A/N I would also like to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter. Also, all the new readers. I'm grateful to you all.
Chapter 29
As usual, narrated by Shelly Cope.
Teddy
Teddy was stunned that Izzy would run from him like that. Didn't she realize he would never hurt her?
What happened when they were kids was just kids. He realized he hurt her then, and he should never have followed Siobhan, Jess, and Mike. He had never been part of a group before.
Teddy paced forward and backward around his sitting room, looking over at Izzy's house. How could he not have realized that Marie was, in fact, Izzy? It was simple; he thought she was dead. Also, in his mind, Izzy would be much taller and less pale. She wouldn't wear those ridiculous clothes. Why would she sit in a rocking chair and knit? She wasn't an old lady.
Yes, she was always a little quirky. She differed greatly from his memory of her. He realized who she was by her singing when she was drawing. That was something she had always done. Her drawings were amazing. But why was she drawing insects as cartoons? There was one thing he knew for sure - she wasn't an architect. Why was she always in that room with the windows?
He was frustrated by the lack of communication about Izzy's survival from his family and Charlie. He wouldn't harm her. His childhood friend was the girl he loved. He intended to get answers from his family about why they hadn't told him. When they were children, he and his friends were horrible to her. He allowed it to happen instead of standing by her. The kids weren't solely to blame for her disappearance; the adults failed her as well.
She had seen Chelsea visiting him. Like everyone else, she would think badly of him. Would she listen to his explanation? Why did he even care? The answer is that it mattered to him a great deal.
Izzy
As soon as Izzy rushed into the house, she was in a panic, gasping for air. Bobby wasn't far behind her, barking. Seth and Leah ran down the stairs and were soon by her side. They tried to talk Izzy through the panic attack, but it was one of the worst ones they had ever seen. Izzy quickly curled up behind the chair, screaming. Leah grabbed Izzy's phone and called Jasper. She just didn't know what to do next.
Seth was calling his mom but got Charlie instead. This would not end very well.
~T&I~
Izzy
"Hello, my favorite patient. What can I do for you this fine evening?" Jasper said into the phone.
"Jasper, it's Leah. I don't know what happened. Izzy was outside drawing and the next thing she ran into the house screaming. She's curled up in a ball and I can't talk her down like I usually can. I've never seen her this bad before. Could you come and help her please?" Leah begged.
"I'll be right over," Jasper replied, grabbing his keys. "Alice, I'm going over to Izzy's. Something happened, and she's having a panic attack."
"Okay, let me know if you need anything," Alice replied.
"Could you call my dad and tell him I need help with Izzy? Could he bring something to calm her please," "Jasper replied, shutting the door behind him.
"Charlie, is mom there?" Seth asked.
"No, son she's in the shower; we are going out to dinner. What's happened? Has something happened to Izzy?" Charlie asked, panicked.
"No, yes, I don't know, I think so. Can mom call me back please?" Seth repeated.
"Tell me now if this is about my daughter; I need to know. Speak up son," Charlie growled. "Seth, what happened? Is that her screaming?"
"Yes, she said she felt a little claustrophobic. She decided to sit outside and work on the drawings for her new book. Leah and I went up to our rooms to do our homework. We heard her run into the house slamming the door. When we got downstairs, she was in a full panic attack. We've tried to get her to calm down, but we can't, and we don't know what to do," Seth said panicked. "I want to know what to do. I've never seen her this bad before."
"Has someone come to the house and hurt her?" Charlie asked.
"No, but Mr. Masen came out of his house when she started screaming. But so did Mr. Freeman," Seth replied.
"I'm going to catch the next available flight. All three of you are coming home with me, so you'd better start to pack your bags. I knew this was a bad idea," Charlie complained.
"I'm not going back to New York. I like school here," Seth argued.
"We'll discuss this when I get there," he said before hanging up the phone.
"I've fucked up. There is no way I'm going back to New York," Seth whined.
As Jasper pulled up in front of the Swan's house, Teddy came rushing out of his.
"Jasper, is there something I can do? I never touched her, I just realized she was Izzy. She was singing, and I went to speak to her. I didn't intend to scare her," Teddy ranted.
"It's not a good time, Teddy. I need to go see if I can help her," Jasper offered back.
He rang the doorbell and tried the door, but found it locked.
"It's Jasper. Can you let me in Seth?" Jasper asked.
Seth opened the door and Jasper rushed in going straight into the room where he could hear Izzy's cries.
"Hi, Leah. Has she improved?" Jasper asked.
"No, she's stopped screaming when she crawled into the corner. But if you get too close to her, she cries again. I don't know what happened. You don't think someone has come looking for her and tried to take her, do you?" Leah asked.
"I don't think so. They would have just grabbed her. They would have come into the house," Jasper replied. "I will not try to touch her. I've asked my dad to come."
"It's not fair. Charlie's coming on the next flight. He demanded that we go back to New York. I have no intention of going back with him. I'm not going back to New York. I like it here. I would have never gotten a shot at getting on the basketball team in New York," Seth offered.
