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The first thing I registered in the back of my mind as I slowly came back to consciousness was, Dang, I'm hungry.
My mouth felt dry and cottony, telling me that I needed water desperately; the fact that I could barely swallow alone made the need to open my eyes and search for something to drink a top priority.
The second thing that came to mind? What is with that annoying beeping sound?
With a groan, my eyes opened, squinting around with blurry vision. I could make out monitors and cords and with a little effort, I realized that my left arm wasn't moving. I rolled my head to the side and winced with the effort it took to find my arm. My entire body cringed as I viewed the obnoxious amount of tubes and needles that were sticking out of my forearm, leading up to a machine, AKA, the source of the annoying beeping.
It took a few seconds to let it sink it and finally register in my brain, but then it hit me and knocked the breath out of my lungs.
I was in a hospital.
Now, I'm not one of those people who has a morbid fear of doctors and hospitals. Check ups and shots were a regular thing around my place, so it never bothered me much.
However, what did send me into a frenzy was the fact that no one else sat in the room with me. I scooted farther back into my bed, crossing my arms as best as I could with all the tubes and what-not.
The events of the other night were fresh in my mind, coming at me in flashes and making me shudder. I wanted those memories as far away from me as I could possibly get them. The only problem? I blanked out and I couldn't quite remember what happened after that. I had the distinct feeling that it had something to do with my falling.
Looking to my left, I found one of those rolling trays right next to the bed, a clear mug of water sitting on top of it. With great effort, I managed to reach out and grab it, trying not to spill it on myself as I tipped it to get a better grip on the straw.
I drank the entire thing in record time, not bothering to take it easy. I just needed some sort of relief from my parched throat.
Sighing, I set down the mug and focused on other things. Like, for instance, the fact that my head and my tail-bone hurt to no end.
"I need meds," I moaned, beginning the search for that cool little remote that called the nurses.
"Oh?"
Cocking my head to the side, I noticed an envelope tucked under the standard box of Kleenex that hospitals felt obligated to provide. I grabbed it eagerly, lifting the flap and nearly squealing with joy when I found the sender, my pain temporarily forgotten.
Gab -
I'm not gonna lie to you - I can feel claustrophobia threatening to sink it as I write this from being in this hospital for so long. I've been here for two days. Two days, a full forty-eight hours that you haven't even fluttered an eyelash.
I saw some of the photos from the scene that the police found you in and it was just ... horrific, in my opinion.
I had never seen you so lifeless before and it seriously scared me - I thought you were dead until everyone told me that you were okay and that you had only received a mild skull fracture. Well ... I didn't mean to say that in such a non-chalant manner. I was just overwhelmed. I didn't know what to think. But I'm thankful you're okay,
I need to tell you that I was just a worried mess and I had a flash of a weird alternate universe where you didn't exist.
Allow to express my sentiments on that particular subject: it completely bit the dust.
Try to remember that the next time that you venture out to complete a life and death mission, would you?
I couldn't help but smile as I read the letter over and over, the fact that Oliver (or Keegan, if you will) had already been here to visit me. Now I had to get up and out of this stupid bed.
Gripping the side bar on the bed, I attempted to push myself into a sitting position.
"You probably shouldn't sit up, you know."
My eyes panned over to where the voice came from; standing in the doorway, hair disheveled and bags under his eyes, stood a boy that I didn't really recognize. He looked vaguely familiar, but not enough for me to get a light bulb over my head. He pushed his thick framed glasses back up the bridge of his nose before meeting my eyes again.
I carefully folded the letter back up in it's original form, my eyes never leaving the newcomer, and gingerly set it on the bedside table once again. "Uhm, hi?"
The words came out a bit more awkwardly than I originally intended them to. I'm pretty sure the thinly veiled confusion that I had made him uncomfortable, but I really didn't care. After all, the boy came into my hospital room. Not the other way around and it made me a bit nervous. After the incident I just endured, having an unknown individual in my room wasn't something I felt interested in.
"Hello," he replied, squeezing a little smile onto his face. He said absolutely nothing other than that and now, I began to feel uneasy. I didn't really know what to do in this instance.
