Outsiders
Chapter 10; The Decision
A day later - two days after the incident.
The first time that Josh had awoken it was his hearing that had come first, the second time it was his ability to feel and that was the worst. The third time it was his eyes that opened first. The room was lit only by a small table lamp on his left between him and the window which showed through half shuttered blinds that it was late on a September evening and only a grey light filtered through it. He tiredly turned his head towards the door but didn't have the energy to lift it.
The door was open halfway which Josh found strange in a hospital since nurses always either left them wide open or fully closed for privacy. The light from it spread across the room's floor and the seat beside the bed where Ryan sat reading a school text book oblivious to the fact that Josh was awake. Josh found himself unable to gather the energy to make a movement to alert Ryan to his awakened state nor call out a warning when a figure emerged from the shadows next to the open door.
Josh would have frowned if he could since he hadn't had any real contact with Van McNulty and couldn't think of one good reason for the boy from his school to be visiting him in the hospital. Van met his eyes briefly but he simply smirked as he realised, as did Joshua, that he was unable to gather the strength to do anything but watch him as he silently snuck up on Ryan and brought the back of a knife hilt down onto Ryan's head knocking him sideways out of the chair and onto the floor.
Josh tried to yell for help but all that came out was a low groan. He tried to move his hand but it fell back to the bed as Van strode up to the side of the bed. Josh realised in an instant that Van must have been the shooter and knowing full well that he had shot Ryan he now knew of Josh's healing powers and was trying to kill them both. Knock out the live one, kill the cripple and then kill the other. Van pulled the pillow from under Josh's head and a well of panic spread through him knowing that Van planned to smother him as he lay defenceless. He tried to desperately grab at his magic but it slipped through his grasp in his panic, not that he would have been able to do anything with it if he had succeeded.
Josh felt the pillow fall across his face and felt as if the air was being sucked from his lungs. He threw himself around as much as possible but Van was strong even for a teenager. Adrenaline fuelled Josh though and he didn't need to be able to see the nurse button to know where it was even in his panicked state. With every ounce of strength he had he forced his hand across the bed. Van's own hand caught it but Josh had enough leeway to press the button before his assailant realised what he had planned.
Josh knew he should keep struggling but he'd used up all of his energy. His eyes dimmed even as the room brightened and he fell back into his sleep without knowing what had become of him.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX
The next afternoon
Josh woke with more of a start then he had the previous three times and instead of slowly coming to an individual sense everything crashed down upon him at once. The pain in his shoulder, the glare of the bright afternoon light through the window, the steady thrum of people passing his door and finally the smell of the antiseptic. He groaned loudly and tried to sit up in the clearly empty room but only managed to fall back onto his pillow.
In his murky state he only really thought of one thing, the last thing he had see. Van McNulty attacking Ryan and then the pillow. The beeping of his heart monitor doubled in a couple of seconds setting off the alarm set into the equipment. Why the equipment was there he didn't know, it hadn't been there when Van attacked or his panic would have drawn the nurses rather than having to find and press the button.
The door slammed open and bounced off of the stopper making Josh jump slightly though it only preceded a groan of pain since he didn't have the energy or strength to do anything else to protect himself. He relaxed quickly as a worried Anne ran into the room followed by two police deputies with their guns out.
"Joshua! Please calm down!" Anne ordered as she forced him back onto the bed. Josh complied.
"Anne! Where's Ry?" Joshua grabbed her wrist as she made to pull back. "Did he hurt him?"
"You mean the attacker?" Anne frowned. "Josh, did you see who attacked you?"
"Answer me damnit Anne, where's Ry?" Josh gasped out. Anne's face took on an apologetic look and she sat on the edge of his bed.
"He's fine, Josh." Anne smiled down at him. "Sorry, you've given us a few scares too many. You were…" She choked down a sob as she forced the words away.
Josh tried to squeeze her hand but his grip was weak. "I was really bad." He finished her words. "I heard Doctor Havermire tell my Uncle."
"Joshua, it's really important, did you recognise the person that tried to kill you?" Anne asked. Josh nodded wearily feeling the weight of the pillow on his face once more. He shook ever so slightly. "Shh…It's ok sweetie, there's going to be guards watching you every hour of the day."
