Bonds of Blood |A Heartland Fanfic

Chapter Eight

"Lou and Peter may have similar fears, it wasn't easy on you." Georgie was the only other person in the house and Lisa was right; she knew something was off.

"This isn't a conversation I want to have at the hospital. We tell them to come home for dinner and we get it out in the open and take what comes." She was right on that, it would be better to have the conversation here.

"Okay then; we'll tell them." He took her hand, this would be a good thing; he hoped the family would prove that to her.

"Tell who what?" Georgie stepped into the room and he froze.

"You." Lisa barely missed a beat, she gave his hand a squeeze before dropping it. "Sit."

"Why?" The teenager looked ready to make a quick escape.

"With everything going on I know you haven't wanted to think about going away to school. But you aren't going to work at Fairfield rather than go to school; you have to go, at least part time." He nearly breathed a sigh of relief with how easily she switched gears; he liked their plan for the real news.

"Its only a gap year." Georgie rolled her eyes on a sigh, and Jack tried not to chuckle; that answer wasn't working on anyone.

"Trust me. Once you get out it is a lot harder to go back. Better just to get it over with." Lisa passed several pages she must have printed across the table. "I know we mentioned online classes, did you do any serious looking?"

"They're all stupid, what am I going to do with a degree in English Literature, or History?" Georgie glanced towards the door; likely regretting that she had stopped. "I mean online would be great if there was anything useful."

"So that is a no." Lisa pushed the pages towards her. "I was looking at this one, it is at the university of Calgary where Ty went but you have the option of going completely online or just partially."

"So I get to choose between Psychology, Women's Issues, Liberal Studies, Political Science, all boring; and look History." Georgie gave them a dramatic eyeroll.

"Well, you could, but you can earn a general arts degree in any two concentration options, I was looking at business administration and any concentration of your choosing. Business Administration might be boring, but it is useful if you want to work for yourself and I thought the Equine Management option might suit you. Now there is some science, but there are a lot of elective options which would complement the holistic approaches you have worked on with Amy."

"That's not on the list." Georgie sat up a little straighter and Jack grinned, his wife had hit the nail on the head.

"That list is just a sample of their more popular options, you can combine any two concentrations; read the fine print. I emailed the school to confirm." As he shifted his hand to give her knee a squeeze she turned her laptop around and opened her email.

Georgie eagerly read the email exchange as Lisa explained the program options. It was a three-year program, with a part time option. And his wife knew how to make a sale, Georgie could spread the in-class portions of the equine management courses through the program, so she would only have to drive to Calgary a few days a week. Or leave all the courses until upper years and commit to the regular commute. The online courses only required her to go to the school for the midterms and final exams, and Calgary was a hike but not an unreasonable one, they were doing regularly right now; she didn't have to move. And Georgie finally looked interested in something.