Reviewers:
Kath – I hated that the show got cancelled too. It hooked me from the first episode and that doesn't happen often. There were so many areas that could've been explored,but I guess that's why we have fan fiction. Thanks again for your nice words.
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"Sheriff." Dr. Mitchell swung around in Lucas's direction. "I didn't see you there."
Ronilyn frowned, wondering how he got past them without being seen. It must have been in all the confusion, she decided. Or else Lucas knew where the fire exits were located.
"You alright, Ronilyn?" Lucas asked her, pushing away from the counter. "You want to press charges?"
"No," she replied with a shrug. "I'm fine."
Lucas nodded. "Well, then, Doc, why don't you take care of that fella before he bleeds all over your nice clean floors. Wouldn't be very sanitary, would it?" he said, strolling over to the group.
"Ronilyn and I will get out of your way and we'll forget this ugly little incident ever happened, hmm?" He rested a hand on Ronilyn's shoulder and she quickly shook it off. Lucas looked down at her, puzzled.
"Well, Sheriff, I..."
"But she broke my nose!" the orderly wailed, still sitting on the floor.
A few quick paces and Lucas was standing over the man. "You're lucky that's all that got broken. I don't take kindly to people treatin' my cousin in that manner."
"Make sure *you* remember that in the future," Ronilyn muttered under her breath.
Lucas glanced at her with a frown. "Boy," he turned back to the man, "if you know what's good for you, you'll let it go. I'm only lookin' out for your best interests. After all, you wouldn't want to wind up locked in one of these rooms, would you?" he added in a whisper.
The orderly's eyes widened and he shook his head.
"Didn't think so." Lucas straightened and walked back over to Ronilyn.
She grabbed Dr. Mitchell's sleeve as he started toward the orderly. "Just a minute, doctor. What's the idea of locking up a man and only allowing his family to visit him when you know he has no family? How's that supposed to help him get better?"
The doctor shot a glance at Lucas, then removed Ronilyn's hand from his coat and walked over to the orderly.
"And what about that damn flashing light outside his room?" she demanded, raising her voice. "All these doctors here and not one of you knows how to change a lousy light bulb? Or is that supposed to be some twisted psychological treatment, like Chinese water torture?"
Lucas smiled and nodded a greeting to two nurses who approached the group from one of the corridors. "Let's go, Ronilyn," he said, steering the protesting woman onto the elevator. The doors closed and Lucas turned to her before she could say a word. "Were you plannin' on tellin' me you were in Trinity anytime soon?"
"Why? You used to say that nothing goes on in town that you don't know about, so I didn't think it was necessary. You're here, so apparently it wasn't."
"Uh huh." Lucas studied her for a moment. "So how come my little baby cousin tries sneakin' into town goin' places where she shouldn't be goin'?"
"First of all, I'm hardly a baby. Second," Ronilyn counted off the points on her fingers, "I didn't sneak into town. I drove straight down Main Street in the middle of the day. Third, I have every right to be at Juniper House. My mother's here!"
"Her room's not on the fifth floor."
"Yeah? Well, I'll go wherever the hell I damn well please."
Lucas cocked an eyebrow. "Is that right?"
"Yeah, that's right. And by the way," Ronilyn said, "I didn't need your help back there. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."
Lucas threw his head back and laughed. "So I noticed. What the hell you have in that purse anyway?"
"Just a trick I picked up from someone while taking a self defense class." Ronilyn opened the purse and removed a large rock. "Weighs about two pounds. Anything heavier and I start walking lopsided."
Lucas laughed again, then snatched the rock out of her hands.
"Hey, what's the idea?"
"I'll take that, darlin'. Seems to me you used it to assault one of my deputies earlier today."
Ronilyn narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, I'm sure that's what he said. Go ahead. Take it. What do you think? I'm not going to be able to find another rock in all of Trinity?"
"I'd be careful if I were you," Lucas said. "You pick up a rock, you never know what nasty critters'll crawl out from under."
The elevator doors opened onto the first floor and they got out. "Well...see you around, Lucas," she said with a wave of her hand as she headed across the lobby.
He reached out and grabbed her arm. "Now hold on there a second. Just where are you off to?"
Ronilyn glanced down at his hand on her arm, then slowly looked up into his face. "Lucas, I've about had it with being manhandled today," she said very quietly. "I'm sure a lot of women would like to be grabbed by you, but I'm not one of them. Now...let...go."
The smile that had started to appear on Lucas's face stopped and an odd expression flickered across it. Frowning, his hand dropped from Ronilyn's arm.
"Thank you," she said. "Now I'm going to get something to eat, go home, and try to finish unpacking. Is that okay with you?"
"Whoa, darlin'," Lucas said, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "Don't get all upset now. I didn't mean anything by it. I just haven't seen you in such a long while, I was thinkin' I'd invite you to dinner, but seein' as you didn't see fit to inform me of your arrival, I've already made plans."
Ronilyn crossed her arms. "I'm crushed."
"Yeah, well, I got an important meetin' with the mayor and I'm afraid that's got to take top priority here." He snapped his fingers. "Hey, I've got an idea. Why don't you get your bags and stay at my house?"
Gargoyle Manor? Ronilyn thought. "Uh, no thanks," she replied. "I've already got everything at *my* house. Would be kind of silly of me to have kept the house if I'm not going to use it."
"You'll be all by yourself over there."
"I've been all by myself in Chicago for the past twelve years and you never seemed concerned about that." Ronilyn pointed out, while backing towards the information desk. "I appreciate the offer, Lucas, but I'll be fine."
"Suit yourself," Lucas said, shrugging. "You haven't spent a night alone in that house since your father died. Hope you don't see any ghosts."
"Don't hope too hard." Ronilyn returned the visitor's badge to the desk clerk.
Lucas opened his mouth to respond, but his attention was distracted by movement in a corner of the lobby. "Boy, what are you doin' here?"