July 12th, 2021.
OuterBanks, North Carolina.
𓇼 𓇼 𓇼 𓇼 𓇼
The silence of the hospital flooded throughout my mind. Hearing that he made it but was in critical care worried me but gave me some hope that he would be alright in the end. My father stood up from his chair while he spoke to the doctor about JJ. He had called JJ's father but he knew that he more than likely wouldn't show up. My mother sat beside Sarah and Kiara as she comforted them as if they were her own. I stood beside John B, holding him from the side with support while tears drenched his face. Rafe sat with his face in his hands. He had the dried blood still on his large hands and forearms because he was too busy worrying about everything else that shattered around him. My father nodded his head at whatever the doctor had told him, Pope stood beside him to overhear and observe. Kiara laid her head on my mother's shoulder while Sarah laid her head back against the white colored wall. The doctor shook hands with my father before he walked towards the area that led back into the emergency room.
My body fell with weakness as my father turned to look at me with sadness in his eyes. He had cried much earlier while I was still asleep from the shock. He walked over to me and stared into my eyes with the matching green eyes we shared. John B held my waist with his large hand. "Are you sure Ward was capable of any of this?" My father questioned and narrowed his eyebrows, shaking his head as if he was in disbelief and shock. John B shook his head at my father in response. "That's all I needed to know." He responded to John B before he formed tears in the corners of his eyes. He walked past us and towards Rafe who had sat still and silent. He laid his hand on Rafe's back, watching and hearing Rafe crying into his hands. "It's all my fault." He told my father in fear that he would never be forgiven by me. John B rested his head on my shoulder. My father pulled Rafe into a hug which had changed his life at that moment. His father never gave him the approval or love that Rafe had deserved. He never cared to tell him how proud he was of him, how much he mattered — nothing at all.
He faced the pain and abuse from his father that pretended that he loved his kids. He just wanted to be loved and wanted by someone. John B glanced up at me with his eyes full of hope. "What tests did they do on you?" He asked. I shook my head while staring down the hallway. "It doesn't matter." I told him and glanced back at him as he stared at me. He narrowed his eyebrows. "Tell me, it makes me take my mind off of J." He responded to me. I bit the inside of my cheek because I didn't want to tell any of them that I was pregnant. I didn't want my parents to find out until I was ready. "Blood tests." I told him and looked back down at the hallway. "For what? You didn't get hurt?" He wondered until I glanced towards Rafe. John B opened his mouth and turned to me in disbelief. "Are you pregnant? Did you guys break up like what is going on dude?" He asked to take his mind away from what was going on with JJ. I shook my head at him and stared into his eyes once again. "You are so nosy, aren't you?" I laughed at him and lightened the rough moment that was hard for all of us to imagine. He nodded his head at me,"Absolutely."
"Take a wild guess." I told him again and crossed my arms over my chest for comfort. He removed his hand from my waist while staring at the floor before he moved his eyes to my body. "You're pregnant! I fucking knew it dude, JJ was acting so weird." He covered his mouth in shock. I shook my head at him in confusion as to what he was talking about. "How was he acting weird?" I asked him and narrowed my eyebrows. John B wiped his face with his hands. "I caught him reading a book online about baby stuff." He laughed gently at the thought of our best friend and his weird habits that he had done every once in a while. JJ marched to his own drum which was what made him who he was. "I just can't wrap my head around the thought of you being pregnant so I will believe it once I see hard core proof and evidence." John B spoke aloud and stared at me. His eyes had turned red from him crying but dried from the laughter that came from his mouth of thinking about JJ. "Don't tell Sarah, Kiara or Pope just yet. I don't want them to know. JJ was the only one that knew." I responded to him.
He nodded his head at me and smiled at me which was comforting to see. "Secrets safe with me." He spoke. I nodded my head at him and placed my pinky in the air, waiting for him to pinky promise me like we used to do when we were extremely serious about our secrets. He interlocked his pinky with mine before a doctor came up behind us. "He's awake if you would like to see him. He's asking for Isla, which is what the nurse said." The doctor spoke. I turned to the doctor, pulling my hand away from John B. "That's me." I responded. The doctor nodded and smiled gently. John B tapped my back. "Go ahead. I'll wait with Rafe and Pope." JB spoke to me as the doctor started to walk down the hallway that was closed off from the public. I nodded my head at JB, following behind the doctor. My parents stayed behind with the rest of the teenagers besides Rafe — calming them down as they waited for JJ to call for them in order to speak to all of them. The sound of tapping shoes echoed throughout the cold hospital. Hearing the sounds of heart beats on machines flooded throughout the eerie hospital in the early morning. The doctor held his clipboard against his chest, walking in front of me. He stepped to the side and nodded at me.
