Cassidy*Others

Thankfully enough, the ride from the hospital wasn't too terribly long, a fact which Cassidy was silently thankful for, since every bounce in the road jostled her still-healing stomach and sent shoots of pain through her. She never made a noise to indicate it, but because she didn't say a word the whole way home and indeed had gotten a little pale en route, Johann was aware that she wasn't precisely comfortable. He'd driven as steadily and carefully as he could, but there were some roads in the city that just couldn't be made less bouncy even by his most skillful driving. So Cass wasn't the only one to heave a relieved sigh when finally they came to a smooth stop in front of the apartment complex - he was just as glad as she to have the trip over. Disguising the paleness of her face by directing it down at Raine, whose fingers she was idly toying with, Cass closed her eyes to help keep her stomach under control and settled down to wait. There was no way for Johann to haul both she and Raine upstairs, and it was a given that the young mother would not want to leave her alone either in the apartment, or out here in the truck, so they would have to wait for Lanny to arrive before they headed upstairs.

Ever notice how they say that
'home is where the heart is',
but never say what kind?
Happy heart,
broken heart,
craven heart,
weakened heart?
Don't you think it makes a difference?

Laurence Zelkovii

Traveling behind the truck for the whole ride, and even skirting through a red light at one intersection to stay with the other vehicle, Lanny didn't take long to find a parking place once they arrived at their destination. With the diaper bag slung over one shoulder, he hopped out of his car and dutifully made his way over to the passenger side on Johann's truck, opening the door but not moving right away to get Cassidy out, "You wanna get Raine, Johann?" Trying to think ahead, he figured it would be best if the uncle took the little girl, which should give him a free hand still to unlock the door to his place, since Lanny didn't plan on setting Cassidy down until they were safely inside the apartment. "How are you feeling? Better now that we're home, I'm sure." The young man gave one of his usual smiling-grins when he asked Cass this question, unable to hold back to immense relief at finally being back in safe, familiar territory.

Cassidy*Others

Her head came up quickly and her eyes flashed open when she heard the door open beside her, and it took every ounce of control she had to suppress a gasp - she hadn't realized how close behind them Lanny was, and hadn't expected him to be here yet. As Johann nodded and opened his own door, beginning to unbuckle the carseat and preparing to head upstairs ahead of them, Cass turned her eyes to Lanny, and after a moment, her gaze softened. "Tired," she admitted slowly, allowing herself to pull up one hand to run briefly over her eyes, only because it was Lanny she was dealing with. "It's a twenty minute ride, and I feel like we've been driving all day." She wouldn't say how much that frustrated her - Cass was a girl who was used to depending upon her physical stamina, so that a car ride wore her out was almost frightening to her.

Laurence Zelkovii

He'd noted her surprise when he opened the door, and for it, he adopted a slightly apologetic look to his features. If he knew it wouldn't cause her embarrassment, he would have openly said as much, yet he knew Cass well enough that she wouldn't appreciate him speaking up on that bit of fear that she'd allowed to show. That wasn't the thing that he worried about though; it was her pallid tone that caught his eye, and her admittance to being worn out, "That'll fix itself in time, trust me. You've been about flat on your back for over a week now, so this is sitting upright and riding for twenty-some minutes is going to wear you out some." He said it for Cassidy's benefit, but part of it was for his own peace of mind - it bothered him an untold amount to see her like this, especially since he didn't have a handy nurses' button to push to get immediate help if something went wrong.

Cassidy*Others

With Johann scooping the infant gently out of her reach and beginning to head upstairs, the young woman soon had no one to focus on but Lanny, and nothing else to do but wait for the inevitable time when he'd have to pick her up again, which she wasn't looking forward to. It wasn't that she didn't trust him... but she still wasn't comfortable with it. By the time her uncle had disappeared, she'd built up the intelligence to remember that she had to unbuckle the seatbelt before they could go anywhere, and so she reached to do that, and then to scoot toward the edge of the truck. Fortunately, she didn't have far to go, as narrow as the vehicle was, and the deep breath she took when finally she was still once more wasn't for pain, but for the anticipation of again being held aloft in that helpless position she hated so much. She held her breath for a moment, eyes closed, and then finally murmured, "Okay."

Laurence Zelkovii

Before he ever moved to pick her up out of the seat, Lanny instinctively took a look around him to make sure the coast was clear. He doubted any of their enemies would be foolish enough to assault them right here on their own turf, but he had good reason to be cautious. Finding nothing to be suspicious over, Lanny gave the young mother a warning before he actually moved in to pick her up, "Ready?" Using all the deftness and care that had gone into handling Raine, albeit with much more effort and strength, Lanny scooped her up in the same fashion that he'd taken her out of the wheelchair, with one hand under her legs, and the other wrapped around her back. "Just think of the Johann-cooked mush that you'll be eating here pretty soon. That's something to look forward too, huh?" Quickly adjusting to her weight, he stepped back from the truck and aimed to follow Johann into the complex, and to again move as quickly as he safely could with Cassidy, while talking to her to offer a means of distraction.

Cassidy*Others

Counteracting how tired she was, the potency of Cass' fear of being held aloft kept her wide awake and well aware of all that was going on. The renewed death-grip on his arm was just as firm and tight as before, indicating that it would be quite a while before she would be comfortable with letting anyone carry her. But on the opposite end of that, her body was more relaxed in his arms, and her head leaning against his chest like a child, her eyes closed as if to combat the continuing nausea. The hold she kept on his arm was the constant reminder that she was afraid, but she simply couldn't keep her muscles stiff for very long - it hurt too much. So she surrendered to a slightly-edited version of her tension, and answered Lanny quietly, "Don't think I'm hungry just now... thanks."

Laurence Zelkovii

As Johann had done his best to drive smoothly, a tough task considering how many of the streets around here were littered with potholes, Lanny was walking as evenly as he could and taking extra caution in not tripping over things. "I probably shouldn't have mentioned the 'mush' part, right?" Undaunted in his lighter mood and will to keep Cassidy as calm as he could for the unpleasant ride upstairs, Lanny quipped back without effort. He'd moved to the front door by now, waiting only until Johann had opened it before he stepped inside and started up staircase. Being the guy he was, Lanny marched up the steps without a show of complaint, except perhaps the red glow that was starting in to show the effort it took to carry a person up the steps.

Cassidy*Others

"Yeah," Cass agreed, keeping her grip on his arm as Johann held the door for Lanny and waited for the younger man to pass through before he moved on ahead on the stairs so he could unlock the apartment door for them. The only slight advantage to this situation was that the young woman was less stiff in his arms now, and it was much easier to carry her when she was laying against him in a relaxed position. Dead weight was one thing - stiff dead weight was quite another. She kept her eyes closed all the way up the stairs, only opening them when she heard the familiar creak of their front door, and looked up to see Johann. The creases at the edges of his eyes told her that he was worried by how suddenly weakened she looked, and fortunately she couldn't see Lanny's face from her angle, or she'd have picked up on that, too. She had to release the desperate hold she had on the young man's arm so that she could reach out and lay her hand briefly on the arm of the older man, wanting to dismiss those worry-lines, and after that, she didn't take up her grip again; they were home, and all was going to be fine now. Right?

