A/N: Wanted to get this done on my birthday, which was officially 2 days ago...but yeah, I had a lot to write so...Merry Belated Christmas? (And for any kind-hearted souls out there who can write, can you please do this poor Jemily fan a favor and write a short Jemily fic for the belated birthday girl? Anybody? No?...Okay. Well can't blame me for trying. Lol anyways, here ya go guys. First part of the final chapter starts now. Special thanks goes to all my readers who will just "love" me after this, and my writing partner. Okay. Let's do this...
The following moments went faster than the blink of an eye for Amanda Porter nee Clarke...
The feeling of Jack Porter's body instantly diving over hers without a second thought…
The desperate and horrified shout of her name…
The sound of two merciless gunshots going off…
Bloodshed…
Silence…
Darkness…
…Suddenly, all was at a standstill…
The only noises that broke the ghostly silence in that moment were the thundering sounds of heartbeats and the sharp, harsh intakes of breathing…
And yet, those very sounds served as a comforting evidence that somehow, Amanda Porter was indeed still alive. Her eyes that were clenched shut and caused the darkness of the scenery suddenly opened with a rapidity that was almost painful as she scanned her surroundings, mainly her stomach as her hands automatically ran over her semi-flat form in reassurance that she and the life growing inside of her were still existing. Before she could breathe in relief, her eyes widened and she whipped her head around desperately to check on her husband; the source of the weight that was still on top of her body; terrified of the unknown answer of whether he took the lethal damage instead of her…
Hoping…Pleading…Praying that wasn't the case…
"J-Jack?" Amanda muttered in a cracked voice barely above a whisper. Normally, she'd hate how weak and helpless her voice sounded in such a state, but now, she didn't give a damn.
What she did care about was the horrifying sight of bloodstains in front of her and the heavy weight that was still on top of her, but had yet to move.
"Jack?! A-are you alright?!" She cried, already feeling anxiety take over, until she took a chance and peeked over his form only to hear him mumble.
"Oh, my god…"
Before she could take a breath in relief that her husband was alive, or scold him for not saying anything in the first place, she noticed his frozen state and saw him staring wide-eyed in shock at something. Once she followed the source of his gaze, her eyes widened as well.
"Oh, my god…" She muttered.
There, in a growing pool of blood on the ground laid Devin Becker with two bullet holes imbedded in his chest. And behind the couple, stood a trembling Nolan Ross with a 357 magnum still smoking in his outstretched hand.
The ghostly silence continued, broken only by the ticking sound of the explosive…
"Uh…I-I g-guess a-all of those t-times at the sh-shooting range came in handy after all?" Nolan tried to joke shakenly.
But to no avail…
His friends just continued to stare at the dead body.
"I…I really just killed him, didn't I?" Nolan gulped and asked timidly, the realization of his actions hitting him full force.
His friends finally brought their gazes reluctantly towards him; empathy now clearly mixed within their shock.
"…O-oh, my god…" Nolan mumbled before dropping the gun to the ground, trembling even more than before to the point where he lost his balance. His friends finally snapped out of it and rose to support him before he could fall over.
Earlier, back in New York…
When we encounter a time where life flows at a settled pace like an undisturbed river, it is easy to see what is up ahead…
We may even try to predict certain things with a surety whether based upon past experiences or just how things appear at the moment, that we will be right no matter what…
We believe that our perspective is correct and that our assumptions hold value…
Something was off…
Call it her intuition but as she sat at the little round table near the back corner of what James had told her was his favorite restaurant, Charlotte couldn't help shifting uncomfortably in her seat as her eyes kept wandering back towards the door entrance every time somebody new walked in.
This was supposed to be a reassurance lunch, where James and herself regrouped and set about a new plan for taking down "Dr. Dirty" as she so called him in her head.
However, she was feeling anything but reassured…
He was now 47 minutes late and counting, and thinking about it, he'd been acting paranoid yesterday, deleting her number from his phone and his from hers. He'd said it was safer that way since the doctor knew they were now working together. He'd then told her he'd explain properly at lunch tomorrow but that he needed a little time.
Time for what, she foolishly hadn't asked…
He had seemed so confident, so assured…so resolved, his usual confliction and anger having diminished from his composure, that she had felt able to trust him to his own devices.
Thinking about it now though, it was almost as though he had accepted…
"Excuse me, are you Charlotte Clarke?" A young waiter with scruffy black hair and bright green speckled eyes asked, interrupting Charlotte from her worrying thoughts only to inadvertently remind her of how beautiful James's forest green eyes had looked up close when their faces were but inches apart after the hungry kiss he had stolen from her lips. She'd been equally mesmerized and pained gazing into them. A person's eyes were the windows to their soul, as the saying so went, and James' dark eyes had held such pain and confusion in them.
"Y-yes." Charlotte answered, noting the unsteadiness in her own voice, as she looked apprehensively at this waiter who then reached into his pocket and pulled out a small white envelope, handing it to her before simply walking away. Charlotte Clarke stared at it for a long while, this little white envelope with not even her name written on the front.
But assumptions are never absolute…
She stared at it as her chest began to tighten and her body grew weak.
She wasn't naïve.
She knew what this was but she was stupid, for she had stared deep into his eyes but had not seen just how buried his soul had become under the rubble of all his festering pain and anger.
And when we turn out to be wrong, control slips through our grasp…
Remembering her own feelings of similar pain and experience many years ago, that ended up with her nearly losing her balance in heels on the edge of a building, she put two and two together and suddenly felt the sensation of her eyes stinging…burning…
Leaving us helpless…
"…I'm sorry James…" Charlotte found herself whispering aloud over the painful lump that had formed in her throat. Her hands shook as she pulled out the letter from the envelope trying to hold back the hot silent tears she felt threatening to slide down her now paled cheeks as her frantic eyes scanned the page, her eyes settled on the first three words he had written on the paper:I'm sorry Charlotte.
…And at a loss for what to do next…
Back in the warehouse basement…
Though it were only mere minutes, it felt like hours from the moment Nolan barely noticed his best friends practically dragging him away into another corridor of the basement, supporting his every move, baring his weight with their arms since he felt like he suddenly forgot how to walk or even how to breathe for that matter. But his mind was churning perfectly.
Especially when it came to a certain mental image…
A dark cladded, battered appearance of a man trundling ever so stealthily in a wheelchair, the glimmering rim of the wheels catching the corner of his eye before he heard the demonic chortle of his tone and the flickering of a trigger.
It all happened so fast…
All he could remember was whipping his head around to see his Sensei and her husband, his two best friends, his family trapped in the range of sudden death; for them and their unborn child…
For his niece and or nephew…
Hell no.
Not on his watch.
Before he could even blink, he desperately shouted for his sensei sister, but it wasn't as if it would help anything.
Her "deer-caught-in-headlights" frozen state as Jack desperately dived over her affirmed that there was nothing she could do…
But he could.
