musebyquotes | 2.7. Meg Cabot quote
2.7. "In order for people to be happy, sometimes they have to take risks. It's true these risks can put them in danger of being hurt."
- Meg Cabot
Co-written with agentsullivan | Follows THIS and THIS
Ali met Andrew at the door wearing just a t-shirt and an indulgent grin. "How about we forgo dinner in favour of a quickie?" she suggested, drinking in how hot he looked in his paramedic uniform with a slow lick of her lips. But when his expression didn't change, hers fell with a small frown. "What's wrong? Okay, stupid suggestion on your first day back. You're probably tired and hun--"
"Ali," Andrew cut in softly, his hands resting on her hips to pull her a little closer to him. "I'm not on my break. I've come to get you to take you to the hospital. My last call... it was Marcus... James..." He added with a slight confused shake of his head. "It was Harri who made the call. He's in a real bad way, baby. It was the diabetes, but we didn't get to him in time. He had already fallen into a coma before we got there. He was being transferred to the ICU when I left, but I just knew you would want to be there."
Ali's mouth dropped open and she stared at him in shock. The chat online with Izzy about James hurting himself was just... she thought it would be a joke. She thought he would at least warn them before doing anything. But it had only been yesterday he made the fleeting suggestion to Izzy and now this? "Oh... god..." she choked out, pressing her fist to her lips in fear. She didn't think he would have gone through with it. Every time he got sick in the past, it was horrible. He was sick and in pain. Why would he do it to himself on purpose? Sure, there was the whole wanting his old life back thing, but why did it have to resort to this? But she wasn't totally stupid. She knew there was a reason, but she didn't have to take any comfort from it when there was no comfort. He was in a coma. Again. And Andrew had been his paramedic. Suddenly the enormity and surrealism of the situation hit her like a tonne of bricks and she felt faint, her legs giving out as if the weight of everything became too much.
Andrew caught her before she fell, lifting her up into his arms so he could carry her over to the sofa. He knelt down beside her and brushed her hair back off her face. "Ali, he's... something's not right," he told her uncertainly, noticing how much her face had paled from when she opened the door to now. "When Harri brought me his wallet, everything it said James Campbell. There was no a thing to do with Marcus Fraser and there was no disguise. It was the first time I had seen him without it, other than the photos. I mean, we think it's the diabetes and all, but they're pumping his stomach. They think an overdose induced the DKA. I know that Isabel coming back really shook things up, but, I..." He floundered, beginning to stumble on his words.
All Ali had was speculation on Izzy's part that James might have been contemplating a self-induced coma. That's all it was. Speculation. She pressed her fingers against her forward as she swallowed to try and wet her dry throat. Tears filled her eyes and dripped down her temples, but they were silent. "He was fucked up, I know. He has been for weeks. But no... he wouldn't. He wouldn't do this, Andy. He's just sick... it's a coicidence, that's all. I'll guarantee and swear on my life that when they run a tox screen, it'll show nothing."
"How do you know for certain?" Andrew asked helplessly as he brushed the tears away with his fingers. He leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Ali, if he was--"
"I know him," Ali cut in hoarsely, looking at him pleadingly. "I know James. You've got to understand, he's brilliant at what he does. Any risks he takes are calculated and planned to the finest detail. His brain is like an intricate machine when it comes to his work, but when it comes to his personal life, he's not so brilliant. He knows the legal system and probably every single one of it's loopholes, but he doesn't know himself. He doesn't. That's why he always relied on everyone around him to cushion him away from work. He needs his family to thrive and I think that's where he took his only wrong step in this whole masquerade. He underestimated how much he needed us all. He had two choices. To keep going and just become that machine, operating day to day for the purpose of being a tool for the Secret Service and one day die probably an heroic death, but a lonely one. Or he could come back to us and use us to draw life back into himself. It just doesn't mean it was going to be an easy process. But he would never try to commit suicide. He promised. He promised he wouldn't leave again."
Andrew looked down at her seriously, his eyes searching over her face. He bit down on his lower lip, unsure all over again what he had stumbled into. "Are you saying this was part of a plan for him to return to his old life? Return to himself? The wallet was... it was there so we would find it, not because he was having a mental breakdown?" he asked, trying to wrap his head around it and just getting a hazy gaping hole in his brain. He never professed to be the smartest cookie in the jar. All he wanted was to help Ali and stop her suffering anymore pain. She'd had enough. It wasn't fair.
Ali exhaled heavily and closed her eyes. "The wallet was there so it would be found," she comfirmed knowingly. She used to be a field agent once. She still knew how they operated. "It's not something he would have let be found unless he wanted it to. It was probably in some unmarked safe deposit box the whole time he was undercover. It needed to be found."
