Chapter Ten 'Persuasion'
Gar trotted down the long sidewalk to the entrance of the Canyon Recovery Center. He could feel more of a skip in his step this morning as he held a present covered in silver wrapping paper tucked tightly under his arm. He just couldn't wait to see the look on Rachel's face when she peeled off the wrapping to see the book.
"Hey Gar!" Nurse Bee chirped from over her desk. "What doyou have there?" She asked as Gar pulled the giant glass door open.
"Huh, oh this?" Gar asked as he held up Rachel's present. "It's for Rachel." He watched as Nurse Bee eyed him skeptically before speaking up again. "It's a book, by Stephen King? She wanted his newest book seeing how she can't leave so I just thought it would be nice of me to…"
Nurse Bee chuckled a bit and held up her hand indicating for him to stop talking. "Alright Gar, you can go on up. I'm sure they've been expecting you."
Gar flashed a big smile before bolting down the hallway and up the first flight of stairs. At the rapid speed he was running he could have outran any animal he could think of and before he knew it he was facing Rachel's door. He could barely contain himself while he knocked on her door. The force that he hit the door with rang through the hallway with an annoyingly loud bang.
"Rachel!" Gar chorused happily. "Wakey, wakey, time to come out and…Rachel?" Gar asked pressing his ear to the door.
"Garfield what are you doing at this time in the morning?" Rachel asked as she pulled her door open, which of course caused Gar to come tumbling into her room due to the fact that he was propping himself up on the door while he tried to listen in to what she had been doing.
Gar quickly stood up as he rubbed his head with his free hand. "I was just coming by, I was scheduled for morning duty today," he announced happily. "Anyway, I was um…here." He thrust his hand holding the beautifully wrapped present out towards the dark girl.
"What's this?" Rachel asked staring at the present as if it were a bomb that would explode as soon as she took hold of it.
"It's a gift," Gar answered as if the answer was very simple. "For you." He quickly shoved the present into her arms before she could protest.
Rachel stared at him confused. "But…why? It's not my birthday or-."
"I know," Gar answered rolling his eyes as if he was actually annoyed with her. "It was just something I thought you would like. I can take it back if you don't like it but you have to open it first."
Rachel glared at him as if she didn't know why he bothered. "Fine, I'll open it if it means that much to you," she commented dryly.
Gar smirked as he watched her peel off the metallic colored paper probably more carefully then he had ever seen anyone open a gift. Slowly she pulled the paper aside to reveal the front cover of the book. At that point she didn't seem to care about how carefully she unwrapped the present. Rachel tore off the rest of the warping paper and let it fall to the floor.
Gar watched intently as a smile formed on the violet haired girl's lips. This wasn't one of her rare ghost smiles this was actually a genuine smile that she was displaying. "So…do you like it?" He asked tentatively.
Rachel looked up at him seeming as if she was being pulled back into reality. "Yes, I…thank you," she breathed in barely a whisper.
Gar smiled. He couldn't help himself, she just looked so…happy. Well, happy for her anyway. "Eh, it was nothing." He waved his hand as if it was just something small he did for everyone. "I'm glad you like it though. I wasn't really sure where to find it, but I went to this cool little antique book store thing and they had it. I really think you'd like it there. Hey, do you think they'd let me take you there?"
Rachel looked startled by this comment. "I don't know Gar. I mean it's very…nice of you to do all of this for me but I don't think they're going to allow me to accompany you to a book store without a chaperone," she replied setting the book down on her bed before pulling up a chair for herself to sit on. Apparently the crazy person down the hallway brought it back or at least that's what Gar was assuming. He didn't entirely feel like changing the topic.
"Rachel, Rachel, Rachel," Gar said as he shook his head. "You're forgetting that while I'm here, I am technically a chaperone. So as long as I ask permission from Nurse Bee I don't see why I couldn't take you out to a bookstore for an hour or two."
