I hadn't planned to write a story now, since I'm also posting in WIP, but as Lucy often said to Ethel, "I have an idea!" and with that, I had to start writing. Not sure where it's going, or what will happen when we get there, but here I go, posting with only a 7-post cushion. Scary . . .

But the story's not . . . scary, that is . . . and I hope you enjoy it!

Regina



Chapter 1

“How could something like this happen?” Lucy said, looking up and most whining in frustration, a combination of praying and talking to herself as she looked across the bullpen toward Sue’s empty desk. She was alone in the bullpen.

“I knew it was going to be a bad day when both the hair dryer and curling iron gave up the ghost at the same time, and my first gulp of milk was soured, and the toilet overflowed, and . . . oh, yes, there is more, but I won’t go there . . . but this . . . this was totally uncalled for.” Lucy put her purse back in her drawer and pulled a file toward her as she shook her head in worried irritation.

“Did you say something?” Myles said as he walked by her desk.

Lucy threw him a dark look, and said, “And just where have you been, Myles Leland, the third? I could have used your help around here a little while ago.”

“What? Why do I get the feeling I’ve missed something? When you start praying out loud and questioning the Almighty’s actions, I figure it’s time to stay away from you for fear of lightning strikes,” he drawled, giving her a sympathetic look even as his sarcastic tone slipped out before he could stop it.

“While YOU were out eating a tuna sandwich and doing . . . well, whatever it is you were doing, Sue took Levi to the park for a quick turn and then was going to go to the deli to pick us up some lunch,” Lucy began. “It was nothing she hadn’t done a million times . . . well a few hundred, before you accuse me of hyperbole again,” she said, with another glare as she saw his mouth open to speak.

“I still don’t see the problem. I take it something untoward happened on said trip that has been taken a hundred . . . nay, a million times?” he encouraged with barely concealed impatience, gesturing with his hands for her to continue.

“You could say that. While they were in the park, Levi was running after a squirrel, as usual, and Sue wasn’t paying attention, and about the time Levi came bounding up to her, a kid – a BIG kid – on a skateboard rammed into both of them! When they didn’t get back in plenty of time, I went looking for them in the park, and found them loading her up in an ambulance!”

“Is she OK? What about Wonderdog?” Tara asked worriedly, having come in on the tail end of the story.

“I guess I need to rephrase that . . . they were loading BOTH of them into an ambulance,” Lucy said, shaking her head. “I just got back from the hospital. They took Levi to the vet hospital after they unloaded Sue – she flashed her FBI creds and they assumed they were on a case or something. Anyway . . . She made me stay with Levi, since she was conscious and could talk to the doctors. Apparently, Levi has a broken right front leg, and Sue has torn ligaments in her knee and a slight concussion. After they got Levi out of surgery, I went back to check on Sue.” Lucy slumped in her chair and put her chin in her hand. “They’re keeping Levi for a few days, but they’re releasing Sue in the morning. They want to watch her to make sure the head injury isn’t worse than they thought.”

“Not to change the subject, but where is Jack?” Myles asked, not quite believing the afternoon Lucy had experienced. Knowing how their fearless team leader felt toward a certain blonde analyst, he was surprised that his name had not come up in Lucy’s narrative.

“Get this,” Lucy said irritably. “Jack left right after Sue did, at lunch, and we can’t get him on the phone. D’s trying to track him down, Bobby’s out looking for him, and nobody seems to know where he is.”

“I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation for his absence,” Myles said, trying to ease the tension for Lucy. He usually was the one to increase Lucy’s tension, but he had noticed a certain thawing toward him that he took as a good sign that perhaps, in time, she would forgive him for the way he treated her early in their acquaintance.

“Well, I’m ready to hear it, if there is one,” she said. Looking up, she saw Bobby breeze through the door, whistling.

“Well?” Lucy said, standing up and putting her hand on her hip impatiently.

“Well, what?” Bobby asked, a look of confusion on his face.

“Bobby! You were supposed to be out looking for Jack! Where IS he?” Lucy said, her voice escalating as she saw the grin appear on his face.

“Ah! Jack! I dropped him off at the hospital, with Sue. Wasn’t that what I was supposed to do?” Bobby asked, hoping that he had fulfilled the desires of this unknown virago that seemed to have taken Lucy’s place.

Lucy sat back down in her chair and groaned into her hands, which were covering her face. “Oh, Bobby. I’m sorry. Yes. That was PERFECT. What did he say? Where WAS he? And why wasn’t he answering his phone?”

“OK, that’s way too many questions for one sorry Aussie to try to answer all at once. Where would you like me to start?” he asked, dimples flashing as he winked at Tara, standing next to Lucy’s desk. He loved to watch the blush that seemed to appear every time he glanced her way.

“How about with ‘Where WAS HE?’ and we’ll go from there,” Tara said, picking up one of her fuzzy pens just to have something to do with her shaking hands.

“Hmmm . . . I don’t know that I’m at liberty to say,” Bobby said, a slight frown appearing on his face. “I’ll have to clear that with him, first,” he said, holding up his index finger while pulling his cell phone from his pocket.