Andrew shook his head. "I don't get it. If he wanted to come back, why not just come back? Or why not take an overdose rather than fucking with the diabetes? DKA, it can kill you! We lose patients in DKA en route all the time! Is he a complete piece of shit?!" He stopped and looked away, lips pressed tightly together. This wasn't his business to be angry over. He hardly knew the guy, but he really wanted to hit him.
Ali grabbed for Andrew's hand and squeezed it weakly. She nodded, more tears escaping. "Yes, he is a complete piece of shit. But he's our piece of shit and I really don't know what's happened. I don't know if it was deliberate or an accident or just one of those things. No one does. I can only speculate and pray that if it was deliberate, it's part of some grand scheme that will bring him back to us because I want you to know him, Andy. I really do. I want things back to how they were because I can't... I can't... do this anymore!" a sob catching in her throat as she finally broke down, her hand covering her face as she tried to shield herself from anymore drowning hurt.
Andrew pulled her up into his arms, holding her protectively against him. He pressed his lips to her hair, eyes on the photo of them both with Jamie on mantel behind the sofa. "This is what we're going to do. We're going to get Sunshine bundled up and we're going to go down to the hospital. And then we'll keep going down to the hospital every day until he wakes up and can give you the answers. You'll do all the best friend things like take him flowers and call him a fucking bastard for not waking up. You'll be tempted to put his hair in pigtails when you get bored waiting for him to wake up. You'll drink that terrible hospital coffee and sit in the horrible plastic chairs. You'll worry and you cry and you'll curse him for doing whatever he is that he did without you knowing. You'll hold his hand and promise it'll be alright when he wakes up. And you know why? Because he's Sunshine's only uncle and he's your best friend, and no matter the reason he's there, he is there and you can't walk away from him because you love him. He's your family, and I'll do whatever it takes to support you through it and even though you don't want to do this anymore, you will... but this time, you're not alone, baby."
Ali gripped the back of his overalls, and clung to him like she never wanted to let go. A slight laugh broke through her sobbing and she nodded against his shoulder. "I love you," she whispered against his ear. "More than I could possible find enough words to say."
"Don't try, baby, I already know," Andrew assured her, kissing her temple and just going back to holding her tightly.
All muses referenced with permission and are from the princeton2nyc universe
Word Count | 1,543
- Meg Cabot
Co-written with agentsullivan | Follows THIS and THIS
Ali met Andrew at the door wearing just a t-shirt and an indulgent grin. "How about we forgo dinner in favour of a quickie?" she suggested, drinking in how hot he looked in his paramedic uniform with a slow lick of her lips. But when his expression didn't change, hers fell with a small frown. "What's wrong? Okay, stupid suggestion on your first day back. You're probably tired and hun--"
"Ali," Andrew cut in softly, his hands resting on her hips to pull her a little closer to him. "I'm not on my break. I've come to get you to take you to the hospital. My last call... it was Marcus... James..." He added with a slight confused shake of his head. "It was Harri who made the call. He's in a real bad way, baby. It was the diabetes, but we didn't get to him in time. He had already fallen into a coma before we got there. He was being transferred to the ICU when I left, but I just knew you would want to be there."
Ali's mouth dropped open and she stared at him in shock. The chat online with Izzy about James hurting himself was just... she thought it would be a joke. She thought he would at least warn them before doing anything. But it had only been yesterday he made the fleeting suggestion to Izzy and now this? "Oh... god..." she choked out, pressing her fist to her lips in fear. She didn't think he would have gone through with it. Every time he got sick in the past, it was horrible. He was sick and in pain. Why would he do it to himself on purpose? Sure, there was the whole wanting his old life back thing, but why did it have to resort to this? But she wasn't totally stupid. She knew there was a reason, but she didn't have to take any comfort from it when there was no comfort. He was in a coma. Again. And Andrew had been his paramedic. Suddenly the enormity and surrealism of the situation hit her like a tonne of bricks and she felt faint, her legs giving out as if the weight of everything became too much.
Andrew caught her before she fell, lifting her up into his arms so he could carry her over to the sofa. He knelt down beside her and brushed her hair back off her face. "Ali, he's... something's not right," he told her uncertainly, noticing how much her face had paled from when she opened the door to now. "When Harri brought me his wallet, everything it said James Campbell. There was no a thing to do with Marcus Fraser and there was no disguise. It was the first time I had seen him without it, other than the photos. I mean, we think it's the diabetes and all, but they're pumping his stomach. They think an overdose induced the DKA. I know that Isabel coming back really shook things up, but, I..." He floundered, beginning to stumble on his words.
