Authors Note – Howdy folks. Who loves holidays? I DO! This chapter took longer than I thought it would to write. I got stuck in the middle of it. Then when I came back to it this afternoon I finished it in like half an hour. Writers block can be weird sometimes. Anyway this chapter is mainly told from Teddy and Lee's perspective so I hope it turns out alright. Thanks for all the awesome reviews.
And when she wakes…
Lee slept all through the night, and Chris and Gordie stayed with her. Sometimes she would startle them by crying out in her sleep. She even woke up the one time thrashing about. It had taken Chris a hand on each shoulder to restrain her until she finally calmed down and went back to sleep.
It was now 9 o'clock in the morning and Lee had been sleeping for 15 hours straight.
Gordie had decided to call Teddy and Vern. Teddy had arrived 12 minutes later out of breath but looking like he had just woken up.
'I wanna see her' Teddy declared eyeing Gordie down like he had done him some personal wrong.
'She's asleep' Chris pointed out.
'I didn't say I wanted to square-dance with her Chambers. I just wanna see her' Teddy retorted irritably.
'Alright, alright. Calm the hell down. But don't wake her up!' Gordie said leading the way up to Lee's room.
Once the two boys were standing outside her bedroom door Gordie looked back at Teddy. He could sense that he wanted to be alone.
'Uh, I'll just, go downstairs. Remember don't wake her up and uhh, try not to be too err… shocked, by her… appearance.' He turned and walked back towards the stairs.
Teddy waited till Gordie had disappeared before turning towards the door again.
Although he would never admit it, he was almost scared to go in. He really had no idea what to expect. Gordie had been very vague about things when he had called him. Almost as if he was hesitant to talk about it. He had just said that when they had found her she had been "in real bad condition". Teddy didn't know what the fuck that was supposed to mean. It made her sound like she was a wrecked car.
Ok Duchamp. Suck it up. Stop being a pussy.
He silently eased the door open and entered. Walking over to beside the bed he cast his gaze over the sleeping figure.
'Holy Mary fucking Jesus' he whispered to himself.
Lee… what have you done to yourself.
He could not believe that the small form lying on the bed was his Lee. This person was too pale, too defeated, too… lifeless. Of course, she had always had these traits.
We were just too fucking stupid to notice. Teddy thought.
As he looked closer he noticed the "bad condition" the girls face was in. He felt rage rise inside of him like hot liquid. Rage for the man who had done this to such an innocent girl.
He stood there watching her for a long time, listening to her breathing. He had no idea that someone could look so sad and ill-at-ease when they were sleeping.
For some reason he wanted to touch her. Her face? Her hair? Her hand? Anything. Anything to just have some connection. He wanted to know she was alright. It would be the first un-horny contact he'd have with a girl in a long time.
'Sleeping beauty…' he chuckled to himself.
After a time he finally turned on his heel and walked quietly towards the door. When he opened it he was surprised to find Gordie and Chris jumping backwards looking guilty.
Listening at the door? How second grade.
'What did you expect to hear? Me talking to myself?' he questioned closing the door behind him.
The boys just shrugged and focused their gazes elsewhere.
For some reason Teddy found himself feeling really annoyed with the boys infront of him.
Finally he spoke.
'I should have been called earlier' he hissed.
'Teddy, it was late at night. She was only…'
'I should have been called earlier!' Teddy growled looking up, his blazing eyes scorching into the boys looking back at him.
'She was only sleeping!' Gordie continued trying hard to control his voice.
'She belongs to me too you know!' Teddy almost screamed.
Before he knew what was happening Teddy found himself slammed up against the wall with Chris looking menacingly into his face.
'Shut your goddamn mouth' he said in deadly whisper, 'Now I don't know what the hell your talking bout but you better control yourself or…'
'Or what?' Teddy said pushing him off him. 'What you gonna do Chambers? Huh? Gonna sock me one?' Chris stayed silent through all this taunting and just stared back at Teddy who let out a most un-Teddy-like laugh.
'Heh heh heh, you know exactly what I'm talking bout man' and with that he backed off. He leaned against the wall again his face facing the ground.
Eventually Gordie stepped up. 'Hey you guys, lets just go downstairs. We're not doing Lee any good by fighting right outside her room' he walked off towards the stairs.
Chris gave Teddy one more glance before following.
Teddy straightened himself. He took off his glasses which had been knocked askew when Chris had pushed him against the wall. Slowly he polished them on his shirt and put them back on. He was just about to follow the other guys downstairs when he heard something.