Laurence Zelkovii

The trip up those four flights seemed to take forever, and it had nothing to do with the toil of carrying another person up those many steps. It was the knowledge that Cassidy was agonizing over every second of it that made Lanny want to get it over with as quickly as possible. That all ended when Johann got the door open, and without waiting, he stepped into their apartment and headed straight for the couch to set Cassidy down on. The pack was dropped on the ground next to him, and Lanny himself placed himself on the couch next to the new mother for a quick breather, as well as a subtle gesture of his protectiveness over her while she had been so uneasy and anxious during the trip here. "Feeling alright still, Cass?" Deciding it wasn't best to make a comment along the lines of 'that wasn't so bad, was it?' Lanny stuck to a safer one, and one more appropriate to his own concerns - she still looked rather pale to him.

Cassidy*Others

Once Lanny had passed into the apartment with the young woman well in hand, Johann stepped in behind them, and quickly made his way over to the couch. He sat Raine down still in the seat, right in front of Cass' feet where she was in plain view so that the new mother would have no trouble spotting her daughter, and then gave Lanny a significant look; he was going down to fetch the equipment out of the backs of the two trucks, and was wordlessly asking the co-lead to keep an eye on the two girls while he did so. As he disappeared, Cass was leaning heavily against the couch, eyes still closed, but slowly seeming to recover some of her usual strength - at the least, her color was returning. But perhaps she wasn't completely recovered, because after a moment, she leaned her head against Lanny's shoulder, and didn't seem at all awkward or embarrassed about it; no, she behaved as though the two of them were young kids again, and this sort of contact was an everyday thing between them. "'m okay," she murmured, her voice a little bleary. "Just... feel like I could sleep for a week."

Laurence Zelkovii

The young co-lead didn't miss the look that Johann gave him, and that was all he needed to see to understand the unspoken words. He didn't have a gun on him at the moment, having been unable to sneak that into the room, whereas his two guards had, but that didn't bother Lanny too much anyway - he was in home turf again, and that alone made him feel infinitely better. After Johann vacated the room, Lanny was about to move forward and unbuckle Raine from her traveling chair, but before he could ever lean forward, he was surprised to find Cassidy leaning on his shoulder. He honestly wasn't sure whether to be worried by her unabashed display, or happy that she was extending this much trust; tentatively, he chose the latter and adopted a soft smile, "Now you can sleep."

Cassidy*Others

She gave a little smile without opening her eyes. "And nightmare-free," she whispered, even though just being home wasn't a guarantee that the negative dreams would cease. And after that, she said nothing else, apparently taking the young man's words right to heart - and fortunately, Raine seemed perfectly content to remain in her carseat for now; she was watching the pair of them on the couch in fascination. So he was offered a few moments of silence before the sounds of Johann's soft steps made it clear that he was close to the door, and he opened the door, muttering quietly, "Blasted place needs an elevator... four freakin' flights of stairs- Lanny, could you-" He broke off there, because he'd turned a little aside from his attempt to wrestle the collapsed wheelchair through the door - just enough to see that Cass was leaned against the younger man, and with a relaxation and a slowness of breathing that instantly told her uncle that she'd tucked in for a nap just as Lanny had suggested. His voice hadn't been loud, and indeed Cass hadn't so much as stirred, but Johann lowered it to a stage whisper as he waved a dismissive hand in the younger man's direction. "Nevermind - I'll figure something out."

Laurence Zelkovii

Lanny didn't dare move after Cassidy had fallen asleep, and he sincerely hoped her words would play true while she slept. In the least, if she did happen to have a nightmare, she would have both he and Johann here to take care of her, and Raine right there to dispel her ongoing fears over the infant's safety and welbeing. Light eyes flashed to the door when he heard steps, with a slight tension creeping into his muscles until he could confirm that it was just the uncle, to which he raised a humorous brow, "You said it." Of course, he didn't move to get up, even before Johann dismissed his request, but he did offer some help in another fashion, "If you want to wait a few minutes, Scott ought to be returning soon, and he can help."

Cassidy*Others

"I'll probably need his help with the shower-chair," the old man admitted, still keeping his voice low to accommodate the napping young woman. "This is collapsible at least - that thing's going to be a chore to get in here." After a moment of fussing, during which Johann did his best not to make too much noise in wrestling with the wheelchair, he managed to get it in the door, and he rolled it quietly up close to the couch so that it would be readily available when Cass woke up, just in case she felt up to getting about the room a bit.

With that taken care of, he bent and unbuckled Raine from her seat getting a coo for his efforts as he cuddled her deftly on one arm against his chest, while bending down and using the other hand to dig the 'Cass Manual' out of Lanny's bag. Baby and book in hand, he headed toward the attached kitchen, asking softly as he went, "You hungry? Just because she's on a mush diet doesn't mean we have to join her... anything strike your fancy as far as breakfast?" It was a little late in the morning for breakfast, but he hadn't eaten yet, and since Cass was asleep, he saw no reason that he and Lanny couldn't indulge in some real food. Over the top of the counter, Lanny would be able to see him spreading the manual over one of the counters and opening it up, beginning to read it even as he rocked Raine in one arm and rummaged through a cupboard for a skillet with the other hand; he was proving an admirable multi-tasker and the younger man would get a glimpse into just what it had been like for the man to raise his niece alone - he clearly had it down to a fine art, but with so much to do on his own, it would make one wonder how he managed to be useful to the gang in that time, as busy as he must have been at home.

Lanny

Figuring that he'd more or less stay right here on the couch until Cassidy woke up next, which was entirely alright by him since the young mother was getting the peaceful rest that she needed, Lanny decided he ought to relax a bit as well while he could. "I'll have him then, when he gets here. It shouldn't be much longer now... though I don't think he's all that familiar with the things on the list, so who knows." He could just envision that younger CS member ambling through the aisles in confusion in his search for the detailed foods that Cassidy would be restricted to for some time to come. "You know, that doesn't sound to bad. I haven't had a real breakfast in a while now. Say," While he spoke, he noted the way that Johann was multitasking, and had to hand it to the man - he was dedicated, and a heck of a lot more experienced than the co-lead himself, "-want me to handle Raine while you do that?"

