Chris slept in her horse trailer that night. Despite her weariness, she got little sleep. She tossed and turned but couldn't get comfortable. She blamed it on her gunshot wound.
She got up early the next morning and stomped around packing things up. Horse looked at her collecting his water bucket with apprehension and moved to the other side of his small stall. He snorted at her and hopped she would get over it soon. She didn't drive well when she was angry. She hit the brakes too fast, missed the clutch, and cut corners, not to mention driving way over the legal speed limit. It made it hard for Horse to stay upright in the jerking trailer.
Chris was having a hell of a time getting everything into the trailer. Her left arm was basically useless and most stuff could not be lifted one handed. She spent much of the time screaming and kicking things.
After a little while Chance came out. He approached slowly then carefully asked, "Do you want some help with this?"
Chris was on the verge of shouting, "No!" but she restrained herself and nodded.
Chance picked a large bale of hay and Chris tried to help but Chance just said, "I got this. Why don't you go get some breakfast."
"I'll eat on the road, I've been dying for a breakfast burrito," she grinned half-heartedly.
There was a loud banging coming from the garage followed by a string of curses.
"Why don't you go talk to Jake," Chance gently offered.
"I will later. Let me help you with this."
"I've got this. Go."
"You're not going to do it right," Chris said with little conviction.
"Go."
Chris nodded then took a deep breath and headed towards the garage. She walked in and found Jake shuffling through a pile of junk on the floor. He picked up a piece, discovered it wasn't the one he wanted, threw it down with a curse, then picked it up again. He was about the throw it down again when he glanced up and saw Chris standing at the door. The piece fell from his hand and clattered to the floor, "Hi."
"Hi," Chris gave a small grin then turned and wandered towards her truck, "So it runs now?"
Jake nodded, wiping his hands on a rag, "Yeah, better then ever."
Chris put a hand on the hood, "Good. Thank you." She turned towards him, "What do I owe you for it."
"Nothing. Its on the house."
"No, Jake. I need to pay you for this."
"I said don't worry about it."
"How much?"
"Why can't you just drop it? I said it's covered," agitation crept into his voice.
Chris forced herself to be calm, "I don't want to leave owing you anything."
"You don't owe me a thing. Trust me." He paused for a long time then added quietly, "If anything I owe you."
Chris sighed, "Fine. Ok. Thank you."
She climbed into the truck and backed it out of the garage, finding it somewhat hard to drive with her bad arm.
Jake sat down and buried his face in his hands.
Chance helped Chris hook the trailer up to the truck, load Horse, and take the pipe stall apart and re-load it into the trailer.
"Thank you so much Chance, for everything," Chris said once everything was stowed away.
"Yeah. It was great of me to shoot you wasn't it," he said, a little sarcastically.
"Hey, that's what friends are for, right?"
Chance grinned, "Yeah," he sighed, "Listen, Jakes' right. You don't have to go we could-"
Chris put her hand up, "Please don't make this any harder then it has to be."
Chance put his arms out and pulled her into a strong embrace.
"Thank you so much," Chris whispered.
"No problem. Have you said goodbye to Jake?"
Chris pulled away, "Not exactly."
"I'll leave you two alone then," he said, and walked towards the tool shed.
Chris sighed, and wiped her eyes. She found Jake sitting on the tool bench, staring off into nowhere.
"Hey," she said quietly, "I'm gonna go soon, so-"
"If you found something," he cut her off, "If you found something that you needed so bad that you didn't even realize it until it was gone. Would you let it go?" He spoke without looking at her.
"Please, Jake. I-"
"Would you?"
"This isn't fair."
"Would you let it go?"
Chris took a deep breath, "What are you going to do, lock me in the closet?"
"Just answer the question."
"Yes," Chris said firmly, "Yes, I would let it go."
Jake glared at her and opened his mouth to speak.
She cut him off before he could get a word out, "If it was best for me and for my friends, I would let it go."
