First of all, I wanted to say thank you for all of the reviews I have received so far. They really mean a lot to me. For some reason, I am unable to respond to reviews because I can't see them but I am getting email notifications that reviews are being left. Weird! Secondly, I want to say that this is a fiction story and I really have no idea of the medical aspects of this story other than what I have researched on the internet and we all know how reliable some of that information can be. Anyway...on to the chapter. Enjoy!
All characters and music are not mine!
Chapter 2:
Chapter Songs:
All We Are by Matt Nathanson
Driveway by Great Northern
Hey Now by Augustana
Echo by Jason Walker
Clary:
After getting dressed for the day, I walk down to breakfast and I'm surprised to see my mom waiting for me.
"Hi, mom! What are you doing here so early?" I ask giving her a hug and sitting down across from her.
"My schedule is preventing me from coming later, so I'll be coming to eat and I'll sit with you while you get your daily treatment. Are you okay being here?" mom asks me as we begin eating our breakfast.
"Yeah. Maryse's son came by yesterday and we hung out. He's my age or close to it anyway. I enjoyed talking with him. He's supposed to come back today but I don't know." I say with a shrug. Mom doesn't say anything but just looks at me for a second. After we eat, we join Maryse for my treatment. We spend the time talking, mom telling me about the art store and adding classes that she'll be teaching. After she leaves, I go up in my room and lie down for a while, listening to my IPod. Before I know it, I close my eyes and drift off to sleep.
~o.O.o~
Jace:
Isabelle and I walk into the institute and I lead the way down the resident's hall. I stop in front of Clary's room and see her door cracked.
"Hey, wait out here for a second and I'll call you in." I tell her. She gives me a speculative look and then nods her head.
I slip in the door and see her lying on the bed sleeping peacefully. I slowly walk up to the side of the bed, never taking my eyes off of her. I have never seen someone so beautiful in all my life. I take a deep breath and gently run the tips of my fingers across her face. She stirs and her eyes flutter open. She locks her eyes with mine.
"Jace. . . ." she whispers and I have to swallow the lump in my throat from hearing her whisper my name. I smile at her and kneel down beside her, folding my arms on the side of the bed and resting my chin on them.
"Are you okay?" I ask softly.
She smiles back at me. Her green eyes shining. "Yeah. The treatment I got this morning made me tired." Her voice just barely above a whisper.
"Were you alone during the treatment?" I ask worried about her going through them by herself.
She shakes her head. "My mom will be staying for them and then she has to go to work afterwards. And of course, your mom was there." she smiles.
I glance at the door and turn back to Clary. "I brought someone I'd like you to meet. I think you'll like her."
She furrows her eyebrows a little and a look flashes in her eyes but is quickly replaced with curiosity. She sits up and pats her fiery red hair down and smooth's her shirt down.
"Don't worry, you look beautiful." I spit out without thinking. I feel the heat in my face and quickly call out for Isabelle. I notice Clary's face is slightly flushed as well.
Isabelle comes in and smiles warmly at Clary.
"Clary, this is my sister, Isabelle. Iz, this is Clary." I introduce. I look at Clary and she looks relieved for some reason.
"Hi, Clary. It's so nice to meet you. Jace told me all about you." Isabelle says and shakes Clary's hand.
"It's nice to meet you too. I can definitely see a resemblance to your mother." Clary says with a shy smile, glancing at me and then back to Isabelle.
I sit on the bed across from Clary and Isabelle sits beside me on the other side of the bed. We talk for a long time getting to know each other. I find myself becoming more and more attached to this incredible red head in front of me.
"Why don't we go sit outside and get some fresh air? Clary are you up for that?" I ask. She nods her head and I reach over and offer her my hand. She takes it and I'm almost overcome with the heat radiating from her. I reluctantly let go and the three of us walk out to the garden.
"Isabelle, can you go see mom and tell her I'm here and I'll be in there in a few minutes to check in with her?" I ask turning away from Clary to look at my sister.
She gives me a smug look and agrees. She walks toward my mom's office and I turn back to Clary and smile. We continue on to the garden. We sit on a bench that overlooks the park that sits behind the institute. Isabelle joins us a few minutes later.
"I'll be back in a little while. I need to go see my mom." I say to Clary. She smiles and nods and turns back to Isabelle, who is getting out different color nail polish for Clary to choose from. I walk out of the garden but just before I turn the corner, I look back and smile watching my sister and Clary laugh at something. I continue on to mom's office. I knock lightly on the door and hear her tell me to come in.