At first he wasn't sure if he had just imagined it until he heard another sound. This time it was unmistakable, he was sure he heard a soft sigh come from the other side of that door.
Curiosity overwhelmed him and he couldn't resist the temptation. Carefully, he opened the door and entered.
Lee was still lying on the bed however she was now facing away from the doorway. Teddy had been right, he had been sure he had heard the bed creaking as if someone was moving around on it.
The door closed loudly of its own accord behind him making a loud thud. He turned around and stared at it in horror.
Crap!
'Teddy?'
He whipped his head around and saw Lee attempting to slowly sit up in her bed. Not being very successful she settled for leaning up on her elbows. Teddy stood frozen.
Lee was looking straight at him. It was almost as if her eyes were trying to tell him something.
'Say something…' she said finally.
Teddy continued to stand awkwardly on the far side of the room resembling something like a stunned mullet. This feeling was alien to him, he had never felt threatened or nervous around a girl before, not ever. Yet something about this scene felt strangely familiar.
Oh fuck that's right. This is exactly like the time I woke up and found Lee in my room.
'Did, did I wake you up?' he tried to say casually as he walked towards the bed.
'No…' she replied. 'Your fight with Chris did.'
Shit knew I should have kept my voice down.
'Oh' was all he said as he knelt beside her bed.
'I really wish you boys wouldn't fight about me…… besides… I wasn't aware that I belonged to anyone Teddy Duchamp.' Her voice was weak but her words were hard.
Teddy slumped backwards.
Double shit. Now that I think about it, that does make me sound like a controlling prick. Why did I say it in the first place? I'm not even sure what I meant by it.
Finally he sat back up so that he was eye level with her. He gave her one of those mischievous smiles that she had become so accustomed too.
'Sure you do. Otherwise how come I feel I have to do anything to protect you? Stop anything from happening to you. You think I do that for just any douche walking down the street?'
At that moment something seemed to light up in Lee's eyes and her bruised lips curled into a smile.
And now let the love-declaring begin. Teddy thought smugly to himself.
'Aww Teddy. I…'
He inclined his head a little, 'What?'
Lee seemed to be trying to put her thoughts into words.
'I, I really…'
'Yeah…?'
Easy Duchamp.
'I… really… need… to pee.'
Needless to say, Teddy was taken aback.
'What!'
Lee's face broke out into an innocent smile. 'I'm sorry but I really need to pee. Like, really, really.'
And with that she scooted out of the bed and left Teddy sitting on the ground staring after her.
Teddy gave a strange laugh. (well, stranger than usual) What had he been thinking? He gave her a compliment and she would just fall into his arms.
Oh well. That's just Lee.
Feeling strangely high-spirited Teddy went down stairs. He found Gordie and Chris sitting at the kitchen table having a conversation in low voices. They looked up when he entered, a goofy smile in place on his face.
'What you looking so smug bout Duchamp' said Chris, his tone not too friendly.
Teddy leaned against the fridge pretending to examine his nails indifferently. 'Oh I just had a little, shall we say, heart to heart with Lee.'
The comment got the desired effect, both boys stood up suddenly.
'What was that?'
'She's awake?'
'What did you do!'
'Where is she?' the questions kept tumbling out of the boys' mouths.
Teddy grinned. He was enjoying this.
'Where is she!' Chris demanded again.
'Alright. Alright. Simmer down now ladies. She's just gone down the road to get me some smokes.'
'WHAT!'
'Eeeheeheehee. I'm only joking numbnuts! She's in the bathroom. Geez talk about no sense of humour.'
'YOU IDIOT! WHAT DID YOU LET HER IN THERE FOR?' Gordie yelled in a panicked voice before taking off past Teddy towards the stairs.
'What's your problem Lachance? I didn't do nothing!'
'That's where she tried to hang herself you cock-knocker!' Chris said as he pushed past Teddy to follow Gordie.
Teddy looked around in bewilderment.
Lee tried to hang herself?
He ran to catch up with the others.
'What the fuck? How the fuck was I supposed to know she fuckin' tried to hang herself? Why the fuck didn't you tell me?'
He arrived at the top of the stairs to see both Gordie and Chris banging their fists against the locked door, pleading for Lee to open it.
Teddy didn't know what to do. This new information had given him an enormous shock and he didn't really have the mental capacity to deal with it at the moment.
Suddenly the door opened and Chris and Gordie stopped yelling abruptly, they're hands falling to their sides. There stood Lee, drying her hands on her shirt. Looking the most untroubled they had seen her in weeks.
