OMG QUICK UPDATE! I know I was bored and had a day off from work with like no ambition to do anything but listen to music. So I opened my office files on my computer and this came out. Please R&R
Vaughn P,O,V,
I was surrounded by darkness and faint images of the people on the island flew past my mind. I don't know how this lasted then the nightmares started. I lost count of how many time I watched that man hurt Chelsea. How many time he beat Mark. And it was all my fault because I opened my mouth in the valley to my good friend. IF I kept my mouth shut she wouldn't have been hurt. If I didn't let her get under my skin I wouldn't have fallen for her. It is all my fault for letting her get close to me, for letting my walls down.
It was shortly after my guilt settled in that light entered my eyes for the first time. I blink and looked about only to see a white curtain blocking my few of the room. I looked up slowly and saw a window behind the bed I was laying it. This placed looked familiar but I was lost. I reached up slowly and winced dropping my arm. I reached over with my other arm to find my right shoulder was bandaged and bound down tightly. I swallowed and nearly growled at the sharp pain of a dry throat. I looked about again and saw two IV. Bag but one looked a little sketchy In my opinion.
"Nu...rse?... Hel...lo?" God the pain to just whisper was horrible. I never felt like such a wuss before in my life.
I looked about and saw a small bowl on a bed side table next to me. I reached over slowly gritting my teeth in pain till I reached it. I then just pushed it off the table making it shatter on the floor. I relaxed back breathing heavily from the pain, waiting. I saw an old woman with silvery hair and glasses pull the curtain open to figure out where the sound came from and she saw the glass bowl not realizing I was awake yet. She stepped in and stepped to the side of the bed lifting the pieces of glass in to a small apron sighing softly. She stood and looked to me then realized I was awake.
"Oh goodness, your finally awake!" She nearly dropped the glass in surprise. "Uh... Uh.. Don t move Let me go get Jin"
I gave her a look that made her stall a moment before she face-palmed realizing what she said. She shook her head and left quickly calling out for this Jin person. She came back a bit later with a younger man wearing a white coat and long black hair. He looked to me and smiled softly.
"Hello, Vaughn. How are you feeling?" He asked calmly.
"..." I gave him a somewhat dirty look before he chuckled.
"Let's get the feeding tube out and see if you can drink something lightly." He smiled and stepped closer pulling a piece of tape off my cheek and then pulled a tube that was threaded though my nose. He pulled it slowly out and make my eyes water it felt so weird. "There you go."
"Here you go Jin." the older woman handed him a glass of water.
"Thank you." He smiled to her and set it down helping me sit up then sip the water while the woman rushed to check a few things. "How does that feel?"
"Bet...ter." I muttered softly. " Where... am I?"
"Waffle Island. Do you not recognize me?" Jin smiled.
"I do... now." I groaned drinking more water as it make my throat feel so much better. "What happened?"
"Well I don't know the whole story but you can in via the ship with a really bad bullet wound in your chest and shoulder."
"Two?' I was confused remembering only one.
"Yes, but you are better now. You had a few visitors while you were out. One girl how ever stayed on the Island for about a month when you first came."
"A month... How long have I been out?" I frowned deeply. I worried people for over a month. Not to mention my boss is probably going to kill me.
"You came in half way through spring and its now the end of summer. Fall is in a couple days." Jin sat on the foot of my bed. "She left about a week ago. Your cousin came and dragged her back saying her brother needed a lot of help."
"When can I leave?" I watched him carefully. "I need to get back to work."
"When I say you can. I know you well enough Vaughn from your visits you don't like to stay down even if ordered to." Jin stood up. "Just relax I will be back later with a small radio for you and a few books."
"Thanks." I said dryly not interested in reading. Hell I hated reading, and TV. The radio was fine but I rather be out with the animals.
A little while later I heard a little giggle from outside the curtain. I blinked and looked around before I saw a little person peaking in to the curtain looking at me. She had bright brown eyes and jet black hair. I watched her as she watched me before I narrowed my eyes slightly. She shied away slightly as a pout came out of her.