He sat quiet for a long time then mumbled, "You're so selfish."
"Me? Selfish? Do you have any idea how hard this is for me? You can't look far enough past your own nose to see that-"Chris had to stop. She was beyond tears, beyond sobbing. She was close to a total breakdown. "I don't want to leave it like this Jake. I don't want my last memory of you to be the fight we had when I left. Do you? Is this what you want? I can put up a good fight if you really want to. Just keep pushing my buttons and-"
"No!" Jake shouted, jumping off the tool bench and coming close to Chris. "No," he said more quietly, reaching up to push a hair behind her ear, "I don't want to leave it like this. I didn't mean to," he took a deep breath and hugged her, "I'm sorry."
Chris stood stiffly against him, then slowly put her arm around him and pulled him closer.
"Can I kiss you? One last time?" Jake said into her hair.
Chris pulled away, but still held his hand, "No," she suppressed a sob, "I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to stop."
There was the sound of car wheels on gravel and a squealing engine. Callie and her old car pulled into its regular space in the garage and she stepped out saying quickly, "Jake you wouldn't believe the week I've had. The whole thing with the Pastmaster and now the car and the mayor wants this-" she stopped herself when she noticed Chris, "I'm sorry," she said sincerely, "Am I interrupting something?"
Chris looked away from Jake and turned to Callie, "No. No actually. I was just leaving."
Chris spent another moment looking at Jake, then she squeezed his hand, dropped it, and pushed past Callie to leave.
Callie watched her go then turned to Jake, "Who was she?"
"Chris," he said absently, watching the space where she had just been as if wishing hard enough would make her come back.
"What happened to her shoulder?"
"It was a, um, oh you know how it goes around here..."Jake mumbled noncommittally.
"Are you ok?" Callie asked her forehead wrinkling with concern.
"Huh?" Jake said, looking at Callie for the first time.
"Are you ok? You seem distracted."
"Oh, no. I'm fine."
"You sure?"
Jake took a deep breath, "Yeah. Yeah I'm fine." He forced a smile, "What's wrong with the car this time?"
She got up early the next morning and stomped around packing things up. Horse looked at her collecting his water bucket with apprehension and moved to the other side of his small stall. He snorted at her and hopped she would get over it soon. She didn't drive well when she was angry. She hit the brakes too fast, missed the clutch, and cut corners, not to mention driving way over the legal speed limit. It made it hard for Horse to stay upright in the jerking trailer.
Chris was having a hell of a time getting everything into the trailer. Her left arm was basically useless and most stuff could not be lifted one handed. She spent much of the time screaming and kicking things.
After a little while Chance came out. He approached slowly then carefully asked, "Do you want some help with this?"
Chris was on the verge of shouting, "No!" but she restrained herself and nodded.
Chance picked a large bale of hay and Chris tried to help but Chance just said, "I got this. Why don't you go get some breakfast."
"I'll eat on the road, I've been dying for a breakfast burrito," she grinned half-heartedly.
There was a loud banging coming from the garage followed by a string of curses.
"Why don't you go talk to Jake," Chance gently offered.
"I will later. Let me help you with this."
"I've got this. Go."
"You're not going to do it right," Chris said with little conviction.
"Go."
Chris nodded then took a deep breath and headed towards the garage. She walked in and found Jake shuffling through a pile of junk on the floor. He picked up a piece, discovered it wasn't the one he wanted, threw it down with a curse, then picked it up again. He was about the throw it down again when he glanced up and saw Chris standing at the door. The piece fell from his hand and clattered to the floor, "Hi."
"Hi," Chris gave a small grin then turned and wandered towards her truck, "So it runs now?"
Jake nodded, wiping his hands on a rag, "Yeah, better then ever."
Chris put a hand on the hood, "Good. Thank you." She turned towards him, "What do I owe you for it."
"Nothing. Its on the house."
"No, Jake. I need to pay you for this."
"I said don't worry about it."
"How much?"
