Finally remembered to reply to this one. :D
Thanks to my reviewers - Boris Yeltsin, Zeroastai, and Guest (your fears *might* be proven justified in upcoming chapters...). :)
Enjoy!
...
It took three impatient calls from Cat and then two Cat-prompted calls from Beck to get Jade awake and grumpily ready by 11:30. Only the thought of Cat being irresponsibly left alone got Jade to actually follow through on her promise. She threw together a small bag and told her mom that she would be with Cat all night since she was on her own. Even her mom frowned quizzically at that news.
"Her parents left her alone?" she asked incredulously.
"They like her brother more."
"Oh. Then I really feel for that poor child."
Jade shrugged, but she was glad that her mother thought the same way. It was a bit of vindication and led her to be open about her plans.
"Off to be mauled by Cat. See you sometime before school on Monday, probably."
"Okay. Text if you have any issues."
Jade walked out the door without an answer, but she would contact if she needed help - possibly.
...
It was not Jade who needed help first.
When she arrived at Cat's house with Beck, she knocked, shouted "It's me, Cat!", and then picked the lock, not wanting to exercise any patience. Beck sighed a little - he tried to encourage her to practice being patient nearly daily - but Jade was glad that she rushed in when she found that Cat was looking a little pale and seemed to be stumbling around the living room.
"Cat? What's the problem?" Jade asked, hurrying to her side.
"Dizzy," Cat whimpered, leaning into Jade's arms for support.
Jade frowned, trying to figure out what was going on.
"Any idea what's going on that could be making you dizzy, Cat?" Beck asked calmly, coming over.
"I don't know," Cat whimpered.
Jade pushed Cat over to Beck so he could support the dizzy girl while she looked around for any clues of what was going on. It did not take too long for Jade to spot the sparkly pink and purple medicine planner on the counter along with a note in Mrs. Valentine's messy scrawl - "Caterina, remember to take your pills." Jade rolled her eyes. Notes were not the best way to get Cat's focus, and from a quick glance at Cat's sorting tray, it was clear that she had not taken any of her medications for the last two days.
"This might be the issue," Jade said, rattling it. She saw Beck wince a little, instantly understanding the issue.
"Cat, you're supposed to take your med... 'vitamins' every day," Beck said gently, getting her to sit down. Jade tossed the pills to him and went in search of a drink for Cat to be able to take her medicine.
"I forgot them," Cat admitted quietly. "No one reminded me and I was busy!"
Jade poured some juice into a glass and brought it over. Beck was looking up Cat's medication on his phone and stopped Cat from taking out double doses of everything.
"Just take the ones for today, sport. It's saying here that you can't take double the normal amount because that will make you feel sick."
"Oooh! Maybe I feel sick now because I didn't take them yesterday. When I forget then it makes me sick sometimes," Cat mumbled, starting to drink the juice from Jade, who stopped her from gulping it all down before she took the pills. She finally took the medication, then burrowed into the cushions on the couch, pulling a blanket over her head.
"Mmmm hmm. That's a possibility," Beck replied, surreptitiously gesturing to Jade that she might want to tone down the anger in her face. He knew that it was at Cat's parents for leaving their largely dependent daughter alone, but Cat did not need to think that they were in any way upset at her. Jade softened her facial expression and came around to sit on the other side of Cat, gently patting her back until she went back to sleep after her exciting morning of cooking and then playing tetris with the dishwasher, trying to make all the evidence of her experimentation disappear into its friendly convenience.
While Cat took a much-needed nap to give her brain time to reconnect with the necessary medication levels, Jade and Beck caught up on all the making out they had missed while Beck was out of town. Then they worked on a joint homework assignment for an hour before wandering around the house and piecing together what they could of the Valentine dysfunction. The amount of locks, keyholes, padding on sharp surfaces, and posted steps for how to deal with different types of aggression and escalation by Nick gave them an idea that Cat's wild stories, although perhaps not all true, were likely on the same level of out-of-control wildness that she dealt with daily.
"Poor kid," Beck said softly, seeing some kick marks on the outside of Cat's door. Scuffs covered the outside surface. Cat had given a brave attempt to decorate her door with some sparkly kitten stickers. Some of them were peeling off, a few torn or destroyed. Locks on her door were confusing, as it was hard to tell if they were to keep her in her room as a way to control or protect. Jade glowered at it all.
"I wish she had better," she grumbled.
Beck hugged her as they stood there, looking at Cat's room. They were finally drawn away when they heard Cat calling for them downstairs, sounding slightly panicked at the idea that they left her alone again.
At least they could promise her that they were going to keep her best interests in mind for a weekend.
...
Any guesses about what happens next? ;) I'm wondering too ... and having fun writing it as I go. :D
Review if you have a sec - I love hearing from you. :)