"Hey, mom. I'm here. What would you like me to do today?" I ask as I come in.
"Jace, just a minute, please. I don't know how to say this without it coming out harsh. I'm worried you're getting too attached to Clary. I don't want you to go through the pain of losing someone you care about again. I just. . . .I don't know how long she has." mom says sadly.
I close my eyes for a second and then open them to stare directly in my mother's eyes. "I appreciate your concern for me, but I'm not going to let Clary go through this alone. I know she has her mother but that's not enough. Did you know she's never had any friends to hang out with because she's been home schooled for the last several years? I want her to experience being a teenager while she can. That's why I brought Izzy with me today. Right now, Clary is getting her nails painted and laughing with a girl her age and she's so happy, mom. I'm going to do whatever I can to make her as happy as possible. I know you're worried about me getting hurt, but I want to do this for her. I don't know what it is about her, but she makes me want to be a better person and just knowing her for whatever time I have with her, makes me incredibly lucky."
"Wow, Jace. I don't know what to say. I'll do everything I can to find a donor. Go on out there with Clary." she says standing up and walking over to me. She hugs me and I turn toward the door. "And Jace?" I turn back around to look at my mom. "I love you."
"I love you, too, mom." I smile at her and hurry back to Clary and Isabelle.
~o.O.o~
Clary:
As Jace leaves me with Isabelle, I notice her getting several different bottles of nail polish out of her bag. I raise my eyebrows at her and she smiles.
"Pick a color. I'm giving you a mani/pedi." she says happily. I look through the bottles and pick a golden color with shimmery glitter in it. The color reminds me of Jace for some reason. My cheeks heat up thinking about him.
"I like this one." I say handing her the bottle.
"Good choice." She takes the bottle from me and begins filing and buffing my nails, talking about this and that. A shriek sounds from the park and we both look over there. A group of kids about out age are playing around and laughing. I stare at them for a minute wishing that was me.
"Does that make you sad?" Isabelle asks softly, bringing me out of my thoughts.
"What?"
"Does it make you sad seeing them and being here without your friends?" she asks bluntly.
"Oh. Not really sad. I don't have any friends so I don't have anything to miss, you know? I would lying if I said sometimes I don't think about what my life might be like if I could go to school and do normal teenage things, like playing around in the park." I say pointing over to the park. "But it doesn't make me sad, just makes me wonder."
Isabelle studies me for a minute. "You know what? I'm going to introduce you to my friends. I think you'll like them. How about Friday after school? I'll bring my boyfriend Simon. He's such a nerd, but he's my nerd. Magnus is my best friend and he is dating my brother Alec. They're both seniors. I'll bring both of them, too. And Maia and her boyfriend Jordan. These are the people I hang out with all the time. And Jace, of course. We're all juniors."
"You don't have to do that, Isabelle." I say, hating people feeling sorry for me.
"I want to. Magnus is going to love you, with your red hair full of curls! I would love to come over one day and style you up. I would love to be a stylist one day. I love making people beautiful and seeing their face when they see themselves after I get through with them!" Isabelle goes on and on. I just sit back and listen and smile. Not long after Isabelle starts on my toes, Jace returns.
"That was fast. Does mom know you're choosing to hang out with us instead of fulfilling your community service duties? Isabelle asks Jace as he comes and sits down beside me.
I look over at him and see him roll his eyes. "Yes, she knows. So, how's everything out here?" he asks me smiling brightly.
"Great." I say holding my hands up so Jace can see my freshly painted nails. "Isabelle's been telling me about her friends. They sound really nice."
"Yep. I'm bringing them over on Friday. We can order a pizza and hang out in the gazebo and play games." Isabelle enthusiastically says. I can't help but laugh at her enthusiasm. I glance at Jace and see him looking at me with a smile on his face. I smile back at him and look back down at my toes.
"There you go! All done. Unfortunately, I have some homework to do, so I need to get going. Clary it was so nice to meet you." she says gathering her things and giving me a hug. "I'll stop by tomorrow to see you for a little while on the way home."
"Thanks for everything, Isabelle. I had a lot of fun. See you tomorrow." I wave and then she's gone. I look over at Jace.
"Your sister is a big ball of energy. Thanks for introducing us." I smile shyly at him.
"I knew you two would get along great. I'm glad you had fun with her. What would you like to do now?"
"I don't know. . . . Can I ask you something?" I ask furrowing my eyebrows. He nods his head. "You know when Isabelle said something about you fulfilling your community service duties?" Jace nods again. "What did she mean?"