The door was closed. "He's in here. Let a nurse know if he's declining, but he should be alright. The surgery was about forty minutes ago and the medication should have worn off by now." He spoke in the silence of the eerie hospital. I nodded my head at him and gave him a small smile. "Thank you, sir." I told him as he nodded his head, walking off into the other direction. I laid my hand on the doorknob, turning it in the right direction. I pushed the door open gently to see my best friend laying on the bed with his eyes wide open. His blue eyes had glanced over to the wall as a smile started to form on his face. He tried to lift himself up slightly with his left arm, but failed miserably. "Hey J." I told him while he stared at the crime scene that was on my clothing, thighs, hands, and shins. He stared at me in disbelief. "Iz." He spoke lightly while he had breathed through the tubes that were pushed into his nostrils, pushing oxygen into his body. "Hi izzy." He spoke to me again as I shut the door slightly behind me. I walked over to him and sat down in the chair that was beside his uncomfortable bed. "How are you doing?" I asked him while grasping for his weak hand, placing it into mine. He stared at my nonexistent stomach that was not showing through within a one week period.
"Never been better." He smiled gently and stared into my eyes. His blue eyes weakened and dull but had life still in them. "Why do you have blood all over your clothing?" He asked and narrowed his eyebrows at me while staring down at my hand that was inside of his. "I held you until the ambulance took care of you." I told him while placing another hand on his face. His eyes glanced into mine as I started to form tears in the corners of my eyes. He stared at me with love forming inside of them. "You didn't leave my side?" He asked. I nodded my head and ran my hand through his blonde hair that was stained with his own blood. "I wouldn't have ever left you. Rafe tried to stop the bleeding by ripping his shirt to put it around your shoulder." I told him. His weak hand disconnected with mine, placing it against my cheek. He wiped the tears away from my eyes. "I was in so much shock after you left, I had to be brought here in an ambulance." I spoke aloud as he took his hand away from my face. He laid his hand on top of my hand again. His thumb ran circles on the backside of my hand, staring at me with his bright blue eyes.
Staring at his shoulder that was hit — sadness had rushed into my eyes again. I wished that he wasn't hit but I was happy that he came out alive. "How is the baby?" He asked with bright eyes. I stared at the arm that was wrapped with gauze and specialized equipment that would keep his arm from moving. It kept him stabilized. "The baby is good. I promise." I told him while the thought of the unborn child was not even formed yet. I knew that it made him happy to keep living for something even if it wasn't his. It made him have a meaning, despite the fact that he and Rafe didn't get along. I knew that this child would force them to get over their issues with each other. I knew that Rafe felt terrible that my best friend was hurt in the distraction of his own father — that would make him sorry for the rest of his life, forever long as he would know JJ. "Good." He smiled and nodded his head at me, stiffly. I smiled at him as tears ran down my cheeks. It just made me hopeful that everything would go right after this. No more treasure hunting. No more doing illegal things that are unethical and dangerous. I wiped the tears from my cheeks with the backside of my open hand.
"I hope it's a boy. Have you thought of any names?" He asked and smiled. I laughed lightly through the tears that he was getting way ahead of himself. I shook my head at him. "Hurley for a boy and Kodi for a girl." I told him while remembering the same conversation that I had with the father of my child much earlier in the evening. He nodded his head at me. "I hope it's a boy so uncle JJ can teach him how to surf." He spoke and stared at the wall that was in front of him. I smiled as tears still ran down my tan cheeks. "You want to teach him how to surf huh? What if it's a girl? I surf." I responded. He turned back to me and laughed lightly. Staring at my best friend with tubes down his nose alongside his arm being covered with medical equipment had pained my heart, making my chest heavy. "I don't care, whatever it is, I'll still be an uncle." He spoke. I kissed the top of his hand and nodded my head at him. Sitting in silence, he glanced towards the door that was left cracked open from when I came inside. His eyes focused on the wall. "Can I talk to Rafe?" He asked, narrowing his blonde eyebrows.