“Jack, mate, am I interrupting anything? Oh . . . uh . . . sorry . . . anyway, Lucy here – you know the crazy woman who sent me after you? Yeah, that’s her. Lucy wants to know where you were when she was trying to find you, but I told her I didn’t know if I could divulge that. OK . . . well, I don’t . . . I see . . . totally understandable . . . righto . . . see ya, Jack. Hey, tell Sue to try and not move her knee around too much. I’ve had that – really painful, isn’t it?” Bobby laughed at something Jack said, and ended the call. Looking at Lucy, Tara, and Myles, Bobby hesitated before speaking.

“Bobby, am I going to have to get rough with you?” Lucy asked, tapping her letter opener impatiently on her paperclip basket as she strummed the fingers on her other hand loudly.

“Right,” Bobby said, pointing at Lucy as he swung into his seat with a loud creak to the tilt mechanism. “I am NOT at liberty to divulge Jack’s wherabouts . . .”

“With a snitch? On a case? What?” Myles asked, getting very curious, now.

“Uh . . . not exactly,” Bobby said, twisting his lips in a grimace. “He wasn’t answering his phone because he was otherwise occupied, and besides that, he didn’t have a signal.”

“What did he say when you told him what had happened?” Lucy said, curiosity winning out over anger at Bobby’s evasion tactics.

“You mean before or after he almost passed out?” Bobby asked, grinning from ear to ear. He hadn’t been told NOT to share Jack’s reaction to hearing about Sue’s being carried by ambulance to the hospital, so he decided that it would be worth his while to keep on Lucy’s and Tara’s good side – especially Tara’s – by feeding them just enough information to keep them guessing.

REGINAAAAAAAA!

You injured Sue and Levi? And then left us as curious as Lucy, Tara and Myles on Jack's whereabouts? Oh, I'm in pain! I guess I'll have to take 2 aspirin and let Jack take care of me while he's taking care of Sue. He is going to take care of Sue, right?

But I'm glad you've started another challenge story! Of course, going out of town next Sunday for a week will play havoc again with keeping up! I'm only just today starting to read and catch up from a 2 1/2 week hiatus and you add to my ever growing list of stories!

Lynn

I must say, I think Bobby knows how to handle the women on his team.

Can't wait for more!

Kim

Bobby REALLY likes to tease his co-workers, does he?!
But in the same time... he's teasing us!!! I wanna know where Jack was!!!
Okay... I'll wait until the next post...
In the meantime, Jack, can you do me favor? Take care of that wonderful woman of yours... (do you think it sounds good too? Woman of yours... especially when it is Jack's... )

Sue's HURT?

Levi's HURT?

Jack was MISSING? (I have vacation time I need to take, so I volunteer to go looking for him if he should disappear on her again. )

Bobby's a brave man, going up against Luce when she's in a state of exasperation. Either that, or an extremely foolish one! But he has information, so that makes him valuable. I think if we gang up on him, we can make him break. Anybody feel like interrogating the Aussie?

Oh, BTW, LOVED Bobby's info on how Jack reacted.

Tina

Count me in! I can practice on the Aussie for use on Jack later on!

Lynn

Interesting start Regina, very mysterious, but the good thing is that Jack is with Sue , maybe a little of this and this will be in the doctor's orders

Tere

You hurt both Sue and Levi?!

I don't know if I can forgive you for that.

And on top of all that, you had Jack missing with no phone signal?! Where the heck was he? The sewer?

Great beginning, Regina! I can't wait to find out what Jack was up to!

Lindsy

You BROKE Levi's leg????? That's it -- I'm reporting you to the Fanfic division of the Humane Society (or whatever your American equivalent is). Sheesh!!! What a way to start a story! And now you've left us guessing about Jack's whereabouts right along with the rest of the team. You have some serious fuzzy writing to make up for this, missy.

kav

What a way to start a story!!!!! I totally can't wait for more!

Em

I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that Mione will help you with the interrogation!!! LOL

Regina, you have come a long way from when you first started writing!! You now manage to get us all riled up in about 5 seconds from starting your story!! Levi has a broken leg!! Sue has a concussion and torn ligaments!! Jack was missing (otherwise occupied? I don't like the sound of that!)!! Lucy has had the day from Hell!!!

Okay, I'm going to keep a good thought about Jack's whereabouts!! Maybe he was getting a gift for Sue!! A special gift for Sue!! A very special gift for Sue!! A very, very special gift for Sue!!!

Welcome back to the challenge, Regina!!!

Joy

Did someone request some fuzzy writing? Well, this one is just moderately fuzzy . . . but it gets better as the story goes on! Don't worry about Levi . . . update forthcoming . . .

Thanks for reading, and for your comments!!!

Regina



Chapter 2

Jack turned back to Sue, sighing as he saw the tears rolling down her tired, frustrated face.

“Aw, Sweeth . . . um, Sue, what’s wrong? I mean, I know what’s wrong . . . . but what can I do to fix it?” Jack asked, her pain mirrored in his eyes.

