Richie bent awkwardly trying to get at his shoes to tie them. He abdomen
was more stiff than usual, and bending over hurt.
"Let me do that," Tessa said entering his hospital room.
"I got it." Richie tried to wince less noticeably as he once again tried to reach his sneakers.
"How you doing, tough guy?" Duncan asked appearing behind Tessa.
"Fine," Richie answered curtly, not looking up. Duncan raised his eyebrows and looked at Tessa, who shrugged. Richie had refused to make eye contact or speak to Duncan more than absolutely necessary for the past week. "Okay, I give up. Tessa, do you mind?" Richie said after a minute.
"Of course not, I live to serve," she answered sweetly kneeling down, and tying his shoes for him.
"Thanks," he said blushing lightly and standing up.
"You ready to get out of here?" Duncan asked shouldering Richie's bag.
"MacLeod, I can get it," Richie insisted.
"No, I already have it covered. You sure this is everything?"
Richie rolled his eyes. "Yeah."
. . . . . .
*Two Days Later At The Apartment*
Richie sat cross-legged on his bed strumming his guitar. He stopped and wrote something in the spiral laying open in front of him. Someone knocked on his door.
"Huh?" He grunted not looking up, he already knew who it was.
"Hey, Rich?" Duncan stuck his head in the door. "Did Rylan say anything to you about being late today?"
"Nope." Richie answered, still writing.
"Because she's not back from school yet. Do you have any idea of where she could be?" Duncan asked trying to keep his annoyance out of his voice. Richie still refused to communicate with Duncan any more than he had to.
"Nope."
"You sure?"
"Yup."
"Okay." Duncan turned to leave, but decided to give it one more try. "Any ideas for dinner?"
"Nope."
Duncan rolled his eyes, closed the door, and joined Tessa in the kitchen.
"Well?" She asked searching through the cupboards.
"The monosyllabic wonder strikes again," he grumbled. "I don't understand why he won't talk to me."
"Maybe he's embarrassed," she suggested.
"No, he's angry at me about something."
"What then?"
"How should I know? He won't even put two words together for me!"
"You must have done something," Tessa said lightly putting her hand on his forearm. "Think back, when did he stop talking to you?"
"Last week, after the. . .the bank thing," Duncan answered choosing his words carefully. "Maybe he is just embarrassed," he resigned, still not fully convinced.
. . . . . .
Richie pushed his peas around his plate and half-listened to Duncan and Tessa talk.
"Are you sure you don't know where she is, Richie?" Tessa asked looking across the table at him.
"Who?" Richie asked, slightly thrown off by the direct question.
"Who do you think?" Duncan snapped.
"I already told you, I don't know!" Richie shot back.
Duncan stared at him in shock. "Do you just speak a complete sentence to me? Tessa, did you hear that?"
"Call CNN if it's so news worthy!" Richie sneered standing up.
"Oh, don't get smart with me." Duncan warned standing up as well.
"Or what?" He challenged. "What are you going to do, MacLeod?"
"You'd be surprised." The threat in those three words sent a shiver down the boy's back, but Richie stood his ground.
"Enlighten me." A strained silence hung in the air. Tessa stared up in wide-eyed panic at Duncan and Richie who stood toe to toe glaring at each other, silently daring the other to make the next move.
The phone rang, causing all three to jump. Richie made it to the phone first.
"Ry?" he asked.
"Cole?" a deep voice answered. The phone shook in Richie's hand. Before he could respond Duncan took the phone from him.
"Aldius?"
"Oh, MacLeod, there you are. Very good, I see you've been doing your homework. I have a proposition for you." Aldius answered.
Richie watched Duncan's knuckles turn white as he gripped the phone. Duncan's face paled as he listened to the man on the other line.
"If you touch her, I swear. . ." his voice was too tight for him to finish his threat. He slammed to phone down and turned for his sword.
"Where is he?" Richie demanded. Duncan glanced at him for a fleeting moment. That moment spoke volumes.
"You stay here." Duncan said pointing directly at the boy.
"Like hell," Richie moved to follow him. Duncan stopped him by grabbing his shoulder.
"I can't be worrying about two of you," he said in an unexpectedly soft tone before turning and leaving.
Richie stared after him, "Two?" he repeated. "Did he say two?" The words from Duncan's phone conversation ran through his mind 'If you touch her, I swear. . .' Without a word he grabbed his jacket and thundered down the stairs.
