CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
CLOUDS — ONE DIRECTION
Here we go again
Another go-round for all of my friends
Another non-stop, will it ever end?
STELLA WOKE UP at the crack of dawn, her side throbbing in pain. The events of the night before rushed to the forefront of her mind and a sigh fell from her lips. There was a long list of things she wished to accomplish in life, but getting shot was not one of them. Even if it gave her the best sleep she's had in weeks.
The golden morning light streamed through the cracks in the blinds, illuminating the air around her. With a groan, she brought her hands up and ran them over her face. "My body feels like it's on fire."
JJ hummed. "Still think seducing Rafe was a good idea?"
"I'd rather him shoot me than hear you say 'I told you so'."
Tilting her head to look at the boy next to her, she saw that he was already staring at her—if you could even call it that. His eyes were half closed, and he looked like he was fighting the idea of sleep with every breath he took.
The corners of his lips quirked upwards and he tucked an arm behind his head. "Well, if he did, I would've gotten a big fat life insurance check, Mrs. Maybank."
"Nothing about last night that was legal, J. Keep dreaming." Her tired eyes studied the shadowed circles forming under his own and she raised a brow. "You look like shit."
"Really?" He drawled, eyes rolling, "'Cause I feel great."
His sarcasm caused small chuckle to fall from her lips and pain spread through her left side.
As if he was anticipating her sharp intake of breath, JJ reached over and handed her an open bottle of water paired with two painkillers from the bedside table.
With his help, Stella sat up. She paused and stared at him. It wasn't a secret that JJ was attractive. He knew it, she knew it, the whole island knew it. He was cut clean from a dream and stole from any romance movie set by the ocean. He was beautiful, but with his puffy eyes and shaky hands, he really did look like shit right now.
She swallowed the pills and chased it with a substantial amount of guilt. She couldn't help but feel bad. She wasn't oblivious to his protective nature and the way he'd hover around her when he thought she could be in danger. He cared a lot and which was why he made her promise—pinky promise, actually—to be more careful. Last night, JJ and their friends lost sleep over something that could've been avoided if she had been just a bit quicker. And for that, she felt a clump of regret lodge itself at the back of her throat.
"I'm sorry."
JJ furrowed his brows. "For what?"
The familiar sinking feeling pulled at her chest and she shrugged. "Not being careful enough."
Shaking his head, JJ sat up with clear disagreement written across his features. "It's not your fault, Stel." His hand came up to brush a strand of hair behind her ear. "Rafe went rogue, you just got the short straw."
"Still," she argued. "You could hear how scared JB and Sarah were and I could see it in your face... If I was just fast enough, then—"
There was a banging at the door that caused her to sigh.
"Guys!" John B shouted from the other side. "Pope and Kie are back, we gotta go!"
Silence filled the room as Stella's shoulders sank. She waited for JJ's response, not knowing what to expect.
Her eyes followed his figure as he stood up and grabbed some clothes from the bag she stored in the closet of the spare room. His lips pursed as he circled the bed, and his brows were furrowed with concentration as he unfolded the shirt in his hands. When he looked up at her, he nodded and said, "Lift your arms."
Stella tilted her head. "I can dress myself."
"If you can lift your arms without it hurting, you can dress yourself," the blond negotiated. When she winced in pain with her arms barely above her head, he gave her a knowing look. She said nothing as he helped her undress and dress again, but pouted like a stubborn child.
"Would you blame me?" He asked suddenly, moving to change his own clothes. His back was towards her, but he threw her a look over his shoulder. "If I was the one shot?"
"No," Stella replied immediately, "but that's different."
"No, it's not."
She paused, knowing that he was right. There wasn't a single difference between the two scenarios. Both would've happened by a stroke of bad luck, and both would've been completely out of their control. She was only blaming herself because she was a perfectionist who held herself to the highest standards. A constant desire to be the best possessed her body, always needing to be the smartest, put together, and in this case, faster than a bullet.
He walked over to her and bent over, placing her arm over his shoulder. She let out a dramatic groan as she stood and blew a strand of hair out of her face. "It was bad timing, Stel. You were as careful as you could've been, quit blaming yourself."
They left the house as quickly as they could, passing John B and Sarah who were gathering last minute supplies.
"Guys!" JJ shouted from down the dock. He readjusted his hold on Stella, apologizing when she yelped in pain. "Don't tie up!"
Kie's voice flowed through the air. "What?"