"Why can't you just drop it? I said it's covered," agitation crept into his voice.
Chris forced herself to be calm, "I don't want to leave owing you anything."
"You don't owe me a thing. Trust me." He paused for a long time then added quietly, "If anything I owe you."
Chris sighed, "Fine. Ok. Thank you."
She climbed into the truck and backed it out of the garage, finding it somewhat hard to drive with her bad arm.
Jake sat down and buried his face in his hands.
Chance helped Chris hook the trailer up to the truck, load Horse, and take the pipe stall apart and re-load it into the trailer.
"Thank you so much Chance, for everything," Chris said once everything was stowed away.
"Yeah. It was great of me to shoot you wasn't it," he said, a little sarcastically.
"Hey, that's what friends are for, right?"
Chance grinned, "Yeah," he sighed, "Listen, Jakes' right. You don't have to go we could-"
Chris put her hand up, "Please don't make this any harder then it has to be."
Chance put his arms out and pulled her into a strong embrace.
"Thank you so much," Chris whispered.
"No problem. Have you said goodbye to Jake?"
Chris pulled away, "Not exactly."
"I'll leave you two alone then," he said, and walked towards the tool shed.
Chris sighed, and wiped her eyes. She found Jake sitting on the tool bench, staring off into nowhere.
"Hey," she said quietly, "I'm gonna go soon, so-"
"If you found something," he cut her off, "If you found something that you needed so bad that you didn't even realize it until it was gone. Would you let it go?" He spoke without looking at her.
"Please, Jake. I-"
"Would you?"
"This isn't fair."
"Would you let it go?"
Chris took a deep breath, "What are you going to do, lock me in the closet?"
"Just answer the question."
"Yes," Chris said firmly, "Yes, I would let it go."
Jake glared at her and opened his mouth to speak.
She cut him off before he could get a word out, "If it was best for me and for my friends, I would let it go."
He sat quiet for a long time then mumbled, "You're so selfish."
"Me? Selfish? Do you have any idea how hard this is for me? You can't look far enough past your own nose to see that-"Chris had to stop. She was beyond tears, beyond sobbing. She was close to a total breakdown. "I don't want to leave it like this Jake. I don't want my last memory of you to be the fight we had when I left. Do you? Is this what you want? I can put up a good fight if you really want to. Just keep pushing my buttons and-"
"No!" Jake shouted, jumping off the tool bench and coming close to Chris. "No," he said more quietly, reaching up to push a hair behind her ear, "I don't want to leave it like this. I didn't mean to," he took a deep breath and hugged her, "I'm sorry."
Chris stood stiffly against him, then slowly put her arm around him and pulled him closer.
"Can I kiss you? One last time?" Jake said into her hair.
Chris pulled away, but still held his hand, "No," she suppressed a sob, "I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to stop."
There was the sound of car wheels on gravel and a squealing engine. Callie and her old car pulled into its regular space in the garage and she stepped out saying quickly, "Jake you wouldn't believe the week I've had. The whole thing with the Pastmaster and now the car and the mayor wants this-" she stopped herself when she noticed Chris, "I'm sorry," she said sincerely, "Am I interrupting something?"
Chris looked away from Jake and turned to Callie, "No. No actually. I was just leaving."
Chris spent another moment looking at Jake, then she squeezed his hand, dropped it, and pushed past Callie to leave.
Callie watched her go then turned to Jake, "Who was she?"
"Chris," he said absently, watching the space where she had just been as if wishing hard enough would make her come back.
"What happened to her shoulder?"
"It was a, um, oh you know how it goes around here..."Jake mumbled noncommittally.
"Are you ok?" Callie asked her forehead wrinkling with concern.
"Huh?" Jake said, looking at Callie for the first time.
"Are you ok? You seem distracted."
"Oh, no. I'm fine."
"You sure?"
Jake took a deep breath, "Yeah. Yeah I'm fine." He forced a smile, "What's wrong with the car this time?"