The next thing he knew, the 357 magnum he acquired was not only drawn and ready, but fired with a protective vengeance. And then, all he could see was the wheelchair rolling back slowly, hitting one of the crates, knocking it over as it left a faint trail of red originating from the unmoving body surrounded in blood.
Nothing but blood…
His friends were safe…
His family was safe…
His niece and or nephew was safe…
But along with that comforting fact came one that was not so comforting…
The all great, intelligent, and quirky Nolan Ross had just committed murder…
To say that it was a hard pill for him to swallow would be nothing short of a cruel underestimation.
Amanda leaned against the wall, watching her best friend as her husband stood next to her with folded arms, keeping his eye on both.
Still very aware of the imminent danger they were all in, and hating the silence of the moment along with observing the broken state of her best friend whom she loved like a brother, Amanda sighed and softly muttered, "…Nolan…Are you-"
"-Don't." Jack interrupted his wife gently while slightly holding up his hand, shaking his head, the normal brightness of his blue eyes, now dulled and hazed over. "Don't ask if he's okay…He's…unfortunately not going to be…at least for a while…"
Amanda gave a look of understanding before shaking her head slightly and looking down, letting out a shaky sigh. As much as she understood the feelings of guilt, pain, loss, and inflicting damage, she couldn't truly say that she understood the trauma and severity that Nolan was going through right now...
But her husband understood perfectly.
She could only look on as Jack carefully bent down to Nolan's curled up position on the ground as he continued to stare into nothing.
"Nolan…I know how hard this is to grasp right now. I've been where you've been before, you know that. I…I wish I could promise that it'd get better or get easier but I can't. I can say that it will become manageable with time…But until then…and as much as this pains me to ask since I know this is hell for you right now, but we need to still get out of here. We really need you right now… "Jack treaded carefully.
Logically, Nolan understood and agreed with Jack's point of view of still needing to get out of danger and took heed to his plead to somehow suck it up and put the trauma on the back burner until later. He especially appreciated that he knew where he was coming from by experience. But the trauma was too much to bear, and his emotional state was a wreck.
He couldn't make a move if he tried.
"I-I killed someone…" Nolan muttered.
"It was warranted. Self-defense!" Amanda corrected firmly, unable to stay silent any longer. "Becker was going to kill us and if you didn't get to him first then- "Amanda paused, looking away painfully, imagining the worst-case scenario before bending down to hug Nolan gently, whispering tearfully.
"…He would have killed us all…You, me, Jack…our baby, your niece and or nephew…" She looked him straight in his eyes, cupping his face with her hands, desperate to make him understand as tears streamed down both of their faces. "You saved our lives Nolan…Don't you ever regret that."
Nolan looked into Amanda's glittering yet burning brown eyes; seeing nothing but raw emotion that confirmed the truth of her statement. He looked over his shoulder at Jack who nodded firmly, his gratitude towards him setting off a spark that brought color to his dulled blue eyes. After a moment of silence, he finally nodded wordlessly, looking back at his sensei sister before his pained expression hardened with newfound determination.
"Let's go."
He still felt the pain of it all.
It was still there.
He knew that, unfortunately, it wasn't going to be going away anytime soon.
But that's what distractions in life were for right?
So, steeling his expression, Nolan ignored the numbness and tingling of his legs, stood up, and walked towards another part of the basement, nodding his head for his friends to follow him. Amanda wanted to frown, crestfallen at the sight of her best friend, knowing that usually this would be the moment where he'd throw in a light-hearted joke or quip about "blowing this serpent crazed battlefield" as he mentioned earlier, but she knew she shouldn't be surprised at Nolan's dispirited aura.
Things were never going to be the same.
But the determination to keep them safe was clear in his ocean colored eyes and he was willing to push on for the team. Seeing the reluctance in Amanda's eyes as her husband helped her to her feet, Nolan managed to crack a very faint yet sincere smile as reassurance.
A sign that he hadn't fully lost himself in the despair.
Well, at least it was better than nothing.
The explosive continued to countdown…
Nolan and Jack focused on getting in touch with Javier, their phone signals weak yet still managing to pull through with the app he and Javier set up years ago. While Nolan kept trying to get a clear signal, Jack focused on trying to keep track of the time that had passed as the explosive continued to tick.
Meanwhile, not too far away from them, Amanda shifted uncomfortably as she sat near one of the wooden crates, eventually deciding that she needed to walk around a bit. She ended up wandering off on her own while they were distracted. She wanted to walk around the corridor to survey the area and see if there was another way they could all escape through the inconveniently positioned window that would lead to their freedom; but instead, found herself on the other side of the wall secluded, desperate to find the right facility to answer nature's imminent call that would not be denied and tempted her to make use of the empty water bottle she had in her backpack if she didn't do something soon. Luckily, she found a restroom that was conveniently down the hall and sighed as she relieved herself, only to suck in a sharp hiss of pain. Her breath patterns grew haste as she tied to control the painful sensations that suddenly panged her body, but to no avail.
A sickening, soul wrenching feeling threatened to strike her heart of what that pain could possibly mean, but she fought hard to push it down, figuring that it was just her not used to the cramping pain that came with uterus expansion in the beginning stages of pregnancy. Finishing up, she made it back to the others and found her husband next to Nolan, a contemplative and reluctant look on his face. Before she could ask if he was alright, she heard him sigh before he steeled himself and looked at Nolan.
"Nolan…I'm sorry to ask this, but…I have to know. Where did you get the gun?"
"Jack!" Amanda scolded, knowing that now was not the time to bring up any unpleasant moments for Nolan.
"I-it's okay, Ams. It's…it's best if you know anyways…" Nolan replied solemnly before turning to face his friends. He took a deep breath before explaining everything.
Flashback to 20 minutes earlier…
"Let's go…" Amanda mumbled, sniffling as she shot her lifeless friend one last look, before she would move forwards again, without turning back.
Her husband followed her without question, clearly dismayed as he caught up to her and wrapped his uninjured arm around her shoulder, trying to offer some comfort. Nolan gave the beautiful yet broken, fallen woman one last look of remorse before turning to trail behind his friends when suddenly…
"R-Ross…"
Nolan froze in his tracks for a moment before he thought that his mind was playing a cruel and ironic game. He shrugged off the raspy whisper he thought he'd just heard and started walking once more.
"R-Ross!"
Nolan quickly turned around to see the bleeding woman struggle with another coughing fit, her pale hand stretched out as far as she could manage towards his direction. He knew his mind wasn't playing games for sure now and ran towards Grace, dropping down to her level.
"A-about t-time T-T-Tech…G-geek! I-I was trying…to get your…attention…Listen…c-carefully...I-"
Nolan held back the urge to roll his eyes at her faint yet obvious snarky tone and instead winced as she coughed up more blood. He knew that whatever she had to say was urgent, and something that apparently had to do with him but he was unsure of whether the message would be delivered as death seemed ready to claim the woman at any time.
With great struggle and determination, the woman shakenly pointed to her 357 magnum that laid discarded a few feet from her. "M-my gun."
Nolan figured out her charade gesture and reluctantly picked up the gun that had some of her blood splashed on it.
