Farm Boy Down

[Richard Buckles]

Richard was left to stare at the wall as his face was turned when they laid him down on the bed. Then when the extra drugs took the edge off the pain initially he settled down but then they took full swing and he felt all fuzzy on his body. He blinked with real heavy eyes then turned his head in Callie's direction as she spoke to the nurse about him not listening. "Dooooont worry I be a good boy and stay right here." he said with a goofy smile.

The nurse replied "We hit him with some morphine to deal with the pain but if he moves around it will only make things worse." Richard moaned softly "Mmmm that's nice." he said as she rubbed the back of his head "Gonna...gonna put me to sleep you keep doing it." His words slurring a bit as the drugs were making him very drowsy now once more. The nurse interjected "He is just lucky to have such a loving girlfriend." That is exactly what she was doing though which was putting him to sleep.

When she whispered into his ear he didn't move at all as his body felt so heavy. He breathed evenly as she interjected a question then he sleepily half answered. "Cause I needed to...it meant." he said trailing off mid sentence. He slowly rolled his eyes behind his closed lids then opened them back up "You know?" he asked her.

[Callie Montgomery]

Callie was still over by the nurse when she heard Richard speak. She narrowed her eyes at him. “Ya better.” She said wagging a finger at him. A smile appeared in response to his goofy one. She tried fighting it. It was not helping her case on being super serious right now. She gave up. She couldn’t help it, he was being too darn cute.

She looked back at the nurse and managed to subdue her smile. Her hand was still moving through his hair as she gave a nod to the nurse. Great, more morphine. The thing that makes him loopy. Although if it helped with his pain, she’d have to manage. Even if she hadn’t been doing a good job thus far. Her blue eyes shot back to Richard. “Good. You need some sleep.” She said, hoping it did just that. She couldn’t have his mother come back and wonder what had happened. That would be a nightmare.

Her eyes were still on Richard as she spoke. Her eyes went wide as she felt her stomach twist in a knot again. She looked back at the nurse, “I-I uh, I ain’t--” She stopped when she saw the nurse leave the room. Great.

Maybe now wasn’t the best time to be asking all these questions. But then again, when was? She listened as he spoke. Callie was struggling to understand his answer. “It meant? It meant what?” She asked, voice filled with concern. She let out a little giggle. Maybe now wasn’t the best time to be laughing, but she couldn’t help it. “No Richard. I don’t know. That’s why I’m askin’.”

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Tag: Richard Buckles

[Richard Buckles]

"Why if I don't....wrestle me down in bed?" he laughed a bit. "You want to get into bed with me again?" he asked as that silly grin didn't leave. Partly from being high but also partly cause he felt happy having her by his side. He didn't understand it he felt the same way with Callie he did with Elsa or at least like he had with Elsa. Even if they were pretty different girls. It was the classic battle of someone who pushed you and made you change in a good way and a girl who was the same kind of people as you that made you feel warm and like you are home again.

If he wasn't buzzing on drugs he might be struck with some grief over these conflicting feelings. But as he was high as a kite he was more just focused on that warmth Callie was projecting and it soothed him once more to a sleep but then his mind jolted and his lid shot open again "Callie anybody ever tell you look like an angel?" he asked her as the corona of hair being lit again was dazzling his vision.

It didn't take long before the doctor came in and introduced himself "Hello Richard my name is Dr. Matthews. I heard you had a bit of a fall and so I am going to peel back the bandages and see if that might have disrupted my handiwork at all. So I just need you to relax. There will be some discomfort but I am sure your girlfriend here will hold your hand through it."

Richard nodded into the pillow "I know isn't she great?!" he said a little on the loud side. The doctor began peeling back the bandage and Callie could see the four slashes in his back that were partly sewn shut and partly open. He looked over the wound for a few minutes "Mmmhmmm looks alright. You got lucky Mr. Buckles. Now you listen to the nurses and don't be moving around. They will come back in and redress your affected area."

[Callie Montgomery]

Callie shook her head, the more he spoke the less she could take him seriously. She covered half her face with her free hand. She knew better than to respond to his question. Although, the thought of laying next to him was comforting, even though she was well aware that it wasn’t plausible in that moment.

Her soft pink lips formed a smile at his question yet again. “I believe someone has told me that once before.” Her cheeks were rosy. If only he would go back to sleep. That, or if his mother came back. She didn’t know how much more she could handle this embarrassment. Why she was feeling like that she didn’t know. All it was were a series of compliments. Perhaps it was because of who was giving them. The realization of that didn’t help. There was no way she could have feelings for one of her best friends. Not only that, but he had a girlfriend, despite what the nurse said, it wasn’t her. Maybe some morphine of her own would help her get on Richard’s level.

