A Birth day

"Now don't act that way," Sam scowled at her. "I'm not irked with you. I'm irked with Angus. I don't have an issue with you. I'm not irked with Anise. She's irked with me, and that's his fault entirely."

"Oh my god, did you kill off all your brain cells but one?" Robert scowled at Sam as he came in. "I thought you have more IQ points than that, but clearly not. Do you want me to go through it all for you one more damned time?"

"No!" Sam said, not wanting to hear it again.

"Ruby is very well aware than you're eighteen. And I am very well aware that you think you've grabbed onto adulthood by the gonads, but you're doing a poor job of it. If you want to be treated like an adult, you need to start acting like one because right now, you're acting like a spoiled, entitled little boy. Your family has not been anything but good to you and your brother and the girls. I am not going to let you rip them up because you didn't like that Anise got hurt. I'm telling you right now the more of a stink you make about this, the more you prove to me that you are not ready to be a fighter..."

"What!" Sam shrieked, upset

"Shut it," Robert said firmly. "I'm still talking. You work for me. You live on my land. If you really want to do this, then you're going to do some additional training before I put you back on any mission work. I will send you to Edwards or Jessie's but, for Angus and Ruby's sake, as well as for everyone else there, you will not be going home to your own home until I say so." He looked at Ruby. "We will get him back in shape but he definitely needs some lessons in what being an adult means and what a privilege it is to have a family. You're alright with that, I presume?"

Ruby stepped back from the bed and looked at Sam" Angus is my husband, if your irked with him your irked with me." she said then heard the door behind her open as Robert walked in and spoke to Sam she stayed quiet slightly behind him. Composing herself she looked to Robert and then to Sam " I am" she said simply " I'll let Angus know " she added.

Now being done with Sam she looked at him " you know where I am if you want me " she said and moved to the corridor pausing once she was away from the door to lean on the wall to stop her self shaking she knew she needed to keep her composure. she was annoyed and upset at the same time but she also trusted Robert to take care of everything.

Robert followed Ruby out of Sam's room.

"I'm going to get him a room for tonight, and he can just cool his heels in there," Robert told her. "In the meantime, I'm going to contact Jessie to see if Jessie feels he could be up to keeping Sam there and giving him some tough love. If he's not up to that, I'll see if I can arrange something with Jess and Jack for awhile. They are more than capable of giving him some tough love. I do not want someone who will go easy on him. And, once he's capable of being more mobile than he is right now, I'm going to put him on as a volunteer maybe right here in the ER so he can see that we get all kinds of injuries from fighting and dueling. Anise's was nothing compared to what some people come in with. He needs some perspective. He thinks he's so grown up. Well, let's see how he reacts to the ugly side of magic. Thoughts?"

Ruby saw Robert walk down to where she now stood and listened to him " I think Jess and Jack would be perfect" she said and nodded at his suggestion of working in St Mungo's. " agreed, I am hurt by his words but I'm not going to give up on him and I know nether is Angus" she said then gave a sigh " he really is like a spoiled brat" she said looking at Robert " shame we can't tan his backside, though I'm sure Jack would given half a chance." Ruby glanced back at Sams room and shook her head.

With a sigh she looked to Robert " please could you let Andrew know I've gone home, since he did come with me" she said looking around for Andrew and not seeing him yet. " no offence but I really could use a drink" she said then looked at Robert " just one no more " she added with a chuckle.

"I'll relay the message on one condition. You tell Angus he does not need to come back here and flatten Sam. I already have flattening in process. I will flatten him good and proper because I don't need to have any more of a relationship with him than what I've already got. I really don't care if he likes me or not right now. What specifically did he say that hurt you? Did he call you a name or something? I know he's been pretty insistent on everyone within radius knowing he's 18 years old and he's a man now. You can't let that hurt you. That's just a child who thinks that he's invincible now because he reached legal age. Just because he's turned 18, it doesn't mean he's mature enough to know how to deal with it."

He saw Jess in the distance, and he waved to her, trying to get her attention to see if he could have a word with her about Sam.

"You go ahead, Ruby. I'll talk to Jess and Jack and one of us will be in touch. Don't let this bug you for one minute," Robert said. "Sam is not the first knothead we've had on staff, and it won't be the last. It isn't going to throw Jess or Jack for one moment."

Angus started his brown butter sauce for the pumpkin ravioli. He got out quite a lot of butter and some fresh sage. He put the butter in a large skillet to start browning it, and while that was cooking, he cut the sage in a small, very thin chiffonade and set it aside to add to the butter later. Then he put on a large pot to boil his ravioli, filled the pot with water and salt and set it on the stove to heat.

He was going to need to set up the sideboard with large shallow pasta bowls for everyone, a plate for toasted garlic bread, a large salad bowl for everyone, and crystal dessert bowls for trifle. he hadn't gotten to setting it up yet because the cooking was taking him quite a lot of time tonight.

Ruby looked at Robert and heard him ask what it was that had her upset and if he had called her a name " no nothing like that" she said " I guess I expected more from him" she said and glanced to where Robert was looking to see Jess walking over to them " Hi Jess." she said

"hey Ruby" she said placing her hand on Ruby's shoulder as she drew her anxiety away "better?" she asked and Ruby nodded " good, you waved me over Robert?" she asked as Ruby listened to Robert and stepped back to port home.