"T-take it." She grunted out.
Nolan looked at her as if she had two heads. Before he could protest, she continued.
"P-protect them. Y-you h-have to p-protect Amy." She almost pleaded.
Nolan shook his head slightly. "I will always have Ams and Jack's back. You can count on that. They're my family…But I've never been much for firepower and I'm more so a weapons of mind destruction and intellect type of guy, so I don't need- "
"-You…don't…have a choice. B-Becker..." She rasped out, only to see Nolan's eyes grow wide and his skin pale at the name.
"W-what about him? You…I assumed…WE assumed that…y-you completed your revenge and that he's snake chow right now!" Nolan nearly fired back, scared of what Grace had to say as she managed to shake her head.
"I told you…I-I didn't…g-go through with it. D-Dylan…is d-dead. B-but I didn't c-cause it. D-Devin…let him die…while he put…his backup plan…into m-motion. He…he got away. I-t-tried-to f-find h-him, but I s-sucked at h-hide and s-seek. The bastard f-found me f-f-first…"
"…Are you saying…that-he's…he's still- "
"-At large…a-and in charge..." Roxanne grunted out before turning her glazed eyes towards Nolan seriously. "He will kill you…all of you…unless…you…" She trailed off, looking back towards the gun.
Nolan, now terrified, looked at the gun in his trembling hands and shook his head. "B-but I-I've never…k-killed…"
"-You…wanna…p-protect your friends? The…baby?" She rasped. She didn't have to look at him to see him nod with determination, his silence was answer enough, so she continued. "Then…y-you gotta make a choice…And quick…"
Hearing her breathing patterns grow shorter and shorter, Nolan frowned with empathy at the woman, before quickly feeling around in his pocket for something before he pulled out what he was looking for and placed it in front of Grace.
"W-what's that?" She rasped.
"A red sharpie and picture of your sworn, mortal enemies. I…kind of printed it out earlier when I was trying to bait you all with a false lead in the hopes of having the satisfaction to cross the bastards out after a victory dance, but things didn't go as planned…Besides…this was your revengenda anyways. That honor belongs to you and you alone. So, here…"
Nolan carefully uncapped the red marker and placed it in the woman's hand, guiding her fingers with his as they put a giant "X" mark over the photo of all the collaborated members of the Black Mamba Organization. She knew about the feeling of gratification the action would bring since she secretly admired the work of the notorious Emily Thorne at the time and always wished to be the one to cross out her own enemies off her list, so the fact that Nolan selflessly helped her achieve that minor desire, brought a smile to her pale face…
For the first time in what seemed like ages, she finally felt like she was more than just a shadow…
Growing weaker, she then reached out a shaking hand to touch his face, looking at him seriously.
"P-protect them…Ross. Y-you…m-must…protect…" She trailed off as her hand grew limp and fell from his face.
Nolan wiped a tear away as he studied the gun in his trembling hands once more.
End Flashback.
"…So…it was Grace…" Jack stated softly, frowning when he saw his wife look down in despair while wiping a tear that escaped her eye in silence.
Nolan nodded before coming closer to Amanda. "If it helps…I changed my mind…I shared my sharpie with her after all…Sharing is caring, right?"
Amanda cracked a wistful smile at him in appreciation. Before she could say anything, they all heard a "ping" sound before Nolan fished out the phones, his eyes growing wide as he paced around, texting rapidly.
"Nolan, what is it?" Jack asked curiously only to be shushed by Nolan as he continued to type, a smile widening on his face.
"I-it's Javier! I just heard from him! He says they're on their way to us now!"
"Seriously?!" Jack nearly shouted in excitement. His wife was going to join in before a thought struck her and her eyes widened in horror.
"Wait they're coming themselves?!" Amanda asked, her worry not subsiding.
"According to the text message." Nolan replied, not taking his eyes off the phones. "Isn't that great new- "
"-NO! No, it's not! If they come here, they'll be in danger too! Ask them if they sent any help! Police, the bomb squad, a locksmith, something!" Amanda demanded, not wanting to bear the thought of anymore of her friends facing any danger.
"Uh…problem with that…According to the message he just sent, they'll be here in a few moments…" Nolan gulped.
Amanda and Jack swore loudly. "Well, where are they now?!" Jack asked.
Before Nolan could say anything, they suddenly heard a loud vehicle engine revving up before hearing a large "booming" and "crashing" sound from afar off. They then heard familiar shouting and groaning sounds that were no doubt coming from their friends.
"Dude, I can NOT believe we survived that! Movies always made it look so easy, but hell no! Louise what the hell?! You literally almost got us killed woman! Who taught you how to drive?! LIKE SERIOUSLY RIGHT NOW?! WHAT THE FU-?!"
"-Louise! Take it easy! You shouldn't move so fast after that! You're limping, you probably broke something!"
"Ya'll don't worry 'bout me, I told you I'm fine! Help me look for-oh no…Oh good lord, it looks like the American Civil War part 2 mixed with both World Wars in here! Oh, my god w-what if they- "
Nolan, Jack, and Amanda wasted no time in rushing towards the emergency exit to where the stairway was, not caring that the exit was sealed shut by the metal door as they pounded on it desperately, shouting for them. The three of them then heard multiple footsteps coming down the stairs till their voices were louder, closer, confirming that it was indeed Javier Salgado, Louise Ellis, and Johnathan Doe.
"Ya'll hear that?! I think that might be them!"
"It could be a trap! Everyone stay behind me! I got the most tactical experience out of you both. We don't know what's on the other side."
"It could be them though, man! NOLAN?! IS THAT YOU?!"
"YEAH IT'S US! WE ARE ALL HERE! BUT WE'RE TRAPPED!" Nolan shouted from the other side of the metal door, not caring that his voice was rawer than usual.
"THEY SEALED OFF ALL THE EXITS, FIRE ESCAPES INCLUDED! PLEASE TELL US THAT YOU BROUGHT REEINFORCEMENTS TO GET US OUT OF HERE!" Jack shouted along with him.
They heard Javier cursed loudly.
"Maldición! I knew I should have kept trying to get through! I tried everything, but these guys are dirty! They kept blocking my attempts and advances, I thought you would have gotten through by now Nolan, you're better than me, admittedly in this case when it comes to stuff like this!"
Nolan then cursed himself for being so focused on trying to get through to the others that he didn't properly take out the cyber blockage and threats of getting actual necessary help. Jack looked down, knowing that he was part of the reason that Nolan got distracted when they were trying to override Becker's security system earlier. Amanda then took the reins over the conversation.
"WE…GOT DISTRACTED…BUT LOOK, THERE'S NOTHING WE CAN DO ABOUT IT. WE'RE ON OUR OWN FOR RIGHT NOW. WE JUST NEED TO FIND A WAY TO GET OUT OF HERE AND FAST! THE BECKER BROTHERS ARE NOT A THREAT ANYMORE, BUT ONE OF THEM SET UP A BOMB! THIS PLACE IS WIRED TO EXPLODE IN LESS THAN 20 MINUTES NOW!" She shouted.