Johann*Others

After setting the skillet on the stove and turning a page in the manual, the old man crossed the kitchen to pull open the refrigerator and scope out the contents to figure out just what he could make with the groceries they had on hand. Honestly, there just weren't too many of them, considering that Johann and Cass both had just spent the better part of three weeks at the hospital, but after a moment, he queried, "How do sausage and mushroom omelets sound to you? And there's about a half-dozen of Cass' muffins in here to be warmed up that're probably still good." Across the room, Cass sighed softly in her sleep and shifted some, putting a little more of her weight on Lanny without realizing what she was doing. But at least she seemed to be sleeping peacefully enough. And just after that, Johann was answering his question with a shrug of his shoulder. "You can take her if you want - but I guarantee you that your left arm'll be numb here in a couple of minutes; when Cass sleeps on someone, she sleeps hard. Up to you whether you want to hold Raine in the other arm and have that one numb too." There was a pause as he turned back to look down at the manual, mouthing the words silently to himself, and then turning the page again.

Laurence Zelkovii

Trying not to disturb Cassidy from her nap, Lanny carefully wiggled himself more soundly against the back of the couch and prepare himself for a position that may not be quite as comfortable for him as it was for Cass, especially if his arm fell asleep as Johann warned it might. "That sounds awesome. I'd go for about anything right now, to tell you the truth." And indeed, he was looking forward to any sort of food right now, as long as it didn't come from the hospital. He watched Johann for a moment, still making note of how skillful the uncle was at preforming three separate tasks at once, while Lanny couldn't have managed two of them with any success; particularly the cooking part. "It's no problem, besides, I might as well get use to things like this."

Johann*Others

The older man was already cracking eggs into the skillet and reaching for the cutting board so that he'd have a surface on which to chop up the sausages and mushrooms. But he didn't miss a beat when Lanny confirmed that he would take Raine - one hand flipped the page again, dug a knife from the drawer, and then with the utensil set on the counter, Johann shifted his hold on Raine and moved around the counter toward the pair on the couch. Cass responded to Lanny's movement only with a low sigh and a shift that tucked her face in more securely against him, and a moment later, Johann was deftly settling the baby into her father's arms. As he tucked the blanket in securely around the infant and headed back to the kitchen to prepare the promised meal, he ventured, "We'll have to be sure to wake her up in an hour or so, or she'll be late for both the calcium supplement and her pain pill." Another page flipped, and now Lanny would get to see another feat - the old man was dicing onions, mushrooms, and sausage to go into the omelets, but his eyes were on the manual, not on his fingers. His management of the blade - and indeed, the fact that he retained all his fingers - hailed back to the days when he had once been a blade-bearer like Cass, before he'd switched over to guns.

Laurence Zelkovii

The smell of the onions as they were being diced up was enough to make the young man's stomach rumble and build up the anticipation for a decent meal after scrounging about for the usual 'bachelor grub' that he tended to live of otherwise. For once since Johann had revealed he'd been the shooter those weeks ago, Lanny didn't think twice about the man being near him when he settled Raine into his free arm. Any other time, a subtle but still notable tension settled in the young man whenever Cass's uncle drew near him, not so much because he was afraid of Johann, but because he just wasn't comfortable around him any longer - but this time was different. "I'll have to move here anyway once the food's done, and if she doesn't wake up then, we can get her up in an hour." Lanny suggested, as reluctant as he was to rouse the girl out of slumber when she needed it so badly, especially when it looked as though her sleep were peaceful for once.

Johann*Others

Transferred into her father's arms, Raine wriggled and cooed happily; she hadn't learned to smile yet, but the muscles in her face were working in a way that suggested she would pick up on that very soon. The soft sounds the child was making caused Cass to smile in her sleep and grow still more relaxed against Lanny, reinforcing the idea that she was, for once, having peaceful dreams. Meanwhile, Johann was cooking up a storm in the kitchen, adding milk to the eggs in the pan and picking up the cutting board a moment later to dump in the onions, mushrooms, and sausage. And as he was doing so, he murmured aloud, "Says here no lifting whatsoever... she can hold weight in her lap up to fifteen pounds as long as it doesn't rest on the incisions, but she can't lift anything - not even Raine out of her carrier." That meant that the baby would have to be handed to her by one man or the other, and that most of the weight would have to rest on Cass' legs instead of her arms, which meant the young mother would have to edit her typical way of holding the infant. "Ye gods... this list of don'ts is three pages long."

Laurence Zelkovii

Lanny's focus left the food in quick order, and settled evenly between the mother and her daughter. The former he was turning occasional glances to, trying to read what expression he could make of her face, given the poor angle he had to look from, and trying to gauge whether or not she was resting well. And where he couldn't decipher much in this manner, he could feel the even breaths and the faint beat of her heart, both of which gave him a better idea towards how her dreams where going - and so far, they were either blissfully nonexistent, or pleasant enough ones. Raine had the other half of his attention, and it was her that he was now looking at with a broad smile, "She's not going to like hearing that, if it keeps her from picking up Raine, but it's gotta be followed." Tediously moving one quickly numbing arm, Lanny flexed a finger over the infant's stomach, giving her a gentle tickle, "Anything in there that she can do?"

Johann*Others

Still reading even as he was frying and stirring, Johann paged a little through the manual at Lanny's request. Running one finger down the page, he recited off, "Small mending, reading, television. She can hold and feed Raine if we lay her in her lap. She can use the computer for periods not to exceed fifteen minutes at a time, due to the need to raise her arms. She can bathe and dress herself with that seat, thank the Lord... she can use her own bed, but she's got to have a wedge to keep her partially upright." He rattled all that off pretty quickly, and sighed, reaching one hand to scratch his bald head. "Yeah... it's not a lot. Less than a page." Goodness knew that wasn't going to go over well - but at least the young woman would get to catch up on her reading, which she'd once told Ben she no longer had time for.

Laurence Zelkovii

He could almost hear Cassidy groaning now when she was informed how restricted her activities were going to be for the following month. To some, an idle few weeks wouldn't be so bad, but he knew Cass just wasn't the kind of person who'd be enjoying the confinement, "The good part of it is she'll be able to spend plenty of time with Raine. The doctor said it was important for them to be bonding." He found one positive aspect of it, and was hoping that Cass's little daughter would help alleviate the boredom and possible cabin fever that might set in after a while, "I still say it's going to be a chore getting her to go along with those rules... and I'm betting it'll be more difficult towards the last week or so."

Johann*Others

Now practically finished with the omelets, and putting a few of the muffins in the microwave to warm up, Johann smiled a little and nodded. "It has psychological benefits for both mother and child - and in the case of preemies, physical ones as well." Beginning to fold up the omelets, he smiled a little more broadly over the top of the counter, and went on, "At least, that's what I read in the parenting book the girl's mother had bought. And don't think I didn't read straight through that one and anything else I could find on the topic." His hand turned another page on the manual, and then reached up for the cupboard where he plates were kept, continuing to read as he pulled out the needed dishware and began to serve up the food. "For the first two months of her life, Cass slept across my chest at night. The first month because the doctor said it would be good for her, and the second because she would cry if I left her in the bassinet. You're probably too young to remember that."

