Matt Casey's nieces and nephew

Chapter 17

"Hey Casey," Dawson called from down the hall. "Are we still doing dinner tonight?"

Casey shrugged as she got closer. "I'm not sure. There's trouble in teenage paradise."

"What?" Dawson frowned.

"Grace said Tyler has been avoiding her so I'm not sure what's going on." Casey watched the growing confusion on Dawson's face. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing," Dawson shook her head. "Grace just never mentioned it yesterday when she was talking to me."

"I'm surprised she even told me." Casey was interrupted by his cell phone ringing. He signaled for Dawson to give him a minute as he answered the phone. "Hello?"

Dawson watched as Casey became confused and worried. "More Voight problems?"

Casey shook his head. "No, that was the school. Grace passed out."

"Is she okay?" Dawson asked, immediately becoming worried.

"Yeah, I think so." He said. "They said she passed out during cheer practise at lunch and that her blood pressure was low."

"She probably didn't each lunch," Dawson said. "Do you want me to come with you?"

"No, it's okay, but can you look at her when I bring her back here?"

"Yeah, of course I hope it don't happen to Ellie too."

Casey nodded and walked to the Chief's office to let him know where he was going. He was worried as he drove to the school. Even though they said she was okay, Casey couldn't shake the nerves as he walked into the building. He wondered why he niece had passed out and if it was something more than just a one-time thing.

Casey stepped into the office and could see Grace sitting in the nurse's office. "Mr. Casey?"

"Yes?" He turned to see the nurse. "Is she okay?"

"She'll be fine." She nodded. "Did Grace eat breakfast this morning?"

"I dropped her off with a bagel, I don't know if she ate it."

The nurse pressed her lips into a line. "I'm willing to bet she didn't. She isn't the first cheerleader this week to pass out. They have a big competition coming up next weekend and they're under pressure to look their best."

Casey sighed. "She's been eating at home."

"Teenage girls are really hard. The guidance counsellor and I are going to be talking to the team on Monday but you should probably talk to her too. Like I said, we've had a few fainters, but we've also had a few girls have some side effects from diet pills."

Casey only nodded at her before following her into the nurse's office. Grace was pale and she smiled weakly when she saw him. She was drinking a juice box and had a half-eaten granola bar in her hand. Casey wasn't happy with her, but his worry trumped his anger.

Grace followed him out to the truck in silence. She wanted to saw something but she didn't know what he had been told or what kind of mood he was in. She climbed into the truck and waited for him to start the conversation. They drove back to the firehouse in silence and Grace glanced over at him a few times trying to read him. When he parked the truck, Grace watched him struggle to figure out what to say. He sat in the driver's seat, keys in hand and was still for a few moments. He didn't make an attempt to get out and neither did she.

"Grace," He said slowly. "Did you eat the bagel I gave you this morning?"

"No."

"Did you eat lunch today?"