"A BOMB?! OH SHI-!"
"I'm on it!" John shouted back firmly, interrupting Javier's outburst. A few terrorizing minutes passed over before he shouted at them again. "ALRIGHT EVERYONE BACK UP AWAY FROM THE DOOR AS FAR AS POSSIBLE!"
Nolan and the others complied without hesitation, Jack holding Amanda back as they stood afar off from the door and suddenly watched it crumble with a loud "BOOM"!
Before John, Javier, and Louise could happily reunite and greet their friends, they nearly got ran over as Nolan, Jack, and Amanda rushed past them, up the stairs, and onto the main floors, urging them to hurry up as they ran through the now crumbled brick wall that had a damaged, large-sized black van in the middle of it that made an opening to the outside. They searched frantically to find a working vehicle to escape in and get as far away as possible from the impending explosion, only for John to point out one of the discarded company vehicles in the warehouse's garage. They piled in and took off, burning rubber at neck-breaking speed as they raced against the invisible clock, not looking back, save for Amanda Porter as the gruesome image of the warehouse's sudden fiery combustion reflected in her jaded chestnut colored eyes.
Not looking away from the scene, she reached into her jacket pocket and clenched a certain bracelet in her hand ever so tightly, whispering.
"Goodbye Grace…"
Back in New York at Charlotte's Condominium…
Exhausted and discouraged, Charlotte dropped her bags on the floor, kicked off her heels, and collapsed on her living room couch; a slew of thoughts rushing through her mind that tempted her to reach into the cabinet and kill a bottle of whatever would be strong enough to relieve her of the pain and discomfort that was attacking her psyche. Knowing the consequences of how that'd only make her situation worse, however, she decided against it and instead looked up at the ceiling, staring into nothing, as she reflected on all the events that had happened…
Including the contents of James' letter…
It didn't take a rocket scientist to know what had happened…
What he had done…
She felt her heart break from the moment she read, "By the time you read this, I'll already be gone for good. Maybe damned, maybe relieved, but either way, free from this situation, from this life of suffering."
She remembered how her eyes scanned through the letter, feeling her heart break at each sentence explaining how he couldn't take it anymore, how he just wanted an "out". It only confirmed her earlier suspicions on what she picked up…
What she'd sensed all along, knowing what it was from experience and even worse…How she couldn't save him…
She detested that familiar feeling of helplessness as it overtook her…
She barely remembered the other sentences he wrote regarding his remorse and wishes of how he could say goodbye to his family and loved ones and people who impacted his life in a positive way in whatever moments of his life that he considered to be a bright side…
She felt her heart shatter even more when he talked about her…
How she was a beautiful soul despite everything she had been through in life…
How she was the hope he wished he could have had…
The inspiration of strength he wished he could have obtained through it all…
But to no avail…
He thanked her heartfully in the letter. For her time, her compassion, her wit, and her efforts…
But the decision was made nonetheless.
The last thing that she remembered as the numbness of yet another loss in her life consumed her were the peculiar yet urgent pleads and requests that were more like instructions that he gave her at the end…
"Perhaps you understand why I had to do this, or maybe not. Maybe even you hate my guts now…That's understandable, I guess. It's selfish of me to ask this on top of everything else, but I'm begging you, for your safety and for the safety of your family and mine, I need you to burn this letter into ashes and scatter them as soon as you finish it…You'll understand why later. I'm sorry…And once again, thank you…for everything…for being the last beautiful hope that I didn't know existed. I meant what I said. You will go far in life Charlotte Clarke. You are strong, beautiful, fearless…And maybe you were right about everything…Either way, it'll all be over…"
Having a moment where her anger towards his selfish actions took over, she found herself doing exactly what he requested when she made it back home to her place. She lit one of her candles and held the note over it; watching the flimsy notebook paper melt into black; disintegrating into the flame; perishing out of existence like the writer himself…
But what Charlotte didn't know, was the severity of the situation…
Hearing her phone chime, she nearly jumped, heart pounding at the sudden disturbance of her thoughts as she retrieved her phone from her purse and swiped to answer after seeing that it was Stevie Grayson.
"H-hello? Stevie?" Charlotte answered, trying to keep the tremor out of her voice.
"Oh, thank god, there you are! Charlotte Clarke, where the hell have you been?! I've been texting and trying to get in contact with you for the past few hours now!" Stevie scolded, her voice sounding all but pleased and a slight bit concerned.
"I…I just got back from…a business trip…" Charlotte replied tiredly as she struggled to find the right words.
"What kind of business? Exactly?"
"N-nothing too major, just…"
"Would it have anything to do with what we talked about earlier in the week regarding Amanda's medical records?" Stevie asked, her prosecution tone already coming into play.
"I- "
"-Because I just received a call from a colleague of mine who works in the medical law firm department and she contacted me saying that I needed to get in touch with Amanda right away regarding the strong possibility of her files being falsified and how they just found out this information during an ongoing murder investigation of some physician who was one of the ones who supervised her operation during the shooting and-"
"-WHAT?!" Charlotte interrupted, horrified at Stevie's last words. "R-repeat that?! D-did you just say Dr.-I-m-mean one of the doctors that helped Amanda was- "
"-Murdered apparently, yes. They're still investigating the details, it should be on the news. According to what it's saying, I guess one of his disgruntled patients who was aware of his malpractice and was affected by it had a grudge against him to the point where he shot him in cold blood and then turned the gun on himself afterwards. 'Just another example of why I said revenge was pointless and- "Stevie paused her rant when she heard a choking hiccup over the line. "Charlotte? Sweetie are you alright? What's wrong?"
"I-I-" Before Charlotte could explain further, her vision blurred by her tears as realization struck her left and right, she heard a knock at her door.
She could only guess who it could be…
"Charlotte? What's going on?" Stevie asked, worry clear in her tone.
"I-I'll call you back." Charlotte managed to say before abruptly hanging up the phone, rushing to the bathroom to fix her obvious frazzled appearance and maintaining it enough to where it wouldn't cause suspicion before rushing back to answer the door. She wished she could say that she was surprised to see that it was one of the Hamptons' finest detectives that was there to ask her a couple of questions about the event Dr. Galtz had days ago, and about her whereabouts at the supposed time of his murder, but then she'd only be lying…
Back in Las Vegas somewhere on a distant highway…
Using some extra equipment and technology Javier brought along, he and Nolan quickly worked together to form a virus to counterattack the remaining blockage of reaching the higher up authorities and contacted them regarding information on the corrupted organization. Needless to say, everyone in the group were not surprised to hear multiple sirens heading towards the burning spectacle that was further down the road.
As they continued down the highway, Javier Salgado shook his head as Nolan told him everything that he and his friends went through and the truth of the Black Mamba Organization. "Man, I can't believe you actually survived all that man. That had to have been hell! But I shouldn't be surprised. Only you could have held out for so long tinkering with the right phony codes to create false leads. Guess I was lucky to still keep my old number when Amanda contacted me to come in."
