𝐢 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐧𝐨 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚 (𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐩𝐞𝐳)

part three

author's note: i really have a terrible memory, huh? i'm so sorry, if i ever go more than few days without updating and you guys know for a fact i have some work in the bank, feel free to comment and remind me! the usual tw's for this one, we have lauren fainting and the normal mentions of self harm.

Joey felt her fingers slip from his own and heard the words fade from her lips, he turned to see if she was okay but before he could, he heard her hit the floor with a thud. His eyes grew wide and his heart started to pound in his chest. He couldn't bare to look at her, unconscious on the floor, slumped down the back of the couch, but he had to in order to pick her up.

He slid one arm under her legs and another around her back, scooping her up as gently as he could.

"Oh my god, is she gonna be okay?" Jaime panicked, jumping up from her seat on the floor.

"She'll be fine," Meredith said, looking at the pale girl worriedly. "She's just needs to eat something once she wakes up."

"I'm gonna go put her to bed..." Joey murmured, ignoring everyone else and concentrating on the girl in his arms. He dropped his voice to a whisper, holding her closer as he walked to her bedroom. "You're gonna be okay, Lo, I promise... I've got you now and I swear I'm never gonna let go."

Everyone else had been following the pair, but Julia stopped them upon hearing Joey whispering to the unconscious girl.

She sighed, grabbing Joe's arm. "He loves her so much... I think we should leave him with her for a little while."

"Yeah, I agree, come on," Joe nodded his head, wrapping an arm around Julia's shoulders.

The rest of them returned to the living room, settling into their seats and a new conversation about what they were to do in regards to Lauren.

In Lauren's room, Joey leant down with her in his arms to pull back her bedsheets the best he could. He gently placed her down, tucking her in and pushing her hair away from her face. Joey kneeled by her side and took her hand, kissing her knuckles softly.

"I know you can't hear me, Lo, but um... I promise we'll get you through this... yeah?" Joey said, quietly, squeezing her hand. "I won't leave your side, ever, and I want you to get better so I will do everything in my power to help you."

He sat there, quietly, as if expecting her to reply. Of course she didn't, she couldn't. But he still sat there, kneeling on the floor, holding her hand and just waiting, watching her chest rise and fall as she slept.

Almost an hour ticked by, Joey staying in that exact place for fear if he moved, Lauren would wake up and he wouldn't be there. Eventually, someone had to convince him to leave her side.

"Joey, sweetie, I think you need to relax," Jaime said, gently, kneeling down beside him and patting his shoulder.

"I need to relax?" He almost scoffed. "Less than two hours ago everyone else was shouting at her for what she's done. I'm not the one who needs to relax."

Jaime sighed, her eyes drifting to the resting girl on the bed. "We've talked it through and we know we reacted poorly. When Lauren wakes up, we're gonna talk to her and tell her we're here for her, no matter what she needs. We're not mad at her anymore, we care about her enough to realise arguing isn't gonna make anything better."

"Oh... I didn't think you guys were gonna be so understanding so quickly... but we all wanna help her, right?" He asked, looking to Jaime with the softest, most pained eyes.

"Of course," she nodded, sincerely. "And helping her means also taking care of yourself. She's already made it clear that she doesn't want us worrying or getting upset or blaming ourselves, especially you. So let her rest and come talk to us, have a glass of water... she'll still be here, safe and sound, when you get back, okay?"

"Okay," he agreed, squeezing her hand once more before standing up. He let Jaime leave the room before whispering to her again, ignoring the voice in his head telling him he was being pathetic. "I'll be back soon, Lo, I promise."

Joey ran a hand through his hair and left her, ignoring all the eyes he felt on him as he walked to the living room and took a seat on the couch, next to Dylan and Julia.

"You doing ok, bud?" Dylan asked, tentatively placing a hand on Joey's shoulder.

"Yeah... I'm just worried about her, that's all." He said, gratefully taking the glass of water Meredith passed him.

Julia smiled at him, softly. "We're sorry for overreacting, we know what she needs now so we know how to help her through this."

"Good, she needs us more than anything right now," Joey admitted, taking a few sips of his water. "I just can't believe she kept this from us for so long."

"It definitely came as a shock, but better late than never, right?" Brian shrugged, his arm around Meredith's shoulders and holding her close.

He nodded, avoiding everyone's eyes. "Yeah." He hadn't a clue what else to say, so Julia talked again.

"She's gonna be okay, you know that, right?"

"I know, I know... I just, I hate that she's been feeling like this, you know, feeling the need to hurt herself because of the damage Taylor did..." he sighed, rubbing a hand down his face. "I hate him for what he's done to her. But Lauren... God, I love her so much, I can't-"

Joey stopped himself and clamped a hand over his mouth. Julia took the glass of water from his hand in case his revelation shocked him enough to drop it.

"Took you long enough," Joe smirked, laid on the floor and leaning on his elbows.

"Wait, you guys, um, you guys knew I love her?" He hesitated, eyebrows drawn together in confusion.

Jaime smiled a little. "Of course. You love her and, believe it or not, she loves you."

"Why didn't you tell me?" He panicked, eyes wide and heart rate fast. "I wasn't aware of this, holy shit!"

"Joey, Joey!" Dylan grabbed the boy's arm and shook him. "Calm down, okay, this is a problem for after Lauren's feeling better."

The brunette took a few deep breaths and squeezed his eyes shut for a second. "Yeah... yeah, I can think about telling her once she feels better, yeah."

"Oh no, you're telling her as soon as possible," Julia scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"No no no, I can't do that, that's just gonna mess her up," Joey said, as if it were obvious.

Meredith made a noise of disagreement. "Really? Or maybe it'll make her realise that someone loves her, romantically."

"Or maybe it'll throw her into flashbacks about Taylor because she'll be scared of entering another relationship after what he did to her?"

"Joey, look at me," Dylan insisted, turning the boy to face him. "Lauren trusts you. She cares about you, greatly, and she knows you care about her. I don't think she'd ever be scared to get into a relationship with you because she knows that the thing you're scared of most is hurting her. Tell her when you like, but don't wait too long, you don't want to lose your chance. For now, come to terms with your feelings."

"Okay, you're right, Dyl, thank you." Joey let out a sigh, running a hand through his hair. "Alright, um, okay, I love... uh, I love Lauren. I'm in love with Lauren. That's it. I'm in love with my best friend."