"Richie!" Tessa called after him. By the time she made it downstairs he was gone, and the sword display was empty.
"Let me do that," Tessa said entering his hospital room.
"I got it." Richie tried to wince less noticeably as he once again tried to reach his sneakers.
"How you doing, tough guy?" Duncan asked appearing behind Tessa.
"Fine," Richie answered curtly, not looking up. Duncan raised his eyebrows and looked at Tessa, who shrugged. Richie had refused to make eye contact or speak to Duncan more than absolutely necessary for the past week. "Okay, I give up. Tessa, do you mind?" Richie said after a minute.
"Of course not, I live to serve," she answered sweetly kneeling down, and tying his shoes for him.
"Thanks," he said blushing lightly and standing up.
"You ready to get out of here?" Duncan asked shouldering Richie's bag.
"MacLeod, I can get it," Richie insisted.
"No, I already have it covered. You sure this is everything?"
Richie rolled his eyes. "Yeah."
. . . . . .
*Two Days Later At The Apartment*
Richie sat cross-legged on his bed strumming his guitar. He stopped and wrote something in the spiral laying open in front of him. Someone knocked on his door.
"Huh?" He grunted not looking up, he already knew who it was.
"Hey, Rich?" Duncan stuck his head in the door. "Did Rylan say anything to you about being late today?"
"Nope." Richie answered, still writing.
"Because she's not back from school yet. Do you have any idea of where she could be?" Duncan asked trying to keep his annoyance out of his voice. Richie still refused to communicate with Duncan any more than he had to.
"Nope."
"You sure?"
"Yup."
"Okay." Duncan turned to leave, but decided to give it one more try. "Any ideas for dinner?"
"Nope."
Duncan rolled his eyes, closed the door, and joined Tessa in the kitchen.
"Well?" She asked searching through the cupboards.
"The monosyllabic wonder strikes again," he grumbled. "I don't understand why he won't talk to me."
"Maybe he's embarrassed," she suggested.
"No, he's angry at me about something."
"What then?"
"How should I know? He won't even put two words together for me!"
"You must have done something," Tessa said lightly putting her hand on his forearm. "Think back, when did he stop talking to you?"
"Last week, after the. . .the bank thing," Duncan answered choosing his words carefully. "Maybe he is just embarrassed," he resigned, still not fully convinced.
. . . . . .
Richie pushed his peas around his plate and half-listened to Duncan and Tessa talk.
"Are you sure you don't know where she is, Richie?" Tessa asked looking across the table at him.
"Who?" Richie asked, slightly thrown off by the direct question.
"Who do you think?" Duncan snapped.
"I already told you, I don't know!" Richie shot back.
Duncan stared at him in shock. "Do you just speak a complete sentence to me? Tessa, did you hear that?"
"Call CNN if it's so news worthy!" Richie sneered standing up.
"Oh, don't get smart with me." Duncan warned standing up as well.
"Or what?" He challenged. "What are you going to do, MacLeod?"
"You'd be surprised." The threat in those three words sent a shiver down the boy's back, but Richie stood his ground.
"Enlighten me." A strained silence hung in the air. Tessa stared up in wide-eyed panic at Duncan and Richie who stood toe to toe glaring at each other, silently daring the other to make the next move.
The phone rang, causing all three to jump. Richie made it to the phone first.
"Ry?" he asked.
"Cole?" a deep voice answered. The phone shook in Richie's hand. Before he could respond Duncan took the phone from him.
"Aldius?"
"Oh, MacLeod, there you are. Very good, I see you've been doing your homework. I have a proposition for you." Aldius answered.
Richie watched Duncan's knuckles turn white as he gripped the phone. Duncan's face paled as he listened to the man on the other line.
"If you touch her, I swear. . ." his voice was too tight for him to finish his threat. He slammed to phone down and turned for his sword.
"Where is he?" Richie demanded. Duncan glanced at him for a fleeting moment. That moment spoke volumes.
"You stay here." Duncan said pointing directly at the boy.
"Like hell," Richie moved to follow him. Duncan stopped him by grabbing his shoulder.
"I can't be worrying about two of you," he said in an unexpectedly soft tone before turning and leaving.
Richie stared after him, "Two?" he repeated. "Did he say two?" The words from Duncan's phone conversation ran through his mind 'If you touch her, I swear. . .' Without a word he grabbed his jacket and thundered down the stairs.
"Richie!" Tessa called after him. By the time she made it downstairs he was gone, and the sword display was empty.