A/N: Apparently, I struck a nerve when Sarah kicked Bryce Larkin's butt. A good nerve. No Bryce defenders out there. Not one. (Author wags finger, but smiles). I would have had Sarah literally kick him to the curb, but wasn't sure that the edge of a walkway could really be considered a curb. I just settled for her taking care of business and kicking his behind. Or his chin, actually.
Disclaimer: My ownership of Chuck is deader than a Norwegian Blue parrot. That is to say that my ownership of Chuck is not amongst the living. It's offed it. It's shuffled off this mortal coil. I've never made any money from Chuck and I spent all my own money burying my dead ownership. Or my parrot. One of those two things. If you don't get the reference in this disclaimer, your education is seriously lacking. Google the parrot, if necessary, and all will be revealed.
Chapter 11 – Something to Talk About
October 9
"Wait. What?" Sarah's eyes widened in shock. "Bartowski?"
Ellie raised her eyebrows in surprise. "I'm sorry, do I know you?" She started racking her brain, trying to place the face of the stunning blonde student in front of her. "I can't seem to place you."
Sarah shook herself out of her own shock. "Ellie? Your name is Ellie? Ellie Bartowski?" Nurse Simmons and Devon looked from one woman to the other, speechless. What was going on?
Ellie's confusion deepened. Who was this girl? Had they been in the same high school? UCLA? Sarah Walker? She'd never heard of anyone named Sarah Walker. At least as far as she could remember. And her memory was pretty good. So, if Ellie didn't know her, how did Sarah Walker know her? She didn't think it was high school or college. Mom? Dad? Could be. But what if it wasn't her parents? Chuck? Does she know Chuck? No way! There's no way tongue-tied Chuck could possibly know this girl. Not a girl like this. Could he? Does she know about Chuck? How much? Does she live in the same dorm as Chuck? What was going on?
Devon hadn't known Ellie all that long, but he had known her long enough to recognize when her thoughts were spiraling out of control. He put a soft hand on her shoulder. "Ellie?" When she didn't respond immediately, he squeezed her shoulder gently and tried again. "Ellie? Babe?"
Ellie's confused face cleared and she smiled. Reaching up, she patted Devon's hand on her shoulder. Cocking her head to one side, she gave Sarah an inquisitive smile. "Yeah, I'm Ellie Bartowski. Obviously." She cut her eyes to Devon and smiled, before focusing on Sarah once more. "Do you know my brother, Chuck?" she asked cautiously.
"Yes, I know Chuck. How did you know? He told me, us, that he had a sister named Eleanor. Or Ellie, for short." Sarah confirmed, her face pinking slightly. Ellie's eyes widened, again, seeing that, before narrowing as she regarded Sarah. Her curiosity was piqued. Who was this girl and what was she to Chuck? Or him to her?
"I didn't know. I was just guessing. How do you know Chuck?" Ellie was locked in and curious. A potent combination. She looked Sarah over top to bottom, putting all of her observational skills to use. The blonde woman seemed tall, maybe taller than she was. Though she was sitting down, Ellie could calculate her approximate height by looking at her legs and torso. Sarah was obviously in good shape, even without the knowledge that she'd been injured while out running. The way her running clothes fit her frame told Ellie that. She was beautiful despite being sweaty from running and being covered in leaves, pine straw, and dirt from, what looked like, a tumble to the ground. That made sense due to the sprained ankle. Long blonde hair put up in a ponytail, big blue eyes, clear skin, a pretty, if somewhat pained, smile. There was a fierce intelligence shining out from those blue eyes, too. This Sarah Walker was quite something, from all appearances. So, how did she know Chuck? Ellie focused her attention back on Sarah's face and waited.
"We met on campus. Kind of ran into each other." Sarah smiled wistfully.
"That I can believe. Chuck always was a bit of a klutz as a kid." Ellie snorted. Devon gave her an amused glance. He thought her snort was kind of sexy.
"Can we table old home week for a bit, so I can get on with my job here, kids?" Nurse Simmons grinned at them to let everyone know she wasn't upset. Sarah and Ellie both blushed and nodded, sheepishly.
"Sorry," Ellie apologized.
"Sorry," Sarah said. She welcomed the respite. Ellie was smart and observant. Sarah knew she would have to get her head screwed on straight and be careful. No slips of the tongue around Chuck's sister.
"No problem. Let me get my work done and you can go back to visiting while I go and fetch the doctor." Simmons proceeded to check Sarah's vital signs and record the information in her records. That task completed, she turned to Sarah's ankle examining it gingerly. A few light pokes and prods and a few more questions followed. The nurse gently manipulated Sarah's ankle and made note of her responses, verbal and otherwise. It didn't take very long. When she was finished, she turned to the two younger women, smiling. "OK. All done. Your ankle looks and feels like it's sprained. I'm betting the doctor will agree with me. I'm off to find him. Why don't you guys find something to keep you occupied until the doctor and I return?" Three nods and Nurse Simmons left the room. Ellie and Devon looked at Sarah.
"So, you were saying that you ran into Chuck? Or did he run into you?" Ellie prompted.
"Well, neither, exactly." Sarah hesitated. Ellie held her hands out and gave her the 'tell me more' look. "He sort of ran into our practice room and interrupted us." Sarah shrugged.
"Practice room? Interrupted you? What practice? Who's 'us'? When?" Ellie questioned.
"I'm in the Songbirds. Chuck ran in and interrupted our practice back on Tuesday. Last week." Sarah clarified.
"Songbirds? What are the Songbirds? I'm guessing singers. But, what kind?"
"We're an acapella group. All girls. There's another group of all boys on campus, too. The Choirboyz, but they're jerks."
