Diamond S Ranch

45- The Storm

Elle did manage to finish her project by Monday. It was a very long weekend, correction a very long boring weekend but she did it. After she did her presentation on the following Tuesday, she found out today, Wednesday she made a B-. Actually she was rather proud of her grade, as was Jake, who even said as much. Even if she did now know more about the state of Georgia and it's history than she ever cared to, she was happy with her grade. 

It was dinner time now and she was trying to hold her fork and eat her macaroni and cheese but was having some difficulty. Gage and Jordan were looking at her from across the table with odd expressions on their faces.

"Ah, say Princess, are you having difficulties holding a fork these days?" Jordan asked as he watched her trying to hold a fork in really a strange way. 

"Seriously, unless you've created a new way to hold it." Gage chimed in.

She ignored them both as she tried to stab her macaroni and cheese. She only managed to successfully capture three individual pieces of macaroni before she finally ate those only to repeat the process all over again. 

Jake looked up to see what they were talking about. He could see that Elle was indeed holding her fork different, well, really it was more like she was keeping her index finger, of her right hand extended out.  Which did make it difficult for her to hold her fork and use it like you would normally. His eyes sliced over to Kaison, who leaned over to take a look at Elle's finger.

"Elle what is wrong with your finger?" Kaison asked as he reached over took ahold of it bringing it to closer to his face so he could see it. 

The others watched his expression go from curious to concerned faster than Zach could get bucked off a bull. 

"Elle, it looks like you have a splinter in your finger." Kaison said as he continued to examine the angry looking red welt on her pointy finger. He could see the tip of it just below the skin and it wasn't a shabby little piece either.

Elle immediately jerked her hand back and tucked it up against her body for protection.

"I'm fine." She quickly declared.

"It doesn't look fine. It looks like it is starting to get an infection." Kaison said. "It needs to come out." He finished saying more to Jake than her.

"It's fine." Elle said as she grabbed her fork and tried to hold it, her normal way, to prove a point. However, the instant she put any pressure on the tip of that finger she felt a sharp pain and she grimaced, dropping the fork. Damn...that hurt!

"Well, it's not looking fine." Kaison stated as he went back to eating.

"Elle come here and let me look at it." Jake said.

"No, you're going to hurt it." Elle argued.

"I'm not going to hurt it. I just want to see it." Jake patiently explained. 

Reluctantly, Elle slid out of her seat and walked over to Jake. She just stood there looking at him with both hands behind her back.

"I can't see it from back there Elle." Jake said as he looked up at her.

"Don't touch it." Elle instructed.

"I won't touch it." Jake replied.

Elle hesitantly put her hand out. Just as he went to hold it, she jerked it back. He rolled his eyes up at her. 

"You were going to touch it." She explained anxiously.

"Elle, I wasn't. Now, let me see it. I'm not going to touch it...I promise. I'm just going to hold your hand." Jake said trying not to sigh out loud.