Isabel, The Beauty Next Door Pt. 06

"I know Jimmy. I'm still trying to get my head around it. We've only known each other a short time and it's unbelievable that you would do that for me."

"I guess that's why I'm not mad that you would think that about me. If it was Sam, I would have had a right go at her."

"Hey, I heard that," Sam says as she walks around the corner with a drink for everyone.

"And you know it's true."

She looks at Isabel. "He can be a stubborn git."

They sat for a while and drank their drinks. I look at Izzy, "we will work it out Iz." With that, she gives me a half-smile.

My mother stands up and comes over. "Jay, we need to make a move, so Sam can catch her train, and also I need to get home for some sleep. Hopefully, you will be let out tomorrow." She leans over and kisses my cheek.

Sam then gets up. "Glad you're not too bad Jay. Love you." She gives me her normal peck on the lips, and she disappears with my mother to give Izzy and me a moment.

"See you tomorrow Iz. I love you."

"See you tomorrow Jimmy, love you back."

******

I have to say that being in hospital is truly the most boring thing that I have had to go through. I joked with the lad opposite that people die more of boredom than anything else. The worst part was that I was woken every hour to have my vitals taken, and to check I was ok. This meant that I also slept most of the morning. By the time my Mother and Izzy came in the doctor had given me the all-clear to leave.

It was a relief to hop back into my bedroom, the last forty-eight hours had been the worst. I still was feeling heady so I went straight to bed. The hospital has given me a load of painkillers, because of my headaches and the bruises I have from head to toe. Sarah came running in as soon as she got back from the Richards house. She came bombing upstairs and launched herself onto the bed next to me. I could see that she had been very worried, and the bear hug she gave me showed me how scared she had been. She didn't want to let me go, so we cuddled for a while. She hadn't done that for a couple of years come to think about it.

"Are you ok Sarah?"

"Yes Jay, glad you're out of the hospital. Does your head still hurt?" I can see she is struggling with her brother being hurt.

"Only when I laugh sweetie."

"Isabel, don't make my brother laugh." She says seriously.

I can't help but smile, and Izzy has a little chuckle at my little sis. Once she is satisfied that I am OK, Sarah jumps off my bed and hugs Izzy before disappearing downstairs to watch TV.

Izzy walks gingerly over to the bed. I glance up and then pat the space next to me. Izzy seems to then come alive and plops herself down.

"Are you OK Iz? You seem a little......."

"Awkward?"

"Well, I suppose that's as good of a word as any."

"Sorry, Jimmy. I'm still feeling bad about what I said."

"Would you like to talk about it?"

"Well yeah, but with all that has happened since, it seems so stupid now. How could I be so stupid?"

There is silence for a bit, but it isn't an awkward one.

"Sorry Iz, my head is in no state to think that much. Let's start with something I hope is a bit easier. One thing I will say though, is next time talk to me. If you ask me a direct question, I will always answer it truthfully." Then something occurred to me. "Unless you ask me something like 'dos my bum look big in this or am I putting on weight."

"I've got a big bum?" Isabel asks with a smile on her face. "Ok, so what else do you want to talk about?"

"Cambridge? I need to talk to you about the offer before I phone Edward tomorrow and except." Isabel's eyes doubled in size and she scooted into a better position.

For the next half hour, I went through what I have been offered and what he had offered Isabel if she was interested. I told her about what I would be earning and how we would be able to live. I also offered her a contract, which she turned down. This would mean I would still help even if we weren't in a relationship. Isabel's face at that was a picture. She is like me and can't see her life without us being together.

After I finish Izzy turns to me, "I hadn't decided what area of law I was going to practice, but construction and corporate law do interest me."

"There's no pressure or obligation for you to join the company Iz. If you want to talk with Edward Harris, then I can ask the question."

"Thank you, baby. I will bear it in mind. I wonder if he will give me time to see what piques my interest."

"My love, I'm sure he will be flexible. He will also need to watch how you get on."

"Wow, would you be ok if I worked in the same firm like you?"

"We would be in totally different sections, so I don't see it as a problem at all." I can see with that the cogs of her brain weighing up her options. "Look Iz, you are under no obligations and if I was you, I would just keep my options open."

