Taking The Controls: Chapter Three
Title: Taking The Controls
Author: Jayne Leigh
Summary: Danny's the one that’s meant to be in control but when he starts to lose it, Matt has to take over.
Rating: R
Characters or Pairing: Matt, Danny, Jordan, Harriet
Disclaimer: I don't own them!
Taking The Controls: Chapter One
Taking The Controls: Chapter Two
Taking The Controls: Chapter Three
A week had passed, the show on Friday night went well considering the situation they were in. Matt even received some good reviews from the critics about his ability to both direct and write the show. Even though, it felt good getting praise and finding out that he was actually able to do both jobs, he still couldn't wait until Danny was back and he could concentrate on the writing side of things.
He made his way into the rehab clinic, it was Tuesday and yesterday was the first time he had seen Danny since taking him there in the first place. To start with Danny wouldn't talk to Matt, he just sat staring at the TV but then after 30 minutes, Danny started pleading with Matt to get him out of there. It was so hard for Matt to see his friend like that, he seemed like he was in so much pain. Somehow Matt managed to stay strong and calm Danny down.
Now he was coming back today expecting a similar experience. He didn't want to be there, he wished he could just stay away but he knew he couldn't do that. Once this was over, Danny would understand if Matt had decided to keep his distance but Matt wouldn't be able to forgive himself.
He paused outsides Danny's room, taking a deep breath, he knew nothing would prepare him for what he would witness during his visit because, no matter how many times he did this, every time was different...every time it got a little harder to handle.
XxXxX
Matt crossed out word after word on the script for the sketch that Tom and Harriet had just performed. It wasn't that bad, but it wasn't quite as good as it should be. Everyone silently watched as he scribbled down on the page.
Harriet slowly sat down on the edge of the stage. She knew she should talk to him. If it was the other way around, he would be by her side like a shot but she just didn't know how to help him. She didn't want to make things worse for him. Lately, all the two of them had done was argue, and she knew that was the last thing he needed right now.
It hurt like hell not to be able to reach out to him and make everything okay. Watching him now, she could see he was under a lot of stress and he seemed different today from what he had been over the last week. Even though, he had changed completely since Danny had relapsed, today he seemed more sombre. She could tell something had happened since him leaving the studio last night and returning this morning. She really wanted to ask him about but she just couldn't bring herself to do it.
“It's a good sketch.” Ricky defended, breaking the silence after 5 minutes of watching Matt re-write his work.
Matt didn't answer, he just kept writing. Ricky looked at Ron, taking in a breath. He wasn't sure whether Matt had just decided to completely ignore him or if he was concentrating so hard, he didn't hear him. Either way, Ricky was slowly starting to lose patience with the whole new situation.
Once Matt had finished making the chances, he passed the paper to Ricky but didn't bother to look at him; instead he leaned back in his chair.
“What do you want me to do with this?” Ricky questioned.
“Read it, tell me what you think.” Matt ran his hands over his face.
“You want me to read it?” He asked, a little surprised. “You sure you don't want, Tom or Simon.”
Matt sighed at the sarcastic tone in his co-exec voice. “I'm not really in the mood for this today, so either do it or give it to someone else cos I don't really care.”
Ricky glanced at the others quickly before silently turning his eyes down to the paper. Matt clutched his tennis ball, tightly in his right hand, staring down at it deep in thought.
“It's good.” Ricky commented after a few seconds.
“Will it work?” Matt muttered, still looking at the ball.
“Yeah, I think so...” He nodded. “If Tom and Harriet do it right...”
“They will...” Matt stated confidently, letting the ball drop to the floor as he took the script back off Ricky. “Okay, guys... we'll break for lunch and we're start from the top when we get back...”
“Matt?!”
He spun around and saw Jordan walking towards him.
“What's up?” He asked.
“I went to see Danny today...”
“And they won't let you in.” He finished her off.
“They said you told them not to...”
He started to pick up the rest of his stuff. “Don't take it personally, Jordan... No one is allowed in to see him.”
“Except you.”
He glanced up at her briefly before going back to what he was doing, knowing that no one had left and they were all stood, watching them.
“Except me.”
“What the hell is going on, Matt?” She asked. “Why won't you let anyone else see, Danny...Doesn't he want us to help?”
Matt shook his head slightly. “For most of the day, he can barely remember his name, let alone decided who he wants to visit.”
“What does that mean?” She asked in concern.