I nodded my head and stood up from the chair. I bent over slightly, pressing my cold lips against his forehead. "I'll have him come in here." I told him as I started to walk towards the door again. "Want anything?" I asked him, reaching the door knob once I reached the door. He nodded his head. "When I'm able to come home, can you make me cookies?" He asked. I nodded my head at him and smiled. "I'll make sure to do that. I'll make your favorite." I told him and opened the door that had released me back out into the eerie and dark hospital. People that were in terrible conditions had laid in their rooms, asleep while nurses watched over them. I headed into the direction that I came from, walking towards Rafe and my father. Rafe had stopped his tears once he realized that he didn't need his father to be who he was. My father made it known that it would be okay, and that he would watch over him and his siblings now that his father was detained for his actions. Rafe explained to my father all of the issues that he had been involved in because of his father, but that made my father relate and love him despite his flaws.
"He wants to see you." I told Rafe as I walked up to John B and my father. Rafe narrowed his eyebrows in confusion. He wondered why JJ would have wanted to see him. "Me?" He asked. I nodded my head at him. He stood up from his chair and followed me towards the hospital room. He walked beside me with his bloodied hands pushed into the pockets of his black slacks. "Isla." He called out gently in the darkness of the hospital hallways that would lead into JJ's room. "Yeah?" I spoke quietly. He walked in sync to me while leading him to the room. "How is he?" He asked while wiping his face with the backside of his large hand. I glanced back at him. "He's actually pretty talkative. He told me that he wants to be the uncle of our kid and was asking me a bunch of questions." I laughed lightly to make Rafe feel better about entering the room. He nodded his head at me, running his fingers throughout his blonde hair. "That's good." He spoke, going back into silence with another while walking towards the room that sat at the end of the emergency area of the hospital. Once we made it to the room, I motioned for Rafe to go into the room.
He nodded his head and reached for the door knob. He walked into JJ's room, closing the door behind him. I headed into the other direction back to where my friends and parents had seated themselves. I walked throughout the hall of the saddened hospital. My father had been speaking to John B and Pope meanwhile my mother had let Kiara and Sarah fall asleep on her shoulders. "How was he?" Pope asked while resting his hands in his lap. I sat beside him. "He was extremely talkative. He even laughed a little bit." I responded to them while rubbing my tired eyes. He nodded at me with a small smile on his face. "Sounds like J." Pope said. He placed his hands in his lap, staring down at the hallway that led towards JJ's hospital room. John B laid his head against my shoulder while my father stood up from his chair. He walked towards the opening of the emergency room door. I glanced back to watch his muscular figure walk to a person that stood with his hands placed in his pockets. JJ's dad had stood there in silence while my father had walked to him. "Why is he here?" I whispered to the two boys that I sat in between. Pope glanced over his shoulder, staring at Luke MayBank in the opening of the sliding glass doors. My father had thrown his hands up in the air — almost like he was upset at Luke for even showing up.
"The nurse called him." John B spoke. I narrowed my eyebrows while my father had talked to Luke, taking their conversation outside of the hospital doors. "Your dad is gonna whoop his ass for even showing up." Pope laughed lightly from the thought of my father getting in Luke's face in defense to protect JJ. I shook my head and stared at the issue that had appeared outside, my father raising his voice at Luke almost as if he told him to get lost. It was interesting to see that my father was offended that he even showed up. I stared at the rising issue between my father and Luke. I glanced over to my mother as she had been asleep beside Sarah and Kiara. "I wouldn't be surprised." I responded before leaning my head back against the wall that sat behind us. Closing my eyes, I started to drift off into a sleep from the sound of the silence that surrounded me in the darkness of the hospital. JB fell asleep on my shoulder while Pope stayed awake, hoping that JJ would want to see him next.
7:00 am.
Rafe had woken me up around two am due to us being forced out of the hospital. He held onto me as I stumbled towards the Twinkie that John B had brought to meet everyone. John B had driven us back to the chateau that was closed off because of the crime scene that had taken place. Police officers lingered around the scene, making sure that no one would come or go. Rafe and I had taken the luxurious car back to the condo that I would call home at some point. Due to the chateau being closed off, Rafe invited the group to follow us to the condo so that they could rest for the night.
Pope and Kiara slept on the small couches. Sarah slept in another bedroom beside John B while Rafe and I slept in the bed that he claimed from before. He laid his hands on my stomach, his chin on my shoulder. His presence and touch formed a comfort over my body.