“Jack, you can’t always fix everything. You couldn’t have if you’d been with me. That kid came out of nowhere, and so did Levi, it seemed,” Sue said, grumpily as she tried to get settled into the bed with a throbbing knee and a splitting headache.

“I may not be able to fix everything, but I can help now, if you’ll let me,” he said tenderly, taking a seat next to her hospital bed and reaching for her hand.

Sue sniffed loudly, feeling tears come more freely at the tenderness in Jack’s eyes, and the care he SEEMED to want to take of her. Why couldn’t she just accept help? Why did she have to be so independent? Why wouldn’t her head stop hurting? Oh bother.

“I can’t even go to the bathroom without help,” Sue finally said, plaintively, with a sobbing hiccough as Jack came toward her to draw her into an embrace, pulling her toward him as she gasped. “Oh! Jack! My knee!” she cried out in pain.

Cursing himself under his breath, he leaned back, stroking her arm, apologizing. “I’m sorry, darling. I can’t believe I did that,” he said, shrugging, pain evident in his eyes at the thought of causing her more pain. “I guess I thought hugs could cure just about anything, but in this case, maybe not,” he smiled slightly, hoping to see a glimmer of hope in her eyes. He knew that with a concussion, her emotions would be all over the place. He also knew that he would have to be careful. That ‘darling’ slipped out before he realized it. He wondered if she saw it . . .

She saw it . . . did he just call her ‘darling?’ Did he just try to hug her to make it all better? Sue’s eyes lit up a bit as he handed her a tissue to blow her nose and mop herself up, as the emotional crest subsided. “What about Levi? Is he OK?” Sue asked.

She had been in x-ray still when he arrived. When he and Bobby got to the room and saw it empty, he knew a moment of blind panic, which almost laid him out in the floor if Bobby hadn’t been there to see his knees buckle and his head sway.

“Levi will be fine, but he’ll have some recovery time ahead of him. His right front leg is broken, but they said it was a clean break, and that it should heal just fine. They put a pin in it to make sure it aligned correctly, and the doctor said that in six months, you’d never know he’d had a break,” he said, hoping that this would cheer her.

“How long will he have to have a cast?” she asked. Besides being her friend and beloved pet, Levi was, after all, her ticket to independence. He was her ears, her safety valve when out on the street, and her confidant when life seemed to continually throw her curves.

“The pins will have to stay in for four to eight weeks,” Jack told her, twisting his lips in a grimace as she closed her eyes at the thought of being without him that long. “But you know, Sue, you’ll be convalescing longer than that, so you won’t have to be without him at work,” he said, hoping that it would help.

“It would be different if I did this to myself as a result of chasing a bad guy, or at least being CHASED by a bad guy, but this was just stupid,” she said, tears gathering in her eyes as she looked at Jack. Sue leaned her head back on the pillow and let out a deep, shuddering sigh that touched him all the way down to his toes. “Thank you for being here, Jack. Have you noticed that you and I take turns being the ‘positive’ one in this partnership,” she said, smiling wanly at him as he reached over to straighten the covers on the bed. He didn’t trust himself to touch her just now, and he wasn’t sure if he was ready for her to see the deep red that he could feel coming up on his face.

“I’ve noticed,” he said simply, stopping his fussing with the covers to look at her. Once he caught a glimpse of her eyes, now that she had relaxed a little, he couldn’t seem to shake his away from them. “We complement each other pretty well, don’t we?” he asked, noting her change in demeanor. “Pain meds starting to take effect?” he asked, smiling as he saw the flush on her cheeks as her eyelashes started to droop.

“I think so. I’m having a hard time keeping my eyes open, Jack, and I want to be able to see you . . .” she said, frowning.

Stroking her cheek with his knuckles, he sat down and got closer to her face to talk to her. “Sweetheart, don’t worry about me. Go to sleep. You need it, and I’ll be here when you wake up. I’ll call and check on Levi, call Lucy and tell her what you need from home, and you just rest, OK?”

“OK, Jack . . . did you just call me sweetheart?” she asked, and then was out like a light, leaving a smiling Jack sitting next to her, holding her hand.

Yes he did!!!
Twice almost! And Darling!!!


And poor Levi. I've had him in surgery, you've broke his leg... somehow I don't thing this is what was invisioned for this challenge.... But thank goodness he's going to be just fine. I just hope he doesn't turn around and bite us for what we've put him through!

Tina

I hope Sue won't think it was an effect from the medication and she'll KNOW FOR SURE that she read him right...
And Jack, don't back off again when she wakes up : tell her you love her!!!

Six months?!!!! Whimper. I don't think I can read this out loud to my dogs -- it's just too traumatic!!!! Elsie has quite the crush on Levi. Oh - and...um...at the risk of sounding indelicate...just how do you plan on delivering said fuzzies when Sue is going to be out of commission for six weeks? No hugs? Definintely no canoodling. I supoose some chaste kisses might work (as long as there's no body contact)...sigh...now I understand the PG rating.

kav

A few more slips like that and the entire truth will be out.

