Paradise.

Chapter 4

Paradise.

Coldplay.

“Doctor Madison Kane speaking. Who am I speaking with?” Madison's professional voice filled the room and I felt my heart begin speeding up. Anthony took my hand in his as he began talking.

“Ah, hello Madison. This is Anthony Wolfe. Um, this will probably sound strange to you, but I'm Gracie's bodyguard.” He practically cringed as the words came rolling out of his mouth. I knew that he was as nervous as I was, only for different reasons.

“Gracie? Um, as in Gracie James, my patient?” She asked him, her voice full of confusion, just as we had predicted.

“No. As in Gracie Gray, your sister.” He spoke, his voice suddenly flat. I could tell that he was far from amused with her. I couldn't help but feel a bit flattered. I was annoyed with Madison too. I didn't hold it too tightly against her, as I knew that she hadn't seen or heard from me in ten years. And literally hadn't heard me for two years before that. Madison had plenty to worry about that wasn't me.

I sighed when I remembered the last time that I had seen my sister, before she graduated and ran off to Medical school.

“Congrats, baby!” Mom laughed, pulling the end of her dress out of my grasp and running over to hug Madison.

I watched from afar as my parents hugged and congratulated my sister. She looked beautiful, even in the hideous faded-yellow cap and gown. Her fire-engine red heels peaked out underneath, matching her cherry-red lips. She smiled, brushing her blonde curls over her shoulder to pose with them for the school photographer. I backed away a bit, not wanting to be in the way of her big day. Not wanting to taint her poster perfect picture.

I watched as they all posed together and laughed.

Madison's head slowly turned and locked on me. Her brown eyes, brighter than mine, found mine. Her smile faltered, but only for a beat, and then found it's way back. Her dimples were straining then, and I knew that her smile was no longer what it had been moments before. There was something off in the way that she was looking around.

For once in my life, I saw my sister and thought that she came off as flighty.

That very night Madison left without a goodbye. She didn't tell mom, dad, or me. She left and moved on with her life. I still hadn't figured it out �" not even after ten years.

I knew, even at the age of eight, as Madison was ten years older than I, that my parents were very proud of their Maddy. She was an honor student, Madison was the prom-queen, the student council president, the captain of the debate team and cheer squad, and Madison did everything right. Madison was going to be a doctor, and Madison was going to get married and have a family. Madison was perfect. I couldn't comprehend why she would run away from what she had.

I never had any of that.

Every one of Madison's perfections only made my flaws stand out all that much more. Her beautiful, model looks compared to my below-average girl-next-door exterior. Madison was outgoing, and incredibly confident. I, on the other hand, had spent my life hidden in the very back of my shell. A shell that Madison had gone ahead and did away with at a young age. Madison was brilliant, she always had the better idea. Madison was athletic, she didn't trip over her own feet. Madison was popular, she had friends to fall back on. Everybody in Concord loved her, they didn't despise and torment her. Madison was everything, and I was always nothing.

That was how my parents seemed to see things. That was how I felt that they did, anyway. If that wasn't the case, then my parents didn't have a great way of showing otherwise. I couldn't hold that against them anyway. I was just as entranced by my older sister as everyone else. I looked up to her, and though I didn't know her motives, I admired her ability to get out of a situation.

I was missing the guts, in every way, shape, or form.

Anthony very gently nudged my side, pulling me from my memories. I gave him a sheepish smile before paying attention to their conversation.

“Gr-Gracie?” She stuttered, and I pursed my lips. I hadn't heard Madison stutter before, it had me feeling uneasy. I listened to her silence before she huffed. “She's not talking is she?”

“No. She's not.” Anthony spoke, still sounding nothing less of annoyed with her.

“Um, can I ask what she's doing with a body-guard?” I heard the sound of a sudden tapping in the background. Her nails. I remembered the habit from when she was younger. It was something that she did when she was stressed out, or flat-out pissed off with something. I was suddenly sure that when it came to me, it was the latter.

“Your parents are in Maine.” Anthony shrugged, even though Madison couldn't see him. “They're out on business, and wanted someone in the house, just in case.”

