Conan

Overnight, Conan had rested relatively comfortably, considering the situation and the fact that he was in a building he feared more than any other place on Earth. Part of that was due to his own exhaustion, and part to the sedative that Dr. Marachek had ordered to keep him basically calm and still for the first little while - and through all the tests she'd done to try to determine just what sort of damage had been caused by the boy's condition. He'd slept through most of the tests and even when he'd woken briefly during one, he'd been drowsy and out of it enough that he hadn't fought the medical personnel, so it made it easy for them to deal with him. And the next morning, the boy was looking a little better; he still had an IV, which was trying to keep his fluid levels up despite the fact that he hadn't eaten or drunk anything since night before last, due to the fact that he'd slept the whole day before. He hadn't even been awakened by nightmares, thanks to the effects of the medicines he was on, and was still asleep when Charlotte stepped into the room at about eight in the morning, carrying a tray that held a bland but hot breakfast for Conan, and two cups of coffee, since she figured both adults might appreciate it. And after setting the tray down on the beside table, her feet making no noise on the tile floor despite her large size, the woman turned to look at the screen that was monitoring the boy's heartrate and respiration... and when she was satisfied, she reached out to gently take the noseline off, since his oxygen was back at sufficient levels.

The brief touch was all he needed - even in his sleep, the teen knew that the touch didn't belong to Summer. The eyes flew open and he sat up in a flash with a yell, one hand going to wrap around the nurse's throat while the other felt for the gun that he ought to have on his person - but which of course the Wallock's had removed when they'd brought him here. A little surprised by the sudden attack, Charlotte froze, waiting until some intelligence faded back into the blue eyes, and then murmured, "You don't need the noseline anymore. Take it off." Her voice was calm and reasonable, which was incredible considering that Conan had a death grip on her throat right now.

Summer & Collin

The couple had stayed in the room all night, remaining vigilant and awake as the nurses preformed this test or that on Conan. Whenever the boy showed any signs of stirring, Summer did her best to calm him again, though with the help of the sedatives he'd been given and in combination with his level of exhaustion, it didn't take much to get him relaxed again. She hated that he had to be drugged at all, but she'd rather have him getting the rest he needed instead of being so worked up. Later on in the night, Collin had convinced his wife to turn in, while he remained awake a little longer. He wasn't quite as ultra-defensive as Lanny and Johann were in the next room, but he was smart enough to know that just because they were in a hospital, didn't mean that the co-lead wouldn't try something stupid. But fortunately, this night passed without incident. It was the next morning that broke lose so abruptly.

"Conan!" The man was already awake, and the first to shout out; if his level of voice could be considered a shout. "Relax, let go of her - easy Conan, just let go..." Collin was up off the couch and standing a few steps away from Conan's bed; he didn't reach for the teen's arms to try and wrestle them away from Charlotte's throat, and he didn't make any harsh commands, but rather focused on trying to calm the teen and keep the situation from getting worse. Summer was up in time to see the hand flying for the nurse's throat, and if only she'd been awake to see what Charlotte was planning on doing, she would have warned the woman against it. For waking up as suddenly as she did, Summer's reaction time was right on the ball, instantly taking in the situation and echoing her husband's guidance, "Collin's right, just take a deep breath - Charlotte's not going to hurt you. You were just startled is all, now relax..."

Conan

The boy's head tilted to indicate that he was listening to both adults, despite the fact that he didn't dare take his eyes off of Charlotte. However even their soft guidance couldn't quite convince him to let go, though at least he loosened his grip until he wasn't hurting her anymore. Seeing that he was still very much afraid of her, Charlotte remained absolutely still, not struggling against his hand or trying to pull away or touch him again. Instead, she spoke very quietly, "Message received, Conan. You don't want to be touched. I'll agree to that... you can take that line out yourself. Just pull up the tape and slip it over your head. It's an easy-enough thing... you can even do it one handed." There was still suspicion in his eyes, and he didn't release the woman yet, but her calm, quiet words and the way that she didn't try to fight him or touch him again spoke to the boy on a level he could understand. So finally, his eyes on Charlotte for every moment, he reached with his free hand and pulled up the tape, lifting the line free. And when he'd done that, she murmured, "Now someone's got to take a diaper to the young mother in the next room - her daughter'll need a changing soon, after sleeping all night. And I'm the only nurse on this ward. So I'd appreciate it if you'd let me do that." Once again, she commanded nothing of him, even though she really did need to take Cassidy a diaper for Raine - the infant had arrived with Johann this morning and had immediately begun to whine about her soggy diaper. Still, she left the boy's options open to him, and forced nothing upon him - and finally, the teen came back to reality enough to hear the wails of the infant next door; he couldn't know that it was Raine, and that his own shout had frightened her, but it got through to him... and finally, he released Charlotte's throat, and she stepped back away from him. "Thank you, Mr. Carlyle. I'll take that as a compliment."

Summer & Collin

Even the Wallocks, who were far from experienced in physical fighting or confrontations like these, knew not to try and pry the boy's hands away from the nurse's throat. Neither of them moved to try and restrain the boy, and in place of that, they were both trying to talk him down from his instilled fear of physicians and keep him from doing anything drastic. Between their words and Charlotte's calm, level-headed words, the situation slowly unwound to the point where Conan finally released her, and she was able to step back and be out of his immediate range of attack. "Conan...?" Summer and Collin both shot the woman an apologetic sort of look, with the former speaking up to try and attract the teen's attention, however likely that was while Charlotte was still in the room, "Listen to me, can you do that? Do you remember what I told you yesterday?" This little incident gave her good feel for just how difficult the next two days were going to be, but she was bound determined to see Conan get the treatment he needed, "Sweety?" Unfortunately, she didn't realize just how how much more difficult and stressful it would be when Lanny got the nerve to break his word with Laura and confront the little family himself. Conan's shout and the way it frightened Raine so bad, didn't bode well for the boy either.

Conan

Despite his release of Charlotte, the teen was still far from comfortable, and the nurse knew it, and signified her understanding by backing away a little more so that Conan would feel less threatened. Laura had warned her about the boy's fear, so she honestly wasn't surprised he'd attacked her, though she was a little surprised that he'd woken - he'd been heavily under the sedative, or else she wouldn't have tried to take the noseline away herself - apparently his touch sensitivity was more powerful than the sedative, which said a great deal. She shook her head to the apologetic looks from the adults, indicating both that Conan hadn't hurt her, and that she didn't at all blame any of them for the incident... and indeed, she didn't look as though she were afraid of the teen. Apparently, the physician had given her a thorough briefing. However, Conan didn't know that - and his eyes remained upon her in clear challenge as she backed away, waiting until she'd settled herself against one wall before he finally dared turn his eyes to Summer. And even then, he obviously didn't remember much of the day before, because he shook his head to indicate that he couldn't recall what they'd discussed yesterday. He was more with it now - there was intelligence and comprehension in his gaze - but his fingers spelled out his confusion at a steady rate. 'Why are we here? They are here - they will get us here. And who is she?'

Summer & Collin

To avoid the risk of making Conan more tense, Summer held off reaching a hand for him now, even though she was one of the few people he trusted. She had absolutely no fear that the boy would attack her now that he was awake enough to comprehend things, but she still didn't want to give him anything that would make his tension worse at this moment. Lacking the ability to take his hand, it was through her voice once more that she projected the sort of gentle, assuring words that he'd been befret of for most of his life, "You had a panic attack yesterday morning." Discovering that he held no recollection of yesterday's events, Summer didn't at all mind hashing out the details again, particularly now that he was more able to take in his words, whereas last night he was too far gone to make much sense, "Your here so that they can make sure you're recovering well. I don't want you to worry; once you're better, we're going home. All of us, you included." Summer didn't turn her eyes on Charlotte when Conan asked about her, preferring to watch the teen instead, to have a better feel for how his stress and panic was doing - so far, it didn't look good, "That's Charlotte, one of your nurses. She's only here to make sure you're doing alright, that's all."

Conan

His heart had been racing after being so suddenly awakened in absolute terror, and he'd been panting to try to catch up with it, but as the moments went by and Summer began to explain to him just what had happened, he began to slowly unwind some more, and his breathing slowed to reflect that. As he calmed, he looked back over at Charlotte, just to be sure that she wasn't coming toward him again - and finally, he let out a deep sigh. He wanted to rest back against the bed again, but with Charlotte still in the room, he didn't dare let his guard down that far; instead, he told Summer, 'I do not like hospitals. It is too complex a thing for me to explain, but I am not welcome here. So I stay away.' He couldn't sign at a soft volume, but his fingers were moving quickly, and only minimally - enough to make the signs so that Summer could understand them, but at a speed and with motions small enough that Charlotte wouldn't be able to read them from her distance... as if he didn't want to be 'overheard'. And just as soon as he'd reminded Summer of his fear of hospitals - as if she didn't know that already - he went on, 'They're here... Lanny and Cassidy, and their new baby. They are here in this hospital. In room 318. We've got to leave before they find out that we're here.' How Conan knew that the young lady and her friend-maybe-more were in the building, and that Raine had arrived, were not things that he explained to Summer. But it was fortunate that he was not speaking aloud, because if Lanny had heard him, Conan would have had a lot of tricky talking to do to try to convince Lanny that he hadn't sent the present, if even that were possible at this point.

Summer & Collin

"I think we've got it from here. Thanks for the coffee - we could certainly use it." Collin spoke up with a brief nod to Charlotte, trying to find a polite way to excuse her from the room, in the idea that it would help relax Conan by some degree, and give the small family the time to talk in privacy. Summer's face softened some, losing the tense edge it had when she first woke up to see Conan reaching for the nurse's throat, "Now, everyone's welcome here. I've already spoken with the doctors, and you know I wouldn't let anyone mistreat you." As she was trying to convince him that he was safe here, and was about to step into his speech and assure him once more that the nurses could be trusted, he pulled up a few names that surprised her back into silence. How did he know they were here, and what room they were in, much less? She had to think carefully, and speak with even greater care when she finally responded to that surprising knowledge, "They might be next door, but they aren't going to bother you. There are security guards to take care of that, and no weapons are permitted - they won't bother you."

Conan

Charlotte had remained in the room with one purpose only - to keep an eye on Conan and be sure that he wasn't going to faint when it was clear that he was so frightened. And with him slowly calming and showing a more sensible side, even if he kept darting her glances every now and again, the nurse was satisfied. She gave Collin a deep nod to confirm that she'd heard, and then turned and left the room. After that, the boy darted a look around the room, and when he saw only Collin and Summer, he relaxed significantly, and allowed himself to lay down again and rest against the bed. A moment later, his fingers went for the bed controls, and the head of the bed slowly rose up so that he could lay partially-upright and address Summer on more confident, even terms than he could if he was laying flat on his back looking up at her. And when the bed was finally in a position he was comfortable with, his fingers took up signing again, showing a more Conan-like level of awareness as he told her, 'Don't let the hospital regulations fool you... if Cassidy is here, and Lanny is concerned enough to be with her, then their guards are armed, even if Cassidy and Lanny aren't. And you can bet that uncle of hers is here, and he's nearly as good of a shot as I am - you better believe he's at least got a boot gun with him. He's got a Derringer registered to him, and a Sig Sauer 22 Combat pistol. Either one of those he could conceal easily on his person, and unless he stripped completely, you'd never know it was there.' How he'd gotten this sort of information was just as much of a mystery as how he knew that Cass and Laurence were here, but he still offered no explanations. Instead, he went on, 'Lanny wants me dead - always has. And he won't pause at killing both of you if you get in his way. I mean it... we've got to leave. Now if not sooner.'

Summer & Collin

Summer had to actually stop and think about this, giving his warning a good amount of heavy thought. She'd witnessed Lanny's violence on more than one account, and didn't doubt what the teen was saying about Lanny wanting him dead. What she didn't know was that, as Charlotte left the room, one of the guards watched and waited until she was gone from the hall before he alerted Lanny. Back in the room however, the woman was trying to balance Conan's immediate safety, and the care and medication he could get at the hospital, and finally came up with a response to him, "If you're that concerned, I'll talk with the nurse the next time she returns. They wanted you to stay two more days, but I'm sure we can work a compromise." Mrs. Wallock drew up a soft smile, using one of her many ways of trying to instill security and certainty in the boy, "Why don't you eat your-"

Summer's voice caught when, after turning her head at hearing the door open again, she saw Lanny standing there with a foreboding look. "What are you doing here?" The young man wasn't the paranoid sort, but if there was any connection between Conan and the manipulative and shrewd man that Johann had painted Benjamin to be, he wanted to make sure that Conan hadn't somehow weaseled his way in here.

Conan

He might have eventually have been persuaded down by Summer's promise to talk to the nurses about trying to get him out of here sooner, but when a familiar and very unwelcome form made itself known in the room, Conan drew a hissing breath of combined tension and hatred, and sat himself up a little straighter, putting one arm partially in front of Summer and beginning to press backward, trying to move her aside into the embrace of her husband, where she would be safer. At the same time, he was signing Collin's name to get the man's attention so that he would help Conan keep her safe, and a moment later, he tried to speak. "I'm-m-" His voice broke and he coughed harshly, proving that what had been his recovering voice had been further damaged by his condition. And finally, though he knew that Lanny couldn't read the signs, he began to fingerspell. 'I am here because, as I understand, I have had a panic attack, and require observation.' There were a few more words that came after that, but he didn't really expect Summer to translate them, if indeed she was calm enough to translate anything... all of those latter words were foul and unrepeatable. But even as he finished, a soft, deadly voice came from the door. "I don't think he's happy to see you, Lanny - he called you a God-forsaken son of a bitch." The soft tones belonged to Cassidy as she handed off Raine to Johann, who was standing right outside the door in the safety provided by the guards; she'd awakened with the infant's wails, and had seen Lanny when he got up to leave... and apparently hadn't believed the reason he'd given her. She was on her feet and looking as though she'd tear the room down to get to Conan - but she wasn't going to risk Raine's safety just for her own revenge. So she handed the child to Johann, who was glad to have something to do, since his persuasive words and downright orders had not been sufficient to keep Cass from following Lanny. Although the next question was, just where had Cassidy learned sign language? She'd never demonstrated any ability for it before, but now she was translating for Conan... and that raised certain questions.

Summer & Collin

After her first shock at seeing Lanny standing right there, Summer's eyes set in a strict way, for whatever good it did the woman who would never inflict revenge or punishment on anyone, "You shouldn't be in here, Laurence. We're not here to bother you or your friends." She spoke very quietly, but very clearly, in a way that held no fury, but at the same time... it was a little unnerving coming from the kindly woman. Collin addressed the group next, standing up taking a step that put him partly in front of his wife, "If you want to discuss anything, I will be happy to do so out in the hallway. But I'm afraid Conan needs his rest, so I'm going to have to ask you all to leave." He tried at least, but unfortunately for the Wallocks, their tactics didn't hold up in this situation, were Lanny knew perfectly well that he was in no danger whatsoever - the worst Collin might do is try and restrain him if things got ugly, and Lanny had his guards.

Lanny had to focus to follow through the letters that Conan was spelling out for him, and with a snort, he responded with skepticism, "Yeah? A panic attack?" The young man didn't bother responding to either Summer or Collin's requests, but he did turn around in surprise when he heard Cassidy, "Cass..." As quick as that, he lost his chance to get rid of Conan before she found out, though he figured she would have caught on sooner or later by how tense he'd gotten and how quickly he'd insisted on leaving the room. "Get back in the other room, with Raine. I can handle this."