"I'm not going back to New York. I like it here as well. Helen was supposed to be coming next week, anyway. You shouldn't have called Charlie, Seth," Leah growled.
"I didn't. I called Mom, and he answered her phone," Seth began.
"Let's sort Izzy out first, then we can discuss this later," Jasper said.
"Carlisle and Esme are here, Jasper," Seth offered.
As Esme and Carlisle pulled up in their car, Teddy ran across the road.
"I didn't mean to scare her. I would never physically hurt her. She began to hum while she was drawing. Then she began to sing. It was the same thing she did when we were kids. She always got in trouble at school for that. It just all fell into place. She looks different than I had imagined. Maybe I shouldn't have told her I loved her. That was out of line. Despite all these years, she is still alive. Why didn't someone tell me? Can I help?" Edward ranted pulling his hair.
"Sweetheart, I'll come and speak to you later. I need to help Izzy," Esme tried to explain as she rushed from the car.
"Thank goodness you're here, Dad. She's not responding to anything I've tried. Do you have any kind of sedation to help her relax?" Jasper asked.
"Yes, I brought Benzodiazepine," Carlisle answered as he went through his bag.
"Do you want me to give her the shot or can you get to her better on the other side? Jasper asked.
"Did she get herself into a ball?" Esme asked.
"Yes," Leah sobbed.
"It might be easier for you Jasper, as you look like you are already closer to her," Carlisle replied.
"It makes me so angry to think someone has done this to her. I don't think we will ever learn the whole truth about what happened to her," Esme said.
Jasper left not long after, but Esme and Carlisle stayed until Izzy was comfortable. He went across to Teddy to speak to him. But he never answered the door when he knocked.
"You go home, Carlisle. I'll stay here in case Izzy wants me. We can't leave Gemma on her own," Esme advised.
Alice entered the house after a tap on the door.
"Mom, you go home with Dad. You have to work in the morning. Jasper is not on duty until tomorrow afternoon," Alice whispered.
"Are you sure?" Esme asked.
"Yes go. I'll call if I need you," Alice replied.
Alice made herself comfortable in the chair in Izzy's room to be with Izzy in case she needed her.
~T&I~
Charlie and Helen intended to travel to Forks once they secured a flight from New York. It was only a week earlier than Helen had planned. She just had to move her patients around. Sue thought that it wasn't necessary for Charlie to come out with Helen. Seth had just panicked. They were going out to Forks next month for Thanksgiving.
Charlie was going to give Teddy a piece of his mind. He was certain he would find out who she was, but hoped she could handle Teddy better.
"Charlie, this is Helen. I can't leave until after eight in the morning," Helen said.
"I'll go without you then," Charlie stated.
"Charlie, you will not help Izzy by acting like this. She is doing really well. Her decision to go to Forks was a great step forward," Helen sighed. "Ask yourself something Charlie, had Izzy not had to endure what she had, she would be over twenty-four and have probably graduated from university. It's possible she might have been in a relationship, maybe even married. Would you still be acting like this?"
"Well, no, but it's my job to protect her and keep her safe, and that means I can only keep her safe with me," Charlie replied.
"Giving her the tools will help her get her life back. Your rushing to Forks isn't giving her the tools. Izzy and I planned to go to the shops next week and possibly talk to Teddy if she's feeling well. Teddy is a big part of her recovery. She feels that he is the one who let her down the most," Helen said.
"Okay, we will get a plane soon after ten tomorrow, but I can't promise that I won't be overbearing and not try to get her to come back to New York," Charlie replied.
~T&I~
Teddy
Teddy was aware that the medication they had put him on meant he shouldn't drive. He wanted to catch both his parents before they headed out to work. But he hoped Gemma had already left. He didn't want her to be brought into this madness.
"Mom, Dad, are you here?" Teddy shouted into the house.
"We're in here Teddy?" Esme shouted back.
"I hope you didn't drive here, Teddy. I told you that you can't drive while on that medication," Carlisle sighed.
"Oh, really Teddy, you could have walked. It's not that far. You used to always do it when you were younger," Esme added.
"I know that you know why I'm here. Why didn't one of you tell me Izzy was still alive!" Teddy growled.
"Honey, they asked us not to tell you," Esme replied.
"But why? I wouldn't hurt Izzy," Teddy said.
"Son, we didn't know Izzy was alive either," Carlisle began.
"How can I believe you? All my family has been lying to me," Teddy continued.
"On the first day of the term, you sent Emmett to see her. He helped her with Bobby after he was injured from being let out of his enclosure. They brought him to the surgery. When Izzy called me Doctor Teddy's mommy, I knew it was her. She has been the only one who has ever called me that," Esme related.
"Teddy, she had a panic attack at your mom's office. Jasper was the only one who knew what to do. It appears he was part of the team that fixed her feet, and knew what to do, thankfully," Carlisle offered.
"But I've seen you over there and you never told me. I've tried to introduce myself a few times, but she sends that dog out to me. I don't know how it does it, but he rounds me up like I'm some cattle," Teddy continued.
