Disclaimer: Not mine, all Disney's--though Phillip is mine, but if you want to use him, go ahead, just make sure something bad happens to the little wimp. :) Anyway, this story is the product of too much sugar, to much Diet Coke, and WAY WAY WAY to much of Dido's AWESOME song "Here With Me". :) Anyway, I hope you enjoy this story, though I don't really think it's my best writing...it might get a little confusing, but what can you do, right? Hopefully, it's not to bad--anyway, without further ado....
The Consequences of Misunderstandings
The echo of slamming lockers reverberated down the rapidly emptying hallway of Kingsport High. Students rushed to and fro, eager to get out of the school building and start their long weekend, courtesy of the teacher's conference being held next Monday.
Jamie Waite stood in front of his locker, staring at the contents like he had no idea what half the stuff in there was suppose to be. But he wasn't really seeing the inside of his locker--what he was seeing was Catie Roth, smiling up at a blonde artist named "Phillip", fluttering her eyelashes at him, pressing herself up on toes to...
The dark haired young man slammed his locker shut with unusual force, the crash of metal on metal ringing down the hallway. A few people stopped and stared, but he ignored them all, storming down the hallway, and shoving the double doors open as hard as he could.
He stomped down the stairs and headed for his bike, before he remembered that he had forgotten to bring to get his books. But he really wasn't in the mood to do homework, and something told him that he wasn't going to be in the mood to do it all weekend. Oh well, he'd just do it later, or not do it, whichever he decided.
Thankfully, he wasn't on call tonight, unless some kind of massive emergency came up. He was glad of it too--all he could think about was Catie and that *guy*...
Jamie glowered at a defenseless freshmen, who up until that point he had never seen before in his life. The scared girl jumped out of his way, deciding that she could wait for her mother INSIDE the school as well as outside.
The young man finally reached his bike, and reached for his helmet. However, he made the mistake of looking up, just in time to see Catie, HIS Catie, leaning against the door of a blue Toyota truck, a slight smile pulling at her features. Phillip, her artist "friend", was standing beside her, and was leaning forward to...
Jamie growled in his throat, and jammed his black helmet on, forcing himself to look away from them. He slung h is leg over the bike, and started the engine, roaring out of the parking lot.
It would do him NO good to see his Catie...*kissing* some other guy. He did want to make it home alive--and, he supposed, "Phillip" did too.
What could she POSSIBLE see in that guy? "Phillip" was a little wimp...he could beat the living daylights out of him with one hand tied behind his back. Jamie shook his head, thinking back to earlier that day, when he had first found out about "Phillip".
*****
Jamie wondered down the hallway, hoping that he would be able to make it to class on time, but not really caring if he got there or not. There wasn't nothing really interesting about it, especially since Catie wasn't in there with him, so what was the point in really going.
The route he had taken took him right by the art room, and he suddenly wondered if Brianne was in there working on some sculpture or another. Since he was in no real hurry, he decided to stop in and see if she was in there.
He reached the door, and pushed it open, poking his head in to see if his friend's trademark pink strip was anywhere to be seen.
It wasn't.
In fact, there were only two people in the room. And they didn't appear to be doing ANYTHING art related--unless make-out had been risen to an art form.
Phillip Laxton, a senior who thought he was a bohemian artist of some sort. Jamie had meet him a few times, and had written him off as a nothing more then a wimp and Brianne had confirmed it for him, adding to it that he was also a LOUSY artist.
However, it wasn't Phillip that made his heart stop beating in his chest, and then shatter into a million pieces. No, it was the girl whose throat he currently had his tongue stuck down. Her longish black hair was pulled into pigtails at the crown on her head, and the ends of them had been dyed purple. She was dressed in a sheer black dress, with a pair of black tights underneath and tall black boots.
"Catie.." He barely mouthed the word, his eyes getting larger. What in the world was going on? Why was Catie...
Jamie stepped out of the doorway and began to walk slowly down the hall, his heart pounding to hard in his chest. What in the world--Catie? And some guy...making out? What was wrong with this picture?
He blinked rapidly, his eyes suddenly burning. Jamie reached up to rub them, and his hand came away wet, making his swallow hard. He slowed to a stop, and took a deep shuddering breath.