Cassidy*Others

The look on her face was defying anyone to get close to her as she stepped a little further into the room. She was only a couple of steps from the door, proving that she was a little tense about all this and didn't trust Conan not to bring a weapon to the hospital with him, but she was definitely inside the room, and even when Lanny spoke to her, she made no move to leave. "You don't read very well, Lanny, and he signs very fast. I won't have him skipping over details or lying to you simply because you don't read well. And frankly, I don't trust her to translate accurately - she is protecting him." 'Her' indicated Summer, with a snap and an uncomplimentary slur that said just what Cassidy thought of the motherly woman. There was a paleness to the young woman's features that was slightly alarming, but she stood firm on her own two feet, regardless of Dr. Marachek's warning of what standing and walking could do to her. And even Lanny's words would not dissuade her this time - Cassidy had Raine's safety in mind, and the threat she'd perceived when they'd put together the pieces and come up with the theory that Conan had been the one to send the hand-made garment, and nothing would pull the hyperdefensive mother away from that. "Now - how about we discuss the little gift you sent us? What kind of threat was that?"

Laurence Zelkovii

Dr. Marachek's warning was exactly what was going through Lanny's mind right now, particularly the part about Cassidy not surviving a second bought of hemorrhaging. "Cassidy..." Here he was in quite the awkward spot, not exactly embarrassed to show his concern about the girl in front of others, but finding it distinctly uncomfortable that he was in front of enemies, and unable to properly focus on him when his animosity was split equally by the alarming concern over Cass's health. "If I don't think he's telling the truth, I'll find some paper for him to scratch on. Come on, Raine needs you... I won't be long, I promise." Not wanting the Wallocks or Conan to here him more or less pleading with Cassidy, and trying to be firm at the same time, he dropped his voice to such a whisper that it'd be hard for her to hear as well.

"Listen, we can settle this elsewhere." Stepping more firmly in front of Conan and Summer alike, because he didn't like the slur that Cassidy used in referring to Summer, or the underlying tones in questioning the boy, Collin spoke up more loudly this time. "Conan just woke up. I can handle any questio-"

"Save it." Lanny whirled around and leveled the man with a deadly glare, "This is between Conan and I, and if you want to get between that, you'll be sorry. All I want to do right now is talk."

Cassidy*Others

"Lanny, I lambed you good once - and I swear by all that's holy I'll do it again if you try to stop me." Still firm in her refusal to return to the other room, the young woman whispered viciously, "Stop trying to protect me! I can bloody-well protect myself... I've been doing it for years. If you think I'm going to sit quietly in the other room with Raine while he's in here plotting against me, you've got rocks in your head." A bit of paranoia was showing through in her words there; even if she kept her voice just as soft as Lanny had, making it impossible for the others to hear what she was saying, it was clear that her defense of Raine was still driven by the death that had thrown her world into such complete chaos. The young man should understand that better, now that he knew all of the truth save for the father's name, but it didn't help any. "Do you really think he's going to tell the truth just because he's writing it down? Stow it, Lan - I'm not leaving until I get some answers." Conan had remained quiet while the two whispered to each other, using the moment to sign to Collin to keep back and to beg the two adults with his eyes not to get involved in this. There was too much history at play here... finally, he was brought away from the way that Cassidy snapped at him. "I saw that, and you can forget it. Answer the question." The teens' jaw tightened, his mouth forming a hard line, and finally his fingers came up again. 'Did it ever occur to you that maybe it wasn't a threat? That just maybe I wanted to send a present to my little sister?' Cass' eyes widened and turned icy cold, and she didn't translate this for Lanny, instead answering the boy with her own fast-flying fingers. 'She is not your sister.'

Laurence Zelkovii

Defiance showed in his face, but he couldn't turn an ugly expression against Cassidy, especially not when he was getting more fretful of her condition. Laura's words lingered in the back of his mind, making his gut twist with tension and his breath come in quicker motion, "Cass, you don't realize how vulnerable you are right now! And I'm not talking about him - I'll deal with him shortly. You just had surgery, and this isn't helping it any." In so many words, he was saying how frightened he was for her condition, but he knew he was fighting an uphill battle - the look of a furious motherbear was in her eyes, and he half expected this to end by enlisting the guards to force her back into her room. And he'd do it, too - as a last resort maybe, but he'd rather have her anger at him than hurting herself anymore by stressing her body. "Go back in the the other room Cass, I'm serious."

The semi-argument between the two gave Collin the time to watch what Conan was signing to him, to which he shook his head slightly and replied back, "We aren't going to leave you to their mercy. Its time someone stepped up to their bullying." Bullying might be an incredibly light way to put the torment that the CS, and more specifically Lanny had put on the boy, but it was a defiant statement nonetheless. Soon enough, Cassidy and Conan were speaking again, and Summer was the only other one privileged to their conversation - and it was no wonder why her eyes lit up in surprise when she saw what they talked about. Raine was Conan's sister?! How... Summer efficiently stalled herself from trying to figure that one out just yet, "I don't know what's going on here, but if you don't leave this room, I'll send for security. Like my husband said, we can talk about this civilly at another point - now is not the time." Her voice had lost some of its even quality, being a little more feathery due to her surprise, but still not missing any of its quiet potency.

Cassidy*Others

Cassidy's face turned thunderous, even as it paled another shade. "I know what I'm doing, Lanny," she growled fiercely, her one hand going for her thigh, resting on an empty sheath where one of her blades would have been if she weren't here. That was as much indication as anything that she was very defensive and hyper-reactive right now. Anger was the front to her fear right now - she couldn't allow herself to seem afraid in front of Conan and the Wallocks, so she turned the whip of her temper against Lanny. And apparently, she picked up on the fact that his next move was to get Tyler and Scott in here to forcefully return her to the next room, because a moment later there was a knife in her hand - a tiny switchblade that she ordinarily kept in her bra, where neither of the men had thought to search in order to disarm her. There was a distinct shick sound as she extended the blade of it, holding it expertly in one hand. It wasn't pointed at anyone in particular, but her eyes were on Lanny, though they had darted to the guards when she drew the blade. "Don't you dare, Lanny - don't you dare." Those words were thick and low - and only a second later the knife clattered to the floor, because she'd turned on her heel and left the room, shoving Tyler and Scott out of her way as she moved back to her own room. She'd turned around so quickly because a tear had begun to trickle down her cheek, and she was so furious with herself... and so angry at Lanny. Not because he'd firmed up in trying to protect her and repeated his orders to return to her own room... no, she was angry because she hadn't been able to hold up her fury and stubbornness against him. His words had gotten to her as nothing else could. There was a heavy sound in the next room of the young woman throwing herself down against the bed in a childlike way... and then silence. Whatever else happened, she would not let anyone else hear her cry.

Laurence Zelkovii

The sight of a blade from anyone else wouldn't have gotten a whole lot of surprise from him, since he was use to squirmishes now and then with enemies, even though he preferred a ranged weapon. But to see it from Cassidy made his brows jump up to disfigure the hard scowl he'd set to try and convince her to get back to bed - he was stunned. For the space of a few tense moments, he even held his breath, and his mind couldn't formulate a propper response to this situation; one side reacted defensively, as he normally would when presented with a threat. Another part tried to dismiss the fear, his heart telling him that Cass wouldn't stab him. And yet another part warned him that she was a mother desperate to do anything to protect her baby, and he was standing in her way. In a momentary stupor, he didn't have a chance to respond to any of his instincts, because Cassidy had dropped the weapon and hurried back to her room so abruptly that he didn't call after her.

A second later though, he remembered that there were enemies near him, and he returned with haste to his common sense, "Tyler, Johann, check on her." After first making sure she was taken care of, Lanny turned with a new vengeance on the little family and stalked forward brazenly, until he was an arm's length from Collin, with fire in his eye and fury in his voice, "If we weren't in a hospital boy, you'd be dead right now, believe me! I want to know right now why you sent that gift, and what you and Ben are up to. And don't you DARE hold out on me."

"Hey, back off now, Laurence." A certain level of fear had raised in Collin, but he held firm where he stood, not giving Lanny and leeway or backing away from the intimidating co-lead, "You aren't going to harm anyone, whether we're here or otherwise. I'll give you one more chance to leave, and then I'm calling security."

Conan

With that tone in Lanny's voice, even Johann wasn't going to resist - he turned tail and followed Tyler into the next room, where they were promptly met by a snarl of incoherent words from Cassidy, and a second broken lamp that she pitched at Tyler, not realizing that her uncle, and thus her infant daughter, were standing right behind the guard. Fortunately, Johann was quick enough in reflex that he raised his free arm over the baby, even though the item never came near them. The crash of the lamp could be heard in the next room, followed by Raine's wails and Cassidy's muttered curses for Tyler to get the *%^$& out of there. Johann quickly backed off, moving to a place beside the bedroom door and now doing his best to quiet the squalling baby again.

"That won't be necessary, Mr. Wallock," said a firm, strong voice, coming from outside the room. And even Conan flinched at that tone, despite the fact that even Cass' knife hadn't been able to arouse that in him. Dr. Marachek didn't sound annoyed - she sounded angry, and definite. "Mr. Zelkovii, I want to see you in my office. Now." Her tone left no room for debate - the next action would be for her to barge into the room, guards or no, and the sharpness in her words said she was not too far from expelling Lanny from the hospital altogether. If he wanted to stay here with Cassidy, he'd best snap to.

Laurence Zelkovii

Tyler about backed into Johann before he realized the man was there, and stopped himself only when he saw that the lamp was projected to crash before it ever reached him. "Cass, just take a deep breath- Come on now, you know I'm just following orders..." All of the tall guard's toughness and readiness to get in other's faces couldn't quite stand up against Cassidy's raging fury. He darted a look at Johann, almost asking for help before he finally ducked back and left the room. Well... he made sure she got back to her room safe and sound, so he was technically following orders; besides, Johann was still in there with her, right?

Lanny had been seconds away from grabbing Collin by the scruff of his shirt and shoving him aside, and from there... he really wasn't sure what his anger would have led him to do. He was enraged, furious that Conan was here, and even more riled that it had led him into a brief but fiery conversation with Cassidy that ended in her breaking down like she had. He wanted nothing more than to end the boy right here, right now, and wasn't sure if his common sense would have stopped him; the crashing lamp next door didn't help his mood any either. Thankfully for all involved, Marachek stopped the escalating tension before it could reach a boiling point, and though he didn't look like he would comply at first, the young man did turn abruptly away from the little family and stalk out of the room. The only thing that made him do this was the promise he'd given Cassidy, and knowing that he would get kicked out if he refused to follow her now - if he hadn't already ruined his chances. "I didn't attack anyone."

Dr. Marachek

Unfortunately for Johann, he didn't last much longer than Tyler did in the room; he was quiet as he waited for Cassidy to come down from the height of her fury and fear before he'd speak to her. But the moment that his voice sounded, gentle and fatherly in the relative silence of the room, Cass had let go with an audible sob, and her tearful voice had begged him to leave her alone and go away. The tears hurt him more than anything, enough that he nodded silently, and then backed out of the room, taking up an awkward and semi-defeated position beside Tyler. "Never tell a new mother to calm down," he advised the younger man dryly, not scolding or upset in any way... only heavy. And then he fell silent, determined to stay out here with the guards and help to ensure her safety since she didn't want him in the room right now.

Laura was on the verge of bursting into Conan's room and ending the argument that way when finally the young man came out of the room. "You did not attack anyone only because I arrived before you could. Now move along." Her eyes were harsh and cold, and stared in the direction of her office, indicating that she expected him to trot his fanny right down there and prepare to explain himself... and his explanation had better be a good one, if he expected her to let him stay.

Laurence Zelkovii

Tyler almost did a double take when Johann appeared at his side shortly after he'd retreated from the room. It was one thing for him to get driven out, but Johann? Cassidy was in one royal mood, which Tyler wrote off simply as women hormones... he didn't know the full story, or he would understand better why she was as irate as she was right now. "You said it." The tall man muttered in reply to Johann, and figured it was best to keep his mouth shut from this point on.

Lanny bit his tongue as he stormed down the hall, his retreat being watched by Tyler and Scott alike, both of whom were between a rock and a hardspot in this situation. It was their duty to protect Lanny, but... what could they really do in this situation? It's not like they could just jump Laura and take her out - their co-lead was on his own with the enemy, unfortunately. "You can't prove that." He returned defiantly, just daring her to try and remove him from the building, even if that was the very last thing he wanted to have happen. Shoving the door open with more force than was necessary, he found a seat for himself and stiffly sat down in it, staring with stormy eyes straight ahead of him.

Dr. Marachek

"And you can't prove that the knife on the floor in that room doesn't belong to you, which is what I'll tell hospital security if I'm forced to have you removed." Marachek's voice was still firm and unruffled - she was not impressed by Lanny's show of attitude and anger. She didn't look at him as he threw himself into one of the chairs; no, she began to make a circuit of her office, looking at the few pictures that graced the walls and pausing to run her fingers over the bindings of the books on her shelf, a few of which were first editions. It had the feel of a small child in the principal's office, rather than the co-head of a gang in for a much more serious matter, but finally Dr. Marachek turned to look at Lanny, without taking a seat for herself. "So - you want to explain to me just what you were doing in that room when I expressly forbid you to be there not forty-eight hours ago? And you better pray that you have a good reason, Mr Zelkovii, because you're riding on the skin of your butt right now, and in just a second, I'm going to run out of slack to give you. So you better talk, and talk fast."

Back in number 317, Conan had taken a few moments to come down from the peak of his defensiveness after Lanny had left the room. Right now, he was finally laying back against the bed again, breathing as though he'd run a race. He was feeling a little lightheaded, so he reached his hand for the oxygen, knowing that would help - and he couldn't quite reach it where he'd let it drop over one side of the bed. Panting harshly, he gestured to Summer to try to get her to get it for him... and then he signed slowly, 'How much did you get of

Laurence Zelkovii

He didn't like the way that she didn't take a seat, and continued to move around the room and forcing him to shift in his seat to keep an eye on her. It wasn't that he was frightened of her, at least not in the sense that she'd attack him, but he wanted to keep her in his sights nonetheless. "I swear Marachek, you're really pushing your luck." Lanny pulled a dangerous card in hinting at a threat against the woman, but he was tense and stirred up enough to do it, and remind her how powerful he was. He knew that he couldn't actually do anything drastic, at least not to her - she was too prominent a figure here, too valuable to the city, and unless she actually threatened his life, he couldn't justify any attack on her that James would approve of. When she asked what his talk was about, he abruptly turned his glowering eyes away and growled back with dry sarcasm, "I just wanted to see how he was doing."

The woman responded to Conan's wordless request by taking up the little loop of tube and, unless he protested this level of help, she slipped the front end over his head and positioned it so that he'd be getting that steady supply of oxygen through his nose, to help him recover quicker. "I read most of it." The soft smile that played on her face was a semi-sympathetic one, and one that meshed with the expression in her eyes to let him know she wasn't judging him at all for what she'd learned. But she did speak quietly again, "I didn't know that you and her daughter were related. I should have listened to you."

Conan*Others

"Threats and lies are not going to keep you in this building, Laurence," said the doctor, her eyes flashing to meet his gaze as she dropped the respectful and distancing 'Mr. Zelkovii' and used his first name, reemphasizing to him that she knew a lot about him by virtue of being the chief doctor in this building for as long as he'd been alive; this was her version of a returned threat, accompanied by the reminder that she had the power here. "You would just as soon see Mr. Carlyle dead, and I know it. I thought I made it clear that I would not have that in my hospital. If you can't control yourself, I'll arrange it so that you're forbidden to set foot in this building unless you're wounded. This is neutral territory - your gang power will not help you here. Now I want the truth - what were you doing in that room?"

If it had been someone else, Conan would have flinched back and smacked the hand away, particularly with the tense situation that had just ended and left him reeling in its wake, but his trust of Summer was complete and deep now, and he held still, allowing her to loop the noseline over his head and position it back in place. The heavy feeling in his chest almost instantly began to lighten because of the oxygen, and when his fingers came back up to sign, they were a little bit steadier. 'Only half... but yes, we are related. The child's father and my own are one and the same. And I was stupid... I sent them a little dress for the baby. That is why he is angry - he thinks that I meant it as an implied threat. Really... I just wanted to give my sister a present.' He closed his eyes for a moment, because he knew now just how stupid he'd been, but who could blame him? The teen didn't have much biological family left... he wanted some kind of connection to Raine, even if he knew that later on, the child would be taught to hate him.

