"Going on?" Jake asked. "There's nothing going on, Greenlee."
"You lied to me, Jake," Greenlee said. "You told me you were at the hospital all day. You told me you were busy running around."
"I have been busy today. I got a call from Dr. Morgan this morning. I...had to meet him about a patient we're working with."
"So you did have an appointment at Oak Haven this morning."
"Yeah," Jake said, thinking quickly. "We bought coffee in the cafeteria. I must have left my wallet there."
"Why didn't you just tell me that you were at Oak Haven instead of... of lying to me?"
"I didn't want you to jump to any conclusions."
"I worry about you Jake. You know that."
"I know," Jake said as he put his arms around Greenlee. "You don't have anything to worry about, baby."
"You would tell me, Jake. I mean if there was something..."
"Of course I would," Jake said. Greenlee rested her head on Jake's chest and he gently ran his fingers through her hair. He placed his hand under her chin and lifted her head so that her eyes met with his. Greenlee had tears in her eyes. "Hey," Jake said, wiping away her tears. "What's this?"
Greenlee sniffled. "I can't bear to think of anything happening to you." Jake drew her into him once again. "I love you so much."
Jake bent his head down and kissed Greenlee. "Nothing's going to happen to me, Greenlee."
"Promise me, Jake, that you'll always be here. That you'll never leave me."
"I'll be there for you always. No matter what it takes, I'm going to stay right here with you."
Tad Martin slowly got out of the passenger's seat of his car. He walked upto the curb, his eyes as wide and stricken as a deer in headlights. Tiny beads of sweat rolled down his face.
Jamie stepped out of the driver's side next. He walked around the front of the car, looking briefly at the bumper and headlight.
"Two hours," Tad said as Jamie joined him on the curb. "You've had your license for two hours and you don't even run a stop sign. You run into one."
"Dad," Jamie started.
"Brooke is going to have my head on a plate for this one."
"Maybe she won't..."
Tad point up his finger, stopping the boy in his tracks. "Maybe I could bring it down to get fixed before she gets in."
"Um, Dad..." Jamie said, glancing back towards the house.
Brooke appeared in the doorway. She made her way out to the curb where Tad and Jamie stood. "How did you do?" she asked, not noticing the damage to the car at first.
"Wonderful," Tad said, moving so that his back faced the car. "It went off without a hitch. You are now looking at one of Pine Valley's newest licensed drivers." Tad looked over at Jamie and then back at Brooke. "God help us all," he said under his breath.
Brooke began to walk towards Jamie when she finally noticed the damage done to the front of the car. "What happened?" Brooke said in shock.
Tad looked over at Jamie. "You see, Brooke," Tad began. "After Jamie passed the test, he begged me to let him drive home." The look of fear on Jamie's face could have stopped traffic. "But being the responsible person that I am, I figured that Jamie would be too excited to drive home, so I didn't let him."
"So what happened to the car then, Tad?" Brooke asked once again.
"I guess I was more excited than he was." Tad glanced over at Jamie. "I crashed the car." Brooke grew a bit more concerned. "Nothing serious," Tad continued. "I just clipped a stop sign."
"Are you two alright?"
"Yeah, we're fine. Right, James?"
"Yeah," Jamie stammered. "We're OK."
"You see," Tad said to Brooke. "We're fine. There's no problem. I'll bring the car down tomorrow to get fixed."
"OK." Brooke said. "As long as you two are alright." They both nodded simultaneously. "Well come on inside then, it's freezing out here."
"You go on," Tad said. "I just want to get a good look at the car." Brooke nodded and started back towards the house.
Jamie turned to Tad. "Why did you take the heat for this?" he asked.
"Your mom should be allowed to be happy about what you accomplished today. Plus, right now, I'd get a lot less 'heat' than you'd get." Tad said as he checked the front of the car. "Don't get used to it."
"I don't know how to thank you for this, Dad."
"I do," Tad said, putting his arm around Jamie's shoulder and walking towards the house. "You'll be thanking me for a pretty long time. How long you ask? Well let me tell you. Just as long as it takes you to raise enough money to pay me back for fixing the car. Sound fair?" Tad smiled as Jamie opened his mouth to speak. "I think so too."
