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Ch. 45 We've Seen the Best of Us
(FITZ)
"You look exhausted," Sean comments when I come out to the living room Tuesday morning.
"Didn't sleep much, bad dreams," I tell my brother.
"You want to stay home from school? I'll write you a note," Sean offers.
"No I'll be fine, I'll probably go to the hospital on my spare and stay through lunch to see how Clare's doing. Owen should be there now Tris is getting out of the hospital today," I comment.
"I thought Drew told you not to come back to the hospital?"
"No Jeff and I can't be there together, Drew doesn't want us fighting over her in the hospital."
"And when she's out of the hospital?" Sean asks and I close my eyes. I'm worried that Clare won't even get out of the hospital, she seems to be getting weaker and not waking up.
"I don't know," I reply. It's all I can say. Right now all I worry about is Clare waking up and being okay but if…when she is, I worry that she loves Jeff, I know she loves me too but what if she wakes up and wants to be with him?
"Make sure you get back to school for third period," Sean says patting my shoulder before he leaves.
I grab my coat and leave just after my brother locking up the house. Emma is sleeping, she worked last night and her first class isn't until eleven so she'll sleep in for a while. I drive to school and park, walk in and take off my jacket but I don't go to my locker or to find my friends I just start pacing. Walking the hallways as my mind races, thoughts and fears of Clare never waking up or being forever damaged by what Reese did to her begins to fill me with anger. Burning, raging anger at Reese for doing this to her. I hate him for being so calculating that he got out of juvie early and that his only purpose in doing so was to get to Clare. To take her, to hurt her and by doing so hurt the rest of us. My rage and hate builds to a point that I can no longer be in school and I begin storming for the front doors. Most of the Ice Hounds are near the front doors, all but Owen who is at the hospital with his brother.
"Fitz where are you going?" Jeff calls to me just as I push open the front door.
"To kill Reese are you coming?"
He doesn't answer but he does follow me out to my car, we toss our stuff in the back seat, including my coat but I'm too filled with hot rage to be cold right now. We get in and start driving around, I'm not entirely sure where I'm going. I just begin looking around the places I know the bad kids hang out. I'm also sure that Reese wouldn't be hanging out near Riverdale, he'll skulk in the shadows to avoid us, especially because he can't get his hands on Clare at the moment. We drive around for a couple of hours, parking every so often to get out and look at places. And then I see him, near Queen Street in an alley with a couple of his buddies, probably the same ones that helped him trap Clare. I park the car and we get out, fists clenched, bodies tense as we walk over ready to fight. It bothers neither of us that we're outnumbered we're fighting for a girl we love and that is the difference. Jeff and I love Clare, we'd do anything to protect her and Reese wants to own her that is not love it's desire of ownership, jealousy and malice.
"REESE!" I holler at him with an angry growl.
He looks over as do his two buddies, his two buddies glower at us angrily but they get behind Reese. Reese was smoking a cigarette but he throws it down and stomps it under his boot.
"Fitzy boy and hockey boy, Jeff is it? Let me guess you came here to seek revenge for the fair Clare's sake. Oh wait she's still in a coma. You know I'll get her, I'll take her a…"
That's all either of us can stand to hear as both Jeff and I hit Reese. Our fists connecting under his jaw at the same second. The combined force of our anger is enough to knock him back against the wall. He hits his head, blood coming from his mouth, he's at the very least dazed and we would keep hitting him but his buddies pull us back. We start fighting with them, they are fighting but they don't seem to be trying very hard. Or perhaps it's just that Jeff and I are incredibly determined because we're able to subdue them rather quickly, getting them to the ground and they give in. We return our attentions back to Reese, each of us punching him in the stomach, he tries to fight back but we must have knocked his head pretty hard because he's rather dazed and can hardly throw a punch. It doesn't stop us we continue punching until he spits up some blood.
"Fitz I think he's had enough," Jeff says grabbing my arm.
"Yeah I think he's done," I nod getting out my phone and calling Officer Turner.
"Officer James Turner," he answers.
"It's Fitz, Jeff and I found Reese," I inform him.
"Should I assume I'll be taking him to the hospital before the station?"
"Yeah he should probably go to the hospital."
"Where are you?" Turner asks.
I tell him where we are and then we wait and make sure that neither Reese nor his buddies leave. Officer Turner and another officer arrive in a patrol car and with an ambulance. They cuff the three of them and get them in the ambulance.
"They may press charges and I don't know if I can get you out of this one. But given what they did to Clare we may be able to convince the judge it was extenuating circumstances. For now get back to school and don't leave town, I'll need to talk to you both later," Officer Turner tells us and we nod.