Laurence Zelkovii

Frustration raged inside, and he gritted his jaws for a moment in physical expression of it, not quite trusting himself to say something sensible without forcing his mind to think over his words before he let them out. She had a point, as greatly as he hated to admit it - he just couldn't throw his weight around here when she was doing her job. A lesser nurse or doctor, maybe... but not her. "I wanted to talk with him." He hadn't really got his temper in check yet, but he managed this general response first. "You want the truth? That's all I intended to do." Maybe that had been his original intention, but by the time that Cassidy had taken off, he'd gotten worked up to the point where he was ready to employ fists and words alike.

That answered a few questions for the woman, who felt better for knowing how exactly the two were connected. It explained the gift that Cassidy had questioned about, something that Summer was not at all surprised about - after all, the boy was fiercely protective of his own little brother, and though he hadn't met Raine at all, she could easily see how he felt the need to connect with her in some way. It also shed light on why he was so nervous about being this close to the gang - they would be far more defensive than usual now that Raine was there, and Conan knew it. "I can try to talk to them if you wish, and explain things to them." Summer suggested without hesitation, for as likely as Conan might be to agree with that. "If you're this uncomfortable, I can also speak with the doctor and see if it might be possible for us to take you out of here sooner. But I want you to know that, whatever happens, we aren't going to let you get hurt."

Dr. Marachek

She paused as he did, working over not only what she was saying, but also carefully analyzing her own emotional reaction to the situation; she'd promised Collin and Summer, based on their old friendship, that she would keep Conan safe while he was here, and there for a moment, that promise had been put in serious jeopardy. She knew for a fact that part of the reason she was being so hard on Lanny was because of that, and once she forced herself to become aware that her investment in the situation was influencing her judgment, she pulled her temper and impulses firmly back under control. So though she weighed the young man intently with her eyes, her words were calmer when she spoke again. "I believe that is all that you intended to do. But your attachment to Miss Jones is too prominent to allow you to keep your involvement to that minimum. That is why I forbade you to go into that room, Mr. Zelkovii - I did not trust your control to hold where threats to Miss Jones are concerned. And your actions today have only confirmed that suspicion." Her words had never been loud, since this was a hospital and her office so close to patient rooms, but her tones were more even now, indicating that she truly did believe what he'd said, but still wasn't swayed in her opinion that the young man would continue to be dangerous if he were allowed to remain here.

'No.' The boy's head shook and his fingers were stiff and firm; he did not want Summer going anywhere near the Cryptic Silvers, particularly not after the tense situation that had only just ended. 'As a matter of fact, I would feel much better if you and Collin left altogether. Make no mistake... if he thinks it will serve his purposes, he will hurt both of you, because he knows it will get to me.' Quite unlike his desperate pleas yesterday for her not to leave him here alone, and not to let the state take him from them, he was conscious enough today to again be capable of using his judgment and his reasoning, and for his fear that Lanny would kill the couple to get to him to come back into play to influence his words. 'I was stupid, and this is my fault... I don't want it to hurt either of you.'

Laurence Zelkovii

"I can handle myself." Nevermind that he'd just proved quite the opposite a few minutes ago, or that his blunt, defensive statements weren't helping his case any. He had gotten himself back in control enough that he wasn't going to do or say anything stupid at the moment, but he was angry enough that what he did say was partly him venting his frustration and being too stubborn to let Laura keep him from protecting Cassidy - that's how he saw it, anyway, though the boy was obviously no threat to the girl or Raine. "I'm not going to have him there to upset her any more than she's been upset today. And I'm going to sit back and bite my tongue just because I'm in a hospital." His eyes had returned to her now, more actively expressing his concern for Cassidy without getting into what exactly the 'threatening her' part was. He still fully believed that Conan had sent the gift as a warning.

With their level of trust established, and his sense restored to him after the panic earlier, Summer confidently turned a soft hand on his shoulder, where he would still have his hands free to speak with her, and where she could express her commitment and loyalty to the boy through such a simple but meaningful gesture, "You know we can't do that, sweety. You're as much a part of our family as Greg is, and we would never leave either of you alone in a situation where you were in danger. We understand the risks involved, and we long ago accepted them." Summer patted at his shoulder once before she held it in the same secure grip that she'd use on his hand, "Don't blame yourself for it, no one is to blame. Things just happen... and the only thing we can do is continue to stick together and ride this out. Eventually, Laurence and Cassidy will have to learn that you aren't your older brothers."

Dr. Marachek

"No you can't, Mr. Zelkovii," the doctor answered him, her tones still quiet and calm, but firm now. "You are too close to the situation and too close to Miss Jones to keep your emotion from impacting your judgment. That means that you are dangerous to Miss Jones, even though you don't intend to be. If it were anyone else aside from the Wallocks that you'd attacked, neither of you would have come out of that without at least a good beating - you are both very lucky that they are very much pacifist." And when he again made a point of indicating that he thought Conan was here to hurt Cassidy, she sighed heavily and her voice got sharper. "Rasputin Carlyle is in no shape to stand up at the moment, Mr. Zelkovii. He could not hurt her if he tried. And she would not have been upset at all today if it weren't for your own actions. I was standing outside the room for longer than you believe... it was not Mr. Carlyle who made her cry. It was you. Turning your guilt over that into anger against him may work for you, but it blinds you to the truth that Miss Jones was completely calm and rational today until you set foot in that room. And she would still be content and ignorant of his presence here if you had not done so." She knew well enough that it was a touchy subject that she was broaching, but if Lanny thought about it, he would realize that the doctor was right - Cassidy had been angry when she'd come into the room; it hadn't been until she left, under Lanny's orders, that she'd broken into tears.

'I still wish you would,' the teen answered, proving that he was very much worried about them, but wasn't about to argue with Summer about it if she was determined to stay with him. He gave a heavy sigh that was echoed by the hiss of the oxygen, and he closed his eyes wearily. 'No one will ever convince Laurence Zelkovii that I am not just as dangerous as Ratri and Raven. Too many of his love ones were killed by my brothers, and he has a sensitive personality. This kind of thing is going to continue until one or the other of us dies.' The words were heavy ones, and he knew that Summer wouldn't like to hear them, but he was presenting what he saw as reality - his mind could not fathom a point where Lanny would forgive him for his brother's crimes and leave him alone.

Laurence Zelkovii

Dr. Marachek hit a serious nerve with the young man when she suggested that he were a danger to the new mother. She was right in all that she said, but he wasn't going to believe it, and even if his mind was seeing some truth to these words, he adamantly and bullheadedly shoved them away as rubbish. Conan was the enemy, and it was him who upset Cass so badly. "What did expect me to do, stay quite while he's next door to her like that?" The logical answer would have been, as she stated in so many words, 'yes'. But not in his book. "The only one that's a threat to her is him now, and don't you be fooled by his play of weakness. That boy is clever and he has allies of his own - this is more of a war than you know, and you'd be smart to keep your nose out of it. Now fine, I won't touch him while he's here, but you better believe I'm not going to stay idle, either." Lanny kept the focus on Conan, rather than addressing the issue that he'd been key in upsetting Cassidy, not the boy. He didn't want to believe that... he wouldn't.

"It's nothing that we need to talk about right now." Not wanting to argue either, Summer gently ended that debate, because no amount of threat against her or Collin was going to keep them from Conan. There wasn't an easy way to approach what he asserted next, and so the woman was slow in coming up with words to respond to him, but they still sounded certain as ever, "It doesn't have to end with violence. There are always other ways of fixing problems, and this one may just take time. Until we see a resolution with it, we will simply have to be more careful. In fact... when you are out of the hospital, I'd like you to stay a few days with Greg and his friends. I'll be staying there as well."

Dr. Marachek

"Yes. That is what I expect. I made that clear the last time we spoke." Still not relenting from her verbal dressing-down that she was performing, Laura emphasized this with a sharp glance that she darted him. And his next words got a more marked response out of her - she stood up and fixed him with her stern eyes. "Mr. Zelkovii, you forget your place. I am a licensed physician; I know what is wrong with him, whereas you do not. I am not one to be 'fooled' by a show of weakness. Furthermore, I will inform you that the war is present only because you force it to be, and you are focusing so intently on it that it is destroying you, and everyone that you touch. You have become so obsessed with the need for revenge that you are blind to the fact that your actions are hurting those who care most about you. And you choose to remind blind, because it is easier than facing the fact that you are hurting those you love with this obsession." She wasn't a psychologist by any means, but Dr. Marachek had a very keen perception, by virtue of her profession, and she recognized a defensive-attack when she saw it... she wasn't going to let Lanny force this topic off onto Conan, because the teen was clearly not the cause of the problem.

'Not where he's involved,' the boy told her quietly, shaking his head and again letting out a hefty sigh. 'He was raised in a world where words were not needed because violence solved the problems, and when he feels threatened, he will always fall back to that.' Once he was done forming those words, his hand reached up to scrub tiredly over his face - he'd been sleeping for eighteen hours straight, but all of this stress was just wearing him out... and being in the hospital with a person who wanted to kill him and those he loved was not helping it.

Laurence Zelkovii

His knuckles turned white with the intensity that he was gripping at the armrest, just as much a sign of his boiling anger as was the way he was clenching his jaws. It was this kind of temper, handled with control right now, that led to trouble when he got a hold of alcohol. "Alright, I'll give you that one; you may tell that he's sick. But I know that he's got shrewd enough allies that they could have put him in the hospital to get close to her." It was the wrong assumption in this case, though he wasn't far off the mark for what Benjamin was capable of doing if he had been involved in this particular mess. Still, it showed the degree of obsessiveness that he put on his enemies, where he would never underestimate their abilities and put his own people at risk, and definitely when the people affected were Cassidy and Raine. "Listen, Laura - you've got no business telling me about how to keep me and my own safe. I've been in this business all my life, and I know a thing or two." On he went with denying her words, unable to accept that he'd hurt Cassidy just now, and wanted fiercely to pin it on Conan, "I slipped up is all the more that happened here. It won't happen again."

"Then what we need to do is better express that we aren't a threat to him." Quietly, patiently, Summer persisted with her own views on how to handle this situation, whether it would work or not, "The best thing we can do now is stay quiet and give him no more reason to feel threatened. Staying a few days out of town will help settle things I hope." That was only part of the reason they were ditching the trailer park and hanging out in the farmhouse - but that was a whole different can of worms that Summer wasn't eager to bring up.

Dr. Marachek

"My business is to keep everyone in this building alive and safe," she asserted, "And this issue is preventing me from doing that. If Miss Jones were not so dependent on your reassurance at this point, I would have had you removed from this hospital long ago. But she is dependent upon your affection and reassurance, so I do not wish to take that from her at such a volatile period in her life." However, at this point, she seemed to realize that she was getting nowhere in attempting to get Lanny to acknowledge the problem, and so she cut off her attack and took up another topic. "Enough - I've other things to do that argue with you. You'd better go see to her. And Laurence-" She stopped him before he could go out the door, and warned, "If this occurs again, I will have you removed, whether she needs you or not."

Turning his face til it was pointed toward Summer again, subtly reinforcing the trust that he'd put in her, the teen pulled one arm up in a stretch, and then signed more slowly, 'That is all I hope for at this point... a small break in all of this. I know there is no end to it, but I'd like a second or two to breathe.' That pretty well was an admission that he felt trapped and near-suffocated by his stress; he'd never discussed it with her before, but if he wanted time just to breathe, that pretty well emphasized that his mind was far too busy and overwrought.

Laurence Zelkovii

There were plenty of responses that came to mind, and his position as the co-lead of the CrypticSilvers compelled him to snap back against her and argue down the woman. This was where his degree of control outmatched his brother's however, and knowing that he simply didn't have the room to win the argument, and at the very worst, could wind up kicked out of the hospital if he tried hard enough. So after she'd finished lecturing him, the young man only burrowed his eyes into her before he stood up and stormed out of the office, moving down along the hall with heavy steps and an expression that would make anyone think twice about approaching him. Tyler and Scott alike backed away from the door when Lanny approached, neither saying a word, even in warning against Cass's own attitude, before he stepped through the doors and disappeared within. His face was slightly flamed again, but miraculously it cooled some when he saw Cassidy, and then adopted a slightly more receptive facade that was perhaps a bit uncertain now that Laura's warnings were echoing in the back of his thoughts, "Listen, Cass... I didn't want you getting hurt."

She was glad to find him accepting of their temporary housing arrangement, and flourished a smile that was offset by a twinge of sadness in her eyes, "You'll be safe there, and we can stay for as long as you'd like." Anything that would reduce the boy's stress, and remove him from the constant pressure that Lanny and the CS was putting on him, she'd go for it. She knew it only solved one side of the problem, and that it wasn't a guarantee for his safety... but it was the best she could do for now.

Cassidy*Others

Marachek didn't respond to the glare she received, other than to return his gaze firmly with her own, just to remind him who was in control here. After that, she let him go in silence, saying nothing more. However, his task in speaking to Cass wasn't destined to be any more pleasant... she was not happy with him, and that was emphasized by the way that she heaved a heavy breath, and her voice came out wavery and tearful. "Go away, Lanny. Just go away." She didn't sound as though she wanted to listen to what he had to say; in fact it was difficult to guess whether her response had been to his declaration that he hadn't wanted her hurt, or simply to the sound of his voice when she was upset with him. The quavering tone in her voice said that she was still crying, but as she was lying on her stomach on the bed with her face buried in her arms, it was impossible to see tears. She couldn't control her tones, which was almost a first for her, but she was desperately trying to make up for that lack of control by keeping him from seeing the tears themselves - she was so afraid to be vulnerable that she was trying to minimize the impact of her actions, even if it was already beyond clear that she was still very much upset.

He had to smile a little at that thought, looking very innocent and childlike since he didn't open in eyes again. 'And I'll get to see Star.' He'd always treasured the bond that he had with the Lady's hybrid, but he didn't get to visit her often. And he chuckled airily at the thought that he would once again be going to see the dog while he was injured, where she would fret over him as she always did. With a half grin, he signed, 'One of these days, I should go see her when I'm all in one piece.'

Laurence Zelkovii

"You know I'm not going to do that." Lanny figured it would be ugly when he returned to the room, but somehow it still stung to hear the words, and a lot of it had to do with what Dr. Marachek had tried to get him to understand, but which he fervently denied. The young man stood at the side of the room for a moment or two, before he braved up enough to maneuver around the side of the bed and take his seat in the chair that he'd spent the last few days in, more or less. Unlike when James and Sheryl got to raising their voices enough to wake up the neighbors whenever they were in strong disagreement over something, Lanny's voice was thankfully much quieter, particularly so since he felt bad for having made her cry like that, "I didn't want you getting hurt, alright? You're not fit to walk, much less pick fights with our enemies. Leave that stuff to me."

"I'm sure she's been missing you." The sadness in her eyes departed, even if they couldn't take away the lines of worry that wrinkled around the edges in the form of fine crow's feet. "And I know that Kate and Greg both appreciate your help tending to the animals." Because Matt generally didn't provide much help as far as feeding, cleaning, and caring for most of the critters, any help was greatly valued.

Cassidy*Others

Cassidy wasn't surprised by his answer, not having expected him to leave despite the fact that she'd told him to. She knew him too well to believe that he would leave the room before this issue was settled. So she didn't repeat her request that he leave, but neither did she turn around to face him. Indeed, when she heard him settle down in his usual chair, she turned her head until she was gazing at the opposite wall to be sure that he wouldn't see her face, not wanting him to read whatever expression she was harboring right now. She was silent again as he spoke, aside from a sniff here and there that she mostly managed to muffle, but which were still clearly hearable in the quiet stillness of the room. At long last though, her voice came back, carrying an edge of bite. "I wasn't picking fights. I was translating. There's a distinct difference." She took a deep breath and ran one hand over her eyes, still refusing to look at him. "I won't have it. I won't have you keeping me from taking care of Raine." Of course, he hadn't tried to prevent her from looking after the child - but he'd tried to keep her from threatening what she perceived as a danger to the child, and in the young woman's mind, that was the same thing.

