Denial

Matt and Izzie were out on their patio, both caught up in that morning’s newspaper, sipping on their coffee, eating their breakfasts. Matt was reading the sport pages while Izzie caught up on the cultural quire. It was something they enjoyed doing when they were both home.
When Izzie was younger she always dreamt about a man she could read the Saturday paper with, but she never could have dreamed it would be this one.
Matt glanced over his paper, looking at his wife, all caught up in the article she was reading. She always looked beautiful in his eyes, but right now she was outdoing the cuteness scale. Her hair was in a messy bun on top of her head, her legs were pulled up underneath her and she was wearing his shirt, which was so big it hung down of one of her shoulders, leaving it bare.
“You want some more coffee, beautiful?” He asked, while getting up.
“Hmmm, yes, please” she held out her cup, not taking her eyes of the article. Matt stood behind her, softly letting the tips of his fingers go over the naked skin of her shoulder. He couldn’t help but softly kiss the skin, earning a soft moan from Izzie as he suckled on her sweet spot in her neck. Her hand landed on the side of his face, gently forcing him to keep going.
“You taste delicious, what about coffee after I taste a little more of you?” he let out on a breath. Izzie tilted her head up to him, receiving a deep kiss immediately.

“Hmmm, I’ll never say no to that” She wrapped her arms around his neck as he lifted her off the chair, ready to carry her to their bedroom. Their trip upstairs already got interrupted in the living room by Izzie’s blaring phone.
“Matt, wait… Let me see who it is”
Matt sighed, he didn’t want to share her with the world, but he also knew she was waiting on an important phone call on her next assignment. He made a detour to the side table where their phones were. Izzie giggled a little, enjoying Matt still carrying her around the house as if she was light as a feather.
“It’s Nessa, I really want to pick up, see what she has to say… it could be about Johnny?” she batted her lashes at her man, who gave her a small nod, with a pout though.
“Nessa! Sweetie! How are you?” Izzie picked up her phone, while Matt set her down on the floor again, now earning himself a pout from her.

Izzie got a deep frown on her face when she heard the voice on the other end.
“Izzie…. I… I don’t know what to do… I don’t know…” Nessa was crying and she sounded out of breath. Izzie went right into caring modus.
“Nessa, sweetie, please calm down… Go sit somewhere…. Take a deep breath for me…” she was instructing her friend while she quickly went to the hall closet to get her sneakers, slipping them on as she kept talking to the hyperventilating woman in her ear.
“Where are you? At home? I will be right there”
“You don’t… It’s not necessary…” the voice on the other end of the line sounded small.
“I know it’s not necessary, but I will anyway… I will be there in five”

Izzie hung up and grabbed her keys and aviators, walking back to Matt
“I’m sorry… “ she started but Matt interrupted her.
“It’s okay, don’t worry, just call me if you need anything okay? Give her a hug from me” He walked her to the door and pecked her lips and then watched her running over to the large black SUV.
He still thought it was an amazing sight, that small woman in that huge car. He chuckled as he waved her goodbye and headed into the house again, back to his newspaper.

He was well seated when he heard someone pulling up to the house again. Before he could open the door it already flew open, revealing a fuming Mia.
“Where is Izzie? I need to talk to her!”
“You just missed her, where is the fire?”
Mia huffed and looked at him angry “I just had Johnny over. He needed some advice and I just got him calmed down, ready for his “date not being a date” when he got cancelled on. If Izzie is that keen on meddling she can fix this one too” the words left her rapidly and Matt didn’t get the chance to interrupt. In his head the pieces fell into place though.
“Well? So where is she?” Mia looked up at him, her arms across her chest.