“Oh...well, why are you calling me then? Because if you're trying to talk for Gracie, that still wont work unless she can talk to you.” Madison all but snapped at him and I wanted to snap at her. She didn't know me, and she didn't know Anthony. She may have been a successful seed, but that didn't mean that she could walk all over us.

“First of all, you don't have to speak to communicate. Gracie still has feelings. Secondly, there was an accident, and your parents were busy.”

“Is she...alive?” She coughed, and it sounded as if she were choking on something she'd drank.

“Yes, she's alive!” Anthony snapped, finally revealing how truly annoyed he was. I smirked to myself at the thought. “For God sakes, you're her sister. We had to make sure someone in the family knew. Your sister was hit by a car today, and she's suffering from a broken arm, let, and some very nasty cuts and bruises. A concussion as well. She's going to be on bed rest for up to six weeks. I just figured you may want to know. I guess I was wrong.”

“Wait!” Madison stopped him before he could hang up, cutting her out of my life once again. “Really...um, is she alright? I didn't mean to be so...bitchy. I just. God, I'm sorry. I just don't know Gracie. We didn't know each other when I lived there, I don't know her now. I didn't think she'd want anything to do with me.”

“Family is family, and apart from me, you're all she has right now. Besides, just because you didn't pay attention to your sister, doesn't mean that she didn't pay attention to you, Madison. If you don't know her, maybe it would be a good time to start.”

“I do still have two months of vacation for work. I could...I could use a couple weeks of it. If, you know, you guys want me to come visit. Um, I could help out around the house. I'm in obstetrics, but I'm still a doctor. I could keep a better eye on her, if you need.” Madison's words were slow, rolling off her lips with a certain amount of apprehension. I raised my eyebrows at the idea of seeing her for the first time in years.

Anthony slowly turned and looked at me, his eyes asking what I wanted. I slumped a bit when I realized that it was up to me. I had no honest idea. I may have wanted to see her, out of curiosity's sake, but she sounded far from thrilled to hear from me. I could hear it in her voice. Even Anthony seemed to catch on to things.

I sighed, and shrugged. I tried to tell him that it was up to him. Did he want to take care of me, or did he want the help of a pretty, blonde doctor?

“I don't think Gracie really cares either way, Madison.” Anthony told her, not taking his eyes away from mine. I nodded at him, telling him that he was right.

“Alright. Well, it'll be at least a week. I have to get off of work. I'll call you back when I find out all of the details.” She told him and then sighed. “Do you guys still live in the same house?”

I nodded.

“Yes, Madison.” Anthony huffed.

“Alright. Okay. Well, I'll call you. Take care of Gracie. Tell her that...that I hope she's alright.” Madison repeated, not really sounding very sure of anything that she said. I shook my head, my eyes rolling up to the ceiling before looking back down at my bandaged legs.

“She's mute, Madison. Not deaf.” Anthony all but spat before hanging up the phone. I raised my eyebrows, turning to look up at him. He really knew how to stand up for me, how to flatter me.

I smiled sheepishly, hoping that he understood how thankful I was.

Anthony gently wrapped an arm around me and let me lean into his side. I moved my broken arm so that it was resting comfortably between his thigh, and mine. I felt his cheek move so that it was resting on top of my head. It was such a comfortable place to sit, especially with my headache and...everything else ache. Anthony understood completely, as he had left the lights low and the curtains drawn.

“Are you hungry, or anything?” He asked me and I shrugged. I wasn't really hungry. I didn't know what I was. “I can run and get you something to eat. Or make something. I need to keep you awake though, with your concussion.”

I nodded. I'd had many concussions in my clumsy days.

“Gracie, did you eat lunch?”

I shook my head.

“Gracie!” He sighed, gently moving me so that I was comfortable. “I'm going to go make you something. Just relax, but not too much. You can't go into a coma.”

I pursed my lips and looked up at the ceiling fan.

Anthony came back upstairs after at least an hour. I raised my eyebrows as he stumbled in with what looked like a tray full of food. There was every type of snack on there. I smiled, excited to get something in my stomach. Anthony gently sat down and placed the tray in his lap. I watched as he began opening things, his eyes also set on the food. I licked my lips as he pulled out a banana and grinned at me.

