Sorry for the wait…busy weekend and even busier start to the week! Thank you so much to those who are still reading and reviewing! I have a bit of a plot twist in this chapter that I wasn't even really planning on till I sat down and started writing. Gotta love those plot-bunnies! LOL : ) Enjoy!
Also: I'm also writing and posting a story entitled: "Greenhorns and Rivals: Weathered" it's the fourth installment of my Greenhorns and Rivals saga, centered on the Northwestern and my OC Jack Harper (aka my alias). Check it out if you're interested!
Disclaimer: As usual I own no one aside from my OC Summer… also this story depicts what happened to Phil Harris with a combination of real life and a fictional twist. If you want the real story tune in next Tuesday to the Discovery Channel for a 2 hour special all about Phil or visit the Cornelia Marie website. Thanks! : )
Heating Up
Josh, Jake, Summer and Johnathan walked around the hospital, anxiously awaiting news of Phil's surgery. They all looked worn and haggard after many hours of pacing and wandering around the waiting room.
Summer frowned as she watched Jake leave for the third time in the past few hours. She glanced over at Josh and the disgusted look on his face.
"How the hell does he get off goin' out and getting drunk to deal with his problems?" sneered Josh as he paced angrily across the waiting room.
"He's gotta let out the pain somehow Josh," muttered Johnathan, "It may not be the ideal way, but it's his way."
"You don't see me getting shit-faced!" yelled Josh, his anger and frustration beginning to spill over, "I'm here where my dad is! And he's out there getting drunk and taking who knows what! Dad needs us here not out there screwing up our lives!"
Summer flinched at Josh's harsh tone and the implications of what he had said. From what she had learned about Jake Harris, he had a very addictive personality. He dealt with his issues by burying them in a bottle. Now whether that bottle was an alcohol bottle or some other substance she wasn't sure, but she did know one thing: he wasn't the only one going about this the wrong way.
She glanced over at Josh as he kicked a chair by the wall, muttering and cursing Jake under his breath. Jake wasn't the only one dealing with his emotions in an unhealthy manner. If Jake was out doing drugs or getting drunk to deal with it, Josh just simply wasn't dealing with it at all. He wasn't in denial. He had been talking about what was going on for the past several hours and he'd spoken with all the doctors and nurses about his dad's condition. The thing was…he hadn't shed a single tear yet. He got choked up once or twice but he hadn't taken the time to mourn yet. His sudden outbursts of anger were the beginning signs of his bottled up emotions.
"Josh, maybe you should sit down," said Summer quietly as Josh stomped across the waiting room for the tenth time.
"No," snarled Josh as he continued his angry pacing.
"Josh…this isn't helping anyone," urged Summer, beginning to get a little frustrated herself, "Sit down, take a breather for a minute."
"Don't tell me what to do."
"No one's telling you what to do, Josh," said Summer, struggling to keep her voice calm, "You're stressing everyone out and getting yourself worked up for no reason…"
"No reason?" snapped Josh as he whirled on Summer, "How about my dad is in there dying? Is that a good enough reason for you?"
Summer glared up at Josh, anger flashing in her brown eyes, "That's not what I meant and you know it."
"Yeah whatever."
"How dare you treat me like this?" asked Summer as she stood up from her seat, "After all that's happened…after all we've been through? How dare you?"
Johnathan shifted uneasily in his chair as he watched Summer start to boil over. He took a deep breath and adjusted his baseball hat. This wasn't going to be pretty.
"My dad is dying, Summer!" shouted Josh as he glared at her, "What the hell do you expect me to do? What the hell does anyone expect me to do? I have to take over everything now! Do you understand that? Everything! Everything is on my shoulders now! So yeah I'm a little tense, a little upset, and a little pissed off!"
"Well don't take it out on the people that love you!" shouted Summer as angry tears formed in her eyes, "Don't blame this shit on the people that would die for you! Just don't!"
"Like who, Summer? Jake? My little brother who's out there getting stoned while our dad is dying?" argued Josh as he drew closer to Summer.
"And me!" shouted Summer as tears poured down her cheeks, "What about me, Josh? I would do anything for you! I love you…I love your dad…I love your little brother! Why the hell do you have to treat me like crap?"
Just then Jake walked back into the waiting room, "Whoa…what the hell did I miss?"
Josh sneered loudly as his brother walked over to them, "Why do you care? You're too busy getting stoned to care about anything else."
"What the hell, Josh?" argued Jake as he glared up at his older brother, "I needed a smoke!"
"Yeah, this time you did!" yelled Josh, "But what about when you were gone for over an hour? It doesn't take that long to smoke a damn cigarette!"
"I'm doing what I gotta do to get through this!" shouted Jake, "Don't yell at me about this shit Josh…it's not easy. I'm not used to everyone I know and love dyin' on me!"
"And you think I am?" shouted Josh as he got in his brother's face.
"You don't seem to care at all!" shouted Jake right back, "You haven't shed a single tear this whole time! Do you even care about dad? So don't frickin' yell at me…"
Jake's sentence was cut off as Josh punched his brother across the face. Jake hit the ground and put a hand up to his nose, he pulled it away and saw blood.
"Jake!" screeched Summer as she knelt down to where he fell.
Jake glared up at Josh as Summer attempted to look at his now-broken nose.
"Screw you," he muttered at Josh as he stood up and turned to leave.
"Jake!" called Summer, desperately trying to call him back as he opened the door to leave.
Just as Jake took one step outside he jumped slightly in surprise. He scrambled back in the waiting room, a startled and scared look on his face as he glanced back at Summer.
"Whoa, what happened to you, kiddo?" crooned an all-too-familiar voice.
Summer felt her blood turn to ice in her veins at the sound of his voice. She quickly stood up off the floor and took a couple of steps back, her eyes wide with shock and fear.
"Blake…"
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