Kim

That was delicious. (But poor Levi!) I'm sure Sue will feel like canoodling when she gets a good brace on that leg. Jack, just remember, where there's a will, there's a way.

Thanks Regina!!! Tenderness fuzzies, hope more and more romantic ones will come!

Tere

Well, you're getting there. My toes feel a bit warm, but that's about it. I think you're going to need to stoke the fire just a bit more, Regina!

Lindsy

Kav, just so you know, my sister's getting a really big kick out of your fussing at me . . . ! I'll try to deliver fuzzies, eventually . . . gotta let the poor girl recover a LITTLE BIT!



Thanks for the comments!

Regina



Chapter 3

Lucy couldn’t help but smile at the sight before her. Special Agent Jackson Samuel Hudson had a chair pulled up as close as possible to Sue’s hospital bed, his hands wrapped around her hand, holding it to his lips as he leaned his elbows on the bed, staring at her as she slept. “Hey, Jack. How’s she doing?” Lucy whispered as she knocked lightly on the hospital door.

“You don’t have to whisper, Lucy. If it disturbs her, she’ll wonder why we didn’t let some oversized adolescent mow her down a long time ago,” Jack growled, taking one of his hands and raking it through his hair. “She’s OK. They’ve been in to check her vitals, and they said she’s sleeping because of the pain medication, not the concussion. She’s probably doing better than me, at this point,” he said, shaking his head as he looked down at her, lying there, her hand curled in his.

Lucy noticed that he just couldn’t seem to put her hand down, completely. “Well, Jack, you seem to be taking good care of her . . . as her partner,” she said, one eyebrow lifted just a bit more than necessary, but getting the point across.

“Yeah, well . . .,” Jack said, flushing as he laid her hand down on the bed, feeling, suddenly, as if he had deserted her.

“Do you need to go home? I mean, I’ll be glad to stay with her for a while if you have anything you need to do,” Lucy said, seeing all too clearly the panicked look in his eyes as he looked from Lucy and then back to Sue.

“Uh, no, that’s OK, Luce. I told her I’d be here when she woke up, and I don’t want her to think I got tired of waiting for her,” he said, begging Lucy with his eyes to not ask any more questions, and to not try to read more into what he just said than necessary . . . even if she was right.

“Uh-huh,” Lucy said, twisting her lips into a smirk. “And, Jackson, just where were you this afternoon when I tried to call you? Bobby’s already told us you weren’t on a case, so what gives?”

“I was out of range, OK? I took a few hours of personal time, and drove out into the country. I had to . . . think for a little bit,” Jack said quietly, looking down at his hands, wishing they still held Sue’s.

“Jack? Are you OK?” Lucy asked quietly.

Jack hadn’t been quite the same since that fateful day when Sue announced that she planned to leave them. It was as if, upon that announcement, a light had gone out behind his eyes. It had started flickering, slightly, since she decided, after all, to stay, but Lucy had caught a glimpse of fear in his eyes when he thought he wasn’t being observed.

She watched him as he sat there. After a few minutes, she heard a deep groan come up from inside him as he covered his face with his hands, and then raked his fingers through hair that was already sticking up at odd angles before reaching back to massage the back of his neck in frustration.

“Jack?” she said again, this time a little worried.

“It’s OK, Luce,” he whispered, his eyes red-rimmed as he hoarsely answered her. “When we got here, to the hospital, we didn’t know the extent of her injuries. Bobby just knew she’d been brought here by ambulance, and that Levi had been taken into surgery. We got here, to this room . . . and it was empty . . . and the covers were perfectly straight . . . and her coat and purse were on the chair . . .”

“Jack . . . you thought . . .” Lucy began, realization dawning in her eyes as remorse for her teasing brought tears to her eyes as she saw this strong man begin to shake. Bobby had told them what he had observed, but had put a humorous spin on it. Jack didn’t.

“Yeah . . .,” he said, a glimmer of tears in his eyes as he looked at the sleeping beauty before him. Realizing that he didn’t care any more what Lucy, or anyone else, thought, he tenderly scooped up her hand and leaned down to kiss it.

“Lucy, I’ve been so consumed with how I’VE been feeling lately. I’ve been so selfish . . . I felt like she deserted me when she said she was going to New York. Then when she said she was staying, I was glad, but afraid,” he said sadly, continuing to stare at Sue’s calm, sleeping face.

“Afraid of what, Jack?” Lucy asked, not quite understanding.

Dragging his eyes from Sue to face both Lucy and his own fears, he looked up. “Afraid she’d leave me anyway, and if she did, it would be my own fault,” he said, letting one tear fall, and then another, onto the still, white hand that he held.

No wonder Jack is so emotional. That must have torn his heart in shreds when he saw her purse and coat laying on the chair like that.

Poor Jack... that must have been hard for him...
But on the other hand, I'm glad that he could talk to Lucy about it, and about the NY thing too. Maybe letting this out will help him get through it and finally voice it to who's concerned... SUE!!!

