AN: Here I am again. I swear I'm Chaddie (or is it Madney?) trash.
So, I would really like to explain something before you get to it and might possibly get confused. There's this part where Maddie's keeping track of Chim's pulse (I PROMISE HE IS NOT HURT) and as she's counting, she thinks about certain things, and the numbers of his heartbeats skips around in the story, so I promise I can count like a normal human being. It just wouldn't make sense for Maddie to complete a thought and then still be on the same heartbeat she was before, because, well, a normal heart doesn't stop beating. BUT ANYWAY, i really hope I just made sense.
Maddie heard the doorbell and she jumped; she definitely wasn't expecting anyone. It was past ten and she was already in her pajamas. She grabbed her phone and tapped on the security app that gave her access to every camera. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that it was Chim. But then, her eyebrows raised when she saw that he was holding a basket. It looked liked it was filled with candy and there was a stuffed teddy bear in there too.
She rushed to the door and opened it.
Chim glanced at her clothes before he began to speak. "I hope I didn't wake you. I can come back tomorrow?"
Maddie shook her hand. "You didn't. Come in, please," she told him.
He walked in and Maddie shut and locked the door behind him.
When she turned around, her eyes immediately fell on the basket he was holding. "What is that?" She asked.
"Oh, uh, this is for you… but it's actually kind of heavy, so is it okay if I take it to the kitchen table for you?"
"Of course," she told him.
She let Chim go first and she wondered what exactly was in the basket. As soon as he put it on the table, Maddie walked over and wrapped her arms around him.
"You really didn't have to do this, but thank you," she said.
"I heard Buck talking to Bobby today and he said something about how you look tired all the time and he said he didn't think you were getting enough sleep… so I just wanted to come and check on you and hopefully, make you feel at least a little bit better."
Maddie was glad that he couldn't see her face because her expression changed about three times in under ten seconds.
She didn't like that her brother had noticed how tired he was, and she was absolutely shocked by the fact that Evan had been worried enough to mention it to to the people he worked with. It was the truth though, she hadn't been sleeping and she was so tired. She just didn't want anyone worrying about her.
But she was also surprised at Chim for bringing her a present just to try to cheer her up. That really warmed her heart.
Maddie's grip tightened around Chim's body. She was so thankful that he was in her life.
"Thank you so much," Maddie whispered.
"You're welcome," Chim replied.
Maddie wasn't sure how long they stood there hugging. She finally pulled away and went over to the table to see what was in the basket.
"I probably did go overboard with the amount of candy I got, but I don't really know what kind you like… so I got a little bit of everything. I guess I could've asked Buck what you like, but he's already suspicious of us and I didn't want him asking questions… and asking you was definitely out of the question because it would've ruined the surprise… and the teddy bear is just something extra," Chim said.
Maddie's eyes widened when she saw that he really wasn't exaggerating when he said that he put a little bit of everything in there. She was sure every brand of candy was sitting in that basket. There were even brownies and donuts.
It was most definitely one of the sweetest things that anyone had ever done for her.
"This is really sweet," Maddie said as she began to smile.
Maddie picked up the container of brownies and her face fell. She immediately put them back in the basket.
"Wait…all of this probably costed a lot of money."
She felt bad that he had spent money on her in the first place when he didn't even have to.
Chim shrugged. "Not really."
"Do you want me to pay you back?" She asked.
He laughed a little and shook his head. "No, Maddie. It's a gift."
"Are you sure?"
Chim nodded. "I'm not taking your money."
Maddie let out a sigh and smiled at him. She looked at the candy and figured that it was a good thing that she had a huge supply of chocolate. Maybe she could eat a lot and it would help her stay awake.
Maddie moved her hand so she could grab the brownies again. Before she could, she yawned.
She looked over at Chim and he was frowning.
"Maddie, I've gotta be honest. You look exhausted. Is everything okay?" He asked.
She ignored his question and picked up the teddy bear. It was dark brown and had a pink ribbon tied around its neck. She began to run her hand over the soft fur.
