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

Chapter 4 - There's Nothing Else You Can Do

By the end of the school day, nobody was even talking about the "scuffle" in the hallway.  By that night, Nathan was on his way to his martial arts class, which seemed far more than appropriate since he hadn't blocked a fist from connecting with his face. At the same time, Sydney was primping for her reunion with John, something she had only mentioned to Nathan in passing, but the smile she bit back while telling him let him know just how excited she was.

On his way home from class, rain was coming down so violently that Nathan could hardly see through his windshield. His wipers on their highest speed, he sighed and tried to will himself home faster. The storm hit just as he got off the highway, causing him to be stuck in crawling traffic on the local streets.

He made a left onto Spring Street and a flash of red among the torrential rain caught his eye. As he came to a stop at the light, he tried to focus on the person, a woman, walking down the sidewalk in this odd November monsoon.

"No, can't be," he pondered as a car behind him beeped impatiently – the light changed while he was distracted. He went ahead, slowly, only to pull off the road as much as he could; all but double-parking alongside the row of parked cars. He rolled down his passenger side window. "Sydney?"

The woman didn't turn to look at him, but he wasn't sure if it was because she didn't hear him over the rain or because it simply wasn't her name. Certain that it was his coworker, he threw the car into park, turned on his four ways, reached around to the backseat to grab an umbrella, and got out of the car. He ran up behind her, calling her name again. Still no response. He put a hand on her shoulder and she stopped, but didn't turn around.

For a moment, he worried that he was wrong and that he was stopping someone that he didn't know – someone who might think they were being attacked or... Finally the woman turned her head. He was right; it was, indeed, Sydney.

He raised his voice over the rain and held the umbrella so it covered them both, not that it was doing her much good now. "Syd, what the hell are you doing out here in this?" She didn't respond. "Are you okay? Did you breakdown somewhere or..." He then realized how she was dressed. What must have been a lovely red dress, and heels she'd never wear to school, were now soaked and, most likely, unsalvageable. Then, as a set of headlights came in the opposite direction, he saw her eyes - they were nearly as red as her dress. Nathan remembered where she said she was going that night. He gently took her hand in his; it was freezing. "Let me take you home, okay?" She didn't respond verbally, but she also didn't resist as he guided her to his car and opened the door for her. When she sat down on the front seat, her dress made a slight squishing sound.

Nathan got in on his side and the silence between them was heavy. "Sydney, I..." She cut him off by mumbling her address. He nodded and pulled back into the street. As he drove, he removed his coat, struggling with it a little. He passed it to Sydney and she took it, grateful, as she was shivering. They rode in silence until they pulled up to her house.

Sydney finally looked at Nathan. "Thank you," she said, her voice shaking.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" he asked, unsure of how to handle any of what was happening.

"No." She handed his jacket back to him and opened the car door. Nathan watched as she approached her front door, wanting to make sure she got inside before he left. He saw her dig through the small clutch she was carrying, then fall to her knees. Without hesitation, he killed the engine and ran out into the rain. He could hear her sobs before he was on the porch.

He didn't think, only acted, as he went on his knees and wrapped his arms around her. He wanted to say something, but his mind was blank. He rubbed her back as she cried. He could tell she was trying to pull herself together, but her body simply wasn't having it.

Finally two words forced their way out. "No keys."

Trying to lighten things, Nathan asked, "Want me to break a window?" He felt her relax just a tad.

She shook her head. "Alarm."

"Can I call someone for you?"

"Arlen mustn't have his phone," she answered, her breath catching. "I...I tried to call him before I..." She looked up at Nathan, his eyes hard to see in the dim light. "He left me."

Nathan closed his eyes and continued to hold her, his heart breaking. They'd only known one another for a couple of months, but he knew whatever happened wasn't anything she deserved. He also knew that now wasn't the time to ask her any questions. He started to lean down to kiss the top of her head when headlights shone on them both. A man got out of the car and jogged up onto the porch.

Arlen, who was only planning a brief stop at home to grab his forgotten cell phone, approached Sydney and Nathan, confusion masking his face. He couldn't think of an appropriate question and cursed himself internally when the first words from his lips were, "What the hell?"

Nathan's only response, "She forgot her keys."

Arlen unlocked, then opened, the door and disarmed the alarm. Sydney rose from her place and went inside. Nathan stood just outside of the doorway, watching as she made her way toward the steps. She started to go up them but stopped and looked at him.

"Could we not talk about this at school?" she asked.

"Of course," Nathan answered. He turned to leave, but Arlen dashed out onto the porch, closing the door over behind him.

"I'm Arlen. Who are you and what's going on?"

"I'm Nathan Gardner. I..."

"From school?" Arlen interrupted.

"Yeah. Look, I don't know exactly how she ended up where she did, but I picked her up on Spring Street. She was walking in the rain, soaked and..."

Arlen sighed and worry took over his face. "Oh no...John." He took Nathan's hand, catching the man by surprise. "Thank you, so much, for getting her home."

Nathan nodded. "No problem. I, um..."

"There's nothing else you can do," Arlen said, understanding that Nathan felt some sort of obligation. "You already did the important part. You might wanna get home and dry out." He turned to go inside, but remembered his manners. "Happy Thanksgiving," he said, meekly. Arlen turned and made his way inside and Nathan went back to his car, his heart heavy.

Arlen rushed upstairs and found Sydney collapsed on the bathroom floor, gasping for air between sobs. "Oh, God, honey," he cooed as he scooped her up into his arms, "what happened?"

Sydney's response was to point to her clutch. Arlen reached for it, still holding her, and dug inside. He found her phone and turned the screen on. The first thing he saw was a lengthy text:

Syd – What we had was wonderful, but not meant to last. I got caught up in something that I knew I could never keep... I come and go and I am not meant to be in one place, or with one person. You're a magnificent woman and you'll find your love one day, I'm sure of it. ~John

Not a single word was spoken as Arlen took a towel from the rack and dried her. Still no words as he helped her into her favorite pajamas, and there was only silence as they crawled into her bed. It wasn't until her head was on Arlen's warm chest that she whispered, "How long until it stops this time?"

Tears he refused to let her see falling from his eyes, he answered, "I don't know, honey, but I love you so much."