Oh...poor Jack!!! (could it be a possiblity that Sue opens her eyes and sees what Jack is saying )

Tere

Well I think that's just about as romantic as you can get without any canoodling or much body contact. First off thank you for this: Because I just know that if he had gone home and left Sue in Lucy's very capable hands, she would have woken up and thought exactly what he thinks she would think! Am I making myself perfectly clear?

Oh -- and while I feel for Jack over the scene that greeted him when he first arrived at the hospital I also think that he needed a little shaking up anhow...so now maybe he can find the courage to see past those fears.

kav

No fair making me want to hug the breath out of the man when he's in such an emotional state over Sue!!


That makes me think perhaps something 'extra' has happened to make him feel that way. I mean, beyond three years of longing looks and sticking his head in the sand. Beyond having our collective brain power sending subconscious suggestions to go ahead and kiss the girl, beyond explaining away every promising moment as a reaction to a situation or part of the undercover!!!!!! Oh what am I saying?? As if all that weren't enough to make him feel like she could just up and leave and give up on ever getting him to make a move!!!!!! OK, I just talked myself out of wanting to hug him... for the moment.

I know, I'm weak.

Tina

I'm posting earlier than usual today - busy day ahead! Thanks for reading, and for your comments . . . and Tina, go ahead, give in to that urge to hug the breath out of Jack . . . I think he could use a hug . . .

See you tomorrow!

Regina



Chapter 4

“Jack, I’m going to see Levi, with or without you. If you don’t want to take me over there, then I’ll call Lucy, or even better yet, I’ll just call a cab,” Sue said, jutting her chin out stubbornly as he tried to settle her into the front seat of the car.

He’d just pulled the car around to the front entrance of the hospital to pick her up. She had mentioned earlier that she wanted to go by the animal hospital to see about Levi, but he dismissed it, saying that the only place she would be going was home, to either her bed, or to the couch. No arguments.

“Sue, you’re not talking sense. You’ve badly injured your knee, you’re still feeling the effects of a concussion, and the doctor said that for AT LEAST three weeks, he didn’t want you to do anything. Do you understand? A-N-Y-T-H-I-N-G,” he fingerspelled for emphasis.

“Jack, Levi’s always been there for me. It won’t take long, and we would just have to stay a few minutes,” she said, lowering her tone a notch as she caught a look of worry in his eyes that made her wonder. Maybe she DID see him call her sweetheart . . . no, it was the pain meds making her think that . . . but he was still there, when she woke up. Lucy had come and gone, he said, but he was still there, asleep, holding her hand, slumped down in the chair. Sue shook her head as if to clear it. “Please, Jack. I just want to see for myself that he’s OK,” she whispered, tears coming to her eyes to the total undoing of one Jack Hudson.

Jack collapsed against the headrest of the bucket seat, closed his eyes and took a deep breath, and then swiveled his head over to look at her with resignation, and a sigh that she couldn’t hear, but she could see. “How about we make a deal?”

“What kind of deal?” Sue asked, sensing that she wasn’t going to get her way as easily as she thought, at first. She narrowed her eyes, trying to get a sense of what he was thinking.

“I take you to see Levi, and you let me help you during the day while Lucy’s at work,” he offered, seeing her frown in thought as she weighed her options.

“Jack, what about YOUR work? You can’t just spend every day babysitting me . . . can you?” Sue asked him, confused, and yet slightly mesmerized by his eyes and the touch of his hand on hers as he sat there, watching her, a wary look in his eyes.

“I talked to D this morning, and filled him in on the doctor’s report. By the way, have you talked to your mom yet? I didn’t think so,” he said, twisting his lips in a smile as he saw the wave of color wash across her face and an embarrassed frown appear between her brows as she concentrated on her hand being caught in his.

“I . . . didn’t see any point in worrying my parents. They’ve got their hands full with my brother and sister-in-law’s baby being due any time now. They’re taking care of the older kids, and besides . . .” Sue started.

Jack squeezed her hand to get her attention. “Besides, if your mom came, she would take over your house,” he laughed, loving the way the color rose and fell when she was caught out. “Sue, I know that within a couple of weeks, you would be fine taking care of yourself, but Levi may be another proposition. He’s going to have to be taken out, with a broken leg, pinned, and in a cast. To be completely honest, there’s no way you and Lucy can handle getting him in and out of the apartment for the next few days, especially. I wouldn’t even want your mom to have to do that. He’s no lightweight, you know,” he said, smiling at her.

“And who’s fault is that, I’d like to know,” Sue said, smiling ruefully, and then sighing in resignation. “Thank you, Jack. I know when I’m beat. You’ve convinced me I need the help, but what about work? I mean, you can’t just use up your sick time to take care of me, and on top of that, why should you?” she asked, curiously emboldened by what she thought she had seen on his lips the night before.

“D’s going to put me on compassionate leave, since you and Levi are my partners, and since you don’t have family nearby. If something major comes up, I’ll be available, but otherwise, I’m Jack, and I’ll be your servant for the next three weeks,” he said, lifting her hand to his lips and bowing in the confines of the vehicle. “As to why? I’ll let you work on that one on your own. Ready to go see Wonderdog?” he asked her. He wasn’t sure who really won the argument. He just knew that he had taken full advantage of her weakened state, and yet she had gotten her way, too. Talk about a win-win situation.