"We're dipping," responded the blond.
"Wait, why?"
When JJ and Stella came into view, Pope's eyes widened in shock. A thick white bandage graced Stella's left side and clear discomfort was written over her face. "Whoa, what happened?" He asked, his gaze flickering to John B and Sarah who weren't too far behind.
"What are you talking about?" Kie turned and when she saw the golden girl leaning against JJ, she shared a smilier expression to the boy beside her. "Oh, shit! What the hell happened?"
"Rafe showed up and emptied his clip in Stella's side," JJ quickly explained, making it sound worse than it actually was. He let go of Stella and tossed his backpack onto the boat. "He saw the tree and just lost it, dude. He was like Bang! Bang! And then—"
"What?" Kie exclaimed, turning to the girl. "He shot you?"
"He grazed me," Stella corrected. She stepped onto the boat, trying her best not to wince at the way her side moved. When JJ saw that she didn't wait for him to help her, he rushed over, only to have his arm pushed away with the claim that she was fine. "Where were you all night?"
Pope glanced at Kie. "We slept on the break."
"Slept, right." JJ patted him on the shoulder with a proud grin. "Well, we were up all night waiting for you, so thanks for that, guys. Glad you got some fun in before shit hit the fan."
When John B and Sarah caught up, the former gave them an urgent look. "Rafe knows we're here, so we have to leave, like, now."
ONE THING ABOUT growing up on an island was that there were only so many places to explore before you explored them all. That being said, the group of Pogues had a long list of places that were secluded enough that no one would find them before they figured out a plan.
They considered hiding at Stella's house since Figure Eight was the last place anyone would look to find them, but after discussing the risk of a nosy neighbour seeing them or getting caught on someone's CCTV, they ultimately decided against it. So instead, they sailed further into The Cut until they came across a stretch of beach no one ever visited.
"Look," Sarah started, her brows knitted together, "if Rafe and Barry know, it's only a matter of time before everyone knows."
There was a quick pause in conversation before JJ scoffed and threw the stick he was fiddling with at the ground. "I told you. We should've gone south, man."
"Just stop it," John B said, giving Stella a look, silently asking her to calm him down.
The blond turned to her with a frustrated frown. "Why does no one ever listen?"
"Some people can't appreciate genius, my love," Stella mused, sarcasm nipping at her tone.
Sarah watched as the couple and John B started to bicker, hesitant to speak her next words. An idea came to her late last night after her brother left the Chateau, but she knew that if she voiced it, she'd be met with a lot of resistance. It was a long shot, but it was still worth trying.
"I have an idea," she voiced. The group turned to her. "With me back, my dad's going to have to choose between me and Rafe."
"Sarah—"
"He's gonna choose me."
There was a heavy silence that rippled through the group. None of them thought it was a good idea, but it was hard to say anything when Sarah was pleading for their compliance with her wide-eyed stare.
"Just please listen," the blonde requested, getting ready to prepare her case.
Stella could tell that she didn't actually want to speak to her father. She just wanted to believe that he was still capable of being a good man.
"S..." Stella started, sympathy dripping off her tongue, "he's not going to choose."
Sarah let out an exasperated huff. "You don't know that."
Perhaps Stella saw herself in the girl who refused to see reason. After all, she had wished for the same thing time and time again. But every time she hoped her father would change, she was met with the brutal reminder that some people simply weren't capable of it.
"You're right, I don't." She shook her head. "But don't you think if he was going to choose between you and Rafe, he would've already done so? He knows you're alive and he knows turning Rafe in would bring you home, so why hasn't he done it yet?"
Kie nodded, agreeing with her best friend. "Ward keeps lying to you, Sarah."
"He won't agree after all that's happened," JJ added, coming up behind Stella to rub her shoulders.
"No. I... I know it sounds crazy."
"Yeah, it does."
"I know!" Sarah stood up and took a deep breath. "But he's my dad. And I know him, and I know he loves me. I'm just asking for two hours."
Before anyone could say something else, John B gently pulled her to the side.
Less than five minutes later, the group was watching from the shore as Sarah sailed towards Figure Eight on the HMS Pogue.
"You sure about this?" JJ asked, slinging his arm around John B's shoulders.
John B shook his head, eyes locked on the boat disappearing in the distance. "No," he replied, "but I gotta trust her."
And so the remaining five waited on the sandy banks of The Cut, hoping that for Sarah's sake, her father would be a decent human being for once.
