|
|
Post by Riley Neves on Jul 26, 2009 23:04:41 GMT -5
Riley had been told that she just needed to spend one more night at St. Mungo's, and they would release her in the morning. Of course, she already has three more appointments lined up to check on her and the baby. She wasn't stupid, either. She figured out pretty quickly that they were more or less forcing her to eat. Forcing Riley to do anything wasn't really the way to handle her, and now that he knew she was pregnant, Roland probably would have had better luck. But Riley wanted to go home, so she didn't argue. Much.
During one of her check ups with Lydia, she had offhandedly mentioned Geoffrey, and she was told that he was still in the hospital. Something about his state of mind, and Dr. Kelly feeling better if he had someone watching over him. The guilt ate at her instantly, and she turned those wide, guilty eyes on Roland. It was her fault if he was still her.
When Lydia left, Riley was quiet for a long time before she took a breath and told Roland, "I should have gone to see him that night. I just couldn't do it, Roland. I was so scared that it wouldn't be him." In all honesty, she still kind of was. What if they were wrong and he was still under the curse?
"I have to tell him that I don't blame him. But I can't... I can't go alone." She left the question silent, hoping he would just offer to go with her.
|
|
|
|
Post by Roland Ferrera on Jul 26, 2009 23:15:05 GMT -5
And she didn't need to ask it. He knew her well enough by now to recognize what she wanted him to do. And truthfully, he had been thinking along the same lines anyway. Geoffrey's conspicuous absence had not gone unnoticed by Roland, and he had discreetly asked Dr. Kelly about Geoffrey's condition.
Roland could hardly blame Riley for feeling nervous about seeing Geoffrey. But he also didn't blame Geoffrey for what had happened. It just reminded him that, try though he might, he could not protect everyone all the time. Geoffrey had gotten caught up in the situation, just as Lina had.
Slipping his hand into Riley's, he gave her a reassuring smile. "Would you like me to go with you?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Riley Neves on Jul 26, 2009 23:20:51 GMT -5
Riley nodded when he asked. God knew she couldn't go alone. The left over fear and the guilt would have probably made her turn around half way down the hall. He deserved better from her, and she just wished she was strong enough still to be better for him. But she wasn't. Roland was back and she didn't have to be strong anymore. She simply couldn't do it. Finally, after two months of stress and quite literally going insane, she could break down. There was nothing left to stop her.
"If you don't mind," she whispered, her hand already holding on to his tightly. What if he was still under the curse? It wasn't possible. Lyle and Blake both were dead. "I just want to tell him how sorry I am."
|
|
|
|
Post by Roland Ferrera on Jul 26, 2009 23:51:12 GMT -5
"I know," Roland said simply. "But you have no reason to feel guilty. What happened... it was because of me. You were trying to help me, and Geoffrey was trying to help you. He was trying to be a good friend, and he wound up being caught up in something that he wasn't prepared for. None of us expected this to happen. And I'm sure he understands why you haven't been to see him yet. But I think it will do him a world of good to see you now."
He also expected that Geoffrey would not be particularly happy to see him. Geoffrey had not approved of the plan and had made no secret of it. And then he wound up becoming a victim of it. It would serve Roland right if Geoffrey wanted to hit him for it.
"Are you ready to go now?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Riley Neves on Jul 26, 2009 23:55:30 GMT -5
It would have probably done Geoffrey a world of good to see her before now. She wondered if Alison had come in to see him. She really hoped so.
"No," she answered him honestly, "But I don't think I'll ever be, honestly. So now is as good of a time as any. Listen... you just said none of it was his fault. You won't be angry with him, will you?" Roland, and in fact, most of the Ferrera boys, were all very protective of their girls, and she didn't want Roland to be angry with Geoffrey for what had happened. No one was to blame for it except Lyle and Blake.
"Promise you won't be angry, and we'll go."
|
|
|
|
Post by Roland Ferrera on Jul 27, 2009 0:05:06 GMT -5
Roland didn't even need to think about it. His answer was immediate. "I won't get mad at him," he replied. "None of this was his fault. What matters is that you're alive and you're safe, and you have no idea how grateful I am to Ted and Hayden that they were there to protect you. But Geoffrey was never trained to resist the Imperius Curse, and even then, he might not have been able to fight it. So, no... I'm not mad at him. However, I can't guarantee that he won't be angry with me."
|
|
|
|
Post by Riley Neves on Jul 27, 2009 0:13:09 GMT -5
Riley frowned. That should have made her feel better, but it really didn't. "I won't let him be angry with you. He would have never had to know if I hadn't dragged him into it, so... he can take his anger out on me."
He wouldn't though, and Riley knew it. Even still, she couldn't let him be angry with Roland.
She got to her feet and kissed him. "Thank you for doing this with me. I'm ready."
