This wasn't how she thought today would've ended… but now her friend, someone who had become like family to her was gone.
19 year old Carly slowly opened her eyes, finding herself in an E.R room out in Paleto Bay, Sam nearby and Johnny by Carly's side as Packie ran in.
"Packie…" Carly says, sitting up carefully… but Packie could tell right away that it was bad news.
"Connor?" Packie asks, Carly nodding as tears formed in both sets of eyes and Carly pulled Packie into her arms.
The hug was interrupted by the door being slammed open and Trevor walking in with his right shoulder and upper arm stitched up extensively and bandaged.
"So much for loyalty, huh?! From either of you traitorous fucks!" Trevor says, a mix of anger and bitterness.
Fed up and having just been put through horror, Carly stood up and her right hand collided hard enough with Trevor's mouth to knock out four of his teeth.
"Loyalty? You've finally done it, Trevor… you've lost your mind and now you've lost what's left of your sanity if you think you're owed anything from us, let alone loyalty! Whatever K8lynn sees in you is all an act, you're not changing! You wouldn't have had Connor, a man who had become family to most of us… you wouldn't have had him murdered if you did! Most of us don't see you as loyal, we see you for what you really are! A heartless, soulless bastard who only wants what he wants and throws everyone else to the side!" Carly says, K8lynn running in and checking on Trevor.
"He was with me the whole fucking day, didn't set anyone up to be killed! You're upset but I've lost more than you-" K8lynn starts to say, Carly finally losing it and levelling a hard punch into K8lynn's head much like K8lynn did to Carly when Carly's head was wounded from the plane crash and assault that left Carly with nearly complete amnesia.
"That does not give you the right to fucking talk down to me like losing someone doesn't matter, you condescending bitch! You're blinded by what he shows to you, so blinded by it that you've gone as far as to force Trevor into our lives when we've repeatedly told you how he is! He's not who you see him as and despite every fucked up thing he's done to everyone he claims that he cares about, you've sided with him and treated us like we were wrong for not wanting a damaged beyond any repair psychopath in our lives! He's never gonna change but the only one who has changed is you!" Carly shouts, getting louder towards the end and taking a few deep breaths before looking at Trevor. "You want the life you claim that'll happen, you want it so badly? You and your little fuck buddy can fuck off, find some unsuspecting people to call friends and family. Everyone has their limits and after what happened, I'm way beyond the one I've set, I can't even see it anymore. I don't have a normal life, it's not perfect… but I have the independence that I didn't have in my younger years, the one that you're trying to tear from me because you feel abandoned. Get over it, Trevor. That little girl you loved so much started dying the day you tried to kill Juana. And before you go and bring up that you were trying to change, that you pulled yourself out of that void when you and Charlotte were together, remember this… any chance of that died with her and you didn't even try to fix yourself, you just saw everyone else as damaged as you and tried to make them that way but it only worked on one person." She says, Trevor stopping K8lynn from hitting Carly.
"Are you suggesting that I'm weak minded, some pawn to be played with?! Because I tell you right now, Carly Jade, I chose Trevor as soon as I met him much like you did to Johnny, anything you call me, you also call-" K8lynn yells.
"I know you're not weak, I wasn't suggesting that you are! I can admit that I'm damaged and so can you along with most of us… but Trevor refuses to see himself as damaged." Carly says, K8lynn realising it… Carly's grief and anger were squarely targeted at Trevor and had only spilled out onto her.
"He knows he is… he just refuses to accept any help for it. That's why I'm more like a simple fuck buddy, he doesn't let me be anything more." K8lynn says.
"I don't… I don't let you?! What, you think I can't love you?!" Trevor asks in disbelief.
"I think you put a big wall to keep me from getting further because you know I'd get to you. It's not just a denial to get help, it's far more sick than that… you're in pain from losing Charlotte and you want to be, you want to feed off of if, drive your rage until it's beyond measure." K8lynn says.
"At least you're finally honest… says more than it does about this-" Trevor says, his head snapping towards Carly. "Backstabbing bitch!" He growls.
"You see me that way because you don't want to see yourself as the one who couldn't let go of that little girl that you fucking destroyed! You walked out on Camari when you could've easily been there to help raise her… but just like the drifter you were in your youth, you ran and the only reason you went back is because you saw her as a mistake! What was to stop you from turning your rage on me like you did when I found out?!" Carly says.
"I never would've… at least not before then and I don't even remember it then. Now there's no Carly, there's this heartless thing that's replaced her and I'll inflict pain on it from here to kingdom come!" Trevor says.
"She changed… but you wouldn't accept it! Too bad because you could've enjoyed the other stages of her life if you held it together." Johnny says, Packie and K8lynn dragging Trevor outside.
"You did turn your rage on her then, Michael told me that you nearly killed Carly when she was 5! But of course, you never could admit it and because you couldn't keep it together, you decided that one of her and my friends, you wanted him killed!" Packie yells, slamming Trevor's head into the wall as his rage was no longer contained.
"They were after her! Your friend chose to protect her!" Trevor shouts.
"Exactly, because unlike you, we would all protect Carly no matter what comes at her and we all will, so try your worst!" Packie shouts.
Walking back into the hospital, K8lynn saw Carly pulling her clothes back on… before seeing Carly lean against the gurney and close her eyes, K8lynn walking to her.
"I tried to save him… his last words were to get out of there, that… that no matter what, he would always be there… but he knew he was dying." Carly says.
"You can build all the walls you want…" K8lynn says, Carly looking at her.
"But at some point… they all have to crash down. Sorry for punching you." Carly says.
"I did say once after hitting you that you owed me one punch. Guess that makes us even." K8lynn says.
Headed home, Carly looked out at the night sky… and rain started to fall, reflecting her mood.