Ruby arrived and went to the drinks cabinet poring herself a shot of fire whiskey she looked for Angus and downed her shot in one go. " looks and smells good " she said " message from Robert for you, tell Angus he does not need to come back here and flatten Sam. I already have flattening in process. " she told him placing her glass down on the table in front of her.

Jess saw Ruby leave and looked to Robert " okay what he do this time?" she asked " I felt her Anxiety and frustration at Sam." she stood waiting for him to tel her just what was needed.

"Yes, thank you," Robert said to Jess. "Our boy Sam is acting like a first class 12 year old knothead, despite the fact that he needs to remind every humanoid in radius that he's legally a man now. I'm not sure exactly what he said to Ruby, but she seemed to be surprised that her little brother or son--whichever she's seeing him as--is capable of being a smart aleck. Hopefully she'll wise up to that before Caprice and Amari get their own smart mouthed traits that every kid seems to need to go through. I cannot, in good conscience, return Sam to that house. I could send him to Edward's but I honestly don't know that I want to do that. Sam needs someone who isn't going to be hurt or moved by him acting like an immature little brat. is there even the slightest chance that if I pay you and Jack a private duty nursing rate, along with room and board, that you two would consider taking Sam on until he's more mobile than he is right now? I am not going to ask either of you to bring that sort of chaos into your own home without pay. And, so you know, I might very well put him on as a volunteer here in A&E when he's mobile again. he seems to see Anise's injury as a complete catastrophe, and you and I both know that, as dueling injuries go, hers really isn't all that serious. We're just under the gun to do advance healing skills because of how quick she needs to be back on that knee. I think Sam needs a taste of realism. What do you think? You and Jack up for dealing with Sam for a little?"

Angus was now sauteeing his brown butter sauce and boiling his pumpkin ravioli. The butter sauce smelled divine, and he was pleased with it so far.He was also trying to finish his Italian salad, trying to get his garlic bread in the oven and trying to finish making the whipped cream for the trifle. And the sideboard was not set at all. The kitchen was a wee bit chaotic, but he was managing.

When Ruby got home, and when she relayed the message, Angus looked at her.

"Message received," Angus said, hurrying back to his skillet of butter sauce. "That means Robert basically intends to mash him, metaphorically speaking. He means to make sure Sam straightens up as quick as Robert can manage to do it. And whatever he's doing, it's liable to be more effective than what I can do at this stage. I'd leave it in his hands if I were you."

Jess listened to Robert her arms now folded across her chest as he spoke about Sam and how he was acting . Once he was done she held up her hand " no need for anything extra , we'd be happy to teach that big baby manners" she said and wrote a note to Jack almost immediately Jack came walking down the hall towards them.

"you sent for me dear?" he asked kissing Jess on her cheek. As Jess explained to him he nodded and looked to Robert. " we'll defiantly take him, he'll hate me but I don't care, oh and don't worry Victor is looking after the animals and I have Joseph dealing with the patrol routes for the guards" he reported to Robert glancing at Sams door. " the volunteering idea, I agree and I'll have him working hard at the estate, along with extra training."

Jess looked at Jack and Robert " but first we heal him and get him better hun." Jack nodded.

"And if that doesn't do it, I'll mash him myself," Robert said. "I told Ruby we could admit him and keep him overnight and move him tomorrow. If you need that time or longer to get your place ready, you let me know. I'll work with you for whatever time you need. It isn't like he can actually go anywhere, despite what he thinks. Looks like Ruby brought him a pair of pajamas so he doesn't have to change twice, and I'm sure she or Angus will get more pajamas for him so he has his own clean clothes there.

Simone came over, wearing a beautiful cream-colored crocheted sweater dress and coordinating heels. She was just waiting on Edward to finish dressing, and she was going to check on what was happening with Sam, but when she saw Angus in high gear in the kitchen, she stepped in at once to help.

"Why didn't you send for me?" she asked, checking the ravioli. "These are done. I'm going to take them off and drain them so they don't overcook."

"Thanks," Angus said, shaving some fresh parmesan on his salad as a finishing touch. "I almost have it."

"Almost," she smiled, "but I'll give you a hand so you get to the finish line without burning something."

"I don't have the sideboard even started yet," Angus sighed.

"I'll get that in a moment and start a fresh pot of coffee," Simone said. "Or--Ruby? Are you able to lend a hand and set up the sideboard? Looks like you'll need some big shallow pasta bowls, some salad bowls or plates, bread plates, some dessert bowls, and, well, you know the rest--silverware, serving spoons, beverages. Looks like you have a pasta entree, side salad, garlic toast, and a trifle for dessert. Angus's timing is impeccable because it's all coming off at the same moment. He just needs several more hands than he actually has."

Jess listened to Robert and nodded " nope that's long enough" Jess said and Jack nodded beside her. " we have a room he can use, our oldest is at university now so he can use his room." Jack said and Jess nodded.

Ruby saw Simone and smiled " you look beautiful Simone, and Sams still being an ass, but Angus is right, we're leaving it to Jack, Jess and Robert. " she said then looked to Angus and back to Simone " I can do that" she said and gathered everything Simone mentioned setting it on the sideboard ready for every one to eat.

Aria brushed out Anises hair and smiled to her " you'll look great" she said and notice3d the toddlers had settled for a nap and chuckled as she pulled a blanket over them both.