As the time passed by, Kie and Pope left to find more firewood and John B paced away from the fire he had started, leaving JJ and Stella to themselves.
"How're you doing, Sunbaby?"
He sat on the log Stella was leaning against and looked down at her. Her eyes were closed and her head was tilted towards the sky, and he smiled softly at the sight of the breeze breaking through her hair.
"I don't know how Sarah was up and running after she got shot. I was only grazed and I feel I'm dying." Opening one eye, she asked, "You didn't stash any painkillers in your bag, did you?"
JJ chuckled. He didn't have any Advil left, having given the rest to Sarah on their trip there, but he did have something better. Rummaging through his backpack, he pulled out small tin and presented her with a pre-rolled joint. "It's your lucky day, Mrs. Maybank."
Stella reached over to take it from his hands, but he smacked her hand away and brought it to her mouth for her. Before she could reach for the lighter she usually kept in her jeans, his hand was already digging through her front pocket.
Her eyes narrowed at him as he lit the joint for her. When she opened her mouth to protest, the sound of her phone going off cut through the air. With a quick glance, she saw that her mom had texted her again, asking where she was.
JJ chuckled at her troubled frown and took the joint from her for a drag. "You can't avoid her forever, Stel."
"I know," she sighed, "but I've never done this before. I've never gone behind her back and lied to her like this. She already told me to stay out of all this—the gold, Ward, Limbrey... I don't know how to handle her being mad at me."
JJ hummed, knowing that she and Emma never fought. In all his years of being her friend, surrounded by Emma's maternal cloud and in and out of Marx Mansion, he could only remember them arguing twice. Once when they were ten and Stella was still going through her rebellious kleptomaniac phase, and once when they moved from The Cut to Figure Eight. Sure, they had minor disagreements, but they never had explosive fights with poor communication, and they certainly never had what was going on between them right now.
He passed her the joint. "Well, as someone who's experienced in the realm of angry parents, you don't want to put it off." In his experience, it wasn't so much the actual punishment that he found disagreeable, but the dread felt from anticipating it. "It's better to call her back and get it over with. She's only buggin' because she cares, the worst she'll do is lecture you."
"Yeah, I guess that's true," Stella nodded thoughtfully. She often forgot about how lucky she was to have a good relationship with her parent. She didn't have to fear violence or the threat of exile whenever she messed up.
With a drag of her joint, she composed a text letting her mother know that she was safe, while simultaneously leaving out any detail that would lead her to believe otherwise.
"Hey, Sarah's back."
Stella sent the message and looked up to find the HMS Pogue settling on the shore.
"Sarah!" Kie shouted, dropping the firewood she had found and raising her hands.
JJ helped Stella stand and the pair joined their friends. The first thing they noticed was Sarah's puffy eyes and prominent frown.
"You guys were right," she sniffled, "it didn't work."
Stella walked over and wrapped the girl in a hug. She wanted to be wrong in thinking that Ward was far gone to change, but it seemed that like always, she was right. "I'm sorry, S."
Sarah returned the embrace, quickly kissing Stella's shoulder before pulling away.
"Welp," JJ began, hitting the side of the HMS Pogue, "then that settles it, guys. Y'all need to load up in the paddy wagon and get the fuck out of Dodge right now. Right, you'll need supplies, and you'll have to split as soon as possible."
Looking out into the distance, Pope pointed. "Guys, I think it's too late."
The group turned and felt the cold wave of panic wash over them. Cops were coming at them in all directions, lead by none other than the interim sheriff, Shoupe.
A siren wailed and John B turned to his girlfriend. "They followed you here?"
"Must've been your father."
"We have to find another way out."
Another siren sounded, this time followed by Shoupe's voice on a megaphone. "Stay on the beach with your hands in the air!"
And with that, the group went running.
Now, running from the cops was something Stella was quite familiar with. She had run from the law multiple times before the start of the past summer (granted it was for underaged drinking and breaking and entering, not aiding and abetting a fugitive). But running from the cops while she had an eight inch wound to her side that shot pain into her body every time she moved was something completely new to her.
It was obvious that she and Sarah were having a hard time keeping up. They pushed through the pain, relying heavily on adrenaline, but it still wasn't enough to stay with the group.
Seeing that their girlfriends—wives, technically—were falling behind, JJ and John B slowed down to help. Wrapping their girls' arms around their shoulders, the boys shouldered most of their weight, making sprinting easier.