"It was hell. But we're the lucky ones that you were crazy enough to come and find us yourselves!" Nolan replied, holding an icepack to his severely bruised eye.
In the back seat, Jack turned to look at his wife and frowned at the expression of discomfort on her face as she rubbed her hand over her stomach.
"Hey…are you okay?" He asked gently, putting a hand on top of hers. She stayed silent as she took a deep breath, but turned to face him and nodded, giving a little smile.
That little gesture would have made him feel relief, if he didn't recognize that it was a forced smile…
He scooted closer to his wife and wrapped an arm around her in comfort once more, knowing that she needed it right now; drowning out the conversation that was going on in the front seat.
"We all got lucky. These guys weren't messing around like you said Nolan. They were probably on the verge of an all-out terrorism from the looks of it since they were seriously loaded with different explosives in the back of the truck we stole. I mean they had IEDs for days bro! I was fortunate enough to snag some to blow open that metal door or else all of our gooses would have been fried…" John explained seriously.
Nolan nodded before raising his eyebrow. "How the hell did you manage to get to us so fast anyways?"
"That credit goes to Louise, and her hella fast private jet. But she was a wreck man. I mean she wouldn't sit still throughout this whole crisis, I thought mamacita here was gonna' get violent for a minute if we didn't find you!" Javier joked.
John wanted to retort that she did get violent, but decided against it since his ear was still throbbing. He just shook his head, keeping his eyes focused on the road as he continued to drive.
"Oh, ya'll hush! I told you that there was nothin' I wouldn't do for him! After everything we've been through together I had to do something! He's my…" Louise paused before recovering, ignoring the burning sensation of her cheeks as she managed to silence what she truly wanted to say. "M-my family…and we gotta stick together after all."
"I knew you'd come through for me, Wonder-twin!" Nolan replied happily with a smile, reaching over to hug her, but frowning as she winced. "But…are you alright? You-you look like you've been through a lot yourself and for the record, Lou-Lou, crashing a truck through a brick wall at high speed, doesn't exactly leave you unscathed like it does in the 'A-Team'. We probably should get that checked out…"
Louise tried to wave him off before yelping at the pain that struck her at his gentle touch and the throbbing that was spreading throughout her body now that her adrenaline waned. "I'm fine! I just-OW!"
"-Need to see a doctor ASAP?" Nolan offered with a smirk, knowing that he had proved his point as he handed her his ice pack.
"Damn it! No! I just - "She paused, her stubbornness dwindling as she took the ice pack from his hand and gazed into his striking blue eyes seriously, putting a hand to his scarred cheek, comforted by the tangibility of his warm skin that confirmed he was actually next to her. "I'm just glad you're alright…I was so scared Nolan…" She whispered, choking up.
Nolan put a hand on top of the one that was still cupping his cheek and smiled gently. "Well, I wouldn't have been if it weren't for you having my back…Thank you, Louise. Really. I mean it."
Louise didn't know if all the emotion and excitement from earlier was getting to her, if it was nerves, or was just almost her time of the month, but drowning in the pools of Nolan's piercing yet darkened azure eyes and feeling the warm breath of his forced yet sincere light-hearted chuckle hit her blushed cheeks, she could only mutter under her breath before her actions took over.
"Dagnabbit all…"
Before Nolan could question her, he was almost knocked back by the force of Louise's lips crushing his, bruising them worse than they already were, yet soothing them with the softness of her tongue before he heard her gasp as she broke away from him almost violently, a rush of cold air brushing his lips as a result from the lack of warmth that was just there.
Louise didn't have to turn around. She knew the sudden silence only meant that all eyes were on them.
"Oh, sweet bejeebers…" She muttered timidly as she slapped her hands to her cheeks, completely mortified by what she had just done. She dared to look up at Nolan who only seemed frozen as he stared at her, wide-eyed, non-blinking, his breathing pattern just now returning to normal.
"Well, that just happened." Javier managed, not looking away from the drama, still in shock at Louise's bold gesture.
Louise ran a hand through her tangled red curls, scrambling to find the right words to say instead of gaping like a fish out of water. "N-Nolan I…I'm so sorry I-I mean…I-I-I can explain!"
The awkward, silence tension was broken by a sudden loud, agonized wail.
"Amanda?!" Jack immediately leaned over his wife who was now curled into a fetal position in her seat, clenching her stomach tightly with shaking hands, breathing rapidly. "Are you alright?! What's wrong?!"
"I-it hurts…IT HURTS!" were the words she barely managed to grunt out in broken whimpers as she howled in pain once more.
Jack tried desperately to soothe his wife. "It's okay, Honey I'm here! J-just breathe in and out slowly and oh, god…" Jack cut his sentence short, cursing under his breath, running a hand through his matted hair in distress before looking at Nolan and the others. "We-we need to get her to a hospital!"
He turned back to his wife. "Amanda, can you-Amanda? AMANDA?!"
He was horrified to hear her let out another near shriek of pain before he watched her fall limp over his lap; her abdomen pains reaching a higher level and taking its toll on her body, rendering her unconscious. He wasted no time in shouting. "GET US TO A HOSPITAL NOW!"
"J-Jack just calm down. We're on our way now! I'm sure she's gonna be alright! L-let me see if I have somethin' to help in the meantime." Louise frantically tried to dig around in her purse for medication.
Nolan shook his head. "N-no. W-we need to hurry and get to a hospital. She-"
"-has stomach pains I know! I thought I brought my Ibuprofen…Or maybe, good lord where's my damn Pepto-Bismol when I need it! Or is she having an ulcer?!" Louise waved him off as she tried to figure out Amanda's symptoms only for Nolan to grasp her shoulders firmly, a grave look on his face as he made her look at him.
"Louise. Amanda's pregnant."
At those words, Louise's eyes widened in complete and utter terror as she froze; first in shock, ready to protest since she knew about Amanda's unfortunate infertile condition, but then in horror as she realized that he was serious and what her stomach pains could possibly mean from her experience of taking care of different family members and pregnant friends from the different facilities she was placed in years back.
"Oh, my god…" She whispered as if in a trance over and over before she scuffled to undo her seatbelt and leaned over Javier in the passenger seat with a sense of pure urgency and seriousness in her tone.
"John. Step on it. We need to get her there. Now."
Back at Charlotte's Condominium…
Charlotte lost track of time for how long she had been staring at the ceiling once more. Thanks to James taking every action to practically erase himself from her life and leave her out of his involvement with the murder she had no idea he planned to commit all that time, her chat with the detectives didn't last long at all and was so painfully simple.
There was no need for crafty lies on her part, just intelligible truths that just so happened to not be the entire facts that they needed to know...
When asked about Dr. Galtz' event she attended, she simply informed them of her purpose there to show support for a cause they believed in together and found it interesting and ironic that it was the very same physician who just so happened to have a hand in her sister's operations in the past.
When asked if she knew anything about a James Davis, it wasn't hard to mention his previous, athletic reputation of being one of the best former bicyclists she maybe saw once or twice in a sports magazine.