"Acapella group? Did you get Chuck to sing with you?" Ellie looked incredulous.
"Sing with us?" Sarah was confused for a second. "Uh, no. No. Chuck isn't singing with us. Wait. Chuck can sing?" She asked, surprised.
Ellie ignored the question. "So, that's it? Chuck ran in on your practice a week ago. And that was the only time you saw him?" She watched Sarah closely.
Sarah thought back over all the times she'd seen and been around Chuck in the last week. "Um … No … No. We've seen a lot of Chuck since then." She thought of him in the pool the other day and her cheeks pinked, again. Ellie noticed and her eyes widened slightly. "He's kind of started hanging around." Way to go, little brother, Ellie thought to herself. She had expected him to be making friends with male students. Not meeting girls, at least so soon. Hanging around a girl like Sarah. She wanted to cheer, but she also wanted much more information. Particularly since the blush on Sarah's cheeks was getting more pronounced. She decided to push, just a little.
"How does he 'kind of' hang around?" she asked. Sarah's blush deepened even more. Bingo, Ellie thought. Oh, Chuck what have you gotten yourself into now? Devon silently watched the back and forth between the two women. This is an interesting sport, he thought to himself.
Sarah chuckled nervously. "OK, he's been hanging around at our practice and eating with us ever since last Tuesday. He and his friend, Morgan." Ellie's eyes flew wide open at that news.
"You've met Morgan?" Sarah nodded, confused at Ellie's tone. "Please tell me he didn't do anything … inappropriate around you or any of your friends." Ellie paused. "How many of you Songbirds are there anyway?"
"There's twelve of us, including me. It's a student club activity on campus. I'm this year's club leader or president or whatever you want to call it. And, no, Morgan hasn't done anything wrong. At all. He's been pretty great, actually. One of our freshman members, Alex McHugh, has even started dating him." Ellie was stunned.
"Voluntarily?" She snarked. Devon rubbed her arm gently. It was Ellie's turn to blush.
Sarah stared at her. Was there some history between Morgan and Chuck's sister? "Yeah, voluntarily. Why? You seem surprised."
"Sorry, yeah. That was mean of me." Ellie searched for words to explain. "Let's say Morgan and I have a long history." Sarah looked very surprised. Ellie scrambled. "It's not what you're thinking. God, no." Ellie shuddered. "Morgan's had a crush on me since he's known Chuck. Like since they were five or six years old. Nothing really. He's just been such a pest. You know what I'm talking about? You must know." Ellie wiggled her finger at Sarah. "I mean, look at you. I'm sure you've had boys pestering you before." Ellie had a terrible thought and her face registered her dismay. "Oh, my God! Chuck's not pestering you, is he? I'll kill him." Devon squeezed her shoulder to try and calm her down.
Sarah shook her head, vehemently, then smiled. "No, no. Chuck has been wonderful. A perfect gentleman. No pestering." Sarah tried to recover, knowing what she had just said. Ellie noticed. Of course, Ellie noticed.
"How long has Morgan been dating your friend? Alex was it? I mean, it's only been a week since you say you met Chuck." Ellie asked, letting her off the hook, temporarily.
"I'm not sure exactly. He started taking her along to the movies he has to watch for his film history class last Thursday. They went to the football game together on Saturday. Somewhere in there they started dating. And kissing, too. In front of us. Alex even took him to meet her parents after the football game." Ellie looked even more surprised, if that was possible. Sarah nodded, confirming what she had said. "It turns out that her dad is one of Chuck's and Morgan's coaches on the baseball team."
"Morgan, dating the boss's daughter. That takes some major cojones. Way to go little man." Devon piped up, chuckling, remembering his talks with Ellie and her description of him and his personality.
"Really, Devon?" Ellie gave him a flat look.
"Sorry." Devon looked contrite. Sarah giggled at the interaction. Ellie turned to her, smiling, and winked.
Before they could resume their conversation, Nurse Simmons returned to the examining room with a doctor in tow. A handsome doctor. A handsome doctor not wearing a wedding ring. Sarah didn't react, at all. Ellie noticed that, too. He nodded to her and Devon.
"Hello, my name is Dr. Eric Steenlage. Nurse Simmons tells me that you have a sprained ankle. May I take a look at it? Sarah, right?" Dr. Steenlage smiled at Sarah.
"Yes, Sarah. Sure, you can look at my ankle." Sarah allowed.
Dr. Steenlage repeated the examination that Nurse Simmons had performed earlier. He also spent a bit more time gently checking for bone tenderness anywhere on Sarah's foot or lower ankle. Once he completed his examination, he conferred with Nurse Simmons quietly while Ellie and Devon listened in. After he and Nurse Simmons nodded to each other, he turned back to Sarah.
"Sarah, you're lucky. My diagnosis is that you have a Grade 1 ankle sprain. No need for X-rays. The treatment is simple. R.I.C.E. Rest. Ice. Compression. Elevation. Rest, stay off it as much as possible. Ice it every 2 to 3 hours for 15 to 20 minutes at a time. If you're in class and can ice it, do so. Explain to your professor what you're doing and why, of course." He smiled and Sarah nodded, solemnly. "Compression. We'll give you an elastic bandage that Nurse Simmons will show you how to put on. Finally, elevate your foot as much as you can. Above your heart, especially at night. Gravity will help reduce the swelling by draining the excess fluids." Sarah nodded, again. "Make an appointment to come back in a week, so we can check your progress. To answer your unasked question, it takes anywhere from one to three weeks for a Grade 1 ankle sprain to heal. Follow R.I.C.E. and your body will do the rest. OK? Any questions?" Sarah shook her head.
