Jack Mcleod thought silently to himself as he attempted to entangle himself from Alex without waking him up, which was not too hard of a feat in itself.

For Alex Ryan though loud, energetic, and boisterous during the day was a deep sleeper, but would for some reason awake immediately if a noise other than his own breathing made itself known,

such as a person entering the young man's room.

Jack Mcleod was worried for Alex tonight though, due to the events that had taken place yesterday, and how he still didn't even know if his own younger brother nick would even make it.

All of a sudden Jack Mcleod upon entering the door of the mainhouse heard the phone ring,

"who would be calling at this hour?" he thought to himself but secretly knowing who it probably was.

Jack Mcleod answered with a gruff,

"who are you that would call during the middle of the night," and then listened for a response.

Jack had suspected right for the man was none other than Harry Ryan on the other end of the line.

"Jack," Harry stated in what Jack could discern as both a tone filled with rage, concern, as well as even… fear?

"Harry, what in the world made you to believe that it would be fine to call me during the middle of the night?" Jack stated a little angrily to Harry Ryan as he thought of Alex's own wounds and despair.

"where's Alex, Jack?" Harry asked almost sounding as if he was demanding to speak to his own son,

"Alex is asleep Harry and I'd like to keep it that way because he has a lot of work to do tomorrow,"Jack Mcleod finished bluntly sounding almost rude from the tone that which he had stated it.

"Let me speak to Alex, Jack!" Harry pretty much both demanded as well as even yelled out into the phone,

which caused Harry Ryan to receive many sushes and sounds for him to be quiet from what Jack could hear through the other end of the phone.

"It's the middle of the night,Harry" Jack finished with a sigh knowing that there was most likely no way that Harry Ryan was going to give up.

"Call back tomorrow morning around breakfast time Harry and I'll see if Alex can talk, but no later, because if he's staying here then he's going to be working and not jawing,"

Jack finished while meanwhile thinking of a way to keep Alex from having to talk to his father.

It was in a way truly sad that a boy had to be afraid of and even as well as made to believe that he had deserved a beating.

Sure Alex had deserved a strapping for what he had done to Nick, Jack would in no way, shape, or even form deny this fact.

But Harry should have calmed down before both punishing as well as before deciding Alex's own punishment.

Sure Alex had deserved the work on his own land because Jack Mcleod was a hard judge if one had to work under him,

no less than that which one could give. Alex had deserved also in Jack's own eyes a strapping,

but Alexander Ryan had not in any way deserved what could be described as nothing other than a mere beating and abuse from his own father, only to later convince himself that he had both deserved it as well.

As Jack Mcleod began to ascend the stairs he quietly and sadly thought to himself poor Alex, for Harry Ryan was not one to forgive, as well as that he would never allow Alex his own son to forget about what he had done,

and would most likely go as far as to make Nick his own personal favorite, when Alex had up until now most likely been his father's favorite, even if Alex hadn't realized this himself.

More than likely this would not be the case anymore, more than likely Alex would be humiliated and mocked by his own father, Jack Mcleod thought silently to himself while silently shaking his head in both disapproval and in disappointment.