“You want some coffee? Tea?” He walked to the kitchen, quickly followed by Mia.
“NO! I don’t want any coffee, aren’t you listening, Izzie needs to fix this, Johnny got hurt and she promised me that wouldn’t happen”
Matt chuckled “You will be an amazing mom one day, you know? You are just like a lioness, sticking up for her cubs”
She shot him an angry glare and took the cup of coffee he was holding out to her anyway
“But to get back to your question. I think Izzie is already fixing it as we speak. Nessa called just before you arrived here. We didn’t really discuss what was going on before she left, but by hearing her side of the story, Nessa had one of her panic attacks. Combined with your story I guess we can conclude what is going on, right?” He looked at Mia’s baffled face “Oh come on M. you are a smart girl”

He saw the wheels turning in her head and the angry posture left her body.
“Shit…” she whispered “those are 2 messed up, hurt people”. She took the chair opposite to Matt.
“Damn, I mean, Johnny seems really attracted to her, but I don’t know if it’s the best decision to put those two together”
Matt thought about that idea for a while, but then shook his head.
“Maybe it will go to hell, but on the other hand, maybe they can help each other. Johnny really seemed to like her and I think that is the same the other way around”
Mia nodded “Maybe”
“And even though I really don’t want to admit Izzie being right again” he chuckled and Mia laughed “I think they might need a push in the right direction. Call Izzie, tell her about Johnny, she can probably use that information”

Mia fetched her phone again, dialing Izzie’s number, but just like earlier that morning, she got voicemail.
“Iz, please call me, I think I have some information you need to know” Mia ended the call and got up from her chair “Better head home then, told Zack I wouldn’t be long”
They hugged “You happy to have him home again?” Matt said as they walked to the door.
“Of course I am, it’s always so quiet when you are not around”
“Bet that’s the only reason” Matt winked, making Mia blush within the second.
“Bye Matt” she quickly hopped in the car and started the engine.
However before she could well get away, her phone buzzed, announcing she had a text.
“M. can’t call now, will call you as soon as I get home”
Mia sighed as she put her phone away and put the car in drive. Maybe they needed to make an action plan later on.

Izzie quickly laid her Phone back on the table and returned to her friend with a glass of water. She hoped that it wasn’t something serious that Mia wanted to tell her, she also got a missed call from her that morning. She loved her best friend, but right now she had different things to worry about, she had to make a plan to make her friend feel better.

“Here, take some water please?” she put her hand on Nessa’s shoulder and squeezed it softly. She had her calmed down now, but Nessa was still crying and it broke Izzie’s heart. She still didn’t know what was wrong, but she could only hope for that ass of her ex that he wasn’t involved in her pain, because she was ready to kill.
“Hun, you wanna tell me what’s going on?”
Nessa sniffed and shrugged “I’ll be okay”
“That’s no answer to my question” Izzie looked at her friend, staring down at the floor.
“God, I hate these tiles”
Izzie giggled at her friend’s remark “Still no answer hun”
Silence fell over them

“I cancelled on Johnny” she said, looking up to Izzie with hurt in her eyes.
The friends sat next to each other on the couch and it took a while before they spoke again.
“Why? If you get a panic attack from cancelling on him, it was a pretty stupid thing to do” Izzie smirked, damn well knowing that it wasn’t quite like she was putting it now.
“Izzie…”
“I know… I just think you are stupid”
“Thanks… I love you too” Nessa replied dryly

Izzie grabbed the shoulders of her friend and turned her towards her.
“You need to listen to me…. Are you listening?” a ghost of a smile came over Nessa’s face, she knew how bossy Izzie could get if she wanted her opinion to come through loud and clear “You and Johnny hit it off, I saw it at the concert yesterday. You were talking for hours, not even noticing the world around you anymore. You like him right?”
“I can’t date..” Izzie broke of her friend’s sentence
“I’m not asking you that. I just want to know if you like him. I mean, you two have a lot in common right? You could be friends?”
“Yes”
“Well that’s all Johnny is looking for too, he has had a bad break up, he isn’t at all ready for a new relationship. But everyone can use another friend, right?”
“Guess so”
“Good, now call him and tell him you made a mistake” Izzie grabbed Nessa’s phone of the table and handed it to her.
“Hell no, I’m not ready, just give me a few days, I will call him, I promise”
“What do you mean, ‘not ready’, didn’t we just discuss you just could try to be friends with him?”