"Will I need to use crutches?" She asked nervously.
"Right. Forgot about that. Sorry." Dr. Steenlage apologized. "Yes, you'll need crutches. We'll issue those to you from here, as well. Nurse Simmons will help you get them adjusted correctly for your height. Alright?"
"Yes, doctor. Thank you." Sarah said.
"You're welcome. Take care. Remember RICE." Sarah nodded. "We'll see you in a week. Until then, RICE and stay off of it as much as possible. Use the crutches. I know it's a hassle, but you'll heal faster if you do. And they'll help you avoid putting any more strain on your ankle. Keep an eye out for malicious pinecones." Sarah frowned, but signaled her agreement. He chuckled as he walked out of the room.
"OK, sit tight. I'll be back in a second with a bandage and some crutches. How tall are you?" Nurse Simmons asked.
"I'm 5 feet 9 inches." Sarah replied.
"OK. I'll get a set that'll be good for your height. From the information you gave us, you don't have any drug allergies, right?" Simmons asked. Sarah shook her head. The nurse nodded as she exited the room, leaving Sarah alone with Ellie and Devon, once more.
Ellie opened her mouth to renew questioning Sarah, when Nurse Simmons returned to the room.
"Full confession. I'd already gotten the bandage and took a guess on the crutches. Turns out I guessed right on the size. I left them at the nurse's station on my way back with Dr. Steenlage." Ellie looked a bit sheepish. "Tell you what, I'll let you guys stay in here and talk until we close. Just let me show Sarah how to wrap her ankle and get the crutches adjusted." She took a disposable cup out of a cabinet, filled it with water, and gave it to Sarah along with a couple of pills. "Take these ibuprofen capsules. Do you have some back in your room?"
"I think so, but if I don't, I'm sure one of my three suitemates does." Sarah responded. She swallowed the capsules with the water.
"OK, good. Take them for pain going forward." Simmons nodded. "Watch me wrap your ankle. Then I'll unwrap it and you can try and do it."
"Works for me." Sarah nodded. "I'll also say that one of my suitemates' mothers is a high school PE teacher and coach. She knows all about sprains and bandages."
"Boy, you're all set then." Simmons smiled. She proceeded to slowly wrap Sarah's ankle, making sure Sarah saw what she was doing every step of the way. After she was done wrapping and securing it, she had Sarah test it to make sure it was tight enough without being too tight. Sarah nodded that it was fine. At that point, Nurse Simmons unwrapped the ankle and had Sarah repeat the entire process. She checked the wrap, had Sarah test it, and checked it, again. She gave Sarah a thumbs up on her effort, who smiled at the praise. With the ankle secured, Simmons had Sarah stand on her good leg while she held the crutch under her arm on her injured side. The crutches were quickly adjusted and Sarah was all set with one good flesh-and-blood leg and two metal ones.
"You're good to go." Nurse Simmons smiled and took a business card out of her pocket. "Here's a health center card with an appointment on it for 4pm a week from today. Is that day and time OK?" Sarah nodded. "I took the liberty of putting my name and 'work' cell phone number on there, too. If your pain gets worse or anything seems wrong between now and your appointment time, give me a call and we'll figure it out. OK? Any questions?" Sarah shook her head. "OK then, it was nice to meet you Sarah. I'm sorry that it had to be under these circumstances, but you're young and strong. You should heal up just fine. Follow the RICE rules and you'll do great." She held out her hand.
Sarah shook the proffered hand. "Thank you, Nurse Simmons. Hopefully, there won't be any issues between now and next week. I'll see you then."
"Right, see you then. Bye, Sarah." Simmons smiled.
"Bye. And thank you." Sarah smiled back.
Simmons smiled and looked at Ellie and Devon. "I'll come back in a few minutes to get you, when it's time to close." Ellie and Devon nodded as Simmons left the room, again.
Ellie wasted no time. "So, did Chuck go to the game with Morgan and Alex? Or did they go alone?"
Sarah grinned. "Well, sort of." Ellie gave her a look. "We went as a group. The Songbirds, that is. Girls that have boyfriends brought them along. A few other friends. We sat together at the game. Morgan and Alex were there together. So was Chuck. He sat with me and my suitemates. My friends …" Sarah's eyebrows shot up. "Who are waiting for me out there right now. Damn." She frowned. This was an excellent opportunity to learn more about Chuck and she didn't want to miss it, but she didn't want to leave her friends hanging, either.
Ellie had a solution. "We can go out to the waiting area and tell them that we'll take you back to your dorm. They can go on back without you. That way we can continue our talk." Sarah looked like she was going to say something, but Ellie cut her off. "Don't worry. We have a car and can drive you. No need for walking. It's big enough for you to have the back seat all to yourself to rest your ankle. What do you say?"
Sarah thought for a minute. "They're going to want to talk about Chuck, too." Ellie smirked. "We all have a lot of questions." Sarah gave them a crooked grin.
"I just bet you do." Ellie snorted, but smiled. "But, would it be OK if we limited it to you and I talking this time? Do you know the questions they want to ask?" Sarah noticed that Ellie looked apprehensive all of a sudden. She was intrigued by Ellie's 'this time' comment. Did that mean there would be other times they could get together and talk? About Chuck?
"Sure, that would be fine with me. I think I know most of what they want to ask." Sarah nodded. She realized that she wanted to be the first one to hear about Chuck. "I'll fill them in on anything you allow me to, once we're done."
"Oh, Sarah. Getting done talking about Chuck will take us way more time than just a short ride back to your dorm." Ellie chuckled. "We can certainly get a good start, especially if you have time to sit and chat for a while." Sarah nodded. It did sound like there would be more Chuck talks in the future. "Great. Let's go meet your friends." All three students started to walk out of the examination room. As they exited the room, they saw Nurse Simmons coming their way.
