Body Guard

Julie:
I could count on one hand the number of times I had seen Cody cry. The first time, he was five and he had knocked his head on the metal shelving in the kitchen. The second time, he was seven and he sprained his ankle chasing a lightening bug around the yard.

As I watched his eyes fill with tears, I didn't think I just grabbed his hand and held it tightly. The news was...shocking to say the least. I should have prepared for a possibility like this, but I hadn't. I felt my own eyes fill with tears but I didnt let them drop. It was time to be strong and be there for him for once.

"Hey," I whispered, afraid if I talked any louder, my voice would get shaky and give me away. I put my free hand back in his hair and gently stroked it like I had most of yesterday, hoping it was soothing. "You havent even spoken to a doctor yet. No matter what happens, you're gonna be okay," I told him.

I tried to fight it, tried to hold in the sobs. But even trying that hurt my chest. I squeezed her hand while covering my eyes with the other. It took me over a few minutes to regain my composure, during which the doctor arrived.

Wiping my tears away I talked with him weakly, learning that my guess was correct, but that perhaps through hard therapy I could regain the use of my legs. Now that I was awake they started a better pain treatment. After they left I stared blankly at the ceiling, still holding onto Jule's hand.

Julie:
It was breaking my heart to see him this torn up. I didn't know what to do to help him, what to do to make him feel better. "It's not hopeless," I said. "If there's anyone I know who can beat this, it's you. Theres not a doubt in my mind that you're gonna be outrunning me again in no time," I squeezed his hand again and then laced our fingers together.


"All you have to worry about right now is resting, and figuring out a list of all the magazines, games and food you want so I can stock up," I told him, trying to smile.

"You say that like I'm coming back to the manor...I can't. Not anymore." I fully covered my eyes then, hiding within the crook of my elbow. "Part of what happens when you get fired. Banned from the premises. Not supposed to contact anyone from the manor, family or employee."

I took a slow breath then let it out as a sigh. Morphine was a great drug. I wasn't in pain and just felt like I was floating. "I appreciate the thought though." Uncovering my eyes for a moment I peeked at her. "Did Ben make it out okay?"

Julie:
A flash of white hot anger ran through my entire body as soon as he said "banned from the premises." How much of these 'rules' did I not know? How long had he been being crushed by the weight of this contract while I did nothing but but his life worse?

I decided right then that I would fix it. Theres was no way I was staying away from him because a stupid contract said so. I would just have to keep it to myself until I was sure I could pull it off.

I sighed and focused on his last question. "Yeah, Ben ran as soon as I got grabbed. I spoke to him on the phone yesterday. He's fine. Not a scratch on him," I said, happy to share at least that it of good news.

"Good. I didn't even try to save him. I should have. He was a pain in my ass, but at least he cares about you and treats you well. Even though he's reckless I approve you know. If you were interested. Have you kissed him yet? You were good at that." I was babbling. I couldn't help myself.

A frown crossed my face and I uncovered my eyes. "I suppose I don't have to care about that stuff anymore. I hope you haven't kissed him. I was jealous enough watching the two of you. So if you did don't tell me." I turned to blink at her. "Did you?"

Julie:
I couldn't stop my face from heating up at his words. But it was the warm, spreading kind of blush, not the blotchy kind.

I coughed awkwardly and looked at anything but him until I settled my eyes back on him and saw how out of it he was. He might not even remember asking me this tomorrow.

I giggled, realizing I had never seen Cody like this before. High as a kite and almost childlike. Not even when he was a child.

"I didn't kiss him," I said, with a soft smile and a slight shake of my head. "But its very interesting to know you were jealous..." I trailed off with a smirk. "You don't tell me stuff like that. You keep it right. in. here," I said, softly poking his forehead on each of the last three words.

"I was. But I wasn't supposed to let you know. So I can't tell you. I have lots of things that I haven't said. Like I think you are beautiful. And I really really really hate your dad's tastes in ties. Maroon is not a flattering color on him." My eyes drifted closed for a few seconds.

