Three days later, JD had enough of the hovering, exploding at Buck's continued watchfulness and refusal to let JD out of his sight. JD's request to get lunch was denied because no one else could go with him.

"Kid . . .," Buck began, sensing an explosion.

"Just leave me alone!" JD snapped, as he opened and closed the stair door with a bang and bounded up them to the roof.

"Let me, Buck," Vin urged as Josiah held protesting Buck back from going after JD.

Chris, who had witnessed everything, nodded to Vin as he went to calm Buck down.

"I'm not going to jump off the roof, Vin," JD greeted him in exasperation. "Well, I might if Buck doesn't stop his Mother-Henning."

"Aww, what's a hen with only one chick to do?" Vin teased, as he stretched out by the stair door.

"Lay an egg!" JD shot back, still miffed. "Or adopt you!"

"Hope you're joking about that, Kid, or I might push you off. Chris can be bad enough, but I'm not about to have ole' Buck hovering."

"Well, Chris is too busy fussing about me now to bother you. Not to mention Josiah and Nathan. Ezra is the only one giving me space."

"Sure about that, JD?" Vin queried with a nod to a slight opening in the door. "Come on out, Ez!"

Ezra peeked out at the two. "I just needed some fresh air," he said rather lamely.

"Well, here it is!" JD motioned with a flourish. "All the fresh air you want with a wind so fierce it could blow a man off the . . ." and he stumbled slightly.

"JD!" Vin and Ezra both made frantic grabs for JD who pushed them both away. "You see!"

Ezra shook his head slightly, eyes closed, but Vin's face flushed red and his blue eyes narrowed. "Fine!" he snarled. "Apparently, you don't want or need our help!" He pushed back a surprised Josiah as he stormed down the stairs. Ezra followed after a reproachful glance at JD, who, like a slow balloon leak, folded in on himself, hitting himself on the head and saying, "Jerk! Jerk!"

"No, JD, no," Josiah soothed, holding him close. "Just scared. Frustrated. Angry and nowhere to turn that anger. So . . . "

"I take it out on my coworkers who are only trying to help me," JD muttered.

"Well, it is hard to feel six pairs of eyes watching your every move."

"I just wish we knew something, Josiah. Don't they know I'm scared for them, too? Maybe I wasn't the target and they just took me first."

Josiah patted the boy on the back, trying to calm him down.

"What do you think, Josiah?" JD asked, pinning him with his large hazel eyes.

Josiah sighed. "Sorry, Son, it doesn't make sense to me, either. You were so carefully handled; the obvious thought would be someone didn't want to hurt you but make a point that you (or any one of us) could be taken right from under our noses. With the implied threat that later you could be hurt . . . ."

"A kidnapper with a conscience?" JD asked wryly.

"Maybe it's Buck," Chris suggested, slipping out on the roof to join JD and ruffle his hair. "After all, he would like to tie you up sometimes to keep you safe."

"Naw, Buck would put him in a glass bubble," Nathan contributed.

"Where is Buck?" JD asked, noticing the most protective of the seven had yet to appear.

"Lying on the couch in my office," Chris supplied. "No, he's fine . . ." he continued, answering the worry on JD's face. "Just had a bad headache made worse by all the stress . . . no, it's not your fault, JD. He took a migraine pill. He's sleeping."

JD blew out the breath he was holding. But then he turned whiter and whirled on Chris. "Alone? You left him alone?" And JD pushed back the others, and ran down the stairs as the others followed close behind.

TBC