"Really?" Rachel asked skeptically. "Because I thought you were just here for community service? And you're basically told to do the jobs that the Nurses hate doing. I hate to tell you but I don't think that includes-."
"Well, we won't know until I asked will we?" Gar asked as he threw himself down on her bed without even bothering to ask. Rachel was tempted to yell at him to move but after everything he'd done for her she decided she could tolerate him sitting on her bed for one visit.
Rachel shrugged, "If you really want to take me out that badly I guess you can ask."
Her words hung in the air while Gar wrapped his brain around what she had just said. Take me out. He would have loved to take her on a date but he didn't entirely think that was what she had meant. Still, the idea was very tempting to him.
"Good I will and I'm not going to take no for an answer. Tomorrow you and I are going to that bookstore," he answered a little bit too flirtatiously.
Rachel merely rolled her eyes at him. "Well tell me all about the place, what's it look like?"
"Well they have these annoying bells that jingle when you come in, they kind of scared me," Gar laughed. "And there are like rows and rows of books, I'm pretty sure even you haven't read them all. Oh and also…"
"Friend Gar please tell me did Rachel enjoy her book?" Kori asked as she gazed at him with such excitement in her eyes.
Gar shared back and forth at his three friends sitting on each of Kori's comfy pink chairs. Each of them had attacked him with questions as Gar walked into Kori's room. Only Kori's had made it through to his brain though.
"Uh, yea, she loved the book Kori. Thanks for you help," Gar answered flashing the auburn haired girl a smile which she returned quickly.
"You are most welcome friend!" Kori answered happily.
Gar continued to look around at each of them confused. "Dude, I hate to sound weirded out by you guys but what is this, another intervention?"
"Kind of," Vic answered but he was smiling so Gar didn't think the news they were about to tell him could be that bad. "Actually it's more like an intervention to tell you to forget about the last intervention."
"What?" Gar asked obviously confused.
"In other words you really seem to being doing a lot of good with Rachel and we just wanted to apologize for thinking it was a bad idea to begin with," Dick chimed in.
"And we do hope you and our new friend Rachel will be happy together!" Kori added.
Gar stared at each of them still seeming slightly confused. "Well, thanks guys…I think. I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow," he replied cockily.
"What's tomorrow?" Vic asked.
"Tomorrow," Gar began as he leapt on top of one of Kori's chairs, standing on it proudly, "Is the day I take Rachel out! Don't worry, it's not a date or anything so don't get your hopes up. But we're going to that bookstore that I found. It's like three blocks from here but I figured…why are you looking at me like that?" He asked putting his hands on his hips and looking down at his friends in slight annoyance.
"I hate to burst your bubble Gar," Dick began, "But I highly doubt they're going to allow you to take Rachel anywhere that involves going within three feet of this place."
"Dude, you don't know that for sure!" Gar defended.
"It's not that we don't want you to take her there," Vic defended quickly. "It's just that you're not really qualified to watch over her are you?"
Gar hopped down from his position on the chair. "Of course I am! I've helped her more than anyone else in this place has haven't I? If she could be trusted with anyone it would be me right?"
"Yes, we think that but the nurses…" Kori began biting her lip nervously.
"They might not think so," Dick finished.
"Come on guys!" Gar wailed getting slightly annoyed. "I'm sure I'll be able to talk them into something. Don't ruin this for me please!" Gar pleaded.
Vic sighed watching the poor boy's dream being shot down and he couldn't help but to feel a little sorry for his friend. "Okay, fine. We have faith in you Veg-head. So much faith that we're going to accompany you to go to talk to Nurse Bee, she can never deny my charm. So, as long as you stick with me…"
"He'll never get anywhere," Dick interrupted. "Gar just go talk to Nurse Bee and see what she says. I mean she did hire you in the first place, she has to like you, right?"
Gar pondered this for a second before nodded very quickly. "Yea, you're right!" He exclaimed heading towards the door. "I'm going to look her directly in the eye and say..." Gar pulled the door open only to be faced with none other than Nurse Bee herself.