When asked about her roughed up appearance and cut on her forehead, she said that it was due to a rather nasty fall.
Finally, when asked about her whereabouts at the time of the doctor's death, all she had to do was conveniently mention the young, brown haired waiter and couple of other bystanders who served as reliable alibies at the time the murder was taking place, keeping her in the clear.
The interview was quick, and she was off the hook easy.
No one knew the true answer, but her.
That's what made it painful…But only on the inside…
So, before she knew it, she was lying face-up on her couch again, recollecting her thoughts, losing track of time as a few hours came and went, trying to tough it out and hold back a very needed crying session that would have maybe helped some of the bitterness subside.
But she felt too numb to shed anymore tears; too tired.
One thing she knew for sure, she never wanted to hear the words "revenge" again. But at the same time, she couldn't say it was a lost cause. The doctor was exposed, and most likely her goal of shedding the true light on her sister's medical records was achieved.
She just wondered how exactly she was going to confront her sister about it…
Maybe an attempt of getting a goodnight's sleep was just what she needed.
Before she could force herself to move off the couch and into her bed, she nearly growled as her phone chimed once more, this time with a more 'light-hearted' ringtone before she saw the caller ID and immediately answered it, her heart stopping as she heard sniffling and crying on the other line.
"A-Aunt Charlotte?" The small voice sniffed.
"Carl?! Sweetie are you alright? What's wrong?" Charlotte, now fully alert, sat upright on the couch, her nurturing instincts taking over her numbing grief.
"I-I was wondering if y-you've h-heard from my dad or mom?"
"I'm sorry Buddy, I haven't lately. I was just getting ready to call them though. Why? Did something happen?" Charlotte tried to keep the worry out of her voice, but failed.
"I-I don't know! I tried calling them over and over, b-but they won't pick up! And d-dad told me h-he'd have his phone on him always if I needed him, but h-he's not there! I tried to keep in touch since I'm still camping with Joey, but h-he won't answer! I tried for a long time and nothing! A-and then, Joey and I were watching TV and th-they were on the news with Uncle Nolan! Something bad happened! It said that they were kidnapped in a building, but the building just exploded!"
"What?!" Charlotte nearly shouted with her voice cracking, reaching for the television remote and turning it on to see the horrifying breaking news story of some warehouse in Las Vegas crumbling into burning ashes as law enforcement everywhere surrounded the area and talked about the now exposed dangerous exclusive terrorist group called the" Black Mamba Organization", and the woman known as Grace Adams who mysteriously disappeared during the Adams family massacre back in the day, and was now apparently deceased, who was exposing all of their hidden agendas via a recording that she made. As the news continued to show clips of her, her pursuit of tainted justice, and the intel she acquired, the story went further in depth of how the ruthless organization targeted the well-known billionaire genius, Nolan Ross and his friends.
Charlotte's eyes then widened in fear as images of Nolan Ross and Jack and Amanda Porter flashed across the screen along with the words "victims" and "held hostage".
"Oh, my god…" Charlotte whispered tearfully as she put a hand to her mouth before realizing that her reaction wasn't helping ease her 9-year-old nephew's worries as she heard him let out another whimper. It was obvious that he was trying to be strong and not cry, but he couldn't hold back his sob as he heard his Aunt's reaction. Charlotte then fought to stay calm for her nephew's sake.
"N-now, now Carl, don't cry. I-I'm sure they're alright…I'm watching the news too now and they're saying that they weren't in the building when it exploded. But it is saying that they made it to a hospital…" She sighed shakenly before continuing, "Listen, I'm-I'm going to find out what's going on and then I'll call you back. Don't worry. Okay? I'll find them."
"I wanna come too! C-can you come get me? I asked Joey's parents, but they said it'd be safer if I was with them right now. But I don't want to be here anymore! I just want my dad and mom! I need to know they're okay! Please…"
Charlotte's heart shattered from the desperation in his tone.
Screw the fact that she didn't know how far he was from her or what the trip would do to her gas mileage…
"D-don't you worry now Buddy; Auntie Charlotte is on her way! Let Joey's parents know. I'll come get you in no time so we can meet with your mom and dad at the hospital. It's all going to be alright, okay?"
"Kay…"
She heard her nephew sniff in response, obviously still worried but relieved that he had a hope of finding out what was going on.
After reassuring him once more, and gathering information about his whereabouts, Charlotte hung up, cursing under her breath as she rushed to grab her keys and phone, scheduling a flight and setting up her GPS at the same time, trying not to assume the worse outcome of the situation.
Especially seeing that her assumptions had led to nothing but disaster so far…
She could only hope…
Several hours later at a Hospital in Las Vegas…
As the automatic doors opened, Charlotte finally rushed through the hospital's main entrance with her nine-year-old nephew in tow as he held her hand out of comfort. She kept trying to give him smiles of reassurance while trying to hide her own weary expression, but it proved to be quite a daunting task. Seeing a familiar tall man, dressed sharply in a suit but with unkempt blonde hair and a woman next to him with curly red hair nearly falling asleep on his shoulder, Carl broke free from his Auntie's grasp and ran to hug them both.
"UNCLE NOLAN! AUNT LOUISE!"
The two adults nearly jumped in their seats, startled at the sound of their names before noticing the familiar face of their favorite adopted nephew looking distraught as he buried his face in Louise's dress, before turning his reddened eyes towards the man.
Nolan blinked, still trying to grasp he fact that his favorite nephew was physically in front of him right now. "Carl?! Buddy! Wh-what are you doing here? I thought you were camping with your friend and - "
"-M-my d-dad…and m-my mom…wh-where are they? H-have you seen them? I saw the news, are they okay? A-are they hurt?" Carl asked directly, swiping at his eyes, trying not to cry again.
"That's what I want to know too." Charlotte added in, walking up to the other three with folded arms, trying to keep her anger and worry in check since Carl was still on edge. Louise wasted no time in dropping to the little boy's level to reassure him.
"Oh Sugar, it's alright. Your mamma and daddy weren't in that building when it when it exploded. We were all long gone before then. They're alive." Louise soothed the boy, rubbing his shoulders softly.
"W-why haven't they been answering my calls then?" Carl asked with a frown, folding his arms.
Nolan's eyes grew wide in realization as he facepalmed and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, pulling out both Jack and Amanda's phones, knowing that Jack and his wife were most likely going to have his head on a platter for his negligence later. "Oh! My oopsie. I forgot I had your mom and dad's phones still on me. No wonder why my butt's been vibrating so much…That must have been you calling all that time. I'm so sorry about that buddy. It was my fault. Don't blame your parents…"
Charlotte nearly felt her eye twitch and was ready to blow a gasket. She would have shouted at Nolan if their nephew wasn't still present. But since he was, she continued to hold her peace watching the boy nod at him with instant forgiveness. "It's okay…but that still doesn't answer my question…Where's dad and mom? Are they okay? The bad people didn't hurt them, did they?"