The group came to a creek and they crossed it quickly. But as they came to the other side, several police vehicles swerved in front of them, forcing them into another direction.
Kie led them to a large tree and they stopped running. They all knew that there was no point in escaping, not when the Kildare Police Department had them surrounded.
"We're trapped," Stella wheezed, leaning against the tree. She looked down and saw that blood was seeping through her bandage. She must've popped her stitches. "Shit."
"Freeze!"
"What do we do?"
JJ shook his head and grabbed his gun from his bag. "No getting out of it. We gotta make a stand."
Stella watched as John B's gaze travelled from the gun, then to Sarah, then to her. She gave him a nod and held her hand out.
Turning to JJ, John B grabbed the gun from his grasp and passed it off to Stella, who buried it under a pile of fallen leaves.
"I'm surrendering!" John B shouted, eyes still locked on his blond best friend. There was reassurance in his stare, but JJ didn't know how to find comfort in it when the reality of defeat was ten feet away.
John B left his spot behind the tree with his hands behind his head. He was slow and careful, and Stella could feel her heartbeat losing its rhythm as she caught a glance of all the guns pointed his way.
"Stay right where you are," Shoupe ordered. "Keep your hands where we can see them."
John B stepped closer.
"Don't move!" Officer Plumb snapped, finger hovering her trigger.
He stopped in his tracks and the others trickled out from their hiding spots. "Hey, listen, Shoupe, I wanna testify."
"It's about time," Shoupe replied. "Get down. Do not move a muscle." He looked to the other teens. "Everybody else, don't move."
Plumb's hands dropped and she reached for the handcuffs tucked in her belt. She approached John B like he was a wild animal. Maybe she was scared that he'd kill her like she thought he killed Peterkin.
Next to her, it seemed that Officer Thomas had no reservations about approaching the young man, because before Plumb could get within five feet of John B, he was storming forward to tackle him.
There were shouts of protest that left each of the Pogues mouths as Thomas continued to beat up their friend. John B surrendered and was unarmed. It was a clear abuse of power and no one was doing anything to stop it.
"Sheriff, what is that?" JJ shouted in rage. "You're gonna let that happen?"
Thomas ignored everyone around him and brought his face close to the seventeen-year-old's. "This is for Peterkin," he stated. Then, he brought his fist down to meet skin.
TWO DAYS PASSED before John B's preliminary hearing. The State Bureau of Investigation placed a lot of pressure on the local authorities to have it moved up from originally scheduled date of two weeks from the time of arrest, and considering it was seen as a high pressure case, no one seemed to believe that the reason for doing so was anything other than that.
The group of Pogues spent the two days in a panic, hiding in the Chateau and planning ways to help John B despite the emotional strain growing between them. Sarah was swimming in guilt, Kie and JJ in anger, and Pope and Stella in denial as they distracted themselves from any feeling of uselessness via studying for an upcoming test.
The bubble of tension popped the morning of the trial when Stella came back to the Chateau after visiting the hospital to explain to her supervisor why she missed her previous shift. Kie snapped at her, demanding to know how she could act normal at a time like this. Stella knew she was lashing out because she was scared for John B, and reminded her that while she was scared too, she couldn't ignore everything else going on in her life.
"Fucking vultures," JJ muttered as the group entered the courthouse. They were surrounded by people praying to witness the downfall of John B, and non-surprisingly, the majority of them were Kooks.
Pope looked around as they settled into their seats. "Look who just walked in," he said, nodding to the door.
The group turned just as Ward and Rose Cameron crossed the threshold.
Kie pursed her lips. "It should be him having this hearing," she bitterly stated. "He's a murderer."
Stella didn't say anything, but instead turned to Sarah. The girl was wearing a frown as she stared at her father and step-mother.
"You okay?" Stella asked, her voice low and worried.
Sarah looked away and took a hold of her hand. "Yeah," she said, resting her head on her shoulder. "Yeah, I just want to get this over with."
The Pogues watched as John B was brought out in handcuffs and placed before a judge. The could barely concentrate on what was happening due to their nerves, and only looked away when the Emma Marx rushed into the room and sat next to them.
Stella called her right after the arrest, but she was stuck in Seattle until her final presentation that took place the night before. She got there as fast as she could, having booked the next flight out and making it just in time for the verdict.
