Chapter Forty Three: Mending Bridges Part I

AN: Before I start this chapter, let me get one thing clear. SEDDIE romance WILL NOT happen, friendship yes but anything else NO. Sorry to burst Seddie fans bubbles. Anyways, on to the chapter.

L.A. Hospital…

The brunette boy woke up the next morning after sleeping for the longest he had in some time. The pain killers left him a little groggy, but he didn't feel like he was high like he did the previous night. Stretching his uninjured arm, he reached for his phone. With a quick tap, he noticed a text message from Jade.

"Hey, how are you feeling today? I just can't stop worrying about you. Call me back when you can. Love you." –Jade

Freddie sighed as he looked at his arm that was in a cast. He hated that he was worrying Jade when she should be enjoying time with both her parents. The brunette boy was just about to dial her number when he heard a knock on his door.

"Come in." He called out placing his phone on the side of his bed. The door opened to reveal Sam much to his surprise. She was wearing regular clothes again, but that didn't stop Freddie from noticing the Band-Aid on her cut. The brunette boy sat up as he looked at his friend, "Sam? Are you okay?"

He half expected her to still be angry, but instead she simply chuckled as she took a seat beside his bed. "I should be asking you that. You're still stuck in this crummy bed."

"It's not so bad." He replied slowly, shrugging his shoulders, "As long as you're okay."

"Yeah, doctor said I'm lucky I'm not going to have a scar." She whispered before blowing out a breath, "Look Freddie-"

"It's okay." He interrupted before she could apologize, "We've been through so much, I guess it was bound to go haywire one day."

"But are we cool now?" The blonde asked a little surprised and relieved Freddie would forgive her so quickly.

"I'm cool if you're cool. Truth is I missed having you around."

"Me too." Sam nodded in agreement, "Thanks by the way… for saving my life. I was wrong about what I said. The same Freddie is still there, I guess it just took you saving me from dying to realize that. Thanks for that by the way"

"But that's the thing-" Freddie replied sitting up, causing him to wince in pain, "I have changed. I'm not the same Freddie Benson from Seattle. He's still there but not as much."

"We've all changed." Sam agreed, "You, me, and Carly. I guess we're just going to have to adapt to everything that's happened." The brunette boy let out a small smile and nodded in agreement

"Friends?" The blonde asked, offering her hand. The brunette boy looked at her hand and chuckled.

"Come on Sam, we both deserve more than just a handshake." Freddie replied causing Sam to chuckle as well. She reached over and embraced her friend since childhood as Freddie rubbed her back soothingly with his free arm.

Valentine Residence

"Where do you think they are?" Carly asked, anxiously awaiting her best friend's arrival.

"Beck said it would take some time to fill out the papers and what not. Sam is fine Carly; she just has that cut on her head." Cat explained.

"I don't know." She replied, before her nose caught a whiff of something delicious. Curious, she walked into the kitchen to see what Cat was doing. "Red, that smells awesome!"

"I hope it tastes as good as it smells." She noted as she placed it into a container, "I don't want Freddie feeling alone at the hospital so I'm going to go see him… and I think spaghetti and cupcakes are way better than hospital food." Carly was about to respond, but the sound of the bell rang through the house.

"I guess that's them." Carly walked over and opened the door, but was slightly disappointed to see Tori and André.

"Hey Carly." Tori greeted as André smiled a little weakly. The Latina looked at her boyfriend and gave him a little nudge causing him to perk up.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Carly asked, as Cat waved to them from the kitchen.

"Well… André and I wanted to talk to you about something." Tori explained, "Isn't that right André?"

"Right." André noted, as him and Tori took a seat.

"Sure, but first let me grab us all something to drink." Carly exclaimed as she walked away. André watched her walk away before turning to Tori.

"We shouldn't be doing this!" André whispered nervously, "I just don't feel right asking her for a favour right now. She just seems very… vulnerable."

"She'll be fine." Tori assured, "If there is anything I've learned about her through iCarly is that she can hold her emotions in front of an audience."

"What about their last webcast?" He asked quizzically.

"That's different." She whispered back.

