ODDS OF LOVE: Season Nine

Episode 123

Rosie Flynn took a sip of her now ice cold coffee from the vending machine in the break room as she sat at her cluttered desk, counting down the remaining days before she could kiss this thankless job goodbye.  She had once been so eager and passionate about saving the world, she thought as she opened the Washington Post front page up. Then the world broke her. Her cases increased and so did the stress. There was too much tragedy and too little her. It was taking a toll on her and her husband and their children. That's why she was leaving and saying the hell with saving anything.

Her eyes were caught by a gay bashing home invasion story. The name of the victim stood out to her and she sighed.

Nigel Norland. Foster father of the Jenkins kids.

He was beaten in his own house. The little girl he had hidden in the closet to protect her from the intruder. No suspects, the police said.

The old Rosie would have removed the children from the home.

The new Rosie just reminded herself that Richard and Nigel Norland actually seemed to care about the children and were well equipped to take care of them. Another foster home might not be better. It probably would be worse especially since Richie Jenkins was one of the two kids. That boy was incorrigible. No. He was a pain in the ass.

She moved on to the holiday sales pages. Her husband wanted a new fishing pole for Christmas.

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Alfred Giadello was often unsteady when he walked. Tripping and falling often was very normal for him especially if he was overly tired or in pain. That day he fell in the hallway of the school as he moved along slowly with his walker Stan.

It was not completely his fault. In the crowded hallway he came across a cheerily smiling Zora who discreetly stuck out her small dainty foot in his path. Alfred stumbled over it without even seeing her foot really and immediately hit the cold hard marble floor of the main hallway near the clinic and the headmaster's office.

He lay on the floor, hearing the sound of students laughing and he wanted the ground to just open up to suck him down permanently. His face reddened in embarrassment as he attempted to no avail to stand up again but could not.

Suddenly at his side was the science teacher Lyle Peters who offered his assistance. Alfred knew it was rude but all he could hear was the sound of laughing from the students in the hallway as they passed by him casually. " I'm fine, " he shot out tersely. " Go about your business please. I'm going to get up myself. "

But he couldn't. Damn it. He couldn't ! He never could.

Lyle bit his lip and hurried off to the clinic to get Angel and DuBuis to assist Alfred who was still trying to stand up by himself.

Suddenly the big broadly built headmaster appeared before him and to his increasing embarrassment so easily, so gently , so efficiently picked him up like he was a simple rag doll and settled him onto the seat of his walker.

Gerald HighTower snapped at the students watching," Why are you all just idle now ? Go about your business now. Head off to your classes. Off you go. "

As DuBuis  appeared behind the headmaster along with Angel and Lyle, the headmaster asked ," Are you quite alright, Mr. Giadello ? Do you need to rest in the clinic now? "

Alfred flushed even redder in the face and shook his head, refusing to meet any of their eyes. " I'm fine. "

No wonder, he thought, that Scott had cheated on him. Sometimes he hated being himself.