She shouldn't take Roland with her, she thought, especially if Geoffrey was going to be angry with him, and for a second, she was pulled into business mode. No. She could lean on him. She deserved it. When were things going to stop being so difficult?
|
|
|
|
Post by Roland Ferrera on Jul 27, 2009 0:29:04 GMT -5
He ached for her in that moment. She was so like him in some ways, always quick to take the burden and the blame for everything on herself. He could imagine, in the future, that most of their arguments would consist of each of them trying to take the blame for every situation, even if it wasn't their fault.
Holding her to him just a little bit longer, he touched her cheek lightly. "It's going to be fine. I think Geoffrey's anger at the whole thing is probably going to be cancelled out by how relieved he'll be to see you."
Finally, he released her and they began the walk to the room Lydia had said Geoffrey was in.
|
|
|
|
Post by Riley Neves on Jul 27, 2009 0:36:44 GMT -5
"I hope so," Riley said.
As they walked down the hall, Riley was tempted to ask Roland to go in first. She just wanted some kind of shield... from a cursed Geoffrey, from an angry Geoffrey, it didn't matter. She was just so nervous she could feel her stomach erupting into butterflies. She wondered what that felt like to the baby.
Outside his door, she stopped suddenly, turning to Roland. "I want to ask him to be the baby's godfather," she said. This, she had actually thought out quite extensively. But if the timing felt right today, she would ask him today. She just wanted Roland to feel okay with it. "And since Hayden's your best friend, I thought we could ask him, too. I mean... everything we do is a little unconventional, isn't it?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Roland Ferrera on Jul 27, 2009 16:42:08 GMT -5
Roland leaned in and kissed her tenderly. He knew she was nervous, and it had to be an awful thing to be nervous about seeing your best friend. He wanted her to know that he was there for her, no matter what happened.
"I think that's a great idea," he replied. "If he's feeling up to it, we can ask him today."
The mention of Hayden made him frown just slightly. So far, every member of his family had been to see him... all except for Hayden. It felt strange, to have his best friend seemingly avoiding him. Was he angry with him? He couldn't blame him if he was, but he would hope that Hayden would at least tell him to his face. He made a mental note to look for Hayden later.
"It'll be fine. Let's go inside... you can stand behind me at first, if you're nervous."
|
|
|
|
Post by Riley Neves on Jul 27, 2009 16:51:27 GMT -5
Riley sighed. "I hate that you know me so well all of a sudden," she murmured. She wanted to stand behind him, to hide and be cowardly, but she couldn't do that. For one, if there was any danger at all of one of them being hurt, she couldn't let Roland take the brunt of it. He'd just come back from the dead, afterall. Secondly, Geoffrey was her best friend. She couldn't do that to him.
"No, I'll go first," she said, despite how badly she wanted him to. "I miss him. And he deserves better from me." She took a deep breath and held his hand tighter, and then pushed open the door.
Everything seemed to stop, and for a second, she couldn't breathe. "Geoff?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Geoffrey Montgomery on Jul 27, 2009 18:07:12 GMT -5
Geoffrey was a sad sight to behold. It had been almost a week since the Imperius Curse had hit him, and he already looked as if he were wasting away. He was deathly pale and already noticeably thin. He had hardly eaten in the last week or so, which was a big deal for someone like Geoffrey, who liked to eat.
The windowless room was dimly lit by design, the harsh lighting of a regular hospital room would have been grating to his nerves and impeded his ability to sleep. Not that he was able to sleep much at all. His sleep was plagued by dreams of the worst sort, and he still wasn't entirely sure what was real and what was just a dream.
He had been told that Roland had "mysteriously" come back to life the other day, but he wasn't sure he believed it. He remembered talking with Roland at the safe house, but he still wondered if that was a dream, too. And he hadn't seen or heard from Riley... that was the worst part of all of it. He still wasn't entirely sure that he hadn't succeeded in killing her. Everyone assured him that she was alive, but surely she would have come to see him by now, right?
So when he heard her voice, he turned slowly, revealing a haggard-looking face that was a ghost of his own handsome, youthful one. His eyes were sunken in and ringed with dark shadows, and he seemed somehow older.
"Riley?" he breathed, his voice hoarse from disuse.
|
|
|
|
Post by Riley Neves on Jul 27, 2009 18:19:28 GMT -5
Riley couldn't breathe when he turned towards her. He looked terrible. She didn't think she had ever seen him so haggard or miserable looking, and it tore at her. "Geoffrey," she whispered, and, blame it on the baby, her eyes filled with tears. This was her fault. He should have been home by now, back with his family, wearing that charming smile of his that never seemed to leave his face. She put him here.
She let go of Roland's hand and crossed the room as quickly as she could. "I'm here, Geoff," she whispered, pulling him into her arms and hugging him close. "I'm so sorry... I'm here now. "
|
|
|
|
Post by Geoffrey Montgomery on Jul 27, 2009 18:53:11 GMT -5
He didn't move for a few seconds as her arms went around him. He needed to know, to feel that she was real and not just another dream to torture him.
