-1All Hail the Heartbreaker
It's not like I think about you constantly
At the end of the week, Matt shows up for his daily visit and finds Tyra in a terrible mood. She bites out a greeting and then turns her attention back to a Jerry Springer rerun. He tries to make conversation, but she responds only in monosyllables or murmurs and he quickly gives up. A half hour passes and, frustrated, he stands up and shuts the television off.
"Excuse me." Tyra looks askance at him. "I was watching that."
"You could care less whether or not that girl is sleeping with her uncle," he tosses out, disgusted both with the show and her behavior. "Come on, Tyra, we've been through this. You and me are friends. What's got you acting like such a -"
He stops himself, but Tyra arches her brows just the same. "A what? Come on, say it." His gaze cuts away from hers. "I'm a bitch. I'm pretty sure I warned you."
"You're not a bitch," he argues tiredly. "You're just acting like one."
"Well, nobody's making you stay," she snaps, and keeps her eyes trained on the blank screen when he gets up and leaves the room.
It can't be a good sign that this is the second time in a week he's needed to bang his head on a hospital wall, but Matt wants to do just that. Instead, he just slumps against it. Spending five minutes with Tyra is like playing football; he zigs and zags all over the field, but he can't get anywhere.
Tyra's nurse strolls by and gives him a sympathetic glance. "She kick you out, too? Don't worry, honey, she's been in rare form today. I can't tell you how happy it'd make me if that sister of hers had come to collect her."
"Sister? Collect?" He feels like he's two steps behind. "I'm sorry, ma'am, I don't follow."
"She was supposed to be released today at noon, but -" the nurse drops her voice, "The sister didn't show. We couldn't let her leave without supervision."
Matt sighs. "That explains a lot." He's quiet for a moment. "I know it's not, uh, conventional, but would it be possible for me to take her home? I'm a good driver and I'm very responsible. Her sister probably just got caught up at home, she's got two kids, so you know, it's hard."
The nurse regards him seriously, them she seems to melt. "Honey, you're just as sweet as you look. I'll get the paperwork taken care of and you just get her ready to go, how 'bout that?"
Relief washes over him. "That would be great, ma'am. Thank you so much, I will have her out of your hair in no time at all. And I'm real sorry for any ... trouble she's given you. Tyra can be, uh, difficult, but ... she's not a bad person."
The nurse pats his cheek. "Whatever you say, dear. I'll meet you out front at the car."
"Great. The car." He waits until she's moved down the hall, then hurries to the pay phone. Two minutes and a dozen promised favors later, Landry is on his way and Matt is striding back into Tyra's room. "All right, Collette, let's get you out of bed."
She smirks. "I think you got the line confused. It usually involves getting me in bed."
Matt doesn't give her the satisfaction of blushing. "Nice. Come on, I'm serious."
"In case you haven't noticed -" she begins hotly.
He interrupts before she can work herself into a tantrum. "Look, I know your sister didn't show. I talked to the nurse and she's gonna let me take you home. Landry's on his way so I can borrow his car. It's all set, okay?"
Tyra stares at him for a long time - so long, in fact, that Matt begins to get nervous. She's looking at him like he's a total stranger. "You're -" She stops, clears her throat. "You don't have to, you know."
"I know." He smiles, relieved that she's not going to fight him. "I want to."
XXX
Tyra accepts the mandatory wheelchair ride with the grace of a queen and, once seated in the car, thanks the nurse profusely for everything. The older woman has the decency to wait until the passenger door is shut to hiss, "Boy, did you slip her more meds? 'Cause I could get in trouble for that."
Matt chuckles. "No, ma'am. I think she's just happy to be out of here."
"Mm-hmm." She sighs, then eyes him appraisingly. "You're a pretty good friend to this girl, Matt Saracen."
"Yes, ma'am." He shrugs. "When she lets me be."
He ducks into the car to avoid any further questioning and glances over at Tyra. "You ready?"
"Hell, yeah," she enthuses, wiggling in her seat like a little kid. "I haven't had fresh air in a week. Seven whole days, Matt." Even as she's speaking, she's rolling down the window and breathing in deeply. "It's crazy, what you take for granted until you can't have it. "
"I guess," he mumbles, risking a glance at her.
Her blonde hair is flying in the wind, there's a smile on her face a mile wide, and even though there's a lingering bruise on her cheek and her arm is still in a sling, it's the happiest he's ever seen her.
"What?" she laughs, catching his stare.
"Nothing." Matt shakes his head, looks at the road again. "Nothing at all."
Tyra stares back at him, then smiles. "You're a strange one, Matt Saracen. How do you always keep so quiet?"
He shrugs. "Get used to it, I guess."
"I guess, I guess," she mimics, rolling her eyes. "God, Matt, for a smart boy, you sure don't know an awful lot."
"Hey, I know a few things," he protests.
"Oh, yeah?" She's teasing him, poking at his midsection. "Like what?"
"Like ..." He hesitates, then figures what the hell, she's injured and it's probably the only time he'll have any kind of advantage. "Like I've never seen you smile like that before."
"Well, my, my, Saracen." If he'd chanced another look, he would've seen the blush crawling up her neck, but Matt averts his eyes at her casual tone. "You sure are getting brave."
"What can I say," he mumbles, mentally waving good-bye to the smooth declaration he'd envisioned. "Hanging out with you has thickened my skin."
She goes quiet for a minute, watching him. He was born to be a hero, she thinks. He's got the quiet strength, the humble streak, and of course, his downfall - he can't stand to see anyone suffer. She's never been attracted to anyone noble before, but a lot of things are different now.
"Well," she finally says, reaching out with her good arm to touch his shoulder. "Don't change too much. I like you just the way you are."
XXX
"You are so in love with her."
Matt scoffs. "She needed a ride, Landry. What was I supposed to do?"
"Landry, I need your car right away." The boy adopts a falsetto tone. "This incredibly hot girl needs my help and I want to be there for her because I'm just such a nice guy."
"I don't sound like that," is Matt's only defense.
"No, you sound more like this." Landry's whipping noise is realistic enough to have Matt shaking his head. "You are, man. You're whipped. And the saddest part is, you're not even getting any."
"We're just friends," Matt says for the hundredth time, and sends up a silent prayer that eventually he'll believe it himself.
Landry leans back in his seat, nodding slowly. "You are so in love with her."
With a groan, Matt buries his head in his hands and doesn't bother to deny it again.