Regina, I just caught up!! This just keeps getting better and better!! Of course, not the part about Levi and Sue being hurt, or Jack's near collapse thinking thoughts he shouldn't have jumped to!! But, I love how he couldn't help calling her Sweetheart and Darling, and I love that Sue saw it!! I love that he has taken compassionate leave to help her the next three weeks!!!

The part that is making this better and better?? Jack's going to take care of Sue for the next three weeks!!!

Joy

Yep, a win-win situaton if ever I saw one.

Hope our turtle boy will do something in the 3 weeks



Tere

I just love win-win situations!

Kim

Three weeks? Three full weeks!!! A lot can happen in three weeks, like

Oh -- sorry, I thought for a minute there he was talking to me! Be still my heart!!!!

Regina...you might just be s-l-o-w-l-y creeping back up on my being in my good books ricter scale. You'd nose dived right off the charts when you broke Levi's leg...but seeing as how useful that broken leg might just become...I'm raising you...say twenty points...you're still hovering under the half way point (on accoount of the crazy animal lover I am) but you'll be happy to know you're coming along just fine...in case you worried or anything.


kav

Somehow I thought you'd all like the idea of Jack being Sue's servant for three weeks . . .

Thanks for reading! Hope you like this one! Time to check in on WonderDog!

Regina



Chapter 5

Levi’s tail began to wag as soon as he heard familiar voices within range, which was pretty much as soon as Sue and Jack walked in the front door of the clinic. Sue was on crutches, which limited her mobility greatly, but she was determined to make this one stop before going home and succumbing to having someone take care of her.

The veterinarian, Dr. Scott, smiled as he showed them through to the kennel area where Levi was in a crate, his front leg bound up in a cast from above his knee joint to the bottom of his foot. Sue’s eyes filled with tears when she saw him.

“Oh, Levi, what did that kid do to us,” she whispered as she reached through the door of the crate and saw Levi struggle to get up to greet his mistress and Jack properly. “Careful, boy.”

“He’ll be moving pretty slowly for a few weeks,” the doctor began, taking note of her condition, “as will you be, from the looks of things.”

“I’ll be helping out with Levi,” Jack told him as Sue gave all her attention to Levi. “Doc, how long do you need to keep him?”

“Considering what Sue’s been through, as well, I can keep him for another couple of days. He’s no trouble, and you may have your hands full with THAT patient,” Dr. Scott said, chuckling. “She’s just gotten out of the hospital, hasn’t she?”

Jack looked at Sue, fussing over Levi as best she could on crutches, and smiled. “Yeah. She insisted on coming, and I had to make a deal with her – I would bring her on the condition that she let me help her with Levi over the next few weeks.” Jack shrugged, trying to distract from the flush he felt rising on his face. In the eyes of many, he’d caved in completely, and gotten the short end of the stick, but he knew better.

The doctor raised and eyebrow in a smirk, and then laughed out loud. “Sounds like Sue and Levi won’t know what’s hit them by the time this is all over. Seriously, Jack, Levi will be fine, but it would have been hard on Sue to take care of him with two good legs. There’s no way she could have handled him like this,” he said.

“I had a feeling. Thanks, doc. I’m going to try to get the human patient out of here before she convinces me to bring him home today, too,” Jack said, reaching out to touch Sue’s shoulder.

“Ready to go? You look like you’re about to drop,” Jack said, when she smiled up at him weakly.

“You do know how to sweet-talk a girl, Hudson,” Sue said, lifting her eyebrow at his statement. “I wouldn’t use that line too often if I were you. Might not get you the results you want from girls with TWO good legs.” Sue laughed at the sarcastic grimace on his face.

“FUNNY, YOU,” he signed, and then spoke. “You promised just a few minutes. We’d better go, because I can already tell your pain medication is going to wear off before we get there, if we don’t leave in the next couple of minutes.”

“I’m ready. Thank you, Dr. Scott. I just had to see him for myself,” she said, shaking the doctor’s hand.

“Not a problem. We’ll keep Levi here for a couple more days, and then he’ll be released into yours and Jack’s custody,” he said, noting the surprised look on her face, and the quick glance and smile on Jack’s as he walked to Levi and gave him a good rub around the ears in preparation to leave.

“Hey, Levi, you be good, you hear? I’m counting on you to help me out with this lady in a couple of days, OK? We’ll both put our brown eyes to good use, and she won’t know what hit her, will she?” Jack said, his back to Sue, who wondered what was going on when she saw the doctor begin to shake with laughter.

“Why do I feel like everyone is conspiring against me?” Sue said, shaking her head. “Lucy said that these dog day afternoons aren’t good for much, and I’m starting to agree with her.”

Jack simply smiled at her as he watched the vet tech close Levi’s crate, and escorted Sue out to the car, placing her into the passenger seat gently.