They follow the ambulance and we get back in my car. I drive us back to school and park, Jeff opens the door but I don't move.
"Aren't you coming into school?" Jeff asks.
"I have a spare this period and it's lunch next," I reply and Jeff nods.
He says nothing more, grabs his backpack and closes the car door to get back into school. I drive to the hospital and walk to Clare's room. Spin and Paige have gone to work but Adam is here as always. He looks at me, smiles as much as he can and then looks back at his sister.
"We found Reese and two of his buddies, Jeff and I beat him up he's in the hospital but we called Officer Turner and Reese will be arrested. His friends too if they helped him with Clare," I tell Adam as I sit on the other side of Clare's bed and kiss her temple.
"Good I hope he hangs," Adam replies.
"Yeah me too," I nod, "or I'll kill him myself."
We sit there in silence until the door opens mid-afternoon and my brother walks in.
"Any news?" Sean asks and Adam and he shakes his head. "Officer Turner called, say goodbye Fitz we're going home," Sean says in his commanding "do as I say I'm the older brother," voice which he rarely uses with me.
"See you Adam," I wave to him before a gentle kiss upon Clare's lips.
"Straight home, I'll be following you," Sean warns me when we walk out to the parking lot.
I get in my car and he gets on his motorcycle. I drive home and park in the driveway, Sean parks his bike behind my car and we go inside. As soon as we're through the door Sean knocks me upside the head with the palm of his hand. It doesn't hurt but I know he's angry.
"ARE YOU TRYING TO GET YOURSELF SENT TO PRISON?!" Sean yells.
"The police were barely looking for him and he nearly killed her, he tried to take her and do anything he wanted to her. I HAD TO DO SOMETHING!"
"Find him and call the cops not beat him to a bloody pulp Mark. You've been out of juvie three months, you're still on probation if you get arrested for assault you could go to jail. You can't always solve everything with your fists you need to use your head. I love Clare too but y…"
"Not like I do, what if it was Emma in the hospital right now? If someone had done that to her? You would stop at nothing to make sure the ones who did it paid, under the law or otherwise. You know you would and you can't tell me you wouldn't. I was angry, you can't be mad at me for being angry for what he did."
"I'm not angry that you hate Reese for what he did I'm angry that you took it too far. You weren't thinking Fitz what if he had died? The doctors are keeping him overnight for head trauma you know. I know why you hate him, I know why you were angry and why you went looking for Reese but I know what happens when you can't control you're anger Fitz. If you're in prison when Clare wakes up and gets out of the hospital what do you think that will do to her? She loves you as much as you love her."
"I know," I sigh sitting down on the sofa with my head in my hands, "I just hate being helpless. Clare's lying in the hospital in a coma and I'm helpless. Reese is out there free while she lies in the hospital and I'm helpless. I had to do something Sean. I needed some kind of control."
Sean sighs and sits down next to me putting his arm around me and his hand on my shoulder, "I know you did but you need to learn to control yourself."
(CLARE)
I struggle to open my eyes.
I feel heavy, unusually heavy as if being pulled down somehow.
I want to wake up, I can feel Adam with me and I want to wake up but it's so hard and it feels as though I've been asleep for an exceedingly long time. As though swallowed by darkness so deep I can no longer become fully conscious.
Before I can manage to open my eyes I move my hand, my fingers moving slightly and curling around Adam's and he squeezes back.
"Clare?" He asks, his voice urging me to open my eyes with a tone so filled with hope and anguish it gives me the strength to open my eyes. I still feel heavy, my eyelids barely opening as they feel like heavy weights are attached and pulling them down. "Thank goodness, you had me so worried. Don't you ever do that again I thought you were going to die. You did once, you died and I felt it don't you ever do that to me again," Adam scolds me while he squeezes my hand and looks at me with blissful eyes.
I try to talk, to tell him that I'm sorry and ask what's going on but I can hardly open my mouth let alone get a word out.
"Don't try to talk you've been in a coma for a few days, through multiple surgeries and your heart stopped. It's okay I know you're sorry and you had no idea Reese was out or that you were so hurt but you had us so worried. I haven't left the hospital, Drew, Spin, Paige and Bianca have all been here at every moment they could," Adam tells me and I look around the room looking for my other brothers and their wife and girlfriend.
"Drew's asleep in the chair, Spinner and Paige were here last night and Bianca was not feeling well and wanted to sleep at home," Adam replies to the question that I didn't ask but that's one of the great things about having a twin.
I look around the room again, but not for my family this time.