Thoughts of her childhood whirled around Maddie's head. She had had a bear just like that when she was seven, and his name was Mr. Pebbles. She had gotten him for Christmas, and she took him everywhere with her.
"Maddie?"
The sound of Chim's voice made her jump. She looked at him, and he was even more worried than he was before.
"I'm fine," Maddie said, barely above a whisper.
She knew that she didn't sound convincing. At all.
"You can talk to me about anything that's bothering you. You know that I'm here for you, right?" Chim asked.
She nodded. Maddie put the bear on the table and began to pick at her fingernails. That was something she always did when she was bored or nervous.
"I just don't want you to worry about me," she admitted.
Chim had his own life to live and probably had problems of his own, and Maddie didn't want to bother him with her own issues.
"Of course, I'm going to worry about you, Maddie. I care about you. I'm…" He trailed off.
Maddie saw a look of hesitation on Chim's face. She wondered what he was about to say, but she decided that she wasn't going to push it and ask him.
"And besides," Chim spoke, "I think it's a little too late to tell me that because... I've been worried since the second I heard Buck talk about you."
Chim walked over and put his hand on her arm. "I just… I know what it's like… not having anyone there when you need to talk about something. It's awful… and I don't want you to ever feel that way."
Maddie looked at Chim, and she could tell that he truly cared. Besides family, she never really had anyone that ever cared about her wellbeing so much.
Chim didn't even need to say it, but Maddie already knew that he only wanted her to be okay.
And he would be there for her to make sure she would be.
All of Maddie's fears were on the tip of her tongue. The only thing she had to do was open her mouth and speak, but she couldn't.
A part of her was nervous, but the other half of her was relieved; she was nervous because this was the first time that she would pull back a tiny layer and let Chim know a personal part of her that she didn't tell a lot of people. She was relieved because she knew that talking about her fears was good for her. It meant that she was one step closer to everything being okay.
Tears rolled down Maddie's cheek as she started to talk. "Evan's right. I am tired. I haven't been sleeping good at all."
"I'm not okay," she admitted, shaking her head and looking over at Chim.
He pulled out chairs for both of them so they could sit down. He scooted his chair right in front of Maddie's. He sat down and their knees almost touched because of how close they were.
She raised her right hand and rubbed her eyes before she started to talk.
"I haven't slept a full night since I moved here. I can't. I have to get up every time I hear something. I'm always looking over my shoulder. I'm terrified that my husband will show up any second and…" Maddie trailed off.
The tears started to really pour down her face and she could barely talk. "I… I hate being… here...alone. I'm so s-scared."
Maddie covered her face with her hands as she sobbed. She felt so weak for crying in front of Chim. She wished he didn't have to see her like that.
She felt one of Chim's hands gently wrap around her arm.
"Come here," he whispered.
Maddie removed her hands from her face and she looked at up Chim. Her vision was blurry from all the tears, but she felt him grab her hand. She stood up and he pulled her closer. She crashed into him and his arms wrapped around her as she grabbed a fistful of his shirt.
"I'm so sorry, Maddie. I'm so sorry," she heard him say.
She appreciated it.
God, Maddie appreciated him. The fact that he was even there and was willing to listen to her and hold her while she cried meant everything to her.
Once Maddie had mostly stopped crying and it had all turned into sniffles, she figured that Chim was going to pull away at any second. A good minute or so passed by and he still hadn't.
She didn't know what to do or say, so she just stood as still as she could. Maddie's hand was directly on top of Chim's chest, so she could feel his heart beating. She desperately needed a distraction, so the nurse in her began to count the amount of times his heart beat.
One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight.
Maddie realized just how much she had soaked his shirt. It was like he had just stepped inside from a thunderstorm.
Fifteen. Sixteen. Seventeen. Eighteen. Nineteen. Twenty.
Maddie was surprised that they were still hugging. Chim seemed so content, she was sure his arms had tightened around her.