"Oh, good. There you are. I was just coming to get you." She smiled. "It's time for the health center to close." She looked at Ellie and Devon. "And for your observation time to finish for the day."
"We were just going to meet up with my friends out in the waiting area." Sarah said.
"OK, you go do that." Simmons said, before focusing on Ellie and Devon. "Come back here, you two, in a couple of minutes. There's to be a debrief or recap or whatever you want to call it. Then you can go get on with your evening." Devon and Ellie nodded their understanding and they escorted Sarah back to the CATS.
Ellie was the first one around the corner when they entered the health center waiting area. Sarah followed behind, lagging a little as she worked on perfecting her rhythm with her crutches. Devon brought up the rear, ready to lend a hand to Sarah, in case she needed it. So, Ellie saw Sarah's friends, her roommates, first. They looked her way as her little group approached them. Ellie was a bit stunned. Sarah's friends were beautiful, putting the lie to myth that pretty girls only surrounded themselves with ugly friends to enhance their own looks. And the attention of any available men. Ellie knew immediately that Sarah and her friends owned any place they went together. The group consisted of a blonde, a brunette, and a redhead. She also knew the instant that they spotted Devon. As a group, their eyes widened and their looks of concern for Sarah and her crutches, changed into smiles. Predatory smiles. The three of them stood up and Ellie knew the redhead was trouble with a capital 'T'. Without a doubt. Sure, the other two girls were attracted to Devon. Hell, every red-blooded female with a pulse was attracted to Devon. But they tempered their interest, waiting to see what her relationship was with Devon before they made any moves. On the other hand, the redhead hardly acknowledged her existence. She took note of her, but kept her focus squarely on Devon. If he had been any other man, besides Chuck, maybe, Ellie would be worried, but Devon had already had this test and passed it with flying colors, more than once in the short time they'd been together. He was hers and she was his. No ifs ands or buts. It wouldn't hurt to let everyone know where things stood, so no one got the wrong idea. Or any unnecessary injuries. Ellie walked up to the waiting group and quickly checked behind her. Noting that Sarah had lagged further behind, along with Devon, she turned back and addressed the girls.
She smiled. "Hello, I'm a Stanford medical student on an observational assignment here at the medical center. My name is Eleanor Bartowski." Three pairs of eyes widened in shock and locked onto her. Good. "We're bringing Sarah back after her examination. The guy with her is another medical student, Devon Woodcomb." The three pairs of eyes switched their focus to Devon. Their smiles came back. She pulled the pin on her grenade. "He's also my boyfriend." The eyes jerked back to her face as their faces fell. Her smile vanished and her face grew serious. "He's mine. Forget what you're thinking. Mine." Ellie stared into the blue eyes of the redhead. "All three of you, at once. I'd win. No question. None. So, turn it off. And, maybe, we can be friends. OK?" The redhead started to smirk at her. Ellie just frowned and slowly shook her head, looking into those blue eyes the whole time, unblinking. The redhead finally swallowed and looked down, nodding. Ellie looked at the other two and they quickly nodded. Her mood instantly brightened and she smiled, once more. Any hint of tension gone from her face and body, completely. "You can call me Ellie." At that moment, Sarah and Devon finally arrived.
Sarah had heard the tail end of the exchange and smiled to herself. Chuck hadn't been kidding. Ellie Bartowski was a force of nature. Tasmanian Devil, indeed. She was glad that Carina had backed down, but she had to admit that part of her would have liked to see Ellie kick Carina's ass. Would serve her right for her incessant teasing and man-eating ways.
"Hey guys." Sarah leaned on her crutches and waved. "Look at me. The gimp." Sarah pouted.
"Hey Sar." "Blondie." "Jeez, Sarah. That sucks." Her friends responded.
Sarah nodded. "Yeah, well. It's only a Grade 1 sprain. Could have been worse. Much worse. So, if it had to happen, I'm lucky that it's the slightest sprain possible. Gotta do the RICE thing and behave for a while." She shrugged.
"Told ya." Zondra bragged. Sarah twisted her lips and shook her head at her friend.
"Since you've already met Ellie Bartowski … " Sarah gave an unmistakable look to her friends. "… And this is her boyfriend, Devon Woodcomb. Why don't you introduce yourselves to them?" She smiled. Ellie and Devon smiled, too.
"Amy Monroe," Amy smiled and reached out and shook hands with the couple.
"Zondra Rizzo," Zondra grinned and shook hands, too.
Carina hesitated for a second, earning her a look from both Sarah and Ellie. She smiled innocently. "Carina Miller." She got firm handshakes from both Ellie and Devon. Sarah took note of the fact that she didn't try any of her usual antics. Very wise.
"So, you're Chuck's sister?" Amy couldn't resist blurting out. Her friends groaned.
Ellie chuckled. "Yup. He's my baby brother. Although, he's such a damn giant I guess I should stop calling him my 'baby' brother." She smiled at the girls and noticed one of the security guards for the medical center hovering in the background. Sobering, she continued. "Sorry to have to break this off, but they want to close and lock up the center. Could we ask you to all exit the building?" The four girls nodded. "OK, great. Sarah, we'll go do our debrief and meet you back out front in a few minutes. Is that all right?"
"Sure, Ellie. No problem. I'll just wait outside on one of those benches. See you in a few."
Ellie nodded before turning to Sarah's friends. "Nice to meet you all. See you around." She and Devon waved as they turned back further into the building. "Bye." The CATS waved in return and then exited the building. Much to the relief of the waiting guard. As soon as they were out of the building, Carina turned to Sarah.
