A/N: You guys are great. I love the response, and hopefully you'll love the chapter (and the rest of the story too!).
Chapter 12 – Room 224
It was just about ten o'clock when Reid was getting Isobel situated back in her hospital bed. He despised the fact that he had to leave her again, and probably wouldn't be able to see her until tomorrow afternoon. He had obligatory swim practice to make up for the last few days that he missed.
He pushed her hair out of her face and left a kiss on her forehead, "I had a really great time tonight," She smiled at him. "And your friends," She casted him a short glance, "Are incredible."
"They are pretty incredible, aren't they?"
Isobel nodded her head and Reid held on to her hand, sitting in his spot at the edge of her bed. They had all played a round of pool against each other, talked, ate, drank… and just had a really great time. For the first time, in a long time, Isobel felt like a real teenager. She felt like a real person, and she felt like she had real friends.
"So I get out of here on Monday," She informed him a cute little smile resting on her pink lips.
"Going back to Florence?" He asked her carefully.
"Yeah," She nodded her head quietly.
"You going to be ok going back there?"
"Yeah," She assured him with a small smile, though she wasn't sure to be honest.
"Is someone coming to pick you up to bring you back to the dorms?" He watched her, worry etched in to his face as she hesitated.
Looking down at their hands she shook her head, "No," licking her lips she continued, "I was going to just call a cab –"
Reid shook his head, "No way, I am not letting you catch a cab…" She furrowed her brow. "I'll come pick you up,"
"Reid, you have swim practice after school," She indicated.
"That's alright, I'll skip it… and I'll pick you up and bring you back to your dorm."
"I can't let you do that…"
"I can't let you take a cab, and that overrules me skipping practice, coach will live."
Isobel gave up, defeated, she wasn't used to people helping her, or taking charge or arguing with her over what she was going to do. She had come to rely on herself and herself only. Especially these days.
"You're incredible Mr. Garwin, do you realize that?"
"I've been told a time or two…" He grinned at her, his tone was playful. She laughed and gave him a small slap in the chest. "Look, my birthday is next week…"
She sobered up a little bit and looked at him, "How come you didn't tell me?"
"I just did…" He pointed out.
"I meant when you were here?"
"I don't know… the thought slipped my mind."
It hadn't. He couldn't forget that his birthday was next Friday, not only just his birthday, his eighteenth birthday. His Ascension, but he couldn't exactly tell her that, now could he? No of course not, because they had to keep their amazing abilities a secret. And what sucked even worse was that after he ascended, anytime he used after that it took away parts of his life.
The Garwin line was known for being addicted easily. He had calmed down his using a lot, especially after the entire Chase incident. It scared him out of his wits, almost losing not only Pogue and Kate, but Sarah and Caleb as well. He wasn't willing to risk that.
And now. Now he had someone. Now he had a girl to protect, someone to look after him, someone to curve his craving to use the seductive power.
She shook her head, "You're incredible, and you're terrible…"
"An interesting combination, no?"
She couldn't help but grin back at him; she pulled his face closer to hers and kissed him.
"I'm having a huge party, and I really, really want you to come… if you're up for it." He gave her those sad baby blue eyes, "The birthday boy needs a date…"
Isobel laughed, "And risk losing you to some rich, blond, fake Spenser brat, I wouldn't miss it for the world,"
Reid kissed her again, "I'll let you rest, but I'll be up tomorrow,"
"You don't have to – "
"I want to," He cut her off.
She smiled and pulled him in to a long, warm kiss. Reid smiled against her lips, "Get some rest, ok?"
She nodded her head and watched him leave, feeling her heart beat quicken as soon as he left the room.
Isobel found that the weekend went just as quickly as it had come. She sighed heavily resting back in her bed the following Monday. She had been excited to see Reid Saturday when he came to see her. She had loved his company, and he had taken her out to the courtyard.
They had a picnic for lunch, and just talked. Like they were old friends, holding hands and sneaking kisses in whenever possible. Sunday he was able to snag another night pass, and she was out with him at Nicky's with his friends again, and then on the shore, taking a long walk.
He didn't want to leave her that night, and he had told her so. He contemplated staying the night in the single bed that was in the room, and skipping school. Isobel refused, she told him he was missing too much school and he needed to go.
But here she sat, alone on Monday morning, anticipating the afternoon when Reid would come and pick her up. She was dreading going back to Florence, but loved the idea out getting out of the hospital.
She was afraid of the rumors that were spread about her; she was worried about the way people would look at her. More importantly, of all the work she had missed. They had tried to keep her up to date over the last couple of weeks, but it was nearly impossible between her treatments, and her two attempts.
Late that afternoon she was packing up the last of her things, the door opened and a pair of arms wrapped around her middle. She smiled leaning back in to him, his chin resting on her shoulder.
"I missed you," He whispered softly in to her ear.
"Mmm, missed you too…" She mumbled a fluttering feeling in the pit of her stomach. His touches drove her insane.
"Ready to get the hell out of here?" He asked.
She turned around in his arms, her brown eyes wide, "You have no idea,"
"Good," He grinned pressing those thin, perfect lips to hers.
He grabbed her duffel bag; she slipped her book bag over her shoulders. Reid gracefully pulled her smaller hand in to his and intertwined their fingers. She stopped them at the door and smiled looking back at the two empty beds.
"Neither of us is ever going to have to see this room again," Reid whispered pulling her in close to his side. He pressed a kiss to her temple and she smiled nodding her head.
Room 224, she glanced at the number on the door. A number she would never forget, she told herself; the place where she had met her boyfriend, the place where her life seemingly turned around, and the place where she had let her guard down and let her self fall.