"How is that-"

"So what did you guys want to talk about?" Carly asked, causing André to jump in his seat a little. She handed each of them a beverage before taking a seat herself.

"Nothing just stopped by to say hello." André replied.

"Okay… Are you sure that's all?" She asked, taking a sip of her drink. André's behavior was confusing her and she knew something was urgently on his mind. The brunette decided to help him tell her, "It's okay André, you can tell me. Whatever it is I won't mind."

He looked at Tori and Carly before saying in one breath, "I need you to sing with me."

"What?" Carly asked, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion, "You want me to sing with you?"

"Pretty much." He replied before Tori interrupted, "Look Carly, André is going to be dropped by his record label." The words caused André to wince a little.

"Why? He is an awesome musician." The former web hostess questioned, "Aren't you also on that new show L.A. Talent?"

"No, Ms. Sparks bailed on him." His girlfriend said a little bitter, "Now he has to find someone capable of singing and having an audience willing to watch them in order to keep his contract."

"She was busy with an upcoming tour, but that's not the point." André replied, sitting up. "Look Carly, I've seen you sing at that party, you're pretty damn good. All I am asking for is just one time and then that's it."

"I don't know-"

"Please." He pleaded, "Aside from her, music is my life."

Carly looked at the couple before closing her eyes and nodding, "Okay, I'll do it."

"Thank you so much Carly! You're a lifesaver!" Tori thanked, giving her a hug.

"No problem, what are friends for." She replied, looking at André, "Well Mr. Harris, it looks like we've got some work to do, don't you think?"

"We can head over to my place and I can help you guys out." Tori offered much to the approval of André and Carly.

The brunette was about to head out the door with the couple before she remembered something, "Wait, I was supposed to be here once Sam came back."

"It's okay Carly; I'll call her and explain what's going on." Cat noted, "I'm sure she'll understand."

"Thanks Cat." Carly responded grateful as she walked outside with the couple and took a seat in André's car.

Shapiro Residence

"So are you going to talk to me or just ignore me?" Robbie asked, as his sister continued to avoid eye contact. In response, she simply raised the volume of the TV louder. "I take that as a no."

The older Shapiro looked at his younger sister hoping he could catch her stealing a glance, but she remained strong in her 'pretending he was invisible' treatment. Robbie knew it was time for some action. He walked towards the TV and in one swift movement yanked out the plug.

"Hey I was watching that." His sister scolded.

"Well you can watch it, if you talk to me." He replied, crossing his arms. Stephanie blew out a breath and rolled her eyes.

"Say what you have to say and leave me alone."

Robbie sighed before taking a seat next to his sister. "Look I get it, I've been giving you crap since our family trip."

"Yeah, why were you doing that?" She questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't know… I mean I just keep on thinking that now that I'm grown up, childish things are just… dumb." He explained.

"But that's where you mess yourself up." Stephanie exclaimed, sitting up. "Just because you're all grown up, doesn't mean you can't goof around like you used to. I mean I get you can't do it all the time, but every so often isn't that bad."

The older Shapiro thought about what she said. "Maybe she is right. Maybe I can be mature and goofy at the same time. Moofy. Okay scratch that, I'll work on another name for that." Robbie looked at the anticipated look of his younger sister before nodding his head, a smirk playing on his face.

"What?" His sister asked, curiously.

"Nothing." He said, casually before pulling his sister and giving her a noogie. He simply laughed as his sister squirmed around laughing as she tried to escape.

Stephanie simply smiled inside her head, "The Robster is back."

Puckett/Valentine Residence

Beck pulled onto the driveway of his girlfriend's home as Sam simply let out a smile. It seemed like forever since she was home and staying in a dinky hospital room made her miss her bed even more. The tall brunette got out of the car and opened the passenger side door.

"Do you want to go outside or just stare?" He asked jokingly, offering her his hand. She chuckled and shook her head as she took his hand. The blonde squealed a little in surprise when she was swept off of her feet. Beck smirked as he carried his girlfriend bridal style into the house. The pair laughed and enjoyed the moment, both hopping that one day they could do this again except under different circumstances. The brunette boy carried his girlfriend all the way upstairs, before gently placing her onto her bed. The former web hostess was going to sit up but her boyfriend denied her from doing so.

