AN: All I have to say is. . . this is not turning out to be Rylan's
weekend, first she doesn't get to say good-bye to Tessa and Richie, then
she gets grounded, then she hurts her ankle, and now. . . well, you'll just
have to see.
When Duncan got to the school Rylan was sitting in the front foyer waiting for him with her leg propped up on the lap of the boy sitting next to her, who was holding the ice on her ankle. She looked up as Duncan approached.
"Bet you figured I was in trouble, huh?" she asked offering a grin.
"I was curious to find out what you had done to get in trouble in gym," he admitted happy to see that she seemed to be feeling better. "Who's your friend?" he asked gesturing to the boy.
"I'm Chris," the boy said in a deep baritone firmly shaking Duncan's hand. "Unfortunately, I'm also the guy who did this to her."
"Well, remind me to thank you later. I should have an easier time keeping an eye on her if she can't walk," Duncan said with a smile assuring Chris he wasn't angry with him.
"Duncan!" Rylan exclaimed turning a bright crimson.
"I do feel awful about this, sir," Chris said. "If there's anything I can do to help. . . I know you own a store and it's just you and Lin this weekend, and I feel responsible for knocking out your help, so. . . if there's anything I can do, just give me a call."
"That's very nice of you, Chris, but I think we'll manage," Duncan said. "I'll keep that in mind, though," he added when Chris began to protest. Then he turned to Rylan. "Let's go get you checked out, shall we?"
"Okay," she began to shift, but Chris stopped her.
"I gotcha," he said with a grin picking her up. She blushed torn between flirting and saving face in front of Duncan, and decided a good old- fashioned pout was just what this situation needed. Chris laughed, "Lead the way, Mr. MacLeod."
Duncan opened the door and let Chris carry Rylan into the parking lot. She pointed out the car and he helped her settle into the passenger seat.
"I'll bring your books by later," he told her softly closing the door.
"Okay," she grinned the same grin she had given Duncan when they had first met. What Richie called her 'Damn he's cute' grin.
Chris leaned down and gave her a quick kiss. "Sorry, Lin."
"It's okay," she told him blushing again.
Duncan cleared his throat. "It was nice meeting you, Chris," he said forcefully suddenly feeling very protective and fatherly.
Chris turned around to face Duncan. To Duncan's surprise, Chris was an inch taller than he was. "Nice meeting you, too, sir," Chris responded suddenly embarrassed. Duncan got in the car and turned on the engine. "Bye, Lin!" Chris called as they drove away.
"Not your boyfriend?" Duncan asked with a wicked smile. "Then what was all that about?"
Rylan blushed and looked at him. "He wasn't my boyfriend yesterday. He is today. Got a problem with that?"
"No," Duncan said speeding up to make the light. "Are you okay?"
"The foot you mean?" Duncan nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."
"You just sounded scared on the phone."
"I have a thing with nurses and stuff."
"Oh."
. . . . . .
As soon as they got to the emergency room Rylan got sent for x-rays and Duncan was handed a small stack of papers to fill out. He filled in what he could then handed it to Rylan to finish when she got put into an examining room.
"So what happened to you, Miss Rylan?" A copper-haired nurse sing songed coming into the small room. Duncan noticed Rylan immediately become very stiff.
"Playing football," she answered.
"Really?" The nurse asked. "You probably shouldn't do that," she said gently taking hold of Rylan's right foot.
"What makes you think you can tell me what to do?" Rylan asked in a low voice.
"Rylan," Duncan warned.
"Mr. MacLeod?" a doctor asked from the doorway. "May I speak with you?" Duncan got up and followed the doctor into the hall, but not before shooting Rylan a look that said 'behave'.
"Is something wrong?" he asked in alarm.
"Rylan's just sprained her ankle. Nothing serious. I have a prescription for some painkillers. She needs to take two as soon as she gets home then after a couple hours if it still hurts she can take one at a time every four hours."
"Okay," Duncan answered taking the prescription and wondering why the doctor had called him into the hall to give him a piece of paper.
"Nurse Julie is wrapping her ankle right now. She should keep off it for the next couple of days. Hot baths would be good if the muscles get stiff," the doctor continued. Duncan nodded. "If she wants to take a bath just pay attention to how her ankle is wrapped, it's a basic technique, but needs to be done a certain way."
"Yes, I know," Duncan said. "I also have an eighteen year old boy. I've done this before."
"Oh, I'm sorry," the doctor said. "Two teenagers in one house, I can imagine the fights."