Thirty-nine. Forty. Forty-one. Forty- two. Forty-three.
Maddie was beginning to get very comfortable in his arms.
Fifty-two. Fifty-three. Fifty- four. Fifty- five.
Maddie wasn't so sure she could only use the word "comfortable" anymore. She realized she could also say that she felt safe.
Sixty- nine. Seventy. Seventy- one. Seventy- two. Seventy-three.
Maddie now felt so safe in his arms that she felt like nothing could hurt her… not the nightmares, her fears, the bad feelings, and not even Doug could get through the iron grip that Chim's arms had around her.
Eighty-eight. Eighty- nine. Ninety. Ninety- one.
Maddie was surprised that she had even kept count for so long. But then again, she was literally a pro at multitasking when it came to counting pulses and thinking or talking.
But now, no matter how weird it sounded, she could officially admit that Chim's heartbeat was her favorite in the entire world.
One hundred. One hundred and one. One hundred and two. One hundred and three. One hundred and four.
One hundred and four heartbeats.
That was all it took for Maddie to decide that Chim was also her favorite person in the world and she didn't want to lose him.
One hundred and ten. One hundred and eleven. One hundred and twelve.
Maddie was sure that she had feelings for Chim, but she was going to ignore that for now. She couldn't go down that road just yet. It was too soon.
One hundred and fifteen.
Wait. No, that wasn't right. It couldn't be.
Dammit. Maddie had finally lost count.
Maddie noticed that her legs were killing her because of how still she had been standing. She hated to do it, but she pulled away from Chim. When she looked at him, he gave her a small smile.
"I'll be right back," he told her.
Even though he told her he was going to be back, Maddie was so sure that Chim was going to leave. But to her surprise, he came back in less than twenty seconds… and his shoes were off.
She looked at his feet and then up at his face.
Chim shrugged. "I can't sleep with my shoes on."
Maddie shook her head. "You don't have to stay here. You really don't."
"I know," Chim said.
"But don't you have something to go home to?" Maddie asked.
She didn't want him to feel like he had to stay there.
"You mean like a goldfish or a pet or something? I don't have any pets. The only thing I have waiting for me is a container full of brownies that I took from the firehouse and they could very well be laced with pot or LSD… so, uh… there's nothing to go home to."
"What?" Maddie asked in a shocked tone.
Chim let out a little laugh. "That's a story for another day… can I see your phone?"
Maddie raised her eyebrows.
"Uh, just so I can check to see if everything's okay with the cameras," he explained.
"It's in the living room," she said.
Maddie went to grab her phone and Chim followed closely behind her. She put the passcode in and handed it over to him.
"Everything looks good," he said after a few seconds.
Chim handed the phone back to her and Maddie's eyes went to his shirt. She still felt embarrassed about crying all over him.
"I'm sorry about your shirt," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Chim looked down as if he hadn't noticed it the whole time. He shrugged. "It'll dry."
Then, Maddie remembered something.
"A few of Evan's shirts somehow ended up with me. Do you want one of those to wear?"
Chim grinned. "Sure."
"They're in my room… I think," Maddie said as she walked away.
Maddie put her phone on the table beside the couch and walked upstairs to her room. She hadn't gotten around to really unpacking her clothes yet, but all she had to do was go through two containers.
"If it's gonna be too much trouble to find, then I can just wear this," she heard Chim shout from downstairs.
"It's not going to be any trouble at all… because I found one," Maddie answered back.
"Just don't let Buck know I wore his shirt because he'll want to burn it," Chim said.
Maddie stood at the top of the stairs. She remembered her brother's stories about Chim before she actually met him, and he had gotten him all wrong. She didn't know any better before, but she now realized that Evan had even made fun of him a little too much. Maddie honestly felt like she knew Chim and understood him more than her own brother did.
"Why does he always have to treat you like that? Like… he's always trying to make fun of you?" Maddie asked as she began to make her way downstairs.