My thoughts slid and tumbled all around, floating from one topic to the next. For once in my life I didn't feel the constant weight and burden of responsibilities and rules. I felt free. My gaze finally opened and I focused on her again. Not speaking as I just searched her face.

Julie:
I laughed out loud at his inner most feelings about my fathers fashion sense. "Okay, this from the guy that wears plain black everywhere he goes," I teased him. I chose not to comment on the beautiful thing. He wasn't in his right mind right now and I couldn't let myself believe that he felt for me what I felt for him.

When he looked at me again, I almost gasped out loud at how open he looked. There wasnt a frown or a furrowed eyebrow or stuff shoulders. He looked relaxed. This morphine stuff is amazing....

"What are you looking at me like that?" I asked, softly, smiling. "Do you feel a little better?"

"I don't hurt so much." I continued to search her face for a bit then looked away only to look right back at her. It was hard to concentrate through the haze and I struggled through it.

But I couldn't hold the thoughts together long enough to get it out. So I let myself sink back into the haze, letting the drugs to their work. My eyes closed and I just let the feeling take me for a full minute before I asked softly, "You don't have to feel guilty about what happened. It was part of my job. I knew the risks. So why are you here?"

Julie:
"Do you think I'm only here because I feel guilty?" I asked him with a frown. I didn't deny that I was guilty, because I was. And I should be. If it wasn't for the choices I made, he wouldn't be in that bed. But that wasn't why I was here.

"If I just felt guilty, I would have sent you a muffin basket or something," I told him.

I sighed and looked down at the white sheets on his bed. "I'm here because you're my best friend. Im here because you scared me," I told him, feeling my eyes fill up with tears again. "I'm here because-" I stopped and shook my head, wiping away one of the tears that fell.

"Do you not want me to be here?" I asked. I guess it would be fair if he didn't.

I tried to shrug, but it was an awkward movement. "I made you mad, and I know you go out of your way sometimes when you feel guilty over things." I frowned a moment and blinked up at her.

"Why are you crying? I never like seeing you cry." I didn't know what to do seeing her cry. I looked around and spotted a box of tissues on the table beside the bed. She would want one. I knew she would.

I tried to lean towards it, struggling to get her the tissues that I couldn't fathom were simply out of reach. "No, no crying. I want you hear so don't cry. Look I'll get you tissues."

Julie:
I wiped my tears with the back of my hand and leaned over. "Stop moving around, you're suppose to be resting!" I said, grabbing his arm that was reaching for the tissue box and pulling him back to his original position. Then I stood up and reached a little further to grab the box myself and set it down on his lap.

I grabbed one and ran it under my eyes to dry the tears and then sat back, sniffling. I wasn't holding his hand anymore, so I balled up my tissue and looked at him. "When these drugs wear off, I'll tell you again, but you have to know how grateful I am, Cody." I said. "I thought is they put me in that van, I wasn't ever gonna see you again....and then you were there." I lifted the tissue back up to my face and shook my head at myself for crying again. Didn't people run out of tears at some point?

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." I repeated as she moved me back to my original position. My hands started playing with the box, my chin tucking into my chest as I did so.

I only looked at her again when she said my name, speaking her gratitude. Licking my lips slowly I searched her face. She had thought she would never see me again? Out of everything she could have said to me...I hadn't expected that.

"You were worried you'd never see me again?" I blinked and shook my head. "You weren't even worried about yourself..." I huffed then laughed softly. "I dont know if I should call you sweet for worrying or if I should call you a fool."

"But thank you Jules."

Julie:
I sniffled again and and laughed a little at his words. "Maybe I am kind of a fool," I shrugged. I looked at the time on my phone and then looked back at him.