"Ry?" Josh gazed at her pleadingly.
"Clark Kent's promised to not let him out of his sight for even a moment and he's going to live at the Kent farm the rest of the time." Anne assured him. "When he's not here that is. I'm going to go call your doctor and the Sheriff's going to want a statement."
Josh nodded tiredly and watched as Anne left him alone with the two silent deputies who were simply watching him. Eventually Doctor Havermire, the trauma surgeon at the hospital, walked into the room and the two Deputies left to wait on the other side of the closed door. "Joshua, I think you should know that there is an entire crowd of nurses and doctors outside in the corridor waiting to be let in to see you. And most of our long-term patients are clamouring to be allowed to come down here to see you."
"That's good to hear I suppose." Josh croaked out. "So…grazed lung, minor secondary damage. Anything changed since the conversation with my Uncle?"
"Amusing." Havermire grunted with a small smirk on his lips. "No, there hasn't been any complications. You're on intravenous Antibiotics to prevent any infections as well as the normal horse pills to deaden the pain. We'll keep you here until the weekend in five days and then probably release you into your Uncle's care for the weekend."
"Is he off work?" Josh asked half shocked.
"He took the first two days off but he had to return this morning. He said to tell you that he'll call you later tonight if you woke up and he agreed that he'd take you home for the weekend since he has it off." Havermire told him. "Well, take it easy. The sheriff is waiting to talk to you about your attacker but I've told her not to overdo it. If you think you're too tired then tell her to back off."
Josh nodded and watched as the doctor left the room and a few seconds later the sheriff walked inside along with Anne who raised the back of Josh's bed so he could sit upright to talk to Sheriff Nancy Adams. "Thanks Anne."
"You just take it easy, sweetie." Anne told him and placed a brief kiss on his forehead before backing out of the room.
"How are you doing, Mr Ackervey?" The sheriff asked in her no nonsense tone.
"On or off the record?" Josh asked warily.
She snorted in amusement. "Off."
"I feel like I was just shot and then some guy tried to smother me while I was helpless." Josh told her. "And now I'm still helpless and by the fact that you are here and Ry is still in danger the guy is still out there and still wants me dead. How should I be doing?"
She grunted. "Did you recognise him?"
"Van McNulty, a boy in my year at school." Josh told her.
"You are certain of this?"
"Of course I am, I'm not going to name somebody if I'm not sure." Josh would have snapped at her if he had the strength.
"You were drowsy with painkillers and had been asleep for three days." She pointed out logically.
"Well, I am sure." Josh told her. "I couldn't hear anything or feel anything at the time but I could see him clearly when he knocked Ryan out and put the pillow…" He trailed off feeling the force on his face again. He sucked in a breath of air to counter the feeling as best as possible.
"What could his motive be?" The Sheriff asked but Josh wasn't sure who she was directing the question at, herself or him. Josh thought about it for a moment before remembering something that Lana had told him about her ex boyfriend that Josh had only met when Tina Greer had shown up.
"Actually he does have one." Josh suddenly spoke up. "Do you remember Tina Greer?"
"The girl that according to the esteemed Clark Kent, can change into any person?" She asked sceptically.
"I saw her change from being Whitney Fordman into herself." Josh countered. "She killed Van's father when he went to tell Mrs Fordman about Whitney's death. He might have a grudge against people with special abilities."
"Even though that explains the attack in the school this afternoon it doesn't explain why he shot you." The sheriff told him.
"Maybe he thought that I was a 'meteor freak', or maybe he was actually going for Ryan." Josh fumbled before realising what she'd said. "Wait, who was attacked at school?"
"A boy called Jake Pollen was shot by a sniper while trying to drown Lana Lang in the school swimming pool. I've just come from the clean up. Nobody saw the shooter." She told him. "He had gills. I swear I'm starting to believe Kent's crazy stories." She rubbed at her forehead and Josh tried to grin at her.
"Do you need anything else, Sheriff?" Josh asked.
"Not right now. We'll need you to testify against him when we catch him though." She turned to leave. "Mr. Ackervey? I swear we'll catch him before he can hurt either you or your brother."