What's the protocol for strange people randomly entering your room? Scream, maybe? Of course, I didn't take any drastic measures. I decided the best way to solve this enigma would be by asking a question.
"So ... there anything I ... can ... help you ... with?"
I narrowed my eyes slightly at him, a tad annoyed that he showed up before I could really digest the message Keegan had left for me. The warmth that came with the knowledge of his concern for my well being just seemed to warm my heart completely.
The fact that I now knew who Oliver was made everything okay and when I saw Keegan again, I would tell him how much the letters meant to me, to have someone there to talk to. Even though it had been a concealed act, it meant the world to me. I didn't even get the chance to say anything when I found the letters. He just booked it.
But I would make sure that we had a long conversation once I left this hospital room.
With great effort, I tried to push myself up. It seemed my body was still a bit weak though. With a disgruntled sigh, I fell backwards once again, crossing my arms. Well, that wouldn't be happening anytime soon.
I heard a breathy chuckle and soon, the guy standing in my doorway now stood by the bed. "Here, let me help you."
An arm slipped behind my back and gently tugged, moving my pillow at the same time into a higher position.
"So do you work here at the hospital?" I asked him, trying to aid him in the process of getting me into a better position.
He hesitated on answering. "Uhm ... funny story on that actually ..."
A loud beeping interrupted him, his eyes wandering off to his watch as a distraction. "Look, Gabrielle, I just ... I have to get going, but I'll visit again and uhm ... bye!"
The boy sent me one more nervous smile before darting out the door.
Only one thing came to mind ...
How did he know my name?
"No! Bad!"
"Freeze!"
"Halt!"
Three voices that I clearly recognized rang out at the same time from the brightly lit hallways making me jump from the volume and just seconds later, Keegan, Shane and Evan stood in the doorway with the newcomer in front of them, Shane and Evan had their hands on his shoulders and Keegan stood behind the three of them, arms crossed. They looked like three guards escorting a criminal.
This time, albeit with a chuckle, I took a few seconds to actually take in the guy.
Compared to Keegan and Shane, he was a little on the short side, just a bit taller than me. He wore hipster glasses, though they most likely served a practical purpose rather than just decoration or an attempt to be stylish. A slightly loose Green Lantern shirt covered his torso and jeans his legs. He just looked like the average geek. Harmless, normal, really into comics and most likely, intelligent.
"Green Lantern rules," I told him offhandedly, attempting to put him at ease. Honestly, the guy looked like he was about to puke and I didn't really want that smell in my room. Besides, I really did like the Green Lantern.
He attempted a weak smile and nodded. "I know," he said something else in a lower tone, something I couldn't understand, but I'm pretty sure it had to do with Hawk-Eye, who just so happened to be my one of my favorite Marvel characters.
Before I had the chance to comment on it, Keegan nudged him, whispering, "You gotta tell her sometime, man."
You know, for a guy who spent the majority of his time saying nothing, whispering was not his strong suit.
"Just get it over with."
"I can hear you!" I snorted, crossing my arms and pouting.
Evan and Shane shook their heads and Keegan just stuffed his hands inside the pockets of his jacket, staring at the boy. And then somehow, it all clicked together in my head who this kid was.
"Hey! I know you!"
His face paled, the color draining completely.
Shooting him a weird look, I continued, "You help out in AV right? A couple weeks ago, you helped out in my class."
I couldn't quite remember his name though his face looked familiar. "Yeah, it was in History. We watched a documentary on the Civil War," I finished, nodding my head.
Swallowing what appeared to be a lump in his throat, he nodded.
Cocking my head to the side, I tried to figure out why he acted so nervous. I mean, did I look that aggressive? Maybe it was the incident ... oh, maybe that's it! Touching my hand to my head, I noticed there was a bandage and I could understand how it could be a bit off-putting.
Shaking my head, I looked directly at Keegan, who seemed a bit suspicious of my sudden attention. "Uhm, so ... Keegan? Do you, uh, think we could, you know ... talk ... alone?" I asked shyly, biting my lip. I didn't want to completely call him out in front of everyone.
