your weight every time, so watch it." Cass had always had an issue with her weight, even before she'd become pregnant - she was tall and very tiny-waisted, partially out of necessity, due to her below-the-board profession. Fat prostitutes just didn't attract much business. But also, her knife-wielding, hard-battling lifestyle contributed to it - her metabolism was naturally high, and she got lots of exercise. So Charlotte made a point of emphasizing this to the young woman - she wasn't to ever again be as thin as she'd been before the baby.

Laurence Zelkovii

With as much troubles as the young girl had gaining weight and keeping it on, Lanny was really wondering how she was going to improve on such a strict diet as she was getting. It'd help of course that she was going to be limited in her activities, and that he and Johann especially were going to be watching her close and ensuring that she got all the food that she needed. He wasn't surprised to hear that Cassidy would be due to check in at the hospital every month for the next year, and saw that as a task just as difficult as trying to keep her weight up - she hated hospitals, so to routinely have her visit one was not going to be a pleasant task. But, with Raine needing check-ups just as frequently, he doubted it would be hard to convince her to go on that account, for her daughter's wellbeing. "Is there anything else we need to take note of?" With food and medical-related issues accounted for, the young man wanted to make sure he had any other things in mind. Of course, he was really relying on Johann to absorb most of this, since it was a lot to put on Lanny right now, especially when his mind was so foggy with a lack of sleep.

Cassidy*Others

Charlotte considered Lanny's question carefully for another long moment before she shook her head. "Not that I can think of, dearie. There'll be a packet sent home with her, like the one you got for the baby - it'll explain all the ins and outs and whatnot. You might ask the doctor that when she comes back for her evening rounds, but I can't think of anything else." Apparently satisfied with what she was seeing on Cass' monitors, the large woman drew back again, and ran a gentle touch down Raine's back - which the young mother allowed without any protest, or any show of fear that Charlotte might try to harm the infant. The nurse had been so honest and good to them - despite the fact that their gang had essentially broken her family apart in killing her son - that she couldn't feel guarded around the woman, not even where Raine was involved. And the nurse seemed to have gotten kind of attached to them, too - at least, she fixed Cass with a gaze and warned her, "Don't think you're going to skip out on those appointments and send one of your menfolk with the baby, either. You're coming if I have to trot myself up to your place and bring you myself, understood?" And Cass nodded obediently, looking like a small child giving way to a parent's ruling - as much as she might hate it, she wasn't going to cross Charlotte.

Laurence Zelkovii

That was good at least, the young man thought - the food and supplemental pills would be the highlight of Cassidy's recovery, as well as keeping her relaxed and as stress free as possible. So long as nothing unexpected popped up, and Raine remained healthy, he was looking forward to getting back to have Cass back how she use to be; plus a baby, of course. "Don't worry about that, Charlotte." A particular look was cast at Cassidy, and then switched back to Charlotte to impress upon them both that he was serious, "She won't be skipping out on her check-ups. Not after this." He wasn't one to boss the young woman around, and his means of enforcing her trips to the hospital would be subtle and soft-handed at best - but he was determined to see she got the care she needed, and didn't let her fear of the doctor's office stop her from it. By the looks of it however, Cassidy was plenty ready to obey the nurse as it was, which made Lanny's job significantly easier.

Cassidy*Others

Having worked her way through three cups of juice and a packet of jello, along with a few grim-faced swallows of the shake, Cassidy was slowly consuming the contents of her tray, even though she was treating it just as seriously as if it were one of her dagger-drills, rather than just a meal. It seemed like work, the way she went about it; Johann exchanged glances with Lanny while the girl's eyes were on Charlotte, his expression saying, 'The mother's going to be more trouble than the baby.' He knew he would have his work cut out for him when he finally took her home - he suspected that he'd likely be cooking most of the young woman's food, being the chef of the family, and have the monumental task of convincing her to eat it. But he didn't hold Lanny's glance for long before he looked away - mostly because Cass was looking toward the younger man again. She was in time to catch the look Lanny had given her, and combined with the words... was that protectiveness in his voice? Of course, he was defensive over anybody that he was close to, but this sounded like more to her - it was the very first inkling that she'd ever gotten that maybe he thought of this friendship as a little something more, too. But she didn't say anything - not to him. "I'll be here, Charlotte," she assured the nurse, adjusting her position some and picking up another cup of jello. "One of the two of them will drag me up here; you can depend on that." And with Johann nodding and the word of everyone on the matter, the nurse looked satisfied, and nodded herself, before turning on her heel and heading out of the room.

Laurence Zelkovii

The young co-lead hadn't even realized the tenure that he'd put into his words, or that Cassidy had picked up on it. Even if he was still consciously struggling with the idea that his life-long friendship with Cassidy had slowly been turning into something more, his subconscious was leaps ahead of that. He'd taken a moment to share Johann's own look, and the message between them was clearly understood; Cass wasn't going to make this cakewalk, but between the two of them, she would be getting the care and treatment that was needed to see her back to her good health. When Charlotte left the room, Lanny relaxed more completely against the chair and watched as Cassidy struggled with her meal, "Yum. I bet this is one reason you love the hospital so much?" Their food wasn't always known as the best, and Cass's particular meal had to be at the bottom of the list.

Cassidy*Others

With it at least established that Cassidy intended to come to the appointments - even if if would likely take some cajoling by both men to get her to live up to that promise when the time came - she returned her attention to her meal. Slowly getting down bites of it here and there, she told Lanny, "It's not top of the list, but yeah - that's one of several reasons why I hate this-" There followed a few very foul and uncomplimentary words, and Johann gave her a stern look. "Watch your mouth, Missy. I didn't let you start cussing til you were twelve, and you're not going to teach her to do it either." He shifted his hold on Raine as he said this, adjusting his arm because she was moving a little in her sleep and he felt the need to compensate for that. And Cassidy rolled her eyes a little at her uncle, showing that she wasn't intimidated by his words. "She won't even be burbling for months yet - if she's quick, she'll have a couple words down in nine months," she pointed out, but her uncle shook his head emphatically, and his tone came out mildly sarcastic. "Yeah, and when her first word is a four-letter one, you'll wonder where she learned it from, too." As unpleasant as this conversation sounded, this was pretty well a normal conversation for the pair of them - they bickered like this in the way that most families cuddled and played games together. It was just one of the oddities of the arrangement of an awkward, quiet man raising a girl on his own.

Laurence Zelkovii

The conversation earned a slight grin from Lanny, who had a bit of helpful advice to share with the mother and uncle, "If you don't want her picking up on those words, best keep her away from James and Sheryl. They're bad enough around Randy." The young man himself was known for producing foul words when little ears were around, but he at least made an effort to filter himself more than his brother or Sheryl did. It was the rest of the gang that would have to be kept mannered around his new 'daughter' too, as they also had a penchant for saying such things that little ones shouldn't be hearing, but they at least would listen to him and Johann if told to keep themselves manners. "She looks to innocent to have a potty mouth anyway; I'll bet her first words are going to be 'dada', don't you think?" Lanny grinned a little more as he looked over at Cassidy, "Well, okay... maybe 'mama'."

Cassidy*Others

Lanny's light words were just the right thing to diffuse the conversation - not that there was any real anger or problem involved here, anyway. Cass smiled and turned her gaze back to the young man, saying, "At least Randy hasn't picked up any of them, yet. He's got good manners, for a little guy." Of course, she didn't really know if the toddler was old enough to understand the concept of 'bad' words, but he didn't use those terms, where he pretty well parroted anything else that his adoptive family said to or around him. "Speaking of Randy... do you think the hospital would let you bring him up here to visit? So he could meet his sister?" Of course, she was interested in introducing the children, but mainly her reason for saying this was personal - she was bored to death of being in the hospital, and Randy was a wonderful diversion, with his cute antics and boundless energy. He might break up some of the doldrums of the day. She allowed herself to be led back to the other topic by Lanny's words, though. "Actually - only a small percentage of children actually say 'mama' or 'dada' as their first word. Most of them start off with 'bubba' or 'sissy', or sometimes objects, like 'bear' or 'bottle'. Crazy, huh?"