"John Booker Routledge," the judge started, "pursuant to the North Carolina statute section fourteen, you are charged with murder in the first degree with aggravated circumstances. If convicted, the maximum sentence would be the death penalty."
The Pogues shared a look of fear, the gavel struck, and people clamoured.
"Your Honor, he's seventeen!" JJ exclaimed, standing from his seat. "He's seventeen! Are you kidding me?"
Stella stood, her hand still firmly planted in Sarah's as the girl pulled her forward. "Hey, John B, we'll figure it out," she promised, upon seeing his frightened expression.
Sarah tried to break free from her hold and rush past the police lining the bar, but she was held back by several people. "John B!" she shouted, scared that she'd never see him again.
Stella tried to pull her away from the cops, but yelped when one of them elbowed her in the side.
JJ was next to her in a second, cussing at the line of police in front of them. Kie was a left to defend Sarah and when she got a hold of her, the group walked out of the building.
Everyone stared at them with disdain and whispers followed them through the crowed.
"Justice is served."
"He had it coming."
Stella shook her head. "This is bullshit," she muttered, not caring for her language despite her mother standing nearby.
"Is this a joke?" Kie scoffed. "Like, are we in hell or...?"
Sarah looked to be on the verge of tears, sniffling as Emma walked over to comfort her. "I should have never come home."
The doctor shook her head. "No, you did the right thing," she assured. "We'll get him out."
Even though Emma's tone was mildly convincing, JJ knew that having hope was a very dangerous thing. "They're gonna kill him, guys," he stated in despair. "I know it."
They walked further down the steps, slowing as one of Stella's neighbours approached Ward and Rose.
"Sorry for what you and your family have gone through," he said, a little too loudly to seem genuine. "Thank God the system works."
Turning, Kie decided that she had enough. Her best friend was just sentenced to a possible execution and this asshole had the audacity to gloat, knowing full well they were listening? No, she wasn't going to have it.
"Can you please shut up?" she snapped, causing the people around them to turn as well. "Of course you think the system worked because it was made to protect you and people like you!"
The man regarded her as nothing but a stupid kid. "He'll have his day in court. A jury will decide."
"He shouldn't even be in court!" She turned to Ward with hatred in her stare and pointed an accusing finger. "You should, 'cause you're a murderer."
Her statement triggered a sharp response from those around her because the second the words left her mouth, people were stepping forward to defend the Cameron.
"You have a lot of nerve showing up to court," Kie continued, ignoring her people trying to calm her down.
Stella stepped forward to defend her friend when she saw Ward come closer.
"I know you're upset," Ward said, approaching them like they were wild animals. "I understand you're upset, okay?"
"Upset?" Try livid.
"I know he's got you fooled." His gaze flickered to Sarah. "He's got you all fooled."
Stella rolled her eyes. "Don't patronize us!"
Before Ward could even blink, Kie was rushing towards him, ready to swing.
The police stepped forward to intervene, but the Kooks got there quicker. There was yelling and shoving, but eventually Shoupe managed to break it up.
"Get off her!" JJ snapped, pushing Sarah and Stella behind him. He gave Shoupe a hard look. "Why don't you take the Kooks down for a change?"
The sheriff's eyes narrowed. "You wanna get arrested? Get out! You need to go."
The Pogues backed away, shaking their heads in disbelief. "This is bullshit."
"It's not a coincidence that your daughter's sitting with us!" Kie shouted, needing to have the last word.
Anger bubbled at the surface of their skin, and they walked to the parking lot, trying their best to ignore the eyes watching their every move.
Passing a group of elderly Kooks, one of them sneered at Emma. "Might want to keep your pets on a tighter leash, Miss Marx."
"Doctor Marx," she corrected with a sharp glare. She then turned to her daughter and sighed. "I'm going to go home and make some calls. I have a friend from my residency who still owes me a favour, his husband is a lawyer and might be able to help."
Stella nodded and watched as she walked away. At least there was on good thing about the whole situation—her mother was far too worried about John B to even care about lecturing her for going to Charleston.
"C'mon," Pope said, nudging her towards the green SUV. "Let's get out of here."
"I'M GONNA TESTIFY under oath," Sarah stated, hand rubbing at her forehead. "I was there."
Rain had begun to fall in a peculiar display of pathetic fallacy, and the five teens sat around the Chateau's porch, not knowing what to do with themselves.