"That was what I was thinking. I will make my decisions when I have all my options in front of me." She smiles and seems satisfied with the conversation. I also notice a change in the way she was sitting next to me. Her posture is different, she seems to have a renewed energy. Her eyes are brighter, her shoulders are back, her head is held slightly higher, and most importantly the corners of her mouth are pointing up.

Mum came up with a tray with two mugs of tea and two sandwiches on. "Mum, you don't have to do this. I'm not that badly injured."

My mother put the tray down and said, "Doctor said you are to rest for a couple of days before doing any sort of exercise. That includes going up and down three flights of stairs."

I hold my one good arm up in quick submission "Okay."

She smiles, puts her hand on Isabel's shoulder, "Me duff think he gives up to easy." My mother quipped, "are you okay Isabel?" Isabel nods and smiles up at her. My mother leans over and kisses her forehead and then walks back down the stairs.

We tuck into the food. I only had a short stay in the hospital, but I was already in need of some home cooking.

We spent the rest of the day watching TV and talking about anything. Isabel is on my good side snuggled into me. She asks me a question I am not prepared for. "Jimmy, how did you feel when the porter in the lift was looking at me in that way?"

I didn't answer straight away, she adjusted her head so she could look into my eyes. "Jimmy?"

"My first thought was to make sure you were comfortable enough. Then I wanted to make him be the one to feel uncomfortable." I paused for a second to think, "to be honest Iz, I'm not sure how I should react at all."

She settles her head gently back down on my shoulder. "There is no real correct way to confront them. If I say something they either think it's an excuse to strike up a conversation, or they just don't see they are doing wrong and think I should be flattered." Izzy pauses a moment. She continues in a low voice. "It's not often they are so obvious and outright disgusting like those in Exeter. It's very often someone that just stares at me from a distance, or takes my picture. I see some men move so they can get a better view of my legs or see if they can look down my top. They think they are being discrete about it, but it gives me a sick feeling."

"Can I ask a question Iz?"

"Of course, you can Jimmy. You can ask me anything."

"How is the way I look at you differently? I often can't help looking and feel a bit bad when you catch me."

A smile creeps across her face. "From the moment you entered my bedroom on that Saturday afternoon I have felt comfortable with the way you look at me. It surprised me at first and took me a while to just relax and go with it. The only way I can explain is that you look at me with no hidden agenda. You accept me with your eyes and don't look for more. Although you did nearly blow it with the 'what's with your boobs' question." She laughs at the memory of our game of truth on the hill. "I also liked that you're quietly self-confident without being expectant. You weren't out to score with me, unlike your brother." She gazes up at me again and brushes my lips with hers. "Also and this was the game-changer, I like the way you were patient and protected me from the very first moment we met."

"Wow," I said. "I'm a great guy."

She laughed again, "yes you are, and modest with it."

"You realize," I start to say. "This is the deepest conversation we have ever had."

"It's the fault of the accident Jimmy. It has made me think a lot about you and me." With that, we snuggle down and just enjoy being close.

It's about eight o'clock and I get up to use the toilet. "Hey Iz, I'm going to get a shower while I am down stars."

Isabel doesn't even ask, she gets up and follows me as I make my way down the fifteen steps to the next level. She grabs me a towel and follows me into the bathroom. I have to sit to use the toilet, my body is feeling very week.

Isabel gets the shower running and gets me to stand. She pulls at the bottom of my t-shirt and I lift my arms. "Careful my love, I am so sore."

As my face is obscured by the shirt going over my head I hear Isabel gasp. "Oh shit Jimmy." This was the first time she had seen my injuries. "I did expect it to look so bad." She goes to the door, "Heather?" I hear my mum respond. "Could you come to the bathroom and see James's back?" She didn't respond, but a couple of seconds later I hear someone coming up the stairs.

My mother gasps as she walks into the bathroom. "Oh James, that is horrendous." She runs her hand down my back and I flinch from a stabbing pain. I turn and look at my back in the mirror. My entire back is black and blue with bruising and several small cuts with stitches in from the glass that I went through.

I must admit, even I am amazed at the amount of bruising I have suffered. Isabel has disappeared and reappears with her phone in her hand. She takes a couple of photos and then asks permission to send them to Sam.