"They're…I-I'm sure they're fine. The…bad people didn't hurt them too badly. Of course, not! You know how strong your mom and dad are. And besides, I was protecting them the entire time." Nolan winked, wanting to swallow the invisible lump in his throat as the memory of how true that statement was came into his mind.
"They're just in there with the doctor right now getting all their boo-boos patched up. But hey, don't you worry Sugar, you'll be able to go in there in just a little while. But hey, how's about you come with Auntie Lou-Lou so we can hit the cafeteria for some grub. You must be starvin' after such a long trip!" Louise cooed almost making Carl want to roll his eyes, but he found comfort in her nurturing speech so he cracked a little smile instead. As much as he wanted to protest and insist on seeing his dad and mom, he couldn't deny that he was a bit hungry after being on nothing but smores and snacks for a while.
He heard his stomach growling before looking back at his Aunt, nodding reluctantly, accepting her offer and trying to take comfort in the fact that his parents were alright. "Well…okay. As long as they'll be okay…and I guess I am a little hungry…"
"That's the spirit! Well come on then, let's get ya all fixed up and fed!" Louise ruffled his hair, brightening at the sight of Carl's smile as it grew wider. "Okay! Hey, I think they might have cake here! Can we get some cake Aunt Louise?"
"Why of course! You most certainly may Darlin'. I'll make sure we get the biggest hankering piece of cake they've got with all the fixin's. If your daddy and momma want to fuss about it, they can blame me later." Louise smiled bopping Carl's nose with her finger and giving him a wink.
"Alright!" Carl smiled and fist pumped with excitement, his earlier worries finally dissipating at the thought of having sweets as he walked ahead of his aunt, rushing to find the elevator to take them to the cafeteria. Louise wasted no time in catching up to him but not before looking over her shoulder at Nolan and Charlotte, giving them a wistful nod as she left them both alone.
"Okay. Kid-friendly version over. Tell me what's going on. Now." Charlotte glared.
"How about you start first. H-how'd you and Carl even get here? And what happened to you? You look like hell." Nolan retorted.
"I-I…fell…" Charlotte replied lamely, rolling her eyes at Nolan's raised eyebrow, a clear gesture demanding for an explanation before she moved a lock of her brunette hair out of her face and sat down in one of the chairs. "It's…been a trying week for me okay? Let's just leave it at that."
"Hm. For you and me both then…Hell, for all of us really." Nolan mumbled under his breath, sitting next to her.
"…Please tell me what happened Nolan? Is my sister alright? And Jack?" Charlotte pleaded, not liking the defeated and exhausted tone of her best friend. It was…so unlike his usual quirky character. It was obvious that he was tired, so she knew it had to have been bad. He certainly looked terrible, with his various bruises and scars contrasting drastically against his sharply dressed appearance.
"You've seen the news lately?" Nolan asked. Charlotte shook her head. "I have, but I want to hear your version of the events."
"Only if you go first. I know you must've been up to something big for the past few weeks. You texted multiple times for a favor and, oh. Sorry I couldn't get back to you on that. I was…a little tied up myself the past few weeks…In the literal sense of the word…" Nolan droned.
"Yeah. I gathered. Don't worry about it. Just tell me what happened. Please." Charlotte pleaded once more.
Before he could explain, a slew of paparazzi and press stormed in the hospital thrusting out questions, microphones, and flashing cameras in front of Nolan, speaking all at once, demanding for comments, statements, and explanations on the events of his kidnapping.
Rubbing his neck sheepishly as he looked at Charlotte, he pointed towards the eager crowd and shrugged, mumbling underneath his breath. "Uhm…Like I said, watch the news. As I have no choice but to be on it if I don't want these man-eating hungry savages they call 'the press' to eat me alive, spit out my bones, and report about it all in the good name of the First Amendment rights…Excuse me, please." Nolan got up and motioned the public to follow him.
"What? No, wait! Nolan!" Charlotte protested.
"Sorry Charlie! We'll talk later! Promise!" Nolan called back, luring the press out of the building, before security could show up.
Charlotte huffed in frustration before going outside.
She needed some air.
As she sat on one of the benches outside the main entrance, frustrated that she still didn't know what was going on with Amanda and about ready to just ask the nurses herself, she barely noticed a man standing near her, walking up to her slowly before calling out her name softly.
"Charlotte?"
She turned her head around and froze, not expecting to see someone who she hadn't talked to in years. "J-Javier? Is that you?"
"Y-Yeah! I-wow. It's been a while." He smiled, excited to see her again.
"It has." Charlotte simply nodded, her spirits lifted just a little bit at the memory of him, yet still feeling emotionally worn out to express her enthusiasm. "What are you doing here anyways?"
"I uh…I came here with Nolan and the others. I guess you've heard what happened?" Javier treaded carefully.
Charlotte huffed. "From what I could gather on the news. Not the full version. The press was kind of ready to crucify Nolan if he didn't give any type of statement, so he had to leave before he could tell me. Why? Do you know?"
"Not the whole details…but I did help with the rescue so, there's that, I guess." Javier shrugged awkwardly.
"You were involved? Oh, my god, are you okay?" Charlotte asked with concern as she walked closer to him, examining if he had any injuries. Javier held his hand up, smiling at her with reassurance. "I'm fine. No worries. It's more so your sister who we're all worried about right now she- "
He trailed off before his eyes widened with concern at Charlotte's appearance.
"Oh, my god. Are you okay? You're hurt!" He moved a lock of her hair out of her eye to examine the long cut on her forehead, but she grabbed his hand softly, shaking her head, preventing him from going any further, but not letting go at the same time ignoring the familiar flush of her cheeks at his gentle touch.
Now was certainly not the time…
Not after what she'd been through…
"I'm fine. I had a bad fall. But wait, what were you saying about my sister?" Charlotte frowned.
Before Javier could say anything, Nolan walked up to the bench where they were, straightening his tie. "Ya know, when ya use your imagination and pretend that the media world is nothing more than hungry puppies nipping at your heels for a good story to make a decent living, it's not so bad putting up with them, but when ya try to ignore them for a moment of peace or have to listen to them spin our comments out of proportion for the hell of it, that's when they're just nasty. I swear they're worse than a zombie apocalypse and- "Nolan froze midway in his rant when he saw Charlotte and Javier. "I'm…sorry am I interrupting somethi- "
"-No! Of course, not!" Charlotte exclaimed, snatching her hand away from Javier's and sitting back down. "I'm still waiting to hear about Amanda's status."
"And…I was just about to grab some coffee and saw Charlotte here and thought maybe she'd want some. Um…do you?" Javier asked awkwardly.
"Huh? Do I what?" Charlotte asked almost apprehensively.
"Want some coffee?" Javier asked.
"Oh…No. Thanks. I-I'm fine. Thanks." Charlotte gave a forced smile.
"Oh…ok. Well, I'm off then. See ya man, hope it all goes well." Javier said to Nolan, shaking his hand before smiling wistfully at Charlotte. "It was nice seeing you again, Char."