"They actually get along very well."
"I've never heard of a brother and sister getting along."
"They're not brother and sister, they're adopted," Duncan answered figuring that was close enough to the truth.
The doctor paused. "Yes, I suppose they would have to be," he said thoughtfully.
Duncan didn't know what to think of that comment. "Is there anything else?"
"That should be it. I'll have someone bring Rylan some crutches before you leave. Just keep her off that foot."
. . . . . .
Duncan had never seen Rylan so mad. She sat silently fuming in the seat next to him on the way home.
"Is anything wrong?" he asked.
"No," she answered.
Duncan didn't believe her and wasn't sure what to do about it. He decided to treat her like he would treat Richie in this situation. It was a tactic he often used with her and it almost always worked. They drove the rest of the way home in silence. When they got to the store Duncan helped Rylan out of the car, carried her up the stairs to the loft, and settled her on the couch with the remote in one hand and a soda in the other.
"Tessa's going to kill me," he admitted softly looking at Rylan as her eyes began to droop in side effect of the painkillers. "She warned me not to break you, but I did anyway."
"S'not your fault," Rylan slurred putting the soda on the coffee table and lying down.
"Tessa's not going to believe that," he said getting up to cover her with the afghan off the back of the couch. "Are you hungry?"
"Uh-huh," she mumbled quietly.
"I'll wait a couple hours then order a pizza. I'll wake you when it gets here."
"Mkay," Rylan said as she drifted off into a drug-induced sleep.
. . . . . .
"She's fine," Duncan insisted to Tessa an hour later on the phone. "She's asleep right now. . . I don't know exactly something to do with football and Chris. . . her boyfriend." Duncan laughed as he heard Richie's triumphant cry of 'I knew it!' when Tessa told him about Chris. "He wasn't yesterday, he is today, won't be next week. She's younger than Richie, I doubt its going to last long. . . I'll have her call you tonight." There was a knock on the door. "Uh, dinner's ready," he said pretty sure Tessa wouldn't like him hurting Rylan then feeding her junk food. "I have to go. . . love you, too."
He answered the door and then went to wake up Rylan. It took her a second to wake up, but once she did she began to scarf down half of the extra large pizza Duncan had ordered hoping that she could have the rest for lunch the next day. It didn't seem like there would be much left.
"You must be feeling better," he commented.
"Yeah, my stomach hurts a little, though. I think maybe I'm just going to go to bed."
"Okay. Do you need any help?" Duncan asked getting up.
"No, I got it," she said fumbling with her crutches before limping back into the bedroom she and Richie shared.
Duncan shook his head. Three, two, one. . .
"Um, Duncan?" Rylan's voice came from down the hall. Duncan smiled and went to see what she needed.
. . . . . .
Late Saturday morning Duncan was sitting on the couch reading the paper after deciding not to leave Rylan alone until she woke up and he could get her what she needed. He turned when she cleared her throat. She was leaning half hidden against the door jam with an awkward look on her face.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"I need you to do me a favor," she said slowly.
"Sure, what is it?"
She blushed and trained her eyes on the floor. "Usually you'd be the last I'd ask to do this, but I don't really have a choice."
"Rylan, what's wrong?" Duncan asked trying to decide if he was more amused or worried.
Blushing she held out a pair of blood stained boxers. "I need you to go to the store," she said softly.
For the first time in three hundred years, Duncan MacLeod of the clan MacLeod, blushed.
"Okay," he said slowly. It wasn't as if Tessa had never sent him out on such an errand, but then again Tessa wasn't a seventeen-year-old that he'd only known for two months. "Just tell me what you need." Quietly she gave him a short list. Duncan had gotten over the awkwardness of the situation and slipped into a father-mode he had never used before. "Okay," he got up and steered her toward his bedroom, realizing why she was half hidden; she was half-naked. She wasn't wearing any pants, just a t-shirt and bloody underwear. "Why don't you take a nice hot bath in the jacuzzi? It would be good for your ankle and your stomach. I'll get everything cleaned up, then go to the store and be right back."
"You don't have to do that," Rylan protested. "I can clean it up. It's pretty gross. It looks like I got stabbed or something."
"I can take care of it," he assured her helping her limp into the bathroom. He turned on the water and told her to drop what she was wearing outside the door and he'd throw that in the wash as well before turning and leaving.
He went into her room and stared. There was blood all over her bed: on the sheets, the comforter, and the mattress pad. Slowly he gathered it all up and added her pajamas to the pile before stuffing it into the washing machine. He told her through the bathroom door that he was leaving then left.