Laurence Zelkovii

Lanny let out a lose whistle and a nod, "'Yet' being the key word." From there, the young man took on a look of interest when Cassidy suggested Randy be brought in to see his little sister. He'd been thinking about that himself, but held off for two main reasons. One being that Cass had been so frail that he didn't want anyone besides he, Johann, and the nurses in here. Secondly, he didn't want her overwhelmed by a toddler that had as much energy as the little red-head did. But now that he got the OK from Cassidy, his grin transformed into a pleasant smile, "Yeah, I imagine the little guy is upset right now; he was so eager to see Raine, but he fell asleep before I got her home, and I left before he woke up. I can have Sheryl bring him in - do you think now is a good time?" He was already digging into his pocket to take out the cell phone, happy that he could now carry it with him.

Cassidy*Others

"You'll just have to remind yourself to watch it," Cass informed him, knowing already that he tried to mind his language around the youngster, but sometimes slipped up, unlike James and Sheryl, who didn't seem to attempt to subdue their words. And on that line of thoughts, she couldn't help asking quietly, "So - what do Sher and James think about you being a father, eh?" Her tones were light and joking, and her eyes matched that idea - but her chief purpose behind this was to get Lanny's perspective on the gang's response to the fact that he'd adopted Raine. Jame's opinion was particularly important, but the girl found herself just as wary of what the older brother's girlfriend thought about it, considering the long-standing tension between them. A part of her had always wanted to just sit the other woman down and explain to her that she had no interest in taking James, but her doubt over whether that would work or not kept her from doing so. So she was testing the waters on that, and at the same time, turning her attention to the matter of the toddler. "Sure, if he's awake. Don't wake the poor kid on my account - but it'd be a nice change of pace."

Laurence Zelkovii

He was poking buttons into his phone already, once Cassidy had given him the final go-ahead to invite Randy to the hospital. While he was doing that, and waiting for Sheryl to pick up the phone, he had to give the young woman's question some thought. "You know, I never really asked them." Lanny frowned thoughtfully, taking a moment to give the question good thought for the first time; for as many months as he'd had to get input from them, he simply never had; though part of that could be to blame that he was still so incredibly uncertain about his relationship with Cass still. "James is pretty supportive about it, but he hasn't told any of the elders yet. I don't think so, anyway. Sherl... she likes to poke fun at me, but all in all - yeah, they're all for it." It was a rather abstract response, and he'd gotten some playful jokes about he and Cass being a couple, but he'd laughed it all away like it didn't bother him. "Sherly? Hey, when you get this - bring Randy down the hospital. I'll be here all day, so call me." The frown contracted for a second as he flipped the phone shut, "She's not awake yet - I sure hope Randy isn't, otherwise he's free roaming the place without any supervision."

Cassidy*Others

Cass didn't comment on the fact that Sheryl's child-rearing skills didn't quite come up to par - that was pretty well-known, and it wouldn't do any good to mention it aloud, because if it got back to Sher, she'd be furious. And goodness knew that Cass didn't want to give the other woman any more reason to hate her. Instead, she smiled as though she had no reason to wonder about Sheryl, and said, "I'm sure he's fine - you got home late last night, didn't you? I bet he didn't get to bed until late. He's probably still sleeping." Whether or not this was true was up to debate, but she said it to reassure Lanny, knowing how protective he was of Randy. Then she returned to another point of the conversation, and admitted quietly, "The elders are something to be nervous about. They probably weren't expecting you to have a ready made family, whether she's yours genetically or not. I reckon they'll be calling on both of us soon enough." Strangely, she wasn't quite as worried about the elders as she was about Sheryl and James, but they were still high on the list of concerns - if the elders didn't approve of the arrangement, it wouldn't end well for any of them.

Laurence Zelkovii

He nodded slowly, "Yeah, I bet he's probably still sleeping. He's well behaved anyway, I suppose..." The young man said, in a way trying to convince himself that the toddler was safe and sound at home, when he knew that Sheryl wasn't the greatest caretaker, and he could just imagine the house catching on fire, or Randy overflowing the sink, or something crazy like that. Seeing that no good was going to come from him imagining up all the what-ifs, he forced his thoughts away from that and tucked his phone away to wait for the call, and turned is attention back to what she as talking about next. "I'm dreading it. But really... I don't know, I wouldn't worry too much about it. You've been with the gang since you were little." He could never be for sure, but he felt pretty safe that they would approve of him and Cassidy together; it was Raine that he was worried about, because the elders already knew that she wasn't Lanny's daughter, and he couldn't afford to lie to them about the girl's true father if he were really pushed for the truth. He didn't admit this fears to Cassidy, but he was thinking about them.

Cassidy*Others

Lanny didn't have to speak his concerns aloud for Cass to know what they were; as he said, she'd been in the gang practically since she was born, and knew most of the procedures and formalities that had to be observed. So she knew just what issues the elders were liable to bring up, and good guess decently well at what the responses would be. Foremost on her mind was the matter of Raine's paternal genetics - she didn't look like a Carlyle, but Lanny wouldn't have told them that he was the child's father, and if she started to grow to look more like her father's family... that was definitely going to be an issue. Not only because she didn't exactly want them to know about the whole incident - but because she didn't know what their reaction would be. If they found out, and they disapproved, she knew what her choice would be; she'd defend Raine to the end, and if they got really upset about it, she'd leave the gang if necessary to protect her baby. But she didn't want to do that - the gang was family to her, not just a profession. It was all she'd ever known. She didn't like the prospect of starting over - but she didn't want Lanny to know how nervous she was, so she told him quietly, "I'm sure it will be fine. Between you and Uncle, you've got enough pull to really make them listen to you and consider what you've got to say. It'll make them really think about it."

Laurence Zelkovii

Even Lanny was feeling the protective drive to do anything to defend Cassidy and Raine, and wasn't altogether sure what he'd do if the higher ranks in the family disapproved of their daughter... but he'd fight it right along side Cass, and do everything in his power to keep this civil and appease the elders at the same time. He already had a few thoughts in mind that might help to sway their judgment if things turned ugly, and he did have the benefit of being co-lead of this branch of the family. "They seem alright with Randy." He pointed out hopefully, trying to build a bit of hope for Raine. Although, Randy's situation was entirely different - he was almost like a symbol of defiance against one of their old rivals, while Raine was the result of an entirely different situation; she was a mix between the two gangs. "We'll have plenty of time to think about that later. They won't want to talk with us so soon, with you being in the hospital and her so young. Give it another month or two, at the next family reunion; I'm sure you'll be getting an invitation to that."

Cassidy*Others

That's what I'm afraid of, Cass thought, but didn't say. She'd never been to a Zelkovii family reunion, for as long as she'd been in the gang, simply by virtue of the fact that she was not related to them, and not generally considered important enough to be invited. It had never bothered her - she wasn't exactly a socialite, and the idea of spending endless hours surrounded by a bunch of Zelkovii relatives that she'd never really spoken do made her a little uneasy. But things had changed, now that the general public eye viewed she and Lanny as a couple, and Raine as their child. With her so prominently attached to the younger brother in the public eye, it was pretty well a given that they would extend the seemingly-friendly invitation as a way of getting her to come to them so that they could look her over, and judge her. Whether or not she and Lanny were actually a couple by that time, the elders would look at her as a protective father would examine potential boyfriends for his only daughter - if she didn't pass the test to be 'right' for Lanny, she'd be discarded as forcefully as need be, and she knew it. Loyal, lifetime gang member or not, the safety and welfare of the gang itself came first, in the eyes of the elders; they would put her aside reluctantly, but nonetheless, put her aside they would. "Great - a whole day hanging around with people just as wacky as you and James. If I'm still sane enough to understand the judgment by the end of the day, it'll be a miracle."

