Merlin Buck awoke the next day to voices in the kitchen.
She climbed out bed, which was apparently the wrong way, because her ribs began to ache.
Shaking off the pain she gathered up her clothes for the day and headed for the shower.
~~~~~~~~~~
"She lives!" mumbled Gail as the sound of the shower was heard downstairs.
Lucas smiled, "What time did she get in last night?"
"Around 2 am." Gail answered.
"Is that what the hollering was about?" Caleb spoke up.
"You two had a fight last night?" Lucas' curiosity was sparked.
"Yeap." was all Gail said.
~~~~~~~~~~
Twenty minutes later Jess was dressed in her normal "uniform" as Blake called it, a pair of blue jeans and a snarling white wolf tee shirt.
"Where do you think you're going young lady?" Gail's tone from her doorway was almost frightening.
"Out for some fresh air and studying." she replied.
"No."
"What do you mean no?"
"You are supposed to rest." Gail said.
"I cannot stay cooped up at home, I'll go crazy. Besides, I have finals..." Jessica grabbed her book bag and headed towards her mother.
"I mean it. No." Gail moved away from the doorway.
"I mean this too." Merlin got through the threshold and closed the door on her mother.
"JESSICA ANN BUCK." yelled Gail coming out of the room.
"What?!" Jessica yelled towards at Gail as she came down the stairs.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Oh boy." Lucas had heard the commotion between his two ladies and waited until the best time to interject.
"You might want to step in now before somethin' happens." suggested Caleb.
"Good idea. We don't need anymore blood shed in the house." smiled Lucas heading for the front of the house.
~~~~~~~~~~
Merlyn Temple appeared at the top of the stairs to watch the show.
"Ladies......" Lucas walked right into the middle of the problem.
"She's definitely your daughter Lucas, she's as pig headed about things as you are." Gail shouted.
"Excuse me?" Lucas was surprised.
"Pig headed?" Jessica and Lucas repeated in unison.
Merlin's eyes narrowed. "That's it, I'm going out before I say something I'll regret later."
"No you're not!"
"The hell I am!"
"Jessica, do not talk to your mother like that." injected Lucas.
"Over my dead body, the doctor said...." Gail shot back.
"The doctor said she needs some R and R. She ain't getting that with you two hollerin' at each other." put in Lucas.
"What do you mean by that?" hollered Gail.
"I mean that staying locked up in this house won't do the girl any good if she can't move around." argued Lucas
Gail threw her arms up in the air and headed for the kitchen.
Lucas caught his daughter's arm and said, "Go study, I'll try to smooth things over."
~~~~~~~~~~
"Bad day?" asked a smiling Blake.
"What gave it away?" grumbled Jess staring at the clear blue water behind him.
"Gee let me think...The look of murder in your eyes."
"Give the man a prize." she teased.
"Seriously, what happened?"
"My mother got mad, 'cause she didn't hear me come in last night."
Blake smiled, "Its that mother thing again."
"Changing subjects, have you told your parents yet?"
Blake frowned. "Yes."
"So what happened?"
"Well Mom hit the ceiling and Dad was very calm about the whole thing."
"So they have no problem with you being a cop?"
"Nope. And Dad's actually very excited to be coming to graduation ceremony in a few days."
"When will you be leaving?"
"As soon as Dad talks to Lucas."
~~~~~~~~~~
"Why sure Ben!" The happy reaction wasn't exactly what Ben had in mind.
"Are ya sure?"
"Of course Ben, would I deny you this moment?" asked Lucas.
"Thanks Lucas..." Ben said.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Mom?" Gail turned her head towards the door of the newspaper office. "Are you still mad at me?"
Gail smiled, "No, I'm not."
Jessica smiled, "Good, then can we talk?"
"About what?"
"Girl talk?"
She climbed out bed, which was apparently the wrong way, because her ribs began to ache.
Shaking off the pain she gathered up her clothes for the day and headed for the shower.
~~~~~~~~~~
"She lives!" mumbled Gail as the sound of the shower was heard downstairs.
Lucas smiled, "What time did she get in last night?"
"Around 2 am." Gail answered.
"Is that what the hollering was about?" Caleb spoke up.
"You two had a fight last night?" Lucas' curiosity was sparked.
"Yeap." was all Gail said.
~~~~~~~~~~
Twenty minutes later Jess was dressed in her normal "uniform" as Blake called it, a pair of blue jeans and a snarling white wolf tee shirt.
"Where do you think you're going young lady?" Gail's tone from her doorway was almost frightening.
"Out for some fresh air and studying." she replied.
"No."
"What do you mean no?"
"You are supposed to rest." Gail said.
"I cannot stay cooped up at home, I'll go crazy. Besides, I have finals..." Jessica grabbed her book bag and headed towards her mother.
"I mean it. No." Gail moved away from the doorway.
"I mean this too." Merlin got through the threshold and closed the door on her mother.
"JESSICA ANN BUCK." yelled Gail coming out of the room.
"What?!" Jessica yelled towards at Gail as she came down the stairs.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Oh boy." Lucas had heard the commotion between his two ladies and waited until the best time to interject.
"You might want to step in now before somethin' happens." suggested Caleb.
"Good idea. We don't need anymore blood shed in the house." smiled Lucas heading for the front of the house.
~~~~~~~~~~
Merlyn Temple appeared at the top of the stairs to watch the show.
"Ladies......" Lucas walked right into the middle of the problem.
"She's definitely your daughter Lucas, she's as pig headed about things as you are." Gail shouted.
"Excuse me?" Lucas was surprised.
"Pig headed?" Jessica and Lucas repeated in unison.
Merlin's eyes narrowed. "That's it, I'm going out before I say something I'll regret later."
"No you're not!"
"The hell I am!"
"Jessica, do not talk to your mother like that." injected Lucas.
"Over my dead body, the doctor said...." Gail shot back.
"The doctor said she needs some R and R. She ain't getting that with you two hollerin' at each other." put in Lucas.
"What do you mean by that?" hollered Gail.
"I mean that staying locked up in this house won't do the girl any good if she can't move around." argued Lucas
Gail threw her arms up in the air and headed for the kitchen.
Lucas caught his daughter's arm and said, "Go study, I'll try to smooth things over."
~~~~~~~~~~
"Bad day?" asked a smiling Blake.
"What gave it away?" grumbled Jess staring at the clear blue water behind him.
"Gee let me think...The look of murder in your eyes."
"Give the man a prize." she teased.
"Seriously, what happened?"
"My mother got mad, 'cause she didn't hear me come in last night."
Blake smiled, "Its that mother thing again."
"Changing subjects, have you told your parents yet?"
Blake frowned. "Yes."
"So what happened?"
"Well Mom hit the ceiling and Dad was very calm about the whole thing."
"So they have no problem with you being a cop?"
"Nope. And Dad's actually very excited to be coming to graduation ceremony in a few days."
"When will you be leaving?"
"As soon as Dad talks to Lucas."
~~~~~~~~~~
"Why sure Ben!" The happy reaction wasn't exactly what Ben had in mind.
"Are ya sure?"
"Of course Ben, would I deny you this moment?" asked Lucas.
"Thanks Lucas..." Ben said.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Mom?" Gail turned her head towards the door of the newspaper office. "Are you still mad at me?"
Gail smiled, "No, I'm not."
Jessica smiled, "Good, then can we talk?"
"About what?"
"Girl talk?"