It did nothing to calm the burning in his eyes, or the ache in his heart. He had to get out of there.
Turning on a dime, the young man headed down the hallway, and towards the bleachers, wanting to get there and hide before the tears finally managed to burn their way out of his eyes.
He'd stayed their until lunch time, loathing the idea of coming out, and having to face Catie and her new 'friend'. But the need to know what was going on became to great, and he eventually sought out Val and dragged her into a corner and forced the story out of her.
The blonde's face was compassionate as she spilled her guts. Phillip had asked Catie out on a date last Friday, and she had accepted. Evidently, they had a great time, because the next time that Val had spoken to Catie, the twosome were officially going out.
Jamie hadn't want to, but knew that he had to ask. "And she didn't tell me any of this...because?"
Val had shrugged, her eyes sad. "I don't know."
******
That was really what hurt the most, Jamie decided as he drove home, the wind whipping at his face and making his eyes water more then normal. That she hadn't been up front with him, HONEST with him, and just told him that she had a boyfriend.
He could've handled it.
He could have.
Really.
Okay, so he was lying to himself, but that was the only way he was going to keep himself from going insane.
Jamie was normally a very careful driver. His mother had made sure of that, especially after a motorcycle accident had claimed the life of his father. He always paid attention, he knew exactly what he could do, and what he couldn't. He'd been riding since he was little, and had been driving a bike for years now.
However, today, his mind was not where it should be. And, unfortunately, neither was Jenniffer Jones's.
The blonde woman was in a hurry to get home to her babies-- gin and tonic--and blew through the red light. She was in such a hurry, that she didn't see the young man on the motorcycle that had been driving across the intersection, and he was so wrapped up in his depression, he didn't see the white car barreling toward him--until it was to late.
The car smashed into Jamie's bike, flipping it over--with him underneath it. The woman noticed just in time, and pulled her car around, stomping on the brakes--but the damage was already down.
The impact of the car, the unyielding cement, and the weight of the bike overwhelmed Jamie, and he slipped into blackness, welcoming it with open arms.
******
Val Linear sat in the waiting room of the hospital, wiping her eyes with the Kleenex that Tyler Connell had just given her, and thanked God for about the hundredth time that it hadn't been her, Hank, and Tyler that had answered that MVA call. Just hearing about it was bad enough--she didn't think that she could have handled seeing Jamie in that condition, especially after having to tell him about Catie this morning. She knew that it had broken his heart--she could see it in his eyes, and she had felt terrible for the rest of the day.
After the crew had come back, and told Alex who one of the victims in the accident had been, he had immediately sent the trio, along with Brooke, to the hospital--where he knew they wanted to be anyway. After hearing something like that about one of their friends, he knew that none of them were going to be able to concentrate for the rest of the night.
"Val--you okay?" Hank asked quietly, shaking her out of her thoughts. The young woman looked up, and sniffed, rubbing away a tear that had slipped down her cheek.
"Yeah...yeah I'm okay." She assured her concerned friend, and she tried to force a smile.
"I can't believe this happened." Tyler muttered from beside her, making her turn to face him. His eyes were red, but no tear streaks marked his face--she supposed that he was to macho to cry, or he just didn't want to let her know how worried he was.
The door of the waiting room ladies' room swung open, and Brooke emerged, her face streaked with tears, but calmer then she had been when she had gotten their. Val shuddered slightly, remembering how her younger sister had freaked when they had heard about Jamie--she hadn't even sobbed that hard when their father was in the hospital. It made Val wonder just what Brooke thought about Jamie, but know was not the time to ask.
"Any word?" She asked, her voice choked and broken, breaking Val's heart. The older girl held her arms out to her sister, and Brooke went to her willingly, laying her head on her shoulder. Val pulled the smaller girl into her lap and held her like she was a baby, rocking her gently.
"No word yet...but...we can't give up hope. The team that went...said it wasn't that...bad." Val was lying and both girls knew it.
"Has anybody called Catie?" Brooke asked suddenly, her voice slightly muffled by her sister's shoulder.
Val winced, and then sighed. "No...I guess I had better..."
"Yeah...you are her best friend..." Tyler replied, looking down at the ground. "And you know...she might want to be here...if anything...happens..."