'She's a worry-wort little critter, but she's as sweet as they come,' Conan confirmed, shaking his head a little in fondness and completely skipping over the fact that Starlit could be quite aggressive, if she thought that you posed a threat to anyone who was important to her. The boy knew that she possessed that other side to her personality, since he'd spent a great deal of time at the farm when the Lady had been alive, but he'd never had it directed at him, and so he saw the hybrid mostly as a cuddly and protective, motherly sort of dog.

Laurence Zelkovii

Having seen Tyler and Johann both outside before he'd entered the room, Lanny had gotten a good forewarning about what he was walking into, and brace himself as he did, he found it rather difficult to hold up his side of the argument. With anyone else, it wouldn't have been such a big deal - he was free to express his anger with Laura, as long as he didn't go too overboard, and he certainly didn't care how far he got when he was fighting with his enemies, but it was different with Cass. What kept him plodding through it was the need to make Cassidy understand how frail she was right now, and that he was going to keep getting in her way to prevent her from coming to any more harm, "You're splitting hairs, Cass. Hey, I'm not keeping you from Raine. I'm keeping you alive so Johann and I won't be raising an orphaned girl - there's a big difference there. You just can't go running around like that in your condition, it's too risky."

Summer knew the dog well herself, having spent time with the Lady now and then, mostly during farmer's markets. Not as well as Conan however, as Starlit's affection towards the boy proved again and again whenever he had the opportunity to visit. "She hasn't lost any of that sweetness through the years. I hear she's even made friends with Innuo now." The woman had never seen the mixbreed's anger either, but she'd heard about it, as well as her protectiveness over those she saw as needing help.

Cassidy*Others

"She wouldn't be orphaned... she's got a father now." Again taking exception to the words he spoke, Cassidy nevertheless proved with that statement that she couldn't be too angry with Lanny; obviously, she didn't regret making the young man Raine's legal father, even if she wasn't all that happy with him right now. "In my condition - my condition, my condition. That's all I've heard for over a month now. Convenient how no one ever says what 'condition' that is. Not that it matters - I'm okay enough to give that low-down worm a piece of my mind... and you stopped me. He's after her, Lanny - he'll try to take her from me since I helped you get Randy back. He wants a sibling, and I don't think he really cares which one." That showed illogical thought processes, indicating that she was very disturbed and paranoid - Conan would most certainly have preferred Raimi's company, if he had to choose between the toddler and Raine, and he'd made that very clear. But as distraught as she was, Cass didn't make that connection right now. She couldn't see the errors in her judgment, because she was too busy being angry at Lanny for stopping her and humiliated because he'd hurt her enough to make her cry in front of a bunch of people, when for her whole life she'd never cried in front of anybody.

His eyes actually opened to those words, fixing Summer with their gaze and widening in amazement. 'Now that I've got to see,' said the fingers, just imagining the sensible, motherly Starlit Eyes putting up with the lazy, over-sized kitten that was Innuo. Nevermind the whole liger versus dog issue - their personalities were so far apart that he couldn't imagine that the big cat was more than an over-sized road block all over the house, which would frustrate the hybrid when she needed to be doing things.

Laurence Zelkovii

While he was in the thick of it, Lanny figured it was best to let it all out and say the things that would inevitably make Cass angry, just so that he'd get it out of the way and not have to upset her at a different point in time. First, though, he had to reply to her dismissive retort, "I'm sure she'd like to have a mother, too." In his haste to respond, he didn't think ahead of time and wonder what sort of statement like that would incite from Cass, since she too hadn't had a mother growing up. "You condition is that you've been going through withdraw and went through a surgery that you almost didn't come out of!" Intensity hit his words, letting it be heard that this was a very hot topic for him, since he'd been frightened more than once that she'd die, "Do you really think you could have done anything against him Cass? You focus on taking care of your daughter, and I'll take care of him. I already spoke with Laura - he's in no shape to be a threat to her, and you're going to be out of here in two days."

She laughed at the open-eyed reaction she got from him, and dipped her head in a nod, "I understand it is quite something to see. She looks after him, not that he needs it." It was precisely the kitten-side of the overgrown cat that earned him the devotion from Starlit, though only if they could hear what conversations really went on between the cat and dog.

Cassidy*Others

As might have been expected, Cassidy didn't answer the statement that Raine might appreciate having a mother. The young woman had never expressed it in so many words, but Lanny knew her well enough to be able to guess that she had likely wished for a mother every now and then. Johann was just as affectionate and caring as if he'd been her biological father, but every little girl found situations where they wanted a mother to talk to. Lanny's mother had partially served that purpose when Cass had been younger, but after a certain age that had faded off, just like her touching. But the new mother actually flinched at the slightly harsh tone to Lanny's next reply - she knew that the harshness wasn't directed at her, but more meant to express how frightened he'd been, and that in and of itself bothered her... she'd hurt him, in refusing to allow him to express his concern, every bit as much as he'd hurt her in expressing it. It stung her enough to make her pause for a few moments - and in the next second she'd rolled out of bed and had seated herself in the chair beside his, leaning over and burying her face against his bunnyhug, all anger forgotten. "I'm sorry..." she whispered over and over again. "I didn't mean it, I... I've just never been so scared before. I'm sorry."

I've seen your world
through these very eyes...
Don't come any closer.
Don't even try.
I've felt all the pain
and heard all the lies.
So I'm through with this -
No more compromise...

Laurence Zelkovii

There was a few moments where Lanny about held his breath when his words got a flinch out of Cassidy and an extended pause. That, more than anything, made a good deal of the anger drain from him in the alarm that he had upset her far more than he'd intended. Of course, he didn't want to upset her at all, but when it came to her living or dying... he was willing to cross that line to get his message across, as bad as it made him feel at the time. Much to his surprise, the young mother sat up and, in a expression of just how much trust she had in him, she actually leaned in against him. At this point, Lanny didn't hesitate to wrap both arms around her, and glide one hand along her back, "No, don't be. It's okay, really; you had every right to be mad." Her touch issues overcome in this situation, Lanny held her tightly as the last bit of fear-spawned anger left him, "Just promise me you'll be more careful? And trust me; I will protect you, both of you."

Cassidy*Others

In complete contrast with what would have happened if anyone else had tried to hug her, Cassidy melted into Lanny's embrace, keeping her eyes hidden against the fabric of his shirt but otherwise taking the comfort and support that one is meant to derive from a hug. Fortunately for the both of them, there was no one else in the room, so neither one of them had to feel self conscious about this - they could just enjoy it. And for several long moments, Cass did just that, letting out a few frightened tears as he held her, but mostly enjoying the protection and affection that his hold implied. It wasn't until over a minute later that she finally spoke up, her voice whisper-soft. "Okay Lanny... I promise. I trust you."

Laurence Zelkovii

Outside of the room, Tyler would side-glance occasionally at Johann or Scott, having heard some of what was being said, but not all of it, and more than anything being surprised at the lack of yelling and objects being thrown. The young mother had been nothing short of irate by the time he bustled out of the room at the tune of a shattered lamp. One of the only two privileged to the turnaround in Cassidy's attitude, with the young woman herself being the other person, Lanny relaxed some as well with the hug. It was hard for him to comfort her sometimes, but that was completely overcome in this moment, and even though he'd much rather have reached this embrace on less stressful terms, he was grateful that he was able to console her at all. "Just two more days." The co-lead murmured supportively, "Two more days, and we'll be home with Raine."

Cassidy*Others

Johann gave no indication as to whether or not he could hear what the young people were talking about; even if he could hear the soft voices in the room, he wasn't going to share what they were saying with Tyler and Scott. Even if he hadn't known that Cass didn't trust the two guards as well as she did Lanny, he would have still kept the conversation to himself; she wouldn't appreciate knowing that what was intended to be a private discussion had been overheard. Fortunately, since none of the men outside were saying anything, Cass didn't tense up or become disturbed. Instead, she turned a little in Lanny's arms until she could rest her cheek against his chest, eyes closed and still wet-faced, but at least not actively crying anymore. "Two days... I think I can make it for two more days." A quieter but still more Cass-like tone had finally worked into her voice, indicating that the young man had chosen a good time to mention this to her. In two days, she and Raine would be safe at home with Lanny and Johann... that was enough to calm her significantly. "Where's Raine?" She asked after a moment, not sounding frightened because she had meant it when she said she trusted Lanny to keep the child safe, but still wanting her daughter returned to her, now that she was more herself.

Laurence Zelkovii

Now that things were getting quieter and they'd reached a meeting point in a rather heated by thankfully quiet argument, Lanny was starting to feel better about the outcome of it all, and only hoped that he could continue to convince Cassidy to stand back and recover as she needed. "She's outside with Johann. Tyler and Scott are out their too." Since Raine was her greatest fear, Lanny wasted no time in telling her just where her daughter was, and letting her know she was perfectly safe, "You want me to get her for you?" He didn't loosen his embracing hold on her yet, and wasn't going to unless she pulled away first, or sent him to bring her daughter to her.

Cassidy*Others

There was another long pause, but it didn't carry the heaviness or sorrow that the first one had - this one allowed Cass a few moments to continue to let Lanny hold her, which she was just now discovering was something she enjoyed very much. In fact, she might have let it go on a little longer, until either she or Lanny became uncomfortable with it - but her mother's instincts were flaring, and insisting that Raine be returned to her. So at long last, she whispered, "Yes... I think it's almost time for her next bottle anyway, isn't it?" She wouldn't admit she was reluctant to say it, because she knew that Lanny would have to let her go to fetch Raine - to admit that was to point still more blatantly to that issue that both of them were still very much uncomfortable talking about... that 'friendship' just really wasn't the word anymore.

Laurence Zelkovii

He was so caught up trying to console her now, and taking the time to enjoy the quiet return to peace between them that it didn't quite dawn on him yet what this new level of trust was starting to imply. It was along the same lines when he'd jumped at the sudden idea of purchasing a home for them to accommodate the wheelchair, though he hadn't yet mentioned it to Cassidy, or taken into account how that'd really change the whole 'friendship' thing - once his head cleared, he'd have these things to ponder and worry over, and oh would he ponder. "I'm surprised she isn't fussing yet, in fact." Lanny braved a little grin in response, standing up only after she'd made the request of him to fetch Raine. "I'll be back in a sec." As he promised, Lanny was off for the other side of the door, where the only words he gave the three other men was in requested Raine from Johann - he gave very little indication either was as to how the confrontation had gone between Cassidy and himself. Once he had her, the young man was carrying right back to her mother, after which he'd prepared a bottle so she could have her breakfast.

Cassidy*Others

Johann didn't ask any questions of Lanny when the young man came out to fetch Raine; he gave the co-lead a look of questioning, but he seemed to know better than to let it go any further than that. Instead, he carefully and gently shifted the child into her father's arms and stepped back, again parking himself along the wall, indicating that he pretty well knew he wasn't welcome in the room just now. If Cassidy had sent for him, Lanny would have said that. So whether he liked it or not, Johann knew he had to wait out here for now - they couldn't risk upsetting her any more than she had been already today. And by the time Lanny returned to the room, Cassidy had returned to her bed and was laying back against the upright head of it, her face dry and eyes dry, even if the skin was a little pale and blotchy in places - she was calm again. She reached up to take Raine from him, cuddling the infant against her chest and whispering, "Hey, little one... ready for breakfast?"

Laurence Zelkovii

He was glad to see, upon returning to the room, Cassidy had wasted no time drying her eyes and looking about as composed as she ever did, minus the blotches that had yet to recede. Lanny let the two have a few moments to themselves now while he prepared the bottle, figuring that if there was anything else that would calm her down and make her feel better, it was to have her daughter back in her arms, where she could see and feel that her baby was okay. The young man didn't venture any more words until after he'd handed off the bottle and sat down again, and then he waited a few minutes before he tried as casually as could be to start a pertinent discussion, "You're going to hate me for saying this... but you're scheduled to be in a wheelchair for the next month or so." Mentally, he braced himself for whatever she might say, while he prepared to negotiate through this subject as gently as he could.

Cassidy*Others

With Raine's safety accounted for and herself calming more with the moments that went by, there was actually a small smile on Cass' face by the time Lanny handed the bottle over. As per her usual, the infant fussed and spat a bit, but the mother didn't seem at all disturbed, talking quietly to her daughter and getting her relaxed and eating in record time. "Hand me her rag, Lanny," she prompted, feeling the need to clean up the mess of formula that Raine had spread about. It was as she was reaching one hand out for the rag, while displaying an incredible amount of flexibility by holding the bottle in the same hand that she was using to hold Raine, that his words finally made it to her brain, and she froze for a second or two. Not wanting to overreact and freak out as she had earlier, she took a few seconds of silence to breathe and get calm before she answered quietly, "There's got to be another way. I'd go insane in one of those things for a day, much less a month."

Laurence Zelkovii

By waiting for her to be fully engaged with caring for and feeding Raine, Lanny figured he'd bought himself something of a buffer with her attitude. At least, that's what he hoped for - if she had Raine, she was less likely to get too worked up too fast, as long as the issue wasn't something over the little girl's welbeing. Doing as was requested of him in handing her the rag, and then taking time watching the infant eat, Lanny focused and keeping his voice as casual as he could, "Oh, it's not going to be that bad. She mentioned something about exercises, and I'm sure you'll be able to walk short distances." To try avoid the headache that he knew that this would probably be anyway, the young man tried to highlight what few things he could. "Look at it this way - you'll have me to wait on you hand a foot. That's a plus, isn't it?"

Cassidy*Others

He chose a powerful tactic to use against her - she could never hear humor in his voice or see it on his face without responding with a lightened mood of her own. "Perhaps I should charge admission to the apartment from now on - many people in town would pay a great deal to see the great and mighty co-head of the Cryptic Silvers brought down onto the level of waiting on his lessers." After that lightened comment though, she sobered a bit, and muttered, "I'll positively go stir-crazy if I have to sit down all day. I've nearly done it here... I've been flat on my back for a month or more. Doesn't that cut me any slack at all?" It was a given that she wasn't going to be happy about this, but despite her frustration, her touch was featherlight and gentle as she wiped formula off of Raine's face and chest, and at least she was much calmer now than she had been earlier - she was annoyed, not angry or fearful.

Laurence Zelkovii

Lanny snorted and replied in imaginary anguish, "You know I'm going to catch enough from the guys, don't rub any more salt in the wound." And it was true - he could just hear now how his brother and the other members of the gang would make jibes at his month-long house duties. Even when Cassidy was no longer bound to the wheelchair, there was still a daughter that would need just as much attention and care, which hadn't fully sunk into his head yet. "You know..." Again, Lanny tried to play it casual, and even found a non-existent bit of lint on his pants to brush away to distract his attention, "It might make things easier if we had a house. Just some little place, instead running up and down four flights of stairs." The young man didn't meet her eyes right away, and shrugged when he suggested this. "I mean, it'd be more room for Raine too. And no so many cockroaches to deal with."

Cassidy*Others

She darted him a glance. "Hey - I'm the one who has to be in a wheelchair forever when I can walk perfectly fine already. So you better be prepared to be humiliated, and entertaining." As much as it was a joke, this was her reluctant agreement that she would consent to the wheelchair - only because she'd promised Lanny that she'd be careful and take it easy for a while. She carefully did not react to his mention of a house, taking the moment to pull the bottle from Raine's mouth, which made her fuss a bit but prevented her from guzzling as she was doing. "Yeah, yeah - you cry now, but if I don't take it, you'll really hate the indigestion later," she told her daughter, waiting a few moments as the infant whined and fussed before she returned the bottle into the baby's reach, and spoke quietly to Lanny, now that she'd had a moment to collect her thoughts. "Finding a house that we can afford in two days or less is going to be a challenge," she murmured, proving that she wasn't adverse to the idea, but that she saw the financial bit as a significant problem. They didn't live in the apartments because they chose to, after all... they did it because they couldn't afford anything else. Although, if they pooled all of their funds, they just might be able to make rent or mortgage on a small house, if they were very frugal.