“Just look on these dog day afternoons as your summer break from school. We’ll eat popsicles, watch TV, play all we want to, and take a siesta any time you want. Sound OK?” Jack asked her, smiling as he looked deeply into her eyes as he clicked her seatbelt in place by her side.

“Sounds nice,” she said, “but why are you doing this for me?”

Jack simply smiled at her and said, “because, sweetheart, Levi and I made a deal, and I have to live up to my end of the bargain.”

He did it again. He called her sweetheart, and this time she knew it wasn’t the meds talking. “Um . . . uh,” she began, not able to pull her eyes back into her head as he reached over and caressed her cheek.

“What is it?” Jack asked her, seeing her go somewhat off-balance.

“First . . . did you just call me sweetheart? And second, what kind of deal are we talking about, here, between you and Levi?”

“Why don’t we save this conversation for later, after we get you home, get your medicine, and get you a nap, OK?” he said, putting the car in reverse and backing out of the parking space. Right now he was concerned with DC summer afternoon traffic, thinking about what to fix her for supper, and how to convince Lucy that he really needed to stay there, at night, on their couch, for the time being. Ah. That might be the tough part – convincing LUCY that they needed his help. While she was all for Jack invading SUE’S space, she might not be so ready for him to invade HERS . . .

Funny post Regina!!

I think that maybe Lucy could go with Alice

Tere

Regina, that was a cute post!! And, he did it again - called Sue sweetheart!! And, he doesn't seem to be backing off or bumbling, does he?? This is going to be very interesting!!!

I think I'll just run ahead and talk Lucy into letting him stay at their apartment!! Afterall, it is in the direction she wants them to go!!! LOL

Joy

Dealing with Lucy should prove very interesting

And Jack, you don't want to have the "sweetheart" conversation while Lucy is around

Lucy? She's a smart cookie, and one that will recognize the benefits of having Jack close at hand. Besides, she can't carry Levi around, now can she? Just picking him up when he's got four good legs would be a challenge, and when one of them is encased in hard plaster (good for clunking people in the head) it'd be downright impossible. There Jack, feel free to use any or all of those arguments if need be. And if she still has a problem with it, just put those baby browns to use on her too!

Tina

I'm beginning to feel sympathy pains for Sue. She's going to be hurting something fierce by the time she gets home. I love a take-charge Jack and I'm sure he will have no problems with Lucy.

kav

Jack, just use those Baby Browns and Lucy will be like putty in your hands.

Kim

I agree

As for the hard-worker-matchmaker-Lucy, you'll have no problem!
I hope he'll include in their sweetheart conversation three little words--I-LOVE-YOU!

Catching up on three posts Regina and i have to say I feel kinda bad for Sue. Everyone else seems to be planning on what's best for her right now and while i wouldn't be complaining much if Jack ever offered to take care of me, something tells me that there just might be a breaking point in there somewhere. But of course, I'm a pessimist.

Maybe Lucy will have a sudden urge to go visit her Grams...

Lindsy

The "sweetheart" conversation is coming, but not in this post. In the meantime, you've all wondered what Lucy was going to say? Let's find out, shall we? Somehow I don't think Sue, on pain medication, just home from the hospital, is going to care WHO takes care of her for a little while . . . but I think she'd definitely pick Jack, don't you?

Thanks for reading!

Regina



Chapter 6

“Well, now, if THAT isn’t an interesting sight . . .” Lucy said, giggling in the doorway of the kitchen. There was Jack, dressed in well-worn jeans and a t-shirt, barefoot, in her kitchen . . . cooking, of all things.

His eyes shot up at the sound of her voice. “Hey, Luce. I didn’t hear you come in. I guess I’m as used to Levi’s warnings as Sue is, anymore,” he shrugged, smiling at her as she came in and started looking around at the mess he was making.

“What are you doing, Jack?” she asked softly, a smile on her face.

“Well, I made a deal with Sue. She made me take her to check on Levi before bringing her home. The only way I would agree to it was for HER to agree to let me help out with him while you’re at work, after he comes home tomorrow. I guess I should have talked to you first, but it was kinda spontaneous, and I wanted to get her home without too much of an argument,” he said, his face reddening as Lucy’s smile got bigger and more suspicious.

“Jack Hudson, tell me you didn’t pay that oversized skateboarder to run her down so that you could take care of her,” she teased.

“Very funny,” he said, and signed FUNNY, YOU at the same time.

Lucy’s eyebrows shot up at that. Jack had just signed without even thinking about it. This accident may be an answer to prayers, after all, Lucy thought.

“How does roast beef sound for dinner? It’s one of the few entrees I know how to make, because you just put it all in a pot and bake it. Mom saw to it that I wouldn’t starve when she figured out that I was going to be pretty picky about who I married,” he said, shaking his head as Lucy laughed.

“Sounds wonderful, and smells wonderful. Did you find everything?” she asked, almost disconcerted at how ‘at home’ Jack was in their kitchen.

“Yeah. I asked Sue all the questions I could think of before she took her pain medicine and went to sleep. At least I didn’t have to worry about waking her up banging around in here!” he said, smiling.