"Thank you, Sheriff." Josh sighed before letting his eyes drop closed.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX
He didn't think he'd napped long before he woke again to the sound of people entering his room. Lot's of people if he was honest with himself. The room had undergone a startling change since the last time he was awake and was now filled with flowers so that the smell of flowers overwhelmed the smell of antiseptic. "The room seems to be growing." Josh commented idly before his guests realised he was awake. He eyed the nearest set of flowers warily.
Anne laughed. "They're all from old and new patients, a few of the doctors and families that you've spent time with." Anne told him. "Curse of a small town."
Josh glanced from Anne to Michael as they checked his stats and fussed with his bed. He gave them a smile and they left him in peace with the rest of the room's occupants. Ryan sat on the edge of the bed as soon as he could get passed Michael. Clark stood behind him seemingly to stop Ryan from jumping on the bed. Martha Kent was there too as well as Chloe and Lana.
"How do you feel, Ry?" Josh asked as he grabbed his hand.
"You're joking right! How do I feel?" Ryan seemed hysterical. "I wasn't the one that was shot or suffo…" He stumbled over the last words.
"I'm talking about your head. Van hit you pretty hard." Josh pointed out.
"Van?" Clark suddenly spoke up. "As in Van McNulty?"
Josh nodded. "We have to tell the Sheriff!" Chloe put in.
"I've already given her a statement." Josh tried to shrug but simply winced as he tried to move his shoulder. He forced down a yawn but saw that everybody noticed it.
"We should leave you to get some sleep." Martha told him before moving towards him and kissing his forehead. He realised then that he was wearing his sweatband and made a note to thank Michael or Anne for putting it on him. He smiled at her as she tried to flatten his unruly hair before leaving the room with Chloe. Lana lingered for a moment and caught Josh's eye.
"Come on Ryan." Clark said after smiling at Josh.
"Can I stay for a while?" Ryan asked looking between the two older boys.
"I'd like that Ry but Clark and Mrs. Kent are looking out for you and I don't want them having to linger around." Josh told him. "I'm going to be asleep anyway."
"But I want to stay with you." Ryan told him. "There's guards outside the door so I'll be safe."
"And how are you planning on getting home?" Josh asked.
"I'll come pick him up tonight." Clark jumped to Ryan's rescue and a wide grin spread across Ryan's face.
"Are you sure, Clark?" Josh asked him.
"Yeah." Clark nodded.
"Can you go with him to get some food from the cafeteria?" Josh asked glancing at Lana for a moment and then back to the two boys who seemed to understand, though Clark was frowning slightly.
"Come on Clark!" Ryan chirped before pulling him from the room.
"So, Lana." Josh asked, "What's got you so scatty?"
"Scatty?" Lana frowned. Josh just shrugged. "Did you hear what happened at school earlier?"
"You mean you being attacked by Jake and then Jake being killed?" Josh asked.
She nodded before moving to sit at Josh's side. "Clark's adamant that he must be evil but he saved my life. Clark can't understand that. We had a massive argument over it."
"Lana, do you really think that Van was trying to save you?" Josh asked. "He just happened to be there with a sniper just as you needed saving?"
"Maybe not but that doesn't mean he's completely evil." She pointed out. "He could have just let me die and then killed him but he didn't. He saved me."
"He tried to kill me and Ryan." Josh told her bluntly. "I know you think he saved you on purpose but he tried to kill a fifteen year old boy. There no redemption for that. It's inexcusable. Ryan's never hurt anybody in his entire life. Nor did Jake."
"What about you?" Lana asked insightfully.
"I've never hurt somebody on purpose." Josh told her bluntly. "I'm sorry, Lana, but I've got to side with Clark on this one if only to protect Ryan. I won't ever let anybody hurt Ryan. Not even the people that could be my friends."
"Like Chloe?" Lana asked warily.
"Believe it or not but she would never have found anything worth the time she would have put into the search." Josh told her.
"Then why do all of that to her and her dad?" Lana asked accusatorily. Josh had been waiting for this conversation ever since Lana had witnessed what Josh had said to Chloe.
"To protect her." Josh told her seriously. "She digs in too deeply with no regard to her own life. I don't have a clean past, Lana, that much must be obvious to you. I've never tried to hide that from anybody but people are still looking for me and if Chloe goes hunting for information on me there's a chance they could trace it back to her and then to me and that would put everybody at risk."
