"Paging Doctor Malcom Wrede! Emergency with patient Daniel McCormick, room 327! This is Connor Hendrick! Paging Doctor Malcom Wrede!"
<<<>>>
The trial came the next morning.
It seemed like the entire island showed up, awaiting John B's fate. Half the congregation sat on the edge of their seats with hopes that somehow the trail could fall his way, whereas the other half sat back in the benches, arms crossed with eyes of daggers, hoping they dragged him away into that cell by the collar. The Pogues sat in the middle of the room. Affinity was squeezing the life out of Kiara's hand when they brought John B out. The bags under her eyes were stained with tears and her leg was bouncing up and down nuerotically. Kiara squeezed her hand back and rested both of their hands on Affinity's thigh to stop her anxious behavior.
"John Booker Routledge," the judge began. "Persuant to the North Carolina statue section 14, you are charged with murder in the first degree with aggravated circumstances. If convincted, the maximum setence would be the death penalty."
Affinity tensed so hard she thought her heart stopped beating. Her free hand cupped over her mouth as she let out a quiet gasp. JJ and Pope, who were to her left, sat up a little straighter. Pope's eyes widened, JJ swallowed his fury. Around her, people clamored and murmured about the statement from the judge. As for those that sighed a breath of relief, she wished they would drop dead right then and there. The judge struck her gavel onto its wooden pad.
JJ jumped up from his seat. "Your Honor, he's 17!"
"Quiet," she stated blatantly.
"He's 17!" Are you kidding me?" JJ pointed at John B. "Hey, John B, we're gonna figure it out."
Now that JJ and Pope had already stood, Affinity was able to push herself out of the bench row and through the crowd of people. "John B!" She cried.
John B looked back to her, eyes hopeful that he might be able to hold her one last time.
"John B! Please, don't take him away! He's innocent!"
A police officer stepped between her, his arms seizing her shoulders. The man shoved her back. Kiara was right behind her.
"Fin," she pleaded. "Fin, let's get out of here."
Affinity allowed both her palms to collide with the officer before she let Kiara drag her out of the room. Her world was spinning. All she wanted to do was scream, cry, and drive her fist through the Cameron family. All around her she could hear the kooks of Figure 8, those hollow bastards, speak of how justice was served.
"They're gonna kill him," she muttered to herself as they walked down the courthouse stairs.
"I'm sorry for what you and your family have gone through," a voice spoke in the crowd. It was a man that was walking with the Camerons. "Thank God the system works."
That was Affinity's breaking point.
"Fuck. You," she said lowly. It almost came out as a snarl. "Shut your privileged mouths. Of course you think the system worked because it was made to protect people like you."
The man waved her away. "He'll have his day in court. A jury will decide."
"He shouldn't even be in court!" Kiara added.
Affinity wasn't sure what came over her but suddenly her feet were bringing her feet towards Ward, and rather quickly for that matter. Both her fists grabbed his suit and she shoved him back. She was shaking her head.
"It's you. You're the bastard. Your son's the murderer!" She could feel all eyes on her and she knew very well that Shoupe was going to be there any moment to pull her away. Her lip twitched upward as she stared into his empty eyes. "You think you can hide it all. You don't think that I'm the only person that can see the guilt you wear? It's as obvious as the blood that stained my father's police uniform. It's all over your God awful face. That fucking mansion isn't big enough to protect you. Not anymore."
That's when she felt a heavy hand on her shoulder. Shoupe pulled her back and made her look at him. Her eyes were drowning in rage and tears.
"What the hell are you doing, kid?" He demanded to know. "What would your father think of your behavior right now?"
She stared at him from under her brows. Her arms crossed. "You really had the audacity to ask that?" Her teeth gritted. "My father would be alive. My father would kick your ass for being so oblivious and fucking stupid. For the love of God, my father would be proud to have a daughter that wants justice just as much as he does, a daughter who is still protecting him." She jammed a finger into his chest. "Maybe you should start thinking about what he would think of you right now."
With that final statement, she stormed off. The Pogues followed.