Laurence Zelkovii

Just thinking about taking Cassidy and Raine to the gathering was enough to make the young man anxious, and to speed up his heart a few degrees. He fit in naturally enough amongst them, and was almost more popular than his brother, though not nearly as influential as James, or as strongly respected. It would be enough to rally support from some of the younger members and those closer to his own age, but they didn't count when it came to how the heads of the household felt, and that meant that it was all up to Cass to put on a good impression for them. "Aww, you'll survive. Plus, the food is well worth the torture, and you get to meet the entire Zelkovi clan. Heck, if we're lucky, they might even hold the gathering somewhere other than here. It's been a while since I've flown anywhere." Not wanting to make Cass worry to much about it, as well as himself, Lanny tried to put the idea into a better perspective.

Cassidy*Others

Cass allowed his words to bring a smile back into play - one that was a little warmer and more real, as opposed to the paper one she wore when she was trying to hide something. "I've never flown on an airplane," she admitted quietly, turning her attention to that part of the topic in an attempt to put her focus on something other than the inevitable inspection. "Mostly because somebody I know gets airsick," she continued, turning her eyes to Johann, who lifted his gaze to meet hers, but didn't say anything. "It's a good thing it's a couple of months away, though - by then, I bet I'll be cleared to eat real food, and to travel. Because somehow, I don't think that Marachek would agree to me going too far away just now."

Laurence Zelkovii

He chuckled a little, and for the first time since their spat a few days ago, he could look grinningly over at Johann. It didn't by any means suggest that he was ready to put aside what had happened, but he was in a good enough mood, aside from thoughts of the looming meeting, to put aside the shooting. Besides, he didn't want Cassidy to find out what had happened, and if he continud to turn the cold shoulder to Johann now that she was awake more, she'd eventually catch on to the rift between them and start asking questions. "I wouldn't bank on it, but it is nice getting out of the Valley now and then." Truth be told, he loved living here, even as violent and often times unpredictable as it was - but it was nice to travel now and then. "Speaking of Marachek, I don't think even the elders would have any influence over her decisions. If she says you aren't flying, you aren't flying."

Cassidy*Others

That idea got Cassidy grinning a little more firmly - as determined as the physician could be, she could just imagine what a battle of the wills between her and the elders would end up like. "My money's on Marachek," she agreed, setting aside her meal and reaching to take Raine back from Johann. The baby again moved a little in her sleep due to the movement and changing of hands, but when she was again settled on her mother's chest, she lay still once more, and dropped back into deep sleep. Once Raine was settled again, Cass went on, "I can count on one hand the number of times I've been outside this Valley in my life - I guess I'm a small-town girl at heart, eh?"

Laurence Zelkovii

One more time, Lanny wrinkled his nose up at the bland-looking liquid breakfast that Cassidy was having to choke down. In thinking about this again, he could kind of see how even her strict diet of food in the coming days would be an improvement over this - anything would be a step up from the hospital paste. That aside, he nodded to the young lady in agreement, "You and me both. Here, everyone knows us, and that's usually a good thing. Usually." The town was small enough, and he was a prominent enough figure that he could step into any establishment and be instantly recognized. The only thing about it that bothered Lanny was that there were still a few gangs in the Valley that might possibly seek Raine in order to attack the gang; such things were very well known to take place in Atroe, though no one besides Conan and Nadeem had actually taken anyone from the gang, and that had been Randy - which they had gotten back soon enough anyway.

Cassidy*Others

"And on the rare occasions where it isn't, it's always taken care of appropriately," Johann said, inserting his input calmly into the conversation. He didn't often say much, being one to listen much more than he spoke - which was how he gleaned most of his insanely-detailed knowledge of the Valley and its inhabitatns - but when he did, it always had significance. Indeed, there weren't too many powers in the area that would dare cross the gang, and those rare occasions had always been dealt with properly. "Marachek's a determined sort, and she knows her business - I do not believe the elders would attempt to argue with her for long." Cassidy had to agree there - the woman could make sensible arguments, and wear Lanny down into telling her just who Raine's real father was; that alone spoke to her authority and powers of persuasion. "Remind me never to play poker with her... she's got a great blank face."

Laurence Zelkovii

His eyes glinted a little, now sharing agreement with what Johann had to say on the topic. Those that didn't know the gang or were foolish enough to toy with them were quickly put in their place - or taken care of by more permanent means. One of the few that had more leeway with the gang was the hospital, and in particular, a select few doctors and nurses like Marachek who weren't intimidated by the CrypticSilvers. "No, they wouldn't. And she's not one to back down with subtle threats, either." Lanny had faced her a few times before, and hadn't yet won a round against her, and didn't think he ever would. "When dealing with her, it's best to just nod and agree." At that, he grinned a little, provided a bit more humor to the topic.

Cassidy*Others

That amused Johann enough to cause him to chuckle aloud, a deep, thrumming sound that shook his chest and shoulders in the same, characteristic way that Cass would do when she was particularly tickled by something. He laughed so hard, in fact, that it was several moments before he could explain what he had found so funny. When he recovered his breath, he said, "Congratulations, Lanny - you've discovered the single greatest secret of dealing with women. Most of 'em you couldn't talk out of a bloody thing, no matter what you say; they're bullheaded - the whole lot of them. A wise man nods and smiles, and agrees with whatever she says, and doesn't laugh or point it out when it turns out he's right." Cass scowled at him, but she wasn't serious - she could see the element of truth in what he had said, and could find the humor in it where most other women would have taken offense. Her laugh was airy and not as hearty as his, but she didn't seem offended.

Laurence Zelkovii

Following up Johann's laughter, Lanny got to chuckling quite a bit himself and grinning up a pair of dimples in the process, "I think you're right. Better to be safe than sorry, particularly when dealing with woman. Isn't that so, Cass?" The deviant grin was flashed at the girl, and much like Johann, he speaking purely for entertainment, and keeping everyone's mood elevated. It was a trying task when they were stuck in the hospital, but at least there was finally some light at the end of the tunnel, and they could all join in on a bit of laughter. "I have to hand it to you though, you've got to be made of tough stuff to put that down." He nodded his head towards the tray that had the emptied cups of 'food' in it, "I'd have had someone sneak in some real food by now, if I were in your place."

Cassidy*Others

Unable to hold her fabricated scowl when both men were laughing, Cassidy smiled again, and wriggled a little on the bed, trying to get down lower on the mattress where Raine could lie more horizontally on her chest. She was having difficulty, though - she couldn't move very efficiently while she was trying not to jar Raine awake. As she was concentrating on that task, she answered distractedly, "The jello and juices aren't so bad - but the soups are awfully bland, and the shakes taste like powdered vitamin capsules. And the shakes are what they really want me to drink, for all the protein and nutrients in them. But they're near-impossible to choke down." She made a brief face at the memory of the less-than-palatable flavor, and then went on, "Word to the wise, Lanny - never have a hemorrhage. The food sucks."

Laurence Zelkovii

Successfully shifted away from thoughts of the impending talks with the family, Lanny again let himself relax against the chair, ",B>The look like that taste about as good as the protein shakes, and I can tell you those things are as fun to drink as flat pop at room temperature." He didn't drink the protein shakes as much as some of the other members did, and had more of a slender-muscled frame than it was bulky, but he was known to frequent the gym when he wasn't on his one of his depression-binges. He shook his head to her suggestion and responded emphatically, "I don't plan to. I'd rather steer clear of this place at all costs. In fact, the sooner we can get you out of here, the better for all of us."

Cassidy*Others

"Amen," Cassidy replied fervently, finally managing to slide down some until Raine was supported against her the way that she wanted. "It's a blamed good thing I didn't get into the medical business, because I wouldn't make any money. I'd spend all my time coming up with reasons not to come here." She grinned, making it a joke, but she was halfway serious about that - she hated the hospital enough that she would do almost anything to avoid it, including neglecting her own health, at times. "Protein shakes are cake and ice cream compared to this stuff," she then assured the young man, pulling away from the topic of hospitals and onto a more neutral subject. "It makes me think of drinking colored chalk mixed with milk. That's kind of what the texture's like, and the taste is like vitamins, like I said."