"You lied to me, Jake," Greenlee said. "You told me you were at the hospital all day. You told me you were busy running around."
"I have been busy today. I got a call from Dr. Morgan this morning. I...had to meet him about a patient we're working with."
"So you did have an appointment at Oak Haven this morning."
"Yeah," Jake said, thinking quickly. "We bought coffee in the cafeteria. I must have left my wallet there."
"Why didn't you just tell me that you were at Oak Haven instead of... of lying to me?"
"I didn't want you to jump to any conclusions."
"I worry about you Jake. You know that."
"I know," Jake said as he put his arms around Greenlee. "You don't have anything to worry about, baby."
"You would tell me, Jake. I mean if there was something..."
"Of course I would," Jake said. Greenlee rested her head on Jake's chest and he gently ran his fingers through her hair. He placed his hand under her chin and lifted her head so that her eyes met with his. Greenlee had tears in her eyes. "Hey," Jake said, wiping away her tears. "What's this?"
Greenlee sniffled. "I can't bear to think of anything happening to you." Jake drew her into him once again. "I love you so much."
Jake bent his head down and kissed Greenlee. "Nothing's going to happen to me, Greenlee."
"Promise me, Jake, that you'll always be here. That you'll never leave me."
"I'll be there for you always. No matter what it takes, I'm going to stay right here with you."
Tad Martin slowly got out of the passenger's seat of his car. He walked upto the curb, his eyes as wide and stricken as a deer in headlights. Tiny beads of sweat rolled down his face.
Jamie stepped out of the driver's side next. He walked around the front of the car, looking briefly at the bumper and headlight.
"Two hours," Tad said as Jamie joined him on the curb. "You've had your license for two hours and you don't even run a stop sign. You run into one."
"Dad," Jamie started.
"Brooke is going to have my head on a plate for this one."
"Maybe she won't..."
Tad point up his finger, stopping the boy in his tracks. "Maybe I could bring it down to get fixed before she gets in."
"Um, Dad..." Jamie said, glancing back towards the house.
Brooke appeared in the doorway. She made her way out to the curb where Tad and Jamie stood. "How did you do?" she asked, not noticing the damage to the car at first.
"Wonderful," Tad said, moving so that his back faced the car. "It went off without a hitch. You are now looking at one of Pine Valley's newest licensed drivers." Tad looked over at Jamie and then back at Brooke. "God help us all," he said under his breath.
Brooke began to walk towards Jamie when she finally noticed the damage done to the front of the car. "What happened?" Brooke said in shock.
Tad looked over at Jamie. "You see, Brooke," Tad began. "After Jamie passed the test, he begged me to let him drive home." The look of fear on Jamie's face could have stopped traffic. "But being the responsible person that I am, I figured that Jamie would be too excited to drive home, so I didn't let him."
"So what happened to the car then, Tad?" Brooke asked once again.
"I guess I was more excited than he was." Tad glanced over at Jamie. "I crashed the car." Brooke grew a bit more concerned. "Nothing serious," Tad continued. "I just clipped a stop sign."
"Are you two alright?"
"Yeah, we're fine. Right, James?"
"Yeah," Jamie stammered. "We're OK."
"You see," Tad said to Brooke. "We're fine. There's no problem. I'll bring the car down tomorrow to get fixed."
"OK." Brooke said. "As long as you two are alright." They both nodded simultaneously. "Well come on inside then, it's freezing out here."
"You go on," Tad said. "I just want to get a good look at the car." Brooke nodded and started back towards the house.
Jamie turned to Tad. "Why did you take the heat for this?" he asked.
"Your mom should be allowed to be happy about what you accomplished today. Plus, right now, I'd get a lot less 'heat' than you'd get." Tad said as he checked the front of the car. "Don't get used to it."
"I don't know how to thank you for this, Dad."
"I do," Tad said, putting his arm around Jamie's shoulder and walking towards the house. "You'll be thanking me for a pretty long time. How long you ask? Well let me tell you. Just as long as it takes you to raise enough money to pay me back for fixing the car. Sound fair?" Tad smiled as Jamie opened his mouth to speak. "I think so too."