Politically Incorrect

Politically Incorrect - Chapter 23

I posted faster to make up for Ch. 22 : Hopefully you guys like this one better :)

This is dedicated, once again, to Heather! (who is sitting right next to me on my bed! ow ow!) Go check out Royal Pain in the Ass on her stories (you'll see a bit of Lana, Ian, Christine, Chad, and Fiore in there!) 

On with the story! 

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Chapter 23

I was discharged two days later when they were sure I had stabilized. I hadn’t reacted well to the triazolam, so they wanted to make sure I had recovered. Not only that, but they were concerned for my psychological well being. I hadn’t been speaking, so they were worried. I gazed out the window as we drove back to the palace from the hospital. Ian had tried to get me to talk, but I didn’t answer. I didn’t want to talk about anything. I couldn’t even stand him touching me right now. I felt unclean and there was a part of me that was afraid he felt the same way.

Sure I had recovered well enough from the drugs, but I was nowhere near okay yet. I knew this, but I wouldn’t admit it out loud. We were set to leave for the country estate this afternoon so that we would reach there by nightfall.

Ian walked with me upstairs to my room. He sat on my bed as I pulled out my suitcase and opened my wardrobe, looking through what I wanted to take with me. I couldn’t think straight though. There was too much on my mind for me to want to concentrate on “what to wear”. Ian seemed to notice my body language and he put his hands on my shoulder.

“Go sit down. I’ve got this.” He said, softly. I nodded and took his place while he started folding clothes into my suitcase. There was a light knock on my door and Ian said for whoever it was to come in. I hadn’t been speaking, so he assumed I wouldn’t answer. He was right.

“Hey,” Christine said, coming in and shutting the door behind her. “Need help?” She asked, looking at the scene in front of her. Ian nodded and she started helping him pack my clothes. It was relaxing, having them around. They didn’t force me to talk or ask me about it. Ian knew that I wasn’t pushing him away because I was upset with him, but because I couldn’t handle it yet. I wondered how long his understanding would last…

Christine was my savior. If not for her, I don’t know what would have happened. It still surprised me how much the two of them had changed in just a few short months. I watched as they worked together, speaking casually about what they wanted to do on the trip. They didn’t ignore me. I was just comfortable listening to the conversation rather than being involved.

I took a shower before we decided to head out. As I stood in the hot water, I felt oddly relaxed by it. The sound of the water hitting the tub and the feel of the heat relaxing my muscles was calming. I felt myself sink to the ground and just let the water run over me. That’s when I let the tears go. I hadn’t let myself cry yet, and it felt good to just release it all. I didn’t even know what specifically I was crying for, but I just liked the feeling. The water washed my tears off my face, and I let myself cry harder. I didn’t realize I had been in there for long, but before I knew it, almost an hour had passed by, and the water was turning cold. There was a knock on the door and I heard Ian calling to me. “Lana?” He sounded worried. I supposed they were afraid I would try something drastic, but I wasn’t like that. “LANA!” he shouted, this time pushing open the door. “What are you…Lana.” He breathed, looking down at me. I didn’t even bother to look up.

I heard as he turned off the water and grabbed a towel. I felt him wrap it around me and pick me up, cradling me against him. He carried me out to my bed and sat me down, drying me off carefully and helping me into the clothes I had lain out before my shower. “I’ll go tell them to come get your bags.” He said, before heading to the door.