Early in the morning, the sunshine arose over the horizon of the ocean that was across the street from the condo we stayed in. I had woken up around five in the morning to shower the disgusting blood off of my body, refreshing myself before I had headed to the beach while everyone was asleep. My feet laid in the sand while I curled up into a sweatshirt with denim shorts underneath myself. I had watched the sun peer over the horizon, shining on my skin. I stared at the waves crash onto the sand then pulled back out into the dark oceanic water. Dolphin pods swam around together beside the surfers that were in wetsuits, far out into the water. I stayed in my own mind while watching the beauty of nature in front of me. I stood up from the area that I sat in on the sand. I picked up my shoes and started to walk towards the direction I came from. Assuming that everyone would be awake by now since it was starting to become daylight out.
Yawning, I walked up the sand towards the street that would lead into the gated community of the condos. I dangled a pair of keys in my fingers to show the security guards that I came from there beforehand in case they started issues. On the way back to the house, I called my doctor's office in order to make an appointment for the first update of the child — which would result in an ultrasound in eighteen weeks. The end of September. Which meant that the baby would be born in March. A spring baby. I walked up the hill that led to the gated community. The sun shined down on my back, heating up the sweatshirt that laid on my body and oversized. Noises from the cars that rushed past me on the hard asphalt, I stared ahead of me and admired the beauty that surrounded me. Thinking of JJ, how he had slept. How he started to feel after his surgery. My father stayed at the hospital with him overnight while my mom went home. He had slept in JJ's hospital room to make sure that he was okay throughout the early morning. It made my father happy to accommodate JJ and be there for him throughout this time.
Making my way up to the gated community, the security guard smiled at me after noticing that it was me. He opened the gate and allowed me to go into the first neighborhood which was where the Twinkie and Rafe's luxurious car had been parked.
I walked up to the porch that led into the home, I opened the unlocked door and headed inside. The house was silent except for in the kitchen. I shut the door behind me, walking down towards the kitchen. The scent of coffee lingered around the house as I assumed that one of my friends had been awakened. Walking into the kitchen, Rafe stood in the kitchen with his back turned towards me. He stood shirtless. His toned muscles shined from the oils that formed on his tan skin. He poured himself a cup of coffee alongside adding creamer into the coffee mug that was a blue marbled color. I walked to his side while he stirred the creamer into his coffee. Laying my head against his toned back, he turned to glance down at me. "Hi baby." He spoke with the same sexy raspy voice he had when he was tired or had just woken up. It made me weak in the knees by hearing it, seeing him hover over me with his blue eyes staring down at me.
"Hi handsome." I responded to him. He wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me into him. My clothed body rubbed against his v-line that was covered slightly by his shorts that he had worn on his hips. I laid my open hand onto his chest. He had leaned his face down towards mine, kissing me with his soft lips. He moved his lips with mine in passion while his hands gripped onto my waist. He mumbled in my mouth,"You look so good." I smiled out of the kiss and stared into his eyes. "Maybe you guys should get a room, I didn't need to hear that." A voice erupted while we had stared into another's eyes, feeling like we were the only people in the home. I glanced over to see Sarah walking into the kitchen with the same clothes that she had worn the night before. Pushing away from my boyfriend in embarrassment that his sister caught us flirting with each other, I turned to face her. "Dad called this morning." Sarah mentioned while leaning up against the counter across from us with fear in her brown eyes. Rafe crossed his arms over his chest.
He glanced down at his little sister in discomfort. "What did he want?" He asked with anger forming in the pupils of his blue eyes. She hesitated for a second before she opened her mouth to speak. "He asked to see us." She replied while running her hands throughout his bleach blonde hair that sat crazily against her scalp. Rafe shook his head in response. "For what? To get us to get him out?" He blurted out with annoyance in the tone of his voice because his father was mixed into a case that he shouldn't have been involved in. Sarah shrugged her petite shoulders. "We should get going soon though before they take him into questioning again with the lawyer." Sarah spoke to him again as she glanced towards my direction. Nausea took over my system while thinking about being in the same room as Ward Cameron after the trouble he had caused my boyfriend and his family — but also him working with a drug dealer that was out to kill all of us if he wanted to. Rafe nodded his head. "Can't even enjoy my morning coffee without Dad's bullshit." He spoke as took a small sip out of the mug that sat beside him. Sarah laughed gently at his comment regarding their father's behavior.
