I had some help

Thirty-seven

Morgan sat in the living room of the bus, his voice rising as he spoke on the phone with Katie. "Morgan?" Alex asked, walking into the room and covering her eyes from the early morning light.

Morgan glanced at Alex and quickly tried to lower his voice. "I have to go." He said abruptly into the phone before hanging up. He took a deep breath and rubbed his forehead, trying to calm down.

"What's going on?" Alex asked, concern evident in her voice.

Morgan sighed and looked at her, his expression a mix of frustration and exhaustion. "Katie," He said simply. "She's been giving me a hard time about everything. It's just... a lot."

Alex sat down beside him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Morgan. I know it's been tough."

He nodded, leaning back into the couch. "It's just so complicated, you know? I never wanted any of this to happen."

"I know," Alex replied softly. "But you're doing the best you can."

Morgan gave her a small, grateful smile. "Thanks, Alex. It means a lot having you here."

Alex returned his smile. "Always."

Morgan took a deep breath and started to speak again. "Katie's demanding more money now. She thinks she can just keep squeezing me because of the baby."

Alex frowned. "That's not fair to you, Morgan. Have you thought about getting legal help?"

Morgan nodded. "Yeah, I think I need to. This can't keep going on like this."

Alex squeezed his shoulder. "Good. You deserve to have some peace."

He looked at her, his eyes softening. "You've always been my rock, Alex. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Alex blushed slightly. "Probably fail." Alex responded with a joking laugh.

Morgan rolled his eyes laughing with her.

They sat in silence for a moment, the weight of their shared history and current struggles hanging between them. Finally, Alex broke the silence.

"Let's take it one step at a time." She said. "First, let's get some breakfast and then we can figure out the next steps."

Morgan nodded with a laugh, looking at the clock seeing that it was 5:30 AM. "You should go back to sleep." Morgan said standing up grabbing her hand.

"Can't now, I'm up up for realzies." Alex responded smiling over her shoulder at him. Morgan rolled his eyes letting go of her hand letting her go to the kitchen.

Morgan sat back down, rubbing his forehead as he processed the conversation with Katie. The early morning light seeped through the blinds, casting a soft glow in the living room. He could hear Alex moving around in the kitchen, the clinking of utensils and the soft hum of the coffee machine providing a comforting background noise.

After a few minutes, Alex returned with two steaming mugs of coffee. She handed one to Morgan and sat down beside him again. "Here, this should help." She said with a reassuring smile.

Morgan took a sip, savoring the warmth. "Thanks, Alex. I really needed this."

Alex nodded, taking a sip of her own coffee. "So, what's the plan for today?"

Morgan sighed. "I need to call my lawyer and see what my options are. I can't keep letting Katie manipulate me like this."

"That sounds like a good idea." Alex agreed. "And remember, you have all of us here to support you."

Morgan looked at her, his eyes full of gratitude. "I know. And I appreciate it more than you know."

Alex reached out and squeezed his hand. "We'll get through this, Morgan. One thing at a time."