"What did she mean about meeting you out here in a few minutes, Blondie?" Carina questioned.
"Ellie and Devon invited me to ride back to the dorm with them. And I accepted." Her friends glared at her.
"What the hell, Sarah?' Zondra groused.
"You going to hog Chuck's sister all to yourself?" Amy pouted.
"Ellie and I agreed that we had more to talk about. We ran out of time in there because they had to close up." Sarah shrugged. "Them giving me a ride back to the dorm is a way for that talk to happen. Without all four of us trying to question her to death." More grumbling. "Look, I know you have questions about Chuck. We all do. I know you want a chance to talk to her, too. But she seemed a little hesitant. I think having all four of us grilling her might not be the best strategy to find out what we want to find out." Reluctant nods. "I have a pretty good idea of what you want to know. Or most of it, anyway. If I talk to her alone, we might find out some stuff and maybe, just maybe, get a chance to talk to her again. If all four of us were there and pushed too hard, she might cut us off and we lose the chance to learn anything from her for good." Frowns, but more nods. They really couldn't fault her logic. "If I play my cards right, we might even gain an ally and not an enemy in the search for the mysterious Chuck Bartowski." That got chuckles.
"HA. That sounds like one of those terrible reality shows where they're searching for Bigfoot or alien spaceships." Zondra said and then deepened her voice before continuing. "'The Search for the Mysterious Chuck Bartowski tonight at 8pm. Check your local listings.'" All four girls laughed together, before sobering.
"You going to be OK, Sarah? For real?" Carina asked.
"Yeah, I'll be fine. Don't worry about it." Sarah nodded, touched because she knew that her friends truly cared about her, despite their teasing. "Go ahead and drive back. I'll see you there soon. I'll use the elevator to get to our floor." The CATS nodded. "I need a shower and that's going to be a pain in the ass, but I'll figure it out. Would you wait for me, so we can all go down to dinner together?" She thought she sounded like she was pleading and it made her mad at herself.
"Yeah, we'll wait, Blondie." Carina confirmed. "We don't want you falling down and doing any more damage than you already have." Her smile turned evil. "It would break Chuck and he would never forgive us." Sarah glared at her. She dodged out of the way as Sarah swiped at her with one of her crutches, cackling the whole time.
Sarah grumped and hobbled over to the nearby bench, awkwardly flopping down onto it. She waved her hand dismissively. "Go on. Get out of here. If you want to tease an injured person. Go on. Git!"
"We'll see you in a few, Sarah. Bye." Amy waved.
"Yeah. See ya." Sarah replied before she remembered something. She called out and they stopped and looked back at her. "Whatever you do, if you see Chuck, don't tell him that I'm talking with his sister. At least not until we compare notes and figure out what to do with what she tells me. Oh! And don't tell him I sprained my ankle, either. OK?" Her friends nodded and gave her thumbs up while they crossed the parking lot to Amy's car and were gone.
Sarah sat on the bench and waited. Some of the health center staff exited the building and smiled sympathetically when they passed her. A few asked if she was waiting on someone to come pick her up or if she needed some help. She smiled at everyone and gave them assurances that she was fine and was waiting on a ride that would be there any minute. Sarah was thinking about what questions she had for Ellie and wondered what questions Ellie had for her, when a car pulled up and Ellie and Devon got out. Sarah waved and grabbed her crutches to get up. Ellie and Devon rushed to her side.
"Do you need any help?" Devon offered.
"No, thanks. I think I'm good." Sarah said as she hobbled over to the car, while Ellie and Devon walked on either side of her. Ellie quickened her pace and got to the car first, opening the rear door as she did so. Sarah hesitated, suddenly uncertain. Ellie noticed.
"Is something wrong, Sarah?" She asked.
"Well … um … I'm sweaty and dirty and I don't want to mess up your car. Do you guys have a towel or something?" Sarah bit her lip nervously.
"Don't worry about it." Devon waved off her concern. "That back seat has seen way worse than your little bit of dirt and sweat. A lot more." Devon grinned. "More sweat and everything." Ellie looked aghast at her boyfriend.
"Devon!" Ellie yelped, her face turning bright red. "Ignore him." She pleaded. Sarah blushed herself, but had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing at Ellie's discomfort.
"I wasn't even talking about that!" Devon protested.
"You just did." Ellie gave him a flat look. Devon started to respond. Ellie held up her hand. "Stop. Just stop. Help Sarah into the car and be gentle." Devon knew when not to poke the Ellie-bear and did as he was told. Once Sarah was safely in the backseat, Ellie wordlessly pointed to the driver's side of the car. Devon nodded and, after winking and grinning at Sarah, walked over and got behind the wheel of the car. Ellie twisted her lips and shook her head while she watched him follow her directions. She looked down at Sarah and they shared a knowing smile.
"If he wasn't my boyfriend, I'd donate his brain to science to find out what the hell is wrong with him." Ellie snarked. Sarah giggled.
"I heard that. I'm right here." Devon said from inside the car.
"Well, you'd do well to remember it then, wouldn't you?" Ellie retorted. She frowned and shook her head again as she closed the rear door. Sarah could tell Ellie's eyes were dancing. When Ellie went to open the front passenger door, Devon caught Sarah's eye in the rearview mirror and smirked and winked, again. Sarah smiled, having figured out that this kind of back-and-forth teasing banter was typical for Chuck's sister and her boyfriend. As soon as Ellie was seated, belted in, and the car door was closed, she turned around to resume her conversation with Sarah. "To save time, why don't you tell me the story of how you met Chuck and what's happened since then? We can trade questions after that. OK?" Sarah nodded her agreement.