I nod, "and can I get my shower now?" With that, my mother makes a quick exit. She did however tell me not to get what's left of my hair wet or my plaster.

As she exits I glance at Isabel. "Tough shit buster, I'm helping." She says this with a no-nonsense look on her face. So who am I to argue?

She locks the door and proceeds to take her clothes off. Once she is naked she helps me with the rest of my clothes. "Your legs aren't too bad Jimmy. Well other than the cut and the bruise on your foot, that has a nasty one. That must be where your bone is chipped."

We have a plastic sleeve to keep the plaster on my arm dry and a shower cap for my head. Isabel tests the water and steps under. She helps me in and proceeds to wash me. I stand there with my eyes closed waiting for the agony to start, but Isabel's touch is light as she spreads the soap over my skin. I stand there flinching every so often, but enjoying the attention I'm getting.

It's over far too quickly if you ask me, but the moment I open my mouth Izzy places a figure on my lips, "you'll get your cast or hair wet if you stay in any longer." She helps me out and then hands me a towel. She turns and rinses herself off before turning the water off and joining me. She gently dabs the water from any injury inspecting them as she goes. A couple has started to bleed again, but it doesn't take long before the blood stops and I can get my bed clothing on.

Every movement back up to my room is slow and methodical, my body does not want to respond to my brain's commands. Going back up is much harder. I carefully settle myself back into bed and let out an exaggerated sigh as I settle back on my side. I watch Izzy fuss around getting ready for bed, as she slides in next to me she looks at me with worried eyes.

"What's up, baby?" I ask as I reach over and cup her cheek in my hand.

"Oh Jimmy, I was thinking back to Friday when that policewoman first arrived. For a moment I thought I had lost you. I never want to feel that again, my heart felt like it was trying to explode out of my chest."

"I'm sorry to put you through that Izzy."

"You have it programmed inside you, Jimmy. Help others and be a hero."

"I'm no hero Iz. I did what anyone else would have done, there's no time to choose."

"Well, I beg to differ, Jimmy, not many people these days are prepared to stand and be counted."

"That's a poor indictment of the world we live in."

Izzy shrugs, "maybe it's because I come from the city and I'm pessimistic about the good in people."

"There's good everywhere if you're prepared to look for it, Izzy."

"I'm sorry Jimmy, I just don't see the world like that." We both fall silent for a moment and I close my eyes. It has been a long day and my sleep was so broken the night before, I fall asleep very quickly.

******

I'm woken the next day by my phone buzzing. I open my eyes, but the pain is excruciating once again so I close them quickly. I pick up my phone without looking and hand it to Isabel. It takes her a moment for her brain to click into gear and for her to answer it.

"Hello?" Isabel says as she holds the phone to her ear. "Oh hello, Mr. Harris." She listens for a moment. "That's right I'm Isabel, James's girlfriend. He told me last night about your kind offer." She pauses again. "Why did he wait so long?.......Ummm, I'm not sure how to tell you this Mr. Harris, but Friday evening James got hit by a car." I can just hear his voice but can't make out what he is saying. "Well, it hit him whilst he saved a little boy's life." Again she listens to Edward talk. "They let him out yesterday afternoon, he's got a massive cut on the side of his head. He has a broken arm, a chipped bone in his ankle, and cuts and bruises all over his body.......Yes, both the doctors and the police say he was very lucky." Once again there's a pause. "No this won't affect that. The plaster should be off in four to six weeks and everything else will heal before that. Doctors are convinced he will make a full recovery. He has got a massive headache this morning, but as soon as his solicitor has finished with the contract, it will be signed and sent back." Edward then spent a while telling her something. "Oh right, that's very kind. Ok, I will let him know what is happening." I have a twinge of worry. "Yes, he did mention that you might be interested in hiring me as well..........mmmm yes........It's just I haven't decided what I am going to specialize in yet. I was going to see what interested me the most during the first year or two, but corporate law is one that has crossed my mind." She laughs at whatever he said next. "No, I'm not just saying that because you're letting me stay with James." When she said that, I let out a breath I was holding and relaxed. "Ok Edward, I will get him to phone you when he's signed the new contract and I will keep a lookout for the courier. Ok, Edward, I look forward to meeting you when James is more mobile. Goodbye."