Laurence Zelkovii

"Really?" Another wrinkled nosed expression undid the grin he'd been holding, in continued disgust at the liquid meal, "They really aren't doing much to make you like this place any, are they?" Through the upturned expression, the grin came back, only to be broken when his cellphone began to buzz in his pocket - he'd been smart enough to put it on vibrate, rather than risk having it ring loudly and wake up Raine. "That might be her." Putting the conversation on temporarily hold, Lanny retrieved the cellphone and snapped it open, "I didn't wake you up, did I? ... Haha, well good. Yeah, well- wait a second-" Lanny tipped the phone away from his mouth and peered over at Cassidy, "Sheryl's awake, and wants to know if she should bring Randy down now, or wait until he's had a bath had breakfast first."

Cassidy*Others

Before Cass cold answer Lanny, the telltale buzzing was sounding in the room, and both she and Johann fell respectfully quiet to allow the young man to speak to his future sister-in-law without interruption. It wasn't until he paused and turned the phone away for a moment to address her that the young woman spoke up again, keeping her tones low. "Let the kid get his breakfast in first - don't let him go hungry on my account. As much as he moves around, he needs the nutrition. And goodness knows he won't find anything edible here." Figuring that if she turned her nose up at the hospital food, Randy would certainly do so, she gave him that answer, not wanting her own eagerness to introduce the boy to 'Tiny Sissy' to interfere with his care. Besides - she was hoping that by the time all that was done, Raine might be awake to meet her 'brother'.

Laurence Zelkovii

She had a point there; unless they wanted to feed him something from a vending machine, which didn't really constitute as a good breakfast, he'd be better off getting a meal in before arriving at the hospital. "Nah, why don't you get him some food first, then head over. ... Yeah, sure, that's fine. ... Okay. ... Uh-hu, okay - see you then." The conversation didn't last long before he clicked the phone close and stuffed it back into his pocket, "He'll probably be over in half an hour or so. And she's not going to tell him who he's going to see until he gets here, so it'll be a surprise for him." That got Lanny to grinning again, thinking about the look on Randy's face when he realized he was going to see his little sister for the first time.

Cassidy*Others

That brought another grin to Cass' face, one that really lit up her eyes until all of her troubles seemed forgotten for a moment; she'd never felt safe displaying it around Sheryl, but she thought that Randy was positively adorable, and was beyond thrilled at the idea of a surprise for the little guy. And her smile morphed into a mischievous grin at the 'half-hour' idea. "A half and hour if she doesn't serve him lima beans again. I understand he's got great aim... all over the carpet, in plant, in the lizard's house and on the ceiling-fan blade, if I recall correctly?" Indeed, Randy hadn't eaten a single lima bean - but he'd proven curiously adept at pitching them all over the room. It was this thought that made her laugh a little again, thinking of the cherubic youngster flinging little pale-green beans everywhere.

Laurence Zelkovii

The lima bean-throwing incident also made the young man grin more to be reminded of it, and he was also encouraged by how Cassidy brightened up in response to what he'd told her. He was a little wary and uncertain about having Randy around Cassidy while she was in the condition she was in, and so protective over Raine, so subtle dispalys like these convinced him that it was alright to have the kid see his new sister without fear of upsetting the mother. "And you know who had to clean all those stupid beans up, don't you? Yeah, Geckie does eat them, so he was no help." The guy was about as good at owning a lizard as Sheryl was being a perfect mother - somehow, both Randy and the gecko were turning out healthy and happy, despite the slip-ups of their caregivers. "I don't think she's going to try giving him those again. Or if she does, she's not going to leave alone long enough that he can launch them all over the place. I swear, it's been three weeks, and I'm still finding those things in the most random places - he does have quite the aim."

Cassidy*Others

Despite the fact that Cass was ready to consider anyone and everyone a threat to Raine - including Conan, who she imagined might strike back at at them for taking his brother by kidnapping her daughter - she didn't feel at all frightened of allowing Randy near the girl. Perhaps it was because he was so innocent and angelic, or because of the way he was so gentle when she'd had him up on the bed and feeling for Raine's kicks, but she just wasn't worried about him being a danger to the infant. He was one person that wouldn't get a sizing-up from the new mother in relation to handling her baby. In fact, any tension she showed when they got here would likely be more for Sheryl's presence than the toddler's. So she allowed herself to continue smiling, and answered, "At least it wasn't something messy, like barbecue sauce. Just imagine trying to explain that to the landlady."

Laurence Zelkovii

"You've got a point there." He could just imagine what disaster they'd run into if Randy expanded his bean-throwing to include foods that weren't so easy to pick up, and decided to count himself lucky that the toddler had stuck with something that didn't leave a mess. "Heck, if bean-throwing is his only fault, I'd say he's doing pretty good. We haven't had any finger-painting incidents, or keys down the toilet - I've heard some pretty horrendous stories." His smile twitched a little and he continued after a moment, "When we were little, James once got a box of markers, sat under the kitchen table, and colored all over his face with them. And they weren't the easily washable ones either."

Cassidy*Others

"I remember Uncle telling me about that," the young woman confirmed with a nod, giggling a little at the renewed memory. "And I remember just how furious he was when I came back first week from kindergarten and they'd written LEFT and RIGHT on my hands in permanent black marker." She turned her eyes to the older man, who scowled and shook his head. "Wouldn't listen to the girl when she told them she knew which way right and left were. Took me a week of baths to get that ink off of her." Of course, she knew which hand was which because she had begun wielding daggers when she was about four, and thus had to know the directions, but he hadn't exactly been able to tell that to the teacher. He was annoyed by the memory, but Cass laughed it away easily. "There were some times I thought you were going to scrub my skin right off, you know."

Laurence Zelkovii

He laughed again, quietly so that he wouldn't disturb Raine, who certainly needed her sleep after being up nearly the entire night wailing, "I remember hearing about that one. And I remember you being pretty furious over it." Lanny looked mirthfully to Johann, dragging up most of these memories from times that he'd been told about the incident, as well as from when he'd heard about it when he was a youngster, "I don't think that teacher dared doing that again. I don't know what possessed her to write on a student's hands in the first place. And in permanent marker, none the less!"

Cassidy*Others

Even Johann could laugh over it now, with it being a thing of the past. "I understand she's using masking tape now," he quipped, shrugging his shoulders a bit and smiling quietly. "He can be a little frightening when he puts his mind to it," Cassidy pointed out, mostly in tease, even though Lanny had gotten ample opportunity to find out just how intimidating the older man could be. And indeed, there were times when Cass herself wouldn't test her uncle's temper - like the evening at the house when she and the younger Zelkovii had arrived to inform Johann that she was pregnant. That seemed like so long ago now, but she'd been ridiculously nervous at the time, enough where she'd held Lanny's hand under the table for support, which at the time had been a much more significant thing for her than it was now, considering that Lanny had been holding her hand near-constantly for over a week while she'd been recovering. "And as I recall, Uncle, you laid into her a bit heavy," she commented. Johann gave her a psuedo-innocent look, and answered facetiously, "Did I? I don't recall."

Laurence Zelkovii

"I bet he can be." Lanny laughed along with it, and was drawn to the very same thing that Cassidy was. Well, that and a certain discussion that they'd had a few days ago - it painted Johann in a whole new picture of 'frightening' that he was daring enough to shoot the co-lead of the CrypticSilvers, and in an odd way, it did instill some fear in the young man. Johann was one of those who was supremely clever and nearly impossible to read, and could never be underestimated. On the other side of the memory, Lanny hadn't even thought of the hand-hold, though now that Cassidy was lucid once more, he wouldn't be quite as prone to reach for her hand any more, until the awkwardness of it faded off. But it was a step closer to the relationship that he was not quite ready to accept, whether he realized it or not. "If Raine has any problems at school, I guess we know who to talk to to take care of it."

Cassidy*Others

"I can be scary?" Johann challenged, turning his eyes between the two younger people. "Says the co-head of the most feared gang in the area, and the girl who almost frightened a girl into fits over a dab of mustard on her sandwich one fine spring morning." Cassidy grinned a little at that thought - Lanny hadn't been present at the time, because she and Johann had gone for lunch at the cafe early on in her pregnancy to discuss things - and she apparently remembered the incident he'd mentioned, because she murmured, "Hey - give a pregnant lady a break. I told her twice no mustard."