"Chuck ran into our practice last Tuesday afternoon. He was being chased around campus by a bunch of baseball groupies. He called them baseball Annies." Ellie frowned and nodded. "There were some other curious students in the group and a newspaper reporter who wanted to know about why Chuck turned down the big offer from when he got drafted." Ellie clenched her teeth in anger. "Don't worry, we sent them all away empty-handed. Chuck hung out and studied while we practiced. After it was over, he asked to come back and study during our practice from then on." Ellie's eyes widened with surprise.
"That's it?" She questioned. "He asked. Just like that? And you said, yes?"
"Not exactly." Sarah shook her head. "He stuttered and stammered, but he finally got it out. We talked about it. The Songbirds talked; I mean. And we decided to let him stay. He seemed harmless enough. There are twelve of us, after all. After we agreed, he left. Ran off to one of his baseball practices." Ellie looked pensive, but nodded her encouragement for Sarah to continue. "He came back the next day and every weekday since. We invited him to dinner that Tuesday, but he told us that he had a dinner planned with you and Devon. One that he knew he shouldn't miss. Something about making you mad." Sarah smiled sheepishly and ducked her head.
"Yes, he did have dinner with us. I'll talk to him later about telling tales about his sister. In the meantime, I gather that he took you up on your dinner offer the next day."
"Yeah, he did. He brought along Morgan, as I mentioned before. We all had a good time eating together. Except … " Sarah hesitated about telling Ellie about the Jill incident.
"C'mon. Don't leave me in suspense now! What were you going to say? Except what?" Ellie asked with some excitement.
"Well … except that part of the way through dinner, some of those baseball Annies interrupted us. Their leader, a bi … uh … witch named Jill Roberts demanded to know why Chuck was avoiding her."
"It's OK. You can say bitch. I've known more than my fair share of them." Ellie cocked her head toward Devon. Sarah nodded her understanding. "What happened? What did Chuck do?" Ellie prompted.
"Chuck got up and faced her. Stood up to her." Sarah couldn't keep the pride out of her voice or the smile from her face. "He told her that she was a pest who was only interested in him because of the baseball offer. And that he wasn't interested in her and to please leave him alone."
Ellie's eyes widened in shock. "My brother? My brother, Chuck, stood up to a girl and told her off? All by himself? Did he stutter and stammer? What did this Jill person do? What did she say?" Ellie narrowed her eyes and looked at Sarah closely. "You helped him didn't you." She nodded to herself. "Yup, you did something to help him do it. What'd you do?"
"Yes, he did tell her off all by himself. Yes, he did stutter and stammer a little, but only at the beginning. Once he got going, the stuttering and stammered went away. I did help him, but only a little." Ellie smirked at Sarah's confirmation of her suspicion. "I touched his arm and smiled a 'you got this' smile just as he was getting up to confront Jill." Ellie nodded.
"So, what did she do?"
"She tried to call him out for hanging out with us. Telling him that we were losers for being in an acapella group. She implied that we were only being nice to him to get him like she was. She couldn't believe that Chuck wasn't falling down at her feet. He told her that we were his friends and that we were taking the time to get to know him where she only saw him as a 'walking dollar sign'. After he said his piece, he sat down and went back to eating. She left in a huff."
Ellie laughed and clapped her hands together. "Wow! I wish I could have seen that all play out. Way to go little brother. Thank you, Sarah."
"Thank me? Why are you thanking me? I didn't do anything."
"Oh, yes you did. I'm sure that you offering him encouragement at the beginning helped him get through it and do what he needed to do. So, thank you. Was that all there was to it? Did Chuck ever see Jill again?"
Sarah shook her head. "No, that wasn't all. Lots of people overheard what she said to him and about us. And how he stood up to her and defended us. Lots of people in the dining hall cheered and clapped for him. Ever since then people make a point of waving and talking to Chuck when he comes into the dining hall. Maybe even around campus, but I'm only guessing about that since I haven't walked with him to class or anything." Ellie's eyes were shining with pride at Sarah's description of the confrontation and the aftermath. "We did see Jill again, last Saturday after the football game. She was hanging all over one of Chuck's baseball teammates, the team captain, a guy named Daniel Shaw." Sarah's tone darkened.
"I'm guessing that there is another story there." Ellie pursed her lips and squinted at Sarah.
"Oh, yeah there's a story there. That's all part of what we were talking about earlier about Morgan and Alex and her being the daughter of their baseball coach." By this time, they had arrived back at Roble Hall and were parked. Devon turned around and joined Ellie in focusing on Sarah's story. "But that is a little farther into the story, so let me get back to right after Chuck told off Jill."
"What happened after that?" Ellie was loving Sarah's story about Chuck. She was so happy that it sounded like he was getting what he wanted by coming to Stanford. To make friends. It sounded, to her, like Chuck was making friends. Good friends. There was more to Sarah, too. Ellie wasn't sure Sarah even saw it and, if she did, whether she admitted it to herself or not, but Ellie saw it. Plain as day. Sarah Walker liked her little brother. A lot.
"After dinner, Chuck offered to help me with a project I had. A psychology project that dealt with testing using something called a Tower of Hanoi." Ellie couldn't keep the surprise off of her face when Sarah told her that fact. With her gentle prodding, Sarah told her about how Chuck had done a bunch of searching and found all sorts of information to help her in almost no time at all. She skipped over the part about how she and the CATS had snooped online to find out more information about Chuck.
"Wow. That's a lot for just a couple of days. Is there more?" Ellie exclaimed. "There's got to be more."