After a minute, though, he smelled her familiar scent, heard her voice against his shoulder, and something in him broke. His arms went around her tightly, hugging her back with everything he had. The tears he had been blinking back for days finally began to fall as he whispered her name.
"Riley... Riley, I'm so sorry... I never would have hurt you on my own... please... you have to believe me..."
|
|
|
|
Post by Riley Neves on Jul 27, 2009 19:04:14 GMT -5
"Shh," Riley whispered, crying with him, and she pulled him up a little. She held him to her almost in a motherly way, but in a very familiar way. "I know. I promise I know you would never hurt me. You would never hurt anyone, and I'm so sorry I wasn't here for you."
She ached for him, and suddenly, every reason she had not to visit him until know seemed to flee her mind, and she couldn't imagine why she would have stayed away for so long. The doctors assured her that he was no longer cursed, didn't they? What reason did she have to doubt them? The nightmares she had were simply that. This was Geoffrey.
"I've missed you so much... I'm so sorry, Geoffrey."
|
|
|
|
Post by Geoffrey Montgomery on Jul 27, 2009 21:07:56 GMT -5
Geoffrey held her close, crying heavily. He hadn't even noticed that Roland was also in the room, and it wouldn't have changed how he acted, anyway. He needed her too badly; she was his best friend and he couldn't lose her now. Not now.
"I missed you, too. I... I tried to stop it, you know... I tried to fight it, but it was too strong for me. I felt like I was watching outside myself, and when I didn't see you after, I thought... I've been having these dreams and I couldn't tell what was real anymore. I thought... maybe you were really dead and they just wouldn't tell me..."
|
|
|
|
Post by Riley Neves on Jul 27, 2009 22:04:56 GMT -5
All of this only made Riley cry harder. She should have never left him alone to wonder like that. "I'm so sorry," she repeated in a whisper, a couple of times over. "I know it wasn't you... I knew even when it was happening... but I was so scared. I kept thinking that what if they didn't break the curse? And then I... I don't know. But I am so sorry I put you in this position. You never should have been targeted. I am so sorry. I'm here now, and I'm okay, I promise I'm okay."
It didn;t occur to her that Geoffrey would have been targeted anyway, that it had nothing to do with that fact that she asked him to help her. Lyle hadn't even known that. He just saw Geoffrey around her all the time, and he'd been a logical choice.
|
|
|
|
Post by Geoffrey Montgomery on Jul 27, 2009 22:27:34 GMT -5
Geoffrey didn't care why it had happened. Or at least, he didn't blame her for it. He blamed the death eater who had done it, and there was a small part of him that blamed Roland. But ultimately, it was past, it was over, and everyone was safe now. That was all that mattered. That Riley was safe, and she was here.
"It's OK... it's OK," he said thickly, starting to feel better than he had in days. As predicted, just seeing her was doing him a world of good. How could he go through something like this without his best friend at his side?
He pulled back and looked at her, noticing how much healthier she looked already. "But... you're OK, right? Please tell me everyone is OK. The baby.... Roland...? Tell me I didn't dream that, because I've been so confused..."
|
|
|
|
Post by Riley Neves on Jul 27, 2009 22:40:31 GMT -5
Riley shook her head, looking at Geoffrey as tears streamed down her cheeks. She wiped at them, but they didn't slow down.
"Everyone's okay. And it's over. It's all over now. After what happened with you, I went to Roland and we ended it." She shifted to the side to make it easier for him to see, and looked over her shoulder towards Roland. When he eyes met his, she mouthed, 'thank you,' and looked back at Geoffrey.
"He's back. No more secrets, no more danger."
|
|
|
|
Post by Geoffrey Montgomery on Jul 27, 2009 22:58:38 GMT -5
Geoffrey felt an odd spark of hope when Riley said they "ended it." He didn't realize why at first, and it wasn't until she looked over her shoulder that he figured it out. Roland was there, and Geoffrey felt that hope fizzle.
He understood it now, maybe more clearly than ever before. The fog was slowly lifting, and things that should have been obvious before were now coming into focus.
He didn't like sharing Riley. Maybe it would have been different if it had not been Roland that he had to share with, but the truth was, Geoffrey was jealous. Roland could be for Riley something Geoffrey couldn't. Geoffrey was the shoulder to lean on, but Roland was the arms that could hold her tight and protect her from the world. Or, more accurately, he was the person who would stand by her side and fight the world with her. And Geoffrey couldn't be that for her. He couldn't fight back against a simple Imperius curse. He couldn't protect himself, let alone her.
Geoffrey's eyes locked with Roland's for just a moment, then he looked away. "I'm glad," he said, his voice sounding tired again. "I'm glad it's all over. I don't think I could have lied to Christine... She's devastated by your death, Roland."
|
|