She might have gone on, but the baby curled on her chest stirred, and woke with a little sigh, turning her eyes around and examining the wall beside the bed with intent interest - likely because it was nothing more than a blur to her still-developing eyes. "Wow - forty-five minutes," Cass said, looking up at the clock that was posted across from her bed. "That's what I call a power-nap... oh, here... Lanny, you got a spare bottle with you?" Almost as soon as she'd awoken, Raine started whining a little, her tones low for now - and after all, as young as she was and as fast as she was growing, eating every two hours was not a ridiculous thing for her.

Laurence Zelkovii

Lanny snickered a little under his breath, "I heard about that one as well." He'd heard of pregnant woman who could be overly emotional or temperamental, and figured this must have been one of those cases. Either way, he'd done all he could in the past few months to stay on Cass's good side, and it had pretty well worked out for him. He held off with any comments himself now that Raine began to stir and wake up, and that led their conversation down a new road. "Yeah, I've got one ready here - they told me infants eat a lot, but I wasn't prepared for just how much 'a lot' was." He dug about in the improvised baby bag until he came up with one of the pre-made bottles; a sort of emergency item if Raine woke up wailing again and needed to eat. "There you are, and I've got about fifty more where that came from." That was a joke of course, although he did have no less than three empty bottles stuffed in the bag, just waiting to be prepared for the little girl.

Cassidy*Others

Taking the bottle from Lanny, Cassidy tested the temperature capably on the inside of her wrist, and apparently satisfied, shifted her hold on the infant. "Uncle, help me," she murmured, and without having to ask what she needed, he reached over and put one hand on her shoulder and another under her elbow, helping her to sit up a little more so that she could more easily feed the child. With that taken care of, Cassidy poked the bottle into Raine's mouth, and though she fussed and spat a little at first, the young woman calmly used a couple of fingers to wipe up the mess with a corner of her hospital gown, and then went on to speak to Lanny as the baby finally settled into eating. "Preemies particularly eat ridiculously often," she told him, her voice informative and clear, and though she could have gotten this information from reading a baby book, which was likely what Johann thought, the younger man would know that she'd done this whole bit before. "You think it's a lot, because it takes them so long to eat it and they eat so often. But really, most of them don't take more than three ounces of formula at a time until they're bigger. You add that up to feeding every two hours... and she's only getting thirty-six ounces of formula daily - a couple of cokes'-worth. And really-" She stopped, because she heard talking outside - a soft, almost timid younger male voice, and the two more familiar tones of the guards. Finally, seeming to make no headway with the guards, the thin, teenage voice called aloud, "I've a delivery for a Miss Jones - the nurse said she's in here, and if I head back to work without delivering it, I'll lose my job." It wasn't any voice they knew - this was an ordinary delivery person, and they frankly sounded a little intimidated by the guards - but not enough that he was going to return with the package and get fired.

Laurence Zelkovii

Lanny was listening and watching with an air of attentive fascination, despite how utterly exhausted he was from his ordeal with Raine last night. He continued to hold off however, watching the tiny baby eat, and musing over how expertly Cassidy was handling the situation, while his first few attempts at feeding time had been disastrous, at best - he was pretty sure more milk was spilled than it was eaten. "I'm going to have to take some pointers from you, becau-" He stopped abruptly the instant he heard an unfamiliar voice outside, along with the domineering tones of the two guards. "Sit tight, I'll handle this." As if Cass might have gotten up to check it out for herself. Heaving himself up out of the chair with purpose, Lanny stalked towards the door and seemed to have shed all of his exhaustion in the process. Hard-faced and wary, he opened the door to see who this delivery person was.

"What's in the package?" The taller of the two guards, a dark-haired, wiry fellow named Tyler, was standing directly in front of the door, with the other, Scott, close at his side. "And who's it from?" Arms crossed in front of his chest, Tyler continued to heckle the delivery boy until Lanny opened the door, where the guard took a step aside to allow room for the co-lead.

Cassidy*Others

As Lanny got up to go and answer the door, Johann got to his feet and circled around quietly, putting himself carefully between the door and the two people he cared most about in the world. Cassidy didn't say anything, knowing he was acting without thinking about it - and knowing all too well why he and Lanny were so disturbed by this. After the flower incident which had upset them all so much, they weren't taking any chances with another package. Who knew what would be in this one? So even though the heart monitor indicated a small jump in her pulse, the young woman remained exteriorly calm and continued to seamlessly feed Raine.

"Hey man, how should I know?" The young man answered timidly, scooting back a little from the imposing Tyler and reaching one hand to scrub through his scruffy dark hair. The package in his hand was neatly wrapped in soft pastel purples and pinks, with tasteful accents of green in the bow, and the delivery kid, who looked to be barely legal age to drive, looked down at it through thick-lensed glasses before turning half-frightened hazel eyes up to Tyler again. "I'm just the driver - I take things where they go. There's a whole team of people in the shop who wrap these things. All I get is a description of the package wrapping and who to take it to."

Laurence Zelkovii

First things first - all three CrypticSilvers quickly deduced that this was not some kid that belonged to any of the rival gangs, and if he did, they had never seen him before. His demeanor further suggested it was just as he said; a delivery boy who was doing his job. It was good news for the boy, in that they wouldn't try to rough him up any or threaten him, but they weren't finished with their interrogation yet, "Do you know who called in to deliver this in the first place? Isn't there a card or something to go with it? Hand it to me-" He reached out with little consent to take the package from the poor kid, ready to look the thing over himself.

Lanny had left the guard to speak a bit before he jumped in, and his gaze was even less approachable than Tyler's, "Which deliver store was this sent from? What's their number?" He was taking his cellphone out again, ready to give the place a call and see if he could figure out who this package was from.

*Boy*

"MB" the teen stammered, clearly intimidated by how the two guards and Lanny were all staring him down. "It's the family business - my dad told me he'd get me a car if I'd use it to make deliveries for the store after school!" He might have protested against them taking the package from him, but at this point, he figured he'd do best to keep his mouth shut and speak only when spoken to. The gift was fairly lightweight and neatly wrapped, making no noise when shaken; it was an expert wrapping job. "Look man - all's I know is that some random dude brought this thing in and asked for it to be wrapped - I could hear Dad complaining about it, because we don't usually wrap things that weren't bought in our store. But apparently the person paid well, 'cause here I am." There was a small pause, where he shook his head a little in terror, and then asked nervously, "You're not gonna call my Dad, are ya? I didn' do nothin'... I just make deliveries!"

Laurence Zelkovii

The three instantly became suspicious when the boy mentioned that an item had been brought in, rather than bought from the store. "You didn't see what it was they wrapped?" Lanny pressed, not backing off even though it was obvious that this kid was terrified, and almost certainly not at all dangerous, or involved with this gift. Heck, for all Lanny knew, it could be just a harmless gift, but he wasn't taking any chances.

"Want me to open it?" Tyler questioned, after giving the box a look over, and finding nothing suspicious at first. Lanny shook his head and continued talking with the boy, "Yeah, I'm going to call your dad, and figure out who sent this." To the young man, who was usually so carefree and easy going, it didn't bother him in the least bit that he was frightening this kid witless. When it came to his gang, family, and friends, he could more than easily pull himself into authoritive mode.

*Boy*

"No, no!" the teen answered frantically, his voice beginning to get very shrill now. "I was in the back room! Dad had me pulling down some old gift wrap to be recycled, okay? I didn't see anything! I only heard my Dad talking to this guy who had a really deep voice. I couldn't even understand what was being said, because the guy wouldn't speak up." The hazel eyes were darting back and forth between the faces of the three older guys, looking like a child on a playground who was anticipating a good beating. "When I came up front to fetch it to talk it to Miss Mary to wrap, the guy was already gone. Okay?"