Laurence Zelkovii

Food was starting to beg for his attention now, getting his stomach to gurgle. It couldn't keep him from focusing on little Raine though, and wiggling a finger against one of her hands to give the infant something to grapple with, "Think it's best that she sleeps just with Cass then?" Lanny wouldn't at all mind taking a nap with Raine, but he some of that previous fear of accidentally hurting her came back to him. As he'd been initially hesitant about picking her up, he wasn't sure whether he trusted himself to lay still with her, or whether he might roll over in his sleep and make her fall off. "Yeah, I don't really remember any of that - I forget how young I must have been at the time. Still in diapers at least."

Johann*Others

Deftly balancing the two plates and the silverware, as well as a third plate of the muffins, and having a Coke stuffed in each of his jeans pockets, Johann made his way into the living room and set the things on the coffee table. With his hands free, he seated himself on the other side of Cass, and began to gently shift her weight off of Lanny's shoulder. She stirred just a little and made a small face, but after a moment proved deeply asleep enough that Johann was able to shift her over toward himself and position her head on his lap, freeing the younger man's arm. Cass wriggled a little before settling with her cheek cushion on the old man's thigh, and once she was still again, the old man answered quietly, "Mostly with her - but after all, you're the girl's father; she needs to bond with you, too. It might do her some good to nap with you every now and again, too." So saying, he took up his plate, holding it in one hand a foot or so above Cass' head and beginning to set the fork into the food. And fortunately, the carseat was still right in front of Lanny, so he would have someplace to put the cooing Raine while he set into his own meal.

Laurence Zelkovii

Lanny helped where he could to ease Cassidy off of his shoulder, and then watched attentively as Johann carefully settled the girl against himself in a way that would be comfortable for her, and still allow him to eat. Once she was rested again, and the slight face she'd made hadn't amounted to anything more, Lanny relaxed from the tension that had snuck up on him. "I suppose you're right." Because he was still unsure about that, his reply came across as a distracted murmur. Soon after that, he was looking at the food again, and gingerly leaning forward to move Raine into her careseat so that he could take up a plate of cooked eggs himself, "Man, I've got to hand it to you - you do know how to cook."

Johann*Others

The old man chuckled a little at that, trying to suppress the motion as much as possible so that he wouldn't wake the sleeping young woman. Thankfully successful in that, he answered, "I'm telling you Lanny - if you stay a bachelor for very long, you either learn how to cook, or you starve to death." He made it a joke with his tones, and then went on, "But I'll admit - that's mostly Cass' influence. She was always a picky eater as a kid... you remember. I had to learn to cook at least halfway decently so she'd even eat anything." Truth be told, her finickiness with eating extended into present times, as was demonstrated by how much difficulty she'd had gaining the weight she needed, and indeed still needed. But he chose to overlook that for a moment, in favor of reaching a deft toe to rock Raine's little seat, seeing that her eyes were starting to droop and wanting to encourage her to sleep as well so he could get some chores done around the apartment - for one thing, he was fairly certain that neither he nor Cass had any clean clothes, though Raine at least had enough to last her quite a while before she'd run out.

Laurence Zelkovii

With a click and mist of fizz, Lanny snapped open the can of coke and took several hearty gulps that brought his eyes to watering a little. He set the can down in the next moment, and set into the eggs shortly after, "If that's the case, I might just starve to death. The only thing I can cook with any success is mac and cheese, and even that doesn't always turn out." He had to stop speaking after that in order to shove another big bite of food in his mouth, acting as though he'd never had a meal so tasty as he was eating now, but it had more to do with feeling a relief from the continuous stress at being at the hospital, and being able to enjoy such a simple thing as food again. "How's her pickiness going to come into play with this restricted diet, you suppose? Is there anything on there that she even likes?"

Johann*Others

Having already wolfed down his own meal in the same quick efficiency that marked everything he'd done since he'd come home, Johann placed his plate on the coffee table and took up his half-finished Coke, gulping down the rest of the contents and realizing a beat too late that he'd forgotten to grab napkins. Shrugging one shoulder and not standing on any ceremony, he reached for the tissues on the table and made use of that before carefully bending over and tucking a blanket around the drowsing Raine. It was a delicate operation, since Cass' head was propped on his thigh and he didn't want to squash her, but he was just thin enough - and the baby just close enough - for him to pull it off. "I can beef up the protein shakes a bit - she'll drink anything down if it's raspberry flavored. And I think that if I use fresh raspberries and a couple cups of cane sugar in there, it'll be enough to mask the nutrient-powder taste. Goodness knows the sugar won't harm her any - she could use the calories. That's the easy bit... but the girl's got a good recipe for banana bread - simple carbs that are on the list. If I take the nuts out of that, she can have it, and she'll eat it. And there isn't a vegetable in the world she won't take, and the only fruit she won't eat is raisins."

Laurence Zelkovii

The young co-lead wasn't far behind Johann in finishing off his meal, and following the other's example by taking up a tissue to wipe his mouth off when there was wasn't a proper napkin to be found. After all that was taken care of, and washed down with a few sips of soda, Lanny set his plate aside and pondered over picking Raine up; which he reluctantly decided to hold off with, after he realized the infant was on the verge of falling asleep. "At least she's picky in a good way, and'll take the greens and fruits." As he thought about it, Lanny was thinking that the diet portion of all of this was going to be the easiest part for Cassidy, next to her regiment for spending a lot of time with Raine. "Should we wake her up now? Or do you need to make a meal for her first; I don't know about you, but I always hated taking pills, unless they were ground into something where I didn't have to worry about them."

Johann*Others

Johann had to consider that question - Cassidy would take pills without a protest, but he knew that she didn't enjoy it. So at long last, he answered, "I guess it would be better to wait until Scott gets here with the groceries - I can at least crush up the calcium into a powder and mix that into the shake." He was running over the recipe in his mind, not realizing that his fingers were trailing idly over Cass' hair and the upper part of her back. After a moment or two, where he paused to set all of his thoughts in order, the old man offered, "Maybe you ought to meet him at the door - you know how liable he is to kind of barge in and not look about before he starts talking at the top of his voice. And that's liable to be even more prominent than usual, when he's been stuck with us at the hospital all this time. I don't want him to wake her up any sooner than she has to be."