She wasn't sure why she was suddenly feeling so protective of Chim, but he deserved to be treated with so much respect and kindness.
"I don't know… it's probably because he doesn't take me seriously… but honestly I think it's because he's jealous of my good looks," he joked.
"Well, you are cute," Maddie immediately replied.
Her eyes widened as soon as she spoke the words into existence. She was glad that she had just stepped off the stairs because she was sure she would've fallen down if she was still on them.
Chim smiled. "Wait a minute… I thought Buck was just being an ass when he told me you thought I was cute. I didn't believe him."
"He told you?" Maddie asked, her voice getting higher.
She was so embarrassed. She didn't exactly want Chim to know that piece of information. Maddie couldn't believe that Evan had actually told him.
Maddie walked over and kept her eyes on the floor as she handed Chim the shirt.
He gave her half a smile and then looked in the opposite direction.
They stood in a very awkward silence until Maddie was the one to break it.
"Well… Evan's definitely going to be hearing from me tomorrow. I should call him now, but I guess I'm going to let him enjoy his night. I think that's nice of me, right?" She asked.
Chim grinned. "Very… but I'm not sure if it's a good idea to let him know that I told you."
"Oh, that's not going to be the only thing I talk to him about," Maddie said as she crossed her arms.
Chim's head tilted to the side in confusion. "If you don't mind me asking, what are you going to talk to him about?"
"I'm going to tell him to be nicer to you… because you don't deserve to be treated the way he treats you. He should know better. Oh my god. I sound like my mom. But anyway… he's acting ridiculous."
"You'd do that for me?" Chim asked, surprised.
"Of course, I would. He doesn't get a free pass just because he's my brother… if he doesn't start being nicer to you, then he'll have to answer to me."
Maddie noticed that Chim was biting his bottom lip.
"That's so ho-" He began to say, but he stopped mid-sentence. "Uh.. I mean… I mean, that's so sweet. You're so sweet."
Chim lowered his head and kept his eyes on the floor while Maddie's mouth open.
Maddie was sure that she knew what he was about to say, but she tried not to let herself think about it too much.
Hot.
That's what he was going to say.
Chimney thought it was hot that Maddie was so protective of him.
"Okay," she muttered under her breath to try to get it out of her thoughts. If she didn't, Maddie was sure she was going to lose her mind.
"What?" Chim asked.
Maddie began to blush; she didn't think Chim had heard her.
"Umm… nothing," she said before he directed her attention to the floor.
"Oh."
They both fell into an awkward silence again. It was a lot worse than it was before, and Maddie needed to get out of there.
"Umm… I'm going to get ready for bed… there's actually another bathroom right down the hall if you need to go. Wait, never mind. You know this. You helped me move in… but there's an unopened pack of toothbrushes and some toothpaste in there too," she told him.
Chim nodded. "Thanks for the shirt."
Maddie smiled and began to walk upstairs. The sound of Chim's voice made her stop.
"Maddie?"
"Yeah?"
"I… uh.. I think you're cute too," he told her.
Maddie's cheeks instantly turned red and she rushed up the steps. Once, she reached the bathroom, she shut the door and rested against it. She closed her eyes.
Chim had almost called her "hot" and then he had called her "cute".
Maybe Chimney liked her too.
No. She wasn't going there.
Maybe Chim was just being a guy.
But, no. He wasn't like any of the other guys that Maddie had met. She scolded herself for even thinking that about Chim.
If he did like her, what would happen next? What would the future hold for them?
"Okay, stop" she whispered to herself.
Maddie was most definitely an emotional mess and she promised herself that she wouldn't leave that bathroom until she got it together.
She walked over to the mirror and she gasped a little when she looked at herself. Her eyes were puffy and red from the crying session she had earlier and her cheeks were the color of a tomato.
Her eyes widened. "Oh my god," she muttered.
Chim had actually told her that he thought she was cute… while she looked like… a big mess.
Maddie turned on the water and splashed her face several times before grabbing a towel and drying it off. She brushed her teeth after that.