"That's because she wasn't ready to speak to you. It's just us and a couple of neighbors who know she's here," Esme said.
"I should have recognized her. But she's not what I pictured she would be like. I imagined her being taller. Long hair, and smiling all the time like she used to when she was younger. But she's about five feet tall, her hair is crazy short and so many colors. And her clothes are really strange. But I suppose that shouldn't surprise me because she has always been unique with her clothes. If she trusted me more, maybe I could help her overcome her fears." Teddy ranted.
"I can't be certain since I haven't spoken to Charlie face-to-face, but I would guess she is petite because of her living conditions. She was probably malnourished. I can't imagine what she has been through. I think she is just trying to disguise herself so she can do things at her own pace," Carlisle offered.
"Charlie told me it was Izzy we saw on that TV show. Charlie said she was courageous to do that. She made the decision to come back here. She is trying to face her fears. Her therapist doubts she will ever recover from the nightmares. They chained her up in the dark," Esme whimpered.
"I accept my share of the blame for what has happened to her in this town. I should have been the one to defend her. Instead, I was a sheep and followed the others because I wanted lots of friends. Look where that got me," Edward admitted.
"I suppose the best way of trying to make amends is to stop sleeping with Chelsea and any other stray you pick up at a bar. From what I've learned, Izzy has never kissed anyone before. She once told me she was grateful she had lice. It kept people away from her," Esme said.
"Teddy, Alice told us this morning that Charlie is on his way to Forks. He wants to take all three of them back to New York. We have to do what we can to make him see she needs to make her own decisions. He has a lot to say to you. You look like you are ready to drop. You should go to your old room and try to sleep," Esme offered.
"I don't think at the moment you are in the right frame of mind to defend yourself or anyone else," Carlisle advised.
~T&I~
Izzy
She woke up from the sedation when Alice left to go home. Izzy tried to go back to sleep, but she just couldn't turn her brain off to all the scenarios she kept thinking about. Now that Teddy knows who she is, he's going to be telling all her tormentors. She knew from what her dad had told her that Mikey Newton still lives in Forks. He married Jess and is the mayor. Lauren is still in town and works at the inn. She also helps out in the salon. It made her grateful that she cut and colored her own hair. Her Dad never mentioned Siobhan. She was the worst one who hurt her. Then there were the twins.
She knew she couldn't handle all these people who tormented her.
Izzy cried on her pillow until it was wet.
Helen coming a week early made her happy as it allowed her to receive help in understanding all of this.
She just wished that her dad wasn't coming with her. As much as she loves him, he just won't let her try to get her life back.
~T&I~
"Daddy, there was no need for you to come. I panicked as soon as Teddy realized who I was. I was hoping to cope more before I made myself known," Izzy sighed.
"Well, I'm packing you all up and taking you back to New York," Charlie growled.
"No, you're not! You can't take the kids away from all they have achieved. You sent them here with me to give them a chance to be more sociable and succeed instead of living in people's shadows. Leah actually does her schoolwork. She is no longer that girl who follows a group that is popular. Leah no longer acts like she is the queen of the school. She thinks for herself and has developed empathy. She has a little group of friends. Now she is on the school paper. She works with some brilliant kids. Leah realized a girl had been bullied and abused at home and got her help. She brought her home and then contacted the Cullens. The old Leah wouldn't have done that," Izzy stated.
"Leah's done well. I knew you and Sue were worried about Leah," Helen said. "What about Seth?"
"Seth's made the basketball team. He's one of the star players. This school offered him an opportunity he couldn't find in New York. He was one of the students who got lost in the crowd. Emmett said that he is good enough to go professional," Izzy shouted. "Both of them are A-B students. Also, Leah has been talking about going to college to study journalism. She wouldn't have done that if she had stayed in New York."
Sighing, Charlie knew she was right.
"Charlie, you wanted to know my opinion when Izzy mentioned coming here," Helen related. "Izzy needed to face her fears in order to heal and live a normal life. Izzy has acknowledged that she can never establish relationships with her peers as she would have if she had not been kidnapped. But by coming here she is facing her fears head-on,"
"What do you suggest we do? Now that Teddy knows who she is, he will not leave her alone. He has changed from what she remembers of him. The constant rotation of girls in his bed bothers me. I know he will try to get Izzy in his bed as well and over my dead body will I let that happen to her," Charlie stated.
"The best thing to do is let Izzy make that decision. Let Izzy face them and let her tell them how they let her down. Izzy should describe her experience during her captivity. How frightened she was and still is," Helen advised. "The Cullens house was where Izzy felt the most betrayed. Any meeting should be there."
Helen understood the necessity of doing this for Izzy's progress, but the immediacy caught her off guard. Teddy was important to Izzy, which no one could understand. Helen hoped this would be the start of Izzy's emotional healing process.
Thanks always to Kellie (Klcivinski) for my pre-reading of the chapter and for all her support.
Also, as always, thank you to EdwardsFirstKiss (Donna) for taking time from your busy schedule to edit the story.
Any mistakes are all mine.