by different author

Disclaimer: I don't own anything involved in this story.

Chapter 9


James and Samuel froze as the sound of police sirens whined in their ears. Samuel's eyes widened and he turned to James, murder in his eyes. "You called the cops?" he asked in disbelief. James nodded, relief evident on his face. Samuel's eyes darkened and he reached down and grabbed the boy by his shirt. Their faces were inches apart. "I really should just kill you now," Samuel said quietly. Fear flashed through James' eyes, but he remained quiet. "But then I wouldn't get to have any more fun with you," he said, smirking. "So here's what I'm going to do."

He released James' shirt and crossed the room, grabbing a roll of duct tape from the bureau. He quickly tore off a piece and wrapped it firmly around James' mouth, preventing him from making any noise. Then he pulled out a knife and grabbed him again, pressing the blade into the boy's neck. Slowly he began dragging James toward the front door.

"You're going to get away today, but so am I, and you can bet I'll be back. You might think that everything is going to be okay, but that's a lie. Something good might come along and cover up all the bad stuff that happened here, but that doesn't you'll be fine. You'll still remember all the stuff that I've done to you, and you'll still have to worry about when I'll come back, because I will, that's a promise." James was shaking as he was dragged to the door.

"This is the police! Come out with your hands up!" Someone shouted from outside. Samuel flung open the door and pushed James into the doorway, still holding the knife to his neck. "Hello officers," he said calmly.

James looked around him, trying not to move his neck. He saw several police cars and a bunch of cops, all holding guns pointed at him and Samuel. An ambulance was nearby, something he took great relief in. And about a hundred feet back, behind a police car stood… his friends and family. They were staring at him in horror and they all looked like they were about to start crying. "Remember what I said," Samuel whispered. Then he let James go and pushed him forward, quickly stepping backwards and slamming the door before anyone could react. James tumbled down the front steps and lay still.

He lay on the ground with his eyes closed, feeling tired. He could dimly hear people screaming and shouting and the sound of people rushing towards him. Someone knelt beside him and he felt a stranger's hand touch his neck, feeling for a pulse. "I need paramedics over here!" someone shouted. He felt himself falling in and out of consciousness, and was dully aware that someone was screaming his name. The next thing he knew he was being lifted onto a stretcher while his friends and family crowded around him, crying and shouting.

"James please wake up!"

"Come on son, you can do it!"

"Be strong, we're gonna get you help!"

"You're going to be okay, James!"

"Hang on, man, it's all over!"

"Oh my god, my baby!"

He could hear his loved ones trying to help him, begging him to wake up as he was loaded into the ambulance. He wanted to respond so badly, but he just didn't have the strength. He heard people moving around him, hooking him up to IV's and checking a bunch of equipment, and he felt someone holding his hand, crying next to him. "Please, baby, please be okay. Please wake up," his mother cried. Forcing his eyes open he whispered, "Mom…" Then everything spun and he let himself slip into unconsciousness.


Kendall, Carlos, Logan, Mrs. Knight, and Mr. Diamond watched in horrified silence as the ambulance drove away. They had all agreed that Mrs. Diamond should ride with her son, but the boys secretly wished that they could have gone instead. Seeing James being held by that creep had been terrible. They'd known he was hurt, but actually seeing him had left them shocked and scared to death. What he happened to him before the police had gotten to him? They saw Stenwell whisper something to James before shoving him forward, sending him tumbling down the steps. He didn't move. They had all rushed to him and crowded around him, trying to wake him up. But he didn't. The paramedics had assured them that was alive and would be fine, but it was still so hard to look at him. Then he had been taken away to the hospital with his mother, leaving them crying on the dirt road.

Officer Rios walked over to them and offered a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry you had to see that," he said kindly. "Just tell me you caught the creep who did this to my son," Mr. Diamond said, his voice shaking in anger. The officer suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Well… we caught two of the men, Jack Glenstone and Aaron Marshal, but… Stenwell got out through the back door and escaped into the woods. We have officers looking for him, but those woods are huge. It's unlikely that we'll find him tonight. I'm sorry," he said looking away. The group stared at him in shock. "What?" Carlos whispered in disbelief. "No," he said, his voice shaking. "You have to find him. What if he comes back? What if he hurts James more?" Kendall put a hand on his shoulder to silence him, but he was staring hard at Rios. "Well?" he demanded.

Rios looked distressed. "We're going to do everything we can to find Stenwell. In the meantime, we'll have someone guarding James at all times. We won't let anything happen to him, I promise," he said. Before Carlos could argue with him, Mrs. Knight spoke. "We should get to the hospital," she said gently but firmly. Everyone nodded in agreement and piled into the car. The drive was silent, everyone lost in their worries for their friend and son.


At the hospital, Mrs. Diamond was pacing in the waiting room, anxiously awaiting news on her son. She stopped every doctor and nurse that passed her, asking for news on James, but no one knew anything. She looked up as her husband and James' friends rushed in and immediately bombarded her with questions.

"Where is he?"

"Is he okay?"

"Can we see him?"

She shook her head. "I don't know," she said quietly, tears leaking from her eyes. Everyone quieted and stood there awkwardly. Finally they settled into chairs and waited. This was going to be a long night.


About an hour later a doctor came out. "James Diamond?" he asked. Everyone jumped and surrounded him. "My name is Dr. Santos. Are you all for James?" he asked, slightly surprised. They all nodded impatiently. "How is James?" Kendall burst out. The doctor instantly sobered. "James is going to be fine," he said. Everyone sighed in relief. "But," Dr. Santos continued, "he's in bad shape. He has a major concussion, three cracked ribs, and two broken ones. He has severe bruising on his right shoulder and stomach, along with smaller bruises all over the rest of his body. His wrists were very raw and appeared to have been bleeding, probably a result of chafing ropes. He had a lot of small cuts all over his body, and he's suffering from malnutrition and dehydration." Mrs. Diamond gasped and the others' eyes were practically popping out their sockets.

Logan stared at the doctor, feeling sick. He had always wanted to be a doctor, but was this what he had to look forward to? Telling people how damaged their loved ones were? He shuddered. This was so horrible and hard to deal with. How would he do this all the time? Poor James, he thought. As the doctor had just said, James was in bad shape. He would be in so much pain when he woke up. "Wait," Logan said. "Is James awake?"

Dr. Santos looked troubled. "No," he said. "His head had obviously been hit several times, which gave him a concussion. He should hopefully be fine, but there's no telling when he'll wake up." Kendall frowned. "Well how long do you think it will be?" he asked. "It could be a few hours or it could be a few days. It could be even longer," he said sadly. Everyone froze. Longer? Carlos felt like he couldn't breathe. He sank into a chair, afraid that his legs wouldn't be able to hold him. "Oh my God…" Mr. Diamond said.

The doctor stood there, looking uncomfortable. Then he jumped, as if he suddenly remembered something. "Oh, you can see him if you'd like, but please keep it down to a minimum of three people at a time." They group jumped up and followed the doctor down the hall. He led them to a door and stepped back. "I'll leave give you some times alone," he said kindly, walking off.

James' parents went in first. They spent about a half hour in the room before they walked back out, tears streaming from their eyes. "Would you like me to take you home?" Kendall's mother asked gently. Mr. Diamond nodded and led his wife towards the exit. "I'll come back for you as soon as I get them home," she whispered to the boys. They nodded and watched as the adults left, leaving them alone outside James' door.

They just stood there for a minute, hesitant to go inside, afraid of what they would find. Finally they stepped forward, not knowing what to expect. They all took a deep breath and walked into the bright white room that held their broken friend.