With that, she finishes the call and hands me the phone back. "OK Jimmy, Mr. Harris talked to the company solicitors about the addition of me and they want my name on the contract so they are covered by the company insurance. So he has sent a second one this morning via courier with my name added to it."

My head is still thumping and I think I have taken it all in. "Any chance of some pain killer's baby?"

"Of course Jimmy. One moment." She gets up and gets a bottle of water and two pills that I take. I close my eyes again and wait for them to take effect. Again I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I know is that my head has cleared and Izzy is standing next to the bed dressed and with a tray.

I pull myself up still wincing at my back pain and look at what she brought me. I smile as when seeing a full English sat on a plate.

Around ten the courier drops the new contract off. My Mum looks through it and sees it's the same as the first contract. The only differences are one paragraph on the front cover that adds Isabel's full name and what they have agreed to. They have also added her name to the tenancy agreement. Mum rings the solicitor up and gets asked for me to sign it before bring it in quickly so it can be double-checked. I feel a little bad not trusting Edward, but Izzy states that it's better to be safe than sorry later.

I phone Edward up to reassure him that I am fine, he sounds a little relieved on the phone. I have one moment of embarrassment when he says with what I did Friday shows they've chosen a person with the right character. As I did with Isabel, I tried to play it down as a reflex action. He like Isabel dismissed this and explained about the doers of the world. I must admit I finished the phone call with a smile on my face.

The rest of the day was relaxing and face-timing with Sam. Hannah was there and I could see the worry that I'd caused written on both their faces. With everyone I care about showing such devotion to me, it chokes me up a little to see the pain that I had caused.

Over the next couple of days, the headaches continued but seemed to get weaker. Most of the bruising fade turning a horrible yellow colour and my bones don't hurt so much. I had one trip to the hospital to get my bandage changed. There I got my first real look at my head wound. It looks worse than I thought, but the doctor seems to have done a good job in putting me back together. The doctor seemed very pleased with how quickly my head is healing and is still confident that I will have little or no lasting effect from the accident.

The Police come around on Wednesday, they took my written statement and explained that the car hitting the bridge first had most likely saved my life. They think it hit the bridge doing close to forty-five miles per hour but by the time it hit me this had reduced to twenty-five. I was also being put up for a bravery award. I have stopped trying to downplay my actions, not because I believe what I did was heroic, it's more about not wanting the person complimenting me having a negative response.

Later on, Monica knocks at the back door with little Travis, she beams when she sees me sitting at the kitchen table. She walks straight over and hugs me.

As she pulls away she kisses me on the cheek. She then stands in front of me holding my good hand. "James, I will never be able to thank you enough for what you did." I can see the tears starting to well up. She takes a deep breath. "One good thing to come out of this is that once the kids are in school I will be returning to nursing." She gives me a great smile, "you lit that spark inside me once more. So that's a second thing I will have to thank you for."

"Monica, there's no need to thank me, it's enough that little Travis was unhurt." I smiled back at her.

Monica stays for a while and has some tea with us explaining in more detail what happened after I got hit by the car. Travis disappears into the family room with Sarah to watch TV. A lot of people came to my rescue that day and I have an overwhelming need to thank them, they are the true heroes.

Monica coming round seems to underline the accident for me. Now I know what happened, it is time to get on with life. I talk to Isabel about getting some sort of fitness plan together. I still don't have use of my arm, but that doesn't mean I let the rest of my body lose shape.

The next week involves my life going back to normal as far as it can with a broken arm. I have to postpone my driving test and I can't go to work with dad, but other than that things move on. Isabel and I spent a lot more time together, so every cloud. It's not until our lives slow down that we really sit and talk. We find we have so much more in common. Both have read all of the Harry Potter books and both are into Tolkien. We go through everything from religion, to how many kids we want, to our thoughts on ghosts. It's amazing how evenly matched we are. We both want children, but we want to wait until our late twenties early thirties. Any later than that we would consider not having any. We also have a real talk about Sam's need for a child. It's amazing how open she is about it, and if we did go through with it, she wants him/her to be as much in our lives as Sam is. I have to admit I am still unsure if I wanted to have kids with someone else, even though is Sam.