jump back, switch around

[ulamspiral]

The general store did not open today. That is not to say you could not go inside if you wanted something. Apparently by this point, Danny has instituted a "pay for it or do me a favor" trust policy, clearly written on those posterboards he was toting around the other day. They say, in fact:

Comments

[itllhurtifido]

Going out for a daily walk has, alas, not really provided continued rewards of beer, but it has gotten him some action -- shooting things, not the other kind of action -- and, if he had to admit it, the exercise is good for him, even if genetics and time oddities have kept him naturally fitter than most. Anyway, he's out and about now, and... hang on, he recognizes that bedraggled woman.

"...Isobel?"

[ulamspiral]

Well, she will look over at that, because...hey! Someone she knows outside of bizarre and vaguely onesided computer conversations. "John..."

[itllhurtifido]

It is her. Puzzled, he sits down on the bench as well.

"What happened to you? Last we'd heard, you and Danny had gotten in an accident, and no one had any idea where you went after that."

[ulamspiral]

"I lost control of the car." Someone is out of it indeed.

[itllhurtifido]

"But... that was weeks ago. Were you in the woods all this time?"

Out of it, and looking the worse for wear, in fact. He wishes he'd gotten something more current than his old battlefield first aid training, which he hasn't really kept up on at all.

"You need some help getting home? I'm sure Danny and Adam would like to see you."

[ulamspiral]

She blinks, a bit slowly and shakes her head. "I don't know where I was."

At mention of Adam and Danny, she nods. "Yeah. Please..." She's a bit confused at Danny having apparently made it back here.

[itllhurtifido]

He hopes that she'll remember some helpful details once she's gotten some rest, but there's no point in trying to push it now.

"All right. Just wait here. I'll be right back, and we'll get you home."

Fortunately, Hell isn't a very large town, but John still doesn't think it all that wise to expect her to walk the distance, even assisted. (Nor, for that matter, is he up for carrying her all that way.) Instead, he jogs the relatively short distance back to the office and, though conscious of how the supply of gas in town was now rather limited -- even with what he'd had stocked up for the backup generators -- gets his car into gear, headed back to where he found Isobel. He gets out, opens the passenger side door, then offers her a hand to get her up off the bench and help her get into the car.

[ulamspiral]

Oh, she remembers stuff. Just not where she was.

"Thank you, John."

[itllhurtifido]

Well, that'll be helpful, too, but... later.

"Don't worry about it. Let's just get you home. It's okay."

There is driving, and helping to get into the house and to somewhere that she can get some rest, and providing of water and rudimentary medical attention if necessary.

John doesn't really like doing people favors, and likes having them acknowledged even less, but that's mostly because he knows how that usually causes trouble for him later. For now, though, there's someone who needs help -- and not just because she's a skirt, thank you very much, Sheriff Galt -- and there's a part of him that can't let that go, especially now that he remembers the face of his father.

[ulamspiral]

She does not believe at all that anything is okay, especially if what Adam told her is true.

It should be noted, once they're inside her house if he goes with her, that Danny is not there. There is, however, a broken bowl of cereal on the floor of the kitchen.

[itllhurtifido]

No, things aren't really okay, but he's trying to be calming and supportive and stuff. "Oh God, we're fucked" can wait until tomorrow.

He does go in, and he does notice. Once he's got her settled in and resting, he goes and has a look at it, makes what few notes he's likely to get about the situation (it seems a bit odd that Danny might've dropped a bowl of cereal and then just left it like that when he left the house, but who knows, sometimes), and at least cleans things up enough so that there won't be rancid milk dried all over the floor.

Before he makes his way out, he leaves a note:

Izzy:

Tell your boyfriend to clean his mess before he goes out.

Once you're rested and feeling better, I'd like to discuss whatever you can remember, and I suppose you've missed some news, too. I'm in the book, same as always.

--Smith