The look Nessa was giving Izzie, told the married girl everything she needed to know. Her friend was long gone in being friends with the small man.
“You like, like, like him, don’t you?”
“I really shouldn’t”
“The heart wants what it wants, sometimes you just can’t help it”
“I don’t think I will survive another heartbreak”
“I can’t guarantee you not another heartbreak, but I have a feeling about this… I think you might be far far far away from heartbreak with this one. Johnny is the sweetest man alive, Nessa”
Nessa raised her brow at Izzie
“Yes, the sweetest man alive. Matt is sweet for me, but he is called Shadows for a reason”

Genuine smiles broke through on the women’s faces.
“I might call him, but not today, today is not a good day”
“Okay, but I will press you to do it, so you better do it within the next week, or I will have to intervene”
“Didn’t you do that enough, Sanders?” Nessa playfully punched her friend’s shoulder.
“I’m like the puppet master, everybody does as I say, muhahahaha” Izzie let out a exaggerated demonic laugh. She got up from the chair.
“You go and relax, have some dinner and then just call Johnny in the morning, okay?”
The women walked to the door and said their goodbyes
“I promise.” were Nessa’s parting words.

Izzie got in the car and connected her phone to the carkit, wanting to call Mia, but she thought better of it and called Matt.
“Hi baby” Matt’s deep voice greeted her, causing her to smile immediately “everything solved?”
“Not yet, but it will be. Matt, you wanna go hang out at Zack and Mia’s?”
“I rather have you coming home so we can finish what we started this morning” Matt chuckled “But you better go over there, Mia needed you”
“Oh, she was at the house?”
“Yeah, you are lucky you have such a strong man defending you, because she was ready to kill you” Matt chuckled.
“What?!”
“She will tell you yourself, will meet you there. Bye baby, drive carefully”

Izzie was pulling up to the Baker house as Matt jogged up the driveway too.
“You realized you have been away all day, right?” Matt pulled her in his arms and kissed her deeply.
“I know, I’m sorry, but she really needed me”
“It’s okay, I love that about you, you are always there for your friends”

“SANDERS GET YOUR CUTE ASS IN HERE!” Mia’s voice broke them out of their little get together.
Matt got a smirk on his face as he called “Don’t get your panties in a twist, I’m coming!”
“Not you Matt! I have a cute male ass all for myself, I don’t need you”
“I wouldn’t even allow you to add another one to your collection” Zack stepped into the door opening “You want a beer Shadz?”
The guys walked into the garden, settling in their chairs, beers in hand, already engaged in conversation.

The women laid down on the lounge set.
“How is Nessa?”
“She is okay now, she just gets like that sometimes, she always handles things herself, but this time she finally called me before it could get out of hand”
“She has been hurt, isn’t she?”
“Yes she is” Izzie said pensive. She was already thinking about how to make all of this better.
“Johnny was here this morning” Mia said, taking her right out of her trail of thought.
“He was? How was he?” Izzie looked at her friend.
“He was uncertain, he needed some convincing to meet with Nessa tonight, when I finally had him right where he needed to be, she cancelled on him” Mia was unable to cover her dismay. “You should have seen the look on his face Izzie, he was so damn disappointed.” She pointed her finger at the other women “You said he wouldn’t get hurt!”
“She is afraid to get hurt too, but I know just how to fix this”

Izzie took her phone and scrolled to Johnny’s number, receiving a curious look from Mia.
“What are you doing?”
Izzie held up her hand, telling her to wait. She quickly started typing, making Mia’s eyes going wider and wider… “Izzie are you sure?”
“Yes… Trust me”

Little man, need your help, could you please come and get me? I’m at 2015 Tamarack Trail. You are my hero. <3 Iz!

Notes

Little bit of a filler, but hell, I liked writing it! :P
What will Johnny do, will he come and help Izzie even if the address is unknown to him?

Ah well, who knows! ;-)
Thank you for sticking with me guys! <3