"Hello Gar," she said smiling down at him. "I thought everyone might be up here," she slyly replied glancing around the door to see his three friends sitting around Kori's furnished room.
"Hey Nurse Bee how have you been today?" Vic appeared at Gar's side so suddenly Gar thought he was going to be knocked over from impact.
"Hello Victor," she casually answered.
"Actually Nurse Bee I was just coming to look for you," Gar answered figuring it was now or never.
"Really?" She seemed interested. "What can I help you with Garfield?"
Gar cleared his throat before looking up at her. "Well, I found this great place down the street. It's not too far from here…like three blocks and it's a bookstore. I bought Rachel a book from there the other day and I think she really liked it. Like really. So I was thinking how cool would it be to actually take Rachel to the bookstore, so she can look around and pick out new books. I mean she hasn't gotten any new ones in so long and…please?" He asked meekly.
Nurse Bee bit her lower lip and tilted her head to the side while looking at him. "I don't know Gar, I would like to grant you permission but that usually isn't something we would agree too."
"But she's getting better!" Gar protested. "I know she's getting better I mean you can just tell. And I think if she got out for a little while she'll have even more of a reason to get better! Please, just three hours?" He asked hoping he wasn't going to have to get down on his knees and beg.
Nurse Bee opened her mouth to answer him but was quickly cut off by Vic's loud voice. "I know Gar hasn't been here that long but he does seem to be good for Rachel."
"Yes!" Kori chirped in rising from her position on the couch next to Dick. "Rachel has finally agreed to become friends with us and yesterday she ate the night time meal of dinner with us!"
"And she actually got Kori to eat without even asking her too," Dick chimed in his normal monotone voice.
Nurse Bee looked back and fourth at all four of the teens. "Well…"
"And she even let Kori talk to her into spending girl time with her. Painting each other's nails and doing hair or whatever it is girls do," Vic commented.
"I-," Nurse Bee began.
"Oh yes! And I have borrowed books from her that are not as frightening as the first two she lent me we-."
Nurse Bee cleared her throat, cutting Kori's sentence off. "Well, if you would let me finish for a second you guys wouldn't have to defend your friend any more. Gar, I'll let you take Rachel to the bookstore. But you have to be back in three hours okay? Any longer than that and I'll have to forbid you from ever taking her out of here again. Is that understood?" She asked.
Gar's mouth dropped open slightly before turning into a grin. "Really!" He exclaimed practically leaping off the ground at the thought of actually being able to take Rachel outside of these walls. "Oh, you won't have any problems with me!"
"Good, I didn't think I would. Now, the rest of you need to go back to your rooms and I'll be sure to see you tomorrow Gar. Just make sure you check yourself out before you and Rachel leave okay?" She asked not bothering to wait for an answer before turning her back and walking down the hallway.
"Dude! Guys I can't believe it! Did you hear her? I can actually take Rachel out tomorrow!" Gar screamed as he turned back to his friends.
Vic chuckled a bit. "Yeah, good luck on your first date there man."
Gar rolled his eyes. "It's not a date dude…it's…just me and Rachel going to pick out books."
"Sounds like the kind of date Rachel would go on," Dick commented, a small smirk formed on his lips.
Gar could feel his palms beginning to sweat, he hadn't thought of this being a date. Well he had but he figured the idea would be silly. What if Rachel thought it was a date too. Well, now he had a whole lot more planning to do didn't he?
Ahh! Sorry, I'm so sorry that I have not updated in forever, I had a whole movie to film for English class and a lot of stuff to study for and senior year is really killing me. College is only going to be worse so I'm like, ew, I'm going to die next year. Lol.
Anyway, I hope I made my lovely reviewer's day with this update. And forgive me for not updating as fast as I should have. I'll be working on the next chapter though, it's bound to be a good one. Teehee.
Xoxo-Megz.