"Thank God you're finally here, Gordo!" exclaimed Miranda as she threw open her front door and grabbed David up in a huge bear hug. She than proceeded to pull him out of the rain and into her home.
"Gees Rand your acting like I'm here to save the world or something," said David rolling his eyes but with a huge smile on his face as he hugged his best friend "But it is good to see you anyway."
"Come on Gordo take off that wet jacket and let me hang it up for you." said Miranda as she broke the hug and took the aforementioned jacket from David.
After hanging up Gordo jacket Miranda ushered him into the living room and told him to sit down in the nearby chair. As she watched him Miranda couldn't help but notice and not for the first time at how much Gordo had changed since their childhood days. He had, had a nice growth spurt in high school that had gotten rid of his notorious short stature. He now stood at a respectable five feet eleven inches. His many years of working out at the gym and working as a cop had put some very hard and toned muscles on him. But to Miranda the biggest difference in her old childhood friend had to be his hair. Gone was his infamous mop of curly hair that had once adorned his head and in it's place was a nice, flat military style buzz cut.
"Are you still hung up over my hair?" asked David smiling as he saw the way Miranda was staring at him.
"I'm sorry, Gordo" said Miranda as she shook her head at him while still staring at his head "But I still can't get over the fact that you look like a Marine!"
David ran his hand over his head and laughed "Look woman you try living in Vegas with a head full of hair when it's the middle of summer and it's a hundred and twenty degrees outside in the shade."
"That's ok I think I'll just stay right here in San Francisco and live through the rain and earthquakes." said Miranda laughing but than realized she was being a bad host "Gordo can I get you anything? A coke or maybe some coffee?"
"I just got off from working a long shift at the police station and than I had to drive for over ten hours to get here." said David "What I need now is many hours of non interrupted sleep. On second thought I think I would rather have an explanation on what the hell I'm doing here ?"
"Ok first off Gordo...." started Miranda getting ready to let him know the facts about Lizzie.
"Hold it! Hold it!" said David holding up his hand interrupting Miranda "When the hell are you going to start calling me David? You know David, my real name? The name which I go by now?"
"Never!" said Miranda smiling "I don't care what everybody else calls you. To me you'll always will be Gordo."
"Ok if you insist I guess I can live with that." said David sighing but still smiling at her.
"Now like I was saying GORDO before I was so rudely interrupted," said Miranda "First off I think you should know that I haven't told Lizzie anything about what happened to you last year."
"Why not? It's not like it was some big secret" asked David confused "Just about everybody else knows about it."
"Oh yeah I could just imagine how bad Lizzie would have reacted if I had told her all about what happen to you last year!" said Miranda as she than stood up,put her hands on her hips and proceeded to speak in an air head voice "Oh hi Lizzie, how are you doing today? Have you found any interesting recipes that I can use? Oh yeah by the way Gordo got shot in the chest on a drug bust that went bad. And than he spent six hours on the operating table where he almost died!"
"See that wasn't so hard now was it?" said David smiling "Oh yeah by the way it was seven hours on the operating table and according to the doctor who worked on me my heart stop once so I was actually clinically dead for about half a minute."
"Damn it Gordo that's not in the least bit funny!" said Miranda narrowing her eyes as she stared at him in anger "And if Lizzie ever found out on how close you came to dying that day she would be consumed with guilt.So that is why at this important time in her recovery she must never ever hear about it!"
"Sorry Rand" said David as he subconsciously ran his hand over his chest and the many scars that now crisscrossed it.
"How are you doing with that by the way?" asked Miranda in concern as she caught Gordo hand movement.
"It only hurts when it rains." said David quickly putting his hand down by his side "Which luckily never happens much in Vegas."
There was about a half a second of uncomfortable silence between the two before David spoke again.
"Miranda can you now please tell me what the hell is going on with Lizzie?!" David asked in frustration "And why is it that whatever the hell she's gotten herself involved in required that I had to drive all the way out here to see her?!"
So after that little outburst Miranda let Gordo in on everything that had happened. The beatings and the mental and physical abuses the doctors said that Lizzie had went through at the hands of Kevin. The fact that Lizzie was now in the hospital and how her and Lizzie were planning on going to the courthouse to file for a restraining order against Kevin. But most importantly Miranda told him that while there Lizzie was also going to file and get a divorce from Kevin. As her story came to an end Miranda was surprised at the lack of emotions that showed on Gordo face. She had half expected for Gordo to jump up out of his chair in anger and demand to know where Kevin was so he could go and take care of him once and for all. But to her ever lasting shock Gordo was just sitting there looking at her with a somewhat calm look on his face.
"Well, Gordo?!" Miranda asked in an angry tone when she finished her story.
"Well, what?" asked David in confusion as he shrugged his shoulders "I've yet to hear one word on what all of this has to do with me?"
"Damn it Gordo didn't you hear one word I just said to you?!" shouted Miranda in anger.
"Yeah I heard you." said David nonchalantly "Don't get me wrong I'm sorry all of that bad stuff happened to her but Miranda I see that that type of stuff everyday at work.So I still don't understand just what any of this has to do with me?"
"Her doctors told me just today that Lizzie wants you here and also he said you were instrumental in her recovery." said Miranda trying her best to stay calm "And that's why you're here."
"Me?" asked David in shock with his eyebrows raised "I'M instrumental in HER recovery? Please excuse me if I'm wrong here Miranda but the last time I saw her Blonde Highness she specifically told me she never wanted to see me again! For the rest of her life I might add?!"
"Damn it Gordo you know she was drunk that night and never meant what she said!" shouted Miranda "But before she could find you and apologize, you ran off to hide in that roach infested motel room in Vegas.You know the one that I found you in two years later!"
"Don't go there, Rand!" said David sternly "My coming here now repays that favor you did. And remember we made a promise to one another that, that day would never be mentioned again."
"Ok look Gordo here's the facts." said Miranda "You are here now because Lizzie is in a very bad state right now and she needs you. She's extremely frightened and badly needs your help as she goes through all of this. The doctor that I spoke to said that her mind is in a very fragile and delicate state right now. He also said that for some reason Lizzie has decided that in order for her to feel safe again she needs you here to be with her."
"Me to be here with her?" exclaimed David shocked at that statement "Miranda you do know that I do have a life and a very important job back in Vegas? I can't just drop everything to stay out here for an indefinite length of time!"
"Now you listen to me David Gordon, because I'm only going to say this once!" Miranda said angrily and through clenched teeth "You will do whatever it takes to help Lizzie get through this! And you will do this because of what I did for you that day at that motel room. You owe me your life and so to pay me back for that you will do whatever it takes to give Lizzie back hers! Do we have an understanding here or not?!"
David could only nod his head after Miranda outburst.
"Good" said Miranda as she smiled and went over to kiss her friend on the cheek "Now you go up to my guest room and get a few hours of sleep. I'm going to go get Lizzie now and take her to the courthouse. After you get up and we get done with everything at the courthouse I want you meet us at Marino Italian restaurant at 7pm."
"Ok Miranda I guess I can call my Captain and put in for a little vacation time." said David sighing a little "I do have a lot of vacation time built up.But are you sure having me here is a good idea and more importantly are you sure all of this is going to work?"
"Oh it will work Gordo." said Miranda as she headed toward her front door "Because there is no way in hell I will let it go any other way!"
And with that Miranda was out the door and heading back to the hospital.
(So in the next chapter of Getting Back What Was Lost we will have the reunion between David Gordon and Lizzie McGuire)