"I'm not proud of my behavior, but I got into a fight and was arrested. It was my second offense, and my dad convinced the judge to give me community service. I chose to do it here. I was given three weeks to get all my hours' in." he explains.
"Oh, Jace, you shouldn't be spending all of your time with me. I don't want you to get in trouble." I say worriedly.
He smiles and takes my hand. I can't help noticing the way his hand feels in mine. "It's okay, Clary. I'm not going to get in trouble, I promise. I like spending time with you. I'm actually glad I got community service. If I didn't, I wouldn't have met you." he says. His eyes bore into mine and I feel my face heat up.
"I'm glad I met you, too. You're the first real friend I've had in a long time." I say shyly. "I think I just want to stay out here for a while. I love it out here. It's so pretty and peaceful."
We spend the rest of the evening outside in the garden and enjoy eating dinner together and just like the night before, Jace walks me to my door.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Clary. Goodnight." And then he leans down and kisses my cheek and walks down the hall. I let out the breath I was holding and watch him disappear. Shaking my head, I go inside and look at myself in the mirror. My face is heated and my eyes are bright. I touch my cheek with my fingertips. I cannot let myself feel anything other than friendship for Jace. And for the first time since I got really sick, I feel anger because I can't experience a crush or entertain the thought of having a boyfriend. I sigh and change clothes and climb into bed. A few tears slip out of my eyes as I fall into darkness.
~o.O.o~
Jace:
I've spent every day this week with Clary from the time I get home from school until she goes to bed. I notice a slight change in her but I can't figure out what it is. Each night I kiss her on the cheek, but wanting so much more. I'm falling hard for her and as much I've tried not to, I can't help it. She's so amazing. I get to the institute before Isabelle and our friends so I can see Clary before everyone gets here. I find her coming out of her room with her sketchpad and pencils.
"Oh! Jace! I wasn't expecting you so soon. I thought Isabelle said after 5." she says with her eyebrows scrunched together. She looks so cute when she does that.
"She did, but I wanted to steal you before everyone got here." I say with a grin. She grins back and we walk to the garden, her favorite place.
"I was going to sit out here and draw until everyone got here. I think I'll draw you if you don't mind." she says shyly looking down and then back up at me.
"Sure. You can draw me anytime you want." I say grabbing her hand because I can't help touching her when I can. We get to a bench and she tells me to sit down while she sits on the ground in front of me. She stares at me for a minute and then begins drawing, looking at me every now and then.
I take this opportunity to really study her. I notice the gold embedded in her fiery red hair, the coppery lashes against her creamy skin, how she bites her full, soft lips while she concentrates on her drawing. She is breathtakingly beautiful and she doesn't even know it. She looks up at me and smiles.
"All done! You wanna see?" she asks as she gets up to sit beside me. I look down at the drawing and suck in a sharp breath. It is absolutely incredible.
"My God, Clary. It's amazing." I look at her. She's admiring her picture and smiling. "Do you think you could draw yourself sitting beside me?"
"You want me in the picture with you?" she asks looking up at me with wide eyes.
"Yeah. I would like you to be right here." I say pointing to the picture. "And I want to keep it."
She stares at me for a second and then starts drawing herself in the picture. When she's done she shows it to me again and I smile at it.
"There, now it's perfect." I say smiling at her. She smiles back and we get lost in each other's eyes. I want to lean in and kiss her so bad and I think I might just do that when I hear my sister.
"There you two are!"
Clary blinks several times and turns toward Isabelle and stands up. I shake my head and stand up beside her.
"Clary! This is my brother, Alec and his boyfriend Magnus." Izzy introduces.
"It's so nice to meet you Clary darling!" Magnus says taking Clary's hand and kissing it. She giggles a little and I smile.
"And this is my friend Maia and her boyfriend, Jordan." Izzy continues with the introductions.
"Hi, Clary." Maia says and shakes her hand, as does Jordan.
"And this is my boyfriend, Simon."
Hello, Clary. Izzy's told us all about you. It's nice to meet you." Simon says shaking Clary's hand as well.
"It's nice to meet you all, too. Isabelle has told me about you all, too." Clary says shyly. I step up beside her and she looks up at me. I smile and she seems to relax a little. Isabelle takes charge and we follow her to gazebo. Isabelle and Magnus take Clary and begin talking to her about the upcoming prom at school and shopping. I sit down and watch her interact with everyone. After a while, Alec comes and sits down beside me.
"Hey little brother. How's it going?" he asks.