"You should try to sleep, get some rest, so you can get out of here as soon as possible," I said. I grabbed the tissue box from him and set it on the closer table, this way he could reach it without straining himself if he wanted it.

Then I grabbed the blanket and pulled it up a little bit to his chest, tucking him in like he was a baby. I knew he was still on cloud 9 from the drugs so I watched him carefully to make sure I wasnt hurting him.

Nodding I watched her put the tissues on the table then followed it back up to her face. Her tucking me in was different. I'd never had that happen before. It was odd in that sense but also that never before had I been the one on the receiving end of care. I'd just about done it all for her when she needed it. And yet here we were.

"Okay." I murmured. Already unbidden my eyes were feeling heavy, sleep threatening to claim me before she'd even walked out the door. "G'night beautiful."

Julie:
I giggled at his half asleep compliments and shook my head as I went about getting my things together to leave. I refilled his water jug and set it down where he could reach in case he woke up. Then I leaned over and kissed his sleeping cheek before I walked out of the room to see Greg still standing perfectly still against the wall as if it hadn't been hours.

"You know, you could sit," I told him with a smile as I walked down the hall. If he was anything like Cody, he would never take me up on it.

"No thank you, Miss."

I shrugged and smiled as we walked to the car and when I buckled myself in, I sighed. "I need you take me to see my father." I obviously had some things to discuss with him.

I dozed off before she even finished gathering her things. The morphine made short work of knocking me out and sinking me right into my dreams.

I could tell something wasn't quite right. It wasn't hard when the world was full of floating bubbles and normally I had more realistic dreams. I wandered the strange landscape until I was met with a path. Following the path I made my way to a small stream and following that led me to a waterfall. Stuck with the problem of how to get over the waterfall. Standing with my hands on my hips I studied the problem.

My thinking was waylaid by arms wrapping around my chest and a soft voice asking me what took me so long. Smiling I reached back and tickled at sides until the hold was released enough that I could whirl around and capture Jules in my arms.

I started to lean down and kiss her when I jerked awake to an empty room and morning light starting to stream through the curtains.

Julie:
Greg drove me back to the manor where my father was in a meeting. I quickly ran to my room to grab the contract papers that Cody had shown me weeks ago and shoved them into my purse. Normally, if I was going to be seeing my fathers business partners and work friends, I would have dressed up a bit, but there wasn't any time. So I kept my jeans and baggy sweatshirt on as I went to find him.

I didn't bother knocking as I barged into his office. He took in my appearance and stood up from his desk. I didn't let him get a word in. "Dad, I have to talk to you. It's important." I told him. He looked at me for one more moment before turning to politely dismiss himself from the meeting.

He walked with me into the hall. "I'm assuming this is about Cody?" He asked with a tired sounding sigh. I glared at him and reached into my purse to grab the papers. I roughly pressed them against his chest until he grabbed them and then I was off on a rant.

"I know thats only part of the contract, but its enough. How you could ask him to sign that, Dad? He's not allowed to express certain emotions? What kind of contract is that? And why didn't I know about it?" My voice was getting louder and louder as I went on and he grabbed my arm to pull me into a dining room.

"Julie, we have rules here. The contracts have to be strict so it only attracts people who are serious about the job," he tried to reason with me.

I shook my head. "I think he proved how serious he was when he jumped in front of a gun. And how did my loving father repay him for that? He had him fired!"

My father winced. "I didn't have him fired, its part of the contract. He cant perform his duties anymore. It wasn't personal Julie."

"Its not personal? What about the part that says he cant even come back here? He cant ever have contact with anyone here? What is that for then Dad?" I asked.

"If someone is fired, I hardly want a disgruntled former employee poking around on the grounds. Julie, these rules are final, if I bend them for Cody, the consequences would be bad."

"Hes not disgruntled! Where is he supposed to go! His father works and lives here! You have to see how ridiculous it would be to follow the rules in this case." I argued. I could see from his face that he was torn. But he wasn't exactly giving in.