“Healthy first, and then crap.” He pointed out as he peeled the banana. I didn't care. I just wanted to eat something.

After giving me it, Anthony got one of his own. We ate in complete silence and I wished that I could start up some form of conversation. Even if it were awkward, or dumb. I wanted to be normal for Anthony. I wanted to be normal like Anthony.

“Alright,” he spoke with a huff, putting the empty peel to the side. “You're not done yet?” I shook my head, my face turning red as I looked at my three-fourths left. Anthony chuckled and rolled his eyes. “Sorry, I just like my food.”

I shrugged and attempted to hurry with the banana.

After I finished the stupid banana, we snacked away. Anthony had brought up cereal, Poptarts, candy, cookies, pumpkin bread, chips, and everything else in our house. I didn't usually snack much, but with Anthony, everything seemed to be much more fun than they once did. It was nice to just sit and not think about the people around me. It was nice to not worry about my parents, or school, or anything similar to that.

“You full?” He practically giggled as he took the tray, after closing everything up, and placed it over on my dresser. I nodded frantically, ready to throw up, on top of my other problems. Anthony chuckled and sat back down next to me. “Maybe I could have brought less food, but I wasn't sure what you were in the mood for.”

I nodded and smiled sheepishly. I had never met anyone so considerate.

“So...your sister. She sounded a bit off, really. Like maybe you guys had problems?” He asked and I nodded right away. “When was the last time you saw her?”

I held up ten fingers, hoping he would understand that I meant ten years. It had been ten whole years since I had last heard from Madison. I didn't know a single thing about her, other than that she was once a blonde princess, who got whatever the hell she wanted in life. Ten years could change a person, but judging by our conversation, she sounded very similar to the girl that I hardly knew back then.

“Ten years? Really? Did she just, I don't know, leave or something?”

I nodded.

“Wow. How odd.”

Anthony kept me up watching movies after that. He found my Disney movies and put them in for me, telling me that he could tell that I liked them. At first, I was embarrassed. Though after some time I came to terms with the fact that even my body-guard enjoyed a good classic. Even if it was intended for children to watch. We watched everything from the Little Mermaid to Pocahontas. I fell asleep during our fourth movie, but Anthony didn't stop me by that point.

He must have knew that I would be fine after that point, as my headache had slowly dulled and disappeared in time.

When I woke up, Anthony was on the phone with Madison. I was surprised to find him in his pajamas, next to me. He was playing with a strand of my hair, curling it around his finger and uncurling it. He seemed a bit perplexed, but not as annoyed as he had been the night before. I smiled at him, and then looked down at my body with a frown.

I was still wearing what I had been wearing to school the day before, my hair was probably a mess, and I still had my casts. I mentally groaned when I realized that I wouldn't be able to take a shower just then. Slowly, I looked at Anthony as he told Madison goodbye and hanged up the phone. He looked curiously at me and I pursed my lips, trying to figure out a way to tell him what I was thinking.

“What could you possibly be thinking right now that would put such a look on that pretty face?” He asked and then winked playfully. I huffed and looked back down at myself. I couldn't ask him to help me. My face burned at the thought. I wouldn't mind, but I'm sure he would. He was my body-guard, not my nurse. He sighed, moving so that he could see me. “Gracie...give me a hint. Something. Charades.”

I picked up my shirt and motioned towards my clothes. I wanted to put something clean and comfortable on. I wanted to wash my hair. I wanted to go back to my normal schedule. I hated being so dependent on someone. Anthony didn't deserve the burden that I was prior to the accident, let alone the train-wreck that I became afterward. It was completely unfair to both of us.

A light seemed to flicker on in his head as he realized what I needed.

“You need to change...shower...stuff like that?” He asked and I nodded. “But, you have a bandaged arm, leg, and stitches in your face?”

I nodded. I was perfectly aware of my stupid condition.