"So you did it for her own safety?" Lana frowned.
"No, I did it for Ryan's safety. Chloe's safety is second to that." Josh told her and her eyes widened slightly. "Not that I don't have Chloe's safety in mind too."
Lana sighed heavily before shuttering her eyes briefly. "You know, Chloe only did what she did because she reacted badly to me and Clark going out."
"I know." Josh shrugged. "It was your decision not to tell her. I knew something like that would happen as soon as I realised the two of you had finally got passed the bumbling stage."
"You knew?" Lana frowned.
"Of course I did." Josh laughed but only ended up gasping in pain. He winced before continuing. "Ryan noticed to, its hard not to when you and him disappeared at random times and that Clark started cancelling his appointments with Ryan."
The door burst open and Ryan dashed inside with a grin on his face. "Anne gave me chocolate." He smirked and Josh groaned.
"I'll see you later, Josh." Lana leaned in and hugged him briefly before leaving the room.
"What was that about?" Ryan asked. "All I heard was something hazy about Van rescuing her like she's been thinking all day."
"You can hear her?" Josh asked before wriggling to move over in the bed. It was painful but worth it when Ryan lay down on the bed and sighed.
"Just a bit and only if I really concentrate on it." Ryan admitted.
"Do you want me to heal it?" Josh asked.
"Not after the last time you healed me." Ryan told her sternly. "I can't believe you did something so stupid. Uncle Kev's been ranting about you being so stupid constantly when he isn't fussing over me at home."
"I had to." Josh said simply.
"You could have died." Ryan spoke quietly.
"Could have died, Ryan." Josh almost snapped but forced himself to calm down. "That's the entire point. You would have died. You didn't have a chance of survival whereas I did."
"But you still shouldn't have risked it."
Josh forced Ryan to move so that he could see him properly. Ryan sat up and stared down at Josh with tears in his eyes. "There isn't a single moment where I wouldn't do the exact same thing if your health was at risk." Josh told him seriously. "I'm never going to let somebody hurt you, Ry. I know you've never had somebody love you like that before us and the Kent's showed up but we all love you and we'll all protect you."
Ryan let his head drop down onto his chest with a sigh. "I suppose I'll have to get used to it one day." Josh forced his hand up off of the bed, the same one that had his IV drip in it, and with monumental effort he placed it on Ryan's head and feebly ruffled his hair. Ryan rolled his eyes but accepted the loving gesture for what it was.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX
Josh was pleased to get out of the hospital that weekend. Clark, with some help from a lead vest had managed to save Lana from Van and aid in his capture and Josh had given a formal statement that had helped to get the guy locked up in Belle Reve Sanitarium. He arrived home early on Saturday morning and was promptly forced into bed rest by his Uncle and Ryan, probably out of sympathy more than anything, joined him to watch DVDs on his TV for most of the day while Josh caught up on a weeks load of homework.
It wasn't until that evening that the one person he really wanted to see arrived, he'd wondered if Bart even knew what happened to him but was sure that Ryan had found a way of leaving messages for the sixteen year old boyfriend of his seventeen year old brother.
"You know, dude, I think you spend more time in a hospital then you do in here!" Bart accused making Josh jump as he appeared in the room through the suddenly open front door.
"Dude? Reverting to your routes again." Josh countered before pulling his boyfriend down onto the bed. "I can't believe Uncle Kev is forcing me to stay in bed. I feel fine as long as I don't move my shoulder."
"How did you manage to get yourself shot?" Bart asked. "Arthur called me saying he heard about some guy in Smallville trying to kill meteor 'freaks.'"
"And you instantly thought of me?"
"And the little twerp." Bart smirked slightly.
"You're definitely getting soft compared to the rug-rat thief you used to be." Josh told him fondly.
"I prefer to think of myself as an entrepreneur of goods." Bart retorted with a glint in his eyes. "Besides I'm an only child, it feels nice to think of the two of you over here."
"Why don't you just move here then?" Josh suddenly asked, it wasn't the first time since they had gotten together than Josh had suggested Bart moving in with him and his Uncle. "You could stop sleeping in a different bed each night. Enjoy a simple life."