"Marin?" I heard Jin call as she then quickly stepped in to the curtained off area and put her finger to her lips as she slid under my bed. She was dressed in a green lacy dress. Something I think Lanna wore once. I just raised my brow watching her before turning my gaze to the open curtain as Jin looked in. "Have you seen a little girl come in?"
"A little girl?" I thought a moment and then shook my head. "Nope, if I do I will let you know."
"Thanks. Maybe she went home." Jin closed the curtain all the way then walked away looking upset.
"Thank you mister." The girl came out from under the bed.
"Vaughn." I corrected her.
"huh?" She looked to me confused.
"My name is Vaughn." I looked to her "What did you do to make you hide from him?"
"Nothing, just every time I come with him to work, he makes me sit and read books. They are boring." She stuck her tongue out making me smirk.
"I agree." I chuckled. I like this kid already. "So you going to hide in here?"
"Maybe." She thought a moment before removing a bag from her back. "I got coloring books and Cards in my bag."
"OK." I pushed myself back a bit more to sit up more wincing slightly again. This pain was getting old. She climbed to the foot of the bed and pulled the rolling table over and pushed it down a bit. She pulled out her coloring books and cards along with crayons, and what looked to be a large bag of trail mix. Who would have thought I was gonna spend my day playing cards with a ten year old. While listening to music, though it was better then those thing called books.
Chelsea P.O.V.
I was in my fields pulling up the last summer harvest. I was tired and wanted to nothing but curl in to my bed and never leave it again. During the month I was gone Mark stayed at the farm to care for the animals and ready the fields for summer. While I was gone everyone apparently pitched in and set up the fields and replaced furniture in the house. It was nice to come back and not have the pieces that reminded me of that man. As for that man he will never be coming back again, ever
That day Vaughn saved us is still vivid in my mind and I think of it often. Vaughn pushed me hard in to my brother and I heard the gun shot ring out and Vaughn was hit in the shoulder as she stepped back with a quickly, dropping to his knee before I heard a second shot and he was knocked back by the a second shot to the chest. I was screaming and next thing we heard was Natalie and Julia screaming and a third gun shot.
I looked to see Elliot had pounced on to my father and was fighting him for the gun and it went off. I though for sure Elliot was hurt but I saw my father fall back and land flat on his back. After that every thing moved so quickly I don't remember it. Though I do remember never wanting to leave Vaughn's room, and refused to go near my farm. The next full thing I remember after that day was being on a boat to Waffle island with my brother to go to the clinic there to be checked and to see how Vaughn was doing.
That season was the longest and the shortest I ever felt. Mark left me on the Island with the people who cared for him so I could stay with Vaughn, or till I was ready to go home to my farm again. I spent a season caring for a few animals at Molly's farm then at the clinic by Vaughn's side begging him to wake up. I wanted to see his amethyst eyes again but he didn't wake up. At the end of the summer Mark came back to the Island and brought me back home nearly kicking and screaming but I knew I had to go back. And when we returned I saw everything changed at the farm. Everything that could remind me of the bad was erased never to return.
It was now the end of summer and the Harvest needed to be finished. It was nearly done even though it was mostly Mark and I doing it. Harvesting was always the easier of the farming jobs and one of the most mindless ones there was. Empty the stalks and Vines then Pull the plant tossing to a pile at the side to be picked up at the end of harvesting. The next few day we would need to prepare the field for the next season plants. To me this was just marking the season and a half mark that Vaughn has been hurt and in a coma.
When fall finally started Mark and I had set up the fields for planting but I was raining. Mark went to work planting everything while I took care of the cows and chickens for the day. It was not much work but it was enough to keep me busy for a while and it kept me out of the rain. I know Mark had been staying close worrying about me and had rejected many dates with Sabrina to keep me from being alone. It took me till nearly the first Harvest of the fall crops to get Mark to enjoy a day with Sabrina again.