<<<>>>
"Are you insane?! No way in hell is this happening!"
"Please, you have to let me."
"Absolutely not! It's too dangerous and-and I could lose my job!"
"I'm begging you."
"We have to run tests first. I'm not promising anything. This is still a matter of life and death."
"Do what you must. I just need your help."
"I'll see what I can do."
<<<>>>
"I'm gonna testify under oath. I was there. That has to be something," Affinity said to the Pogues. "We have to do something."
They had gone back to Affinity's house to discuss what to do next.
"She's right, we gotta do something," JJ continued, his voice rising with every word. "Our boy is a PO-dub, okay? He's held captive by the enemy right now, maybe even scheduled for execution. Are we just gonna sit here?"
"What's the plan, huh? Kidnap Shoupe?" Kiara shouted back.
JJ shrugged. "Maybe, like, that's not the worst idea actually."
Affinity pursued her lips. "No."
"That is actually the worst idea I've ever heard," Pope remarked, staring at him like he was mental.
"Okay, Pope, look, we've been doin' everything your way, and how has that been working out?"
Now, Pope started getting frustrated. "Okay, so what's your plan? You gonna storm a jail, guns a-blazing."
"Look, Pope, 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!"
Pope grabbed JJ's shoulders. "JJ, we're not storming a jail. It's not happening."
"No, fine, man," JJ shrugged. "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 pulled his hat down and started out the screen door, into the pouring rain.
"Wait, JJ!" Affinity called out after him. She looked at Kiara and Pope. "I'm sorry. I can't feel like I'm doing nothing."
She ran out to meet JJ as he readied his dirt bike. He started the engine and sat down on the seat. Affinity swung her leg over the bike and wrapped her arms around him. He kicked up the stand and drove off.
"I gotta stop at the Château first!" He shouted over the engine.
When they arrived, JJ left to go change and "grab a few necessities". At first, Affinity just waited in the living room but then she began to wander. She walked into John B's room and if he were here right now, she'd be giving him crap for how messy it was. She sat down on his bed, allowing herself to be around so many little things that made it feel like he was there. She looked to the small table next to the bed, finding a small frame with a picture of a bearded man and a little boy. Affinity smiled and picked it up gently. Young John B sat on his father's shoulder, wearing a cheesy grin. She recalled a picture she had at home of her and her dad that looked very similar.
Her eyes moved away from the picture and to her wrist, where John B's bandana was still tied around her wrist. She reached up and twisted her fingers in the other strip of bandana John B had given her when he promised to always love her. A small smile tugged at her lips. She just wanted him here. She wanted his saltwater scent, his warm embrace. Hung over a chair at his desk was his pink zip up sweatshirt. Affinity rose to her feet and took off the long sleeved knit shirt she was wearing and pulled on the jacket, zipping it up to her chest. She hugged her arms around herself, nuzzled her head to her shoulder, and took a deep breath. The ocean water smell made her smile.
"Hey," JJ said as he walked into John B's room. "You ready?"
JJ had changed into a white t-shirt and jeans. His hat was backwards, headphones dangled from his neck, and a pair of aviator sunglasses hung on his shirt.
Affinity sent him a sad smile. "Yeah, I am."
JJ noticed the sweatshirt and sent her a pursed lipped smile. He swung an arm around her shoulders. "Let's go get our boy."
By the time they walked out of the house, the rain had stopped and the sun was peeking out. The two climbed back on his motorbike and he sped off once again.
"What exactly are we doing?" She spoke loudly so he could hear her through the whipping wind.
"Going to the station," he answered.
That made Affinity slightly nervous but, again, she couldn't feel helpless. JJ pulled into the parking lot of the police station. Affinity got off the bike as he put the kickstand down and shut off the motor. He pulled a toothpick out of his pocket and placed it in mouth so that it dangled from his lip.
"Follow my lead, sweetheart" he said, gnawing on the stick.
Affinity rolled her eyes. "Oh, Jesus," she muttered.
She and JJ approached two officers as they walked towards the entrance. JJ stopped, stood up straight, and saluted them as they walked by. Once their backs were turned, he flipped them off. Affinity kept her head down and continued walking. JJ waltzed right up to the front desk.