Sarah nodded. "Oh, yeah, there's more. Every day is sort of like that since Chuck's been around." Ellie snorted and shook her head, wondering just what adventures Chuck had gotten up to since he'd met the Songbirds. Sarah surprised her with a question of her own. "Ellie, can you tell me why Chuck stammers and stutters? And then doesn't? And then does, again?"
Ellie sighed. "I can do that if you answer me one more question." Sarah nodded. "When have you noticed him not stuttering?"
"Well, when he talks about baseball stuff, he doesn't stutter. When he talks about school stuff, he doesn't then, either. Talking with or about Morgan. Just talking with any of us, he doesn't stutter, usually."
"You said, usually. Were there times that Chuck was just talking with you that he did stutter?" Ellie watched Sarah intently.
Sarah thought about it, trying to focus on the conversations where Chuck stuttered or stammered and those where he didn't. She'd had an idea before, but sitting here with Ellie made her think about it some more. "When he talks about general stuff. Or about you or your parents and what they do, he doesn't stutter or anything. I think that the only time he's stuttered, including when we first met him, is when he's put on the spot socially. You know, social in a boy and girl kind of way. Then he stutters and stammers and seems lost somewhat."
Ellie nodded and sighed, again. She looked sad. "Yeah, I was afraid that's what you were going to say."
"Why? What's wrong?" Sarah couldn't keep the worry out of her voice.
"I won't tell you everything. I can't. It's Chuck's story to tell. Give him time. He'll tell it, I'm sure." Sarah started to protest, but Ellie held up her hand. "But I will tell you that Chuck has been away at school for a while. In more than one place, more than one school. He's not particularly shy or anything, but making friends at school was hard for him for a number of reasons that I won't go into either. Ask Chuck about that, too. Morgan is his only close, long-time friend." Ellie made a sour face, but continued. "The other friends he's made over the years were from baseball or swimming or Boy Scouts or other stuff like that. Friends that are only around when that activity is going on. When they're not playing baseball or swimming or doing Boy Scout stuff or whatever, those guys aren't around and Chuck is alone."
"Except for Morgan." Sarah smiled a sad smile.
"Right. Except for Morgan. That's one of the reasons I put up with Morgan's crush on me and being such a pest for so long. Chuck needs him so much." Ellie grimaced.
"So, when Chuck talks about wanting to be friends or one of the big reasons he came to Stanford was to make friends, he's really not kidding." Sarah pursed her lips and looked at Ellie.
"No, he's not. If he's hanging around twelve girls every day all by himself, he's definitely not kidding. I'm sure you mean a lot to him. A lot." She didn't bother to mention her theories about how much she thought Sarah, herself, meant to Chuck. Ellie twisted her lips and nodded. Her eyes were glistening with tears.
Sarah was indescribably sad. Her heart ached for Chuck. She couldn't imagine the loneliness he must feel. There were tears in her eyes that she was fighting to keep from shedding. Sarah wanted nothing so much as to just give him a hug and keep on hugging him. To take away his sadness and loneliness.
"So, he didn't graduate from Burbank High School last spring or play on their baseball team with Morgan, did he?"
"No, he … um … graduated from somewhere else." Ellie confirmed. "Again, his story to tell in his own time."
"Ellie, can I ask you about the headaches he gets?" Sarah bit her lip; unsure what Ellie would say. Ellie's eyes widened.
"You saw him have one?" She was incredulous.
"No, not exactly." Sarah shook her head. "He was getting one on that first day we met him. He hid while we were sending Jill Roberts and the others away. By the time he came out, he said his head felt better." She shrugged.
"That's good that he was able to fight it off and contain it. He'll have to give you the details about them, too. But I will say that he's always going a mile a minute and, if he's not careful, he starts getting those headaches. Kind of like migraines, but different." Ellie said. When Sarah gave her a questioning look, she shrugged. "That's more of Chuck's story for him to tell. I will say that he's not sick. No tumors or anything like that." A small smile. Sarah breathed a mental sigh of relief. "Now, can you tell more what happened after Chuck helped you with your project?" Ellie asked.
Sarah nodded. "Sure." She proceeded to tell Ellie and Devon about the practice the next day and the confrontation with their club advisor, Dr. Beckman. Ellie was very surprised, and a bit peeved, to find out that her mother had been in the Songbirds during her undergraduate days and she had never told Ellie anything about it. Sarah talked about dinner that night and how Chuck offered to help them raise money. How they called him their 'mascot.'
Ellie laughed and shook her head. "That's my brother. I'm not surprised at all. Willing to go to almost any length to help people out." She thought that Chuck was probably pleased to be the girls' mascot. It was obvious to her that he'd had a pretty big impact on the Songbirds in a very short time. And on Sarah.
Sarah recounted the details of Saturday evening. Dinner, the tailgating, the football game, and the eventful walk back to the dorm. Ellie laughed at the story of Carina trying to embarrass Chuck and marveled at how the girls had stood up for Chuck and cut the two baseball jerks off at the knees. Something told her that they hadn't seen the last of that Jill Roberts person. When Sarah told them about how Chuck had tutored two of the girls in physics, she nodded in satisfaction.
"That's not the first time he's helped people with their science or math or programming stuff. He's good at all of that and he has this ability to explain things in a way that people just understand." Ellie said.
Sarah nodded. "Ellie, is Chuck a genius or something?" Her face reddened a little bit. "Some of the girls were thinking that he is."
"Chuck is really smart." Ellie agreed. "More like an 'or something'."
"Let me guess. That's his story to tell." Sarah pouted. Ellie nodded and gave her a sympathetic smile.