When he returned she was still in the bathroom. He knocked lightly on the door. "You okay in there?"
"Yeah," came the slow reply.
Duncan paused. "What's wrong?"
"There aren't any towels in here," Rylan softly explained.
Duncan froze. "You sure?"
"Uh-huh." She sounded like she was about to cry.
Duncan tried not to laugh loud enough for her to hear. This had to be horrible for her, but it was really funny. One incredibly embarrassing moment after another with no end in site. The next came when Duncan opened the door a crack with a towel, clean clothes, underwear and a box of tampons in his hands.
"What are you doing?" she screamed jumping and sending water sloshing over the side of the tub.
"Don't worry," Duncan assured her not looking in. "Get as close to this side of the tub as you can. I'm going to turn off the lights, and put this stuff where you can reach it. I promise I'm not going to look." He heard Rylan moving in the water. "Tell me when you're ready."
"Okay, you can come in," she said softly after a minute. Duncan opened the door and did exactly as he had promised.
A couple minutes later Rylan hobbled out into the living room with the ace bandage in her hand. She leaned against the couch and looked shyly at Duncan who was in the kitchen.
"Yes?" he asked after a minute.
She held up the bandage. "I can't do it."
Duncan smiled. "Sit down." He went over and wrapped her ankle showing her how to do it for next time, but assuring her he would do it if she wanted. She thanked him quietly. He smiled again. "I won't tell if you won't," he said lightly touching her cheek.
She looked up at him. "Deal," she said quietly.
Duncan sat down next to Ryan and looked at her. "Do you mind if I ask you something? It's been bothering me."
Rylan shrugged apparently putting the embarrassment behind her. "Shoot."
"Why were you so rude to the nurse at the hospital?" Rylan's eyes flashed with anger before darting away from Duncan's. "Just, between you and Richie, you're the well behaved one. That was very out of character for you."
"Congratulations, you the first to meet her. Even beat Richie to it," Rylan mumbled.
"First to meet who?" Duncan asked.
"My mom," she answered angrily.
Duncan did a mental double take. If Rylan's mom was still alive, and apparently doing very well for herself, what was Rylan doing up for adoption? "Rylan?" Duncan asked gently. "Why don't you live with your mother?"
Something pitiful crossed Rylan's face before she answered. "She doesn't want me," she said simply.
TBC
When Duncan got to the school Rylan was sitting in the front foyer waiting for him with her leg propped up on the lap of the boy sitting next to her, who was holding the ice on her ankle. She looked up as Duncan approached.
"Bet you figured I was in trouble, huh?" she asked offering a grin.
"I was curious to find out what you had done to get in trouble in gym," he admitted happy to see that she seemed to be feeling better. "Who's your friend?" he asked gesturing to the boy.
"I'm Chris," the boy said in a deep baritone firmly shaking Duncan's hand. "Unfortunately, I'm also the guy who did this to her."
"Well, remind me to thank you later. I should have an easier time keeping an eye on her if she can't walk," Duncan said with a smile assuring Chris he wasn't angry with him.
"Duncan!" Rylan exclaimed turning a bright crimson.
"I do feel awful about this, sir," Chris said. "If there's anything I can do to help. . . I know you own a store and it's just you and Lin this weekend, and I feel responsible for knocking out your help, so. . . if there's anything I can do, just give me a call."
"That's very nice of you, Chris, but I think we'll manage," Duncan said. "I'll keep that in mind, though," he added when Chris began to protest. Then he turned to Rylan. "Let's go get you checked out, shall we?"
"Okay," she began to shift, but Chris stopped her.
"I gotcha," he said with a grin picking her up. She blushed torn between flirting and saving face in front of Duncan, and decided a good old- fashioned pout was just what this situation needed. Chris laughed, "Lead the way, Mr. MacLeod."
Duncan opened the door and let Chris carry Rylan into the parking lot. She pointed out the car and he helped her settle into the passenger seat.
"I'll bring your books by later," he told her softly closing the door.
"Okay," she grinned the same grin she had given Duncan when they had first met. What Richie called her 'Damn he's cute' grin.
Chris leaned down and gave her a quick kiss. "Sorry, Lin."
"It's okay," she told him blushing again.
Duncan cleared his throat. "It was nice meeting you, Chris," he said forcefully suddenly feeling very protective and fatherly.
Chris turned around to face Duncan. To Duncan's surprise, Chris was an inch taller than he was. "Nice meeting you, too, sir," Chris responded suddenly embarrassed. Duncan got in the car and turned on the engine. "Bye, Lin!" Chris called as they drove away.