"I'm here to see John B Routledge," he said way too loudly. He had his music cranked up to God knows what volume.
Affinity's palm slammed into her forehead.
"No music, and get rid of the toothpick," the man answered calmly.
JJ pointed to the headphones, grinning stupidly. "I can't hear what you're saying, man, all right? These things are full blast. That's what I said. I'm here to see John B Routledge."
Affinity grabbed the headphone closest to her. "Lose the music and the toothpick, JJ," she said shortly before letting the headphone smack back to his face.
"Oh, okay, okay," he said compliantly as he took off his headphones. "I mean, I thought it was a free country and all, but, uh I guess you don't like freedom very much, now do you, cupcake."
The man grabbed JJ by the shirt and slammed him up against the wall. Affinity was about to become involved when she heard a woman's voice say, "Ah, nuh uh, he's not worth it."
It was Officer Plumb, the woman who told her she couldn't talk to Officer Shoupe to tell him that it was Rafe who shot her dad.
"Good to see you, Plumb," JJ remarked. He motioned to his toothpick. "It's nice to have something in your mouth, ya know?"
She hummed. "Take off your hat and both of you empty your pockets."
Once JJ and Affinity finished what had been asked of them. Officer Plumb took them back to the cells full of convicts, rightfully or wrongfully convicted. She stopped before the door and unlocked it.
"Five minutes."
As soon as the door opened, John B turned to greet his visitors. He instantly stood when he saw Affinity rush towards him and he gratefully welcomed her into his arms. They squeezed each other tightly, wishing the whole world could stop forever. JJ whistled to get their attention.
"What am I, huh? Fish guts?" He snarked
John B smiled and turned to hug his friend. Once they released, all three of them sat down at the table.
"Alright, let's get down to business," JJ declared. "We're on the clock and we're here for one reason."
John B looked at him funny.
JJ lowered his voice. "Operation liberation, baby."
John B looked at Affinity.
She shrugged. "Don't look at me, I think he came up with this on the way here. I have no idea what he has cooked up."
"Here me out." He raised one finger. "Step one, piss off the cops so badly they don't see what's coming." JJ smirked at the cops passing by. "Check. Step two, at exactly 11 p.m. this evening, you're going to have an attack of acute appendicitis."
Affinity's head fell into her hands. "Just like that...all hope...gone."
"Do you even know what appendicitis is?"
"Yeah," JJ answered. "Remember eighth grade? Algebra final?"
"Jesus Christ," John B muttered.
"Hey, it worked like a charm. Now, to sell it, you gotta actually look sick, though, okay? You got some of that ghost face sunblock in here?"
"JJ, I'm in jail. I have a- block of soap. That's it."
JJ pursed his lips. "Right."
"Is it white?"
"...Yes."
"Perfect. That'll work. Take some of that. Rub it into your face well, okay? You don't want that shit rubbing off when they check your vitals."
Affinity simply sat there, shaking her head. She wanted to trust JJ, but this plan was far-fetched. She sat quietly, thinking of any possible plan B. If only her dad would just wake up. That would fix absolutely everything.
"After that, run your hands under cold water for five minutes. And after that, you're ready. Showtime, baby. Stumble out and collapse. Once you're down on the ground squealing, they'll rush you to the infirmary. There, you just gotta convince the nurse that that sucker's about to burst, okay? So, she's gonna take her hand and she's gonna put it right here. Right there." JJ placed his hand on the lower left of his torso. "When she does that, she pushes down, don't do anything. Just lay there. It's when she takes her hand off that you let it rip, man. Scream like your life depends on it, like a lobster hitting the pot, like you're passing a kidney stone the size of a bowling ball-"
"Okay, okay! I get it. I get it," John B said shortly, cutting him off. He let out a heavy sigh. "Then what?"
Affinity couldn't believe this. No way in hell was this going to work. Then something came to her. A potential and horrifying idea. It was risky and it was the last thing she wanted to do, but this was the last thing she could hope for. She pulled out her phone and started to type in a number she had recently deleted.