She stopped petting his head when she heard the doctor come in. She stood giving the doctor a thin pressed smile. Her cheeks turned brighter with the doctor’s comment. “I ain’t his girlfriend.” She said, finally able to get it out there. Every time she heard someone refer to her as that she felt her heart skip a beat followed by the sinking feeling that she actually wasn’t and someone else was.

Callie held Richard’s hand regardless of what he had said. Now was not the time to be arguing with a drugged up boy. Her blue eyes followed the doctors hands as he began pulling the bandages from Richard’s back. She raised her free hand to cover her mouth, partially in shock. It had hit her how lucky he actually was to be alive. She knew he had been lucky before, but now. Actually seeing what he had been faced with, he was lucky to be here right now. She was lucky to be holding his hand.

“Thank you doctor.” She said, as he left the room. She sat down next to Richard again. One hand still holding his, the other went back to petting his head. “Richard. I swear, if ya move again imma leave.” Her voice firm. She was serious. This was for his own good. If she had to leave, she would. No matter how much it would kill her to do so.

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Tag: Richard Buckles

[Richard Buckles]

"No no don't leave me Callie Cat." he said with worry then began to laugh "You would be so cute as a kitty. All fuzzy and sparkles." Her name always made him think of calico cats like they used to have back home. Another reason she tied to his home even as odd as it was. "I wont go no where if you don't." he said as he kept staring at her "Hey how does it look? I try looking but my head doesn't want to turn that much."

After a few minutes the nurse came in and did as the doctor said. Applying some sort of agent to the wound to help with keeping it free from infection. She then covered it in a thick padding of bandages. The previous ones when they were taken away were a little soiled from some drainage in the wound. The skin around the claw marks was pretty bruises up looking. The skin outside of that was still a bit red and angry looking. His body was trying to recover as best it could but this was pretty big damage.

"I learned not to fight with kitties. They are meaaaaaan." he told the nurse as she was applying to dressing. "I am just glad...that Blaine is okay. She was rather scared during the whole situation." he declared "Could you find out how Claire is doing when you go back? She seemed unhurt but she gotta be pretty shook up by all of this." his hand squeezed onto Callie's hand.

[Callie Montgomery]

Something she had said had finally gotten to him. She’d have to keep that in mind. Her lips betrayed her mind as her smile grew. Callie cat. She couldn’t resist anymore, “I wouldn’t mind being a cat.” She couldn’t help but picture herself as the cutest cuddle cat there is. She was glad he want’ planning on moving anymore. Finally.

When he asked about his back, she wasn’t quite sure how to respond. “Well ya ain’t an owl silly.” She said with a giggle, unsure if he would get the reference, but she didn’t care at that point. “It looks like you got some healin’ ta do.” Her eyes watched as the nursed tended to his back, both of her hands were still occupied in hopes to distract him from his back.

“Big kitties. Ya can’t mess with big kitties silly.” She pointed out, letting out another giggle. She felt herself returning to some sort of normalcy. “Blaine? Claire? Who are they?" She asked a bit confused. She felt his hand squeeze hers. How many people had he saved? She had no problem finding out how these people were doing, she just needed to know exactly who they were. Plus, she was sure that perhaps eventually they would visit Richard. The boy did save their lives.

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Tag: Richard Buckles

[Richard Buckles]

"You would make a great cat." he assured "You can turn into a cat now? Wow that's so cute." He swallowed hard "You mean I'm not an owl? Probably best cause as big as I am I might have swoop down and eat grab the little kitty." he gave back with a snicker.

The nurse was looking at them weirdly. As the pair jabbered back and forth while tending to the wound. "Your a good kisser kisser Kitty just don't get so rough or else I might end up back in here. The nurse was looking a bit more wide eyed "Was he always this whacky or is that just him being stoned?"

"Why you being so silly? It's not a then it's a hear the girl I helped. Her name was Blake ....oh wait was it?" he shook his head very slightly. "I mean it landed on her she got some punctures in the chest but I tied her off with pressure using my shirt I think she should be okay. You have to find out. She has to be good."

[Callie Montgomery]

Callie let out a giggle. She would make a great cat. She shook her head in response to his questions. Now she was picturing him as a giant owl. Great. She felt the eyes of the nurse on her. She couldn’t blame her. If she had been hearing this conversation she’d think they were nuts too.

She kept her focus on Richard, knowing the nurse was cleaning up his wound. Her cheeks were a bit rosy again. Anymore of this and they might get stuck permanently that color. “Sush you.” Was all she managed to say. Callie looked over at the nurse as she spoke. “I’m pretty sure it’s the morphine.” She said. She was pretty sure if Richard was like this all the time, well, she wouldn’t know how to handle it. Or maybe she would. Yeah, she would have figured it out by now.