"Not your boyfriend?" Duncan asked with a wicked smile. "Then what was all that about?"
Rylan blushed and looked at him. "He wasn't my boyfriend yesterday. He is today. Got a problem with that?"
"No," Duncan said speeding up to make the light. "Are you okay?"
"The foot you mean?" Duncan nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."
"You just sounded scared on the phone."
"I have a thing with nurses and stuff."
"Oh."
. . . . . .
As soon as they got to the emergency room Rylan got sent for x-rays and Duncan was handed a small stack of papers to fill out. He filled in what he could then handed it to Rylan to finish when she got put into an examining room.
"So what happened to you, Miss Rylan?" A copper-haired nurse sing songed coming into the small room. Duncan noticed Rylan immediately become very stiff.
"Playing football," she answered.
"Really?" The nurse asked. "You probably shouldn't do that," she said gently taking hold of Rylan's right foot.
"What makes you think you can tell me what to do?" Rylan asked in a low voice.
"Rylan," Duncan warned.
"Mr. MacLeod?" a doctor asked from the doorway. "May I speak with you?" Duncan got up and followed the doctor into the hall, but not before shooting Rylan a look that said 'behave'.
"Is something wrong?" he asked in alarm.
"Rylan's just sprained her ankle. Nothing serious. I have a prescription for some painkillers. She needs to take two as soon as she gets home then after a couple hours if it still hurts she can take one at a time every four hours."
"Okay," Duncan answered taking the prescription and wondering why the doctor had called him into the hall to give him a piece of paper.
"Nurse Julie is wrapping her ankle right now. She should keep off it for the next couple of days. Hot baths would be good if the muscles get stiff," the doctor continued. Duncan nodded. "If she wants to take a bath just pay attention to how her ankle is wrapped, it's a basic technique, but needs to be done a certain way."
"Yes, I know," Duncan said. "I also have an eighteen year old boy. I've done this before."
"Oh, I'm sorry," the doctor said. "Two teenagers in one house, I can imagine the fights."
"They actually get along very well."
"I've never heard of a brother and sister getting along."
"They're not brother and sister, they're adopted," Duncan answered figuring that was close enough to the truth.
The doctor paused. "Yes, I suppose they would have to be," he said thoughtfully.
Duncan didn't know what to think of that comment. "Is there anything else?"
"That should be it. I'll have someone bring Rylan some crutches before you leave. Just keep her off that foot."
. . . . . .
Duncan had never seen Rylan so mad. She sat silently fuming in the seat next to him on the way home.
"Is anything wrong?" he asked.
"No," she answered.
Duncan didn't believe her and wasn't sure what to do about it. He decided to treat her like he would treat Richie in this situation. It was a tactic he often used with her and it almost always worked. They drove the rest of the way home in silence. When they got to the store Duncan helped Rylan out of the car, carried her up the stairs to the loft, and settled her on the couch with the remote in one hand and a soda in the other.
"Tessa's going to kill me," he admitted softly looking at Rylan as her eyes began to droop in side effect of the painkillers. "She warned me not to break you, but I did anyway."
"S'not your fault," Rylan slurred putting the soda on the coffee table and lying down.
"Tessa's not going to believe that," he said getting up to cover her with the afghan off the back of the couch. "Are you hungry?"
"Uh-huh," she mumbled quietly.
"I'll wait a couple hours then order a pizza. I'll wake you when it gets here."
"Mkay," Rylan said as she drifted off into a drug-induced sleep.
. . . . . .
"She's fine," Duncan insisted to Tessa an hour later on the phone. "She's asleep right now. . . I don't know exactly something to do with football and Chris. . . her boyfriend." Duncan laughed as he heard Richie's triumphant cry of 'I knew it!' when Tessa told him about Chris. "He wasn't yesterday, he is today, won't be next week. She's younger than Richie, I doubt its going to last long. . . I'll have her call you tonight." There was a knock on the door. "Uh, dinner's ready," he said pretty sure Tessa wouldn't like him hurting Rylan then feeding her junk food. "I have to go. . . love you, too."
He answered the door and then went to wake up Rylan. It took her a second to wake up, but once she did she began to scarf down half of the extra large pizza Duncan had ordered hoping that she could have the rest for lunch the next day. It didn't seem like there would be much left.
"You must be feeling better," he commented.
"Yeah, my stomach hurts a little, though. I think maybe I'm just going to go to bed."