"They're gonna eject you to the hospital. Remember Cousin Ricky?"
"Cousin Ricky, the weed dealer?"
"He's an EMT."
"He sold us our first dime bag."
"So? You can do both. Gig economy, bro."
"Jesus."
"Step three is extraction."
"This is the dumbest freaking idea you've ever had," John B said.
"I second this," Affinity chimed in.
John B looked at Affinity. "I'm surprised you let him get this far."
"Yeah," she exhaled. "I didn't have anything better."
"Just leave it to the professionals," JJ whispered as Officer Plumb walked in.
"Hey, time's up."
"Gotta trust me on this one," JJ continued. "Nothing to lose, man."
JJ stood up and exited the room. Affinity grabbed John B's hand and kissed it before she left.
"I love you."
"I love you too."
JJ and Affinity walked down the halls, but JJ stopped when he heard voices from outside. He stepped closer to the door to peer out the window, Affinity looked past him, finding his dad in the orange suit of a prisoner playing basketball in the courtyard.
JJ started pounding on the door. "Dad! Dad!"
Plumb grabbed him. "Let's go."
"I see what you did there, Plumb," he muttered, swallowing hard.
Plumb led him out, keeping a firm grip on his arm.
"Is that really necessary," Affinity grumbled.
"Ya know, I just have one question before I leave," JJ said to Plumb. "How much are you splitting with Shoupe?"
Plumb shoved him out the door. "You'll be back here one day. It's in your blood."
JJ's eyes found the ground. Affinity just glared at her.
"How low can you fuckers get?" She scoffed. She grabbed JJ's arm and started to walk him to his bike.
"God, can you imagine how disappointed your dad would be if he saw you running around with these deranged kids."
JJ looked back at Plumb. "It's like what she told Shoupe. Don't ever talk about her father."
Affinity was able to give him a smile. "Thank you." She gave his arm a squeeze. "Don't listen to a single thing she just said to you."
Once they saw that Plumb finally left, Affinity decided to share her plan with JJ. "Okay, I have an idea."
"What?"
"JJ, I'm sorry but your plan scares the shit out of me."
"But-"
"No buts. Listen, what if we worked from the inside?"
"What do you mean? We don't have anyone on the inside."
"Look, I know my mother is a snake and I hate her with everything I have but she loved him once. It was a long time ago, and who knows how much love there actually was but- they were happy at one point. What if I asked her to testify? She might know that Rafe wasn't home that day and-"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, you know this is the same woman that was going to pull the plug on him in the first place, right? Affinity, this is ridiculous!"
"Don't you think I don't know that? I was there, JJ!" Affinity exclaimed with frustration. "I hate that woman and I know she doesn't give a shit now but... maybe she did. Maybe that guilt is enough to drive her over the edge."
"Not if she loses Ward's money, which she will if he's convicted!"
"I have to try!"
"She's not gonna help us."
"You're right, she probably won't but your plan needs a backup."
JJ drug his hat off his head. "I just-"
Affinity's phone buzzed with a text reading: "Deachs Point. 10:00."
She showed the text to JJ. "She's a coward and if I try hard, I can manipulate her to feel even worse."
JJ shook his head. "Do what you want, but I'm banking on myself. If you're not gonna help me, that's fine."
"Don't do that," she sighed.
"Fine!" If I get a text from you saying you were successful before 10:30, I won't go through with it. If not, I'm gonna."
Affinity nodded hesitantly. "Deal."
"Deal."
<<<>>>
Affinity arrived at the Point at the time her mother told her. Darkness surrounded her, the only light emitted being from the warm illumination of candle lit lamp posts that outlined the boardwalks. Waves lapped around her quietly, but she didn't find peace in it like she usually did. They didn't glimmer with a shimmering blue, but a shade the color of ink. It sounded kind of foreboding, too quiet, too empty. Wind swirled her hair and caused the flames of the candles to dance. She pulled John B's sweatshirt around her tighter. With every creak of the wood, her breath grew quieter. Then she heard a second pair of footsteps.
