Lucas stepped out onto his side porch wearing only a pair of black pants and holding two mugs of freshly brewed coffee. He smiled as the wind travelled over his bare chest, unfazed by the cold and approached the wooden rail to survey the grounds of his property casually.
Billy Peele was asleep on the large porch chair with a thick blanket pulled over his body, in an attempt to garner some warmth. He had been out late last night drinking with his Secretary, as Selena was still in the Hospital. In his drunken state this had been the most logical place for him to settle down for the night, after his bad judgement of fooling around with his Secretary.
Lucas closed his eyes when he heard Billy's loud snore cut through the peaceful sounds of his deserted garden, then moved closer to his friend and slammed a mug of coffee down on the table in front of him, smiling devilishly when the man jolted awake in a fright. 'Long night friend?' he asked amused.
'You don't know the half of it' Billy sighed tiredly, then held his delicate head carefully and reached for the large mug of coffee for some much needed caffeine.
'Oh I bet I can guess...you finally get into that pretty brunette in your office?' Lucas asked smugly and sat down on the large chair to the right of where Billy was.
Billy thought for a moment and shook his head in disbelief of his actions. 'Get into is a tricky term' he advised, not wanting to talk about his poor judgement.
'Then enlighten us' Gail requested sweetly, as she entered the porch with her thick dressing gown wrapped around her body tight and headed towards her husband, then picked up his mug and brought it to her lips while feigning a hurt look.
'I could never forget about you Love, especially after last nights antics but there was someone else who required the caffeine more at this moment in time' Lucas explained softly, then smiled when she handed him his drink and straddled him openly in front of Billy.
Billy realised that he had taken Gail's drink and cursed at himself for assuming it was his. 'I didn't mean to intrude-' he started, trying not to look at the couple as Lucas parted her dressing gown and began moving his hands over her body.
'Oh intrude away, I'm intrigued about what you did and how you ended up on our porch in the early ours of the morning. Luckily I was a little restless myself and spotted you, otherwise you would've froze out here without that blanket' Gail advised whilst still looking at her husband and gave Lucas a playful wink when he looked confused over her restlessness.
Billy had been so drunk last night that he had not realised anyone had come out to him with a blanket and felt even worse for intruding on their property. Once again he had proven himself to be a burden and really did not know what the point in him being around was these days.
'My wife asked you to enlighten us friend, not to get lost in your self pity' Lucas interjected, when he sensed Billy was spiralling and gripped Gail's hips tight, pulling her closer onto his lap.
Gail smiled at her husbands impatience and stroked his bare chest affectionately. She never understood how he could not feel the cold, it concerned her at times; however, she loved seeing his handsome figure regardless, especially when he was as relaxed as he was now.
Billy glanced at the pair and his mouth dropped open slightly when he saw Gail run her hands up Lucas' chest slowly, he bit his lip when Lucas could not prevent a low moan as she dug her nails into his skin playfully and gave himself a mental shake in an attempt to regain control of himself. 'It's nothin' you all need to be concerned about, I just had a lot to drink after an incident with my new member of staff-'
'Then stumbled and fell into your Secretary?' Gail interrupted sarcastically, tangling her fingers into her husbands caramel blonde hair and pulling his head back teasingly.
'Technically only part of him fell into her mouth' Lucas corrected, amused by his wife's playfulness and running his hands up her outer thighs affectionately.
Billy let out a loud sigh and shook his head in irritation. 'If you all know what happened, why are you harrassin' me?' he asked defensively.
'Oh sweetheart, he thinks this questioning is me harrassing him' Gail said to her husband amused.
'If you think this is harassment, just wait til she get's really interested and puts her professional hat on...you wouldn't stand a chance' Lucas laughed and kissed her chin softly.
Gail bit her lip playfully and laughed. 'You barely stood a chance, you're lucky you had something good to offer me back when you were on my radar'
'I have somethin' to offer you now' Lucas teased and pushed his hips up so she could feel his hard manhood between her legs.
'Seriously? You're gonna do this when I'm right here?' Billy asked in disbelief, attempting to hide his arousal.