Stella nodded, feeling quite useless. "Yeah, I can testify too. I was there when they brought Peterkin into the hospital. I heard Ward take advantage of the situation and frame John B. He's been influencing the investigation since the beginning, that has to count for something. Not to mention, Rafe literally shot me too, so that's like, a pattern of violent behaviour, right? That could work? Pope, tell me it'll work."
He merely shrugged.
"I just need to get a hold of my sister," Sarah said.
JJ raised a brow. "Sister?"
"Kie, do you have your phone? Wheezie is the only other person that knows Rafe wasn't home that day."
"Wheezie?"
Sarah glared at him and took the phone from Kie's waiting hands. "I don't know what else to do. I got us into this mess. I'm gonna do my best to get us out."
"Wheezie? Yeah, that will work." JJ scoffed. He looked off to the side before turning back to them. "Well, she's right about one thing. We gotta do something. Our boy is a PO-dub right now, okay? He's held captive by the enemy, maybe even scheduled for execution. Are we just gonna sit here?"
Kie crossed her arms with a raised brow. "What's the plan? We kidnap Shoupe?"
The blond leaned against the wall and ran a hand through his hair. "Maybe, like, that's not the worst idea actually!"
"Oh, it's not?"
"No!"
"That is actually the worst idea I've ever heard," Pope stated, looking up at the boy.
"It's pretty bad," Sarah added.
JJ sucked his teeth in annoyance. "You know what? Please, just stay out of this."
Pope gave Stella a discreet look, hoping she could calm JJ down, but the girl shook her head. "We're brainstorming. If anyone else has an idea, feel free to speak up."
JJ glanced at her before turning to Pope. "Okay, Pope, look, we've been doing everything your way, and how has that been working out?"
"Okay, okay, so what's your plan?" Pope challenged. "You gonna storm a jail, guns a-blazing?"
"Look, all I'm trying to get you to understand is they got our boy. Are we just gonna sit here and do nothing? No! We're gonna go get his ass. We're gonna do something about it!"
"JJ, baby," Stella gently called. He calmed down upon looking at her, but he was still frustrated by his friends' willingness to do nothing.
Pope gave her a grateful nod and sighed. "JJ, we're not storming a jail. It's not happening."
JJ pursed his lips. "No, fine, man. Sit in your comfy chair. Do nothing. I'm gonna see what I can do. Make something happen, even if I have to do it by myself."
He walked past them with determination in his stride, but Stella knew that when JJ felt backed into a corner, the outcomes weren't usually favourable.
"JJ!" She called, getting ready to follow after him.
Kie stopped her and shook her head. "Let him go, Stel." She turned to Pope and Sarah. "Look, I'm gonna hit my parents, and I'm gonna see if I can get money for a lawyer."
Stella sighed and checked her phone, hoping that her mother would send her some good news. "My mom said she's making some calls, she'll probably cover all the legal fees."
"I'm still going to ask. We need to make sure his back up plans have back up plans."
Pope's gaze flickered between them. "Guys, John B has a public defender. He doesn't need that now."
They gave him a flat look. "Are you crazy? Justice costs money."
Failing to find himself in a position to argue, he nodded. "You're right," he digressed. "So I'm gonna dig in hard into anything I can find out about this key, because that tape Limbrey has, that's exculpatory evidence. That can exonerate John B."
"Yeah, we gotta try."
Stella's phone went off in her hand and she stood up. "I've got to go," she said, reading the text from her mom. "Let me know if JJ comes back."
Her friends nodded and she left the Chateau.
STELLA DIDN'T HAVE a favourite police officer. She found that they were all incompetent and easily persuaded from their morals, leading to a general mistrust for the Kildare County Police Department. Though, that's not to say she didn't have a least favourite.
Officer Plumb was high on the list of people Stella didn't like. She had an air of superiority surrounding her at all times and often looked down on the kids from The Cut, even though she grew up there. So, when Stella and her mom walked into the detention centre and saw Plumb sitting at the front desk, it took everything in her to not groan in annoyance.
"We're here to see John B.," Emma stated, placing her Louis Vuitton handbag on the counter.
Plumb looked up, no emotion on her face. "Visitation's only open to legal reps or immediate family right now."
The doctor raised an eyebrow at the dismissal. "Plumb, you know damn well I'm the only one that kid's got, just let me see him."
Sighing, the officer folded her hands before her and placed them on the desk. "Sorry, Dr. Marx, unless you're his lawyer or immediate family, you're not cleared for visiting until 8 o'clock."