Her eyes went back to Richard as he spoke again. He was clearly in no state to be making any sort of decisions. The name of the girl – she assumed – kept changing. “I’m sure she’s fine Richard. Maybe later we can talk about it. For now I think ya need to rest silly.” She said as her continued stroking his head. Her mind began to wander, who was he talking about?

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Tag: Richard Buckles

[Richard Buckles]

He groaned softly as he closed his eyes. His drowsy nature riding over him more as the drugs sank in and her hand continued to massage his scalp. It was very warm and comforting what she was doing. Something that made him smile.

"That's good. I need to be sure everyone is safe." he murmured. He went back to dozing off after the nurse finished and took an exit. He slept the for the next couple of hours till his mother returned. She had a cup of something from a coffee shop in hand speaking softly "Hello Callie I hope he wasn't any trouble while I was gone?" she questioned

She couldn't help but notice the different position and the food was still sitting there. "Did something happen while I was away?" she asked innocently. Sharon sipped on her drink slowly as he tired eyes lingered on her son despite talking to Callie.

[Callie Montgomery]

Callie managed a smile as Richard made little noises here and there. She wanted him to rest, and he seemed to finally listen (even if it was the drugs). Her hand never stopped moving on his head. She liked the way his hair felt between her fingers, it was comforting to her. Her smile grew as he spoke, “They are.” She said softly, as he seemed to doze off.
 
Callie watched as the nurse finished up with his back and went to leave the room “Thank you.” She whispered as the nurse gave her a nod just before leaving the room. As Richard slept, Callie remained by his side. She didn’t want to move. She kept rubbing his head and every so often she’d switch hands. For the next few hours as he slept the silence allowed her to clear her mind temporarily, but once that was done she was able to think a bit clearer. She thought about the day. What had happened, he kissed her. He Kissed her. Why would he do that? She thought back to a few month ago. She kissed him. Why did she do that? Every time she replayed it in her mind she felt her stomach flutter.

As time passed, her eyes remained on him, her mind was now focused on the day they first met. She so desperately wanted to watch the tape again. She got up slowly and walked over to the chair where her bag had been. She sat down and pulled out her pocket cam. Pulling out a little black pouch she pulled out a memory card from it and switched it out with the one that had been in the camcorder. Callie pressed the play button. Her eyes were glued to the tiny screen. She slouched in deeper into the chair and moved it closer to her face. She watched as a leaf was all that was visible on the screen, until Richard’s voice was heard. She smiled waiting patiently as she knew what was going to come next.
 
Callie immediately looked up as she heard his mother speak. She stood, the pocket cam in hand. It was still playing. The faint sound of their conversation could be heard. “He uh, kinda moved.” She said a bit thrown by the question. She shook her head, “He tried to stand and kinda fell. He’s okay though.” She added, not really sure that she explained herself all the well. There was no way she was going to tell his mother why he tried to stand.

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Tag: Richard Buckles

[Richard Buckles]

"Well I didn't expect him to listen and stay in bed. Back in high school he broke his ankle and he was more than a little troublesome getting to just sit still and let it heal." she shook her head as she noticed the noises on the recording device. "Stubbornness he gets from his father. Puts his mind to something he doesn't care if he falls flat on his face to make it happen. Why was he trying to get out of bed?"

She moved to besides Callie and looked down at the little screen after she clearly heard Richard's voice. "Watching some old home movies? When was this from?" she questioned pointing at the screen. She recognized it cause if the hair couldn't have been to long after boot camp.

"Looks like after he first came here three years ago. He tried his best to hide it but I could tell he was hiding what was going on. Got pulled out of becoming a soldier. It made him a bit sad but I think being a teacher is a much better think for him. He never had any problem hunting but he is to gentle a boy to kill other people." she replied as she went back to Richard's side and stroked his head softly.

"You know he always wanted to protect people. I remember when we got him one of those big hollow plastic bats and balls. So his dad threw it at me as a joke. He reared that bat back and attacked my husband screaming 'don't hurt my mommy'..." she said with a smile but tears in her eyes and a small laugh came out "My husband was so startled and I couldn't believe it myself." She leaned over and kissed his forehead.
 

[Callie Montgomery]

With the pocket cam still hand. Her eyes shifted between his mother and Richard. She bit her lower lip, feeling partially responsible for his quite literal down fall. Her eyes locked on Mrs. Buckles as she continued to speak. She gave a toothy smile. His mother was just full of stories. Quite entertaining at that. Callie enjoyed hearing them. It was another person’s insight on a person she considered a close friend. Even better. It was his mother’s. She was almost tempted to ask for embarrassing baby pictures. She refrained…for now.