'Geez can't a girl even go to the bathroom around here without starting a war?'
The three boys just stood there infront of her looks of bafflement written all over their faces. Even Teddy seemed stunned into silence.
Leaning against the doorframe, she decided to wait there in the doorway until one of them decided to do something. She watched how Teddy finally craned his head so he could look around her. Saw how his breath sucked in as his eyes roamed over the scene behind her.
She looked around herself. The rope was still hanging there. She supposed it did look a bit conspicuous.
'Is that what's bothering you' she said pointing behind her. She was getting a bit sick of this silence.
The boys started nodding slowly. Gordie stepped forward.
'We thought you were gonna… uhh'
'String myself up while I had a spare minute?' she finished for him. She gave a shy smile, 'C'mon Gordie… have a lil faith in your own treatment. I'm feeling much better, but I'm pretty sure you slipped a laxative or something in that soup' she joked. She couldn't bare all this tension in the air.
A ghost of a smile appeared on Gordie and Teddy's faces, but Chris still looked worried.
'Yeah but Lee…'
'I'm fine Chris, really. I feel better, much better. I'm just hungry… and not liking the way you're all staring at me.'
Chris still did not looked convinced. Lee gave an impatient sigh.
'Fine. You don't believe me? Right, who's gotta knife?'
'Right here!' Teddy jumped forward digging deep in his pocket. Chris and Gordie just stood in stunned silence, not sure of where this was heading.
Teddy pulled out the army knife and handed it to Lee who pulled the blade out with ease, backing into the bathroom.
'I should have done this a long time ago.'
In the blink of an eye she was up on a stool. Her knife poised over the rope.
The boys, now understanding what was going on moved forward, the anticipation was killing them.
They all looked up at Lee who had gotten a familiar glazed look in her eyes. Why was she hesitating?
'C'mon Lee…'
'Just do it…'
'Do it Lee…'
'Just let it go…'
The boys' voices muddled together in Lee's mind. This was becoming harder than she thought it would be. She hadn't realised this stupid piece of string had had so much hold on her. It was apart of her, and would be until the end of her days.
No! she said to herself. I don't want it. This "thing" represents everything I want to forget. And with that she brought the knife down onto the rope. It didn't cut through it the first time. So she brought it down again, and again, hacking away at the rope until it finally slithered of the bar. But for some reason she could not stop. She continued to cut at it, rip it, tear it, do any damage she could possibly do to it.
The boys looked on horrified as the girl stood above them, angry tears running down her face, she continued to decapitate the rope.
'Stop it Lee' Gordie warned, but she ignored him.
'Stop it Lee that's enough!' Chris said trying to grab her arm, but she pulled it out of his grip and continued her assault on the rope.
Chris tried again grabbing her arm, Teddy running forward and grabbing the other one. Losing her balance as she attempted to struggle against them Lee fell from the stool hitting a startled Gordie smack-bang in the chest and bringing two other boys down on top of them.
When Lee finally got her senses about her again, she found herself lying in a heap of limbs on the floor. Beside her Chris was moaning and rubbing his head. Lying across her legs Teddy was trying to reach his glasses which had skidded off across the tiled floor. And Gordie… was yet to be heard from since Lee was currently lying right on top of him.
She looked to her hand which was still clutching what was left of the rope. She felt as if a huge burden had been lifted from her. The rope… was finally gone, was dead. She threw the piece of junk aside and laughed to herself as she rolled off poor Gordie.
'I don't see what you think is so funny' Gordie grumbled as he sat up slowly.
Lee continued to laugh as the others eyed her strangely. She looked around at them brightly.
'Its gone! It's done!'
Smiles broke out on the three boys faces and they all just sat there looking at this somehow "new Lee".
Suddenly they heard a noise from downstairs.
A banging at the door and then someone calling out, 'Helloooo. Is anybody there? C'mon guys let me in! I couldn't help it that I was late! My Ma made me clean my room, sincerely! C'mon lemme in!'
The four of them started sniggering. After awhile Lee finally stood.
'Right' she said clapping her hands together in a schoolteacher fashion, 'I think I'm gonna go put some jeans on. Would someone for the love god go let Vern in!'
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A.N. Hmmm getting kinda near the end of this story now. I just wanna quickly make mention that I made a reference to a Lord of the Rings – ROTK line in this chapter somewhere. Prize goes to anyone who can pick it. Anyway take care, please review, if you have time. fairykisses laura.