"Jen?"
It wasn't Jen's shadow that loomed over the side of the boats as it grew closer. A few steps later, Rafe Cameron came into the light. Her body chilled and her already rapid heartbeat was surging through her body.
"Affinity McCormick," he mumbled. "You really thought Mommy would come to the rescue?" This awful smile curled over his face. "Funnily enough, while I was answering your pity text she was in the other room consoling my father and telling him how much she loved him. Shit, how pathetic to think she would come to your rescue."
He had progressively stepped closer to her but with every step he took forward, she took one back.
"Get the hell away from me," her voice rattled.
Affinity wanted to believe that she could choose not to be afraid of him but she couldn't help but think how terrified she actually was. He had killed two people and done who knows what else. And she was alone, defenseless, and physically vulnerable.
"Man, I thought you were a little tougher than this. All talk, no walk, hm?"
"Stop. Just stop. Do you undertsand that there's something completely unhinged in your fucking head?! You killed Peterkin! You killed my father! And you're going to pay for this!"
He shook his head. "No, but you're gonna regret coming here."
Rafe dug his toes into the fronts of his shoes and began to run at Affinity. Affinity reacted and took off, sprinting down the boardwalk. She tried to lose him by turning down a few different walks, but her wound was making it impossible to keep her distance. The girl did everything physically possible to escape him, but her efforts weren't enough. Rafe lunged and his arms grabbed Affinity, bringing her crashing down to the wooden planks. Affinity kicked and started to scream at the top of her lungs.
Her screams ripped through the night air and carried through the wind. Rafe landed a punch on her jaw to stun her long enough to wrap his hands around her throat. Affinity's legs jabbed at him, trying to get him off of her. Rafe adjusted to pin her hips with his knee. He pushed down on her throat even harder. That's when Affinity's breathing was cut off completely. She tried to gasp, yet nothing filled her lungs. Rafe gritted his teeth with strain, constricting his grip more and more. Affinity was soon paralyzed. She couldn't move anything. Her vision started to grow fuzy...dark. This was all too familiar. She gasped. Still no air. No feeling. The warm lights were fading. The black sky grew to become the entirety of her vision.
Then there was a flash of movement and loud thud sounded. The grip around her neck released. Now she was finally able to fill her lungs. Affinity coughed and gagged as her sight finally cleared enough to find Connor from the hospital kneeling over her.
"Affinity? Affinity? Hey! Can you hear me, kid?"
"Connor?" She coughed.
Affinity, still shocked and eyes wide with fear, slowly gathered herself now that she was asureed she could breathe. Connor helped her sit up and all the blurriness finally cleared. A man was crouching over Rafe, laying punch after punch on his face until the boy was unconscious.
"Hey! Hey! Stop!" Connor pulled him off Rafe.
Affinity furrowed her brows, wondering who had just done that to Rafe. The man turned and Affinity knew. She knew the bright blue eyes. The stubble. The eyebrows that held so much expression. The glimmering white toothed smiled that automatically made her smile. She could smell his cheap cologne, hear the old records, see the kitchen in flames, the soap opera on the TV, his booming laugh, his oblivion with anything mechanical...every single moment. She could've sworn she was making this up in her head. It couldn't be real. Rafe must've killed her and she was entering heaven in the afterlife. Affinity jumped up to her feet. The man smiled, his eyes welling with tears. It was a matter of seconds before Affinity began to sob.
"Dad?"
Daniel McCormick nodded and opened his arms. Affinity launched herself from where she stood, jumping into his arms. Her father caught her, hugging her so tight that he may have broken her ribs again. The two sunk into the embrace, their own sobs falling from their lips.
It was him.
It was the moment she had waited for ever since she saw him in that hospital bed.
He was home, they were home.
•••
a/n: THE MOMENT YOU ALL HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR!!!! oh. my. god. 12 chapters later and our beloved daniel is BACK AHHHH🥺🥺 i don't think you guys understand how happy this makes me 😩 the plot can only go up from here now that he's back right???
hope you guys enjoyed!!! love you allll
- ky <3