Laurence Zelkovii

"Both of those are good ideas." With Scott's tendencies for being a bit too loud, Lanny feared the younger guard might accidentally wake Cassidy up before he realized she was asleep. He'd done a good job at the hospital in keeping quiet, but back in familiar territory and no longer on duty, all that pent up energy was liable to come out. "In fact, I'll meet him downstairs, and we'll get that chair up here while we're at it." Making good on that word, Lanny sat up from the couch and strolled on out the door to wait up for their fellow members. Some minutes passed after that, leaving Johann and the little family to some peace and quiet before the co-lead and the guard finally returned. Each had a bag of groceries hanging from one arm or the other, and between them they carried the bulky shower chair that would allow Cass to bathe and get dressed on her own. "Elevators would be nice..." Lanny mumbled as he set the chair down, and headed to the kitchen table to empty out the contents of the bags, where he searched for the powder mix that would be Cass's first meal at home.

Johann*Others

It had never been a thought in Johann's mind that Scott would deliberately wake Cass up when she needed sleep, but as he knew Lanny's tendency for ignoring those issues he could not deal with, he knew that the young guard was prone to his bouts of over-exuberance with no notice, and didn't have much sense of timing or appropriateness for that outside of active missions. He knew when to keep quiet in a pinch, but in social situations, he was a little overbearing, and that was what Johann had been referring to. So he was glad when Lanny agreed to it, giving him some quiet time to spend with the two people in his life he held most precious to him. And indeed, by the time Lanny came up, he might notice how some of the years that had been tacked onto the old man's face during the extended hospital stay had fallen away and disappeared - he looked much younger than he had since the day Cass had collapsed in the apartment. "Here Lanny, I've got it... come here and take her for a minute." Obviously the younger man wasn't going to be actually making the shake himself, so they needed to switch out so that Cass would be able to sleep against Lanny again for a while.

Laurence Zelkovii

Once he'd gotten the powder out, Lanny returned to the couch to switch places with Johann, not all bothered by the fact that Scott was now milling around in the room and witnessing first hand the dedicated care his co-lead offered the new mother. To the guard, who watched as his superior sat down and helped Johann to gingerly shift the slumbering Cass back against him, it was a confirmation of the rumors that had been going around - they were more than just childhood friends. He didn't dare say anything to that effect, but it stayed in his mind. "I think this business of being back in her home has really helped; she hasn't so much as stirred since she fell asleep."

Johann*Others

"Scott, there's a high-chair and a set of crib-bumpers in the back of my truck - could you get the bumpers before it rains? I'll come help you with the highchair in a minute." Of course, Raine wouldn't need a highchair for some time now, but the man had found a good deal on one, and had gone on ahead and purchased it for future use. Of course, the bumpers were a subtle excuse to get Scott out of the room for a moment, not because he minded the young guard being there and watching them, but because he wanted to say something to Lanny that would be kept just between the two of them. Shifting the sleeping young woman back onto Lanny and rising to his feet to head for the kitchen, the older man waited for Scott to leave the room before he addressed Lanny. "When she wakes up, you'd probably do best to head down to your place and get some basics - a few days' worth of clothes, and your shaving kit, and whatnot. And while you're there, you might express to Sheryl that if she can't be civil, she's not welcome to visit up here. I've seen the dagger-eyes she gives Cass, and I ignore it, because it's their business. But I won't have her upset right now, so either Sher's going to behave herself, or she's going to stay downstairs." That was the Man of the House laying down The Law, not the informant speaking to his superior - whereas the tension between the two women had always passed under Lanny's radar, Johann had never failed to pick up on it. But where he had always ignored it, calling it an issue between women and knowing not to insert his nose into it, he wasn't going to have that sort of thing right now - not when Cass still needed to be recovering.

Laurence Zelkovii

"Huh? Oh, yeah - I'll be right back." The guard distractedly responded, lost in thought at the time Johann had addressed him, but quickly come to attention. 'Bumpers...? Whatever those are... I guess I'll find out.' Not sure what he was actually looking for, but not wanting to express his ignorance to the two higher-ranks in the room, Scott kept his thoughts to himself and marched out of the room to locate the items in the back of the truck. That left Lanny to listen in privacy to the uncle, nodding in acknolwedgement to what all was being said, but looking a little surprised when he brought up Sheryl. "Sure, send me to do the dirty work." Personally, he didn't understand the depth of the one-sided fued between the young women, but if Johann requested it be taken care of, he'd speak to his brother's girlfriend.

Johann*Others

"Wow - you really don't get it, do you?" He asked that question as he set about chopping up the promised raspberries and measuring out the powdered protein mix, and though it might have been a slur coming from anyone else, it was a serious question, from Johann. "Sher thinks that Cass is going to take James from her. Has almost since the day they started dating, once she figured out that the three of you were raised like family. And she never has figured out that Cass isn't interested in him." He shook his head some, beginning to quietly chop and smash the calcium pill into a powder and add that too the mix. "She's taken every chance she can get to give Cass warning that James belongs to her - I've seen things go down between the two of them without anything being said aloud. And I want it clear that none of that's to happen while the girl's indisposed."

Laurence Zelkovii

Startled by how serious this problem was, when he scarcely thought a thing about it, Lanny gave Johann a long stare. "Wait... what?" For all the time he spent with them, he just hadn't read into all the abundant signs that had been there. It wasn't that he was daft or ignorant of such things, but it hadn't ever crossed his mind that Sheryl would think that Cass was a threat. "Cass isn't after him, and Sheryl's been with him since highschool; that's just..." It was a revelation for the young man, which as he thought about it, started to explain a few things in his mind. "Huh, I never would have guessed. But if you say so, I'll have a talk with her about it."

Johann*Others

The old man was shaking his head before Lanny ever finished. "You are attempting to apply the jealous, possessive behavior of an insecure woman to the laws of logic and the frank ways that men deal with that sort of issue. If I were your age, and I had a girlfriend, and thought you were going to try to seduce her away from me, I'd come and give you a clear, concise five or six worded threat to stay away, and if you didn't, I'd sock you square in the nose and break as many bones as I had to in order to convince you that my girl wasn't worth your trouble. Women just don't do things that way." He shook his head a little more, mostly because even though he understood what women did, he didn't know why they did it this way. "Female possessive behavior is far more subtle, and ninety-five percent non-verbal. The angle of her eyes will tell you if she's giving a preliminary warning of 'watch it' or a more dangerous one that says a cat fight's about to break out. Women state their ownership over a man with touch - leaning on them, holding their hand, little touches on the back or shoulders as they pass up the target of their affections; ever notice how Sher gets clingy with him while Cass is around?"

