TFIOS: What About Isaac?

Kaitlyn

Okay, I'll spare you the details of Graham helping me bathe. when we were done, he

escorted me to my bedroom, where I sat on the bed, my bathrobe around my newly washed body.

"So, what you wearing for your date?" He questioned, sitting next to me. I adjusted my glasses and reached for my guiding stick.

"It's not a date you little prick" I laughed, poking him with my stick, he giggled back, bouncing the mattress of my bed. "I don't even know the girl."

"You could get to know her."

"Shut up Graham." I laughed. "Plus, if it was a date, it would be a pretty sucky one. I mean, talking her to the hospital to see her unconscious best friend? Not the best start."

"True" he laughed. "About that..."

"Graham? What have you done?" Somehow, I sensed a nervous tone in his breaking voice.

"No, no, no. I haven't done anything. It's just, when you were getting showered, Mr Lancaster called. Hazels awake. And sitting up. And talking." I could almost hear the smile creeping across my little brothers pudgy face.

"That's great." I whispered to myself. The past two days Hazel had been admitted to the ICU, I had felt like the world was against me. Like I was drowning in a wave of sorrow in a sea of distraught. But, miraculously, that wave of sorrow had turned to happiness in a sea of joy. It was the first time since Augustus that I felt happy whilst not feeling guilty because I knew Augustus would have felt the same way.

"Isaac! Kaitlyns here!" I heated my mom wail threw my closed bedroom door. I hadn't realised that it took me so long to get showered. The downside of being blind, everything takes twice as long to do as it would if you could actually see.

"He'll be ready in 10!" Graham yelled in reply.

Graham and I discussed what I wanted to wear and then he picked to out. He helped me change and then he smoothed my hair down. It was only as he was smoothing down my hair that I realised something, something that was right I front of me for the past 12 years.

Graham was a great little brother.

An amazing little brother.

The best little brother.

And I couldn't help but smile.

"Alright Smiley McSmilerson, let's go meet this gal of yours." He laughed, pulling me from my bed and guiding me threw the door.

"Not my girl" I reminded him. "Don't even know her."

"Yeah yeah."

We walked to the living room when I heard Kaitlyns voice talking to my mother about handbags.

Her voice sounded safisticated. Definitely not like it was coming from a sixteen year old girl in Indianapolis, more like a twenty five year old British woman. Sexy and sweet.

"You must be Isaac." She said, grabbing my hand for a handshake. I fumbled for a second before shaking her smooth and delicate hand.

"That I am. Your kaitlyn. I've heard so much about you." I replied, smiling, because I couldn't help it.

"I've heard so much about you too." We were still holding hands from the handshake until we both realised, pulling away and laughing awkwardly.

"Oh la la." Graham sniggered, then was shooed away by mom.

"Alright you two, stay safe. Isaac, Kaitlyns giving you a ride home. If you need anything, call. Send the Lancasters my love." She hugged me tightly and handed me my cell. "Love you." And then she hustled into the kitchen.

"Shall we?" I asked Kaitlyn, holding out my arm for her to link onto, and she did so.

"We shall." She giggled, and she led threw the front door, into her car.

Kaitlyn drove how she talked, safisticated.

We listened to her favourite band- The Band Perry- and talked about Hazel.

"It's great she's awake." I said as there was an awkward silence in the car.

"Yeah, I can't wait to see her. She doesn't know we are coming. It's a surprise. hey...I hope you don't mind I kinda volunteered to pick you up or anything?" She sounded nervous.

"As long as you know you volunteered to babysit a blind guy." I laughed.

"I don't mind."

When we arrived at the hospital, Kaitlyn led me to Hazels room, and I gave her brief directions on where to go, but as my memory is especially shit, we asked a nurse.

When we entered, Mr and Mrs Lancaster have us hugs. Frannie whispered an apology into my ear, I told her not to worry about her mini breakdown.

I sat down on a hospital chair- fuck sake- and was smothered in an awkward hug.

"Isaac!" Hazel wailed into my shoulder as I hugged her back. "Oh my god, how are you?"

"How am I? how the hell are you? Your ye one in the hospital cot!" I laughed, leaving our hug and sitting back.

"Kaitlyn!"

"Hazel!" And there was tears and hugs and laughs. I zoned out for a while as Kaitlyn filled Hazel in on the latest headlines. A few celebrities did drugs, a model had an imperfection, the usual.

Frannie and Michael left us all alone and we talked about how Hazel and Kaitlyn met, how me and Hazel met, scho, jobs, cars and movies until the clock struck.

"Crap. It's 6pm! We should go Hazel, we've been here as hours." Kaitlyn enlightened, setting a hand on my shoulder.

We said our goodbyes, and gave hugs and shared love and Kaitlyn guided me out of the ward room.

We couldn't find Frannie and Michael so we just left a sleepy yet happy Hazel alone in the cot.

We walked in silence into the blustery yet hot late summer night and Kaitlyn helped me into the passenger seat of her convertible. As she shut the door, I fumbled around trying to buckle my seatbelt- and failing- so when she hoped into the drivers seat beside me, she buckled me in, and herself and started the engine. The Band Perry started pumping threw the car, and Kaitlyn took off.

"You busy tonight, Isaac?" She asked, a sense of joy in her voice. It must of done her a lot of good to see Hazel. I know it did to me.

"Depends who's inquiring" I laughed, trying to play the good old playing-hard-to-get game my boy Gus Waters taught me.

"What if it's a hot blond from Indianapolis?" She giggled, in a flirty voice.

"Then I'm free."

"Okay. Well what do you want to do?" She quizzed. "I mean, do you still go to movies?"

"Yeah, sometimes. But I've got a better idea." I answered reminiscing a particular Hazel-and-Augustus event.

When they visited that, Funky Bones thing.

"You ever hear Hazel talking about the Funky Bones?" I enquired as she drove.

"Yeah, she took me to it once."

"You fancy going again?"

"Sure, why not. I remember where it is." Kaitlyn said.

"Great." I smiled, and even though I couldn't see, I looked out the passenger window. And a though occurred to me.

I think I might actually like this girl.