Frowning, Keegan stared back at me. "Uhm ... why? Not that you aren't charming to be around, but ... why?"
Letting my lips tug down a bit, I returned his even gaze, my cheeks warming up a bit. "Uhm ... well ... you know ... the uhm ... the whole folder incident at my house and ..."
Realization dawned on his features and his mouth formed an O shape.
"Oh, God!" Keegan exclaimed, his hands slapping up to his face. "I forgot the stupid folder. Ugh, heaven knows what went through your head there. Just ... ugh ... I'm so dense."
In all the time I'd ever spent with Keegan, I never heard him speak so loud and enthusiastically.
He continued to mumble in low tones, obviously lost in his own head while the rest of us looked at him weirdly.
Heaving a huge sigh, Evan obviously decided enough was enough and he needed to do something. He stepped forward and waving his arms around emphatically said, "Gabrielle, meet Theodore, AKA Oliver."
He turned to look at Theodore, whose jaw grazed the floor as he stared at Evan. Evan just smiled, though, and clapped him on the back.
"Like a band-aid. Ya just gotta rip it off," Evan stated, making a motion like he was taking off a band-aid. It only made Theodore wince, not that it made a difference on Evan's proud grin.
Then there was me. Short and dazed Gabrielle who watched the scene with interest, but at the same time felt so disconnected and really had no idea what to think.
"I'm sorry, you wanna run that by me again?" I asked, getting the attention of the four boys in my room once again.
They glanced at each other before taking a few steps farther into the room.
"Okay, so here's the deal," Evan started, taking the front row position, leading the boys, standing on the left side of my bed. "Keegan was the first to figure out that Theodore was sticking things in your tree. One day he was hanging around outside and caught Theo in the act."
"Since we both have been sitting outside school for a while, I knew that you always sit there," Keegan added, turning the spotlight to himself. "Well, I noticed Theo digging through a bag of yours and immediately walked over, giving him a long lecture about going through the belongings of others and how it's a crime ya-da ya-da. Once he got the color back to his face, he explained the situation."
"But," Evan took over. "Keegan knew you and I were friends, Gabrielle. So he brought Theo over and we all started conspiring and helping him out. Giving him tips, and book ideas."
"What about how Keegan had the letters? They were right there in his bag at my house!" I protested, throwin my hands up. My head hurt already and this entire thing just added on. Stupid boys ...
"Well, Theo left them at my house the last time we all hung out," Keegan explained. "I was going to drop them off on my way home; trust me when I say, you weren't supposed to find those"
"Wait, so back up. How did Shane fit into the mix?" I asked, slowly catching up, but still feeling confused.
"Shane was an accident," Keegan deadpanned. "One day, the three of us were talking and I guess we just looked like an odd group because Shane decided to snoop around."
We all looked at Shane who was blushing a light shade of pink.
"We let him in on the secret, but just barely and swore him to secrecy. After that, we just kept diverting your attention and tried hard to not give you any clues," Keegan finished, crossing his arms.
The information sunk in little by little. So they were all in on it. Right from the start, Evan probably knew. Okay, probably not exactly from the start. Maybe a few letters had passed a bit, but Evan still knew.
"You were sniffing around pretty good, too. We had to keep throwing the trail off because you would get really close, but Theodore just wasn't ready for face to face conversation yet," Shane continued the explanation, throwing an arm around Theodore's shoulders; it jostled his glasses a bit and he scowled at the taller boy.
Seeing his face all scrunched up like that made a me smile a bit. He noticed and quickly gave me a shy smile right back, appearing to be pleased that he was the one who made my smile appear.
"We had to make sure that you didn't pick up on him too soon and scare him off."
"Which reminds me, thanks for pegging me as Oliver," Keegan spoke up quietly, his arms folded across his chest. He playfully glared at me.
I smiled sheepishly and held up my hands. "Well, all signs sort of pointed to you, you know," I countered, aiming a finger in his direction.
Every sign on planet freaking Earth seemed to point to Keegan.
Keegan nodded a little. "Yeah, well, after constantly having to clean up after Shane's idiocy, I can see how you would have thought I was the letter writer."
He turned to Shane and glared. "Speaking of which, I don't think I ever quite scolded you for dating Gabrielle when you knew she was completely off limits."
Shane turned a bit red and looked down at his feet. "Let's save these conversations for a different time, shall we? Right now, we should rejoice that Gabrielle and little Theo are finally together!"
Theodore huffed and crossed his arms. "I'm not that little," he muttered.
And he was right. While not as tall or buff as the guys on either side of him, Theodore wasn't a shrimp. He still had a good measure of height and even though he lacked muscle, he had a large structure to his body. Maybe considered a little lanky.
But lets just say that he wouldn't be weight lifting anytime soon. But the thing that really stood out to me was the fact that he looked incredibly nervous.
"Wow ... " I muttered, holding my aching head. If it hurt before, now it just pounded like a drum against my skull. All the new information just made me want to scream.
Theodore seemed to notice this and shook off Shane's elbow from his shoulder, exiting the room for a moment before returning with a couple of Tylenol and another mug of water.
He handed them to me, saying, "I asked if it would interfere with any of your medication. It's clear, though."
After giving me a light smile Theodore returned to his spot with the other boys, letting me take a moment to down the pain killers and think.
We all lapsed into silence, staring at each other and the floor. I just felt completely overwhelmed with information. My silence stemmed from information overload. I just needed to process everything.
I mean, think about it.
In the past week, I had been kidnapped, found my real father, suffered a severe blow to my head and came face to face with my secret admirer.
My life got turned into a cheesy ABC Family sitcom.
"So, uhm ... it sounds like you two have a lot of talking to do," Shane spoke up, a knowing smile crossing his face.
Clapping Theodore on the back, Shane backed up, motioning for Keegan and Evan to follow. They all gave Theodore an encouraging smile and a thumbs up. However, Theodore didn't seem to share their enthusiasm to be alone with me.
With Theodore yanking them all back, the four of them stood there, whispering to each other, flicking each other upside the head and overall not being very subtle. I decided to just wait it out; no need for my sarcastic commentary on the whole ordeal.
"Just do it!" Keegan finally groaned, exasperated. He grabbed the jackets of Evan and Shane and before Theodore could do anything back, they disappeared out the door.
Theodore slowly turned to face me once again and bit his lip.
"So," I started, looking up at him through my lashes.
He looked everywhere but at me and to tell the truth, it kind of saddened me. I felt like I knew him forwards and backwards, thinking he felt the same way. He had made my day so many times and as embarrassing as it was to be a little misguided and think someone else wrote the letters, I knew the truth. All I wanted was to hug him and tell him thank you for being there for me in a way nobody else could be.
But he had a hard time to even make eye contact.
"You're the infamous Oliver?"
Theo nodded a little, finally looking up at me. "If you're angry with me for my deceit, I understand. I know that what I did wasn't exactly the most clever of ways to get to become an associate of yours, but ... actually talking to someone like you just terrified me," He confessed, fiddling with his hands.
I cocked my head to the side, raising an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"
For some reason, the way he said that had my defenses up in arms.
His eyes widened, as if he realized exactly what he had said and wanted to retract it. "No! I didn't mean it ... you know, in a bad way! It's just ..."
He let out a heavy sigh and took off his glasses for a moment, rubbing his eyes, "You're just so amazing, you know? You're pretty and smart and I can't tell you how many times I laughed when I read your letters. You have this perfectly witty sense of humor that just makes me want to be happy all the time. It actually feels like you understand me where no one else can."
Looking at me sadly, Theodore slipped his thick black frames back onto his face. "I just wish that me being me didn't change anything."
Theodore rocked back and forth on his heels, staring at the ugly hospital linoleum.
"Make way! Best friend coming through!"
I couldn't help but grin when Shelby's anxious and loud voice pushed through the halls of the hospital.
Theo's eyes widened a little and he started to back away. "She terrifies me, so I'm gonna go and let you two talk. But ..."
He hesitated slightly before smiling and nodding. "But I'll be back later, once everything dies down a little."
And on that note, he walked out, just as Shelby came running in, nearly knocking the boy over. She apologized quickly before running over to my bed and falling down on it, making sure she avoided any tubes or needles before pulling me into a bone crushing hug.
"I was so worried about you!" she shrieked. I could hear the way her voice sounded tight, like she had been crying or near tears at the moment. I hugged her back with the same ferocity.
"God, I was scared. I tried to keep my cool, cause what good would freaking out have done, but it was terrifying, Shell," I admitted quietly.
We sat there for a good five minutes, just holding onto each other.
With a huge sigh, Shelby finally released me, but just snuggled into the bed next to me, our arms linked. "So I've gotten to know lover boy a little better," she grinned.
I groaned and tried to bury my face in the pillow, but failing.
"Gabrielle, he's perfect."
Peeking up at her, I cocked an eyebrow, urging her to continue.
She shrugged her shoulder before saying, "He's just so ... he's just so Oliver. I mean, now that I see Theodore and I've spoken to him, I don't know how either of us ever thought Keegan or Shane fit the profile."
"Don't forget you put your squeeze on the first draft of the search," I teased with a poke, making her blush.
She swatted my hand away and stuck her tongue out. "So you know the story of what happened, right?" she asked me, her eyes focused in on my face.
I shook my head in response.
"You probably realize that you missed your Q and A with Keegan, right? Well, when you didn't show, Keegan got suspicious. You're one of those people that tries to be on time. So when about forty five minutes passed and still no Gabby, he decided to head to your house. He called Theodore on the way, asking if he'd seen you around town at all. Of course, Theodore didn't, so Keegan went down the list on his way to your house. He called Shane, Evan, me and by the time he stood outside your door, Keegan was having a full on freak-out," she recalled, her face reflecting the feelings she spoke of in her story.
"It was crazy, really. Everyone showed up at your house at the same time. Evan and I pulled up just as Shane and Theodore started knocking on the door. We called the police and told them you were missing."
Out of nowhere, she punched me in the arm, making me let out a yelp. "What was that for?" I demanded.
Glaring at me, Shelby replied, "That was for not telling anyone about those notes, Gabrielle. When we found those, we started to completely lose it. We showed them to the police and that's when they started taking the case seriously. Then ... then we had to wait. Two days of silence and nerves. It was awful," she whispered, leaning her head on my shoulder.
I gulped, feeling sick to my stomach. I should have told them about the notes. I knew it, but actually getting the words out was harder than you would think. I thought that the entire mess would just blow over at the time. "What then?"
"Well, then we got a call from the station. Adam received an email with your picture attached and suddenly, the entire station was in a frenzy. They immediately knew who had you and Adam promised that he would return you safe and sound."
She smiled and looked at me again, pausing the story for a moment. "I like Adam. He's like a replica of you."
Shaking her head, she jumped back on the track she had been on previously. "I guess after that we just waited for the phone call telling us you were alive and safe. It felt like an eternity," she confessed, hugging me once again.
"So, when we finally got the call and found out you were in the hospital, we all freaked. Everyone pretty much bombarded the hospital," she slightly chuckled at the memory surely surfacing in her mind.
"But back to my original thought," she started. "I really, really like Theodore. He's very fond of you and really cares. You can just see it, you know?"
I smiled and looked down. Actually, I didn't completely know. But I would love to get into a real face to face conversation with him. I wanted to learn about him through a real conversation. From the sounds of it, we probably would be talking a lot over the next little while.
We had a lot to discuss.
Shelby and I laid there for a little while longer, watching whatever show currently played on the TV screen, talking about what happened and sometimes just talking about nothing at all.
"Knock, knock."
Shelby and I looked up to find my parents standing in the door. I smiled, though I felt exhausted. My room was full of people today. Shelby patted my knee and said, "That is my cue to take a hike. I'll see you later, Honeybee."
With a smile, she hopped up and hugged my family before waving at me and then leaving the room.