Laurence Zelkovii

"Okay - you win. Would you prefer that I wear a suit, as well?" He jested off of her comment of being a waiter during that month, yet despite all his groaning and complaining right now, he wasn't looking at the prospect of this work in a dismal way. Not yet, anyway. He was just happy that she was going along with it at all, and not putting up any excuses to get out of it. Now on to the other topic, Lanny's ambition about getting a house quickly faded, because he hadn't honestly thought about the money situation, though he also took the problem posed as a possible disinclination to move out of the apartments just yet. "That's true. I can always ask the Elders, but even then it might take some time..." The moment he thought about that, he was reminded that he still had to face them about this undefined relationship with Cassidy, and the fact that he was legally registered as Raine's father, and that wasn't something he really wanted to get into just yet. "We can always move to the first floor, if they've got a room open."

Cassidy*Others

With a facetious grin, the young woman answered, "A full tuxedo with tails should do the job nicely," and then faded off, returning her attention to the other matter - and also to pulling away the finished bottle and handing it to Lanny, and pulling the rag up onto her shoulder. Propping Raine on top of this and beginning to gently pat her back, Cass went on, "If they're not flooded. You know that this time of year they usually get bad from the fall rains." Of course, Lanny had already thought of that on his own - he'd been living there for just as long as she had, and knew all the problems with the aging and decrepit building. "At least that won't cause as much stir with the Elders though - they'd really ask questions if suddenly you wanted a house." Well, that proved that the whole relationship part of the issue was definitely on her mind, and that she was very aware that they might not be pleased to hear that Lanny's friendship with her had changed drastically from a brother-sister thing into something entirely else. "And they don't know that Raine's listed as Jones-Zelkovii yet - so they're liable to be upset with you enough without pushing it."

Laurence Zelkovii

"Penguin tails and all, huh? Count out the tie, and we might be settled on a deal here." The grin that had mostly been missing all morning was back, undamaged by the drama earlier, even if it was all still very clear on his mind. Now, if only the wheelchair issue could be solved, they'd have one more thing off their list of concerns. "I'm not looking forward to talking with them, to tell you the truth. And if they try talking to you, you let me know." He got a little more serious there, as if he could actually have any sway over them. In the least, he didn't want them cornering Cassidy on her own, without him there to try and deflect some of the pressure. "I'll call Sheryl later, and have her check out the rooms down there. Unless of course, you don't mind me and Johann taking turns carrying you up and down the stairs all the time?" The smirk brightened a little.

Cassidy*Others

She grinned a little, and murmured, "What's a penguin without a bow tie?" Of course, all of this was in good spirits and not meant even faintly in a serious fashion. She answered his next words with a soft smile, indicating that even as long as she'd been with the gang, she was still nervous of the Elders just the same as most of them were... and even moreso, considering that she was becoming more and more attached to Lanny every day. If the Elders approved of the strengthening of this relationship, it wouldn't be a problem, but if they disapproved... it wouldn't be pretty. She knew perfectly well that if they didn't believe that her relationship with Lanny was healthy for the gang, they would find a way to put an end to it, up to and including getting rid of her - on a permanent basis. They would not like to take that last step, as valuable as she was to the gang, but they would do it if there was no other option. That Lanny was nervous too, but still vowed his protection over her, spoke intently to the woman, and helped to calm her some more. "At least I'm not the only one wary of them," she murmured, and then darted Lanny a pseudo-dangerous look for his final statement. "You know I hate that, Lan - and if you'd ever been held up by someone else with your feet in the air and all of your weapons essentially pinned, you'd understand why."

Laurence Zelkovii

Lanny rolled his eyes emphatically, "You're enjoying this, aren't you?" When really looking at it, he knew that Cassidy had it far worse than him, as far as all the restrictions that would be imposed on her, but as long as they could talk about it in their kidding ways, he was more than happy to keep it a topic that they could tease each other about. That teasing ended when she reacted less than favorably to his last remark. He conceded by briefly dropping his eyes and nodded, "I'm sorry, I know..." Then he brought his blue eyes up again, fixing them with a more serious expression as he tackled this own hurtle, "But you know that you can't be walking up and down those stairs when she doesn't even want you walking." If it came right down to it, he'd carry her in the wheelchair if it made her more comfortable, though he figured that would take some teamwork with Johann, and quite the struggle to get them all up the narrow stairwells; but he'd do it.

Cassidy*Others

"You bet," Cass answered mercilessly, taking the opportunity to tease and kid while she could, because she knew that inevitably a serious topic would come up to put an end to their lighthearted conversation - like the matter of how to get her up and down the stairs. She heaved a giant sigh and paused in patting Raine's back to run a hand over her eyes, not particularly upset, but just kind of frustrated. "Alright, alright - but I don't have to like it. And if anyone so much as says a word..." She wasn't happy about it, but she relented when she clearly saw that there was nothing else to be done for it. If she couldn't scale the stairs under her own power, being carried by someone she trusted as she did Johann and Lanny was the next best thing.

Laurence Zelkovii

He shook his head, "It'll be a mum topic from this point on." Lanny wasn't looking forward to that part of it, not so much for the struggle it was, even for as strong as he was, to carry her up and down the steps. It was going to be difficult on account of her uneasiness with it, and there wasn't a whole lot he could do about that. Except, maybe, to change the subject, "I think we've got most things ready for her, back at the apartments. I even found one of those bath-seats the other day, which works a lot better than washing her in the sink." That probably didn't sound like the best thing to say, but as a baby and toddler, he'd been given baths in the sink rather than the tub, because it was so much more convenient.

Cassidy*Others

"See that it is," Cassidy answered him quietly. It wasn't so much that she minded being held - it was the feeling of helplessness and lack of control when she was held aloft that frightened and irritated her. As a person who was accustomed to having control of any and everyone due to her ability to shift through moods and read people's true intentions, she hated the feeling of having no control, which being completely supported by someone else gave her. It all went back to the trust issue... but thankfully enough, Lanny and Johann seemed exempt to that. If anyone else had suggested that, she'd have downright refused - at least she was willing to let the two men give it a try. And the young man chose an excellent topic to divert her attention onto - Raine was one of the few topics that she would endlessly discuss. Shifting the baby down into her arms again, now that she'd been thoroughly burped, Cassidy answered, "Sink baths are okay, but I remember hating them as a toddler. Johann pretty well bathed me in the sink until I almost couldn't fit in it anymore, and it got kind of crowded in there."

Laurence Zelkovii

The rare hug he'd enfolded her into moments ago supported in his mind the idea that this business of carrying her wouldn't be quite the monumental struggle it would have been otherwise. There was still a ways to go, but if she were comfortable turning against him for support like that, then they were at least on the right track. It still wouldn't be anything fun, but at least he didn't have to worry about getting stabbed or punched, or at the least, argue till they were both blue in the face about her not scaling the stairs under her own power."That's why I figured Raine could do for a proper bath. Plus, it cuts down on the water that's sloshed out of the sink - the less mess to clean up, the better."

Cassidy*Others

It was pretty well a given that her tears earlier, and the fact that she'd turned to Lanny for comfort, were among a long list of things that 'were not to be discussed under pain of death', but at least it did confirm the fact that her trust in the young man was growing steadily, which was saying a great deal for Cass. She was so jumpy and touchy about anyone who tried to get close to her that it was a miracle that he'd managed it. Of course, the fact that he'd been disposed to be gentle with her when she'd returned from her year-long sabbatical might have influenced that somewhat, but she would never admit to it. At the least, this meant that he had influence over her, and would be able to convince her more effectively than anyone else that she needed to mind what Dr. Marachek said. She didn't any of these thoughts as they ran through her head - instead, she nodded and told him, "That's a bonus in and of itself. It's going to be bad enough while she's little, but you wait until she gets old enough to splash."

Laurence Zelkovii

Lanny was more than wise enough not to bring up the whole hug thing, having a pretty good idea how she'd react that that. The fact that she turned against him for touch-support at all like that was still striking to the young man, but he would keep quiet on that just as he was going to stay mum on the stair issue. "Maybe I'll let you take care of bath time, in that case." He teased her, "And diaper duty." Not that he'd really put off those duties, which beside the task of changing multiple diapers throughout the day, everything didn't seem like a chore to him. Well, maybe the getting up at all hours of the night bit... but with two of them, it would be a bit easier to deal with.

Cassidy*Others

"Don't think you'll get out of it that easy," Cass answered, no more believing that he'd try to ditch diaper duty than he believed that she'd have thought he was serious. Raine made a gurgling noise and waved one arm erratically, her hand brushing briefly across her forehead, and the young mother smiled a bit. "Signing lesson one, Lanny - that means 'Daddy'." Thus saying, she offered the infant to him, not thinking about her words to Conan earlier - and the fact that Lanny had no way of knowing that she could either sign, or read sign language. And that would open up a whole different can of worms.

Laurence Zelkovii

A good nature mumbling was his reply to her, "Yeah, yeah..." It was all good and fun now, but come a few weeks into it, Lanny would really get a taste for just how hard and time-consuming it was to rear a youngster. He thought Randy was a handful; an infant was on a whole other level. "Ah.. so that means 'Daddy', does it?" At first, he assumed that this was just her way of joking again as she picked out a random fit of movements from Raine and handed the little girl off to her father. Lanny gladly took her, showing that within the past week, he'd improved greatly in his confidence picking the girl up and holding her. It wasn't until after he had her settled in his arms that the whole business of sign language struck him, and speaking in a calm but definitely inquisitive manner, Lanny questioned her, "Where did you learn signing?"

Cassidy*Others

Already knowing Lanny's voice pretty well, since she'd spent a great amount of time with him, Raine began to coo happily as she was settled into his arms and contently settled down to gnawing on her fingers, with a lack of anything better to do. However, her mother's smile disappeared and was replaced by careful evenness when Lanny inevitably brought up an unhappy topic - it hadn't occurred to her that her words would recall that little issue to his mind. She was silent for several seconds, trying to formulate a lie that would fool him, or a distraction that would turn his attention onto something else, but at last she found that she could do neither of those things. So finally she tried, very carefully, to tell the truth. "His father was deaf. I learned it from him." That should wake alarms in Lanny's mind - they'd had a very prominent enemy who'd been deaf, and whom Conan had also learned his signs from... Raven. And even though she didn't say the name or draw a line to him, the young woman was fairly certain that Lanny would pick up on the hint - particularly with the middle name that Dr. Marachek had provided for Isaiah a few minutes ago. He'd been too occupied and worried at the time to notice it, but the child had shared his father's family in more ways than his appearance - he'd taken his father's name.

Laurence Zelkovii

While Cassidy was silent in thought, Lanny was making goofy faces at Raine, since he didn't have any toys with him at the moment, but wanted to interact with her a little more. It was a touching, if not a bit comedic view of the co-lead, and it did well to cover up the questions that were picking at him from the inside. Those funny-faces froze in place almost as quickly as she'd spoken her response, connecting the dots in lightning speed now that he wasn't terribly stressed by anything at the moment. It was a struggle for him to keep his light eyes from being shadowed over by his feelings, "His brother?" With all the 'his' being thrown around, any outsiders listening in might be a bit lost, but between Cassidy and Lanny, the young man's reference was clear - Conan. Lanny know the younger teen's brothers very well, being part of the rival gang they were, and it didn't sit well with him that he'd had so much influence on Cass.

Cassidy*Others

The way that Lanny froze caused a stark paused in Raine's cooing - even if she wasn't near old enough to understand the words they were using, much less the heavy topics they were discussing. A moment later, the infant started up with a whine, which made Cassidy flinch, but couldn't make her look up. She didn't meet his eyes, or even try to explain herself or make excuses... she was struck silent. She wanted to say something that would magically make the problem disappear, or take back her words... or lean forward and lay a hand on his arm to try to explain. But she couldn't do any of those things. The only thing she could muster, through the tears that were trying to form again, but were being held back by her willpower alone, was a slow nod, delivered to her fingers where they were laying on top of the sheets. She forced herself not to twist and twine them nervously, but it was a struggle. She wasn't sure what to expect - half of her was fearing that the young man would be raving and angry... and the other half was just as fearful that he wouldn't say anything at all. That he'd leave and...

She closed her eyes and turned her face away. The tone of his voice and the words that he spoke indicated that he'd understood... beyond that, she could do nothing but wait for his reaction, and pray that he wouldn't hate her. To sleep with the enemy was bad enough on a gang level, particularly since she'd produced a Carlyle child from that joining. But she'd already told Lanny that she had loved Raven at one point - a love which he'd betrayed, and which she'd made him pay for by suggesting to Lanny and James that he was dangerous to the gang, and providing them with the information that had finally allowed them to put an end to the Carlyle brothers. She wasn't sure which to fear more - that his temper would come into play... or his denial, which would get him drinking again.

Laurence Zelkovii

Anger was the first thing that had roared up in his mind, feeling a certain amount of pain even though he'd already been told about her relationship with the enemy. She had been his friend for so long that he could not and never would turn this secret over to the rest of the gang, because it would mean her death. And still, he couldn't help that feeling that bit at his heart, as if she'd just told him this for the first time. The anger boiled within, yet it didn't escape the confines of his mind, or show more than a glimpse through his eyes that were staring past Raine for a few seconds. If only he'd looked up and saw how nervous she was, despite how much control she was displaying, it would have washed out some of that hurt.

The good thing was that he couldn't hold out this anger against Cassidy, as his brother might have done if he were in his place, but in Lanny, it fizzled out and gave into something else. The tension that could subtly be seen in his posture slackened, and his eyes glazed a little in a way that saw them completely lacking any anger. Distracting himself, the young man brushed his finger over Raine's forehead, and down along her nose, continuing to engage her while his mind was elsewhere. "It's not a big deal."

Cassidy*Others

"Liar." She didn't even hesitate; before ever Lanny finished speaking the words, she knew that they were a lie, meant to pacify her and make her believe that he wasn't upset with her. Raine quieted a little under her father's touch, though she still continued to wriggle every now and again to indicate that she knew something was wrong, even though he was still showering her with affection. Similarly, Cassidy's words were soft and quiet, even though she was internalizing so many things right now. "If you're going to hate me for it Lanny, then do it honestly. Give me a good smack and let the gang have its way... just promise you'll look after Raine for me." Her voice was hard - she expected anger from him, so she responded with cold, unfeeling harshness. She looked at him then, not meeting his gaze, but her eyes aflame with defiance. "You can do what you like, but don't you dare lie to me."

Laurence Zelkovii

Anger tried to flame again, but as it couldn't hold out against Cassidy, it was quick to fizzle away, after first getting Lanny to bristle a little. Raine became his focus, and through wiggling his finger against her hands and giving her something to grapple with, he was fairly successful at keeping himself from looking at Cassidy quite so soon. "Stop it, Cass. I don't hate you, and you know I'd never rat you out." He sounded a little bitter when he said it, but at least in these statements, he was speaking the truth. Unfortunately, that didn't hold out for the rest of what he said, even when he had the courage to look up at her, holding not fury in his vibrant blue eyes, but something that looked distant and troubled. "I said it's not a big deal, and that's precisely what I meant. No need to discuss it anymore." This was Lanny reacted in his typical fashion to something that hurt him particularly hard, but which he had no good way of dealing with. Most things he could handle, but there were just a few that really got to him, and apparently, this was one of those things.