"Beck, what are you doing?" She asked him curiously.

"For the rest of the day you're going to get nothing but royal treatment." He explained, proceeding to taking off her shoes. "Now relax here, while I prepare you a nice bath."

"Aw, you don't have to do this you know." Sam stated, feeling pure bliss.

"I know that, but I want to do it." He replied, giving her a chaste kiss and walking out of the room. Sam watched as he left and simply stared at the ceiling. She found herself thinking of marriage even more than she did before. The former web hostess couldn't help but think about what the married life would be like. Whether they'd be the hip couple or be like an old couple.

"Hip for sure." She noted to herself, as her phone buzzed. The blonde sighed as she pulled it out of her pocket.

"How are you feeling Hammy P? See what I did there ;)" –Brad

The blonde rolled her eyes playfully as she typed back a response.

"Better. Not sure if it's from getting out of the hospital or from the meds I took, but oh well. BTW, please never call me Hammy P again." – Sam

"Really? And here I thought I came up with an awesome nickname… well looks like its back to the drawing board lads." –Brad

"You're an idiot ;P" –Sam

"Ha ha... Anyways is Carls there? I tried calling her but I think she turned off her phone." –Brad

The blonde knew where Carly was but she was more curious as to why Brad was so interested. A little smirk played on her face as she typed her next message.

"Aw… Does Brad wanna know where his little girlfriend is?" – Sam

She simply chuckled as she awaited his response. The former web hostess could picture him reading the text and rolling his eyes. Her phone vibrated again and she opened the new message.

"Real funny. You know I'm not dating anyone." – Brad

The second she read that message a light bulb went off in the blonde's head. She knew how miserable her best friend was and she also knew Brad's struggles in finding the right girl. Sam couldn't help but feel that Carly and Brad would make an attractive couple, but she needed some help.

"It's time for a new plan." She said to herself, as she texted her friend just before Beck emerged back in her bedroom.

"Who are you texting?" Beck asked curiously.

"Brad." She replied casually, sending him a text saying she was at André's place before putting away her phone. Beck simply nodded as he helped her off the bed. He led her towards the bathroom where a bath was surrounded by lit candles. Sam took in the jasmine scented room as she turned to look at her boyfriend.

"Beck this is amazing." She exclaimed in awe giving him a peck on the cheek, "I love you."

"I love you too." He replied, "Now I'm going to go grab us some dinner from Pini's while you relax. I would cook but… I don't think burnt food is really appealing." Sam simply giggled as he smiled and gave her a quick peck on the cheek before leaving. The blonde stripped down and laid in the tub sighing in comfort.

"Home sweet home." She mumbled to herself.

Vega Residence

"Guys, I don't know about this." Carly stated worriedly, "We've been rehearsing for so long and I keep messing up the lyrics."

"You're being way too hard on yourself." André assured, "You just need to take a deep breath and calm down. Pretend it's just like iCarly."

The former web hostess looked at the songsmith before nodding her head. "Okay let's try it from the top."

"In five, four, three, two." Carly exclaimed before André strummed his guitar and began singing. "I don't wear designer clothes. I don't go to the finest schools. But I know...I ain't no fool baby. I may not be a star. I'm not driving the sickest car. But I know...I can make you happy baby." Tori blushed when André gave her a wink as Carly joined in singing, "I don't know what you been used to. Never been with a girl like you. But I can give you a love that's true to. Your heart, not material things."

Carly and André gave each other a nod of confidence as they song the chorus, "I'll give you my song. These words to you. Sing you what I feel. My soul is true. I don't have the world. Can't give it to you girl. But all that I can do (all that I can do). Is give the song to you."

Shortly after the pair had finished the rest of song, Tori and Trina, who stumbled across the rehearsal, jumped to their feet and applauded the pair.

"You guys were awesome." Tori exclaimed much to the delight of Carly and André."