She let out a soft giggle, “Ya that sure sounds like him.” It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, some would consider it admirable even. When his mother asked about why he got up, Callie felt her stomach sink. She didn’t want to tell Mrs. Buckles the truth. It would lead to a whole new set of question that she wasn’t sure she could answer at this moment. But at the same time she didn’t want to lie either. She detested lying. She felt herself utterly lost and conflicted in this moment. She knew she had to answer soon. It would be awkward if she the silence lingered for any longer.

“Uh. Well…” She began, something was telling her not to go against who she was. There was something about his mother that was a bit comforting. Maybe it was as simple as the fact that she was a mother. Callie had never been super close with her own mother. It also didn’t help that she had been sent up here at a relatively young age and hadn’t gone back home since. “He asked me to come over, I didn’t really know why and he started movin’. I told him not to he didn’t listen.” She continued, shaking her head as she averted her blue eyes from his mother. The scene began to play in her mind. She started talking faster and her accent grew thicker as she spoke, “I-I don’t know why and then he kissed me and it was too late and he fell to the floor. I wasn’t fast enough.” She said, putting her hand to her cheek. She hadn’t even realized what she said.

Her eyes followed Mrs. Buckles as she got closer to her. Callie had completely forgotten about the video she was so eager to watch. A small smile was present on her face, “Oh. This must be ‘bout three years or so ago. It was the first day I met him.” She said a bit wistfully. “He ruined my focus, but it wasn't a big deal.” She said with a giggle. She gave a nod as she continued to speak. “Ya he mentioned that.” She said, as she placed the pocket cam on the arm of the chair. It was facing the bed. She took a seat in the chair and watched Mrs. Buckles next to her son.

Callie couldn’t help but giggle. She sat quietly and pictured a little version of Richard beating up his father to protect his mom. It was endearing.

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Tag: Richard Buckles

[Richard Buckles]

Callie was a bit run ragged on nerves obviously from a glance as she was troubled trying to answer that question. Something her son had done made her a flutter but not in a way to make her leave. "Well must of been important to him what he wanted." she said calmly. Then the action that prompted his ill advised behavior came to light. Sharon paused and nodded "I see. It's okay Callie, not like you are to blame." Sharon whispered as her hand patting the side of her arm for assurance.

"Oh so you kept it on hand at all times these years?" she asked as a picture was forming. Sharon had some inklings that Callie had a crush on Richard last time they visited and met the young lady. Though that could have just been in her mind. Now having met her again in the circumstances it was pretty obvious the was smitten. She didn't know much about the thing she was using to record but she figured for her to keep something from three years ago close at hand always must of been very important.

"He probably wouldn't appreciate me telling an embarrassing story like that to a pretty girl. But that's because he doesn't see how cute the story is." Sharon said to Callie without looking back. "Why don't you tell me more about the story how you two first met. Watching something is fine but sometimes hearing someone's version of events is more interesting."

[Callie Montgomery]

Callie felt herself calming down a bit. Her breathing slowed, she no longer felt her heart beating in her chest. His mother didn’t seem to mind what had happened. She didn’t even blame Callie for it. Regardless of what his mother thought, she still felt responsible. A faint smile appeared as Sharon patted the side of her arm. She was glad Mrs. Buckles was here. It was like they balanced each other out. They kept each other relaxed.

“Uh, um…I guess?” Her question threw her a bit. She had never thought about how it looked that she had that particular card with her a majority of the time. She never got rid of anything she filmed. But at the same time she never kept any of them with her. She had a box that she kept all of her memory cards in, organized, dated and labeled with what was on it. The only one she had on her was usually just the one she was working on currently. Callie furrowed her brows a bit confused by this realization. Why did she have it with her?

“I like the stories. He’ll get over it.” She said with a smile. When Sharon asked about the first time they met Callie looked back at her camcorder on the arm of the chair, before stepping closer to his mother. She began playing with the tips of her hair. “Well I was workin’ on a project, filmin’ some stuff and he kinda just appeared from the woods.” Her voice reminiscent as her mind began to recall that day. “Ya know, I could just show ya if you’d like.” She said giving a shrug. She wasn’t referring to the video.

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Tag: Richard Buckles

[Richard Buckles]

Sharon could not blame her for something her son did especially since it as not surprising he did it. Even if she was s bit mad at him for doing doing something stupid. She knew her son didn't have all that great of track record with girl in high school do something nice about seeing that changed. Even if it was with two girls in an awkward position. Though he would stumble through that or so she had to hope.

Sharon snicker softly knowing he would never get over him telling cute kid stories of him to girls. Even if they were adorable and shouldn't think they are embarrassing. "Ah well knowing Richard was likely out camping or hunting." Sharon was confused as the video was already playing but nodded "Sure sweetheart would love to see." she responded. She couldn't help but wonder at this point though where Elsa was as she was still his girlfriend she knew and had not heard back from her on his phone and not seen her.