Laurence Zelkovii

He scrunched his face briefly in an expression of confusion and exasperation before he huffed out a low breath and murmured back, "No wonder they're so hard to understand..." As soon as he mentioned this, Lanny glanced quickly to Cass to make sure she was still sleeping, even though his response had been made in jest anyway. "They must be really subtle about it, because I could have sworn they liked each other. Shery's never said anything to me about thinking anything suspicious of Cass-" At this time, Scott was blundering back into the room with the bumpers, and catching the tail end of what Lanny was saying, "Talking about they're jealousy? Personally, I think Sher hasn't been quite so uppity around Cass lately." Lanny was lost for words for a second or two, suddenly wondering how Scott knew about this, and he hadn't - and he spent more time with the group of them.

Johann*Others

"Sheryl keeps a pleasant face on it because she's insecure, and doesn't know whether he'd get rid of her or kick Cass out if the two of them started actively fighting," the older man explained, having pretty well gotten the lead's fiancee as well figured out as he had everyone else. "And Cass keeps it polite for the gang's sake, and because she knows she's not interested in your brother. She figures it's okay for Sher to be jealous of her, as long as it doesn't go too far. It avoids a lot of confusion and confrontation." Setting aside what he was doing as Scott came into the room so that he could relieve the guard of the bumpers, Johann answered him quietly, "Perhaps that is because Cass has had other things to occupy her attention than James, recently."

Laurence Zelkovii

"It's a woman thing." Scott echoed one of Johann's earlier explanations with a casual shrug and sauntered over towards a chair to sit and wait until he was needed again. "And he's right, now that Cass has you-" Lanny darted a quick look of surprise to the younger member, subduing what would have been an anxious shift in position if Cassidy weren't resting against him, "What do you mean by that?" The young man didn't like how he was on the outside of the circle on this, and even though he was started to recognize that rather obvious connections between him and Cassidy now, he wasn't fully prepared to acknowledge it as a true relationship of deeper stuff yet; but apparently, everyone else was already doing that. "All I mean is... you're- you're helping her out a lot. That's all I meant by it." Scott was surprised by the sudden defensiveness in the usually easy-going co-lead, who was generally much easier to joke around with than James. Wisely, he edited his response just a little.

Johann*Others

Where this line of talk made Lanny a little tense, Johann didn't say anything - though he did look up and share a glance with Scott. The younger guard didn't know him as well as Lanny did, but the implication in the blue eyes was clear - Yes, you're right - but you'd do best not to mention it. It wasn't so much that Johann minded the idea that Cass and Lanny were becoming more than friends; after all, that provided the young woman with a degree of protection that she could certainly use right now, with a young child now in the household. This show of power that Johann put over in his subtle glance was more the warning of an elder member, as an advice to keep the younger man out of trouble. And the glance was brief - he was soon moving into the bedroom to place the bumpers in the crib, leaving the guard and the co-lead alone in the room with the two sleepers. Raine wouldn't be rolling for a while, but the bumpers would help shield a little against any drafts, and when she got older, it would prevent the infant from bumping her head against the crib bars. When he came back in the room, he headed for the kitchen again, and mentioned casually to Scott, "Lanny and I pretty well finished the eggs, but if you're much for blueberry, there's still a couple of muffins there. And there's all manner of drinks in the fridge." As he spoke, Cass took a deep breath and let it out, and the old man froze, going completely silent for a moment or two - either she was about to wake up, or was settling into a deeper realm of sleep, and he wasn't quite ready for her to wake just yet. A silent gesture was made to Scott to keep him quiet for a moment - and fortunately Cass wriggled a little closer in against Lanny, and then settled again. "I can't remember the last time she slept that hard," the old man murmured, after waiting for her to quiet again. "Poor kid's probably catching up on her sleep, after all those nightmares."

Laurence Zelkovii

After getting a response from Lanny that was slightly atypical from one that he would have expected, Scott had pretty well figured out that he should keep mum on this topic, and if there were any doubts on whether he should say anything else or not, Johann's quick, meaningful look told him that just needed to keep quiet now. A telling silence filled the room after that, until Johann returned from placing the bumpers and gave the guard something else to do, which he gratefully accepted, "Thanks man, I haven't had a chance to eat breakfast yet anyway." Using this as an excuse to leave the main room and occupy the kitchen instead, Scott got up from his chair and moved off. Lanny remained quiet during this time, forced again to think about what Scott had brought up just moments ago. "She ought to recover faster now that we're home, if that means less of those dreams. I hate to wake her up now..." He didn't actually move to wake her up at all, but he did adjust himself a little more to accommodate Cassidy's shifting in her sleep. Of course, as much as he didn't want to wake her up from the first peaceful sleep she'd had in a long while, he also didn't want her waking up to pain, as she might if they didn't get her the pills soon enough.

Johann*Others

Sticking to his general rule that no one ever went hungry under his roof, Johann took a moment to tell Scott just where he might find the proper dishes and utensils he'd need, as well as to inform him that he was welcome to anything he could scavenge from the refrigerator. This was one of the curious features about the otherwise quiet and withdrawn man - he looked after people in a way that was very subtle, by providing the basic need of a nutritious meal without discrimination as to who was receiving it. Even the gang members that he didn't particularly like or get along with on a personal level never went hungry when they were around him. It was his own way of ensuring that the gang stayed together and everyone was in good enough health to make their heirarchy and power in the city run efficiently - if the members were well-nourished, they were in better shape to wield their power. Once he was sure that Scott had everything he needed, the old man returned his attention to the young co-lead, and shrugged his shoulder some. "You and me both - but she's got to get that medicine here pretty quickly; Marachek has very clear-worded orders in here about her getting her meds on time."

Laurence Zelkovii

Scott was one of those who benefited from Johann's generosity with food, and was more than happy to take a muffin and pour himself a glass of milk after the man had pointed out where he could find the needed items. Lanny would be benefiting from it as well in the days to come, now that he wasn't left to fend for himself as far as meals went, or rely on Sheryl's equally sub-par cooking skills. "Might as well get it over with then. I'll head home and get a shower myself, and if she's still awake, maybe Randy could visit for a bit with Raine. He's been dying to see her, but I just haven't had the time to introduce them yet." Not to mention, he wasn't about to bring the boy to the hospital when they were camped next to Conan.

Johann*Others

"Sounds like a good plan - I'm not really very certain of how clean our shower is, since we've been up there at Great Springs so long." The old man shook his head a bit as he finished mixing up the homemade nutrient shake and reached up into a cabinet for a straw. "Alright - her breakfast is ready. Best wake her up, Lan." As he said that, he gave Scott a look that was just a reminder to be careful about what he said while the young mother was awake, and then rounded the corner of the counter to bring the shake in and set it on the coffee table. And as he waited for Lanny to wake the young woman, he bent down and ran one finger gently around the edge of Raine's cheek, after which he paused to obsessively tuck the blanket more securely around her. When that was done, he headed back to the kitchen and scooped up the manual, moving to seat himself in his armchair across from the couch and propping the hefty thing in his lap as he continued reading.