“Um...wow...I could...help, I guess. I feel bad. I don't want to be creepy, Gracie. But, I think I’m your only option.” His face had paled as he looked at his hands. I didn't know what to do, or think. I couldn't decide if he was just embarrassed, or flat out disgusted. I understood both points of view, but didn't know how to tell him that there really wasn't another choice if he was going to take care of me. “I'm sorry. That was dumb. I could take you to the hospital?”

I sighed and looked at him, asking him with my eyes if that was what he really wanted. I knew he understood, as he locked his caring green eyes with mine. He sighed softly and stood up.

“We can wrap you, and your arm in a towel, and I can wash your hair. And then I'll clean your cuts. Um, after that I'll help you get dressed, I guess.” He shrugged. “Your sister will be here tonight. She found out that it'll be easier to take off now, rather than around Thanksgiving.”

I nodded in complete agreement.

“Alright, well...I guess I should help you to the bathroom.” He spoke awkwardly, his cheeks tinged with pink. I nodded and let him help me up and walk me to the bathroom connected to my room.

Anthony gently had me sit down on a chair that I kept in there, for looks. I used one arm to pull my shirt up and let Anthony maneuver it around my limbs and cast. He carefully sat it behind him, on the floor. I was quiet as he helped me slide my stretchy capris down my hips, and over my huge cast. He placed them with my top and then pulled a towel out for me to wrap around my cast and whatever else I wanted to cover.

Ever so gently, Anthony moved me so that my back was to the shower. He carefully turned on the water, and let it warm. I watched as he pulled out a wash-cloth and placed it over the spot that had been stitched up on my forehead. I watched as he tested the water and then asked me if it felt okay. I nodded, loving the warmth of his hand, rather than the water on my arm. I closed my eyes and smiled to myself as he began wetting down my hair.

Nobody had ever really done something like that for me. It was odd. I knew that he was probably very uncomfortable about the whole thing. I just wasn't the kind of girl to pass up a good, awkward situation. Not when I had never had a guy look at me, let alone touch me, and take care of me. It was all so new.

I was practically taking advantage of the poor man.

Not that I really cared, he was washing my hair and cuts for me.

Anthony filled a cup with arm water and I relaxed as he poured it over my hair. He ran his fingers through it as he did so, only making my smile bigger. It felt good to have someone play with my hair. My mom didn't really do it for me when I was little, and when she did, Madison always had the shower first, so the water was cold. It made the way that Anthony was doing it all that much more appealing to me.

“Feeling better?” He chuckled, and I'm sure he had seen my grin by that point. I nodded gently and quietly hummed.

“Yeah, you look happy.” He laughed and then lifted the wash cloth from my forehead. I opened my eyes and watched as he pulled out the ointment that his mom had directed him to clean it with. He gently cleaned it up and bandaged it for me.

“Mmm.” I hummed and he froze.

“You hummed.” He practically giggled and I smiled widely, looking at his face.

I hadn't ever done that. I'd yelped before, but only during dramatic instances. I had never voluntarily made a noise like that. I knew that it wasn't a word, and that it hardly counted as intentional...but it was new. I silently giggled again and nodded at him, understanding the feeling of excitement.

“Your voice is pretty, Gracie.” He sighed and I felt my smile falter again.

He would never get to hear me talk. He wouldn't even know.

“You want to talk...don't you?” He asked me, turning so that he could see my eyes. I pursed my lips and nodded. “Is it something physical holding you back? Does it hurt, or something?”

I shrugged, and then shook my head. Anthony nodded and then put the bandage over my stitches. He then pulled out a white towel and began towel-drying my hair for me. He then proceeded to wrap it around my head and help me sit up a little straighter.

“Did something happen that made you stop talking? Were you hurt, or something?” He knelt in front of me, holding my hands in his. I felt my eyes begin to water as I tried to find the right answer in my head for that. He sighed, nodding as he realized that I didn't know what to say to that. “Was it one of those girls at school? Did they say something to you?”

I shook my head. Not about talking. Not about me talking, they just said stuff about me not talking.

“Did your parents do something, Gracie?”

I shrugged. I knew that I could have had a lot worse parents. I didn't want to throw a pity-party for myself. Not when I was living in a good house and had someone good taking care of me.