Laurence Zelkovii

Lanny stepped forward briskly, once again utilizing his ability to be authorative and domineering when he needed it, "Your dad has a phone, doesn't he? If you didn't see this guy, I want to talk with someone who did." The anxiety in the younger kid didn't act as a deterrent in the least for the three CrypticSilvers; in fact, they didn't let up at all as each of them continued to stare down the kid and make sure he was getting the message - they meant business. "Come on kid, I don't have all day." Lanny diverted his eyes from the boy long enough to take a quick glance down either end of the hallway, making sure that there were no nurses, staff, or patients that would otherwise put an end to this altercation. He was careful to keep his voice from being too loud for this very reason, but he still had to keep a careful watch, if he didn't want to get kicked out of the place.

*Boy*

"Yessir, but-" The boy's words stopped suddenly when Lanny drew forward again - Lanny wasn't a huge person, but this teen hadn't hit his growth spurt yet, and he looked tiny next to the young man. He actually shrank back a little bit, and stammered, "L-look, mister... Dad wouldn't have s-sent it if he thought it was something dangerous! He tu-rned down a baby wreath one time 'cause it was a huntin' theme and the father wanted to use live shotgun shells." That probably wouldn't do the kid much good in Lanny's eyes, but with the way he was being threatened, he clearly thought that the three young men around him thought that he was bringing something awful into their midst, and so he tried to eliminate that thought from their minds. "L-look... here's the delivery card." Perhaps unwisely due to the tense situation, the kid dug into his uniform pocket and came up with a handwritten slip, extending this to any of the others who wanted to take it.

One Package - Pastel Pink/Purple/Green wrap: rubber duck print.
Payment: Cash - $18.93
Delivery - Great Springs Hospital #318 - Miss Sarah Cassidy Jones and Child

Laurence Zelkovii

"Kid, you're trying my patience." Putting up with nothing when it came to Cassidy's wellbeing, even if this might be a touch of an overreaction to a gift, Lanny growled back at the terrified teen, "I want his number or his name, now which is it?" If he couldn't get the number from the boy so easily, he figured Johann would be resourceful enough to locate this man and get some answers. And if that failed... well, their business would get a visit rather promptly. All three man reacted with varying degrees of tensing and hand-reaches for weapons that they had on them; but thankfully, none of them actually produced or gun or knife, having guessed already that this youngster wasn't a threat, and that whatever he was pulling out of his pocket wasn't going to be something dangerous. "Whoever they are, they don't know Raine's name yet." Lanny had been the one to grab the card and scrutinize the contents of it.

*Boy*

The kid paled dramatically when all three of them reached to put a hand on their various weapons; he looked as though he wanted to either bolt, or call out for help. He did neither though, paralyzed with fear. It took him a moment to find his voice, and then he stuttered, "Look man - I don't know nothin' about this, and I've never been this late in all my life. Dad's gonna kill me when I get back. I-" "Ease up, guys - you're scaring him." The soft, musical tones belonged to Cassidy, but the kid had to look about before he decided that the source of the voice was behind Lanny - her petite frame was well disguised behind him. "You'll get no answers out of him that way." If any of the men turned around, they'd see her standing there in Lanny's shadow, Raine cuddled securely up against her chest - and Johann standing behind her, looking as uncertain as he ever had. He didn't want her leaving the room; after all, she shouldn't really even be standing up... and her IV lines were gone, replaced by tiny beads of blood to suggest she'd pulled them out. But it went against everything that Johann was to stop his strong-willed adopted daughter - he could use words against her, but he couldn't physically restrain her. He was so close behind her because he had this terrible vision running through his mind that she was going to fall. But she didn't - placing one hand on Lanny's shoulder to indicate that she wanted him to move aside, she spoke quietly. "Let me talk to him, please."

Laurence Zelkovii

Perhaps the only person who could have convinced Lanny to put a hold on the interrogation, besides maybe James, Cassidy ended the questioning the second he heard her voice behind him. The kid wasn't spared entirely from the intimidation - the croonies were still glaring him up and down, but at least the questions had stopped for the moment, "Cass, you shouldn't be out of bed. We can handle this." Lanny replied lightly, in a voice of slight surprise that was a complete turn around from the dangerous tones he'd been using with the kid. Despite how easily he could have just stood there and blocked her path, or even picked her up and put her back in bed, the young man took a step to the side so that she had a view of the kid, but he didn't move completely out of the way yet - he didn't want her too close to the kid or the package yet, until they figured out what this was all about.

Cassidy*Others

Despite the fact that Lanny was right, Cassidy gave the young man a vague smile, and told him, "Well I'm out now, so let me talk to him." The tone of her voice was soft and practical, but just as determined as ever she could be - she was fully aware that she shouldn't be out of bed. She waited until Lanny stepped aside so she could see the teen, while noticing on one edge of her consciousness that the younger Zelkovii still remained protectively half-in font of her, and addressed the trembling boy kindly. "What's your name?"

Her voice was soft and gentle, in the same sort of tone that she had often used to address Lanny when she was fetching him from one of his benders. It was subtly different, being less warm and genuine than it was when she was speaking to those she cared about - but it sounded like a mother's voice, and the kid responded to that where all the threats from the three men had done nothing. "J-Jared Munson, ma'am. Junior." She offered him a little smile for his cooperation, to encourage him to keep talking to her - it wasn't the real smile that Lanny so often got to see, though... this was her artificial, manipulative smile. "Now Jared," she said, carefully using the kid's name, "Here's the problem. Do you see my daughter here?" She shifted just a little so that the teen could get a view of Raine - only a half view, still keeping most of the infant disguised against herself, but enough to let him see how tiny and frail looking she was. Jared nodded his head quietly, and Cass went on, "She's two weeks old... she was premature. And she only got out of the hospital yesterday... and somebody wants to hurt her. We don't know who; but somebody wants to hurt her. So we need to talk to your Dad, so he can help us find out who. I'll explain to him that we occupied a lot of your time here... but we need his phone number to accomplish those things." There was a long pause, where Cass adjusted the baby in her arms and shifted her weight to the other leg, indicating subtly that something was hurting her because she was standing, but she gave no indication that anybody outside the gang should pick up on that she was in pain. And finally, he words worked, and the boy spoke. "896-5438."

Laurence Zelkovii

Staying close and watchful like Johann was, thinking any second that the young lady would collapse or grow too weak, Lanny stayed right there with her, stepping only far enough aside to allow her to move forward. The look on his face said that he wanted to protest her actions still, but he gave in anyway, and resorted to watching out for her while Tyler and Scott kept an eye on Jared.

Lanny didn't say anything immediately, as focused as he was on Cassidy, but he felt uneasy to hear the girl speak of the threat to the kid, even though he pretty well figured that Jared wasn't going to do anything damaging with these facts. It was enough to get Lanny to shift his critical gaze to the delivery boy for a second or two, to enforce the idea that he wasn't to be messed with, right before he flipped his phone open and pressed the numbers as they were being rattled off. "Cass, you should get back to bed." Waiting for the phone to start wringing, he urged this again to the new mother, and even darted a look to Johann, silently looking for his influence as well.

Cassidy*Others

"Maybe I should, but I'm not going to," Cassidy answered quietly, in a tone that only Lanny would be able to properly understand, and only if he were listening very closely. "Not until all this is settled. I-" She took in a sudden, deep breath of air, and clutched Lanny's shoulder - she'd been about to step a little closer to him, and one of her knees had given on her, forcing her to catch her weight briefly on him. By the time she'd steadied her knee under her again, Johann was forward and had one arm around her, his 'business-forward' face in place, which meant that he was frightened. "That's quite enough of that, child," he whispered, his voice gruff to cover for the fact that he'd feared she would go down altogether. "Let Lanny handle the man, Cass - you've done more than your part today." And after a couple of moments, she nodded, and Johann let out a low breath, scooping her up easily and carrying her back into the room - right about the same time that the line was picked up on the phone. "Munson and Son's Express Gifts - Jared Sr. speaking."