“It means he's going through withdrawals.... One minute, he's sat watching TV as if anything is normal... the next his screaming as if he's in pain.” Matt stopped and turned to look at her again. “He's not the Danny you all know...”
“I understand that.” She told him. “I still want to help.”
“You can't...” He replied.
“Yes, I can... I know I'm to blame for this...”
“Jordan...” He sighed but she kept talking.
“And I know you must hate me and that your trying to protect Danny but I promise, I will do everything I can to make things right.”
“Jordan, I don't hate you...” Matt told her. “And I don't blame you either.”
“Why not? I do...”
“You turned him down for a date...” Matt commented. “It' s not the crime of the century.”
“I know but he was doing up until I complicated things...”
“No he wasn't.... he acted like he was... You were one the reasons why this happened but not the only reason.” Matt assured her. “Don't blame yourself.”
“Okay, so let me help Danny.... Let me help you.”
“I don't need help.” Matt claimed. “And Danny's doing fine with the help he's getting at the moment.”
“She has a point, Matt.” Simon decided to join in, making Matt turn to face him and everyone else.
“Excuse me?”
“Maybe it will be good for Danny if he knew were all behind him.”
“Yeah and he might want some company.” Tom shrugged.
“He's in rehab for doing cocaine...” Matt reminded them. “You won't be able to go and have a nice sociable visit when you have 20 minutes to spare.”
“Maybe we can set up a rota...” Jordan started.
“No, no!” Matt raised his voice slightly. “No one sees him.”
“Why are you acting like this?!”
“Because it will be me who's left to pick up the pieces afterwards.”
“After what?”
“After it all becomes too hard for you...” He told them. “When Danny treats you like you mean nothing...”
“We know what the situation is...” Jordan argued. “We know what to expect.”
Matt let out a short laugh. “No, you don't.”
“Matt...”
“Y'know, last night I went to see him... We sat and talked about football... Then a nurse came in with his dinner... Apparently he doesn't like chicken any more...he went crazy. I told the nurse I'd handle it and when she gone, Danny accused me of flirting with her.” Matt told them all. “So, me being me... I made some lame joke about a nurse’s uniform... y'know how he replied?? He picked up a chair and he threw it at me.”
“What?” Jordan's eyes widened.
“The Danny that's in there is a different Danny to the one you all know.” Matt told them. “You don't want to see him like that...”
“We know it will be hard but it’s not about us.” Cal added. “If it will help Danny.”
“He'll push you and push you until you snap.” Matt claimed. “He's done it before...”
“But now that you've warned us...” Jordan started.
“No! It's not just you... its him...once this is all over...when he realises what he's done and said.... it will devastate him... He wouldn't be able to act the same way around you”
“What makes you different?” Jordan asked. “Why is he able to throw chairs at your head and then in 4 weeks it will all be okay again.”
“Because we have an agreement.” He answered before shaking his head slightly. “Look, nothing you can say is going to change my mind... Jordan, I asked you to let me deal with this...and you said I could...So let me!”
“Can't you just trust us that we can help?”
Matt looked at her for a moment before glancing at Harriet. He really thought if he was going to let anyone help it would have been her but she wasn’t interested in helping.
“I don't trust anyone any more.” He whispered, his eyes locking with Harriet’s for a second, before turning around. “I'll be in my office.”
Jordan sighed and looked at the others. “He means it doesn't he? He's not going to let any of us help.”
“Matt knows what he's doing.” Cal commented. “He can handle this.”
“How do you know?”
“Because he's always managed to in the past.”
Harriet wasn't listening to them; instead she was watching Matt walk up to his office. He didn't trust her any more. She had messed up and now she probably wouldn't be able to put it right again.
XxXxX
Two days had passed and Jordan had given up trying to get Matt to change his mind about letting her see Danny. Now she was beginning to worry about Matt. She couldn’t fault him on his work because he’d been doing a great job all by himself, it was as if Danny was there helping him. Jack had even joked about getting rid of Danny permanently and just keeping Matt...At least she hoped he was joking. What worried Jordan was the fact that Matt was doing too much. Cal had been helping her keep an eye on him and he told her that Matt normally started about 8am and wouldn't leave until 7pm but only for a couple of hours, which is when Jordan suspected he visited Danny. The night staff said he normally returned about 9pm and stay until about 5am. That meant that he was getting less then 2 hours sleep a night, excluding the occasional times when he'd fall asleep at his desk. Cal also claimed that he barely stopped to have a break and would normally just work straight through it.