Reid gave her hand a tug and she followed behind him. She had signed all of her papers for her discharge, and she was free to go. She received goodbyes from every person on that floor. She and Reid made their exit and he happily tossed her bag in the backseat of the black Hummer.
The blonde slid in to the driver's seat, she glanced over at him, a genuine smile on her face. She couldn't remember the last time she had been this happy. She glanced down at her lap, and her gaze shifted to her legs.
It had been a long time, a very long time. Before she found out about the cancer, before she started harming herself. All before the doctors ran so many tests, and the school started talking about her.
All of this, she shook her head. It had happened just before her father decided that he was going to run for Governor. Before her mother's socialite status was miffed by alleged infidelities. Before the girls at school started spreading rumors about her, about her boyfriend at the time. Rumors that she had found out weren't just rumors, they were the truth.
The first boy that she had trusted with her heart, the first one, decided to snatch it up, rip it in half and give it back to her. With a simple apology and leaving with his new girl. The thought left a filthy taste in her mouth.
Her face distorted and she tried to push it away.
"You ok?" Reid casted a glance over at her, she looked up and realized that the hospital was in the distance now.
She met her boyfriend's gaze and nodded her head, "I'm fine, sorry…"
"Why are you sorry?" He asked one hand on the steering wheel the other searching for a free hand to hold on to.
Isobel slipped her hand on top of his and laced their fingers. He wasn't wearing those god awful gloves on his hands. She loved the feeling of his soft, pale skin on hers.
"I was thinking, I wasn't paying attention to you…"
Reid laughed and brought her hand to his mouth, placing a gentle kiss over her knuckles, "You can ignore me all you want, as long as you're thinking about me…" He lifted an eyebrow in question.
She blushed shyly and shook her head, "I was thinking about… something else…"
"Another guy?" Reid asked treading carefully over the subject.
"Kind of,"
"Oh really?" His tone as somewhat hurt and she immediately regretted it.
"Not like that," She tried to assure him. "I was thinking about an ex-boyfriend," Her voice was sad, but as soon as she said it she regretted it again.
Reid stared over at her and then snapped his attention back to the road, he loosened his grip on her hand, "Well,"
"No," She shouted shaking her head violently. "I didn't mean like that, I didn't mean it in a good way…" She grabbed his arm with both of her hands. "Reid, I promise… I wasn't thinking like that… I just…" She bit her bottom lip. "I was thinking about everything that happened before this…"
He looked over at her, held her gaze, which made her a bit nervous since he was driving, but she didn't want him to stop looking at her. She wanted him to see that she was telling the truth, she wasn't thinking good things about her ex.
"Tell me," Was all he said.
"I…" She took a deep breath. "I just realized that this is the first time in a long time that I've been genuinely happy."
She saw the smile tug at Reid's lips and felt a bit of relief.
"I haven't felt like this since before I found out I had cancer…" She bit her bottom lip. "Before I was with Vince, and before my father decided he wanted to run for governor."
"Who's this Vince guy?"
"My ex-boyfriend," She looked out the window, away from Reid. "He was the first guy that I dated after I found out about the cancer." She licked her lips, stealing a glance at him. "And I let myself fall for him," Reid looked at her, swallowing hard. "He uh, he was perfect at first y'know? He did everything right…"
Kind of like Reid was doing now, she noted. She shook her head, Reid was nothing like Vince. Vince was a complete asshole. Vince used you to show off to his parents, and then was screwing some girl behind your back.
"Most of the time when we went out it was with his parents, or to functions with both of our parents." She sighed heavily. "His father is the governor of Massachusetts right now… my father's role model, sorta-say." She shook her head. "My father loved that, ate it up for publicity… so did Vince and so did his father."
"Oh God," Reid saw right where this was going.
"He was using me," Isobel bit her bottom lip, trying to hold back the tears. "I fell in love with him, and he used me for his own gain." She didn't dare look at him now, the tears brimming her eyes. "I lost my virginity to him, and I find out that not only does the entire school know…" She scoffed. "But then I find out that he's screwing around behind my back with the schools biggest slut."
"What an asshole," Reid muttered angrily slamming his hands down on the steering wheel.
If he ever got his hands on this Vince guy, Governor's son or not, Reid was going to beat the shit out of him. He tightened his grip on Isobel's hand. He gave her a small, encouraging smile and she sighed.
"I asked him about it, told him I didn't want to see him anymore… he used it against me. He told me he'd tell my father that he 'de-flowered' his little princess." Isobel shuddered at the feeling. "So instead, I told my dad what happened…" She couldn't fight the tears. "He laughed, and told me that all members of the political party do things they don't want to. He told me to keep dating Vince; it would look good for the family…"
Reid's mouth fell open; he was beginning to hate her parents more and more, "Can you believe that? He told me to forget it and just keep dating him…"
"I'm not sure who the bigger asshole is…" Reid managed.
"So I dumped him, right in front of both of our families…" She smirked at the memory. "It was finally the firs thing I had done for myself in a long time." She moistened her lips again, "My father about died… when I told his father what happened, I found out that they had forced him to stay away from Amber, and he was using me as a smokescreen."
Reid shook his head and rubbed his thumb over her knuckles, "I'm sorry that happened to you, Iz…"
She smiled over at him, "Me too, but you know what…" She whispered.
"What?" He asked.
"If this hadn't of happened…" She leaned over the center console to get closer to him. "I would have never met you," She placed a kiss at the corner of his mouth and he smiled.
"I feel the same exact way," He stated briefly turning his head so that he could kiss his girlfriend before turning in to Florence Academies Dormitory parking lot.
I love fluff, and Isobel and Reid. And I love Tyler too. LOL (don't ask me where the I love Tyler came from. I just do) Anyway, please review, because I seriously love IT in the worst way.