"He's going to be alright." Val told him firmly, after Brooke had climbed off her lap, and taken a seat next to Hank.
"I hope so..." Tyler murmured, as Val headed toward the pay phone, her steps slow and halting.
****
Catie stood in front of the mirror, and asked herself again why she was going on another date with Phillip. Sure, she liked Phillip, and he was an alright kisser, but really, what had possessed her to say yes when he asked her to be his girlfriend?
Sighing, the girl adjusted the ribbon on one of her ponytails, and reached for her lipstick, just as the phone rang. Catie let it ring twice before remembering that she was the only one home to answer it, and diving to pick it up.
If she was lucky, maybe it was Phillip calling to cancel...
"Hello?" She asked, crossing her fingers.
"Catie?" It was Val, and she sounded like she was crying. Catie was instantly concerned.
"Val? What's wrong? Has something happened? Are you alright? Is Brooke okay?" The dark haired girl interrogated, worry evident in her tone.
"Catie...Catie it's Jamie." Catie's blood ran cold, and she nearly dropped the phone. Jamie? Oh no no no no...please, not Jamie, please let him be okay, this couldn't be happening, not Jamie, not HER Jamie...
"What...what about him?" She squeaked out. Oh please, let her just want to know where he is, or where he lives, or his phone number...oh please oh please oh please,...
"He...he wrecked his bike, Catie. He's in the hospital."
NO! NO! NO! Not Jamie, not her Jamie, this couldn't be happening, this wasn't REAL, this was some kind of sick joke...
"No...no, your wrong." Catie whispered, trying to make herself believe. "He's good driver, he's careful, he wouldn't get into an accident, he's a GOOD driver..."
"He...he was sort of upset today..." Val told her weakly.
"Why?"
"He...umm...he found out about you and Phillip." This time Catie really did drop the phone. She slipped to the floor bonelessly, her eyes filling with tears. No...no...no nonononononono!
"Jamie..." Catie whimpered, laying her forehead on the carpet, her heart shattering in her chest. "Oh God, Jamie..."
A swirl of emotions overtook her, shattering her. This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be real. No. Not Jamie. Not Jamie. Not Jamie.
"OH GOD!" Catie screamed, tears coursing down her cheeks. "No no no no no no! Please no..."
"Catie? Catie are you there?" Val's voice called out of the phone, but the distraught girl paid it no heed. Rising to her feet, she stumbled toward the door, and yanked it open, nearly falling through it.
The only sound she could hear was the terrified thump of her heart in her chest as she staggered down the steps of her house, reaching the front door and ripping it open. She raced out it, not even bothering to close the door, and her feet, hitting the pavement of the walkway to her door, began to run. She cut across the grass of her front yard, and cut hard to the right when she reached the sidewalk.
She raced down the sidewalk, with only one destination in mind--Jamie. She had to get to him. Now.
******
Val jumped out of her skin when the door of the waiting room banged open, and Catie Roth stumbled through the door, barefoot and tear streaked. The blonde rose to her feet and hurried over to her friend, reaching out a reassuring hand to the girl.
"Val...Val what happened? Where...where is he?" Catie wept, gasping for breath to the point that Val was half afraid that she was hyperventilating.
"Whoa...whoa, Catie just calm down. Breathe slowly. Are you okay? What are you doing here?" Val asked, placing her hand on her best friend's back gently.
"What am I doing here? What am I DOING HERE?! You called and told me that the guy I LOVE got into a car accident, and is in the hospital, and you're asking me what I'm doing here?!" Catie shrieked hysterically.
"Um--excuse me? What did you just say?" Tyler asked, shock written over his face.
"I SAID--you called and told me that Jamie's in the hospital, and you're asking me what I'm doing here?" Catie reiterated, slowly calming down.
"That's not what you said." Brooke piped up.
"Yes it is." Catie said, running a hand over her hair slowly, and then turning back to Val. "Is he okay? Please tell me he's okay..."
"I...I don't know. His bike...it...well, it fell on him, after the car ran him down. We don't know...we don't know how he is." Val told her best friend softly, rubbing her back slightly.
"No..." Catie wept, putting her hands up over her face. "This is all my fault..."
"Catie...it's nobodies fault..." Tyler told the crying girl softly, trying in vain to comfort her.
"Yeah. Right. I can't believe this..." Catie began to cry in earnest now, teardrops trickling down her face.
Before anyone could move to comfort her, a dark haired woman in a white lab coat walked into the room, a clipboard under her arm. All of the teens leapt to attention, Catie trying to rub the tears off her face.
"How... how is he? Jamie Waite? Do you know?" Hank asked the woman doctor.
"Yes, I'm the doctor that worked with Jamie, Dr. Johnson." The woman introduced herself.
"How is he?" Catie asked, her voice breaking in the middle of her sentence. Dr. Johnson smiled sadly, and began to speak.
"Jamie has suffered major internal damages and there was quite a bit of internal bleeding that we had to go in and fix. Along with that, he suffered a broken arm, and many serve abrasions. However, there was no head trauma, and we're hopeful that he'll make a full recovery." Dr. Johnson explained, smiling at the relief that washed over the gathered teenagers faces.
"Can was see him?" Catie asked, rubbing at her face.
"He's asleep right now..." The female doctor took pity on the girl she took to be her patient's girlfriend, and said, "But it should be alright, if you go in one at a time, and just stay for just a few minutes. He's in room 134."
"Thank you, doctor." Hank smiled at the woman, and she smiled back, heading back into the ER.
"Catie, you go." Brooke piped up, and the other teens nodded in agreement.
"I...thanks." Catie whispered, before heading toward room 134. Her hearted started tap dancing in her chest as soon as she reached the door marked with the numbers '1', '3', and '4'. Taking a deep breath, she grasped the handle, and twisted. The door popped open, and Catie stepped in, her eyes slowly adjusting to the dim light.
Jamie was asleep, his skin pale, and his left arm wrapped in a cast. But he breathed without help, even though he was hooked to a heart monitor. Catie wet her lips, and stepped forward, suddenly shy.
"Jamie?" She whispered, reaching his side, and reaching down to touch his right hand. "I...I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry that you thought that I...I actually like Phillip. I mean, I don't know why I why I agreed to go on that date with him in the first place, let alone be his girlfriend. I don't know why I let him kiss me, I don't know why I let him get anywhere near me. I don't know why I did any of that, when I am..." Catie trailed off, and looked at Jamie's peaceful face for a moment, reaching up to tuck a piece of his dark hair behind his ear.
"Completely and utterly in love with...you. I love you, Jamie. I have always..." She choked on her own tears, but pushed on. "loved you, and it took almost loosing you to make me realize that. When Val called...and said...you'd wrecked your bike...I thought...I thought I was going to die. Because I didn't want to live...if you weren't here with me. You are...everything to me. I could never....never love one else, the way that I love you. I need you in my life, in my arms. You're...you're part of me, Jamie. Please...please...forgive me. Forgive me for not knowing how important you are to me, how much I need you in my life. I love you Jamie."
The crying girl lifted Jamie's limp hand to her lips, and kissed it softly, feeling his smooth skin beneath her lips for the first time. A soft sigh broke out from the bed, and Catie's eyes darted to Jamie's face, to see his beautiful, mysterious dark eyes looking back at her.
"Jamie..." Catie breathed, kissing his fingers again. "You're awake..."
"Shhh..." Jamie whispered, twisting his hand away from her lips and laying it on her cheek. "Shhh, no more tears...I can't take it when you cry..."
"Oh, Jamie." Catie couldn't stop the tears, as they spilled down her face like a thunderstorm.
"No...please don't cry, love...my love..." Jamie begged her quietly, moving his hand into her hair as she leaned her head down to rest lightly on his chest. He threaded his fingers comfortingly through her hair for a few minutes, before his words registered in Catie's mind,
"What?" She whispered, awestruck, looking up at him.
"Don't cry." Jamie repeated softly.
"What did you call me?" Catie asked, trying not to hope.
"My love." Jamie breathed, his eyelids heavy. "Cause I love you..."
"I love *you*." She whispered back, laying her cheek back down on his chest, so she could look at him. Jamie smiled slowly, the throes of sleep already overtaking him.
Catie let a small smile touch her face as she listened to his steady heartbeat under her ear, her own eyes slipping shut, as she allowed her self to slip into sleep as well.