"Fine." I say not taking my eyes off of Clary. I notice Alec staring at me and I turn to look at him. "What?"
He shakes his head with a small smile. "You've got it bad for her, don't you?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." I say trying to sound convincing.
"Don't lie to me, Jace. I know you better than you think I do."
I look at Clary and sigh. "Yeah, I do. And I know I shouldn't, but she's just. . . .I don't know, she makes me a better person. My head is telling me not to feel this way because she's sick and may not be here for long, but my heart is telling me not to care because she deserves someone to love her while she's here. I just don't know which one to listen to."
"Wow. I just thought you liked her. I didn't know you loved her already." Alec says and I realize I did admit that I loved her.
"I didn't really know I did until just now."
We sit in silence for a while. Clary laughs at something Magnus and says and locks eyes with me. She smiles and I make a decision. I will love her with everything I have. I won't fight it anymore. I don't care if I get hurt. She's worth it.
After everyone leaves, I walk Clary back to her room. She opens her door and looks at me.
"Would you like to come in for a minute?" she asks and walks in. I follow her inside and sit beside her on the bed.
"I can definitely see a resemblance in Alec and Isabelle to your mom. You must look like your dad." she says as she scoots up against the headboard.
"No. I was adopted." I look down at her and decide to tell her my story. "My parents were killed in a car wreck when I was six. The Lightwoods became my foster parents because Maryse was friends with my social worker and since she had children close to my age, she thought I would feel more at home with them. A year after I came to live with them, they adopted me."
Clary takes all that in for a second. "That story is both sad and happy. Sad because of what happened to your parents, but happy that you were given a good family that loves you and takes care of you." she says and gives my hand a squeeze.
"What about you? What's your story?" I ask.
"Well, my mom was dating this guy in college and when she got pregnant with me, he split, saying he never wanted children. So my mom raised me by herself. My sperm donor contacted her when I was about five or six and told her he was wrong to do that to her and that he was married and had a son. After having his son, he realized his mistakes and wanted to have a relationship with me. My mom told him to fuck off and never contact us again, so he didn't." she says casually. "My mom means everything to me. It was so hard for her to raise me alone especially with my kidneys like they were. I was born premature and my kidneys weren't fully developed. One was much smaller than the other one. That's the one that has completely failed. My mom was told by multiple doctors that I would never make it to adulthood. It looks like they may be right. I turn seventeen next Saturday. I don't think I'll make it another year."
I swallow the lump in my throat after hearing her talk about not making it and focus on the fact that her birthday is coming up. "Next Saturday is your birthday, huh? Well I may just have to plan something special for the occasion." I tell her and she smiles up at me.
"Oh really? What do you have in mind?" she asks with her eyes gleaming with happiness right now.
"You'll just have to wait and find out." I reply. She smiles brightly and then yawns. "I should let you get some sleep." I move to get up but she grabs my hand.
"Would you read to me until I fall asleep?"
"Of course. What do you want me to read?" I sit back down on the bed.
She grabs a book on the window seat. "I'm going to change clothes. I'll be right back." she says handing me the book and walking into her bathroom. I look down at the book in my hands. A Tale of Two Cities. I smile at this. She likes the classics, just like me. A few seconds later, she comes out and she looks so cute in her pajamas. She climbs in the bed beside me and I cover her up with the blankets.
"This is one of my favorites." I say gesturing to the book. She looks shocked at first and then smiles brightly.
"Really? I've read it so many times, I think I could recite it." she says as she snuggles in the covers.
"Me, too. You get comfortable and I'll turn off the light and leave the lamp on, okay?" I ask as I get up to turn off the light. I sit back beside her and rest against the headboard. I begin reading and out of the corner of my eye, I see Clary studying me. I smile and keep reading. It's not long into the book that I hear Clary's breathing even out. I look down at her and see she's sleeping peacefully. Her red curls splayed out over the pillow. I place the book on the bedside table, take a piece of paper from her sketchpad and scribble her a note.
Clary,
I hope you had a good night's sleep. You looked so peaceful when I left. I'll be back to spend the day with you.
See you soon,
Jace
I place the note on top of the book and look down at her lying there. I lean over and kiss her on the cheek but I get closer to the corner of her mouth. A shiver makes its way down my spine and I turn off the lamp and leave her room. Just being that close to her lips makes me crazy. Oh, hell!
Oh hell indeed! Thanks for reading and if you love Four and Tris, you should check out my girl m1129. Her story A New Life in Portland is AWESOME! :)
Review and until next time. . . .