"You know I can't do that." Bart sighed. "I can't imagine that sort of life. I want to be free."
"Do you really think I don't know that?" Josh asked with surprising fervour. Seeing Ryan shot without so much as a warning had unsettled him. He had an indescribable urge to gather all of his loved ones together in a small room and lock them all together to protect them. "I just want you to be happy."
"I am happy, Josh. I'm happy not having any responsibilities or cares." Bart told him seriously. "Except for you that is. At least with you I wont forget what they mean."
"That's my Bart. Stubborn, greedy but loving." Josh smiled a sappy smile before leaning over and kissing him. "Bare in mind you have to go easy on me. I'm injured."
"You didn't tell me how you got shot." Bart told him.
"I didn't, Ryan did. I healed him because he nearly died and took the wound myself." Josh told him. Bart shook his head once as he stared in horror before finally letting his head fall onto Josh's chest. He shook his head for a while against Josh's chest before beginning to chuckle rather hysterically.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX
Three weeks later - England
Rufus Scrimgeour rubbed at his temples trying vainly to rid himself of his headache as he poured over the latest reports. He had given up hoping for a good report to pass his desk in the two years he had held his position and he knew this newest stack wouldn't break that record. Attacks all across England were detailed in every one of them with the odd report of a missing person to break up the pattern.
He sighed and looked up as his secretary walked into the room, leaving the door open behind him. "Minister? Headmaster Dumbledore is here to see you."
"Show him in, Marcy." He nodded and plastered a fake smile on his face as the aged man walked into the room. He had to give the man credit for his ability to hold up his façade in the world they struggled to survive in. "Albus, it's so good to see you in good health. The healers at St. Mungo's were so concern about the curse you recently encountered."
"Ah, Rufus, I fear the damage is done, though to an old man like me, the loss of use of a hand is a small price to pay in this war." Albus smiled slightly keeping his lifeless left hand hidden from view. With the Ring destroyed there was nothing that stood between Voldemort and his death except for the missing Harry Potter.
"So, things are in place?" Rufus asked. "He can be killed?"
"Not by anyone we know. We still need Harry Potter." Albus said as he eased himself into the chair.
"We've found the man that kidnapped him in an American city." Rufus informed him. "We should be able to find out where Harry Potter is from him before we dispose of him and attain rights of custody with the Prophecy Laws of 786."
"And you have somebody in mind to do this?" Albus asked.
"I have just the Hit Wizard in mind." Rufus told him. "We'll have Harry Potter back soon enough."
"Hopefully before he realises exactly what he is capable of. I had so hoped that he would be forced into wand magic long before he found out about sorcery." Albus sighed. "It would have been so much simpler if those damnable muggles hadn't gone too far in their abuse."
"Some people are harder to manipulate I find." Rufus agreed without a single twinge from his conscience.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX
Smallville
Josh slammed his book closed and carelessly threw it across the room. "Hey, do you know how much it cost to get that!?"
"I thought you stole it?" Josh retorted back at his boyfriend. It had been a long three weeks for Josh, he'd studied at school so that when the eventual move occurred he wouldn't be caught out at the next school and, still not knowing what Ryan would do when the time came, he made sure his brother did the same.
The last three weeks had been interesting but not really abnormally so for Smallville and Josh, with his injured shoulder so soon after his crash three months ago, tried to stay out of it as much as possible.
"Ok, ok, I did technically steal it but it's a but more complicated than that." Bart winced. "I asked for some help. Or rather I was caught snooping in Queen Enterprises Library for it."
"You got caught by Queen security?" Josh was on his feet instantly. "You said the Wizards had it. Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't tell you because I knew you'd freak. I wasn't caught by security though." Bart sat on the armchair. Josh just waited him out. Eventually Bart relented. "Oliver Queen."
"You got caught snooping through the personal library of one of the most powerful men in America?" Josh asked. "Are you crazy!?"
"We had a long conversation." Bart put in rather meekly. "He was more interested in why I wanted the book than that I was trying to steal it."
"Did you tell him about me?" Josh asked.