All Ali had was speculation on Izzy's part that James might have been contemplating a self-induced coma. That's all it was. Speculation. She pressed her fingers against her forward as she swallowed to try and wet her dry throat. Tears filled her eyes and dripped down her temples, but they were silent. "He was fucked up, I know. He has been for weeks. But no... he wouldn't. He wouldn't do this, Andy. He's just sick... it's a coicidence, that's all. I'll guarantee and swear on my life that when they run a tox screen, it'll show nothing."
"How do you know for certain?" Andrew asked helplessly as he brushed the tears away with his fingers. He leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Ali, if he was--"
"I know him," Ali cut in hoarsely, looking at him pleadingly. "I know James. You've got to understand, he's brilliant at what he does. Any risks he takes are calculated and planned to the finest detail. His brain is like an intricate machine when it comes to his work, but when it comes to his personal life, he's not so brilliant. He knows the legal system and probably every single one of it's loopholes, but he doesn't know himself. He doesn't. That's why he always relied on everyone around him to cushion him away from work. He needs his family to thrive and I think that's where he took his only wrong step in this whole masquerade. He underestimated how much he needed us all. He had two choices. To keep going and just become that machine, operating day to day for the purpose of being a tool for the Secret Service and one day die probably an heroic death, but a lonely one. Or he could come back to us and use us to draw life back into himself. It just doesn't mean it was going to be an easy process. But he would never try to commit suicide. He promised. He promised he wouldn't leave again."
Andrew looked down at her seriously, his eyes searching over her face. He bit down on his lower lip, unsure all over again what he had stumbled into. "Are you saying this was part of a plan for him to return to his old life? Return to himself? The wallet was... it was there so we would find it, not because he was having a mental breakdown?" he asked, trying to wrap his head around it and just getting a hazy gaping hole in his brain. He never professed to be the smartest cookie in the jar. All he wanted was to help Ali and stop her suffering anymore pain. She'd had enough. It wasn't fair.
Ali exhaled heavily and closed her eyes. "The wallet was there so it would be found," she comfirmed knowingly. She used to be a field agent once. She still knew how they operated. "It's not something he would have let be found unless he wanted it to. It was probably in some unmarked safe deposit box the whole time he was undercover. It needed to be found."
Andrew shook his head. "I don't get it. If he wanted to come back, why not just come back? Or why not take an overdose rather than fucking with the diabetes? DKA, it can kill you! We lose patients in DKA en route all the time! Is he a complete piece of shit?!" He stopped and looked away, lips pressed tightly together. This wasn't his business to be angry over. He hardly knew the guy, but he really wanted to hit him.
Ali grabbed for Andrew's hand and squeezed it weakly. She nodded, more tears escaping. "Yes, he is a complete piece of shit. But he's our piece of shit and I really don't know what's happened. I don't know if it was deliberate or an accident or just one of those things. No one does. I can only speculate and pray that if it was deliberate, it's part of some grand scheme that will bring him back to us because I want you to know him, Andy. I really do. I want things back to how they were because I can't... I can't... do this anymore!" a sob catching in her throat as she finally broke down, her hand covering her face as she tried to shield herself from anymore drowning hurt.
Andrew pulled her up into his arms, holding her protectively against him. He pressed his lips to her hair, eyes on the photo of them both with Jamie on mantel behind the sofa. "This is what we're going to do. We're going to get Sunshine bundled up and we're going to go down to the hospital. And then we'll keep going down to the hospital every day until he wakes up and can give you the answers. You'll do all the best friend things like take him flowers and call him a fucking bastard for not waking up. You'll be tempted to put his hair in pigtails when you get bored waiting for him to wake up. You'll drink that terrible hospital coffee and sit in the horrible plastic chairs. You'll worry and you cry and you'll curse him for doing whatever he is that he did without you knowing. You'll hold his hand and promise it'll be alright when he wakes up. And you know why? Because he's Sunshine's only uncle and he's your best friend, and no matter the reason he's there, he is there and you can't walk away from him because you love him. He's your family, and I'll do whatever it takes to support you through it and even though you don't want to do this anymore, you will... but this time, you're not alone, baby."
Ali gripped the back of his overalls, and clung to him like she never wanted to let go. A slight laugh broke through her sobbing and she nodded against his shoulder. "I love you," she whispered against his ear. "More than I could possible find enough words to say."
"Don't try, baby, I already know," Andrew assured her, kissing her temple and just going back to holding her tightly.
All muses referenced with permission and are from the princeton2nyc universe
Word Count | 1,543