"I'll tell JB to meet us at the hospital after we talk to him." She responded to her brother before heading out of the kitchen. I glanced over into the living room where Kiara and Pope had laid. Pope laid on the smaller couch meanwhile Kiara had taken up the bigger area of the couch, her feet in the direction of Pope's head. "Should I wake them up?" I turned to Rafe as he drank his coffee out of the coffee mug. He sat it down on the counter before he started walking out of the kitchen towards the room that we had stayed in. "Let them rest." He spoke while I followed behind him. Once I started to walk in front of him, he rushed behind me and threw me over his shoulder. I laughed lightly while he carried me into the bedroom we shared with another. "I could get used to doing this every morning." I told him as he shut the door behind him with his foot, still holding me over his shoulder. His hand grasped underneath my bottom and his arms held onto me with his strength. "Oh really?" He asked with his raspy voice again that made me feel weaker than ever when it came to him. I laughed lightly again before he made his way to the large queen sized bed, throwing me down on the comforter that sat across the bed. My arms dragged him down on top of me at the same time, his bare chest pressed against my body.
He pressed his lips against mine. This time, more aggressively in a makeout mannerism. I smiled into the kissing session that made me feel like the only girl in the entire world. It felt unreal. A knock came from the door after five minutes, interrupting us again. He scrambled himself away from me as I had sat up almost as if nothing had happened between the both of us. "Yes?" He called out after he headed to the closet that sat on the other side of the room. "Hurry up." Sarah's voice called out. "We can all hear you guys making out, love birds." She laughed lightly in her playful tone despite the issues that we had faced the night before. I shook my head and smiled. "Sorry!" He called out again before pushing a shirt over his muscular body. He placed a black hat backwards on his scalp to cover his blonde hair. "You look sexy." I mumbled to him to avoid Sarah hearing us speak in the bedroom. He turned back with a grin forming on his face. He pushed his shoes onto his feet after placing socks on them. "You think so?" He asked and shook his head at me. I nodded my head at him, standing up from the bed. I walked over to him while he held the keys in his hand. "Kiss me again?" I asked him and glanced up towards his face that had been inches away from me. He nodded his head and smiled into a soft kiss that he placed on my mouth.
"You can get more later." He spoke, pulling his mouth away from mine. He placed a small kiss on my forehead before walking away from me. I nodded my head at him and grabbed the pair of socks that I had brought, placing them on my feet. I then added the converse that I had worn last night. He glanced back at me, narrowing his eyebrows at me. "You want to come?" He asked in confusion. I nodded my head at him. "Moral support. I'm good at that type of stuff." I responded to him. He shook his head and rubbed his hands over his face while a smile formed on his face, knowing that I would be there for him throughout good and hard times that happened. He opened the door to see his sister standing outside the door with her shoulder placed up against the door frame. "Jesus, Sarah do you know what privacy is?" He asked his little sister as she had made him jump backwards almost like he was taken back by her standing there. "Not when you're dating my friend. Don't forget that I had her first." She spoke and looked over his shoulder with a hand signal of "thumbs up". I smiled at her and shook my head at the comment that she had made.
Sarah turned her back towards us, walking towards the front door meanwhile Kiara and Pope, still laying on the couch — passed out despite the loudness in the home. Rafe followed behind her and I followed behind him in a small line. She had pulled the front door open, turning to face us once again. "Isla, are you sure you like him? He's kind of a sarcastic asshole." Sarah raised her eyebrows, knowing that she could get on her brother's nerves within minutes of being in his presence. "I do like him." I responded to her and narrowed my eyebrows at her while Rafe had locked the front door. "Hmm. I wonder why John B likes you." He responded in an attitude tone while he turned around to stare at his little sister that stood behind him. She tried not to laugh while looking up at him. She shrugged. "Good point." She responded to him once again as she walked down the steps that had led out into the driveway. I followed behind her and Rafe walked beside me, matching his own steps with mine unintentionally. "I'm going to have to be the peacemaker and moderator with the two of you." I commented which made them turn to me in pure disbelief that the comment came out of my mouth. Rafe shook his head at me and unlocked the car door, walking me over to the passenger side. He opened the door for me, letting me get in.
