Don walked back to the Game Room and coaxed the teenagers to join everyone in the living room.Hailey smiled as she stepped up next to Don."Five." Hail...y grabbed Don's arm, drawing his attention away from Kasey and Brandon."Four." She smiled as his eyes turned and met hers."Three." Hailey pushed herself up on her toes and put her hands on Don's shoulders."Two." Hailey closed the space between their lips."One." Their lips touched together as everyone began to cheer. Don saw Hailey's eyes close as. I plan to go visit a friend on Saturday. Other than that, I think I need to hit the books some and just kick back." That, and a workout or two, and some Kung Fu practice. Now that I thought about it, I would have a full weekend just trying to catch up with things I had missed during all the week's excitement.Mom had come in with a plate of French toast while we were talking. The smell was heavenly, but I held myself to only one piece. When the subject of weekend plans came up, she looked both. I opened my eyes, he was a girl, my arms were cuffed above my head and the pain, oh fuck the pain, I screamed, screamed into the hand that clamped across my mouth. For a moment the darkness returned, the need to breathe, then the voice, barely a whisper, "I'm sorry, so sorry, please don't scream, we need to get away, now, fast, please don't hate me, I can't be gentle." The darkness faded and the pain returned, so much pain, too much, I wanted it to stop, it had to stop, it was too ... I closed. " Great! Right then, Mr H, I'll get on with the cleaning. You go and do your thing and I'll let you know when I'm finished." OK, Sharon!"Richard was appalled. It was like Sharon was looking on things as part of her job, an extension of her cleaning: a duty that possibly she owed to Rachel. He had to do something about it but wasn't at all sure what. Sharon was so bossy!He quietly got on with some work, made and drank a cup of coffee on his own mid-morning and got no further with deciding how to.