“Gracie...honey, what did they say? They didn't hit you, did they?” His eyes were wide, full of nothing but concern.

I shook my head frantically. My mom had slapped me once, when she got frustrated, but I understood. They didn't hit me. They just told me that I was too talkative when I was little. So, I did them a favor and didn't say anything. But what started as a one-time thing, began to take over my life. It consumed me furiously and by the time I realized that, it was a problem, I was in way too deep. I couldn't just end it, not the way that I had planned.

And by that point, everyone I knew thought that I was mentally disabled. They thought that I was crazy, and that I needed help. Only they never got me the right help. They didn't understand that I actually remembered everything. Every little detail. I remembered everything with a photographic memory. I had feelings just like everyone else. I could control everything in my body, other than whatever was keeping me silent. I was normal but nobody knew that. Nobody seemed to know what to think.

“They're wrong you know. I know that they've said stuff about you being mentally wrong. I can see it. You're all there. That's what kind hurts, doesn't it? The fact that a stranger like me can see it and they can't...well...they're wrong,” he spoke again, his voice full of nothing but seriousness.

Tears began to fall as he finished talking. Anthony shushed me and let me lean into him, wrapping my good arm around him. He just rubbed my back and whispered little, comforting things to me. I just let the tears go, trying to get as much as I could off of my chest. I knew that it wasn't what I truly needed, which was to say something, but it was as close as I had gotten in years. Anthony understood exactly what I needed.

Anthony helped me up after a while and had me sit on my bed. I watched silently, wiping away what was left of the tears as he pulled a t-shirt and some shorts out of my closet. He gently came over and helped me get my injured arm thought he right spots, and then the rest of it over my body. He then helped me with my shorts, being extra careful with my already achy leg. And after he had me all dressed, he let my hair down and brushed it for me.

I smiled as Anthony helped me get back under my blanket, after pulling my hair up into a pony-tail for me. I relaxed into his side as he turned the TV back on and found something for us to watch together. It was the first movie of the Twilight Saga, a book series that I had read years before.

“You read this series?” He chuckled and I nodded.

“I'm hoping the books were better than the movie...” He muttered and I nodded quickly. They were fantastic. The movies were fantastic. I just knew that he couldn't understand unless he read them first. He was missing so much of it.

So, I pointed to my bookshelf. He looked at it, probably not even knowing what to look for. So, I grabbed his hand and placed it palm up. And then I put my good hand against his, so that they looked like the hands on the cover of Twilight. He looked at them for a few moments, and then watched as I used my good hand to point at the shelf again.

He walked over and found the book with that cover, and then brought it over to me. I opened it and lightly flipped through the pages before looking at him expectantly.

“You want me to read this?” He asked me, his eyebrow going up and I nodded.

“Are you sure I would even like it, Gracie? I mean, it seems kind of girly? I guess it can't be too girly...my sister would have read it.” He smirked at me and I nodded, knowing what he meant. It wasn't too girly, it was just from a girl's point of view.

I smiled at him as he opened it and gently looked over the pages. He shrugged and closed it, turning his head so that he was looking at me.

“I'll read it. But not now. I'll do it later, when you're off of bed-rest and I have nothing to occupy myself with.” He winked and I felt my face grow warm as I remembered just how much attention he was paying to me.

That was when Anthony's phone began to ring. He answered it, putting it on speaker.

“Hello?” He asked.

“Anthony! Honey, hi. It's mom.” Mia's warm voice floated through the speaker and I couldn't help but smile.

“I know, momma, there's caller I.D.” Anthony pointed out and she chuckled, telling him to hush. Anthony grinned before continuing. “You're on speaker, I've got Gracie here with me.”

“That's why I called. How is she feeling?”

“I think she's better than she was yesterday, maybe.”

“That's good. Has her headache lightened up? Did you make sure to clean all of her cuts?” Mia asked, her voice caring, but almost in a doctor way. She played the role perfectly.

“Yeah.” He looked down to me, where I was nodding against his bicep. I moved my face so that it was tucked into it, where I could breathe in his comfortable scent without having to be obvious about it. “We actually ended up washing her hair and then her cuts,” Anthony said, and then as if it were a reminder, he continued playing with my hair.

