I'm Here for You, Always

Chapter 3

"Izzy. Izzy. It's time to wake up." I hear Matt whisper in my ear.

"Hhmm" I moan. I open my eyes slowly to see Matt sitting on the edge of my bed, looking at my chart.

"Thea's blood pressure was very low, so I had to give her a lot of fluids to stabilize it." he explains.

"Is she okay?" I ask.

"Well as I said I was able to stabilize her blood pressure, but her body is still very fragile. Her appetite is also not very good which worries me a little. Overall though I would say she'll be okay." he says.

"Oh, thank god," I say.

"Is there anything you can tell me that could've maybe caused her blood pressure to be so low, and her blood sugar?" he asks.

"Um well there is but I told her I wouldn't tell you," I say.

"Well remember I'm here and you can tell me anything. I was just looking at your chart and I noticed that your blood pressure is pretty low also," he says, as he looks through my chart again.

"Oh. Really?" I ask, innocently.

"Yes actually. It was just as low as when you first came in and so is your blood sugar. Is there anything you would like to tell me, Izzy?" he asks, suspiciously.

"Nope. Nothing." I say.

Matt gets up from the edge of the bed and kneels right beside me.

"I know Izzy. I know," he says in a soft voice.

I stare outside at the window on the other side of the room looking out at the fiery red, bright yellow, and burnt orange leaves. Not able to look him in the face, ashamed.

"How long has it been?" he asks.

" I've been restricting for about 4 months," I say, in a low grumble. I hear him give a long sigh.

"Izzy, I can get you help. You don't have to go through this alone anymore," he says, with care.

"I wasn't going through it alone. I say, quietly, still staring at the window.

"Izzy, look at me," he says, as he touches my shoulder. I force myself to turn and look at him in his beautiful, big, brown eyes.

"I can help both you and Thea get through this. I can give you a healthy diet plan and"8...he says, as I cut him off.

"I've tried diet plans. I've tried exercise. I've tried pills. No, I will not go to a shrink." I say sternly.

"I never said you had to go to a shrink," he says reassuringly.

"I can work with you. We can work together," he says with a smile.

"Really you would do that?" I ask.

"Of course, I will," he says. I give him a long hug.

"Oh that reminds me, I'll be right back," he says as he gets up quickly. I sit alone for a few moments.

"I thought you might still want a friend since I can't always come and see you." he says, as he pulls out a ginormous teddy bear -the size of a five-year-old from behind his back.

"Aww. Thanks." I say as he puts the teddy bear on my lap.

"I'm going to check your incisions while I'm here, and change your bandages," he says as he gets some gloves.

"Your smaller cuts on your face are healing nicely," he says as he touches the cuts on my face with his gloved, warm, gentle hands. I try to move the teddy bear out of the way but I just decide to put it at the edge of the bed.