Title: On the Bathroom Floor.
Continuity: between Season Two's last episode 'Deterioration of the Fight or Flight Response' and Season Three's first episode 'Time Has Come Today'.
Feedback: Of course, reviews are great.
Song: 'Fix you', by Coldplay.
Warnings/Comments: A/U. Thanks to Dai for her wonderful support and help.
When you try your best but you don't succeed,
when you get what you want but not what you need,
when you feel so tired but you can't sleep.
Stuck in reverse.
"Iz, open up!" George knocked on the bathroom door and tried unsuccessfully opening it.
"Go away." An almost too quiet voice answered from the inside.
"Come on, Izzie, open the door. Please, I just wanna help!" He insisted, hitting on the wood with his fists.
"Go away!" The voice repeated a little more loudly.
When the tears come streaming down your face.
When you lose something you can't replace.
When you love someone but it goes to waste,
could it be worse?
He leaned his head on the door and closed his eyes, feeling powerless. He hated that. Every time Izzie had a problem she would close up to everyone and he usually would be the only one for her to trust in, but now… Now she seemed to be in a state close to madness that didn't let her trust anyone. And she's got some reasons to be mad, he thought sadly.
Lights will guide you home
and ignite your bones,
and I will try to fix you.
Suddenly, the door opened and he lost his balance, falling into the bathroom. He hit the floor and exclaimed a loud Ouch! as he rubbed his sore right arm. But something distracted him. Izzie was laying on the bathroom floor next to him, still wearing her prom dress, a vacant stare in her eyes.
"Izzie… "The word left his lips before he could stop himself. She looked so fragile, so broken, and so empty, that he felt almost like if a little part of him had died too. He knew he had to do something to help her, but what could he do? Certainly bringing Denny back to life wasn't an option. The only thing that would get her back to how she used to be wasn't an option. Oh, just great, he thought. He had to do something or at least he had to try.
"Izzie, I'm so sorry… I know you loved him, I know you feel like there's no reason to keep on living without him, but… "He trailed off and watched her for a moment; her gaze was fixed on the wall tiles behind him. He grabbed her hand, trying to make her come back from wherever she was and sighed. "…but you can't give up on living, Izzie. You can't lock yourself in the bathroom for hours and forget about the world. You have to come back."
She reacted to these words and her eyes locked with his.
"I can't… keep going. I can't get up and pretend nothing happened. I can't be all bright and shiny now, George, damn it! My fiancé died, haven't you heard?" She hissed sarcastically. "And you can't expect me to suck it up and go out and be normal so just… just shut up okay?"
High up above or down below,
when you're too in love to let it go,
but If you never try you'll never know.
Just what you're worth.
George remained still and silent for a couple of seconds, then he moved closer and hugged her tight, caressing her hair as she started to sob into his shoulder.
"I don't expect you to be all bright and shiny; I'm not expecting you to be normal. I'm just asking you to get out of this bathroom, change your outfit into something comfortable and let me help you dealing with the pain. That's what I'm here for. That's what best friends do. I'm not saying it's gonna be easy. But let me help you. You have to try, Izzie."
Lights will guide you home,
and ignite your bones.
And I will try to fix you.
"Why?" Her voice was shaky from all the crying. "What's the point on trying? It's not like that's gonna bring him back… " She trailed off and her gaze became absent again.
Tears stream down your face.
When you lose something you cannot replace.
Tears stream down your face and I...
Tears stream down your face,
I promise you I will learn from my mistakes.
Tears stream down your face and I...
"Stop saying that!" He ordered, cupping her face with his hands, forcing her to make eye contact. "Denny wouldn't have wanted you to do this to yourself. If he were here, he would tell you the same thing I'm telling you. Stop doing this. He wouldn't have wanted you becoming a ghost, because he loved you. He would have wanted you to move on and be happy. Besides, what would be of all of us without you, Iz? Seriously. This house wouldn't be a home without you. Our lives wouldn't be the same without you. You're the spark of this group. Lastly, you're my best friend and I need you. I need you and all the things that make you who you are. Who's gonna crawl into my bed at night to talk? Who's gonna criticize my love life? Who's gonna make me laugh when I'm down? Who's gonna use my toothbrush…" A smile started to spread down her face although she tried to avoid it. "… and then pretend that she didn't?"
She let out a last sob and he smiled. "Come on, Iz. Let's get out of here." He got up and helped her on her feet; then he walked her to her bedroom. When George turned around to leave, he heard her calling his name.
"Thank you." She whispered, after squeezing his hand and he wiped a few tears off her face.
Lights will guide you home,
and ignite your bones...
And I will try to fix you.
"You're welcome, Iz." George gave her his patented glowing smile and walked towards the kitchen with his hands in his pockets. He had done his best to help her. Now he felt better, and he hoped, maybe she felt a little better too.