Cassidy*Others

"Don't do that!" Her voice turned sharp, and she finally managed to force her eyes back up to his face, whether he would meet her gaze or not. At first, it wasn't too clear just what she was commanding him not to do, but after a moment, the words that burst out of her explained it. "Don't be quiet and nice to me when I know you're angry!" Well, hurt might have been a more accurate word, but she couldn't say it, anymore than she could mention Raven's name aloud, even though it had been clear just who they were talking about. "I've fetch you from enough benders to know that you keep things to yourself and beat them over in your head til you get drunk to get rid of them. Don't you dare get that way just because you're angry at me. If you're going to be mad at me, then go on and cuss me, but don't you dare do that."

Laurence Zelkovii

He couldn't meet her eyes yet, or face the feelings that he was abruptly pushing below and bottling up. "I told you, I'm not mad." The feelings were so contradictory, because on one hand he did feel anger at the situation, and hurt that she had been with Raven, yet he was also frustrated with himself for even being upset with Cassidy in the first place, particularly after she had gone through. Because he could handle neither of these things, it was much easier not to face them at all, which was precisely what he did, "I don't want to fight, alright? What's done is done, and there's no use dragging it out now." The young man didn't even touch on her comment about his drinking, which he'd been surprisingly good at avoiding in the last several months. Whether he'd turn to it again or not... that was to be seen.

Cassidy*Others

The young woman's face got even more harsh and craggy. "Well maybe I do," she challenged, even though she had kept her words low and soft to keep from upsetting Raine. "At least if you're mad at me, then you're feeling something." She wanted him to feel; too often she'd be sent to fetch him, to find him numb and cold, and so unlike the warmth she had become accustomed to in him. She'd rather have him content and peaceful all of the time, but she'd rather endure his anger than let him sink into that numbness again. She feared the numbness - she couldn't shake the feeling that one day he would fade into it, and not come back to her. And if that happened, and it was her fault... she knew she'd never forgive himself. "I want you to be mad at me Lanny. Do something, but don't fade on me like that." Her tones were softer and thicker, laced with a little pain and fear. She'd rather have him cuss and fight and throw things at her than not respond to her at all.

Laurence Zelkovii

Anyone who knew Lanny only casually would find it a surprise to know how suddenly he could go quiet and tune out his feelings, becoming an almost different person when he was fighting off the things that hurt him the deepest. He had an otherwise entirely healthy mind, if one could discount the fact that he was in a gang, and was regularly involved in the warfare and killing that went with the territory - but he had his down times, now and then, and they were drastic compared to his usual laid-back, joking nature. "I'm not mad at you, Cass, so you can quite asking about it." Lanny grit his teeth a little, getting flustered and showing the very emotion he was denying as having, and feeling so contradicted in arguing with Cassidy. He didn't want to, but he couldn't face his feelings enough to talk this out with her, so he met her at an unfortunate impasse, "I'm not fading anywhere, I just don't feel like arguing about this right now. It's done and gone - I should have asked in the first place."

Cassidy*Others

She met his eyes for several moments, silent because she wanted to say more but didn't see that her words were helping to confront the problem any when he was only turning them aside and refusing to let them sink in. Raine had long since fallen quiet, not fussing anymore but not cooing and giggling as she had been while her father was playing with her, and the silence was echoed by the new mother now. Cass continued to pin him down with her eyes, the intensity and keenness of her gaze a quiet but very firm reminder that she could read what he was feeling, even if he wouldn't admit to it. Normally, this gaze was enough to make anyone who knew the faintest bit about her look away... but after a moment, it was Cass who dropped her gaze, and closed her eyes. "Don't shut me out, Lanny," she whispered, hugging herself a little in a gesture that could have either been for the slight chill of the room, or the need for comfort against this heavy discussion. "I've only got you and Johann... I never had anything else. Please don't shut me out." She wasn't referencing her position in the gang at this moment, or the very real fact that it would only take a word from him before she'd have a hefty price on her head. No, she was speaking about the way that he was bottling up everything he was feeling, and drawing away from her. Not physically... but she could almost feel him receding emotionally from her as he employed his usual tactics to try to cope with the unbearable information she'd just shared. "Throw something at me or yell and leave the room... but don't shut me out."

Laurence Zelkovii

He had the capacity to keep going at this game, to turn away all the sharp words she through at him in her attempts to get him to lash back and admit to some of the feelings that he was trying so forcefully to ignore. And he would have gone on in this manner, deftly blocking each attack she threw at him for as long as he needed to; but then she took a different approach and it dug at the shell he'd closed around himself. Her fury he could take, but he couldn't handle the very same knowledge that Laura had tried to drill into him. This was hurting Cassidy. "Okay." It sounded rough at first, making it hard to tell whether he was about to relent to her, or making another statement that meant 'back off, I'm not talking about this'. A few seconds later, he finally looked up at her and repeated, only much softer, "Okay... I'm not trying to shut you out. I'll admit I'm upset, but I'd rather save this talk for later."

Cassidy*Others

Dreading that he would again insist that there was nothing wrong and try to get her to settle for that, Cass was pleasantly surprised when he finally relented once she backed off of her attack. She didn't quite connect that back to his belief that this was hurting her... she was a little too upset and emotionally involved at this point to read him as deeply as she usually could, and so the conclusion she drew was that he'd been protecting himself because she'd been attacking, and when she'd drawn back, he'd felt safe enough to speak out again. Which might have been part of the truth... but it hadn't been the thing that had finally decided him in relenting to her. Either way, it didn't matter - she was just as glad to note that he was willing to admit that this hurt him. Though she would have rather avoided hurting him at all, she would have been beyond upset if he'd have bottled it up and starting drinking again as a result; she'd enjoyed his sobriety over the past few months, believing that he was happier and thus had reduced his need for escape, and she didn't want to lose that. "Okay, Lanny... but just promise me that we will talk about it. Whenever you've got your thoughts set straight." This was a compromise she could accept; as long as she knew that he wasn't going to hoard all of these unpleasant feelings within himself until they drove him to the need to escape the thoughts, she would willingly let him delay the conversation until he was more sure of how he felt, and what he wanted to say.

Laurence Zelkovii

In his mind right now, he was grudgingly but sincerely putting the task to mind that he would talk about this, as much as it tore at him to do so. More than likely however, his resolve to do this would fizzle away quickly before he ever got around to addressing the issue at a later date, and then he'd fall back to his old trick of ignoring and repressing the emotions, and hoping that the planned discussion would be forgotten about by Cass by then, and not brought up. For now at least, he felt somewhat better for having met an agreement, and to be heading away from the talk, "I will." Quickly adjusting his focus more solidly on Raine as he looked back at infant, Lanny went back to patting a finger against her tiny hand, "Think we should let Johann back in, or stay out to keep Tyler and Scott company for a while longer?"

Cassidy*Others

The young man ought to have known better than to believe that she'd forget about this promise over time - despite the fact that she knew he would likely try to weasel out of it, she was glad to get the promise from him. At the least, she could bring up this promise later on as a way to convince him to talk. So with that topic sufficiently covered, and Raine again burbling and wiggling contentedly as she reached to grapple with her father's fingers, Cass could answer Lanny more calmly and normally. "When his fear over my protection outweighs his fear of making me angry again, he will venture in of his own will, no matter what Tyler or Scott, or you or I have to say. Give him time to get worked up, and he'll be in on his own." Translation: don't fetch him yet. Let him squirm a while longer.

Laurence Zelkovii

A bit of a grinning smile spread across his face, being amused by Raine's burbling noises. This, as much as Cass dropping the pressure she was putting on him, warmed the young man back up to his normal personality. "I thought I heard another lamp break in here." It might be a touchy subject, but he was trying to put it off in lighter context, and do anything to break abruptly away from the emotions just a few moments ago. "I don't think I've ever seen Tyler quite so alarmed as he was when I walked past him." The other young man's alarm had some to do with being caught out in the hall when Lanny had ordered him to watch Cassidy - but he had to admit, a great part of it had to do with Cassidy throwing a lamp at him and chasing him off.

Cassidy*Others

With Lanny returning to an attitude that was more typical of himself, Cass couldn't help but smile just a little bit - this was the sort of thing that she looked forward to, this jesting back and forth with him. "Eh... it fell way short. You know I'm a real crackshot with guns - apparently, that applies to furniture, also." This was her way of given him permission to shift the topic from the serious one they'd been discussing off onto something a little lighter and more friendly; it had been the joke of the gang for years about just how accurate she could be with knives, whether in her hand or as thrown weapons, versus her tendency to give out unintentional friendly fire if someone equipped her with a firearm. She had a small Ladysmith among her weapons, and could use the handgun pretty well in close quarters, but at a distance, she was just as dangerous to her own people as she was to the enemy. And she actually laughed at the thought of Tyler's reaction to how she'd pitched the object at him - it had landed at his feet in shatters, but she wasn't one to throw her temper about at random, and apparently he knew that. She was pretty well certain that it was not so much the lamp that had made him retreat, but the idea of just how upset she must be if she were angry enough to fling it at him.

Laurence Zelkovii

The young man shook his head, freely turning glancing looks to Cassidy between resuming his face-making with Raine. "We'll keep you with the knives, in that case." Everyone in the gang understood that this young woman was best with knives, whether using them in melee or throwing them will an accuracy that rivaled many of their most skilled fighters. Even Lanny's throwing arm wasn't terribly accurate, so much as it was powerful. He could handle a blade well enough at close range, but his specialty was in the small firearms. "And maybe we'll have the nurses replace those lamps with pillows, for the next time you want to chuck something." He couldn't help but grin more cheekily as he looked up at the girl again.

Cassidy*Others

She darted him a glare, but it was joking and unserious. "Pillows aren't as much fun... I can't brain anybody with a pillow. And it sure wouldn't scare Tyler as much." And she grinned a little at that thought - truly, she hadn't meant to frighten the guard, but she'd been a wee bit upset at the time, and hadn't been thinking clearly enough to understand that he was only following orders. She watched briefly as Raine waved her arms a bit in an uncoordinated expression of her excitement to have her father in a good mood again and playing with her once more, and then went on, "He backed off pretty quickly."

Laurence Zelkovii

Sticking true to his nature, the cheeky smile didn't leave as he ducked his head at the mock glare she threw at him, "Awww, but didn't you ever enjoy a good round of pillow fighting when you were younger?" Just like that, most of the tension had been lifted, and the argument put aside as they got back to the business of being themselves. The young man had to devote some more attention to Raine when she wiggled and flailed her arms briefly, getting him to laughed a little, "Where do you think you're going?" The silly faces were put aside eventually, even if he kept wiggling his finger whenever she might grab a hold of it, being constantly amazed by how tiny the girl's little hand was, "You might mention to Tyler later that a girl frightened him enough to disobey orders."

Cassidy*Others

"As if you wouldn't know," she quipped in return, since any pillow fights she'd had were with he and James and their cousins, since he had no relatives of her own aside from Johann, who was far too dignified and serious to indulge in such wild abandon with her. Still babbling and cooing as she chased Lanny's traveling finger with her hand, Raine had a look of intent thought on her face - she hadn't learned to smile yet, so she had a thoughtful expression to indicate that she was focusing intently on the moving blur. However, her head was turning and following his finger, indicating that her eyes were clearing enough for her to track his movements. And Cass laughed, as much for watching Raine's antics as for the hilarity of Lanny's comment. "I think he was embarrassed enough by that initially."

Laurence Zelkovii

"I admit, throwing a lamp would a lot funner than throwing a pillow. Not so much for the person on the receiving end, maybe." Cassidy in a mood to chuck things like that was almost unheard of by Lanny, but he didn't let his mind wander down that road for now, and instead kept everything towards the lighter end of it all. "I'd like to have seen his face." Lanny chuckled again, finding it humorous to imagine the tall, imposing young man as being wide-eyed and caught off guard like he was, even though the circumstances around the incident itself wasn't a laughing matter at all. "And look at her - she's getting pretty good at this game." As abruptly as he'd started one topic, Lanny went to a new one, this time turning the attention on the infant.

Cassidy*Others

"Then the person on the receiving end better know how to duck better than Tyler does," she answered, knowing that her lamp hadn't hit the guard only because she hadn't thrown it hard enough. If she'd thrown it a little harder, it would have hit him square, because she threw it straight, since she was used to throwing her knives. "I wished I would have seen it too," she giggled, able to put aside for now that she hadn't seen the expression on his face because she'd been turned against the pillow and crying. And as usual, talk of Raine was an easy way to divert her into a more jovial attitude; she smiled and murmured fondly, "Steady hands like her grandda," meaning of course Johann's steadiness, and not anything about her own father, since she'd never known him. The infant continued to turn her whole head, apparently not having enough coordination in her eyes just yet to follow his finger without moving her head too, but still steadily following the moving blur that was her father's hand. She let out an ecstatic squeal, and Cassidy laughed softly. "Exuberant little thing." Unfortunately, the noise stirred the resting boy next door, and in the next moment, his muttered, stuttery voice was heard, and then faded into silence as he apparently faded into signing. He didn't sound alarmed, but it bothered Cassidy enough to quiet her own laughter and listen intently, waiting for the voice to sound again... but it didn't. In the other room, Conan was signing again... Summer... what is that?

Laurence Zelkovii

"I'll have to remember to ask him about it." Lanny returned deviously, even though he wouldn't dare do anything like that in front of Cassidy. He most certainly would pick at his subordinate a little just for innocent laughs, but not when Cass was around - that would be cause for uneasiness, since it was so rare for her to fly off the handle like that, and he doubted she'd like to be reminded of it around the rest of the gang. "She's got a good set of lungs on her too. Listen to that!" Whether they were entirely healthy or not, due to premature birth, he didn't like to think about. But those lively squeals had to count for something at least.

"Those noises next door?" Summer had heard the squeals as well, but she hadn't reacted to them or showed any indication that she'd heard until Conan tried to speak to her. Showing him her utmost in attention, she patiently waited as he tried and failed to produce words out loud, and settled for the slower method of signing. "That's only a baby. Sounds like a happy one, at that." To the mother's ears, squeals were very easy to pick apart, between happy, excited, angry, and simple 'hey, listen to me make noise!' ones. Of course, she knew who's baby it was, after seeing Cassidy pass Raine off to Johann, but she didn't bring up any of that information, knowing how sensitive a subject it was.

Cassidy*Others

"You think she's got lungs now?" Not hearing anything else of Conan's voice from next door, Cassidy felt safe enough to return to speaking, and she continued with the light banter that they were both so enjoying. "You wait until she gets old enough to talk and is screaming 'Candy' and 'No!' and 'Daddy Daddy Daddy!'." She gave him a sly smile at that, knowing too well that he would love to have the youngster call him 'Daddy'... at least until she got a little older and starting yelling for him every time she wanted something.

Signing might have been slower for the boy, but at least it never failed him; his nearly-recovered voice had taken several steps backward, thanks to this little incident, but he didn't behave as though he were frustrated with it. Over a year he'd spent trying to build his voice back up after having lost it altogether that time, wasted in a spare few moments when his brain wasn't receiving enough oxygen... and now? Would he ever regain the ability to speak with relative ease? It was very questionable, but he didn't seem bothered by it. He signed avidly enough. 'A baby? It sounded like...' He paused, seeming to search for a word, but finally he finished out, '...something else.' And instead of elaborating on that, he changed the subject slightly, and then went on, 'When Raimi was little, he was so quiet... it wasn't until he got to be about a year old that he really let loose with his volumes.'

Laurence Zelkovii

"If she's this loud now, I can't imagine what she's going to be like on down the road." He mused with raised eyes. The young man had to admit that he was looking forward to the whole 'Daddy' bit, and was almost assured to make a better father than James might, at least as far as his control of temper went. The drinking bit, maybe not so much... but he was a tolerant fellow, and as long as he could avoid the pitfalls that led to his binging, he'd prove a capable caretaker. "I won't mind have a daddy's girl."