"You too." Charlotte replied politely with a nod.
"Maybe…we can hang out sometime? If you're not too busy, or whenever this blows over, not saying that this moment isn't important right now I mean- "Javier jumbled over his words.
"-Sure. I'd like that." Charlotte replied, eager for a healthier distraction from her hectic week that didn't include facing the bottle. And if she had to be honest, she'd missed his company over the years. Perhaps mending certain fences with a friend was just what she needed. Not now, but maybe for later.
"G-great. I think I still have your number so…I'll call you some time."
She nodded in response.
"…And Charlotte?"
She turned to him once more.
"Take care of yourself…" Javier said gently.
"Thank you…you do the same." She smiled, this time it was genuine.
Once Javier left and Nolan sat back down next to Charlotte, he managed to give her a quirky little smile. "Do I even want to know what that was about?"
"No." Charlotte replied shortly, low on patience as anxiety filled her once more. "Now for the last time, tell me what happened with Amanda or so help me-!"
"Charlie! Calm down! I- "Nolan tried to calm her down, but to no avail.
"Don't!" Charlotte hissed, whispering harshly. "Don't you dare tell me to calm down! You don't know what the hell I've been through this week! Finding letters from my mother that turned out to be a conspiracy against my sister regarding her past surgeries and digging deeper for the purpose of pursuing justice and finding someone to help me get it who I ended up caring about, only to completely turn on me in a revenge crazed war that resulted in a murder that I had no idea about but feel partly responsible for and can't do a damn thing about it!" Charlotte spat in one long breath, thankful to see that they were the only ones currently in the area.
"Wait a minute, whoa-whoa-whoa…You did what?!" Nolan exclaimed.
Charlotte ran a hand through her hair. "…I was at my father's cabin and I found some letters…from Victoria to some physician who oversaw Amanda's surgery back when she got shot on the boat…After digging deeper on what the letters said, I found out that it was a conspiracy against Amanda regarding her medical records and her…infertility status."
Nolan paled, trying to swallow the lump that formed in his throat as he listened.
"As it turns out…the records stated that she had a hysterectomy and I'm sure that Victoria said as much, knowing her." Charlotte glowered at the thought of her deceased mother's cruelty. "But as it turns out, that couldn't be further from the truth." Charlotte clenched her fists as she looked at Nolan seriously. "She lied to her, Nolan. And she bribed a physician to make it official. Victoria lied about Amanda's infertility."
"I know." Nolan said gravely.
Charlotte was taken aback. "Wh-what?! Wait a minute? Y-you know? What do ya mean, you know?!"
"We all do." He stated again in the same tone.
Before she could protest further, Nolan suggested that they go back to the Emergency Room to await the status of their friends. He walked on ahead of Charlotte, ignoring her demands on how he knew about Amanda's status, trying to hold his composure but failing miserably.
Once they made it to the Emergency Room hallway section of the hospital, close to Amanda's hospital room, Nolan knew he couldn't keep stalling any longer. Charlotte wasn't having it. As much as he wished he didn't have to be the bearer of bad news, Charlotte's insistent pleads and demands were taking its toll on him.
Depending on the severity, assumptions hold an incredible ability for destruction...
"Nolan! Damn it! What are you hiding from me?! You know something that I don't, don't you?! Is that it?! Please tell me! I-I can take it!" Charlotte pleaded desperately.
"No…I don't think you can. I know…b-because I can't right now." Nolan stated shakenly.
It can be as subtle as destroying the deepest of trusting relationships…
"What is it, Nolan? Please…She's my sister!" Charlotte whispered.
Nolan took a deep, shaky sigh before explaining. "Y-you're saying that you had a hectic time finding out the truth about Amanda's infertile condition, and the fact that Victoria lied about Amanda's maternal oven being broken, but all you did was bring further exposure to a fact that we already discovered."
"But that's just it…I kept the discovery under wraps the entire time, except when I tried explaining it to Amanda, but got interrupted, but either way, she's the only one who could have known or figured it out eventually. How did you guys find out about her condition?"
"She didn't know either. She only found out about the lie of her maternal oven being broken, because she had a bun in it for the past ten weeks…and counting…" Nolan explained softly, looking at Charlotte, waiting for her to put two and two together.
It didn't take long of course.
"W-what?!" She put her hands to her mouth in shock as she continued to whisper. "W-wait a minute…are you…are you saying that Amanda is…she's pregnant?" Her excitement and urge to squeal was growing as she felt newfound joy fill her to the brim only to dissipate as she watched Nolan sigh heavily.
"Hopefully…If that's still the case…" Nolan choked.
Charlotte's joy dissipated completely as anxiety replaced it once more.
"Wh-what do you mean…h-hopefully? N-Nolan?" Charlotte nearly shook him as his eyes filled with tears. "Nolan! Tell me! What's wrong with my sister and the baby?!"
"I-I-I don't know. That's just it…after everything that we've been through in those weeks and-and facing so many near death situations, I-I guess it took its toll on her and-and as we escaped the scene, her stomach started hurting…r-really, really badly."
Charlotte's eyes widened in horror.
"She…she was almost screaming…She-she was in so much pain…She eventually p-passed out from it all..."
"No…Oh my god, no…" Charlotte muttered tearfully, shaking her head as she put her hands to her mouth once more, recognizing what Nolan was trying to say, knowing from experience what it all meant. As Nolan shook his head, looking down, she noticed he stopped describing what Amanda went through.
She also noticed that he forgot to mention one, important little detail…
"W-was she bleeding?" Charlotte whispered shakenly.
"W-what?" Nolan turned to her.
"W-was she bleeding? Y-you mentioned that she had severe abdominal pains, b-but was there any blood?" Charlotte turned to look at him through tear-filled eyed that might have had shred of hope in them depending on what his answer would be.
"I-I-"
"Nolan! Was. She. Bleeding?!" Charlotte's voice rose desperately.
Nolan's eyes filled with tears once more. Before he could respond however, both parties watched the door to Amanda's hospital room swing open before they saw Jack Porter walk out as if he were in a trance, trudging slowly, not looking up.
Charlotte wasted no time in rushing to him, grabbing him in an embrace.
One that she noticed was not returned in the slightest…
"Jack! Oh, my god! I-I heard about everything! Are-are you alright?! How's Amanda a-and the baby?!" Charlotte sputtered as she watched Jack flinch at his wife's name, but when she mentioned the baby, she was horrified to see him shake his head as his shoulders shook suddenly, and his breaths grew heavier as a hiccupping sob escaped his lips, before the dam broke completely as he crumbled to his knees crying heavily, seemingly almost bitterly in front of them.
Charlotte knelt next to him, shaking her head as she realized what'd just happened…
…What it all meant…
Before she knew it, she ended up wailing next to him, apologizing over and over as she held him tightly and cried.
Nolan shook his head, finally letting the tears fall as a sob escaped his lips as well. His heart breaking for his best friends as he joined the two on the cold floor, adding his own grief into the mix.
…Or even prove to be life threatening…
To be continued.