Caleb rode intently down the long stretch of road, glancing over his shoulder at his current company. 'Come on Rose, who taught you to ride? I thought girls were supposed to be just as good as boys at everythin'' he yelled sarcastically, goading a reaction from her.
Rose forced her legs to peddle faster and disregarded the nauseous feeling in her stomach. She had not expected a visit from Caleb so soon after lunch and had certainly not realised he would want to race. 'You watch your mouth Caleb Temple, you don't want me tellin' Gail what you said!' she yelled, then smiled as his smug look disappeared for a moment at the threat.
Caleb slowed down slightly to allow her to catch up to him and regarded her affectionately, smiling when he saw that she understood he was only joking. 'Caleb Buck I'll have you know and my Momma would be just as disappointed in you for not tryin' harder to beat me' he smiled, giving her a gently nudge with his elbow and winking at her playfully.
Rose laughed at his casual attitude and slapped him playfully across the back of his head. She enjoyed how relaxed he had become over the last few months, it was as though he was finally comfortable in his own skin and the confidence just radiated off of him.
'That's what happens when you find where you truly fit in and I ain't lettin' anythin' mess that up' Caleb advised, reading her thoughts effortlessly, then brought his bike to an abrupt stop when he spotted the white Volkswagen Beetle as they came to the Hospital.
'What's wrong?' Rose asked concerned, taken aback by his abrupt stop and following his line of sight.
'I dunno yet, but I wanna find out' Caleb responded curiously, then turned his bicycle and rode towards the entrance of the Hospital with Rose following close behind him.
Gail drummed her fingers impatiently on the dashboard of Lucas' navy blue Crown Victoria and stared out of the window, forcing a pleasant smile for the residents who caught her eye line. They had been driving around for close to an hour, patrolling the safe streets of Trinity and her boredom was beginning to increase. 'You could've at least grabbed the bottle of wine on our way out' she sighed finally, unimpressed by her Husbands decision to ground her like a child.
'Well you will parade around with no common sense in places that you shouldn't' Lucas responded to her thoughts, revelling in her irritation of being stuck with him on his patrol.
Gail laughed at the comment and shook her head in disbelief. 'Says you who provokes all sorts of unwise people just to watch them break' she retorted, pointing out that she was not the only one who was flawed.
'Jealous?' Lucas asked amused, knowing his social experiments would intrigue her as much as they did him.
Gail regarded him defensively for a moment, then saw the playful glint in his eyes and smiled, intrigued by his behaviour. 'And if I was?' she asked curiously, suddenly wondering what his game was.
Lucas smiled at her realisation that this was not a punishment and moved his hand to the inside of her thigh, stroking her smooth skin teasingly. 'I said you get to keep me company, that means with all of my day to day activities...providing you can behave that is' he winked, sensing her intrigue and knowing exactly how to get her full attention.
Gail let out a low moan as his fingers trailed further up the inside of her thigh and bit her bottom lip subconsciously. She was not used to him willingly allowing her access to his more private activities and although she should be disapproving of his true nature, she could not hide her desire to watch him truly work. 'Alright Sheriff, I'm game and I'll behave like a good girl should, I promise' she smiled, leaning back in the seat as his fingers reached her sweet spot and letting out a loud moan when he began to play.
Lucas laughed at her acceptance of him and turned onto a deserted road, to enable him to focus on pleasuring her fully. If she was truly as bored as she seemed, he would have to give her something to occupy her mind; however, right now he wanted to focus on his own desires, in case her acceptance of him faltered when he truly allowed her to see him.
Caleb wandered the long corridors of the Hospital with Rose by his side and smiled charmingly at the Nurses who watched them. He had been with his Father many times when he had walked these corridors and he had learned that a little charm went a long way in getting you accepted, meaning less questions were asked and it was easier to gain access to places that would otherwise be restricted.
As Caleb approached the Nurses Station not far from Matt Crowers office, he smiled pleasantly for the Nurses who continued to regard him warmly and was able to walk past the patients waiting to be called, disregarding the appropriate order of things.
'We can't just barge in' Rose whispered in his ear, nervous with how the patients were looking at her.
'I'm Caleb Buck, I can do what I want' Caleb advised confidentially, then gave a courteous knock on the door before entering the office.
Matt had just finished with his patient and handed the man a prescription slip, before signalling for him to leave. He did not react to Caleb's uninvited entry to his office, he was more concerned by the impromptu visit and moved closer to the children to inspect them. 'Is everything alright?' he asked when he could not see any obvious sign of injury.
Rose stared wide eyed at Caleb, unsure of what to do and attempted to hide behind him.
'I've got an awful pain in my head that I can't shift...I didn't wanna bother Mom with her workin' really hard, so I thought I best come straight to you Doctor Matt' Caleb lied feigning innocence, then smiled when Matt led him to the chair in front of his desk without a challenge and began carefully stroking his forehead.
Rose shook her head at how easily Caleb had been dishonest and moved back towards the corner, hoping to remain invisible.
'How long has it hurt? Did you wake up with it?' Matt asked, reaching for his thermometer to take his temperature.
Caleb shook his head instinctively, remembering what Gail had taught him about being hydrated when he was riding for prolonged periods of time and forced a pained look for Matt. 'I guess it started about two hours ago, I noticed it when I was ridin' and thought it would just go away' he shrugged, trying to sound genuine.
Matt regarded Caleb carefully and shook his head when the thermometer did not show anything out of the ordinary. 'How long had you been riding before then? Have you had anything to eat or drink?' he asked disapprovingly, not seeing a backpack.