Lucas tangled his hand in Gail's hair and pulled her head back slightly, then began sucking her neck seductively. 'Oh it appears she likes an audience these days' he said knowingly and smiled when she tensed at the comment.
Gail stared deep into his eyes, trying to figure out what he knew; however, he was giving nothing away. Lucas could not have seen Joshua last night, surely he would have questioned her if he had.
'See friend, you ain't the only one who keeps secrets in your relationship' Lucas flatly, sensing her guard come up.
Gail narrowed her eyes at him for a moment, not understanding his sudden turn and unimpressed that he was choosing to bring this up now when he had her alone last night. She let out a small laugh as she carefully stood up, then moved towards Billy and lifted up the blanket, perching herself on his knee and leaning gently into his chest. 'Don't you think it's rich how a man who prides himself on secrecy and deceit can preach about other people keeping secrets?' she asked Billy calmly, ignoring how tense he was due to their closeness.
Billy had previously had strong feelings for Gail in the past and had been careful to push them deep down, especially due to his friendship with Lucas; however, now that she was laying in his lap under the thick blanket with him, his heart began to pound and he felt his strong affection for her return instantly. 'I erm-' he stuttered blankly.
'So you think me shieldin' you from certain aspects of my role here in this Town gives you free reign to openly keep secrets from me?' Lucas asked seriously, disregarding her attempt to rile him up with Billy, knowing she had no interest in that man at all.
'You really believe you've been protecting me by keeping your extracurricular activities quiet? Had I have known of them sooner Sheriff, I may not have committed to for better or for worse' she responded cattily, unable to hide her irritation.
Lucas laughed in frustration and shook his head. 'Tell me Doc', you think she would've chose someone else above me even if she understood my extracurricular activities?' he asked Billy, knowing Gail was meant to be his regardless of what information he had chosen to share with her in the past.
'What activities?' Billy asked confused, trying to ignore how good it felt to have Gail this close to him and focused on their words.
Gail snuggled into Billy and pulled the blanket tighter to her body, smiling mischievously at her husband. 'Oh his deals, there's so many of them and all the poor souls affected' she advised honestly and stared at her husband smugly, waiting for his next move.
Lucas narrowed his eyes at her, not actually expecting her to reveal anything to an outside party and took in a deep breath. 'You're one of the affected Love, you wanna reveal what I helped you find out and what you gave willingly in return?' he asked coldly, knowing she kept the information he had shown her about her parents quiet and barely wanted to acknowledge it herself.
Gail held his gaze for a moment, feeling her darkness begin to stir inside of her and then watched her husband confused as he got up and ripped the blanket off of her abruptly.
'I'll tell you what, why don't we just show him?' Lucas asked bluntly, unable to keep his dominance pushed down any longer and pulled her up, dragged her to the wooden rail and hitched up her nightdress.
Gail let out a shocked laugh as he lifted her up, forced her legs around his waist and pushed her against the railing hard. 'Oh this isn't how it went Master Buck, why don't you take me to the spot where it first went down and we'll give him a real show?' she asked sarcastically, calling his bluff.
Lucas was about to carry her off the porch to the spot where they first consummated their union, not caring about Billy's presence; however, he heard the door open and the small sound of feet approaching their position, then let out an agitated breath and placed her back down carefully. 'Next time Mrs Buck' he promised quietly, so the children could not hear.
'Oh I'll be waiting Soulmate' she advised sweetly, refastening her dressing gown and shooting Billy a playful wink.
Billy got up from his seated position before the children could see the state of him and walked towards his friends, staring out into the garden so not to alert the children to any discomfort he was feeling. 'You two are damaged and need professional help' he advised them, then shook his head and walked further into the garden to clear his mind.
Lucas trailed his hand down Gail's back and leaned into her closely. 'He's not wrong you know?' he whispered and placed his hands affectionately on her hips.
'But you are for not trusting me' she advised disappointed, shrugging off his hands then made her way to Caleb and took her Daughter from him before heading back inside.
Selena sat up in the uncomfortable hospital bed, staring at the closed window to her right. She had been unable to sleep after that strange cat had visited her last night and she had been on guard since the early hours of the morning, expecting it to return and cause some sort of mischief.