Laurence Zelkovii

He was on the verge of being forceful, if in a gentle manner, and deny Cassidy any further involvement in this issue. Fortunately or unfortunately, things resolved themselves before he could confront her about it, leading to a sudden pang of worry in the young man when she tensed and braced against him - something had hurt her, and now he was really keen on getting her back in bed. Lanny instantly moved his hands in a bid to help keep her steady, but Johann already had it covered. "I've got it Cass, take care of Raine." 'And yourself.' A soundless, shallow sigh left him when Johann scooped the girl up; he'd been about ready to do that himself and put the phonecall on hold. Now that Cass was being taken care of, he got right back to business and started in with the man, "This is Laurence Zelkovii; your son just delivered a package to the hospital, to Cassidy Jones, and I need to know who sent it." He hoped that giving his own name, and by association, the threat of his gang, would be enough to convince Jared Sr. to give up the name he needed.

Cassidy*Others

The young woman had been willing to listen to Johann's stern but kind words, despite the fact that she disagreed with them. But when Lanny spoke up to indicate that he too was worried, she quieted and didn't argue - she just allowed her uncle to pick her up and see her back inside. Though the older man turned before he disappeared altogether and said, "See if you can get a hold of Charlotte when you get done, Lan - I'm not going to mess with these needles, and the IV isn't empty yet." Then he turned his back again and disappeared into the room to settle the girl back in bed where she belonged. While he was occupied there, there was a small pause on the end of the line, and it was difficult to tell if it was because of puzzlement, or because he was very aware of Lanny's position and wary of arousing anger from the gang. But finally, the voice came back. "Miss Jones?" he repeated, to be sure that he'd heard right, and the shuffling of papers could be heard on the other end of the line. "I'm sorry, Mr. Zelkovii - the person who requested the delivery declined to leave a name or address reference. He specified that it was to be a completely anonymous gift, and never even spoke his name." There was another long pause, and then the man asked tentatively, "Is something wrong?"

Laurence Zelkovii

Orders to retrieve Charlotte were passed on to Scott with no more than a simple look from Lanny. The shorter, and youngest of the three, obediently took off in a brisk walk down the hall, keeping his eyes out for the nurse he was looking for. The left Lanny to concentrate on the phonecall and getting whatever information he could on their mystery gift-sender. "Yeah." Lanny didn't hide the shortness or seriousness in his voice when he responded back to Jared Sr., implying that he had little patients to wait around or be fooled with. "You have nothing?" Irritation sprouted along with a short, audible huff of a breath, and a second later, he was questioning again, "What he look like? Can you give me a description of him? What about surveilence tapes?" As if he were a cop fishing for some criminal, Lanny pulled all the stops in uncovering the unknown sender, and fully expected Jared to comply without question.

Cassidy*Others

There was another short pause on the other end of the line, either indicating that the man didn't recall what the person looked like, or was attempting to bring the memory to the surface. Finally, he said, "Mr. Zelkovii - it's summertime. Everyone's wearing hats and sunglasses - I can tell you he was about six foot two, and maybe a hundred fifty pounds. Muscle-bound, and young. And he had a deep voice. Other than that... I couldn't describe him. If he had hair, it was short enough to be completely covered by the cap." That probably wasn't what the young man wanted to hear, but it was the only answer he had - whoever it was who'd done this, he'd been intelligent-enough to make himself difficult to recognize without being obvious about it, which would have aroused suspicion. "I'm sorry sir - but I can tell you what's in the box, if that would help." At this point, Charlotte came bustling down the hall again, with or without Scott if he was fast enough to keep up, and cleared her throat to clear the small crowd from in front of the door. Jared jumped near a mile and scooted aside hastily, figuring that one sure way to get himself into deep trouble was to stand between the nurse and the door when it was clear the young owman was not doing well. So he stepped quickly aside to make room for the meaty nurse to pass through - and as she did so, the voice on the phone said, "It's a handmade dress - very nice quality. Preemie size, probably. In a shade of pastel purple."

Laurence Zelkovii

Lanny wasn't in a retail business, and had never really worked in one his entire life - he didn't consider how hard it would be to pick out one customer among a blur of them that came in during any given day, and be able to describe them with any great success. Especially an average-Joe sort of person that Jared Sr. was describing. He picked out all the details though for memory, even though it didn't immediately point at any one person. What got him though was the present... and the color of it. "Did anything else go with it? What all did he tell you?" His light eyes sized up the box Tyler was still holding, and would have turned towards the room next if Charlotte wasn't bustling their way. Even Lanny's hard-set expression altered a little, and he scrambled aside in a manner that wasn't entirely befitting of the gang co-lead that he was. But he knew better than to get in this nurse's way, and didn't want to anyway when it was Cassidy that she was responding to. "Have Johann take a look at it." Holding the cellphone angled from his mouth for just a second to whisper to Tyler, then after a second's pause, added as an afterthought, "...Not in front of Cass." This was suppose to be a gift after all, and the idea that they might be going a little overkill with it suddenly struck Lanny - but better safe than sorry.

Cassidy*Others

Again, quiet rang between them as the man sorted through his thoughts from the day, and tried his best to pull up all of the details he could. Either he knew just how dangerous Lanny could be when he put his mind to it, or he was picking up on some of the tension, because he was doing his very best. And finally, he answered, "A pair of matching booties, sir - lace cuffs, as I remember. It's nothing that could hurt anyone - I took the order myself, and stood by while Mary was wrapping it because the customer was very particular in the kind of paper and the way that it was to be packaged, so I wanted to be sure it was right. Nothing is in that box but the dress and the booties." Charlotte was out of the room a moment later, apparently encountering no trouble convincing Cassidy to allow her to replace the needles, and not taking any time to do so. And then Jared Sr. was speaking again. "Only the barest minimum - that a friend of his named Miss Sarah Cassidy Jones had recently had a daughter, and he wanted to send a gift for the baby, and wanted it to be an anonymous surprise. He gave me the hospital room number, paid in cash, and left."

Laurence Zelkovii

All of the anger and defensive irritation that was coursing through the young man dwindled a little when he was met with as thorough answers as he could get from Jared Sr. The man was cooperating at least, and that meant that Lanny wasn't going to need to send down a member or two to the place to straighten things out. As it usually tended it, Lanny's 'leader' attitude got the responses he wanted without having to enforce things by using the gang. "Are you sure? If you remember anything else, be sure to call me. If he comes in again, I want to know about it right away." And while Lanny was finishing up his conversation with Jared Jr., Jared minor got a bit of a reprieve as Tyler ended the staredown he was giving the boy in order to turn around and enter the room that Charlotte was exiting. "Lanny wants you to take a look at it." The tall man explained, extending the neatly wrapped gift towards Johann, and keeping his voice low, "Not sure what's in it, but Lanny is talking to the store owner right now. It's pretty light."

Cassidy*Others

"Positive, Mr. Zelkovii - I didn't think a thing about it... usually most men who come into our business don't take off their hats or shades. Mostly because they're embarrassed that they're in here." Well that at least Lanny should understand, after having groaned a little over the thought of being publicly seen shopping for baby clothes - particularly little pink baby clothes, though at least he'd been mostly teasing about that. "It never occurred to me that there might be something wrong. But yes - if I think of something, I'll be sure to let you or your brother know."

Meanwhile, back inside the room, Johann got to his feet when Tyler entered the room, giving Cass a look and a brief motion to indicate that he wanted her to stay put - he wouldn't risk her getting up again... not after that. "Stay here with her for a minute, Tyler," he ordered quietly, keeping his tones out of the young lady's hearing range. "If she moves to get up, holler at me." So saying, he took the package from the younger man and stepped into the attached bathroom, sitting the box down on the sink counter and began to delicately pull the paper off, as though he expected the thing to blow sky-high on him. But when he had finally lifted the paper aside and pulled the box open, the contents were just as Jared Sr. had described - a small, purple dress and matching, lace-lined booties. He looked it over rather carefully, and drew a knife from his belt to wipe across the cloth to check for any liquids or powders that might be present on the cloth, which he knew from experience could indicate a toxic chemical that the clothing had been soaked in that would harm mother or child when the dress was put on. Finding nothing, he lifted the dress and booties, and looked them over again - and finally packed them back into the box. Then he returned to Tyler, handing the box to him. "Take them back to Lanny, and tell him that all is safe."