Sarah continued her story about how Chuck had stood up to the ChoirBoyz leader, Bumper Allen, and chased him off without resorting to violence. She talked about how he'd brought vitamin water for them all yesterday to mark his 'one-week anniversary' of hanging out at their practice. Ellie chuckled and shook her head at her brother's gesture. So like Chuck, she thought. Ellie beamed when Sarah talked about how the two girls that he'd tutored had done well on their homework and thought they had done well on a test, too. Sarah finished her story by telling them about Bryce Larkin accosting her and her kicking his butt and how Chuck jacked him up and told him to leave her alone. When she talked about the campus police, Ellie's eyes narrowed in anger and concern.
"Did you get in trouble, Sarah? Did Chuck?" Ellie questioned.
"I didn't get in trouble with Dr. Beckman. I don't know about Stanford, yet, but Dr. Beckman didn't seem to think that I would. Self-defense and all that." Sarah replied. "I'm not sure about Chuck. I haven't talked to him since practice earlier today, so I don't know if he got in trouble with the baseball team or with the school, either." She finished a bit worriedly. Ellie didn't mention that she didn't think Chuck would get in trouble, either, because she didn't want to have to explain why she thought that. Another part of Chuck's story to tell for himself.
"Wow. That's a very eventful week." Ellie blew out a breath. "You make me curious about what will happen next with Chuck and you guys."
"Ha, yeah. It has been eventful. But fun, too. He's an interesting guy. Always nice to us and supportive. Seems to know just what to say to pick us up when we're down. We're glad we're getting to know him." Sarah said. She didn't say how frustrated they were that 'getting to know him' was taking so long and going so slowly. Sarah didn't think about how she felt about him and everything.
"He's a really good guy, even if he's my little brother." Ellie smiled. "He's juggling a lot, as you, no doubt, know, at least some of it. Give him a chance. You'll never meet a more loyal friend. Just look at him and Morgan. He's not a saint, he has a temper, you've seen that, but he'll do anything for his friends."
"Thanks, Ellie. We will. Give him that chance, I mean." Sarah nodded. "Thanks for taking the time to talk to me." She hesitated. "Could we exchange numbers, so, maybe, we can talk some more?"
"Sure. I'd like that." Ellie said. Oh, yeah, Sarah was more than just curious about Chuck, she thought to herself. They exchanged cell phone numbers.
"OK, I better go. My friends are waiting on me and I need to get a shower." Sarah wrinkled her nose. "Thanks for everything, Ellie. Nice meeting you, Devon."
"Nice to meet you, too, Sarah." Devon said, before he moved to get out of the car. "Let me get the door open and help you to get out, if you need it." Ellie smiled at his thoughtfulness.
As Devon jogged around the car to open the back door, Ellie spoke. "It was nice to meet you, Sarah. And to talk about Chuck. Something tells me that this won't be the last time we do this." She smiled gently. "Take care of your ankle."
As she got out of the car, Sarah paused. "I will, Ellie, thanks."
After Sarah was out of the car and operating on her crutches, Ellie rolled down the window. "I just thought about another question." Sarah looked at her. "What year in school are you, Sarah?"
"I'm a senior." Ellie's eyes widened in surprise. "I know what you're thinking. My friends are older than me. I graduated from high school when I was fifteen. Didn't turn sixteen until I was up here in school. Chuck and I are the same age. My birthday is November 10, five days after his. My friends tease me a lot, but they look out for me, too." Sarah smiled.
Ellie nodded. Interesting. "So, you're a bit of a genius yourself. You and Chuck should get along great." Ellie smiled when she saw Sarah's cheeks get a little pink. She thought of something to offer Sarah. "One more thing, Sarah. Figure out a way to get Chuck to tell you what his theme song is."
"His theme song?" Sarah looked puzzled.
"Yup. His theme song." Ellie nodded. "Trust me. It will explain a lot."
"OK? I guess?" Sarah looked confused. Ellie waved 'Bye' before she rolled up the window and they drove off, leaving Sarah to wonder why Chuck had a 'theme song', what it was, and how to get him to tell her.
A/N2: Chapter title comes from the song from the About A Boy Soundtrack. Not so much the lyrics of the song, but the title fits.
A/N3: Some people were wondering about Chuck lifting Larkin with one hand/arm in the last chapter. It is possible for a man to lift another with one hand. Takes strength, adrenalin, and technique. Drill instructors everywhere know this technique. Larkin is shorter and weighs less than Chuck. Chuck is also stronger, not that his relative strength factors into it. Chuck's strength matters, yes, just not his strength relative to Larkin's. There is a technique which utilizes the hand and the forearm like a powerlifter. With his anger and adrenaline flowing, Chuck could lift Larkin long enough to shake him, say his piece, and put him back down.
A/N4: Stanford Weekly TMI Installment - Vaden Health Center is the real student health center on Stanford's campus. In case anyone out there knows, the real hours for the center are 7:45am to 7:45pm Monday thru Thursday. It's only on Friday that they close at 5:00pm. I took artistic license by having them close at 5:00pm on a Wednesday (October 9 was a Wednesday in 2019, the calendar I'm using for this story per a previous A/N which y'all read, right? Right?). Don't yell at me. The line to get an artistic license is even longer than the line at the DMV and the clerks there are even ruder, if that's possible.
A/N5: WillieGarvin is back on the chain gang beta-ing my cascade of words. Many, many thanks for all you do, my friend, helping my sorry ass out and producing amazing fiction in your own right, which just hit the amazing milestone of releasing chapter 100.
A/N6: Thank you for reading. Please drop me a PM or leave a review. Let me know what you think.
A/N7: If you enjoy Chuck fan fiction here on the fanfic site, go over to Facebook and join the Chuck Fanfiction group that's there. You'll find nice folks who share your interest in our favorite spy couple. You are not alone.