"Fitz was here earlier. He stayed until Sean came and got him. Jeff came after hockey practice but Drew banned them from being in the room together," Adam says and I look down because I know why they were banned from being here together.
"They found Reese today, Fitz and Jeff, they found him and beat him up. He'll be arrested when he's out of the hospital. I'm sure they'll both come rushing when they find out you're awake. I think I'd better wake Drew, you know he can sleep through anything and I've never seen him so pale as when you passed out in his arms on your bed," Adam comments. He kisses my forehead before sliding off my bed and walking to Drew asleep in the chair. "Drew wake up she's awake," Adam informs him.
Unlike my difficulty in waking up Drew's eyes shoot open immediately and he jumps up. He looks in my eyes and cups my face. His eyes are filled with such joy that he can see my eyes it's astonishing. He kisses my forehead a dozen times and looks like he might cry.
"Thank goodness, don't ever do that again, you died and you scared us all don't ever do that again," Drew says.
"We should probably alert the doctors that you're awake," Adam comments reaching over to press the call button. It only takes a moment for a nurse to come in.
"Did you n…oh Clare you're awake that's wonderful. I'll fetch the doctor," the nurse says before leaving.
"I'm going to call Spinner, you'd better still be awake when I get back," Drew remarks kissing my forehead again before he leaves my room to call Spinner.
A doctor comes in and introduces herself before looking in my eyes and at my head. Then asking me yes or no questions which I give answers to by tapping my fingers, once for yes twice for no, because she doesn't want me to talk yet. The whole process is rather exhausting and I nearly fall asleep again but when Spinner, Paige and Bianca run in I force myself awake again. Spinner comes to my bedside kissing my cheek and forehead and saying the same sentiments as Drew and Adam did when they saw me awake. When Spin goes to talk to the doctor Paige and Bianca come over to hug me. Spin is still talking with the doctor, Bianca is talking to Drew and Paige to Adam. No one is talking to me or even looking at me and I remember how exhausted I was and fall asleep. Not the deep sleep of the coma I had been in just a normal sleep of one who's tired. I'm not sure how long I sleep but I wake to many more voices in the room. The very second my eyes open again I'm met by a pair of lips on mine and I smile, reaching a hand up to caress the short hairs at the back of his neck.
"Mark," I grin when we break our kiss, our lips parting only enough for a breath to pass between them.
"Hello Gorgeous, it's a relief to see those baby blues again," Mark smiles.
He moves out of the way so I can see the others, everyone is here and it's very early in the morning. The sun isn't even out yet but they all came. Sean, Emma, Johnny, Owen, Maya, Jenna and K.C. are all here and all smiling at me because I'm awake. Everyone says hello or good morning and that they're glad I'm awake. Owen tells me that Tris says hi and he was released from the hospital yesterday.
"We don't want to tire her out and we all have school or work. I'll stay with her today, the rest of you can come see her later," Spinner insists when he sees my eyes beginning to close again.
"I'm staying too," Adam insists.
"No Adam you should go home and rest," I tell him but my voice is hardly able to go above a whisper.
"She's right Adam she's awake now and you haven't left here in days. Go home and get some real sleep and you can come see her after you've had some rest," Spinner replies.
Adam looks reluctant but he nods. Everyone else tells me goodbye and they'll be by later. Fitz is as reluctant to leave as Adam but they are both taken out. When everyone is gone I begin to fall asleep again and Spinner just sits there watching me like he's afraid if someone isn't here watching me that I will die or drift away again.
(MAYA)
"Maya hold up," Adam calls running over to me as we leave the hospital for the parking lot.
We've all just come from Clare's room very happy that she's awake. Most of us are about to go to school, Owen is giving Jenna, K.C. and me a ride to school. Adam comes over taking my hand and pulling me aside so we can talk in private.
"I'm sorry about the other day, I shouldn't have yelled like that. I didn't mean to snap at you but I felt my twin slipping away and you have no idea what that's like, especially after watching her pass out at home and then watching her heart stop. I haven't exactly been in the best mental state lately. Even so that's no excuse for my behavior and I'm sorry. Can you forgive me for being a little crazy lately?" Adam pleads with big doe eyes and I'm stabbed with guilt for my cheating with Danny.
"Of course," I smile hiding my guilt behind the smile.
Adam gives me that adorable grin of his and then he gives me a soft kiss. I try to kiss him back but I can't seem to and I walk quickly to Owen's car. Owen drives us to school and we split up to go to our lockers. I start putting books in my locker and see Danny leaning on the locker next to mine.
"So I hear that Clare's awake," Danny grins brushing a strand of hair behind my ear.