The woman looked thoughtfully confused for a moment, not sure what he was speaking on at first; until he mentioned Raimi, and she had to react quick to prevent any sadness from reflecting in her expression. More than Raine, Raimi was a sore spot for Conan, as fond as he was of the boy. The breakin and kidnapping of the boy was still as fresh in her mind as if it had happened only yesterday, but she kept those unhappy feelings at bay and went along with the conversation as long as the teen kept it open, "He's a smart little one, your baby brother is. At age one, you say? It sounds like he saved up all his energy until he could really carry on with it!"

Cassidy*Others

"It is a good thing that you are prepared for that," said a soft-toned voice from the door. Apparently having decided that he'd been out of the room for long enough, and hearing no lamp crashing or loud arguing to suggest that the young woman was still distraught, Johann had stepped back in, and was speaking quietly as though nothing had ever happened. "Because if she takes after her mother, that's exactly what she'll be - a Daddy's girl." Of course, not having a mother, Cass had never had an opportunity to be a mama's girl, but it was a soft and gentle enough comment. Cass gave him a quiet smile when his eyes turned to her, clearly looking for a sign as to whether his presence would be accepted or rejected at this moment; she turned her eyes wordlessly toward his usual place, indicating that he ought to resume it, and he did so, after first pausing to lay a fatherly kiss on her forehead, saying without words that he was glad to see her in better spirits than she'd been in earlier.

'I was teaching him his letters... his sign letters. We'd gotten to 'E' when-' He stopped there, and didn't finish, but he didn't display his upset - he forced himself to focus on how smart the little boy was. After all, five letters in sign language were impressive for a child of two who was only now learning to recognize the written letters. He learned quickly, displaying an intelligence that was sometimes reflected in Conan - though in the elder brother, it was expressed in cunning and survival skills, rather than the pure, innocent intelligence Raimi possessed. Rather than let the conversation sink there, he went on, 'He'll be spelling short words in no time.'

Laurence Zelkovii

Lanny looked abruptly over to the door, not really caught off guard by the voice, or aggravated that the man had at least heard the tail end of what he'd said, but the new voice caught him off guard nonetheless. "More and more, she's taking after you, Cass." He didn't really acknowledge Johann any more than a brief look, and then was back to Cassidy - after waiting respectfully for she and Johann to have their quiet moment. He hadn't really gotten over that bit about getting shot, and it was freshened in his mind with Conan being next door. On the good side however, he wasn't going to stir the pot more than it already was, since that would do little but shake the small foundation of people that Cassidy could depend on.

For as long as Raine had been gone, Summer and Collin both had appealed to the local authorities, to Atroe's government, and any sources they could reach to help them with the case - but all had fallen flat, thanks to the corruption in town, and the CrypticSilver's comfortable hold on most of the city's prominent figures. There was very little that the Wallocks could do but try, and try again. "And he'll be making conversation soon after that. Teaching them at a young age goes a long ways to helping their skills in the long run." She still talked in the way that Conan did; as if they had possession of the toddler as they spoke, and there was no question that they would see him soon. Summer did it not only to fall in line with the way Conan approached the discussion, but also as a reminder that she fully intended to have Raimi back with them sooner or later.

Cassidy*Others

"Heaven help the poor child then," the mother joked, and laughed out loud when Johann responded with a fervent, "Amen." She gave him a dirty look for it, but couldn't keep a straight face, instead, she pointed out, "At least she hasn't taken after her grandda yet - that might be even more frightening." He smiled quietly, and answered, "Watch it girl - I managed to grow up in one piece, and raise you up pretty well, if I do say so myself."

Even if he had been able to appeal to the power that be for help in retrieving his brother, considering the own risk it would place on his ability to stay with the Wallocks, Conan knew better than to attempt it; the officials here were so closely linked with the CS that it was a waste of time to try to convince them to help him get Raimi back - particularly when it was the co-head of the gang and the head's girlfriend who were so keen on keeping him close. It left them essentially powerless to get the toddler back - which his older brother had expected, considering that only Ryan seemed willing to try to see real justice served around here. Ever aware that the young officer could have easily reported the Wallocks to the state for keeping he and Raimi with them without legal permit, Conan had slowly learned not to be quite so afraid of him... These thoughts ceased abruptly when he realized that his mind had been wandering. Snapping back to attention, he told Summer, 'He is intelligent - it should not take him too long to master language.'

Laurence Zelkovii

Of all the cops, Ryan's morals were on the good side of things. He did have the habit of getting too emotional now and then when he was to retain a professional attitude - mostly with his anger getting him into altercations with suspects, or in the case of Conan and Raimi, skimming the law because his sympathy was with the family. They were minor things, and worked to give Conan and his family what meager protection he could offer. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to drop any lower under the law than that, or he might have helped Conan get Raimi back by force, and the Wallocks... since they couldn't talk the gang into handing over the child, there was little they could do either. "I should think not. It'll give him quite the head start for school, when he's old enough." The woman had planned ahead with this, even while Raimi was not with them. She couldn't quite see a way to get him back yet, but one way or another, she was determined to see it happen.

Conan

Conan was probably aware that Summer was deliberately speaking about Raimi in a positive, future-pending voice sheerly in order to encourage him, since she knew that he was so sensitive and attached to his younger brother. But if he was, he didn't let it be known that he was aware... he continued the conversation as if Raimi were here with them, and replied, 'I've read that children who are exposed to more things and more types of communication when young adjust better to new situations as adults, and are generally higher in adaptability and learning ability. Considering how varied and chaotic his life has been thus far, he should theoretically be a very stable adult.'

Summer & Collin

Things were still being spoken with relative ease, and Summer continued to take what clues she could from Conan to know whether it was alright to continue talking about Raimi, and when to stop if things started to go down hill. For now, she was getting nothing negative back from Conan, so Summer willingly continued to shed a positive light around the boy, "The environment they grow up around certainly has a great impact on shaping them. Anyone growing up in this city should be fairly well adapted for anything that life throws at them." That was particularly true for Raimi, who'd been in the middle of so much drama, particularly being swapped from one family to the other.

Conan

Yeah - a life of fear and learning that you have to take advantage of others in order to get by, the teen thought, but he didn't allow his fingers to express this. The bitter thought had arisen not only from the knowledge that his brother was being half-raised by a gang, and not knowing what he'd been exposed to due to that, but it was also due to the thought of just what was happening to the Wallocks. The two of them were the kindest, most honest people he'd ever known, and were quickly becoming just as important to him as were Aralyn and Raimi... but their sheer kindness and honesty were part of the reason why they were so poor and why they were a frequent target for the gangs, even before Conan had come to them. He kept these thoughts out of his expression for Summer's sake though, and instead answered, 'That's the theory - this place is certainly full of a great variety of people and places. And many ways to learn any number of unique skills.' His thoughts went to Tahmores for that one - a person he sort of trusted, but not as closely as he did the Wallocks - certainly, the wolf-boy's way of communicating with canines was a unique gift.

Laurence Zelkovii

Unfortunately for Raimi, though he was certainly well cared for and loved by the young family that had taken him, his life with the Zelkovii's wasn't nearly as rounded as with the Wallocks. His diet was random and not always the healthiest, and he was exposed to the occasional and very vocal arguments that went on between James and Sheryl, as well as the unfortunate habit of drugs that made his adoptive mother a neglectful guardian now and then. The Wallocks weren't perfect either, but their household was a very stable one, and very stress free for the most part, lacking the violence and tension that sometimes erupted at the apartments. "That's precisely why I've always enjoyed living here. It's not often you find a place with such unique individuals, and I'm sure Raimi and yourself will grow up to add your own talents to the mix." Now she was speaking on the future of both of them, projecting the vision that one day, they'd be done with all this fighting and drama, and could live without the fear of being attacked by gangs. It was likely a false hope, but one that she held onto very tightly.

Conan

The toddler wasn't aware that James and Sheryl were not the perfect guardians - at his young age, he couldn't make that kind of judgment of morals and values. All he knew was that Lanny was fun to play with, and that they did feed him and give him someplace to sleep and toys to play with, even if the meals weren't always nutritious and some of the toys likely not things that he was old enough to play with safely. The only thing he was aware of that was different in the Zelkovii household as opposed to the Wallocks' was the fact that he had never heard either 'Summm' or 'Collie' raise their voices, where as that happened fairly frequently between Sheryl and James. During these times, he could typically be found near Lanny, either engaging in whatever activity the young man derived to distract him - or clinging to him, if the argument got too loud or boisterous for the child to ignore. It was something he'd never experienced in the Wallock household, and he was discovering that he didn't like it. 'He likes blocks... I was thinking that I might find some scrap wood somewhere and chisel him out some of those log sets - you know, the ones with the grooves that you can build with?' Of course, they could have bought one, but Conan was ever aware of the fact that his adoptive family didn't have much spare money, and whenever he could make something himself, he always opted for that, because it was usually cheaper.

Summer & Collin

The one major benefit that Raimi had with the Zelkovii's was Lanny himself, who was not prone to the outbursts that his brother was, or caught up by the drugs that his future sister-in-law had gotten tangled with. He made it a point to pay a lot of attention to Raimi, and when he could, he took the youngster out about town, to the stores, out to the parks, and generally wherever he wanted. Unlike the Wallocks or Conan, he didn't have to worry much about being attacked. "He'd enjoy something like that. You might ask Greg to help you find some decent wood for that, I know he wouldn't mind." With most of the toys they family had being fairly weathered and old, either passed down through the ages or picked up at garage sales, a new set of hand-made toys would be a nice gift for the boy. "You might remind me later on to check the cabin. We use to have some things out there for Greg when he was Raimi's age."

Conan

'I'll remember that,' Conan promised, a little more comfortable these days with asking Greg to help him with things, particularly if they were for Raimi and not himself. Greg was someone he trusted on a level slightly lower than the way he trusted the other young man's parents, but on a greater level than Officer Sohmers - mostly because Conan was generally wary of policemen. This was not only influenced by the knowledge that most cops in this town were crooked, but also by what had been nailed into his head when he was a kid; not wanting their son to report his mistreatment to the authorities, Michael and Rayna Carlyle had drilled into his mind that police were all cruel and dangerous, and that they would take him away and put him in prison if he spoke to them - and they hadn't been shy about adding details about torture and being separated from the outside world forever. Conan had hated his life with his own parents, but at least it was a familiar torment, where he knew the rules and what was expected of him - the known pain was easier for him to accept than the potential for an unknown torment, so he'd obligingly avoided cops at all costs. 'I know that I have a chisel somewhere... it shouldn't take long to saw them into small pieces and place the grooves, and then sand them down. And since it sounds like I'm not going to be allowed to do much for a while, it'll give me an excuse to do this... I will not have to stand up to do these things.'

Summer & Collin

Compared to Matt, Greg was significantly easier to get along with, and seemed to have an instinctive know for when Conan was uncomfortable around him, and when he wanted to be alone. He was like his parents in many ways, being a fellow that was personable, friendly, and hard to ruffle, and was endlessly giving. Matt, on the other hand, could be overbearing from time to time, for all that he meant well. And Ryan... he certainly tried to gain Conan's trust, but he simply didn't have the time or the patience that the Wallocks did to work through the boy's feelings. And it didn't help that Conan was raised with a prejudice eye against the police as it was, with the power fear of pain and the unknown to keep him from getting too close to the officer. It was a fact that Ryan had found out the hard way when he once tried to wake the teen up from a nightmare, only to be attacked for his efforts. "That's one thing we'll have to talk about. I haven't had the opportunity to discuss things in detail with the nurses yet, but regardless of what they say, I would feel much better if you'd take things easy for a while."

Conan

At least the teen was slowly learning to trust again - rather like his next door neighbor, his ability to extend his trust to others had been marred very early. Though where Cassidy had been able to trust her family and not anyone else, Conan had been taught that he could trust no one, and it had taken over a year for him to learn that perhaps Collin and Summer weren't going to hurt him... so it was clear that he was more deeply effected than the young woman was by his early life. Privately, he considered it one of the greatest fortunes of his life that he had stumbled into Greg's house on that fateful day after rescuing Raimi - it had been a turning point in his life that had changed him for the better. Before, he'd always been alone, he and Raimi against the world - now, as small as it was, he had a family... a group of people who would support him and take care of him, and provide him with the love and care that he so desperately needed, but couldn't accept from anyone. He didn't think of it in so many words, but he was very aware that he'd been lucky to run into Greg that day, of all people. 'I do not know many things, but I do know a few things about health. I'm pretty sure they're not going to want me walking for a few days at least. And if I'm going to have to be sitting down for that amount of time, I'll need something to do.'

Summer & Collin

Summer had often reflected on the very some thing of how fortunate it had been that Conan winded up meeting Greg, where he could have so easily been met with a CrypticSilver or any one of their alliances. Had just about anyone else come across him, Raimi would have almost certainly been sent to foster care, forcefully separated from Conan and tearing apart one of the only bonds that he had with anyone. "That's a big one, I'd say. Stick to small things for the first week or so until you've recovered enough." Thinking ahead about their planned residence for the next few days when Conan would be out of the hospital, Summer smiled a little and added, "I hear Kate found a young wolverine kit the other day, who I'm sure could benefit having someone help feed him. With the creatures they have there, I don't think keeping entertained will be too difficult of a task."

Conan

'A wolverine?' He didn't know why that surprised him so, living with a liger in half-residence and feeding halfbred cubs on his off days; after all, wolverines were far more common and native to this area than lions. But as with all small creatures, he couldn't resist the thought of feeding a tiny wolverine kit with a bottle, and readily nodded despite the strange picture it painted in his head. 'So long as it isn't as wiggly as the seal pups they had at the rescue mission last month, I think I'll live through it - those seals wiggle so much and they're made of solid muscle - they'll beat you to death without meaning to.'

Summer & Collin

The woman had to chuckle a little with her nod, "You name a creature, and I can about guarantee at least one has passed through that house. I understand there is quite a set of records there." It was mostly Kate that did the record-keeping for the various animals, taking where the Lady had left off - and it was an impressive list of patients. "I think you'll find the wolverine kit quite a bit easier than the seals. Though my personal favorite is the fawns." The image of Conan trying to wrestle with the seals lifted the smile on her face, not only because it was a funny scene to her, but because she believed the work was good for him, and she strove to see him happy.

Conan

Animals and children: two things that Conan loved, and that he enjoyed being with. Of course, that was mostly because both animals and small children were as honest as anything - they didn't have manipulative minds or false intentions, didn't offer you candy and deliver a smack instead. They could be trusted upon without the fear of falling prey to betrayal, and that was why he held endless fascination for them; that he been why he'd become so attached to his parents' horses when he'd lived in that house - they were the only people in the household who never once tried to trick him or harm him in any way. And that carried over into this time in his life too - at least if an infant wolverine decided to bite him, it would give ample warning beforehand with snarls and snaps. It wouldn't pretend to like him and take a chunk out of him later. 'I have never found an infant of any kind that I do not like,' the boy signed, remembering cougar/lynx cubs, wolf pups, and even normal, everyday kittens that he'd bottle fed over the years. He'd even bottle fed a little colt that his parents' mare had birthed because she'd died before she could wean him; a colt that his parents had later sold, despite how close the boy had been to him, considering that the colt looked like his mother, whom Conan had missed very much. 'Even raised in the wild, the younger ones are quicker to trust, because they haven't been taught otherwise.

Summer & Collin

Without the kind of childhood that Conan had been forced to endure, Summer's outlook on others wasn't nearly so harsh, but then she did understand why he was the way he was. When one grew up in an environment like he had, distrusting people was a defensive skill that they could scarcely do without if they wanted to keep themselves alive and avoid the constant emotional stress of trying to trust in someone, only to have that trust betrayed. "They are innocent and all trusting in a way that is almost impossible to find in anyone else." The woman agreed quietly, "You treat them kindly, and they'll remember it; for infants, they're even more impressionable."