Sarah sat herself in the backseat of the driver's side. Rafe shut the door once I buckled myself in, walking himself over to the drivers side where he had pulled himself into the car. He pushed the keys into the ignition. "We usually aren't in the same space for very long." Sarah mentioned while she buckled herself alongside her brother. "Because you say stuff like that." He responded to her. I shook my head at both of them. "You guys act like two toddlers." I laughed lightly while Rafe backed up from the driveway. He glanced over to me, his fingers tapping against the steering wheel. He laid his open hand on my clean thigh. "You chose him. You could have just had one of us." Sarah laughed. I rolled my eyes at her comment while keeping the smile against my face. Rafe started to drive out of the neighborhood, in the direction of the police station that had been ten minutes away from the condo. "Whatever dad says, don't fall for his shit." Sarah mumbled to her brother with confidence in her tone. He looked up in the rear view mirror, his eyes glancing on the blonde haired girl that sat behind him. She crossed her arms over her chest.
She stared outside the window, glancing at us once every couple of minutes to take away her boredom. "Too soon to ask, but do you think you guys would get married?" Sarah asked and raised her eyebrows. This was as much as I had heard Sarah talk in a while, assuming that it was from the adrenaline that rushed throughout her body. "Do you ever shut up?" Rafe asked his little sister as he turned down the street that led towards the police station that their father was detained at. "Be nice to your sister." I told him while smacking his thigh with gentleness to catch his attention. He glanced at me with his jaw clenched from him being annoyed by his sister's remarks that he thought was unnecessary commentary. "Thank you for caring about me, Iz." Sarah smiled while we pulled up to the police station. Rafe parked his vehicle on the side of the road closest to the sidewalk. She got out of the car, leaving Rafe and I to be in the car with another. She started to head into the police station that was flooded with police officers on the outside.
"Did you need to take her side?" He asked me while pulling the keys out of the ignition. I narrowed my eyebrows at him in confusion. "Be nice to her." I responded to him. "What did we talk about? You redeeming yourself includes your sister." I told him and opened the car door. Sarah waited for us to get out of the car so that she wouldn't have to walk in alone. Rafe nodded his head at me while he stepped out of the driver's side door. He slammed the door behind him, locking the car once I shut the door. I walked up behind Sarah and laid my hand on her back. She glanced over at me with fear in her eyes. "You ready?" I asked her with a reassuring smile forming on my face. "Not really but I know Rafe is." She responded, looking at her older brother that wasn't perfect but she loved him despite their issues with another. He nodded his head at his little sister while he pushed the car keys into his pockets. We walked towards the police station, allowing Rafe to go ahead of us. He had walked with confidence in his steps. Sarah and I walked beside each other in discomfort from the thought of seeing the man that had done so much damage overnight, unnecessary issues caused.
Rafe opened the door to the police department. He opened the door for the both of us, watching us walk into the atmosphere of the busy and unhappy work. Rafe walked behind us after shutting the door behind him. Sarah walked up to the lady at the front desk who had eyed us down in confusion as to why three young adults had shown up. "We're here to see Ward Cameron." She spoke silently almost as she was embarrassed of who she was related to. The woman nodded her head, standing up from her seat. "Follow me." The woman said as she walked us into a small hallway that was reserved for the prisoners that were being held there until they had to go to court. Sarah followed behind the woman, glancing back at us every once in a while to get rid of the sense of discomfort. Rafe intertwined his hand into mine to avoid me becoming nervous in the situation that we would be placed in at any moment. "Here he is." The woman stated as we had been placed into a room that would be monitored outside by the same woman. Ward sat at a table with his arm handcuffed to the table legs.
Sarah looked at her father in disgust. She sat herself down at the table across from him while Rafe and I stood in the back of the room. Ward smiled at the sight of us. "What did you want?" She asked her father in annoyance that he wanted us around. She knew more about him doing illegal and harmful things. "I'm being bailed out later today and will have to go to court. Nonetheless, I wanted to see my children." Ward spoke to his children that sat in front of him. Rafe covered his arms over his chest. "I didn't want to see you." Rafe remarked with anger forming in his jaw. Ward had been taken back almost like he was shocked by his response. "That's nice, thank you son." Ward responded to him in a sarcastic tone that both of his children had with him. Rafe nodded at his dad. "I don't think you understand that none of us want to be around you. You had it out for Isla, but claimed she was family. So what happened with that Dad?" Sarah questioned him while he moved his hands against the handcuffs that were around his hands. He glanced up at me as if he just had noticed I was there. He stared into my eyes almost like he was sorrowful. "She still is family but to be a Cameron, she has to play hard and dirty." He responded. I shook my head, rolling my eyes at him with disturbance. Rafe laid his hand across my shoulder in response to form a sense of comfort towards me.
