Overexposed

Ch. 32 A New Hope

Two story updates within two days?! Whaaaaat??
This one was finished, and I couldn't wait to post it...
💙

Jo's heart was in her throat as she sped through the sleeping town of Charming in her little rental car, desperately in need to get to her brother. Kenny was the one who called her. Days after it'd happened. He'd apologized for the delay, but he apparently had his hands full with Evie. From what she could understand, most of the grown-ups were wrapped up in the emotion of the situation that they hadn't paid much attention to the younger generation. Kenny had been near sobbing over the phone, telling her that his dad was not okay. That Juan was devastated and no one had been able to help him. She'd booked the first plane ticket she could find, threw some clothes in a bag, and headed straight to California.

It was still early in the morning, and it seemed as if the small town was just starting to wake up. After hearing about all the shit that had gone down in Charming, it was strange to be there now. She caught a glimpse of a large gated compound with a big reaper hanging on the gate of it. The only reason she recognized it was because of the research she'd done into the Sons of Anarchy motorcycle club when Dino had found out her brother was a part of it. It was an impressive compound, and she found she was a little curious about what lay beyond the gates.

She pulled into St. Thomas hospital, not surprised by the empty parking lot. When Kenny had called her, she'd told him she'd meet him at their rental house, and then go with them to the hospital once it was time for visiting hours. He'd told her to go straight to the hospital instead; apparently, their family was exempt from visiting hours and could come and go as they pleased. That worried her slightly. Where was Evie in all this? Was someone making sure the little girl was taken care of? That she had some sort of understanding of what was happening? It didn't really seem like it.

She walked into the hospital through the emergency room as instructed. After telling the nurse who she was there to see, she gave her the room number and waved her back. There wasn't much movement in the hallways. No one paid her any attention as she approached the room at the end of the hall. The small little window in the door was covered, the door closed. Her hand hovered over the handle for a moment; what was she going to find when she opened the door? Taking in a deep breath, she pushed open the door. What she saw inside broke her heart. Angela was laid out in the big hospital bed, hooked up to all sorts of shit. Juan was sitting beside her, her hand in his, his eyes on her face. He blinked slowly, and a tear slid down his cheek.

He looked awful. His hair was a greasy mess as if he hadn't showered in days. His shoulders were sagging with the weight of the world. She stepped inside, closing the door gently behind her. "Oh Wonka," she murmured, catching his attention. He wiped quickly at his eyes, looking shocked to see her standing there. She crossed the room towards him. "Came as soon as I heard. Are you all..."

To her surprise, he jumped to his feet and wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her neck as he'd done when he was a child. She held onto him tightly as he began to sob, his tears hot on her skin. She rubbed her hand down his back, turning to kiss his temple. "It's okay, bro. Let it all out. I got you."

She didn't know how long she'd held him for, but he finally pulled away, sniffling slightly and wiping at his eyes. "Sorry, I just..." He shook his head, swallowing hard as he looked over at his wife. "She's...I dunno what to do, Jojo. I don't know..."

"How are the twins?" she asked trying to get him to think of something else.

He stared at her with wide, wet eyes and shrugged before sinking down into the chair again. "They were early, and she was...bleeding. A lot. So much blood, and now she's like this...and they don't know if she'll wake up, but she might wake up, and I have to be here if she does. I have to..."