Redemption

~24~

The taxi ride home was quiet.

Isabelle hated being incapacitated and having to rely on someone for her needs. She had endured enough hospitals and pain while recovering from the car accident those few years before and, although this was much different, the keen sense of ugly dependence reared in her thoughts. She wanted to be her own strength, her own backbone and it niggled her that she was suddenly turning to John to coddle her.

As the orderly and John manoeuvred her sore and tired body into the backseat of the taxi at the hospital she had bitten back tears and words of anger that threatened when her shoulder was pressed hard into the seat. Accidentally of course, but nonetheless, bloody painful.

And then she did snap and slapped at John as he made a balls up of unravelling her from the cab's rear seat when they finally got back to the lake house.

His face dropped, he hadn't meant to hurt her. Unfortunately she was not what he would say 'an easy piece to move'.

Her whole body strapped and cumbersome with the damn leg brace. Trying to lift and pull gently, using her one good arm to grasp, was pretty darn hard.

"Sorry I snapped at you, I hate this"

"You left a mark Isabelle, uncool" John pouted, letting her go carefully so she could slowly drop into a comfortable recliner chair, he took off without another word and she felt awful with herself, and her big mouth.

John shook his head, normally he would snap a verbal attack back at someone that grizzled at him but he surprisingly held his tongue ~ thinking to himself 'you're learning Lennon, might have taken forty years but you are learning'... Instead of attacking he went toward the kitchen to make tea.

"There's tea leaves.... For moi Isabelle?!" His head poked back around the corner of the doorway to catch her eye. Issys eyes were closed but she smiled upon hearing his words. Back to the stove to ready the kettle, he was happy she had thought of his creature comforts. "You're a good girl, don't let anyone tell you any different" He hollered emphatically back to her.

"Paul's visiting. I brought them for him if you must know"

A spoon clattered to the floor.... but John kept making the tea... Maybe with a grimace or two thrown in.

The jar of cookies opened and plundered he wandered back in the newly decorated lounge room with two mugs and a rather comedic yet scornful looking face. "Really, when?"

"You're a nutter John Lennon. Why would Paul come here?"

"To renew lost love?" John inquired as he dunked a biscuit in his tea "I know you went to the Mull with him. Running around with the god awful smelly wet sheep, his sexy Kintyres and Macca's large bagpipe.. and prick thistles"

"Did I tell you lately? .... You are a nutter?" Issy smiled making John grin back and nodded toward her tea, wanting her to drink up. He then stood and walked about the room looking over the changes, smiling at the record players appearance.

"I brought you a load of assorted there" John eyed the big pile of vinyl next to Issy, she picked one up and smiled at his selection "I'll sort the names and stuff to order for you, or are you going genres.. or maybe years?"

Sitting back down beside Issy he made sure she was tucked in with a blanket and pillows were in place.

"Oh I don't mind, whichever way you think.... I hired well, you're doing an excellent job thus far. Can't wait for you to get into your nurses uniform though" Issy winked as John sat back grinning broadly, hands laced across his stomach, he watched her play with the blanket "I should call Sally"

"Call later; they were off to the beach today" John leaned to one side and back slightly, reaching into his demin jeans front pocket, grabbing the medal that had been literally burning against his hip plus it was digging into his groin for hours "Here I brought you this"

The 'gold' round medal was a toy, nothing really medally about it. Just cheap plastic junk it was but emotionally... Emotionally, it was as solid as stone and it held plenty of meaning to anyone that received it. Issy turned it over in her hand, smiling when she realised what it was.

"100 days free. Awww I'm so proud of you! I knew you could do it, I was sure you could" Issy wiggled her fingers for a hug, it turned into a short clutch and release as her shoulder wouldn't bear the pressure.

"On my way to two hundred days now, just a few more to go actually" John beamed, he had had weak days where he all but wanted to punch the mirror but mostly it was like a fog lifting, bringing the world into focus, he leaned in and kissed her forehead "Thanks for the shove luv"

Issy grinned happily and waved his thanks off.

"I met someone" John blurted as he reached for another biscuit, he wanted to tell her everything but only got that far.

Isabelle jiffled and quickly had her body upright albeit she was teetering mostly on one foot, she stood with the help of the chair sat beside the recliner. John grabbed her good shoulder to stop and steady her as she went to cast off towards the stairs.

"Hey, where are you off to, I wanted to tell you abou-"John hadn't meant to just blurt it out, and now... Now he watched as she shut down, closed up shop.  She wouldn't even look him in the eye.

"I'm tired I'd like to rest now. I'll... I'll take this room downstairs. It will be much easier for me" Issy set her jaw in defiance to ward off silly emotions that swam stupidly below the surface.

John knew he'd messed up by blurting that out to her and she wouldn't stop to listen, to hear the whole story; she was as stubborn as he.

He'd have to let her rest then make her see it was well and truly over and in the past.

He tucked her in like a bloody child. Fussing about. He made sure the curtains touched seam to seam then decided they needed to overlap. He stood by the window, waiting for her to cede. He only ended up flapping the fabric roughly trying to draw it together a little more. She wouldn't cede, not yet anyway.

Issy averted her eyes, she was mad and sad and stupid and just plain idiotic. Why was she? Why did she let any of his personal business upset her?

She turned away like a petulant child as he wandered to the doorway.

"Night Mermaid" John sighed quietly into the warm air of her room. He fiddled with the light switch, waiting a little longer, then finally gave up. Closing the door softly. He was leaving her alone as she wanted.

She let a tear fall then three, maybe four.

She should be happy shouldn't she, he did exactly as she told him.....

Be happy... she had said.