" How could you be so careless?!"

He was madder than I'd ever seen him. I tried to choke out some comeback, but I was too upset already and he certainly wasn't making me feel any better. Of course I had expected a scolding from him, since he was the one who sold me the chicken in the first place, but he was being such a...jerk.

" You know, you can't put off your responsibilities when you're in charge of something else's life!" he continued. Carter gave me an embarrassed look, almost as if he were apologizing for Rick's behavior, and started to walk back towards the church. I had explained to them both what had happened, but it had only seemed to register with the father. It was almost like Rick had completely ignored what I'd said. " I should have known that you weren't ready for animals yet."

" You don't have to be so mean, Rick!" I finally stood up and yelled at him.

" You don't have to be so...irresponsible!" he retorted.

I was still crying, and I hated myself for not being able to stop. Not only had Carter seen me this way, and heard us fighting, but I knew that plenty of other people must have seen it by now, one of the disadvantages of living in such a small town. I was sure that Jeff or Sasha were probably watching us from the Supermarket window. Or Karen...who would more than likely sit and console Rick later on, reassuring his beliefs that I have little regard for the lives of the animals he loves so much. Doug had been coming down the street, and once he heard Rick yelling, politely pretended not to notice and took the long way around to the church.

Those who hadn't seen us would hear about it from their friends. I wasn't thrilled about becoming the town gossip.

" I told you," I took a step towards him, talking calmly and beginning to gather my composure again. " Everything was closed for the races, Rick...I couldn't get any medicine."

" Well why didn't you come find me?" he held out his hands as if I'd made the mother of all stupid mistakes. " I would have gotten it for you."

" I couldn't find you."

" Why didn't you ask Popuri? She was at the races with Kai. Or were you too busy having a good time? Or maybe," he laughed, crossing his arms, " you just didn't want to interrupt the happy couple, right?"

" I didn't go to the races! I was at home, trying to take care of my animals! You're impossible!!!"

I pushed him out of my way just a little too hard, and he almost lost his balance. I'd had just about enough of him, and I ran back to my farm.

I sighed and wiped my face as I knelt in the corner of my chicken coop, with Toto in my lap. She hadn't produced any eggs today, and I knew it was because she was depressed.

" I'm sorry." I muttered, stroking her feathers. She was fully matured now, but she still felt so soft...just like her mother. I truly regretted what had happened to Kiki. I hadn't anticipated the storm, and I couldn't even get out of my door because the wind had been so severe. I was lucky that Kiki was the only one to get sick...but I was dismayed. I'd done everything I could to get the medicine the next day, but, another disadvantage of small down living, everything had closed down so that everyone could enjoy the races.

It seemed like the most important people to me at the moment Kiki needed them the most had vanished from the face of the earth. Then, when Kiki died that night, all of a sudden I was in the bad.

" She looks pretty lonely."

I jumped at the sound of another voice, the last thing I had expected to hear sitting alone with Toto in the chicken coop. I looked up to the entrance and there he was.

" Didn't you have enough fun tearing me up beside the clinic?" I glared at him. I couldn't even pretend I was happy to see him, then, and I think he knew he was treading on thin ice. He held up his hands in a 'no offense, I surrender' kind of gesture.

" I didn't mean anything by what I said...I was just saying that she doesn't look very happy. I, um, went to the door but you weren't in the house, so I figured I'd check out here before I left. Can I come in?"

I wanted more than anything to tell him no, but I made the mistake of looking him in the face right as I was about to say it. He looked softer, like a completely different Rick, not the one who had just chewed me out in public.

" You know what I should say."

" I know." He spoke softly. " But I'm hoping you won't. I'll only take a minute, Claire..."

" Well, you can at least step in out of the rain."

Of course, being his typical self, Rick took this to mean that everything was going to be ok between us soon enough, and came to sit right beside me.

" After you left," he started, taking off his glasses to wipe away the droplets that had collected on the lenses, " Elli ran out the door of the clinic and gave me a real talking to."

" Elli?" I asked. I was a little surprised. I hadn't thought she would do that kind of thing, but I had noticed her becoming sweeter and sweeter to me during the past month I had started spending more time with Rick. I think it was because she realized I wasn't looking to rendezvous with Doctor like she had first suspected.

" Yeah. She said I was a real cad, for acting like I did, and called me all kinds of other names."

" So...you came here?"

" No, that just made me madder, so I went back to my house...right away my mother and Popuri started telling me the same things Elli had shouted at me. I went to take a walk to clear my head, but when I passed by your farm, I realized I couldn't leave this the way I did. You know, with...you."

" That was nice of you to try and make things right." I nodded, but didn't say anything more. The truth was it was kind of awkward sitting with him. I couldn't just be dandy and pretend the whole incident had never happened. It hurt me to lose my first animal, even without Rick's verbal abuse and making a spectacle of my failure.

" I have a temper sometimes." he said hesitantly, giving me a sheepish look out of the corner of his eyes. " A bad one. I guess that's the reason everyone keeps a safe distance from me, in case you hadn't noticed it..."

He laughed softly, quietly, like he was making himself seem amused at a joke that wasn't funny in the slightest. I nodded. At first, I had thought, making an excuse is exactly what you're doing, Rick, but there was something in the way he had mentioned his hot temper to me that made me feel like this had happened a few times before, with someone else.

" I, uh, didn't come here to deliver a sob story though. I was upset about Kiki, but the reason I acted the way I did this morning was because of something else. I came here to tell you that I'm sorry for taking all my problems out on you. I'll get going now."

He rubbed the back of his neck as he started to stand up, but I put a hand on his arm to prevent him from doing that just yet.

If he left now, then things would probably be tense and quick between us for a long time to come, and I didn't want to ruin what I had been trying to do for the past few weeks. Although Rick had first come off as pushy and overbearing to me, just like I assumed the rest of the town thought of him after all this time, after getting to know him a little after befriending Popuri (which was unavoidable, since he tried so hard to be involved in her life), I had started to genuinely enjoy his company.

" Would you come in the house, first?" I asked. " You're soaking wet, and I'm still the same way, from this morning...I mean, you'll get sick, you know? And whose going to take care of Popuri and Lillia if that happens?"

I forced a smile, and the look on his face made me glad I did. It was like I had given him a reprieve of some kind, like he was so glad to know he hadn't completely screwed something up for once.

" Yeah. I can come in for a second."

I put Toto down beside me on top of the hay and followed him out of the chicken coop. We ran through the rain, despite already being drenched, to get to the door of my home.