"Says who?" Stella questioned.
"The rules state that new inmates have to undergo twelve hours of isolation upon arrival for processing unless it's for their lawyer or family."
Emma scoffed and placed her hands on the counter. She knew better than to believe Plumb. Her integrity was shattered the moment she performed surgery on a kid who crashed his car after Plumb turned a blind eye to giving him a DUI ticket. "That's a bullshit rule that you probably made up just now," she argued. "Who do I have to call? Or do I have to pay my way into seeing him? We are John B's family."
"But you are not his mother."
Stella chuckled, knowing that her mother was not one to be trifled with, especially when it came to the children she viewed as hers.
"Let me stop you right there, for your own sake." The doctor leaned forward with narrowed eyes. "You're going to imply that I'm not John B's mother because we don't share any DNA? Because that would be offensive to anyone who's ever adopted a child or been an adopted child or knows the struggle of not having a family who loves them unconditionally. And for you to say that is just plain ignorant."
Plumb looked taken back by her sharp tone and stammered, scrambling to think of a response.
"There was a choice," Emma continued. "I could chose to take care of him or I could chose to turn him away. I chose motherhood. I am John B's mother. And so help me God, if you don't let me see him within the next five minutes, I will wreak havoc on this shoddy little police department starting with you."
Stella let out a low whistle, smirking at the officer who was rendered speechless. She couldn't wait to tell her friends about this.
Down the hall, a door opened and Shoupe emerged. "Dr. Marx!" He shouted, already knowing who she was there for.
Emma grabbed her purse, sending Plumb one last glare before turning to the interim sheriff. "Let me see him, Shoupe."
"Alright, follow me."
He led the Marx women to the visitation area and told them to wait while he went and got John B. Moments later, he returned with the boy and unlocked his handcuffs.
"I gotta say, B, orange suits you," mused Stella as he sat down across from her.
He shook his head with a small smile, grateful that her humour provided a sliver of normalcy during his crazy day. "Ha, ha."
"Hey, you loved Orange is the New Black."
Emma rested her arms on the table. "How're you holding up, kid?"
He shrugged. "Uh, cell's a little drafty, but..."
"Listen, you don't need to worry. I've got the best criminal defence lawyer in the state flying in as we speak. Even if things don't go as planned, you're not going to be in here for long. Just hang in there, okay?"
Stella's brows furrowed. 'Even if things don't go as planned,' her mother said. What the hell did that mean?
John B didn't say anything for a moment, and Stella could've sworn she saw him choke back a sob. "Thanks, Emma. For everything, you didn't need to look out for me, but you did, so... Thank you."
She smiled. "Of course, John B." She then cleared her throat. "Um, I didn't want to bring this up now, but after everything, I thought you might need something to look forward to."
He gave Stella a questioning look, but she didn't know what her mother was talking about either.
"After you're out of here, how would you—both of you—feel about a conversation about adoption?"
John B's eyes widened. "What, like, you adopt me?"
"Well, you can't go back to Tannyhill," she chuckled. "I've been trying for months before you went missing, and when you get out, you're still going to be a minor so you'll need to be under someone's supervision. I just thought better me than a stranger."
"Really?" A smile was slowly threatening its way onto his face. He turned to the golden girl. "S, you're okay with this?"
She let out a laugh. "B, don't be stupid. Of course, I'm okay with it. You're already practically my brother and I've been telling you to live with us for months."
With her approval, John B nodded. "Yeah," he grinned. "Yeah, I'd be cool with that."
"Great." Emma clapped her hands together and let out a relieved sigh. "I knew buying the Chateau was a good idea. I didn't know if you'd want to live there full time or at our house, but the options there if you want it—"
"You bought the Chateau?" He gave Stella a incredulous look of shock. "I thought you said she was only paying the bills!"
"I neither confirmed nor denied that."
The door opened and Plumb walked in. "Time's up," she said, avoiding the doctor's glare.
The two Marx women nodded and stood up. They said their goodbyes, Emma letting the boy know that she'd be back with his new lawyer in the morning, and they left.
As they walked through the detention centre, Stella failed to notice the knowing look Shoupe exchanged with her mother.
RAE SPEAKS !
you already knoooow i had to give emma the arizona robbins 'i chose motherhood' speech
john b sitting in jail before he finds out that emma got him a good lawyer: