No Time to Waste
by TheRealXenocide
`
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, settings, or anything else you recognize from the show Lizzie McGuire. The plot, at it's base, has been around since Homer, and this variant since Henry Ford. However, this is the first I've seen it applied to Lizzie.
`
A/N: After rereading my reviews, I realize that you know almost nothing about me. That hasn't stopped some fairly accurate guessing. So, I think I'll give some details. They can be found in my newly changed bio.
A/N: For all of you waiting for Gordo, read the note at the end of the chapter.
`
Chapter 15
House Call
`
Matt awoke confused. 'This isn't my bed' he thought. 'Oh, man, my neck! Where . . .' That was when he remembered. He looked down his body, and saw the sight that thrilled and terrified him. She was there. Laying with him. In his arms. On her parent's couch. 'Oh, shit,' he thought, 'if they catch us . . .' A movement on the other side of the room caught his peripheral vision. He looked up slowly, afraid of what might be there. His fears, and more, were there. 'I doubt it's ever a good thing to wake up to an audience.' He slowly unclasped his hands. Being VERY careful not to touch her chest, he moved the hand not trapped by her body to her shoulder. He shook her softly. "Miranda. Miranda, wake up." Part of him wanted to add some terms of endearment, but he knew that would only make this worse. He shook her with more vigor. "Please, Miranda, you need to wake up."
She started to stir. "But I like it here" she complained.
Matt would have welcomed those words at almost any other time, but not now. "Before you bury us any farther, you might want to have a look at our audience."
"What are you talking about, dar . . ." She had lifted her head as she spoke, and when she saw what he saw, she stopped mid-word. Matt was glad of that, as he knew she was about to call him darling. Now wearing a deer-in-headlights look, Miranda said the only thing she could manage. "We're so dead."
~~~~~~~~
Earlier that morning:
It was a little after 8:00 a.m. when the three parents gathered in the Sanchez kitchen. Sam, who, after speaking with his wife, had accepted the invitation to stay, was the last one there. After draining the first cup of coffee he was given, he finally spoke. "Thank you. I needed that. Have either of you looked in on them?"
Mrs. Sanchez answered him. "Yes. They haven't moved. Not that Matt could move much, with his arm pinned like that. I don't envy him the pain in his arm or neck when he wakes."
"How do we deal with this?" Mr. Sanchez asked. "I like the boy, but I can't have them . . . like that. Yet I hate the thought of her having nightmares that we can't help with. Sam, that son of yours has been a marvel this past week, but he scares me at times. You should have heard him last night."
Sam smiled a little at that. "He scares himself at times." Then a thought came to him. "I normally wouldn't do this, and I'm sure he won't like it, but we each need all the information we can get if we want to handle this right. When we got home, Matt shared his fears with me. I think that all three of us know things the others don't. I think we need to put our information together. Much as I dislike the idea of breaking confidence, I don't see any other way."
"I don't like it either," Mrs. Sanchez replied, "but I think you're right. If it's alright with you two, I'll begin." Both men nodded, and she began. It was 8:40 by the time they were finished, Sam going last. His story left both Sanchezs amazed. "Oh, that poor boy! I had no idea." Mrs. Sanchez couldn't help being worried for him. "Sam, are you sure he'll be okay?"
Sam shook his head. "I'm not sure of much anymore. I am glad he's willing to see Mr. Gordon . . ." His eyes suddenly lit up with an idea. "You know, Mr. Gordon may be able to help Miranda."
Mr. Sanchez agreed. "He might. I'll try almost anything right now."
"I wonder when he wakes up on Saturdays?"
~~~~~~~~~
In the kitchen of the Gordon family, Mr. Gordon was drinking his coffee. His wife was still sleeping, something she was having a hard time doing lately. Come to it, he wasn't doing great with sleep either. "How does the line go? 'Doctor, heal thyself.' If it were only so easy. He's the last one still out. And now there seems to be something wrong with his heart. I wonder how Lizzie is handling this? She was too calm yesterday, at least in front of us. I hope someone's there when she lets go."
His running monolog was interrupted by the telephone. Afraid it was the hospital, he ran to the phone. "Hello? Sam? Why are you calling this early, and why does my caller ID say you're at the Sanchez home?" A pause. He looked amazed. "You have my attention. No, don't tell me over the phone. Is Jo there? Alright, call her, tell her she NEEDS to come to you, and tell her I'll pick her up. I'm on my way as soon as I tell my wife. Bye."
~~~~~~~~
"We're so dead."
The sight that greeted them was one no teenage couple would happily wake to. Standing behind the chair nearest the living room doorway, as if to block escape, were all four parents. In the chair was Gordo's father. He was smiling. "I wouldn't go that far, especially since both of you still have clothes on." They blushed at that. "However, I think that all of you have a lot to discuss. Your parents have asked for my professional help. I'm willing, but I need your approval. I don't like having unwilling patients."
"Of course." Matt answered once the shock wore off.
"What? Matt, really, I know I was bad last night, but . . ."
"BAD? Love, you scared me. When I first saw you, I felt worse then I think I ever have, except maybe a week before." His eyes shared more of his fear and worry than he was willing to speak. "Please, let him help you."
His eyes, more than his words, convinced her. "Alright, I will, for you."
"This might work better if you weren't laying on each other" came her father's half angry/half amused voice. Miranda only heard the anger, and she quickly sat up and moved next to the arm of the couch Matt hadn't slept on.
Matt, however, was moving far slower. "Bloody hell! My arm feels like it's on fire!"
"I'll bet your neck doesn't feel too good either," his mother said as she walked to him. "But that doesn't give you the right to curse." She moved behind him, and started to rub the back of his neck. "When did you start using British curses anyway?"
"Those Harry Potter books. Ron has a foul mouth. OUCH! Mom, that HURTS!"
"It should, sleeping with your neck like that." She saw the look Miranda was giving her. "Calm down, I'm not punishing him. The only way I know to make a neck so misused feel better without days of ache is to rub it out." She then smiled at the girl. "You might want to watch. If you two do end up together, I expect this won't be his last night on a couch."
"Hey! OUCH! Mom!"
Jo's remark got knowing smiles from the other married people in the room. The Sanchezs had moved to the love seat, and Sam was standing behind the other chair, leaving it empty for his wife. Dr. Gordon was still in the same chair as before. When Jo finished with her son, she took her seat. Dr. Gordon began. "Now, I wanted this first session to be for everyone involved. That means your parents will stay. Is that a problem?"
"I'll admit, I'd rather not. But I can see why they need to be here, so it's okay with me." Matt was clearly tense, and not just his neck.
"I agree with him" was all Miranda would say.
"Good. Now, I know this will mean talking about a lot of things that have been shared in confidence, but if everyone approves, I'd like for all of you to tell as much as you know about what's going on. I want you to tell me, and yes everyone, your fears, your ideas, as much as you can. If you doing this, you will all hear things you're not ready for. But I believe it is necessary if we're to move forward."
The parents quickly agreed. Miranda started to agree, but stopped when she saw Matt's face. She took his hand. "Matt, darling," that made her father wince, "I know you're not comfortable with this. But I think he's right. You asked me to let him help. Now I ask you the same. Please, open to him, to me."
Matt was clearly afraid. "You don't know what your asking. I want to. I hate hiding things from you. But I don't want to scare you. I don't want to lose you."
"Never fear that. Please?"
He couldn't hold out against her for long. "Alright. I will. But not what we said when we were alone last night." He turned to Dr. Gordon. "I'm not asking my parents to tell me what they say when they're alone, and frankly I don't want to know. All I want is for some private words to stay that. Private." He saw the look Mr. Sanchez was giving him. "Sir, nothing happened. We were in the open, in your living room. We have more sense than that." Mr. Sanchez seemed to accept the logic of that. With a nod from him, the meeting began.
As each told their story, everyone listened with interest. However, it was the last speaker, Matt, who had their undivided attention. He refused to look at anyone but Dr. Gordon as he spoke. He didn't want to think about what they might think of him right now. He knew he had started to cry again when he spoke of his fears about what he had become, but refused to stop until his story was finished. Nobody dared interrupt him. When he finished, he finally dared to look around. Their mothers looked like they wanted to hug him. Her father looked thunderstruck. His father, who had heard most of this before, looked proud. He finally looked at Miranda. He dreaded her reaction.
She had been crying. Yet, he saw something he had feared he'd never see again. He saw love in her eyes. "Matt?" Her voice was shaky. "Marriage? You would ask that already?" He nodded. "Someday, but not now. It's way too early to think about that yet. Okay?"
Now Matt was as thunderstruck as her father. "You . . . you mean I didn't scare you off with that? I was so afraid, I still am." He turned back to Dr. Gordon. "Sir, my question remains. What have I become?"
Everyone turned to Dr. Gordon. "Well, Matt, while I wouldn't have said it the way your father did, he is basically right. You have, in some ways, grown far beyond your years. I understand why this scares you. I agree, what you've been feeling and thinking are not what would be considered normal for a boy of thirteen. But it's not impossible, and it doesn't mean you're crazy. Believe me, Matt, you can lead a nice, healthy, normal life. You just need to accept yourself as you are now. You are someone who has faced challenges somebody your age shouldn't, but instead of being consumed by them, you've come though stronger. That is, if you allow yourself to."
Matt looked puzzled by that last comment. "Allow myself? I don't understand."
"Matt, much of the stress you've been under has been self induced. It's normal, I repeat NORMAL, for teenagers to try to solve things for themselves, to keep your own council. But some things are just too big for anybody to handle alone. You need to learn to talk to people, to ask for help more often. Adults do it more often than you kids realize."
Miranda tried to get back to the positive. "But you think he'll be okay?"
"Yes." She smiled in relief. "I do want to see you more over the next couple of months, Matt. This transition won't be easy, and I'll admit you're off to a rough start. But you'll make it. I'm sure if that."
"Thank you, sir." Matt replied, before pressing on what, to him, was the more urgent problem. "Sir, I'm worried about Miranda's nightmares. Is there anything you can do for her?"
"I've never seen her like she was last night," her mother added, "any help would be welcome."
Dr. Gordon thought about how to frame his answer. "First, let me remind you all that she has told us that these nightmares began Monday night, well before Matt's comments about protecting her. However," he looked at Matt, "I do believe that you are correct, Matt, in thinking that your comments unintentionally sparked their shift in theme. Don't be too hard on yourself. Part of growing up is accepting responsibility, but it is also knowing not to take in too much blame. As for how to stop the dreams, that's up to you, Miranda."
"Up to me? If that were true, Matt could . . ." she stopped at the look on her father's face.
Dr. Gordon intercepted the eruption. "Aside from the obvious objections, cuddling with Matt only treats a symptom." Both kids blushed. "For true peace of mind, you need to deal with the root problems. Nightmares are manifestations of our guilt, our fears, and sometimes both at once. Your first nightmares were, as you recognized Miranda, caused by your feelings of guilt about the crash. While you have been working through that, you weren't when Matt became so important to you. When you overheard him the next morning, and your nightmare changed, it had three things to feed off of. First, of course, were your fears over him having to do as he said he would, to kill and die to protect you. Secondly, you still had your unresolved guilt over the crash. Guilt is a strange beast. If left to fester, it can worm itself into any weakness. In this case, it caused you to use your fear about Matt to add him to the list of people you believe you've damaged somehow. It made you twist your fear so that instead of telling yourself he would do these things to protect you, you told yourself it was your fault he would do these things. That, I believe, is what made your nightmare as bad as you said it was when Lizzie woke you. If left alone, they would have eventually gotten as bad as last night. However, as I said, I believe you had a third factor involved which caused it to grow stronger faster than it would have otherwise. A factor you haven't recognized yet. But maybe, if he thinks about it, Matt will see it."
Matt was puzzled. "Me? What makes you think I'd know?"
Dr. Gordon smiled. "What was our meeting Wednesday about? Why hadn't you been able to be with your sister for very long?"
Matt thought, then got it. "Bloody hell."
"Matt."
"Sorry, mom. But that's it. You think she's feeling guilty because I'm in the front of her mind instead of Lizzie, Gordo, and Ethan."
"Very good, Matt. You know what it did to you by itself." He turned back to Miranda. "I'm sure he's told you about that." She nodded. "Now, when that guilt is added to what you were already carrying, is it any wonder things got so bad so fast? I'd like to speak with you alone on this, but you need to start accepting three things. First, Matt isn't someone who looks for fights, and I doubt he's going to start. Second, everyone in this room would do as Matt said he would IF FORCED, but only then. Most of us will never need to prove that. Don't blame yourself for Matt feeling a natural protectiveness. Third, what I told Matt holds true for you. Your care for your friends isn't any less than it ever was. Yes, your thinking about Matt more, but that's because your feelings for him are so new, you still need to sort them out."
Matt remembered something. "I could tell how tense you got when you heard about Gordo yesterday. If anything should prove he's right, it's that."
"I'm inclined to agree. As I said, I what to speak with you alone, but I believe you'll recover, as well."
"When?"
"I'll need to make arrangements with your parents, but in your case, I would like to see you this afternoon, if possible."
"So soon? And on a Saturday?" Her father seemed surprised.
"Because it's Saturday, I've got the time. As for so soon, I thought you'd want to try to avoid another late-night phone call."
"Today's good!" Everyone got a chuckle at the speed of his reply.
~~~~~~~~
A/N: Next chapter, we see what was happening this same morning at the hospital. The chapter title: Phoenix Rising.
by TheRealXenocide
`
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, settings, or anything else you recognize from the show Lizzie McGuire. The plot, at it's base, has been around since Homer, and this variant since Henry Ford. However, this is the first I've seen it applied to Lizzie.
`
A/N: After rereading my reviews, I realize that you know almost nothing about me. That hasn't stopped some fairly accurate guessing. So, I think I'll give some details. They can be found in my newly changed bio.
A/N: For all of you waiting for Gordo, read the note at the end of the chapter.
`
Chapter 15
House Call
`
Matt awoke confused. 'This isn't my bed' he thought. 'Oh, man, my neck! Where . . .' That was when he remembered. He looked down his body, and saw the sight that thrilled and terrified him. She was there. Laying with him. In his arms. On her parent's couch. 'Oh, shit,' he thought, 'if they catch us . . .' A movement on the other side of the room caught his peripheral vision. He looked up slowly, afraid of what might be there. His fears, and more, were there. 'I doubt it's ever a good thing to wake up to an audience.' He slowly unclasped his hands. Being VERY careful not to touch her chest, he moved the hand not trapped by her body to her shoulder. He shook her softly. "Miranda. Miranda, wake up." Part of him wanted to add some terms of endearment, but he knew that would only make this worse. He shook her with more vigor. "Please, Miranda, you need to wake up."
She started to stir. "But I like it here" she complained.
Matt would have welcomed those words at almost any other time, but not now. "Before you bury us any farther, you might want to have a look at our audience."
"What are you talking about, dar . . ." She had lifted her head as she spoke, and when she saw what he saw, she stopped mid-word. Matt was glad of that, as he knew she was about to call him darling. Now wearing a deer-in-headlights look, Miranda said the only thing she could manage. "We're so dead."
~~~~~~~~
Earlier that morning:
It was a little after 8:00 a.m. when the three parents gathered in the Sanchez kitchen. Sam, who, after speaking with his wife, had accepted the invitation to stay, was the last one there. After draining the first cup of coffee he was given, he finally spoke. "Thank you. I needed that. Have either of you looked in on them?"
Mrs. Sanchez answered him. "Yes. They haven't moved. Not that Matt could move much, with his arm pinned like that. I don't envy him the pain in his arm or neck when he wakes."
"How do we deal with this?" Mr. Sanchez asked. "I like the boy, but I can't have them . . . like that. Yet I hate the thought of her having nightmares that we can't help with. Sam, that son of yours has been a marvel this past week, but he scares me at times. You should have heard him last night."
Sam smiled a little at that. "He scares himself at times." Then a thought came to him. "I normally wouldn't do this, and I'm sure he won't like it, but we each need all the information we can get if we want to handle this right. When we got home, Matt shared his fears with me. I think that all three of us know things the others don't. I think we need to put our information together. Much as I dislike the idea of breaking confidence, I don't see any other way."
"I don't like it either," Mrs. Sanchez replied, "but I think you're right. If it's alright with you two, I'll begin." Both men nodded, and she began. It was 8:40 by the time they were finished, Sam going last. His story left both Sanchezs amazed. "Oh, that poor boy! I had no idea." Mrs. Sanchez couldn't help being worried for him. "Sam, are you sure he'll be okay?"
Sam shook his head. "I'm not sure of much anymore. I am glad he's willing to see Mr. Gordon . . ." His eyes suddenly lit up with an idea. "You know, Mr. Gordon may be able to help Miranda."
Mr. Sanchez agreed. "He might. I'll try almost anything right now."
"I wonder when he wakes up on Saturdays?"
~~~~~~~~~
In the kitchen of the Gordon family, Mr. Gordon was drinking his coffee. His wife was still sleeping, something she was having a hard time doing lately. Come to it, he wasn't doing great with sleep either. "How does the line go? 'Doctor, heal thyself.' If it were only so easy. He's the last one still out. And now there seems to be something wrong with his heart. I wonder how Lizzie is handling this? She was too calm yesterday, at least in front of us. I hope someone's there when she lets go."
His running monolog was interrupted by the telephone. Afraid it was the hospital, he ran to the phone. "Hello? Sam? Why are you calling this early, and why does my caller ID say you're at the Sanchez home?" A pause. He looked amazed. "You have my attention. No, don't tell me over the phone. Is Jo there? Alright, call her, tell her she NEEDS to come to you, and tell her I'll pick her up. I'm on my way as soon as I tell my wife. Bye."
~~~~~~~~
"We're so dead."
The sight that greeted them was one no teenage couple would happily wake to. Standing behind the chair nearest the living room doorway, as if to block escape, were all four parents. In the chair was Gordo's father. He was smiling. "I wouldn't go that far, especially since both of you still have clothes on." They blushed at that. "However, I think that all of you have a lot to discuss. Your parents have asked for my professional help. I'm willing, but I need your approval. I don't like having unwilling patients."
"Of course." Matt answered once the shock wore off.
"What? Matt, really, I know I was bad last night, but . . ."
"BAD? Love, you scared me. When I first saw you, I felt worse then I think I ever have, except maybe a week before." His eyes shared more of his fear and worry than he was willing to speak. "Please, let him help you."
His eyes, more than his words, convinced her. "Alright, I will, for you."
"This might work better if you weren't laying on each other" came her father's half angry/half amused voice. Miranda only heard the anger, and she quickly sat up and moved next to the arm of the couch Matt hadn't slept on.
Matt, however, was moving far slower. "Bloody hell! My arm feels like it's on fire!"
"I'll bet your neck doesn't feel too good either," his mother said as she walked to him. "But that doesn't give you the right to curse." She moved behind him, and started to rub the back of his neck. "When did you start using British curses anyway?"
"Those Harry Potter books. Ron has a foul mouth. OUCH! Mom, that HURTS!"
"It should, sleeping with your neck like that." She saw the look Miranda was giving her. "Calm down, I'm not punishing him. The only way I know to make a neck so misused feel better without days of ache is to rub it out." She then smiled at the girl. "You might want to watch. If you two do end up together, I expect this won't be his last night on a couch."
"Hey! OUCH! Mom!"
Jo's remark got knowing smiles from the other married people in the room. The Sanchezs had moved to the love seat, and Sam was standing behind the other chair, leaving it empty for his wife. Dr. Gordon was still in the same chair as before. When Jo finished with her son, she took her seat. Dr. Gordon began. "Now, I wanted this first session to be for everyone involved. That means your parents will stay. Is that a problem?"
"I'll admit, I'd rather not. But I can see why they need to be here, so it's okay with me." Matt was clearly tense, and not just his neck.
"I agree with him" was all Miranda would say.
"Good. Now, I know this will mean talking about a lot of things that have been shared in confidence, but if everyone approves, I'd like for all of you to tell as much as you know about what's going on. I want you to tell me, and yes everyone, your fears, your ideas, as much as you can. If you doing this, you will all hear things you're not ready for. But I believe it is necessary if we're to move forward."
The parents quickly agreed. Miranda started to agree, but stopped when she saw Matt's face. She took his hand. "Matt, darling," that made her father wince, "I know you're not comfortable with this. But I think he's right. You asked me to let him help. Now I ask you the same. Please, open to him, to me."
Matt was clearly afraid. "You don't know what your asking. I want to. I hate hiding things from you. But I don't want to scare you. I don't want to lose you."
"Never fear that. Please?"
He couldn't hold out against her for long. "Alright. I will. But not what we said when we were alone last night." He turned to Dr. Gordon. "I'm not asking my parents to tell me what they say when they're alone, and frankly I don't want to know. All I want is for some private words to stay that. Private." He saw the look Mr. Sanchez was giving him. "Sir, nothing happened. We were in the open, in your living room. We have more sense than that." Mr. Sanchez seemed to accept the logic of that. With a nod from him, the meeting began.
As each told their story, everyone listened with interest. However, it was the last speaker, Matt, who had their undivided attention. He refused to look at anyone but Dr. Gordon as he spoke. He didn't want to think about what they might think of him right now. He knew he had started to cry again when he spoke of his fears about what he had become, but refused to stop until his story was finished. Nobody dared interrupt him. When he finished, he finally dared to look around. Their mothers looked like they wanted to hug him. Her father looked thunderstruck. His father, who had heard most of this before, looked proud. He finally looked at Miranda. He dreaded her reaction.
She had been crying. Yet, he saw something he had feared he'd never see again. He saw love in her eyes. "Matt?" Her voice was shaky. "Marriage? You would ask that already?" He nodded. "Someday, but not now. It's way too early to think about that yet. Okay?"
Now Matt was as thunderstruck as her father. "You . . . you mean I didn't scare you off with that? I was so afraid, I still am." He turned back to Dr. Gordon. "Sir, my question remains. What have I become?"
Everyone turned to Dr. Gordon. "Well, Matt, while I wouldn't have said it the way your father did, he is basically right. You have, in some ways, grown far beyond your years. I understand why this scares you. I agree, what you've been feeling and thinking are not what would be considered normal for a boy of thirteen. But it's not impossible, and it doesn't mean you're crazy. Believe me, Matt, you can lead a nice, healthy, normal life. You just need to accept yourself as you are now. You are someone who has faced challenges somebody your age shouldn't, but instead of being consumed by them, you've come though stronger. That is, if you allow yourself to."
Matt looked puzzled by that last comment. "Allow myself? I don't understand."
"Matt, much of the stress you've been under has been self induced. It's normal, I repeat NORMAL, for teenagers to try to solve things for themselves, to keep your own council. But some things are just too big for anybody to handle alone. You need to learn to talk to people, to ask for help more often. Adults do it more often than you kids realize."
Miranda tried to get back to the positive. "But you think he'll be okay?"
"Yes." She smiled in relief. "I do want to see you more over the next couple of months, Matt. This transition won't be easy, and I'll admit you're off to a rough start. But you'll make it. I'm sure if that."
"Thank you, sir." Matt replied, before pressing on what, to him, was the more urgent problem. "Sir, I'm worried about Miranda's nightmares. Is there anything you can do for her?"
"I've never seen her like she was last night," her mother added, "any help would be welcome."
Dr. Gordon thought about how to frame his answer. "First, let me remind you all that she has told us that these nightmares began Monday night, well before Matt's comments about protecting her. However," he looked at Matt, "I do believe that you are correct, Matt, in thinking that your comments unintentionally sparked their shift in theme. Don't be too hard on yourself. Part of growing up is accepting responsibility, but it is also knowing not to take in too much blame. As for how to stop the dreams, that's up to you, Miranda."
"Up to me? If that were true, Matt could . . ." she stopped at the look on her father's face.
Dr. Gordon intercepted the eruption. "Aside from the obvious objections, cuddling with Matt only treats a symptom." Both kids blushed. "For true peace of mind, you need to deal with the root problems. Nightmares are manifestations of our guilt, our fears, and sometimes both at once. Your first nightmares were, as you recognized Miranda, caused by your feelings of guilt about the crash. While you have been working through that, you weren't when Matt became so important to you. When you overheard him the next morning, and your nightmare changed, it had three things to feed off of. First, of course, were your fears over him having to do as he said he would, to kill and die to protect you. Secondly, you still had your unresolved guilt over the crash. Guilt is a strange beast. If left to fester, it can worm itself into any weakness. In this case, it caused you to use your fear about Matt to add him to the list of people you believe you've damaged somehow. It made you twist your fear so that instead of telling yourself he would do these things to protect you, you told yourself it was your fault he would do these things. That, I believe, is what made your nightmare as bad as you said it was when Lizzie woke you. If left alone, they would have eventually gotten as bad as last night. However, as I said, I believe you had a third factor involved which caused it to grow stronger faster than it would have otherwise. A factor you haven't recognized yet. But maybe, if he thinks about it, Matt will see it."
Matt was puzzled. "Me? What makes you think I'd know?"
Dr. Gordon smiled. "What was our meeting Wednesday about? Why hadn't you been able to be with your sister for very long?"
Matt thought, then got it. "Bloody hell."
"Matt."
"Sorry, mom. But that's it. You think she's feeling guilty because I'm in the front of her mind instead of Lizzie, Gordo, and Ethan."
"Very good, Matt. You know what it did to you by itself." He turned back to Miranda. "I'm sure he's told you about that." She nodded. "Now, when that guilt is added to what you were already carrying, is it any wonder things got so bad so fast? I'd like to speak with you alone on this, but you need to start accepting three things. First, Matt isn't someone who looks for fights, and I doubt he's going to start. Second, everyone in this room would do as Matt said he would IF FORCED, but only then. Most of us will never need to prove that. Don't blame yourself for Matt feeling a natural protectiveness. Third, what I told Matt holds true for you. Your care for your friends isn't any less than it ever was. Yes, your thinking about Matt more, but that's because your feelings for him are so new, you still need to sort them out."
Matt remembered something. "I could tell how tense you got when you heard about Gordo yesterday. If anything should prove he's right, it's that."
"I'm inclined to agree. As I said, I what to speak with you alone, but I believe you'll recover, as well."
"When?"
"I'll need to make arrangements with your parents, but in your case, I would like to see you this afternoon, if possible."
"So soon? And on a Saturday?" Her father seemed surprised.
"Because it's Saturday, I've got the time. As for so soon, I thought you'd want to try to avoid another late-night phone call."
"Today's good!" Everyone got a chuckle at the speed of his reply.
~~~~~~~~
A/N: Next chapter, we see what was happening this same morning at the hospital. The chapter title: Phoenix Rising.