Selena did not know what she had done to deserve the things that were happening to her, she did not believe herself to be a bad person and the choices she had made in her life were to assist the man that she thought cared for her. She understood now that she had trusted the wrong man and she had tried to change her ways, making an effort to remain loyal to a good man now. Selena had slipped a few times, as most people were creatures of habit; however, ultimately she had tried to be a good girlfriend to Billy and focus on teaching her class in an attempt to realign her priorities.
Being stuck in this Hospital yet again made Selena realise that she had no-one. None of the children she taught had bothered to check in on her, Billy's visits were sporadic and the only constant she had was Matt Crower, who had to see her as he was her Doctor. The only other regular presence around her was Caleb and that was not a visitor she wanted. The boy was bad, she may have made a few comments previously in front of her class; however, what he had done to her was pure cruelty and she had no idea how to make him stop.
A small knock on the door made her jump and she surveyed the room frantically, hoping the thought of Caleb had not somehow brought him to her. She relaxed slightly when the door to her room opened and the strange young women who Gail called her Cousin popped her head around the door.
'Am I disturbin' you?' Merlyn asked pleasantly, hoping she had not awoken Selena.
Selena laughed bitterly and shrugged, before signalled for the girl to enter and staring at the dull walls around her.
Merlyn sensed the tension within Selena and glanced around the room, wondering what had gotten her so on edge. When she was satisfied that they were alone, she closed the door and lifted up a large bouquet of flowers. 'I know it's painful for you to talk, so just listen' she ordered sweetly, not wanting to cause the woman before her any unnecessary discomfort. 'It's awful what happened to you, I can't even imagine how you're feelin' Merlyn continued, as she found a vase in a small cupboard and placed the flowers in it carefully. 'From what I've been able to gather, your accident was a little strange but I've been assured it's not Lucas up to his old tricks'
Selena sat upright at the name of her ex and stared at the girl suspiciously. People did not talk so freely about Lucas Buck and this girls sudden appearance, in addition to her connection with the Buck family caused Selena to be wary of her presence here.
Merlyn saw her movement out of the corner of her eye and laughed. 'Gail said you'd be suspicious of me and told me to let you know that she was trying to have your back, like you had hers with Lucas' Candidate, whatever that means' Merlyn shrugged, not liking the secrets her Cousin was keeping for her.
Selena thought for a moment, then relaxed. 'Gail-' she started, in a husky pained voice.
'Don't' Merlyn interrupted her, knowing from Matt that Selena needed to rest her tongue as much as possible. 'I'm here to make sure you're alright, apparently your partner hasn't been as supportive as he should so Gail sent me to check in on you and I'll be popping by every day before and after work'
'Why not her?' Selena asked in a strained voice, ignoring the girls order.
'Because she's got a whole host of children to look after and she's trying to keep an eye on someone, who she won't tell me about' Merlyn shrugged, then smiled at an old Nurse who entered the room and provided a jug of water for Selena.
Selena pondered over this young woman's presence and shook her head in exasperation, she really was a charity case if a stranger had to be forced to visit her and this only confirmed how worthless she now was.
'Oh stop feelin' sorry for yourself, I'm not a stranger and no one forces me to do anything' Merlyn snapped, reading her mind and being in no mood for self pity. 'Truth is the details of your accident isn't plausible, Gail knows this too and trusts that I'll be able to ward off whatever bad luck you appear to have followin' you. When I'm not here Matt will be so, we have you covered. All you need to do is stop bein' so suspicious of the people who are helpin' you and get yourself better'
Selena was about to protest, not impressed with being made out to be a victim, then felt the pain in her tongue and realised that a victim was exactly what she was. The young women before her was M, she knew this and had chosen to address her like a stranger as she was always cautious of other women. She supposed she had no one else willing to give up their time to ensure that she was alright and forced a smile, showing her acceptance of M's presence.
'Well good, now all that's settled let's see what's goin' on in the world' Merlyn smiled and reached for the remote to turn on the small Television in the corner of the room.