It was Sunday and I dressed in a white button down shirt with a overall skirt with leggings and boots. I had on my bandana around my neck and Vaughn's hat on my head and walked with Mark out of the farm. He watched as I took my fishing pole down to the beach to do some evening fishing off the pier with Denny..When I reached the Beach I saw the docks were empty. I shrugged and walked over to the Shack Denny lived in and knocked a couple of times. I sighed as there was no answer and moved down the dock to as the weeks Sunday night boat came to port. I set my fishing stuff down and squatted down on the edge of the dock my hand reaching to the water of high tide.
Vaughn's P.O.V.
I was in the damn clinic for another week and a half before Jin gave the OK to leave. He removed most of the bandages and stitches as the skin was closed up. He did how ever do a light gauze bandage around my shoulder and chest as a reminder to take it easy while he put my arm in to a sling. He let me know he was going to call Trent, The island's visiting doctor to have him check up on me and help with physical therapy so I can get back to work faster.
It was Friday when I was walked down to the docks with Jin and Marin to see me off safely. I stepped on to the boat and waved bye to them as the boat moved off away from port. As much as I hated being stuck in that bed I was going to miss the quiet and daily visits from Marin. If she did not show up to keep me company I am sure I would have strangled Jin with my iv bag and lines to escape. She also reminded me a lot of Chelsea. My heart jumped when I think of her and now I will be going back to see her again.
The boat ride took too long as it had to swing by Mineral town, and the Valley before it would port at the islands. I relaxed above deck enjoying the air as the Island came to view. The sun was hanging low slowly ending the day. I relaxed back and reach up to fix my hat when I remembered it wasn't there. I sighed and closed my eyes leaning back on the seat waiting for the horn to say we stopped and to get off. I have come to this Island so many time I could count the second down to zero for when the horn went off and that is what I did. The moment my lips spoke Zero the horn went off.
I stood and dusted myself off with my one hand while I headed to the plank. I stepped down and stopped seeing a person at the end of the docks. Their long brown hair fluttered in the gentle sea breeze as their hand moved to the brown cowboy hat on their head. I watched as they squatted to play with the water and that was when I realized that brown stetson on there head was mine. This was Chelsea in front of me but she didn't give of the vibe of my Chelsea. Her shoulders were slumped and her head was down like she had lost all her confidence and will. I Stepped closer to her as she removed the hat and held it in front of her.
"Vaughn, come back soon, I miss you so much." She spoke softly trying not to choke up.
"I missed ya too." I spoke up having heard her.
She quickly spun to look at me. Her eyes went wide and her mouth opened wide, I expected her to say something but all I got was a scream and her falling in to the water. I watched as my hat flipped up slightly and landed on the dock as she plunged back words in to the water. I rushed to the edge of the dock as she came back up coughing and grabbing at the dock quickly. I stepped back as she pulled herself on to the dock soaking wet. I knelt down next to her and placed my hand on her back a bit worried as she hacked up some salt water. She then looked up to me and with out warning grabbed on to me tightly. I could only smile and wrapped my good arm around her. I sat back pulling her even closer not caring that she was soaking wet. She loosened her grip and looked up to me before looking around the dock before grabbing my hat and putting it on my head.
"It looks much better on you." She whispered softly before wrapping her arms back around me. "Please don't leave again ever."
"I won't be leaving for a long while Chelsea, I can promise you that." I closed my eyes before placing a soft kiss to the top of her head. I owe her so much for my screw up but I do not wish to ruin this moment as this could be my last chance to hold her like this. I am a selfish bastard who has a lot of explaining to do once we are in a more privet setting.
Phew... Long chapter especially compared to the others in this story. Like OMG Elliot, who would have guessed he had a back bone? And YAY Vaughn is back on the Island. But he has a lot of explaining to do and a whole lot of ass to start kissing once he explains what he did. Oh wait till Mark finds out. You think that accidental kiss he hit Vaughn for was bad. Oohhweee y'all be in for a surprise.. OK as always Review and tell me what ya think so I can have a reason to post faster.