The Found One

Chapter 26

Izzy POV

"I'm going to kill him."

"Hayden-"

"Don't Hayden me Olivia! Look at her!"

"I see her Hayden." Olivia's gentle tone contrasted harshly against Hayden's agitated one, finally doing what nothing else had – penetrating the numb fuzz that she had allowed to consume her.

"Exactly! And I'm going to kill him!"

"You aren't going to kill him." Olivia sighed.

Izzy kept herself from flinching as the feel of fingers running through her hair registered. Stretching out her senses further she forced her mind to focus on her surroundings, shuddering as a stray thought of Rowan struck her fragile heart.

Olivia cooed, from near her, her thighs laying against Izzy's back as her fingers continued to run through her tangled hair. "Your upsetting her Hayden." She chided softly.

"I'm upsetting her!?" He retorted mockingly. "I'm not the one that rendered her nearly catatonic and then just left her!" He was nearly shouting now, anger shaking his words.

"He's doing the best he can." Izzy had been wondering when Austin would jump into their little argument.

"Well it's a pretty fucking shitty job if you ask me." Hayden spat. She heard his shuffling and could picture as he paced, angry energy forcing him to move, stalking back and forth like a caged animal.

"No one asked you." Olivia mumbled softly.

Hayden growled. "Look at her Liv! Look what he's fucking doing! After everything, and now he gets her – and this is what he does? This is how he treats her?! I'd give anything- "

"I know Hay."

"No you don't! You don't Liv, but he does. And this is how he's fucking acting! It's disgusting! He doesn't deserve her." Hayden spits out the last words angrily. His breath coming out in angry little pants.

Izzy stiffened at the words, Olivia's fingers stilled, as her and Austin let out a collective gasp.

"Hayden you can't mean that." Olivia demanded, her voice holding an edge of pleading. Desperation.

It was silent, tension holding them before Hayden huffed, clothing rustling as he let out another long breath. Izzy risked peeling her lids apart just a crack, Hayden's shoulders had sagged, hands gripping his hair, his face pained, eyes far away. "I know, it's just – it's all so fucking messed up. And it shouldn't be like this." He finally said sadly, hand gesturing to where she laid curled in a tight ball.

Izzy held still, waiting for the conversation to continue around her. Silently hoping to learn more about these people, more about him, but to her disappointment they fell silent after Hayden's confession.

As the seconds stretched on, Olivia's fingers started up once more, running gently through her hair soothingly. Focusing on the feel of the gentle touch that was so foreign to her, Izzy relaxed back into oblivion, her mind too exhausted and overwhelmed to hold onto consciousness any longer.

She woke to a hand shaking her shoulder, her name being called softly.

Blinking she cleared the lingering cobwebs of sleep from her eyes, the figure coming into focus.

Olivia.

Her heart fell disappointedly.

It must have showed, because Olivia let out a little sigh. "Just give him time."