"You see." André said to Carly, "All you need to do is be confident in yourself. Everything else will fall into place." The brunette simply smiled as a sign of thanks.

"Encore! Encore! Encore!" Tori and Trina chanted, causing the pair to laugh.

"One more time?" He asked the former web hostess.

"Let's do it!" She said, booming with newfound confidence as Tori and Trina cheered. The pair began to perform just as Brad was about to knock on the door. He didn't want to interrupt, but instead smiled as he listened to the lovely singing voice of the brunette. He felt a little something in his heart, but he just shrugged it off and listened to Carly sing.

L.A. Hospital

The former tech producer flipped through the channels on the T.V. bored. He had chatted with Jade and tried to get her to not worry. She was very protective and so was he, but he didn't want his actions to affect the enjoyment of her trip. Freddie's mind wandered to the text that Sam sent him. He wasn't sure whether he should help her hook up one of his best friends with his ex, but it could be for the best. He wanted Carly to be happy again, but he wasn't sure if Brad would be willing to date her with all the baggage between her and his friend. Freddie's thoughts were broken when his hospital door slowly opened. He smiled when he saw the redhead walking in with a pair of plastic containers.

"Hey Red." Freddie exclaimed, standing up and giving her a hug. Cat smiled and gave him a friendly peck on the cheek as they took a seat on the edge of the bed. "So what's all this?"

"You didn't really think I was going to let you eat hospital food did you?" She asked, opening the containers to reveal spaghetti and cupcakes. The brunette boy's stomach grumbled from the aroma of the food. The redhead giggled at the sound, "Seems like your stomach agrees with me."

The former tech producer chuckled before opening the container. Cat noticed his struggles to eat with a broken arm, so she gently took the fork from him. Freddie simply smiled gratefully as she fed him a forkful of spaghetti. The second he put it in his mouth, his eyes rolled back in delight. Cat simply laughed, noticing how much Jade was rubbing off on him.

"This is fantastic Cat!" The brunette boy exclaimed.

"Glad you like it." She replied, giggling. "Want more?"

"Do you even have to ask?" He joked, causing the pair to giggle. After Cat finished helping Freddie eat, the pair decided to dive into the delicious velvet cupcakes she had also made while telling stories from their past.

The redhead swallowed as she looked at Freddie, "So I never got to ask, but how are you feeling? Jade's awfully worried about you."

"Yeah I know." Freddie replied looking at the redhead. "I don't want her to worry, but she won't listen to me. I just feel like I ruined her trip because I wasn't being careful."

"Hey, that's not true." She stated, placing her hand on his. "You risked your life to save another. I'm sure your bravery only makes Jade love you more."

"I don't know-"

"Listen Freddie." She said softly, "Jade may seem worrisome a lot, but it's because she hates seeing anything bad happen to the people she loves. I remember in third grade when I twisted my ankle playing tag with her, she was so worried. She had the look like she killed someone." The pair chuckled at the story before Freddie looked at the redhead. He knew she was right and her advice helped him.

"Thanks Cat." He noted, "For everything. The food, the advice, and coming here to see me. I can't help but feel so happy to have you as my friend."

"We help the people we love and care about." She replied as Freddie smiled and gave her a hug, knowing what to do now regarding Sam's plan. After breaking apart, the brunette boy gazed at his watch.

"It's getting pretty late; I can call you a cab if you'd like."

"That would be cool, but…" She said, reaching into her purse and pulling out a set of Galaxy Wars discs, "I think this would be even cooler."

"Collector's edition?" Freddie asked, his eyes lighting up in excitement.

"With never before seen footage." She replied with equal if not more excitement, causing the pair to chuckle, "What do you say?"

"I say what are we waiting for?"

AN: And that's the end of the chapter thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. I know my upload rate has slowed down A LOT, but I still admire all my loyal followers that wait. Cat and Freddie is another friendship you are going to see a lot more of in the coming chapters. Not saying there will be any romance, but maybe in a new multi-chap fanfic I am planning… *wink. Stay tuned for that and stay tuned for the next chapter.

Chapter Question: Can a Brad and Carly relationship work out?