Chapter 9
A/N: Hey fellow Dikrats, how are y'all?! I'm good thanks for asking. Thank you for all the reviews on the previous chapter warmed me old heart it did. Anyway, this chapter is sort of a filler but I hope you enjoy it anyway.
Time Doesn't Heal All Wounds
Three weeks. Three weeks of torture. Three weeks of anguish and pain. Where are they? What are they doing? What is Craig doing to them? Are they still alive? Will I ever see them again? Will Lauren ever be the same? Will I ever hear her laugh again? Will I ever hear her speak again? Will they ever return? Thoughts and questions rushed around Joe's mind as they had no stop for the past three weeks. Maybe today things will be better… He knew this was false hope. He knew today wouldn't be any different. This was confirmed when he turned around in his bed. Next to him lay Lauren. She hadn't improved since that fateful night. She hadn't moved, spoken or even acknowledged anything or anyone. Joe had been taking care of her since then, not letting her out of his sight. He fed her, washed her, changed her clothes; spoke to her even though she never replied. She hasn't moved. Not an inch. She still has that glazed look in her bloodshot eyes. Why doesn't she just tell me what happened? What I wouldn't give just to hear her voice again. I miss the sound of her voice. I miss her laugh. I miss her Spanish insults. Hell, I even miss the little arguments that we used to have and I also lost. I miss her child like pout when she doesn't get what she wants. I miss her tough as old boots attitude. I miss her 'nothing can ever get me down' outlook on life. Just miss her. "Morning Lo" he croaked, not yet found his voice this morning. She didn't reply, but he was expecting this, she hadn't in three weeks. Moving carefully out of bed he stretched for his phone which was plugged into his charger. He had two unread messages this morning. They were the same four he had received since the first morning after the abduction. The first was from Darren.
'HarryFrickinPotter: Morning, Lo any better? Any news on Bri and Mere? Julia says hey' Joe quickly typed out a response. He didn't want to stress Darren and Julia out any more than they were already. In the time since Brian and Meredith had been kidnapped, Darren had to return to LA to complete filming for Glee. Julia had left with Darren to keep him company. Julia had been heart broken; she shared an apartment with Lauren in the center of Chicago and couldn't deal with living in a lonely flat without her, as Lauren hadn't left Joe sight in the time. Darren was having a difficult time as of late like the rest of the Starkids. He couldn't get out of a depressed rut and it was starting to impact on his acting. Joe had received more than few worried texts from both Julia and Darren about the fact that Blaine may be making a quick exit from the show soon if Darren didn't pull himself together.
Joe continued on the next message. This time it was from Jaime.
"Salad-Sally: Any improvement Joe?" Typical Jaime straight and to the point, no messing around. He swiftly replied a simple 'no'. He knew that Jaime would appreciate his bluntness. She currently had Denise living with her. Denise had shared a house with Meredith and now refused to go near the house as it was too painful with her recent absence. The loss had affected the entire group, each in their own way, though most just appeared depressed and sad all the time. No one was their happy go lucky selves anymore. No one joked anymore. No one danced anymore. No one even sang anymore safe Darren who had to for his job. They all basically just waited by their phones waiting for a call to tell them one way or the other.
After replying to Jaime he flicked his attention to his mentions on his twitter account. Most of them were from fans asking after Brian and Meredith. The team had released a video pleading for help from their fans, or from anyone who has seen the van or has any information on the incident to get into contact with the police force. So far there had been no helpful calls. Joe put his phone back down on the floor before turning back to Lauren.
"So what we going to do today Lo?" He asked sadness overpowering him as she didn't reply.
…..
Because there was no way of telling the time he didn't know how long he had been in this living hell but he knew it was too long. Every estimated second felt like a year. He guessed that he had maybe been here for just under a month. It felt like he was in a long, painfully descriptive nightmare. He had been hoping to wake up for the past three weeks, but he never did. Every inch of his body was screaming out in agony but he refused to show pain during his daily visits from Craig. He wouldn't give him the satisfaction. He was sure he had at very least a few broken bones and a couple of broken ribs, as well as his swollen jaw which was not broken like he had first suspected.
Brian's fear spiked as he heard footsteps outside the door. Here we go again. Just stay strong. Any plan he had of staying tough flew out the window when Craig strolled into the room. The single bulb illuminated him but he wasn't alone. He was holding on to one end of a rusty chain. Brian following the chain choked back sobs as he saw what was attached. A women in a ripped blue dress, shredded tights and broken heels that were drenched in blood. She was like a ghost. Her face was painfully white which contrasted drastically against the blood splatters over her legs, arms and face. Blood had tangled into her hair and was stuck in different directions. Her eyes were bloodshot and both were black, one slightly more swollen than the other. She had a large bruise developing o her cheek. She had a deep gash in her arm that looked a couple of days old. Brian was overcome with emotions. A tear spilled down his cheek as Craig smirked almost proudly besides the women. Anger bubbled inside him but was subdued by a wave of sadness. Brian didn't know what to say, feel or think, so he said the only thing he could think of.
"Meredith".
A/N: So I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I will hopefully update again next Saturday, hope that's okay with you guys. BTW thank you for all you guys' concern, I am feeling much better so thank you again. P.S. do any of you guys listen to Wizard Rock? It's so good. Had 'The Prince's Tale' by The Butterbear Experience stuck in my head all week. Anyway keep reviewing. Until next time ~Takeawalk