Cassidy*Others

With Lanny hanging up the phone and heading back for the hospital room, Jared sized up the two cronies outside the door, looking back and forth from one to the other like a scared rabbit. It was almost as though he expected them to kill him right there - but when nothing happened after a couple of seconds, he took his opportunity; the poor terrified kid bolted for the nearest exit, his scruffy dark hair trailing a little behind him, he was running so fast. And that left Johann and Lanny alone again in the room with the young mother and her child. Cass' eyes had questions in them - 'What was that all about?' and 'Is there something wrong?' among them. But she didn't ask them aloud - instead, she scooped Raine up and transferred her over into Johann's waiting hold, taking the package from Lanny and slowly pulling the box open. As she lifted out the tiny clothes, she was too stunned to be touched by the gift, and finally she whispered, "I've no friends to tell outside the gang - no one else should know. And if one of the gang had sent it, surely they'd have signed the card."

Laurence Zelkovii

Lanny watched as if he too expected something horrible to happen when she opened her gift, though he trust Johann well enough with Cassidy's safety to know that he didn't need to worry. If there had been anything remotely dangerous about the gift, he wouldn't have dared let the girl have it. "He didn't get a name or any information on the guy. He didn't look outstanding in any way - some bloke weighing about one-fifty, six-something in height." The information wasn't enough for Lanny to go on, but he said it to provide Johann with what little help he could, even if he doubted the man's incredible skills could yield much of anything with so little to go on. "I'll send the word around, but I was thinking the same thing. If it were one of us, it wouldn't have been anonymous."

Cassidy*Others

"That describes about half the men in the city," Cassidy answered, shaking her head absently. And Johann also shook his head a little. "That's also going from memory, which is probably at least an hour old, due to the time it likely took to wrap and deliver - and that's assuming that the order was even taken today. The human mind isn't usually capable of rendering accurate information for more than a few minutes afterward... with every amount of time beyond that, more details are deleted if no conscious effort is made to retain them." As he was saying this, the young woman was turning the garment around in her hands - it was very well made, and yet obviously not store-bought - someone had put a lot of time and care into assembling this set of clothes for the infant, and - "Look - it's even the right size. It would fit her perfectly." Her voice was a cross between curious and horrified... how could this person have known how tiny Raine was?

Laurence Zelkovii

Names and faces were all running through the young man's head, and what struck him most about all of this was the same thing that was horrifying Cassidy - whoever this was, they knew Raine enough to make the correct size for her. And what of the color... coincidence, or something more? Was this a sincere gift, or was something more cryptic implied, like the unnerving gift from Benjamin the time before. "Could be Conan." That was the name he kept coming back to, and when he said it, he didn't look in Johann's direction as he would have had he said any other name. This particular individual was a major source of contention between the two of them, and he hated to even bring it up - but that's all he could think of, even if he could come up with no obvious motive right away.

Cassidy*Others

Fortunately for Lanny, the young woman didn't immediately become irritated with him for again bringing up the somewhat-sore topic. No, her gaze turned thoughtful, indicating that she was truly considering what he had to say and looking for something to give it credence. "But if it is Conan... if he knows enough to know that I had a girl, and even down to how tiny she is... where did he get that information? And why would he send clothes of all things, as if this were some sort of shower gift? And I'm assuming that this has been checked for toxins and other little tricks, or you wouldn't have brought it in... so why would he send clothes? Just clothes?"

Laurence Zelkovii

The young man lowered his head and rubbed over his eyes and forehead for a few brief moments, as if he could scrub away the weariness that was filtering back in, and the frustration over not knowing where this gift came from, and what it could mean. "I don't know." He admitted in a sigh, before he lifted his head and blinked his eyes back into focus so that he could look more closely at the clothing, "Maybe a psychological game, a warning..." Saying that made him think instantly to Benjamin, and that made him even more anxious and flustered, and cracked the resolve he'd built at keeping this name from James. He almost felt cornered by the lack of information on Ben, and the Johann's own actions, even if they were for the better in the long run.

Cassidy*Others

Lanny wouldn't see it with his hand over his eyes, but Cassidy's look devolved briefly into concern - she'd known that Raine had fussed a lot last night, due to the young man's story, but she hadn't quite realized how tired he was. And of course, now that she was well enough to understand what was going on, she understood that both her uncle and her friend-maybe-more were likely exhausted from stress over her condition and from not getting proper rest because they'd been at the hospital with her for so long. She kept either one from seeing it - by the time Lanny looked up again, her face was concentrated once more - but she did feel a small pang of worry. "Whatever it is... we know already that the kid is smart. Smart enough that he knows he better keep track of us, considering just what's happened in the past. I'm betting he's smart enough to have a few valuable connections that we don't know about."

Laurence Zelkovii

She couldn't know it, but her last suggestion struck a very sore spot in the young man, now that he knew what kind of association the kid had. He still knew next to nothing about Benjamin, as far as him being terribly dangerous and having much of any power in the Valley, but he also understood it was folly to ignore Johann's advise. "I'll look into it. One way or the other, I'll find out who sent this." His brain just didn't want to work right now being so sleep-deprived, but he kept right on running his mind in circles trying to figure out the gift. Somebody was messing with Cassidy, he was sure of it, and he wasn't going to stand for it if he could help it. It crossed his mind to go out and try to locate Conan, and get some things 'straightened out' with the kid, but he'd already made a promise with Cass that he'd stay the night here with her, and since he was very unwilling to break that after the night she'd had before, he resolved to go out tomorrow instead.

Cassidy*Others

There was a small pause where everyone was left alone to their thoughts before Cass spoke up softly. "Either way, there's very little to be done about it today. And Tyler and Scott are on high alert by now, I'm sure. And it seems to me like the both of you could use a good nap." As she often did with the two of them, Cass called them out quietly and without any pointedness to her voice - she just informed them plainly that she was aware that they were tired. Indeed, Lanny's way of scrubbing his hand over his eyes had let her into that, and though Johann's method was more subtle, she still recognized the way that his eyes had become a little unfocused - it was a way that he had of still appearing to be attentive and awake, while conserving energy by not forcing his eyes to make his vision clear. "And before either of you says a word," she went on quickly, not giving them a chance to deny her words, "You've already told me you were up all night with Raine," she said, turning her eyes to Lanny. "And if I know you," she went on, fixing her uncle with her gaze, "You were up from the time I woke up on. So don't either one of you try to deny it."

Laurence Zelkovii

Lanny wanted to deny how tired he was, and as wonderful as sleep sounded to him, he felt worked up enough about the gift to want to stay up the rest of the day, and night to boot, to keep an eye on things and keep Cassidy company. However, that got him to thinking about something else - if he didn't sleep now, there was no way he'd last through the night, and that's the time that Cassidy might need him most if those nightmares came back to her. It was a win loose situation either way, but he choose to drop his eyes momentarily when Cass confronted them both, "Alright, alright. Just for a couple of hours." It made him a little nervous to know that Johann would be sleeping as well, but with Tyler and Scott outside the door, no one was going to reach Cassidy besides the select few doctors and nurses that the guards were familiar with. If anyone else came, they'd be stopped, regardless of who innocent or harmless they looked. "Wake me up if you need anything, okay?"

Cassidy*Others

Johann also looked like he wanted to protest - but after all, Cass knew him very well, and he couldn't really argue with her when they both knew perfectly well that he was tired. So after a brief look exchanged with the young woman, which she returned by enforcing strictness in her face, he finally relented as well, though just as reluctantly as the younger man. Then she returned her attention to Lanny, promising, "I will - now go to sleep."

Laurence Zelkovii

The need to protect still nagged at the back of his mind, but he was trying to be reasonable with himself - he had to sleep, sooner or later. "And no more - *yaaawn* - getting out of bed." Trying to return the situation to something a little closer to a friendly atmosphere, even if he still felt incredibly gaurded and uncertain about things, Lanny forced a half-smile before he allowed his eyes to shut. After that, it took some time, despite his exhaustion - but he was asleep after a minute or two.