I fought with him for hours, trying to get him to see reason. In the end, there was only one way we agreed it could work and by the time the conversation was over, the sun was already coming up again.

I didn't want Cody sitting in his hospital room by himself all day so I didn't bother trying to get any sleep. I had Greg drive me back to the hospital, where I was sure I looked even worse than I had yesterday. I made the now familiar route to his room and knocked three times before stepping in.

"Hey sleepyhead. Still drugged out of your mind?" I asked, when I noticed he was already awake. The sun was streaming though his curtains so I pulled them open a little more for some natural light. The fluorescents could give anyone a headache.

It had been a trying morning thus far when Jules showed up. The TV was on but my eyes were staring up at the ceiling. A soft whimper escaped my lips when the curtain opened though it had little to do with her actions. "I miss the fog." I complained softly. "Maybe I wouldn't have to be violated then."

I turned my face away from the door as the nurse came in with a tray of food. "Oh don't mind him honey. Your boyfriend here is just like all the other guys when they have to get a catheter. It's protocol for those who can't make it to the bathroom on their own."

Setting the tray on my lap she patted my shoulder then walked out, calling over her shoulder to just ring her if we needed anything. I stared down at the food, mostly liquids or easy to digest things. "They put a tube in me and they wont even give me good looking food..."

Julie:
I felt my face heat up when the nurse called Cody my boyfriend. I suppose it was an easy mistake to make. When he was still unconscious, i had hardly left his side and now that he was awake, nyrses were walking in and out and could see how we acted around eachother.

I didnt have a chance to correct her before she was walking out after leaving a tray of gross looking food infront of Cody.

I took a seat at the chair next to his bed and sighed, feeling relaxed for the first time all night.

"Are you being a bad patient?" I chastised jokingly. "As much fun as high Cody was, its nice to see the real you again," I said. "Now come on, eat"

"Listen. You'd be grumpy if they shoved a tube inside you too." I narrowed my eyes at her before manipulating the buttons on my bed to help me into a more upright position. Taking up the bowl of soup I took several bites before looking her over for the first time since her arrival.

"So how are you doing today? I only vaguely remember yesterday. You cried a lot."

Julie:
I figured he was probably right. I would be grumpy if I needed a tube to use the bathroom. I shrugged and smiled and let him have the small victory of being right. I was glad he was eating so I let him spoon soup into his mouth without interrupting.

When he asked how I was, I looked up at him and hoped the bags under my eyes from not sleeping weren't obvious. I rolled my eyes. "I did not cry a lot," I argued, even though I kind of had. "I'm fine. They had you pretty hopped up on morphine. You were cute. Like a little kid." I informed him, since he didn't remember.

I raised a brow at her answer, "I'm always cute. It's part of my charm. You don't look fine. You look like someone who didn't sleep well." I paused and took another couple spoonfuls of soup. I was hungrier than I thought I was going to be. And watered down as the soup was...it wasn't as bad as I expected.

"So spill it. What's going on Jules." I took a moment to take up my juice box, stabbing the straw inside and sipping at it just like I was a kid.

Julie:
"I dont know anything about this charm you speak of. This is the second time in two days you've told me that i've looked better," I glared at him playfully, hoping to distract him from the question. I had convinced my father to sign Codys contract over to me but I hadnt exactly worked out how to not fire him. He couldnt work, that much was obvious. How could I keep all his benefits without him doing any of the work spelled out in his contract?

I had to revise the contract. Which took time. And lawyers. And a lot of research on my part since I was clueless.

So I couldn't tell him yet.

Mostly because I hadnt asked his opinion and I feared he might be mad about my going behind his back like this.

I grabbed my bag and pulled out some folded clothes that i had grabbed from his room. If he had to be here, he could at least have his own clothes. I also brought a few of his books and some handheld video game that I knew nothing about. I set them on his bed.

"I brought you some stuff"