Chapter Five- Keep Breathing
Lux leant her head against the window of Cate's car, trying to ignore the elephant filling the space. She had her iPod in her ears, but it wasn't on, seeing as the car was deathly silent.
Ryan was driving with Cate in the passenger seat; Baze reluctantly agreeing to meet them at Cate's in his own car. Both Cate and Ryan had kept more of an eye on Lux than they had on the road, and Lux had tried her best to ignore it.
Lux shifted uncomfortably in the seat, suddenly nervous. Her heart began to race as she looked around the car, as if realizing where she was, how confining it was. Lux clutched her chest as she tried to catch her breath, her heart beating rapidly.
"Lux?" Cate asked concerned from the front seat, turning around to look at her. Ryan looked back at her in the rear view mirror, slowing the car a little, thankful there wasn't much traffic just before seven am.
Lux banged her door with her fist, struggling to breath. "Pull over." She ordered. "Pull over!"
Lux covered her mouth as Ryan served to the side of the road, and threw her door open before they had come to a complete stop, getting out and taking a few steps before empting her stomach.
Seconds later, Cate's hands were rubbing her back, holding her hair back, and Lux shivered, although she couldn't be sure if it was from the weather or the touch.
After a few minutes of dry gagging, seeing as she hadn't eaten in a few hours, Lux stood up embarrassed, Cate and Ryan looking on concerned.
"Are you okay?" Cate asked, not knowing what to say.
Lux nodded, taking in a deep breath and gratefully accepting the bottle of water Ryan handed her. Cate exchanged a concerned glance with Ryan, both noticing how pale Lux was.
"You sure, kiddo?" Ryan smiled concerned. "You don't look okay."
Lux rolled her eyes jokingly instead of her usual sarcastic response, and slowly climbed back into the car, laying down across the back seat and closing her eyes, exhausted.
Both Cate and Ryan followed her lead, neither tearing their eyes off of Lux for more than a few seconds as Ryan drove slowly home.
Cate opened the front door, all four silent, no one knowing what to say. The three adults lead the way into the living room, all remaining standing, and looking at Lux for an opening as the doctor had recommended. Cate didn't think she had ever had the words "don't push" repeating in her head more than she did now.
Ryan smiled at Lux half-heartedly. "Are you hungry?" He offered, moving towards the kitchen. "We could make you something… or at least Baze and I could make you something."
Lux smiled a little at the joke as Cate hit Ryan playfully. Finally she spoke, shaking her head. "No, thanks." She close to whispered. "I'm not really hungry. I think I'll just take a shower."
"Of course." Cate smiled and nodded her approval, almost springing into action. She went to the laundry closet and pulled out a fresh towel, handing it to Lux, before disappearing into the bathroom down the hall and starting the shower, making the two men and Lux smirk a little. Cate rushed back out seconds later, standing in front of Lux. "If you need anything, anything at all, we'll be right here. Just call okay?"
Lux nodded and walked to the bathroom leaving an exhausted Cate to collapse on the couch, Ryan taking the seat beside her while Baze sat on an individual seat across from her, all silent, listening to the sound of the shower as if it was a reassurance
"How did we get here?" Baze looked up at Cate's voice after minutes of silence.
She had tears in her eyes, which was not unusual as of recent events, and she leaned into Ryan's shoulder as he wrapped an arm around her, though her eyes didn't drift from Baze's.
"How do we fix this?" Baze asked in response.
Cate shifted a little, moving closer to Ryan. "We can't fix this. It's not just something you can fix." No matter what the topic, Cate couldn't help herself but get frustrated when Baze was around.
"Well then what do we do?" Baze remained calm, and Cate could see this was killing him like it was her, and most probably Ryan.
Ryan answered this time. "We listen to her. We follow her leads. We get her help, someone to talk to. Just like the doctor said."
"Do you think Abby…" Baze suggested, trailing off as Cate shook her head furiously, swiping away her tears.
"No, no, no, I don't want my family involved in this. They don't need to know."
Baze shrugged, unsure of how to answer. "They're probably going to find out sometime anyway…"
"Well they don't need to know now!" Cate yelled back at him, starring him down as the room went silent.
"Who doesn't need to know?" Lux asked unsure, walking into the room, and as if on cue, all three stood in sync.
"Nothing, sweetie…" Cate trailed off as Baze spoke at the same time, causing Baze to receive another death stare from Cate.
"Cate's family."
Lux stood unsure, shifting on her feet, deciding how to answer. "I don't- I mean, if you wanted to tell them, it would be okay." She offered softly. Cate smiled at her sadly, tilting her head. "I'm tired." Lux whispered. "I'm going to go lay down."
Cate nodded and walked forward, placing a hand on Lux's back and leading her towards the still open attic stairs. Lux, however, turned back to look at the men still standing awkwardly. "You're going to stay, right?" She almost begged, looking between the two. "Both of you?"
Baze and Ryan exchanged a glance, realizing whatever feelings they had about each other were going to need to be put aside, at least for now, for Lux's sake.
Ryan nodded and allowed Baze to answer. "Of course, kiddo. We'll be right here, hanging out, won't we, Ryan?"
Lux smirked a little at her dad's behavior before turning back and slowly climbing the stairs. Lux slowly made her way across the room, as if unsure and perched herself on the edge of her bed, looking up at Cate who smiled down at her reassuringly.
"Do you need anything?" Cate asked nervously and Lux shook her head no. "Okay, well, I'll just be…" She turned towards the stairs.
"Cate, wait!" Lux called, only a little louder than a whisper. She looked up at her mother sheepishly, hesitating before continuing. "Could you… could you stay? I don't really want to be alone."
Cate nodded relieved, closing the distance to Lux's bed and following Lux's lead as she perched herself up against the wall, a pillow and Lux's head in her lap.
A/N: Sorry it wasn't very interested but you guys have been so amazing with reviews that I wanted to get another chapter up fast! Plus I needed to have Lux adjusting anyway. Oh, and I've decided who I'm pairing Cate with! Yay! So that and the fact that Cate slept with Baze again should come out within the next few chapters.
Thanks so much for the fantastic reviews; they make my day :) …so please review!