“That's good. I'm happy to know that you're taking proper care of the girl. It's the least she deserves.” Mia kidded and Anthony feigned that he was offended.

“Well, I'll have you know that Belle and I are having a great time. We watched Disney movies, discussed Twilight, played in water, watched more movies, and ate ourselves sick. Gracie's lucky to have such a friendly body-guard.” Anthony winked at me and I smiled right back at him. He just had to say the perfect thing at all times.

“I sure hope he's being good to you, honey.” Mia laughed and I smiled, wishing that I could joke with them. Every time I opened my mouth, it just got stuck there. No words were making it past my brain. “If not, he'll just have to deal with me.”

“Alright, alright. Jeez, mom.” Anthony laughed.

“Alright, well, love you guys. I hope that miss Gracie feels better. Call me tomorrow if you guys get bored. Maybe I can get you all dinner, or something. I'll be off.” She laughed and Anthony thanked her and then said goodbye.

We spent the rest of that evening hanging out and talking. He did the talking, I did the hanging around.

“Gracie, stay awake.” Anthony chuckled as my eyes drooped. I knew that I needed to stay up for Madison, but I was getting sleepy. “Madison will arrive soon.”

I sighed and moved to turn my face into him, only to find his face right there as well. Our foreheads were pressed up against each others, and Anthony had a goofy smile on his face. It was something that I loved to see on him. His beautiful smile.

The next thing I knew, Anthony moved his face closer, and angled his head so that our lips were touching.

It was as if I had lost all control. The moment that Anthony kissed me, I moved so that my good arm was wrapped around his neck. My not so good arm was clutching his shirt as if my life depended on it. I didn't let go, even when the bones began aching. I didn't care. He was kissing me and I wasn't going to pass the moment up. I wanted all or nothing.

“Gracie.” His voice was all husky as he pulled away. I pouted playfully, until he began shaking his head regretfully. At that point my pout turned real. “Gracie, please. I just...I shouldn't have done that.”

I shook my head as fast as I could. It was so right.

No...no. No. No. No. No no no no no no no...

“I feel like I was taking advantage of you...you couldn't even tell me to stop! I'm sorry. That was just...I wasn't thinking. Really, I know better. I promise, it will not ever, ever happen again, Gracie. I cross my heart and hope to-”

No!

“N-no!” I stuttered out breathlessly.

Anthony froze, his eyes wide as he looked at me, silently urging me to say more. I didn't know where to find the words though. All I knew was that I wanted him to kiss me. I wanted him to like me. I wanted him to know that if he did something wrong, I didn't have to say something for him to know. I wanted him to know that I liked him, even if I wasn't sure about anything.

“You...want this? I mean, you don't think I'm some creep? I'm twenty-two Gracie. You're only eighteen...I don't want to take advantage of you.” He reminded me, but I knew that it didn't matter to me.

Age was only a number, and with us, it wasn't even that big of a deal.

In turn, I shook my head at him again. I looked him in his green eyes and tried to explain without my words. He needed to know that I adored him. That he was a great guy and that I was just like any other girl, in some ways. He couldn't take advantage of me like that. If anything, I had been using him the entire time he had been with me.

“Gracie, we need to sit down and just talk about this...” He spoke and I silently giggled at how feminine he sounded.

“What you think I'm funny, pretty girl?” He laughed and flicked my nose playfully. I half expected him to tickle me, but when I laughed, my bruised ribs reminded me why he didn't.

I looked at him, trying to be serious, but I knew that it was probably a goofy scoff, if anything.

As soon as his lips parted, ready to say something, someone began knocking loudly on the door.

A/N: Follow me on Twitter/Instagram @Rosily9

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Reviews

[Melody]

OOOOoooOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! I'm so fangirling on this. Lol. XP I seriously, without a doubt, would love him too! XD
The book is fantastic. :) Great job.

[selkietales]

So other than the fact that I feel like what happens in the story (not just this chapter) happens a tad bit too fast, this is pretty good :) Oh, and their age difference is nothing~ my parents are 12 years apart lol.