"Okay. Do you need any help?" Duncan asked getting up.
"No, I got it," she said fumbling with her crutches before limping back into the bedroom she and Richie shared.
Duncan shook his head. Three, two, one. . .
"Um, Duncan?" Rylan's voice came from down the hall. Duncan smiled and went to see what she needed.
. . . . . .
Late Saturday morning Duncan was sitting on the couch reading the paper after deciding not to leave Rylan alone until she woke up and he could get her what she needed. He turned when she cleared her throat. She was leaning half hidden against the door jam with an awkward look on her face.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"I need you to do me a favor," she said slowly.
"Sure, what is it?"
She blushed and trained her eyes on the floor. "Usually you'd be the last I'd ask to do this, but I don't really have a choice."
"Rylan, what's wrong?" Duncan asked trying to decide if he was more amused or worried.
Blushing she held out a pair of blood stained boxers. "I need you to go to the store," she said softly.
For the first time in three hundred years, Duncan MacLeod of the clan MacLeod, blushed.
"Okay," he said slowly. It wasn't as if Tessa had never sent him out on such an errand, but then again Tessa wasn't a seventeen-year-old that he'd only known for two months. "Just tell me what you need." Quietly she gave him a short list. Duncan had gotten over the awkwardness of the situation and slipped into a father-mode he had never used before. "Okay," he got up and steered her toward his bedroom, realizing why she was half hidden; she was half-naked. She wasn't wearing any pants, just a t-shirt and bloody underwear. "Why don't you take a nice hot bath in the jacuzzi? It would be good for your ankle and your stomach. I'll get everything cleaned up, then go to the store and be right back."
"You don't have to do that," Rylan protested. "I can clean it up. It's pretty gross. It looks like I got stabbed or something."
"I can take care of it," he assured her helping her limp into the bathroom. He turned on the water and told her to drop what she was wearing outside the door and he'd throw that in the wash as well before turning and leaving.
He went into her room and stared. There was blood all over her bed: on the sheets, the comforter, and the mattress pad. Slowly he gathered it all up and added her pajamas to the pile before stuffing it into the washing machine. He told her through the bathroom door that he was leaving then left.
When he returned she was still in the bathroom. He knocked lightly on the door. "You okay in there?"
"Yeah," came the slow reply.
Duncan paused. "What's wrong?"
"There aren't any towels in here," Rylan softly explained.
Duncan froze. "You sure?"
"Uh-huh." She sounded like she was about to cry.
Duncan tried not to laugh loud enough for her to hear. This had to be horrible for her, but it was really funny. One incredibly embarrassing moment after another with no end in site. The next came when Duncan opened the door a crack with a towel, clean clothes, underwear and a box of tampons in his hands.
"What are you doing?" she screamed jumping and sending water sloshing over the side of the tub.
"Don't worry," Duncan assured her not looking in. "Get as close to this side of the tub as you can. I'm going to turn off the lights, and put this stuff where you can reach it. I promise I'm not going to look." He heard Rylan moving in the water. "Tell me when you're ready."
"Okay, you can come in," she said softly after a minute. Duncan opened the door and did exactly as he had promised.
A couple minutes later Rylan hobbled out into the living room with the ace bandage in her hand. She leaned against the couch and looked shyly at Duncan who was in the kitchen.
"Yes?" he asked after a minute.
She held up the bandage. "I can't do it."
Duncan smiled. "Sit down." He went over and wrapped her ankle showing her how to do it for next time, but assuring her he would do it if she wanted. She thanked him quietly. He smiled again. "I won't tell if you won't," he said lightly touching her cheek.
She looked up at him. "Deal," she said quietly.
Duncan sat down next to Ryan and looked at her. "Do you mind if I ask you something? It's been bothering me."
Rylan shrugged apparently putting the embarrassment behind her. "Shoot."
"Why were you so rude to the nurse at the hospital?" Rylan's eyes flashed with anger before darting away from Duncan's. "Just, between you and Richie, you're the well behaved one. That was very out of character for you."
"Congratulations, you the first to meet her. Even beat Richie to it," Rylan mumbled.
"First to meet who?" Duncan asked.
"My mom," she answered angrily.
Duncan did a mental double take. If Rylan's mom was still alive, and apparently doing very well for herself, what was Rylan doing up for adoption? "Rylan?" Duncan asked gently. "Why don't you live with your mother?"
Something pitiful crossed Rylan's face before she answered. "She doesn't want me," she said simply.
TBC