My parents entered farther, coming on both sides of my bed and pulling me into a double-sided embrace.
"Oh, honey! We were worried sick!"
Mom grabbed me, her arms wrapped gently around my frame. Giving me a quick squeeze, she pulled away, looking me over real quick.
"I tried to be the doctor assigned to take care of you, but the hospital felt it was too personal of a case for me to take," she huffed, looking annoyed as the nurse checked a few vitals and scribbled things down on the clipboard.
She didn't even look in my direction. What an awful nurse. Psh. Judging from the glare on my mother's face, she reflected the sentiment.
"So what's my damage, anyways?" I asked, glancing between my parents. "I feel like I've been hit by a freight train."
"Well, when you fell, you hit your head pretty hard on the fireplace," my dad started, rubbing a hand over his face and putting the other on his waist. "The back of your skull received a minor fracture. When the authorities found you, you had already lost quite a bit of blood and they were afraid you died."
Mom's lower lip trembled as she nodded in agreement.
"The crack to your skull sent a shock wave through the rest of your body and you managed to bruise your lower back. Your body will be sore for a while, sweetheart," he finished, looking me in the eyes.
I swallowed the knot that formed in my throat and nodded, knowing that if I spoke, I would just want to punch someone in the face.
Namely Mr. Landon.
My eyes lit up.
Landon!
Grabbing my parents hand for their attention, I asked, "What about Landon? Did he get away?"
Smiling, my mom shook her head.
"Nope. They caught him. Look, there's something you don't know about your father, Adam," she said.
A knock from the door told us another visitor had made their way to my room and we all looked in that direction.
Speak of the devil and he shall appear. There stood Adam in the doorway.
"Well, I think someone else can answer those questions a little better than we can. He wants to mend bridges, sweetie. Let him try?" Mom said and smiled once again before kissing my forehead and standing up. My adoptive parents left the room, stopping to shake Adam's hand on the way out. After a few words were exchanged and they were gone, Adam made his way further in.
He reached the side of my bed and brushed my hair away from my face and planting a kiss on my forehead, just the way Mom had done before.
"Mom and Dad said you have answers about Landon?" I cut right to the chase, the curiosity burning at me.
He nodded and said, "So, here's the deal: I became a cop about four years ago; went through the academy and everything. I did pretty good in it too, but that's beside the point.
Rumor around the station I got assigned to was centered on booking some guy named Dean Landon. Of course, the moment that hit my ears, I demanded to be put on the case. Since I had a little bit of inside information on the guy, they accepted me almost immediately. But, about one year ago, we lost his trail. It went completely cold. I remember I was so furious. The man who killed my wife just fell off the face of the earth."
Adam shook his head, his hands gripping the edge of my bed. "Once the picture of you came through my email, we pulled together a team as fast as we could. I strapped myself with a gun and we surrounded a perimeter ten miles out just in case. I went in there prepared."
Smiling at me, Adam continued, "That's why I said you could trust me. I was going to get you out of there, Gabrielle. One way or another, I wouldn't let anything happen to you back there. You can trust me."
I nodded, understanding. Still, a little remark managed to slip past my lips. "Hard to trust someone you've never met, though ..."
Almost immediately, I regretted the words. I didn't mean for them to come out and when I looked at Adam, guilt clawed at me. I couldn't even look him in the eye and I turned my face toward my hands, suddenly very interested in my nail polish.
"Gabrielle ... " he started, pulling a chair up to the side of the bed and sitting down, taking one of my hands In both of his. "I am ... so sorry that I wasn't around for you. If I could go back ... "
He took a deep breath before continuing, "If I could go back, I would never have taken that money. Yeah, life would have been hard; we would have struggled. But we would have been a family."
I looked back at him, nodding my head. "You know, I used to blame you. And I'm still a little mad ... " I smiled before adding, "But I understand. I guess the important thing is you're here now, right? I mean, you're going to see me from now on, right?" I asked, hoping that the answer would be yes.
Even though I didn't have my biological father throughout my life, it would still be cool to get to know him. I didn't want to spend the rest of my life not knowing who he is, too. At that point, my chance had finally come for me to get to know more about my father.