Laurence Zelkovii

Scott again got the look that Johann gave him, and was smart to heed the message from his superior. He was generally a very well-behaved kid, and more often than not, it was even hard to picture him being part of the gang scene. Outbursts and occasional tonal-deafness aside, the young guard was one of the ones who could be better trusted around delicate situations like this; now that he knew he needed to keep his mouth shut. "Cass... time to wake up." Lanny's voice was exceptionally quiet, and his touch just as gentle as he rubbed at her shoulder to try and bring her out of the slumber, "Time to have a decent meal." If this failed to wake her, Lanny would go from rubbing at her shoulder and lightly shaking it, reluctant to use much of any force on her when she looked so positively frail.

Cassidy*Others

"Mmm?" After a few moments, the touch on her shoulder got a slow, quiet response out of Cass - she turned her head a little toward the sound and made a small noise. Only a moment later though, she cuddled more closely in against Lanny and buried her face without ever opening her eyes, and her next words were muffled because of it. "S'not morning yet. And I absolutely refuse to rise before the sun does." Johann turned his gaze from the page he was reading over to Cass, and a soft smile came over his features. Briefly setting aside the manual, he got to his feet and headed across the room - he hadn't turned on the lights in the apartment because there was plenty of light coming in through the windows, but now he reached for the switch, and flipped it with a pronounced click. The young woman whined in protest and closed her eyes more tightly against the invading light, but Johann smiled. "Watch it, miss - next I'll grab the covers." That did the trick, even though Cass didn't have any blankets right now. She growled and grumbled, but finally, the eyes came open, and the muttered, "Mean old guy." Her uncle just grinned and leaned over to pet at her hair, and she swatted at his hand in a manner that suggested she was far from angry with him - she was more amused than anything.

Laurence Zelkovii

"But it is morning, Sunshine." It wasn't often that Lanny picked out random nicknames, but this was a time where one just came to him, spoken in a quiet but cheerful tone that matched his uplifted feelings. Her nap may not have been a very long one, but it was the first he could remember since their stay at the hospital that wasn't marred by nightmares, or bouts of terror upon waking up. When she proved she had woken up by her mock-annoyed responses to Johann, Lanny went from shaking her shoulder to resting his hand lightly on it, for once not having that usual red flag at the back of his mind about doing such a thing. Cassidy was comfortable and secure enough to be sleeping against him, which was why he'd dared to rouse her by touching her shoulder in the first place. To him, it was a sign of the growing trust between them, even though there had always been trust there. "We couldn't let you sleep through breakfast - after all, how long has it been since you've had a raspberry drink?"

Cassidy*Others

The young woman didn't comment on the nickname Lanny used, instead turning her face a little more out away from him and whispering a foul word that she was sure Johann was too far away to hear. However, he spoke up as he turned his eyes up over the rim of his glasses. "You're forgetting I can lip-red, my girl - watch your mouth around the baby." She stuck her tongue out at him, and he calmly turned his eyes back down to read. "Your shake's there on the table," he prompted, and she staged a groan. "Ugh... no more colored chalk!" Without looking up, he answered, "It's either that, or an IV and pills - and I thought you'd be glad to be rid of those. Besides, if that tastes like powdered vitamins, I'll hang up my pans right now and take up microwavables. Think I can't manage a milkshake?" Well, she had to give him that, so finally she prompted, "Lanny?" She could have sat up and reached the cup easily of course, but she was warm and snug leaned against the young man, and didn't particularly want to move, and the drink was close enough for him to reach without leaning forward.

Laurence Zelkovii

Lanny chuckled quietly at the word choice that she picked out for her uncle, then grinned even more when Johann caught onto it and gave her that over-the-rim look and a warning. "If we've got to watch our language around her, her visits by James and Tyler need to be kept short." It was a slight tease against his older brother and friend, who had a tendency to use more foul language that most, and without any sort of kid-filter when there were little ears about. "I can bet you anything it'll at least be better than the stuff you've been getting." The young co-lead switched to the topic of the shake after Cassidy requested the drink, which he stretched an arm out to fetch for her, "And I bet they didn't add any raspberries to their mix."

Cassidy*Others

Johann was shaking his head some, but he wasn't really angry - he was just very set in his ways, and had his own ideas about how children ought to be raised. "No child ought to learn to cuss like that til they're at least twelve," he asserted calmly, turning a page in a manner that proved he was capable of continuing to read and carrying on a conversation with the pair at the same time. "I don't want you giving her any ideas of material to work with until then." Cassidy made a rude noise, since Johann was known to have a foul mouth himself when he got around to it, and he gave her a stern look. "Managed to raise you up, didn't I? And you turned out alright, if I do say so myself. Don't knock it girl - it got you to where you're at today." His tones were a little gruff, but it was pretty well known that he couldn't be really upset with her, and so she offered him a subdued smile, and a softer, more respectful tone of voice. "I know, Uncle. Don't think I ever forget that." It was such a sentimental comment on her part that, even though Johann was deeply touched, he joked it off to alleviate some of the awkwardness. "Don't think I'd let you," he quipped, and she laughed, and the tightness of the awkwardness dissipated. Taking the shake from Lanny, the young woman answered, "No, they didn't... they were mostly either strawberry or chocolate, and it wasn't the real fruit - it was powdered fruit-flavored substitute." So saying, she made a brief face, and then finally took a sip... and after a moment, the look of dread on her face faded away. "Okay I'll admit it, Johann - this is practically edible."

Laurence Zelkovii

The young man instinctively kept himself quiet and out of the interplay between Johann and Cassidy when their joking gave way to a rare, brief acknowledgment of her gratefulness for all that the man had done for her. For all the time that they tended to use mild humor in light words in times like these, that simple comment from Cass spoke volumes about her trust with her uncle, and reflected the the selfless attention and care that had gone into raising her. "So it was basically liquid chalk you were drinking, as far as taste is concerned?" Lanny found his spot to begin speaking again, while tactfully refraining from commenting on their more sincere moment, "Just one more reason to be glad for getting out of the hospital."

Cassidy*Others

Now beginning to steady take sips of the shake, and thankfully looking as though she meant to finish it without protest, Cassidy nodded, "The only way you could tell what flavor it was supposed to be was by looking to see what color it was. Otherwise, it was anyone's guess. And it certainly had the texture of chalk. This is still pretty powdery," she went on, hefting the drink in her hand to indicate it, "But not nearly so much as the hospital ones, and the flavor is good." Looking up briefly from the page, Johann commented wryly, "Glad you approve," and she grinned cheekily at him, to which he rolled his eyes, and then turned back to reading. "What's lunch going to be like?" She asked quietly, and cringed a bit, because she was almost afraid to hear the answer, but thankfully, he had good news to offer her. "You're allowed a total of eight ounces of either fish or poultry daily - that means a four ounce at lunch, and another at supper. You can take your pick - and we'll couple it with veggies and brown rice, which are on the list."

