The Ties that Bind
Chapter 5
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the Brooke's and Clarke basically.
A.N. Yes I know, you don't have to say it. However I do feel the need and desire to apologize profusely for the fact that I haven't updated in what seems to be forever. This is what happened: I had seven chapters on my iPod and then I had to have it replaced. Then there was school and the recent publishing of Unforeseen Circumstances has been holding me back. However when the Star Wars plot bunny ate me I was pulled back to this one and I plan on updating at least once every two weeks. As always let me know of any errors as I do read all reviews and I will fix something when you point it out to me.
Rhodey POV
There was a reason I hated hospitals. This was one of them. This place was the ultimate hell, after having to take about a quarter hour to separate myself from Madeline, which I really didn't want to do in the first place. It broke my heart to see her so afraid at some inner demons I couldn't help her fight. Now, I was sitting through some God awful medical jargon I didn't understand about my minor concussion when all I really wanted to do was go find my Maddy. Some part of my mind told me that calling her mine was going a little too far as I'd known her for all of about 3 days but I couldn't help it. I needed to be with her and protect her as much as I needed air in my lungs and sunlight on my skin.
After I'd been discharged I went to the front desk to find out where they were keeping Maddy. It had taken myself, Allison and Clarke to get Maddy to let me go after we'd gotten out the elevator and all the commotion had died down. Then again, I hadn't wanted to let go of her especially either. It took me about five minutes to find the room and the sight on the inside broke my heart. Inside the room was the doctor, Clarke, Allison and Madeline. Except Madeline was trembling against the back wall as the doctor, Allison and Clarke tried to calm her down. When Allison saw me in the door way she quickly grabbed my arm ushering me in. She pulled on my arm to get me to lean down, "James you have to help her, you're the only one who can calm her down." Allison's voice held a note of desperation that I could only relate to as fear for her sister.
A quick glance at Madeline told me that I was probably their last option. Her wrist hadn't been bandaged yet which was a bad sign if there was any ligament damage that needed to be seen to. I exhaled slowly and walked carefully over to her, when I was at about an arm's length away I slowly dropped down into a crouch in front of her. She had her knees pulled to her chest and her arms wrapped around them with her head down. "Maddy Honey, you okay?" The calm of my voice surprised even me. We all watched with cautious optimism as she slowly lifted her head to look at me. I carefully manuevered so that I was sitting next to her. After a careful moment of deliberation she slowly leaned her head on my shoulder and closed her eyes.
And that was probably the worst part of it all.
She wasn't pushing me away or pulling me closer, just resting as if I was some Adonis that could make everything better for her with just a touch. In the back of my head I'm vaguely aware that Adonis was not the person I was going for but it worked and I was too damned lazy to go find out who I was supposed to be referring to.
After another couple of minutes I took a deep breath and leaned my head against her, she didn't seem to really notice. I looked up and briefly caught the looks of both Allison and the doctor and received from both. Bringing my attention back to Maddy I nudged her lightly and leaned down whispering, "Maddy, you really should let the doctor take a look at your wrist. After, we can go grab something to eat and relax for the next century." My remark gained a small smile, which I considered to be the first step up the mountain.
After a couple more minutes and countless steps I convinced her to sit up on the table and let the doctor examine her. Five minutes after that the doctor declared that there was no ligament damage and the diagnosis was a sprained wrist. An ice pack and a clean bandage later we were ready to leave. Madeline seemed to have calmed down quite significantly which made things much easier. Her reaction to the situation seemed to be more than just the shock that an average person would go through. Not that the situation did not grant quite a bit of mental stress but it just seemed like that wasn't the only thing she was reacting to. My hypothesis made me go back to my earlier thought that someone had hurt her. This, of course made my vision turn red before I could get a hold of my emotions.
As we walked out of the hospital I had to call Tony to come pick me up because my car was at the Double Brooke Hydraulics building. It was late afternoon, early evening and the sky was clear, not a cloud in sight. I was just about to catch up to Madeline and Clarke when a hand caught my bicep. Turning, I came face to face with Allison who was currently worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. "She's going to be fine Allison, you heard the doctor." Her expression told me that wasn't what was worrying her, "You're a good man James Rhodes, you really are..." As her sentence died off I raised an eyebrow but she simply shook her head. Stopping for a moment I then turned and began to walk away.
"You can't leave her James."
Those words broke my heart.
I turned to face Allison who was still looking at me with that worried expression. She looked up at me and met my gaze, her eyes seemed like they had seen more than their fair share over the years. She took a deep breath, "You can't leave her, you're the first person other than Clarke and I to be so kind to her. It would break her heart if you left." After she had finished I glanced from Allison to Madeline and back again. "I'm not leaving," my voice was clear as I spoke. "I'll stay with her until she tells me to leave."
My answer seemed to satisfy Allison because after a moment she nodded, and we went to go catch up with the rest of them. I smiled lightly as I watched Clarke drape an arm over Allison's shoulder and press a kiss into her hair. They complemented each other in a way that only lovers could. I felt a hand take mine and pull me away from the couple and looked down in surprise at Madeline. As soon as she noticed my gaze on her she blushed, releasing my hand and I immediately missed the feeling. Somehow, even though I knew there was no reason for it, it felt right.
After a moment or two of silence Madeline stopped and looked up at me. She had the most beautiful eyes I'd ever seen. They were different then Allison's just because they were hers. "Thanks you… James. For everything, I honestly don't know what I would have done without you… back there." Sweet Jesus her voice was doing things to my body that it had no right to do given the circumstance. I smiled softly and shook my head. "There's no need to thank me Madeline. It was the right thing to do… In fact, it was the only thing to do." We walked in silence for another two minutes. There was so much I wanted to say but nothing was coming out. It was as if my body didn't want to disrupt the bliss.
Before it came into eyesight I could hear Tony coming. The stereo blazing with the crappiest music I'd ever heard and the car's tires skidding on asphalt. Realizing my time with Madeline was running short panic began to creep up my spine. When would I get to see her again? There really wasn't reason to, but there was no way I couldn't not see her again. My next actions were probably the worst thing to do given the circumstance but I couldn't stop myself. Without thinking I leaned down and caught Maddy's lips with mine. In the background I could hear Allison's gasp and Tony's care but I really didn't care about them. What did catch my attention was the tensing in Madeline's shoulders. Realizing my mistake I pulled back and tripped over my words of apologize. The next thing that happened would be etched into my brain until the day I died.
She laughed.
She actually laughed.
Let me tell you. The sound of her laugh was the best thing I'd ever heard before. It was also the thing I least expected. I looked down to see her smiling at me, a faint blush on her cheeks. Without a word she slipped a piece of paper into my pocket, "Your ride is here." I turned to see Tony pulling and waved to him. When I turned back around Madeline had re-joined Allison and Clarke. She waved at me sending a small smile my way before turning and walking away. Smiling like I hadn't done in a while I slipped the piece of paper into my pocket and got into Tony's car. Man, what a day.
A.N. Sorry for the delay. I know this chapter was kind of a filler one as I'm still trying to get back the rhythm of this story. On the bright side I think this is my longest chapter so far. *yay party!* As always, please R&R! Thanks!