Conan

'Yes - that is why I have always liked them, the teen agreed, covering a yawn briefly. He wasn't tired; this was merely a response to the busy day he'd had. And the very next thing he asked was something that she would recognize as a positive in him. 'What time do you suppose they serve food around here?' He hadn't been awake most of the day, so he wasn't really sure what time it was, but if the boy was hungry, that had to be a good sign. Too often back at the trailer, he would sit at the table and pick at his food, moving it around on the plate to make it look like he'd eaten but consuming very little - so that he asked for food was kind of a big deal, considering.

Summer & Collin

Her eyes shown with a look of pleasant surprise to hear him questioning about food, "Feeling hungry?" The woman turned a requesting look to her husband, who'd spent the time quietly sitting on a chair nearby, catching only half of the conversation, since his knowledge of sign language was still in the works, and he otherwise felt intrusive staring at the boy's hands and trying to figure out what was being said. He was clued in by Summer's comment however, and stood up obligingly to help out when she explained further, "Honey, could you see about getting a menu for Conan?" And as he left to fetch that, she added a little quieter, "Or if you'd rather, I can see if he'd stop by somewhere and pick you something up to eat."

Conan

Shaking his head almost instantly when he was asked, Conan answered, 'Don't go to that kind of trouble over it - I've eaten things in my life far worse than hospital food.' He very nearly misspelled 'hospital', having to go back and respell the word in order to add the 'p'. Where he'd mostly been remaining calm and not revealing his fear of the hospital - other than his brief outburst against Charlotte earlier - this was a subtle sign that he still was very nervous about being here, and wouldn't really feel better about it until they were out of the hospital and as far away as four wheels would take them. But he didn't say anything, either aloud or through his fingers - she already knew that he didn't like it here, and he wasn't going to pester her about it when he knew that there was not a thing she could do. If the doctor said he had to stay here, then he had to stay... whether he enjoyed it or not.

Summer & Collin

Conan was so fluent in the silent language of hand signing that the little slip-up hadn't gotten past her attention, and reminded her that beneath his calmer facade and their idle chatter, he was still very much tense beneath it all. She figured that it was a major battle that the boy was currently fighting to keep his outward appearance the way it was, and as much as she wanted to reassure him that he would be fine here and that she was going to stay with him until he was permitted to leave, she didn't want to call out the subtle show of fear that he'd been unable to hold back. "It's really no big deal, and after all, he and myself will have to get something here eventually." It might be a minor thing, but if she could at least get him food that he liked, instead of the hospital grub, it was one little way she could do something to make him feel better. "I know the nurses might disapprove, but you just let me know if you'd like anything from the vending machine in the lobby."

Conan

'I'm not picky,' the teen answered, as if she wasn't already thoroughly aware of that. He would eat just about anything that didn't bite him first, though if he had his choice, he'd take veggies over meat. He wasn't quite vegetarian, but he did try to avoid meats if at all possible. But he never turned his nose up at anything that either she or Collin cooked, not only because he didn't want to hurt their feelings, but because for so long food had been as a punishment to him - most days he had gotten one meal daily, if that. So he never turned down food, no matter what it was... even when often, he turned the food about on his plate and didn't eat much of what was given to him. It wasn't that he meant to be wasteful - it was that his early life and his new one with the Wallocks were still doing battle against one another, sometimes.

Summer & Collin

She'd found after watching his eating habits enough that he seemed to prefer vegetables and greens over meat, and had adjusted the cooking to reflect that, as far as Conan's meals were concerned. Collin was the closer of the two to a vegetarian diet, and also the one who was more active in planting vegetables while Summer tended more to the other plants. "I'll have him stop by Applebee's after he's brought the menu back from one of the nurses. If you don't see anything appetizing on the hosptial's list-" The woman winked an eye, as a way of saying that she didn't think much of the food here either, "-it'll be just as easy to pick you up something from there." Eating out wasn't a very common thing for the family considering the cost, but every now and then they'd go to some quiet little diner, or order something to pick up, just as a little treat. And considering the circumstances here, Summer figured the teen could use something to distract him from the hospital, even if it was something as little as providing him with an alternative meal.

Conan

'Alright,' was his answer, making it known that he would give Applebee's a thought or two if the hospital menu proved inadequate - and privately, he was sort of thinking it might. He didn't think he would find a salad menu among the offered meals, and though he wasn't particular, there were things that he preferred if he had a choice. Plus, he kind of understood, on a certain level, that Summer was trying to bring some bright points into the unfortunate situation of his necessary hospital stay... and he knew also that she worried about him when he didn't eat enough to compensate for his tall and still-growing frame - not to mention his active lifestyle. If he wanted to be sure to finish his meal, in order to make her feel more secure and relaxed about his well being, real food might be the way to go. He could eat the hospital food, but he wouldn't be liable to finish it. With that worked into his mind in a way that he understood it, he ventured, 'So what time is it, anyway?'

Summer & Collin

Summer was always careful of not trying to push him too much with anything, trying to balance out his own wishes with what she thought would be best for him. She knew that if she gave him the choice, he would always pick the option that meant less work, money, or stress on their part, so it was a fine line between weighing his needs and not being too persistent as to make him feel pressured about it. When he agreed she said no more, and moved on to answer his next question, "Let me see..." Pushing aside one sleeve, Summer checked her watch and reported back, "A little past noon, no wonder you're hungry."

Conan

He smiled a little at that thought, finding an odd sort of humor in her words - he hadn't eaten all that much at supper the night before his collapse, even though the food had been delicious; he'd been in one of his moods where there was so much on his mind that he couldn't make himself eat. And of course he hadn't eaten the morning after, or any of that day.... and now that he was hungry, he was trapped in the hospital. He found a kind of ironic humor in it, but though he laughed a little, it was in the breathy, soft way that he had when he'd first come to them - this was a sure sign that his voice had taken some more damage during the time that he'd been without proper oxygen. 'And it's no wonder that doctor hasn't been on my case about meals before this. She's got a look she can take up that I wouldn't want to try to call out.'

Summer & Collin

The strange sound of his soft laughter might have dampened her spirits a little in the fact that it reminded her of the cruelties he'd suffered, but she didn't dare let it show. He had offered a laugh, and that wasn't something she could be upset about, "That's Laura Marachek, the same doctor we've taken Greg to since he was born. She's very dedicated to her line of work, and she doesn't put up with any fuss." She laughed some now, so that her statement could be taken as a humorous one, and not the potentially frightening thing it could have been for someone as terrified of hospitals as Conan was. "Here we are - thanks." Collin had returned from his short trip and handed the menu over to his wife, in in turn handed it to Conan.

Conan

Marachek... now wonder she'd looked familiar. 'Now that explains a great deal,' he signed, pausing for a moment to think about the implications of this whole business. 'She was my doctor too... when I was little. And she...' His fingers stilled there for a second, and though he didn't appear panicked by the knowledge that this was the same physician, he was solemn for a little while before he ventured, 'I guess she probably knows... about Ma and Da. Not that she ever did anything about it.' It was impossible to place a tone into his silent words, but his fingers stiffened a little from his usual deft mobility to indicate a slight bitterness - she'd known all along, and she hadn't done anything... well after all, he couldn't know that she'd tried to do something, and failed.

Summer & Collin

She hadn't known whether he would recall the name or not, and hadn't even thought about it until it was too late. Her expression softened from its pleasantness, becoming something a little closer to solemn. Even without tones to convey his feelings, the subtle way that his fingers worked to produce the letters and words told Summer plenty about his feelings. "She told us some about that." The woman informed softly, and decided at this point to place a hand to his shoulder before she went on, gently speaking to clear some facts up, "She tried sweety, she tried to alert the authorities, just as we're trying now to get Raimi back. But it was something beyond her power."

Conan

Provided with this new information, the boy was stunned past words for a few moments as he worked to process all of this. After a few moments, the fingers began to move again, more slowly to indicate that he was thinking even as he signed. 'She is one of the reasons I do not like hospitals. And that nurse is another - Charlotte, isn't it? I remember them well...' He paused for a few moments more, and then went on, 'The two of them have their own organization, centered through the hospital. It's like an underground power that passes under the radar of the public figures. They can do a lot without the city knowing...' Another long silence, and then he finally relented, 'I guess it's not their fault. But looking at it from a child's perspective, it's kind of confusing.'

Summer & Collin

"She has a lot of authority here in the hosptial." Carefully, without trying to sounds so much like she was going against his words, Summer replied with that summation. Because his fear was so potent of his place, and his mistrust of just about everyone so great, she didn't want to sound as if she were siding with the physicians, yet at the same time, she wanted to help him understand that they weren't the bad people he thought they were. "I know your parents did you wrong, and I don't know what lies they might have fed you, but these people here - Laura and Charolette at least - are good people. If I had the slightest feeling that they would harm you, I'd take you out of here in an instant." She gave his shoulder a small squeeze to emphasize her protection over him, "I would have never brought Greg back here had any of them treated him badly, but you can trust me when I say they've been nothing but professional."

Conan

He frowned a little, not at the words she said, but at the tangle of thoughts and things he'd been told that were swarming through his head at the moment. All his life, he'd been told that medical people were bad, and their actions had only proved that to his child's mind. Now as a teenager, he could make the rationalization that Rayna and Michael had told him those things to keep him from blabbing, and to further isolate him from any friendship or care, but it was still difficult to rewrite such a long history in his mind. 'It is difficult to know what of the things they told me were lies. I realize that most of it must have been... but then all of my experiences were always influenced by them, even after I ran away. Still are somewhat, if I am entirely honest.' The boy always tried to be as open and frank as he possibly could when speaking to Summer these days - she'd stuck with him through the thick and thin of his days with them, and finally he'd learned to place the greater part of his trust in the fact that she wanted to help him, and that had opened the door for more frank discussions between them. 'I will trust what you say... but it may take the rest of me a little time to catch up with what my brain says.' Translation: don't let anyone touch me while I'm asleep anymore. The reflexes were still there, and would come into play if given the right circumstances. Just because he made the conscious decision to trust her words didn't mean that his unconscious mind and actions would get the message so quickly.

Summer & Collin

"I'm glad you can see the truth of the matter. Your parents..." Summer's brown eyes turned down to the hand that was in her lap, taking a moment or two to organize what she wanted to say. It was a difficult to talk ill of his parents, even if she wanted to, and was fairly secure in the knowledge that he wouldn't care. But she took a careful rout anyway, and looked back up to him a second later, "What they did should have had them in jail for the rest of their lives. The things they did and said to you were evil things that no child should have to go through." By now, she was she he had figured as much, but she kept in mind that he probably didn't get the chance to be around any 'normal' families, aside from what he might see on the media, so she felt it was important to tell him this much, "You know that I'm more than willing to help you through this, and anything you need, I will do that for you." The somberness lifted by a degree, with her reply confirming that she would continue to watch out for him, and certainly keep the situation from earlier this morning from happening again.

Conan

He paused to listen to her, taking all that she said and considering it very carefully in his mind, still looking for truth in her words before he'd let them make it home to his heart. After a few moments, wherein he closed his eyes to set his thoughts in order, he looked back at her, and raised one hand to lay over where hers was on his shoulder, and began to slowly spell with the other. 'Unfortunately, they died before that could happen.' His fingers were shaking a little, which always reflected deep emotion in him, carefully contained in all but his hands. And his next words were slower, because he was almost ashamed - or afraid - to say them. 'I am regretful that they have died. Partially because they were my parents, for better or worse, and I wish that things might have turned out differently.' He paused again, apparently finding it very difficult to speak on this topic - indeed, his clenched his fist briefly to try to stop the trembling, though it didn't seem to do any good when finally he took up words again. 'But the greater part of me wants them alive so they can serve that prison sentence, and wake up every morning with the memory of what they have done, and go to bed each night and dream of it. Why should I be the only one haunted by those things?' Summer knew perfectly well that he had nightmares, but he'd never admitted it to her or seemed willing to discuss it, even when he woke screaming and knew perfectly well that she was aware of them anyway. He dropped his eyes, not meeting her gaze anymore, and his signs got smaller, indicating that he felt like he ought to hide. 'I know that's wrong... but I wish for it anyway.'

Summer & Collin

Hearing him speak of his nightmares for the first time, Summer knew that she'd reached a level with the teen where he was more trusting with her than he had been ever before. When he first arrived, she hadn't been sure if he'd ever get to a point where he'd open up about anything, and had fully prepared herself for that - her initial goal was to provide him with a place where he could be loved and protected, and make a little up for the life he'd had before. "No, it's not wrong to feel what you do, and it takes tremendous strength to admit it at all." She retained her gaze, flicking between watching his hands and looking to his eyes, even when he eventually dropped them and started to recede a little again, "I believe that karma has a way of righting things in the end; they may not have had to play for their crimes here, but they are gone now and have lost the opportunity to continue hurting you or anyone else." Summer rubbed her thumb over the side of his shoulder, trying to get him to relax a little, and always trying to remind him that she was there for him, "Vengeance will do nothing but hurt others and darken your own heart. You've got to try and let them go, and not let them rule your life anymore."

Conan

As ever when she spoke to him on these more solemn topics, the teen listened in intent silence. So many times over the past year he had found wisdom and understanding both in her care and her words, and he'd learned to value that about her. She had never lied to him, even when the truth was not easy, and to a boy who'd so often been lied to throughout his life, that was more valuable than he could express. At the same time though, she'd always been gentle in telling the truth, never speaking harshly or becoming belligerent about it, and he appreciated that to. These factors were the ones that had disposed him to speak to her about this topic, and they were the ones that made him listen now as she offered her views. He relaxed a little under the soft touch she kept running over his shoulder, and finally his fingers responded, 'That is why I am here, is it not? Because I have let their influence continue to disturb me.' Taking her words and instantly applying them to his situation in the hospital, he offered this reasoning, and then went on, 'You know that I will try to keep your words in mind, and do as you say. But I do not think that it will be easy.' There was a short pause, and then... 'Will you help me?'

Summer & Collin

When he'd first arrived in their care, Summer had initially thought about having them go together to speak with a therapist, but it had become clear very quickly that such an action wouldn't have ended on a helpful note for the boy. It didn't take her long to figure out that he had serious trust issues, and speaking with a complete stranger about the issues that bothered him the most just wasn't going to happen. From that understanding, Summer and Collin had done everything they could to help the teen trust them, from giving him space and security, to being there to listen if he ever wanted to talk about anything, and never once were they critical about anything he said or did; except, perhaps the issue of having weapons in the house. But even with that, Collin hadn't bluntly forced the teen to get rid of his guns, but simply let him know that he didn't like it. All of this effort and a year's worth of patience and caring, it was paying off little at a time, and had reached the point they were at now, where Conan was willing to seek the help he needed, and extend the trust to someone when he'd learned all his life that doing so would only result in being hurt more. "You always have my help. You're as much my son as Greg is, and there's nothing Collin or myself wouldn't do for either of you."

Conan

As it usually did, her promise brought some peace to him, allowing him to relax more thoroughly against the bed and treasure the marvelous sensation of having someone in his life that he could trust. He gave a deep sigh and closed his eyes for a few moments, signifying that he was placing the complete weight of his wellbeing and safety in her hands, which was quite a step for him. And when he opened his eyes again, he signed, 'Okay...' But what followed made it unclear whether that was meant to be a confirmation of her vocal pronouncement of how much she valued him... or something else. His eyes on the menu that had been provided to him, he spelled out, 'Applebee's.

Summer & Collin

With that significant development worked over, and the hope of further improvements stemming from that, Summer could smile more warmly now that they'd moved back to the discussion of what was to be done about food. "Applebee's it is." Once he'd decided that he'd rather take that over hospital grub, the woman took the menu back and put it aside, and addressed Collin again, "Can you see if they won't pack up a salad for Conan? And a..." Her face scrunched up thoughtfully while she dug into her purse to pull out a few dollar bills, to make sure Collin had enough to pay for the meals, "-oh, how about the tilapia platter for me?"