'You know, I don't reckon I have...Have I done somethin' wrong?' he forced a sad look when he saw the disapproving way Matt was regarding him. Gail would never allow him to go riding without refreshments and Caleb was surprised that Matt did not realise that. He had picked up lunch with the money Gail had given him to get him through the day, and had instinctively hidden his backpack with his drinks and food in under a seat further down the corridor.
'Of course not-' Matt softened and cursed himself for projecting his disappointment onto Caleb when it was the boys parents who had failed. '-I'm going to go get you something to eat and drink, you wait here until I get back and don't move' he ordered, then exited the office to go to the canteen.
Rose stepped out of the corner and went to Caleb, regarding him suspiciously. 'What are you doin'? You can't just lie like that to Doctor Matt' she scolded, not comfortable with what she was witnessing.
'A little white lie don't hurt anyone' an unfamiliar voice stated from behind them and the children froze.
Caleb regained his composure before Rose did and stood up to address the intruder. When he turned around he saw the strange woman he had seen earlier and took a sharp intake of breath, unable to make his mind think clearly.
'Cat got your tongue?' the woman asked, amused at the was the boy was looking at her.
Caleb felt his darkness stir within him and a wave of confidence surged through him. 'No Ma'am, I'm just not accustomed to a stranger stickin' their nose into my business' he responded in a voice unlike his own and watched the woman curiously.
The woman smiled at the boys confidence and flicked her long blonde hair over her shoulder, then folded her arms over her chest and regarding him seriously. 'I couldn't care less about your business, but that little one clearly does' she advised, nodding towards the pretty girl beside him.
Rose did not like the way the beautiful woman before her held herself and forced herself to stand tall, in an attempt to project some confidence.
'My girlfriend has a right to care Mrs?' Caleb asked before Rose had a chance to speak.
The woman regarded the boy suspiciously, seeing something familiar in him and then let out a long sigh, bored of this waste of her time. 'Mrs Callahan and I'm here to see Doctor Matt Crower' she answered, hoping this meeting would have been quick.
Caleb smiled charmingly at her and made a mental note of her name. 'Well Mrs Callahan, as you can see there's a whole host of patients waitin' to see Doctor Matt and they were all here first, so I suggest you get in line' he said smugly, sensing her impatience, then laughed when she just turned around and left.
'What was that about?' Rose asked when they were alone again, not liking the exchange at all.
Caleb inhaled deeply and took in the beautiful woman's scent that still lingered in the room, before turning towards Rose and smiling at her reassuringly. 'I have no idea, but I aim to find out' he advised, then sat back down in the chair and waited for Doctor Matt to return.
Lucas smiled to himself as he drove towards the Everard farmhouse at the edge of town, his Wife had been very giving when they had parked up on a deserted stretch of road and he was excited at the prospect of what could happen with this visit, now that his urgent desire for her had been satiated.
The couple had experienced shared acts of retribution previously, which his Wife had deemed warranted and Gail had been aware of certain losses of control on his part in the past; however, this would not be a loss of control and he had not allowed her to witness anything relating to his deals previously, choosing to keep his family life separate from his inherited responsibilities as the caretaker of Trinity. His Wife still had a conscience and a sense of morality, she had previously been dead set against entertaining anything like this, therefore, her current reaction now was curious.
Gail attempted to hold back her excitement as they came up to the farmhouse at the edge of town. She sensed her Husbands thoughts were on her; however, he was keeping them firmly guarded and she could not blame him for being suspicious of her. Gail did not know why she was so excited and a part of her was screaming to run from whatever Lucas was planning. Although she had done some reprehensible things in the past due to her struggle with her darkness, those actions were down to a loss of control or aimed at people deserving of punishment. Gail suspected whatever her Husband had planned was meticulously premeditated and she was not sure whether she could truly condone something like that.
'Do think I'm a monster?' Lucas asked calmly, smiling when she realised that her thoughts were unguarded.
Gail cursed herself for getting lost in her thoughts so openly and just shrugged, noticing his intrigue in her. She could feel his strong excitement at this outing and forced her guard up, sensing that he wanted to know how she would really react to seeing his true self. This was a test for them both and it was not in her nature to make it easy for him.
Lucas laughed when he sensed her close off to him and shook his head in mock disapproval. 'Alright Love, no words and no soft reassurances. This is business' he advised amused, then turned towards her when he pulled up in front of the Everard farmhouse. 'One last thing, you're here willingly and you know who I am...There will be no denying your acceptance after the fact and you're with me of your own free will' he said sternly, making sure she understood fully.
Gail remained silent for a moment, holding his intense gaze and watched as he started to exit the car. Before he could leave, she placed a hand on his knee to stop him and stared down at her lap. 'Lucas' she whispered quietly, his name escaping her lips before she could stop it.
'Gail?' Lucas asked softly, cupping her chin in his hand gently and bringing her eyes to his, providing her authority to call this off should she feel any doubt in her soul.
Gail inhaled deeply as his thumb stroked her cheek tenderly and shook her head slowly, confirming that she would not stop him or call this off.
Lucas gazed lovingly into her eyes and placed a tender kiss on her lips, then exited the car and began heading down the muddy ground. 'Happy path or sad path?' he asked her casually as he turned back towards her, putting the ball in her court.
Gail was taken aback by the question and could not regain control of her thoughts, due to the intense pressure that she was feeling. 'Happy path' she answered instinctively, sensing the answer was important and then watched cautiously as her Husband began strolling towards the farmhouse, revelling in her commitment to him.
-To be continued-