New Beginnings (Charlie Bartlett Fanfic Starring Robert Downey Jr.)

Chapter 14 - Life's Mistakes

Four hours passed. David was sitting by Sydney's side in the waiting room, unable to help himself from asking a simple question. "Your phone's been vibrating almost nonstop since we got here. Are you planning on answering it?"

Sydney hadn't even noticed. She was too busy worrying about what terrible things were bound to transpire and had put her own life on hold. "I...it can't be as important as what's going on."

The phone shook again and David reached into Sydney's coat, it was slung across the chair, and checked it. "Is there an issue with school tomorrow?"

"Hm?"

"You've missed a half a dozen calls from Nathan Gardner."

"Oh...um...school can wait. In fact, depending on how things go today, I may not even go in tomorrow." She rested her head on David's shoulder.

"Something else is wrong," he said, lightly rubbing her arm. "Are you all right?"

"I don't know," she whispered, using every bit of strength she had to keep herself from crying. She snuggled into him, breathing in his familiar scent and finding comfort in his still lingering accent. Though David had been in the states for years, he held onto his British youth, keeping his voice sounding quite proper.

"You know you can tell me anything..."

"What happened to us?" she blurted, unable to stop the words. "I mean, what did I do that flipped the switch in you?"

"Love, we've had this conversation a hundred times."

She shifted, but stayed close to him. "I know, but first we were going to get married, then John thought he wanted to mar..."

"Stop right there," David interrupted.

"I'm not some twenty-something who needs her own space, David, and I need to know what I'm doing wrong." Her voice was calm and steady and her tone extremely serious.

"It's not you, Syd, I swear it. You know I was 'on the fence' for most of my life. I loved you – still do – more than I could ever love any other woman, but..."

"I know." David couldn't control who he was and she accepted that. As much as she knew his choices had nothing to do with who she was as a person, she still couldn't help but wonder why other men seemed to leave as well.

"As for John, I wish I had the answers for you. Either he was an excellent actor, which he would have to be since neither Arlen nor I saw through him, or, " he ran his fingers through her hair. "he's simply a bastard and you deserve better."

"She almost killed her!" Jess came storming into the waiting room, Arlen on his heels. "She was blue and...and so small!" Arlen pulled his sobbing nephew into his arms, but he pushed away.

Sydney once again pushed her own feelings aside and got up from her seat. "What happened?" she asked Arlen, her voice soft. Before she got her answer, Jess wound up in her arms, crying on her shoulder. She rubbed his back, soothing him as best she could.

"She fucked up again," Arlen said with no emotion to his voice - that's when you knew Arlen was angry. "Who in their right mind shoots up when they're seven months pregnant?"

"My mother," Jess spat. "Fucking crack whore."

"Jessie," Sydney whispered.

"What? You've been more of a mother to me than she ever was." He wasn't wrong.

"How bad is it?" David asked.

Arlen sat down, exhausted, and put his head in his hands. "I'm not sure yet."

"All nighter?" Sydney asked.

"Sweetie, I don't expect you to stay."

She shook her head. "Family first, always. I need to make a phone call."

The next morning an unknowing Nathan, feeling strangely awful about his behavior with Sydney (especially since she hadn't retuned any of her phone calls), was in her classroom leaving her a cup of mint hot chocolate as well as another small gesture. Using the spare key to her bottom drawer, he unlocked it and placed a single pink rose and a small envelope inside of it. The first thing Sydney did each morning was unlock that drawer and place her purse within its cheap, student proof fortress. He smiled slightly as he locked it back up, but was caught off guard when he heard footsteps come into the room. He was sure he'd been early enough to have a few spare minutes before she got there.

"I'm sorry, do I have the wrong room?"

Nathan turned and saw an older woman in the doorway. "That...depends on who or what you might be looking for."

"Oh, well, I was only told English and this general direction. The principal was rather..."

"Distracted," Nathan finished, his heart sinking. She called off...of course she did. His thoughts flew to the drawer. Shit... "Umm...Syd, er Sydney, uh, Miss Turner," he scratched at his neck, "is good with her lesson plans...ah, here." He picked up her book and handed it to the woman. "I'm Nathan Gardner, I'm across the hall if you need anything. Everything should be in order, tests today, I think and, uh...that drawer's locked, so you might just wanna keep an eye on your personals."

The woman smiled. "Thank you very much."

Nathan nodded, smiled, and exited the room quicker than he probably should have. He entered his own and shut the door behind him, fighting the sick feeling in his stomach. "Had to sleep with her, didn't you? Had to make everything a fucking mess." His lower lip shook ever so slightly and his hand trembled. He knew what that meant in the past, but he refused to think of his demons. "Nathan Gardner fucks up his life once again."