"Yes she is and we can't see each other anymore," I reply closing my locker.
"I wouldn't exactly call what we've been doing seeing each other. And I don't think either of us can stop, you know you like it," Danny replies dragging a finger over my collarbone.
"I'm with Adam," I remind Danny turning away from him.
"That hasn't seemed to bother you yet," Danny comments following me.
"I made a mistake, it shouldn't have happened I love Adam," I insist.
"Apparently not as much as you think or you wouldn't have strayed so easily," Danny replies as he walks past me. I stop walking and look away.
"Maya are you alright?" Jenna asks and her voice makes me jump.
"Yeah I'm fine just lost in thought," I reply with a reassuring smile. Jenna smiles and then gasps slightly before putting her hand on her belly. "Are you okay?"
"Just a kick, this kids got powerful legs," Jenna says and I smile.
I hang out with her and K.C. until the bell rings and walk to homeroom, but when I get to homeroom I see Danny. He gives me a lustful smirk and I feel a tingling between my legs and then a pit of guilt in my stomach. I decide the best thing for me to do is to get out of here. I walk out the front doors and text K.C. that I'm going to Adam's. I cut through the ravine and it takes me about ten minutes to walk to the Mason house, the front door is locked but the back door isn't and I go into Adam's room. He's sounds asleep which isn't surprising since I think he's slept about one or two hours since Clare first went to the hospital. I take off my shoes and jeans then get in the bed cuddling up to Adam.
"Mmm shouldn't you be at school?" Adam asks with a yawn but holds me close and kisses my cheek as he does so.
"I'd rather be with you," I reply putting my arm over his chest.
Adam smiles and strokes my hair but is soon fast asleep again. I'm actually pretty tired because we were all woken up at four this morning with the news that Clare was awake. It takes a little while but I do fall asleep in Adam's arms. I wake up after a couple of hours but Adam is still asleep, it's lunch time and I'm hungry so I carefully slip out of the bed. I go out to the kitchen and start making myself a sandwich. Just as I start eating Adam comes out to the kitchen.
"Sorry didn't mean to wake you I got hungry," I apologize.
"It's okay I'm hungry too," Adam says going to the fridge.
"I didn't realize just how much I hadn't been doing these last few days," he says with a yawn as he begins making himself a sandwich. He sits with me when he's done but we eat totally in silence. I can barely look at him.
"I should probably go back to sleep but I'm not that tired and I really want to go to the hospital and see Clare," Adam comments as he cleans up from lunch.
"That's okay I'll go with you, I think Johnny's out of school maybe he can give us a ride."
"Yeah good idea, can you call Johnny I need a shower," Adam requests and I nod. He smiles and kisses me before walking to the washroom.
I call Johnny and he says he'll come get us in twenty minutes. While Adam is in the shower I play on my phone and text K.C. that Johnny is taking us to the hospital to see Clare. Adam is ready by the time Johnny comes to get us and the three of us go to the hospital. It's early afternoon and Spinner is still here while Clare seems to be asleep, when we enter the room she opens her eyes and smiles at us.
"How do you feel?" Johnny asks her.
"Tired, heavy, sore," she says.
Johnny smiles and kisses her forehead, Adam sits on the edge of her bed so I sit in the chair behind him. Clare mostly drifts in and out of sleep all afternoon, I find it funny that she's been unconscious for so long yet she's still so tired but maybe that's what a coma does to you and she did go through a lot. Fitz of course shows up right after school along with Drew and Bianca, K.C. and Jenna are meeting Joey and Caitlin for dinner but they also come right after school. Fitz sits on the other side of Clare's bed, he wants to hold her but Spinner is worried about him moving the wires and tubes connected to her. Paige, Emma, Sean and Jay all come after work. Even with all the people in the room it's fairly quiet until Jeff and Owen show up after practice. Jeff wants to be close to Clare too but Adam and Fitz are monopolizing those spots and Jeff isn't happy. Actually Clare was asleep until Jeff and Owen came in the room and Fitz tensed up, now her eyes open and she looks between the two of them.
"Do I need to kick you two out again?" Drew threatens and Jeff shakes his head sitting at the foot of Clare's bed.
Jeff and Fitz continue to shoot each other glaring looks and it's making Clare uncomfortable. I think she's lucky that she has two boys that will fight so hard for her, I wonder if Adam would ever fight so hard for me?
"Alright everyone you should be going home it's about dinner time and Clare needs to rest. We'll call you immediately if there's any kind of change but for the most part she's just going to sleep," the doctor asserts coming into Clare's room.