Bart winced. "I told him about myself and the accident and I told him I knew somebody who might be able to read the book. He said that he knew there were things in this world that he couldn't understand and that if giving me the book would help my friend then he'd give it up freely as long as we came to him if we ever needed help."
"He gave you the book?" Josh asked. "As long as we came to him if we needed help?"
"Uh…yeah." Bart muttered. Josh put his right palm to his head in shock and slowly shook his head from side to side.
"Anything else you think I should know?" Josh asked warily.
"Not really." Bart told him with half a smile on his face. "I believe him, though I don't plan on taking him up on it if I can help it."
"Oh, so you do have a brain in there somewhere?" Josh rose his eyebrows up and Bart pounced on him in an instant knocking him down onto the armchair and straddling his lap.
"Can we please get back to your lesson in the book?" Bart asked trying to get the upper hand again.
"You know I can't get passed it. Turning into my inner animal is harder then it sounds."
"And it sounds pretty difficult." Bart leaned back with his hands on Josh's knees. "But it'll help you access your sorcery, that's why the guy suggests it first."
"But it's as difficult as the hardest stuff in here that I don't even understand yet." Josh mumbled.
"Well at least that will make the middle stuff easier to do once you've got that bit down." Bart told him conciliatorily. "And hopefully you can convince your Uncle to let you stay once you can use your magic."
"Yeah, but we should already be gone."
"Already?" Bart frowned.
"It's been over a year already. That's the longest time we've ever stayed in one place. If Uncle Kev had his way we'd already have moved to Grandville and would be moving again at Christmas to San Francisco." Josh sighed.
"So you're still here because you argued with him to stay in one place…for Ryan's sake?"
"And my own, I'm tired of running all the time." Josh sighed and relaxed back onto the chair's cushioned back. Bart swivelled around in his lap and rest back on Josh's right shoulder away from the wound.
"Well it doesn't matter to me where you go." Bart told him. "I can follow you anywhere."
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX
Two days later
Josh drove into the Kent farm and even had to stop as Ryan ran across the drive and into the barn. He shook his head in amusement before hoping out of the car and walking towards the house.
"Good afternoon, Mrs. Kent." Josh greeted with a small smile.
"It's so good to see you, Josh. It's been so long since you agreed to come for dinner." Martha told him as she hugged him tightly.
"Yeah, I'm sorry, Mrs. Kent." Josh sighed. "I've just really been busy with studying. The problem with having to move again is that I have to be months ahead just to keep up-to-date at school."
"So you are definitely moving?" Martha asked him.
Josh winced slightly. "Yeah, Uncle Kev wanted to be gone by now but I made him hold off until the Christmas holidays so that Ryan could make a decision."
"He mentioned that earlier to us." Martha told him but was interrupted from explaining when Ryan ran into the room with a large grin on his face being chased by Clark who was laughing. The smile vanished as soon as he saw Josh. "Uh, boys, why don't you go into the front room. Clark can help me set the table."
"But, mom…" Clark complained but was quelled by a look from his mother. Josh frowned but followed Ryan into the front room.
"You talked to Mrs. Kent about your choice?" Josh pre-empted his little brother.
"Uh…" Ryan froze looking down at the ground.
"I take it you want to stay here with the Kents then?" Josh asked with as much acceptance in his voice as he could muster. Ryan snapped his head up to look at him. "To be honest I hoped you would stay with them."
"What?" Ryan gasped with tears creeping into his eyes. Josh jumped in and hugged him realising his mistaken words.
"I don't mean I wanted you to stay here. I would have loved you to come with us, but you'll be happier here and safer too." Josh assured him. "I can't say I'm not disappointed that I'll have to email you to keep in contact but I am happy you'll have Clark to protect you."
Josh kissed him on the forehead before pulling out of the hug seeing tears in Ryan's eyes. "I'm so sorry." Ryan muttered.
"You don't have to be sorry, Ry." Josh told him. "I'm just sorry I have to go at all, but we've got till Christmas before I have to go. Let's not worry about it at the moment, lets just go and eat dinner."
"Ok, Josh." Ryan consented. "You know you'll always be my big brother right?"
"And you'll always be my little brother." Josh told him sincerely. "You know even Bart is starting to think of you as a little brother?"
"Oh dear. Now I'm in trouble."
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX
End Chapter