It was now 2am, and she had only just finished work herself, so she was planning on going over to the studio and ordering Matt to go home. She walked through the corridors, jumping when she crashed into someone coming around the corner.
“Jordan!” Harriet exclaimed. “You scared the hell out of me!”
“Sorry.” Jordan replied. “But what are you still doing here?”
“Just sorting some things out.”
“Talking to Matt?”
Harriet sighed. “No, I wanted to but I just.... I just can't.”
“Why not? What's going on?”
“I've left it too late now.” She replied. “He doesn't want my help.”
“Are you crazy? Of course he does.” Jordan told her. “Just go and speak to him.”
“I don't know what to say.”
“You'll figure it out when you get there.”
“I don't know, it's pretty late...I might sleep on it and do it tomorrow.”
“Make sure you do, because I'm beginning to worry about him.” Jordan told her. “I don't know him very well, but I know that you and Danny are probably the only two people he'd let in right now.”
Harriet nodded slowly. “I know, you're right.”
Jordan smiled slightly. “So, go home and sleep.”
Harriet returned her smile. “Yeah, that's a good idea. I'll see you tomorrow?”
“Yeah, you will...Bye.”
“Bye.”
Jordan waited until Harriet was gone before she headed to Matt's office. She paused in the doorway, seeing him sat with a can of Red Bull in one hand and a bit of paper in another. She gently tapped on the door, gaining his attention.
“Hey…” He sat up straight, stretching. “What you doing here so late?”
“I could ask you the same thing...” She replied, stepping into the room fully. “You need to go home, Matt.”
“I'm fine.”
“It's 2am.” She argued. “Go and get some sleep.”
“I'm not tired.”
“Matt, please...you won't let me help you with Danny but at least let me help you.”
He looked up at her. “I don't need any help.”
“You barely go home... you don't take breaks...” Jordan listed. “You're going to make sure yourself sick.”
“The show needs to be done.” He sighed, standing up.
“Don't worry about the show... the show is fine.” Jordan replied.
“Jordan, I appreciate your concern...”
“Okay, fine but at least take a break now.” Jordan suggested.
Matt looked at her, knowing she wasn't going to give up. “Okay, just for a while.”
“Thank you.” She smiled.
“So, how's Jack doing?” Matt asked, dropping onto the couch. “Is he stressing out?”
“Don't worry about, Jack.”
“I wasn't.” Matt shrugged, watching as she sat next to him. “You don't have to stay.”
“I'm staying until your staying.”
“Jordan...”
“Don't argue with me Matt, I’m your boss.”
He rolled his eyes. “So, you’re just going to sit there all night?”
“Until you go home, yes.”
“Okay, fine...if that's what you want.” He replied. “You'll be bored in 10 minutes.”
“Not if we talk…”
“I'm not talking about Danny...” Matt cut in.
“What about Harriet?”
He looked up at the name. “What about her?”
“Why haven't you been to talk to her?”
“Why would I?” He looked down again.
“Matt, she wants to help.”
“She got a funny way of showing it.” He mumbled. “She's been avoiding me.”
“She just doesn't know what to say.”
“I don't want her to say anything.” He replied. “It would have been nice if she was here for me though.”
“Tell her that.”
“I can't...”
“Why not?”
“Did you know she went to some New Years Eve party with Luke?”
“Umm, yeah she mentioned it.” Jordan frowned slightly. “What does that have to do with it?”
“She's moved on.”
“Just because she's been on a date?” Jordan asked. “You slept with Jeannie!”
“But I didn't fall for Jeannie...” Matt argued. “Harriet went out with Luke because she's thinking of dating him again...and Harriet doesn't just date anyone...She's moved on.... she's found someone else.”
“So, win her back!”
“I can't...” He sighed, running his hands over his face. “I just don't have the energy left any more.”
Jordan watched him, her heart went out to him. Danny and Harriet were the two most important people in the world to him. They were the ones he talked to...the ones that helped him... now he was heartbroken and neither one of them was around. She wished she knew how to make it better for him...She just wanted to comfort him. Suddenly before she realised what she was doing, she had leaned in and kissed him.
The kiss was slow and soft, lasting only a few seconds and when she pulled back slightly, he had a confused look on his face.
“Why did you do that?” He whispered.
“I don't know.” She replied, not being able to tear her eyes away from his. “I just thought it might help.”
He looked back at her for a moment and this time it was him that leaned in and kissed her. This time the kiss was more passionate and instead of breaking the kiss, Jordan pulled him closer as he leaned her back on the couch...
TBC
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