Some kind of trouble....

[jukeboxartist]

The new internship was going really well. They were good kids; really good kids. Different conditions: two genetic disorders, two car accidents, and ... Luke ... but they were all responding well to getting their hands around a paintbrush or a pair of safety scissors.

Luke less so, not because his injuries were more severe -- in fact, they were less so than several of the others, but because he couldn't seem to relax. Then.... she could tell by the way he fumbled with the art supplies. The damage that had been healing after his previous accident ... or 'accident' ... was renewed. Kind of subtly, easy to miss if you weren't kind of studying this sort of thing obsessively.
Caroline calmly put in the call to DFYS ... but what about that night? Luke definitely wasn't talking enough to make anyone else take definite action immediately, and law-abiding citizen or not, Caroline wasn't sure she trusted the system to act quickly. Maybe she did have a little of Momma's revolutionary streak in her after all. She managed to keep him late, but eventually, the sun had long set, the center was closing... "Hey, Luke, I'm gonna walk you home, okay?" She didn't really give the kid much choice as she accompanied him. "Maybe have a talk with your Mom about how good your art's coming along."
"Mom'll be at work. And Dad... won't want to talk about art."
"Okay. Well, I'll just walk you home anyway."

Comments

[fear_the_rider]

Tommy finished his food in contemplative silence, thinking about his next move from here. He had to head back to New York to check on Roxie. Hopefully Joe would be back by then but if he wasn't, he didn't want her to worry. Tommy was still amazed that he cared about Roxie's worry for him. She didn't really understand who she was worried about.

Same as Caroline, it seemed.

"I'll take care of the bill, Kentucky Caroline. Then I should probably get you home. You've had a lot of excitement today, young lady." he teased.

[jukeboxartist]

Windchimes. "Probably." She'd argue over the bill; he doesnt seem like he has a lot, but she's also used to this being a matter of pride and isn't going to mess with that.

It'll all be settled easily enough, and home they go.

[fear_the_rider]

Once the bill was paid, Tommy would lead Caroline back outside to his bike and hand her his helmet. "Come on, Kentucky Caroline. Let me take you home and pretend I'm still somethin' of a gentleman." he said, sliding over the seat of his bike and starting it up.

Once she was settled, he'd take her as close to her home as she'd allow.