Maddie ended up spending over twenty minutes in the bathroom; she literally couldn't stop blushing and it was all Chim's fault. Just as soon as Maddie thought she was okay, she would begin to blush all over again.
She finally decided to leave the bathroom when she realized that Chim could possibly come up there just to check on her. She didn't want to have to explain that she wasn't leaving the bathroom because she was too busy thinking about him.
Maddie walked down the stairs and found Chim sitting on the couch. He grinned at her.
She saw that he had changed into Evan's shirt and Maddie couldn't help but smile because it was a little big on him. He looked so cute.
Maddie was careful not to let her eyes linger on him for too long.
"I checked both the doors to make sure they were locked," he told her.
That was actually one of the things that Maddie was going to do next. She always had to check to make sure they were locked no matter what. There were several occasions where she ended up checking them two or three times.
"Thank you," she said.
"You're welcome… if you give me a blanket, then I'll be all set for tonight."
Maddie smiled. "Of course."
Her container of blankets were at the far side of the living room. She walked over and grabbed the largest one she had. She handed it over to Chim and he smiled.
Maddie suddenly remembered that she had forgotten all about the basket of desserts that Chim had given her.
"Oh no," she muttered under her breath.
"What's wrong?" Chim asked, concern spreading across his features.
"I forgot to eat some candy. I feel bad. I don't want you to think that I don't appreciate it."
"What time do you have to go to work tomorrow?"
Maddie wasn't expecting that question at all.
"Umm. Two," she answered.
"Perfect. I don't have to be at work until four," he said.
Maddie looked at him with the most confused expression. She wasn't sure what their work schedules had to do with her not eating the candy.
"We can both sit here and eat all of that junk food the whole morning and part of the afternoon before we have to go to work," Chim explained.
"But only if you want me to hang around that long, of course… and if you don't mind me eating food that's supposed to be a gift for you," he said after few seconds of silence.
A smile began to form on Maddie's lips. She loved the fact that he didn't plan on leaving until she had to go to work.
"You can stay here as long as you want," she told him honestly. "And I don't mind sharing. It's not like I'll be able to eat all of that by myself anyway."
Chim laughed a little.
"Goodnight, Maddie," he told her.
"Goodnight."
Maddie walked over and grabbed her phone off the table. She glanced at Chim one last time before she made her way upstairs.
Maddie plugged her phone up to let it charge before she walked to the bed and pull back the covers. She laid down and let out a sigh.
Hopefully, she could get some sleep tonight.
….
Maddie's eyes flew open and she gasped for air.
She looked up and Chim was standing over her. Both of his hands were on each of her shoulders and he looked scared.
Maddie had had another nightmare. She would dream the same thing over and over; she would be hiding in a closet and Doug would try to find her. She would usually wake up at the last second, and he never found her. But he did this time.
Chim took his his hand off her. "Maddie?" He whispered.
She sat up and scooted up the bed so Chim could sit in front of her.
"I had… a nightmare," she said.
Chim ran a hand across his forehead and then rubbed his eyes.
"I heard you screaming and I ran up here as quick as I could," he told her.
"I don't usually do that," Maddie whispered.
"Do you want… to talk about it?" Chim asked.
Her nightmares were something she definitely couldn't talk about, and Maddie wasn't sure if she would ever be able to. They were just so awful and she hated to think about them.
Maddie shook her head. "It'll only make it worse."
Chim nodded slowly and grabbed her hand. "Do you need something? Do you want me to get you anything?"
The only thing that Maddie could think of that she wanted was for Chim to stay there, in her bed with her… but she wasn't quite sure how to even begin to ask him.
"If I say what I really want, then it might be asking for too much," Maddie admitted as she looked down at his hand that was currently on top of hers.
"I'll do anything you want, Maddie. Please tell me," Chim begged.
She looked up at him and she could tell he was absolutely serious.
"Can you stay up here with me?" she asked.
"If that's what you want, then yeah. I will."
Maddie nodded.