Caleb sat on his bicycle watching Selena's window from the Hospital parking lot, not impressed with his Sisters decision to interfere. He continued to watch the window angrily for a moment, then forced a smile when Rose caught up to him after their detour and started heading towards their School.
Lucas sat in the Juniper House botanic gardens, watching the crazy people all around him stare blankly at the flowers. This place always amused him, the sane people he arranged to be housed here were all locked up for their honest ramblings and the genuine people with mental incapability roamed the place free to entertain themselves. It always amazed him at how effortless it was to convince the professionals here that his way was the right way and his suggestion to allow an unqualified Nurse to be given a high ranking role here was no exception.
After his wife had left him alone with Billy, he established the real reason why his friend had been drinking last night and strangely it had nothing to do with his girlfriend being cooped up in the Hospital. Billy had witnessed a gross misjudgement by his newest member of staff, which resulted in the incorrect dosage of medication being administered and a near death situation. Billy was torn between his loyalty to him and the oath he swore as a Doctor, causing Lucas to make a pit stop here today to evaluate the situation.
Rita assisted a patient to the garden carefully, then let out a nervous breath when she spotted the Sheriff sitting alone on a bench. She felt her heart pounding in her chest and headed to him knowingly. 'I can't do this' she whispered nervously, when she sat down beside him and started playing with her hands.
'Oh come on, one small mishap with a patient doesn't mean you should hang up your ambitions. You want Izzy to see her Momma quittin' so easily?' Lucas advised, knowing the miscalculation had been due to a lack of confidence in herself rather than an inability to do the job right.
Rita stared at him confused when it appeared that he knew what had happened, then let out a small laugh and remembered that she was dealing with Lucas Buck.
'Yes you are and just remember that our deal still stands regardless of whether you thrive in your new found position or not, but imagine how humiliatin' it will be goin' back to the Hospital with your tail between your legs, or havin' to explain to my wife that you failed after she vouched for you' Lucas smiled charmingly, enjoying seeing the fear in Rita's eyes. He did not care whether she failed or not; however, he liked toying with his people when their doubts started to take hold, it was all part of the fun of his deals.
Rita thought for a moment and felt herself beginning to panic, she had spoken to Gail about her ambitions and Gail had in turn spoken to her husband. If she quit now before she succeeded she would feel like a failure for the rest of her life and she had no idea how her friend would react, considering Gail was the one who convinced Lucas to help her. 'I just feel like I'm drownin' here' she advised honestly, missing her support network at the Hospital.
Lucas inhaled deeply and nodded, feigning understanding and empathy; however, he lacked the ability to truly care about other people, unless it was someone close to him that was.
As it stood, Rita was just the wife of his Deputy and usually he would have no problem letting her drown, except that this was the deal Gail had instigated and that meant he would go the extra mile here if only for his wife. 'I'll tell you what, we all have bad days and you appear to be havin' more than one. I'll have a word with Doctor Peele and smooth over the little incident that occurred, then you can study a bit harder to ensure you understand your duties here. Maybe call on Matt Crower, he's a stickler for a bleedin' heart' he suggested, against his better judgement.
Rita missed Matt dearly, he was one of the few people who always wanted to help without an agenda and it had been hard to leave her position working with him to come here. She supposed that it was worth another try, providing she could enlist some help to ensure she was not making any drastic mistakes.
'Atta girl, I knew you'd come around' Lucas smiled charmingly, placing his hand on her knee and squeezing it tight when he heard her sharp aroused breath.
Rita sat still with his hand on her knee, savouring his touch for as long as she could, then let out a small sigh when he got up from his seated position beside her and dusted off his pants.
'Let's keep this little mishap between you, me and Billy. Ain't no one else need to be troubled by it, you understand?' Lucas asked in a calm tone, with an underlying order in the question.
Rita nodded obediently, having no intention of alerting Ben to her mistake or Gail.
Lucas smiled and shot her a playful wink. 'Good girl, you may come in handy yet' he advised smugly, amused at how little effort it took to convince her to follow his orders and left the botanic garden, leaving Rita to ponder over the best way forward.
-To be continued-