"No we're staying," Spinner states.
"Spin you should all go home, the doctor's right I'm just going to sleep and none of you have gotten much sleep in days. I'll see you all in the morning but I forbid any of the three of you from staying in this room tonight," Clare insists to her brothers.
"Well someone needs to stay, I'm not going to sleep unless I know someone is here to keep an eye on you," Drew replies.
"I'll stay, my first class isn't until two tomorrow," Johnny offers.
Everyone seems satisfied with this solution so the rest of us start to leave. Everyone saying goodbye to Clare on the way out, her brothers hug her and kiss her cheek or forehead. Fitz kisses her lips and Jeff stiffens up but he can't get to her head to kiss her lips so he blows her a kiss.
"You want to stay at our place tonight?" Adam asks.
"Yeah," I nod.
I text K.C. that I'm sleeping at Adam's although I'm sure he already figured that, he left earlier with Jenna when Joey and Caitlin came to pick them up. When we get back to the Mason house Adam and I help Paige and Spinner throw some dinner together. We eat dinner while watching TV and watch TV for most of the evening. Officer Turner stops by and asks us to write character statements on behalf of Fitz because he could be facing jail time for beating up Reese. Officer Turner says he's already asked the others and he's asking Jeff's family and the Ice Hounds to do the same for Jeff, which likely means Owen has done two. Of course we're all happy to write character statements for our friend and Officer Turner takes them when we're done.
Adam goes to bed early and I go with him but I have trouble falling asleep. When I finally do I dream about being with Danny and Adam walks in on us, in the dream he's so hurt that it kills him. I wake up feeling guilty and I'm wide awake, I get out of Adam's bed carefully and go out to the living room watching TV until dawn when I take a shower. Everyone wakes up early, we get a quick breakfast from The Dot. Spinner works later and Adam has agreed to go to school today but right now we're all headed to the hospital to see Clare. When we arrive Johnny is awake and Clare is asleep in the bed, she's not alone Fitz is on his side cuddled up to her.
"He showed up around one, he's been careful and she's been clinging to him all night," Johnny tells us.
Either at the sound of Johnny's voice or the presence of us all in the room Clare wakes up and when she wakes up so does Fitz. She looks at everyone and then looks at Fitz, he smiles at her and kisses her forehead before he carefully lets go of her and gets off the bed. Everyone hugs Clare and asks how she feels, while we're doing that Jeff and Anya come in, they must have been stopping by on their way to school. Jeff and Fitz each sit on one side of her bed and go back to glaring at each other. At least until Officer Turner walks in and we all look at him.
"I was told I could find you two here," he says looking at Jeff and Fitz.
"Mark, Jeff what's going on?" Clare asks in a frightened voice.
"It's fine," Fitz assures her.
"This has to do with Reese doesn't it? Mark you're not going back to jail," Clare pleads gripping onto him.
"I need you both to come with me," Officer Turner says in a commanding tone.
"Mark no you can't go back to juvie and Jeff you can't get arrested, Reese tried to kidnap me. Officer Turner tell me they're not going to jail?" Clare begs.
"I can't disclose anything until after they've gone before the judge," Officer Turner replies. Clare shakes her head and grips onto Fitz tighter.
"I'll be back," Fitz assures her giving Clare a soft kiss, "we both will."
Reluctantly she lets go of him and then Fitz and Jeff leave with Officer Turner. Clare is upset now, breathing quickly with tears coming down from her eyes. Spinner, Adam and Paige begin trying to calm her down. It doesn't work and when her heart rate speeds up too much the doctor comes in and gives her a sedative. The sedative puts Clare to sleep and we all hope Fitz and Jeff will be back before she wakes up or at least that there's news. Spinner has to work, Drew will stay with Clare today while the rest of us go to work and school. Adam and I ride with Bianca to school, Adam walks into school with his arm around me but we part ways after he takes me to my locker. I start to exchange a few books in my locker from my backpack when I see a figure leaning on the locker next to mine and I look up to see Danny.
"What are you doing here I told you we were done," I snarl at him slamming my locker shut.
"I don't believe you, you've come to me twice now, I know how you feel when you're with me," Danny says dragging his finger down my neck to my collarbone. He's right his touch brings a tingle to the spot between my legs, it's not until I hear my boyfriend's voice nearby that I break out of it.
"For the last fucking time we are done! If you talk to me again about anything besides school I will tell Adam and the others that you raped me," I warn him then turn quickly on my heel and go looking for Adam.
Update soon probably starting in Jeff POV as we learn what happens to him and Fitz. Also Clare gets out of the hospital and comes home.