"You didn't do anything but scare the shit out of her and then had her own friend shot." Rafe spoke and stared at his father in disgust. "She was physically abused by him and held at gunpoint over a stupid fucking piece of gold." Rafe mentioned again while clenching his jaw in full anger. His arm grasped onto my lower hip in case we needed to leave if it got heated between him and his father. Ward shook his head with his bright eyes that Rafe inherited from him. I could sense the narcissism in his eyes just by seeing him stare at his son. I knew that it would affect him mentally and physically. I glanced up at Rafe, shaking my head at him. I looked back at Ward while he opened his mouth to speak to us. "By the guy that you still were getting drugs from up until yesterday." Ward reminded his son about his drug addiction. I stared at him as anger started to rush through my bloodstream. "You know what, you aren't going to manipulate him. You don't have control over him anymore." I spoke up for him and walked towards where Sarah had been seated, standing beside her. I lowered myself to look into Ward's eyes in order to show him that none of us had been intimidated by him.
Ward swallowed the spit that accumulated in the back of his throat. His eyes watched me lower myself to his eye level. "You deserve whatever you have coming towards you." I told him with anger forming in my eyes. He widened his eyes while he listened to me speak to him. "You're a sick person." I told him again and stood away from the table before I had walked towards the door, opening it and walking out of the room while Rafe and Sarah had stayed in the inside of the room with their own blood. I stood on the outside of the room with anger rushing throughout my body from the thought of how Ward was good at manipulating his own son. I stared at the non-decorated walls in front of me. I had put my arms over my body before feeling my phone buzz in the back pockets of my denim shorts that hugged my tan thighs. I pulled my phone out to see a phone call from Kiara. I answered, placing the phone up to my ear. "Hey Kie." I spoke silently. She was silent for a second almost like she was distracted. "Hey, we're at the hospital." She said into the speaker of the phone. The sound of beeping surrounded the background of the call.
"Okay, I'm still at the police station with Rafe and Sarah. Their dad is such a dick." I mentioned it to her and started to walk towards the front of the police station. I walked out of the door, passing a large number of police officers while they had been grieving the death of Peterkin. Distraught, I stood outside of the police station beside the luxurious car that Rafe had driven. "Of course he is. How is it going otherwise?" She asked with a sullen tone in her voice. I rested my back against the black car. "Not good. It's depressing here and I don't think any of us will go back to normal after this." I responded to her. I tucked my hair behind my ear and held my hand up to ear, holding the phone against my ear. "OuterBanks won't be the same. I told John B that all of this treasure finding needs to be over with because I'm done not knowing if one of my friends is going to die." She commented with sadness in her tone that she had used with me. I shook my head while seeing Sarah and Rafe walk out of the police station. "I agree with you." I told her before Rafe had unlocked the car. "Hey Kie, I'll see you in a little. We're going to head over to the hospital." I told her once again before opening the passenger door for myself. Rafe walked over to the driver's side alongside his sister with his fist clenched in anger.
I sat against the warm seat that was heated from the intense sun. "Okay. Love you." She responded. I smiled to myself at her goodbye. "Love you too." I told her and hung up the phone, pushing it back into my back pocket. Rafe turned the keys into the ignition. He glanced into my direction. "I hope he goes to hell." He spoke aloud before he started to drive away from the police station. I narrowed my eyebrows at his harsh response. I didn't blame him for feeling that way towards his father. He was treated poorly by someone that he wished for him to want him. I laid my hand against his lap, holding his muscular thigh while he drove in the direction of the hospital. Sarah had silenced herself in the back of the car almost like she was petrified to speak due to her brother having anger issues, not wanting to upset him more than he already wass. I glanced back into her brown eyes, seeing her raise her shoulders at me in a shrug. I nodded my head at her and turned back to face the road that was in front of us.
All I had cared about was that JJ would get the justice that he deserved — but also to have Ward taken away. I cared about the Cameron's as a whole despite their fathers behavior, I knew that Rafe could grow much better as a human without his constant need of approval.
I hoped that all of us could recover from the intense issue that all of us had faced within the past week.
Even though things had been going poorly and fast, I wished that there would be optimism at the end of the day that would lead us into a brighter space that OuterBanks used to be.