Chim started to get up, but Maddie grabbed his hand to stop him.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"I.. I was just getting up to sit on the floor, by the bed," he said.
She loved how he was such a gentleman about everything.
Maddie shook her head. "No, Chimney. I'm not going to make you sit on the floor while I sleep. You've got to work tomorrow too… my bed is big enough for both of us."
"Are you sure you're comfortable with that?
"Yeah," Maddie answered.
She moved over to the other side so Chimney could lay down too. He was still sitting there and Maddie knew that he wasn't sure about what to do. She patted the bed.
"Come on. I wouldn't ask if I wasn't comfortable. I feel safe with you," she admitted.
"Me?" Chim asked, shocked.
"Of course."
Maddie knew there was no use in stopping herself from saying what was really on her mind. She was sure he already knew how she felt about him anyway.
"You're amazing," she told him.
"So are you."
Maddie couldn't help but smile at that.
Chim laid down beside of Maddie. They were about two feet apart and they both were on their backs. She pulled on the blanket and handed some of it to him. She accidentally hit his arm in the process.
"Sorry," she muttered.
Chim laughed. "No need to be sorry."
They laid like that for a little while and Maddie was sure that Chim was asleep. She didn't want to glance over and look just in case he wasn't.
Maddie heard a loud sound that she guessed came from outside. Her whole body shook the bed. She immediately grabbed her phone off the table and checked the security app. Everything seemed to be okay.
"Are you okay?" Chim whispered beside of her.
"That sound scared me, that's all," she told him as she kept her eyes on her ceiling.
"I'm pretty sure it was just your neighbors slamming their door… I saw some college kids next door the other day, and they were being loud then. It's probably them."
"Yeah," Maddie said.
She hoped that was all it was.
She grabbed her phone to check everything one more time. It was all good.
"Does everything look okay on the app?" He asked.
Maddie felt his eyes on her, so she turned her head to look at him.
"Yeah," she answered.
"Do you want me to go make sure everything's okay?" Chim asked.
If everything looked good on the app, then there was no need for him to check anything. They both knew that, but he was still offering to go down there anyway. God, he was the sweetest.
"No."
"Are you sure?"
Maddie tried her best to give him a smile. "I'm sure."
A few minutes went by and it was quiet until they heard a loud crack of thunder. The rain started to fall right after; they could hear it hitting the window.
Maddie was startled. Again.
Damn, couldn't Maddie catch a break?
Maddie sighed. She was so embarrassed that she was scared of every little thing.
"I'm sorry I'm a mess," she whispered.
"Hey, don't say that. You're not," Chim argued.
"I bet you don't think I'm so cute now, do you?" Maddie asked sadly.
"I always think you're cute," Chim told her.
"Even when you're at work tomorrow and you're tired because you stayed up half the night because of me?"
"Yeah, even then and… Maddie, nothing will ever change the way I feel about you."
She was glad that it was mostly dark in there because there was no way Chim could tell that she was blushing.
"Maddie?"
Yeah?"
"I give you full permission to kick my ass with that baseball bat leaning up against the wall over there if I cross the line, but how do you feel about cuddling? In general… do you love it, hate it, or what?
Maddie laughed. "I like it. What about you?"
"I love it, but you should know that I only ask people I really like if they want to cuddle."
"Well, you should know that I only say yes to people I really like," Maddie admitted.
Chim laughed. "Do you want to cuddle?"
"Yes," she answered.
It was all out in the open now. They both liked each other.
Maddie's heart started to race as she scooted over and Chim helped her get situated. By the time, they both finished moving around, half of her body was on top of his. She rested her head on top of his chest and he wrapped his arms around her.
"Goodnight," Chim had told her for the second time that night.
"Goodnight."
Maddie yawned and closed her eyes.
A few minutes later, she was sure that Chim had kissed the top of her head.
She smiled.
Maddie quickly realized that she loved cuddling with Chimney, and she would be more than happy if they would do just that… every single night.