Smiling, he ruffled my hair, almost like he would have done if I were a child. "I plan on sticking around, Gab. I've got 17 years worth of memories to catch up on," he replied.
The smile stuck on my face long after Adam left the room and Mom, Dad and Eddie came back in.
I grinned and opened my arms wide as Eddie practically flew onto the bed, throwing his arms around my body and making me wince. I didn't tell him that, though, and waved off my parents attempts to tear him from my arms.
It took me forever to calm Eddie down. Apparently, the days during my disappearance, the poor boy turned into a sobbing mess. In a way, it didn't surprise me. Eddie and I have a very healthy relationship and most of the time, I was his best friend.
Being the smartest kid in his grade put him in the open season for teasing, so when he had a bad day at school or put together some cool little gadget, instead of telling the kids at school, he turned to me.
So when I fell off the face of the planet for a couple days, Eddie took it rather hard.
"I promise, kid, I'll be packed up and ready to go tomorrow when you guys come to pick me up, okay? I'm safe now."
He nodded furiously and promised that he would pick out a special outfit for me tomorrow and bring it so I could feel awesome once released from the hospital.
After hugging all three family members and bidding them goodbye, I settled down into my bed. My parents had brought me a book and my iPod, so when I realized that sleeping may not be an option, I had a back-up plan.
I read my book for about twenty minutes before the days events caught up with me and I was hit with a wave of exhaustion.
My real dad is a cop, Oliver is not who I expected and the guy who kidnapped me is behind bars, I thought. With a small smile, I yawned and shook my head, setting my book down on the small table and flicking off the light before popping in my earbuds and turning on some soft music.
"What a week ... "
* * * * * * * * * * *
The next day, the doctor came into my room and after telling me to take easy for a couple of days, maybe even weeks, then he signed off on my papers and told me that going home could officially become an option.
Hallelujah.
My parents were waiting for me as I got all the needles removed from my body and left clothing on my bed for me to change into. When they left the room, I grabbed them, thumbing through the fabric, investigating the combination.
I smiled, knowing Eddie must have picked them out. A black shirt with black skinny jeans and a pair of tall black boots, topped off with a brown leather jacket.
Eddie gave me a Black Widow themed outfit.
Chuckling to myself, I smiled and shook my head, making a mental note to thank him later as I pulled my annoying hospital gown off and yanking on the clean clothes, making a mental note to shower the millisecond I got home.
When I left the bathroom, fully changed and ready to go home, a small smile pulled on my lips when I saw Theodore zipping up my backpack; he obviously packed all my things and now just gazed about the room waiting for me.
His eyes met mine and he turned red, looking away and scratching his neck. "Uhm, I'm sorry. I just ... I mean, I ... I just figured that you most likely wouldn't have any urge to try and settle everything into that bag, so I just ... you know ..."
I shook my head and smiled, walking to him. Before he could try to object or find something else to say, I had my arms around his torso, pulling him close for a hug.
He stood stiff, probably shocked or mentally collapsing from contact with the female species, but you know ...
He would just have to deal. At the moment, I wanted a hug and there he stood, all nice and available for a squeeze.
"Thank you," I whispered, hoping he would understand all I was thanking him for. Not just for packing my things for me, but for the letters, the support and the comfort that he provided.
After a few shocked moments, his arms hesitantly wrapped around my shoulders. It only took another second for me to be locked in a fierce embrace.
Smiling, I snuggled into him and tried to convey the gratefulness I felt for him just being there and being concerned about me enough to wait I the hospital.
"I was really worried, you know," Theodore whispered, his head resting on top of mine.
Closing my eyes, the only thing I could do was nod. Thinking back to his worries from the day before, I decided to put those thoughts to rest, hopefully to be locked up and the key thrown away.
"Theo?"
Feeling his head nod, it gave me the encouragement I needed to continue onward. I pulled away and looked him in the eyes, hoping he would understand this sentence the first time I said it.
I smiled and he easily returned it, looking down at me as I said, "You being you doesn't change a single thing."
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