Laurence Zelkovii

"I'm glad I don't have to drink the stuff." Speaking emphatically, Lanny wrinkled the side of his nose up at the glass Cassidy was working on, "I feel for you." If he'd been the one on the hospital diet all this time, Lanny wasn't sure whether he would have stuck to it or not, no matter what the doctors might have said. Talk of lunch was greeted with an attentive look, despite having just eaten a hearty breakfast. "Need me or Scott to pick anything up at the store? I might as well do some running after my shower, and I can imagine your cupboards might need to be stocked soon, if I'm staying here for any length of time."

Cassidy*Others

I can feel your heart beat;
I can hear you breathing.
It helps me to remember
that you're still here with me

"Actually, when he makes it, it's really not all that bad," Cassidy assured the young man, shrugging one shoulder and continuing to sip on the shake. She shivered a little because the cold shake in the cold weather made her a little chilly, and cuddled more tightly against Lanny to try to absorb some body heat from him. "Yeesh, Uncle - what have you got the thermostat on?" Without looking up from what he was doing, the old man answered, "Seventy-five, as usual - but it's been turned way down while we've been gone, and it's still heating up. I didn't see the need to pay to heat an empty apartment for three weeks." She nodded, understanding that well enough - what with all the baby-related investments they'd made lately, they needed to be a little more conscientious with their money for a bit. They wouldn't go hungry or without electricity at all, but they couldn't be quite as flagrant as they might ordinarily be - that was why he'd turned the thermostat down. So instead of complaining, she prompted, "Lanny, reach behind you and get that blanket." While he was doing that, Johann turned a few pages into the book, and began to look down one page, beginning to scribble on it with his pencil. And when he was done, he took the sheet out of the notebook, and handed it to Lanny. "I've marked everything we need, and how much of it to get, as far as her stuff, and a few basic things for us. If you think of anything particular you'd like to eat, get the fixins for it while you're there." A moment later, he was extending his credit card to the young man, providing him with a means to pay for it.

I need help believing
you're here with me tonight, so
stay right here beside me
so I can hear you breathe.

Laurence Zelkovii

I watched the world float to the dark side of the moon
After all I knew it had to be something to do with you
I really don't mind what happens now and then
As long as you'll be my friend at the end

"Maybe not, bet I bet you'll be glad for lunch, and an actual meal for once." He couldn't dis on Johann's food, even if it was something as bland as a powder-drink, but after so long on a liquid regiment, Lanny could imagine Cass was ready for a change in the diet. "Here you go-" It was a feat of flexibility for Lanny, trying to reach around and grab the blanket without moving Cassidy in the process. Once he'd tugged it closer, he was able to use his other hand to flap the blanket in the air and billow it out over the young mother, so that it landed more or less over her. "This old place takes so long to heat up. I had to get Geckie one of those lamps in fact, after I found him almost froze in his cage the other day." The poor gecko didn't have the most knowledgeable owner, but miraculously, 'he' managed to survive thus far in Lanny's care. The co-lead was deftly tucking the blanket around her shoulders and back while he said this, then reaching out again, this time to take the note and card that Johann was handing to him. "Cass, is there anything you want from the store? Movies or anything?"

If I go crazy then will you still call me Superman?
If I'm alive and well, will you be there holding my hand?
I'll keep you by my side with my superhuman might
Kryptonite

Cassidy*Others

If weakness is a wound
that no one wants to speak of,
then cool is just how far we have to fall.
And I am not immune -
I only want to be loved,
but I feel safe behind the firewall.
Can I lose my need to impress?
If you want the truth,
I need to confess...

Giving another little shiver, Cassidy was beyond grateful when the blanket settled around her shoulders. A contented sigh left her as she finished up the shake and handed the empty glass to Lanny. Pulling her arm quickly back in under the blanket, the young woman tucked her nose beneath the fabric to try to build some warmth, and her muffled voice said, "A156 watch batteries for my booklight, and both black and white sewing thread. And socks, for a size seven shoe - I swear that the hospital's washing machine ate every pair that I had." Those were the only requests she had, because she really wasn't much up to speed on movies there were to be watched, since she'd been trapped in the hospital for several weeks, and comatose for several days at the beginning of that. And that wasn't even to mention the nearly ninety-percent of that time that she'd spent sleeping or otherwise too drugged to know what was going on.

I'm not alright -
I'm broken inside... broken inside.
And all I go through,
it leads me to you. Leads me to you...
I'm not alright.
I'm not alright.
I'm not alright...
that's why I need you.

Laurence Zelkovii

He was wishing he had a pen with him at this moment, but lacking that, Lanny quickly crammed the listed items in his head as he nodded along with the items Cassidy was giving him. "Letsee, socks, thread, and batteries - I think I can handle that." Whether he could remember what sizes and colors by the time he got to the store was another question. "Say..." As if stalling before he had to get up and leave, not wanting to leave Cassidy when she was comfortably resting against him and trying to stay warm while the old room tried to heat up, Lanny had one last question to ask her, "Mind if I bring Randy by for just a little while when I come back? Not for long, but just to see Raine?"

Cassidy*Others

Now warming up a little thanks to the blanket, Cass turned her eyes up to Lanny, and though her smile was hidden by the fabric, the warmth carried into her voice. "Of course... bring the little guy along, if you like. Poor kid still hasn't gotten to meet his little sister yet." And fortunately, she was able to make that comment without connecting it back to Conan's comment a few days ago about the child being his sister... she couldn't express how angry and upset that had made her, though the two men that cared about her could make a decent guess.

Laurence Zelkovii

Lanny had been careful not to say anything in regards to the two being siblings until Cassidy herself brought it up and proved she was alright with it. And he was smart enough not to dare bring Conan into the mix, who himself was a half-brother to Raine, "He's been waiting to see her. And I've been telling about keeping quiet around her, and I think he gets the idea of it - he's a smart little guy." Having stalled long enough now, Lanny reluctantly removed himself from the couch, going about it slowly to give Cass time to readjust herself.

Cassidy*Others

"He is very perceptive," Cassidy agreed, shifting her weight off of Lanny and onto the couch back as he slowly got to his feet. "And very gentle. He will be good with her, I am sure." And indeed, of everyone, she was least fearful of Raimi interacting with the baby, perhaps he was so young and harmless himself. He wouldn't be one to try to take Raine from her, or hurt her to manipulate Cass - he might get a little loud, but no harm would come to the little girl, and that set Cass instantly at ease. Even so though, she grabbed Lanny's hand for a second as he stood up, and muttered, "Be careful..." pausing for a second before she went on, "It's raining outside," which pretty well made it clear that it wasn't the weather she was worried about in relation to him.