Lucy laughed. “Sue is probably the best room mate I’ve ever had. She was so worried about the accommodations I would have to make for her, but really, I think she’s made more concessions than I have. I guess that’s just Sue, though, isn’t it?”

Jack looked into the living room at a sleeping Sue on the sofa. She was worn out from their little trek to the animal hospital, and it didn’t take long to convince her to sleep. “She does that for all of us, Luce,” he said, choking up a little even as he smiled.

Clearing his throat, he said, “Lucy, we need to talk about what will need to be done to take care of both Sue and Levi. She won’t call her mom because of her brother’s baby being due any time, and there are going to be some things that she will balk at before she’ll let ME help her. I’m not stupid. I may be slow, but I’m not stupid,” he smiled as Lucy’s eyebrows went up again at his words.

“Jack Hudson, I think you’ve had an epiphany of some kind, haven’t you? OK, I’ll stop. You’re right. If D’s given you some time off, I’ll accept your help during the day, and at night, well, we’ll play that by ear, OK? I’ll help her with the personal stuff like helping her in and out of the tub, and that sort of thing, and with her crutch, as long as there’s somebody around to help her up, she can manage everything during the day. What did the doctor say about Levi?” Lucy said.

“The first few days he’ll have trouble with the stairs, so I’ll need to be around to take him out. The thing is, even after Levi’s able to get up and down the stairs, Sue won’t be able to. I carried her up here today. There was no way that knee was going to take it,” he said, glancing in to check on Sue, and then looking back at Lucy. “Lucy, I need to ask you something, and I need to know if I’m overstepping my bounds here. You’re Sue’s best friend . . .”

“Besides you,” Lucy said, smiling slyly as Jack flushed a deep red.

“ . . . well, um . . . OK . . . anyway, would it bother you if I stayed here at night? I’ll be fine on the couch, and that way I’ll be here for both Sue AND Levi. What do you think? Will she be OK with it?” Jack asked.

Lucy could almost feel the insecurity that was in Jack right now. Thinking back to their conversation in the hospital, once again over a sleeping Sue, she realized that Jack wasn’t just in this to help a friend, and he wasn’t in it to further HIS cause. He was in it because he loved her. As long as she had hoped that this was the case, it was almost hard to believe, now that it had, apparently, come true.

“Jack . . .” Lucy said, reaching out to touch his hand slightly.

“Yeah, Luce?” he said, looking at her.

“You love her, don’t you?” she whispered, staring at her team leader with a look that bordered on disbelief.

“You know, Lucy, for somebody that’s been trying to throw us together for nearly four years, you sure are slow on the uptake. And I thought I was slow,” he said, shaking his head as Lucy started bouncing up and down on the stool, covering her mouth to stifle the squeal of glee that immediately came to her lips.

“Have you told HER yet?” Lucy asked, her smile getting bigger by the moment.

“No, not yet. I’m kinda hoping that this will give me the kind of opportunities I need to show her as WELL as tell her,” he said sheepishly. “I want to win her heart, Lucy. I haven’t done a very good job of taking care of it, so far.”

“Jack, I think you’ll find you won it a long time ago. She just needs to know that you love her, and she needs to see the words coming from you,” Lucy said, gently. “Men and women are different like that, you know. Men have to be SHOWN something for proof, the actions speaking for themselves, but women want to be TOLD the motives behind those actions. It’s like one step farther that men have to go to make sure a woman knows she is loved. It’s not that complicated. We just expect to be told AND shown. Does that make sense?”

“Yeah, it does. Thanks, Lucy. Hey, if you want to relax a little, I’ll get the rolls put in before I wake Sue up,” Jack said.

“You know, Jackson, I know Sue appreciates it, but I could get used to this treatment every day after work! If we had another bedroom, I’d almost suggest you become one of our room mates!” Lucy said, with a giggle.

“Lucy, I hate to tell you this, but there’s only one room mate I want, and she’s asleep in the next room,” Jack said as he winked at her, reaching over to turn on the oven.

“Hey, it never hurts to ask,” Lucy said, handing him the package of rolls before heading to her room to change, a knowing smile on her face.

Now Jack, you know what to do: TELL AND SHOW!!

Tere

Oh Regina, I have never read a more satisfying reveal....the conversation just flowed and Lucy curbed her tongue and only teased a little bit and Jack was endearingly uncertain and the only way it could have been more perfect was if he had had the conversation with Sue!

kav

You know at some point I wasaffraid that Jack would denied his love once again when Lucy asked him...
But !!!
It was adorable the way he couldn't stop checking on her from the kitchen...

Oh boy!

Kim

And there you go. Easy as pie (Chocolate, if anyone's baking...) and twice as sweet! Lucy knows when to back off and she's definitely not crazy enough to turn down the presence of a man who can cook! Roast beef tonight, roast beef sandwiches tomorrow, Hash (whooops, Jack doesn't care for hash, does he)... never mind, I bet he has other talents that will come in handy....

Tina

Yes!! Jack is VERY talented, I'm sure

Em