Author's note:
I know a lot of reviews have been asking me to continue this story. Well, we've just passed into part two of this story: their recovery and getting back on their feet. I'll continue the story and focus on them figuring out how to live with everything that happened. Hopefully y'all are fine with that!
And happy late Easter to y'all!
"Your parents are here to see you," the nurse says with a strong Spanish accent as she fiddles with the IV. She and the other nurse leave to bring them in.
Ben sits up numbly. It had been a day of the doctors and nurses examining him and getting fluids back in his body. It felt uncomfortable; alien to have strange humans he didn't know touching him and examining him. It felt strange to even see humans he didn't know. Ben had distracted himself from the strangeness by focusing on his friends. Were they okay? Did Darius and Yasmina survive? No one would give him any answers.
Ben swings his legs off the hospital bed and stands up, careful not to dislodge the IV in his arm. His parents open the door and gasp. "Ben!" his mother cries, pulling him into a tight—but gentle—hug. His father pulls the two of them close and Ben wraps his arms around his parents.
His parents pull back. His mother wipes away tears. "You're so skinny."
Ben looks down at his legs and arms. On the island, he had noticed that he lost weight, but he hadn't noticed how much. His legs and arms were boney and appeared fragile and flimsy. He feels his cheeks. They were more prominent. "Guess that's what happens when you struggle to find food and run miles for two months."
"My poor baby," Ben's mother cries, pulling him into another hug.
"How did you survive?" his father asks.
"By the grace of God, really," Ben chuckles. He sits down and pulls off his hospital gown, covering his legs and hips with it. He shows his parents the scars on his right arm and torso. "Pterodactyl carried me off before dropping me," he explains. "The others thought I was dead and all I had was a baby Ankylosaurus."
His mother covers her mouth with a soft gasp.
"We were lucky that the only predators who found us were tiny Compies," Ben says as he pulls the gown back up. "I was lucky that my open, bleeding wounds didn't get infected. We stayed there for maybe a week because I couldn't move, then I rode Bumpy to the park. We fought off Toro the Carnotaurus and won the park. Then one morning a Ceratosaurus chased the other guys towards the park and Bumpy and I fought her off—with the help of Blue. She was the only surviving Velociraptor and for some reason she took it upon herself to protect us."
Ben's parents stare in shock as they listen to his story.
"We stayed in the park until the morning after Christmas when Rexy decided to claim her territory and forced us to move back to the original camp site," Ben continues. "That's when we went to the lab and found new hybrids hatching. We took them in—against my better judgement—along with a baby Triceratops. We built a shelter out of the wreckage of the camp and raised the babies. Fought off a bunch of dinosaurs, hung out, learned a lot about each other and helped each other through personal problems. Then Rexy decided to crash our camp and forced us to move. We found the Cretaceous cruise and sailed upstream during a storm before Sammy fell overboard and almost drowned… Then we found the old park and stayed there for a day. Then we heard helicopters, but it turned out to be Mantah Corp. They captured Sammy and we broke into another lab to find something to trade for her. That's where we ran into the Scorpius rex, which we don't need to go into."
"Yet another thing that Wu needs to go to prison for," Ben's father sighs.
"Yes, definitely," Ben nods with wide eyes. "Then we were captured by InGen and apparently Wu ordered us to be killed so that we couldn't speak of their deeds—"
"Wu ordered you guys to be killed?" his mother butts in.
"Yeah, but thankfully a stampede of herbivores stepped in and prevented InGen from harming us," Ben says. "Then a bunch of carnivores joined the party and pretty much everyone there from InGen is dead now. We travelled into the jungles where we met up with two carnivores, Sarah and I can't remember the other. Oh! Cha Cha! Kenji named them," he explains when his parents give him a look of confusion. "Sammy got thrown and became paralyzed. That's when we saw a flare gun and headed towards it hoping it was a rescue. We had to cross a river to get there and a Spinosaurus took Yaz's leg—is she alive?"
"Oh, all six of you guys survived," his father informs him.
Ben sighs with relief. "That's good. No one would tell me anything here. Not that I could understand some of them. I'd say only half of the doctors and nurses here speak English."
"The plan is to move you guys to a hospital in Maryland, actually not too far away from our house," Ben's father says.
Ben nods. "Can I see them? Make sure they're okay? Are they safe and how are they doing—"
"Woah, buddy, chill out," his father chuckles. "You'll have plenty of time to check on them. You just spent two months together, you'd think you'd want some sort of break from them."
Ben gives him a look of confusion. "They're my friends, why would I want to spend time away from them?"
"Well, you telling me you haven't gotten so annoyed with them that you don't want to see them?" Ben's father asks.
"No," Ben shakes his head. "I get annoyed with them sometimes, but being alone means death."
"Honey, you're not on the island anymore," his mother says, stroking back his hair. "You can have alone time and not be in danger. It's completely fine if you want to see them, don't misunderstand me. But you're not endangered anymore."
"Oh, right," Ben murmurs. "I'll have to get used to normal life again."
"I'm so sorry," Ben's mother sobs, hugging him for the third time. "I shouldn't have sent you to that camp. I shouldn't have forced you to go. I'm so sorry."
"It wasn't so bad," Ben whispers into her shoulder. She pulls back. "I mean, yeah, I almost died several times. But facing off against death makes life not as scary. I'm braver and tougher now. And I found my best friends. We wouldn't have found each other or gotten as close if we hadn't been stuck on the island."
"You're saying you think it's a good thing you got stuck on the island?" his mother asks in shock.
"Well, it wasn't a good thing what happened to all of us," Ben sighs. "But there's a lot of silver lining in this situation. And to a degree, I'm happy that we got stuck together. The island helped me become brave and strong. Kenji's found true friends and isn't lonely or insecure anymore. Sammy's found a good group of friends that give her emotional support back. I fear for Brooklynn if she hadn't hit her breaking point on the island surrounded by people who care for her. Had she hit it at home, I wonder if her family would've gotten to her on time. The island helped Yasmina finally open up about her past trauma and now she has people she can trust and go to in hard times. Darius has true friends and can lean on us—when he actually does. That's something he needs to work on."
Ben's parents stare at him in shock. "Wow," his mother says softly. "That's not the pessimistic Ben I used to know."
"Do you… like the new Ben?" the boy asks.
"I will always love you, Ben," she says, hugging him yet again. "It's… nice to see you being so positive and happy, even after everything that happened to you."
"I'm very proud of you, Ben," his father says, hugging him.
Ben closes his eyes and leans into their embrace, overjoyed to finally see them again.
"Me no say Espanol," Kenji sighs in frustration. "Can we find a nurse that does understand me? And I understand her?"
The nurse babbles something in Spanish and leaves the room. Kenji sighs. "I just want to know how my friends are doing!"
The door opens again and Kenji's father walks in. Kenji sits up quickly. He wasn't expecting to see his father again. The sad thing was, he hadn't thought about his father at all during his time in the hospital…
Kenji's father stops at the foot of the bed and Kenji stands up. The two stare awkwardly at each other, unsure what to do. Kenji hadn't seen his father in two months; even at home he rarely saw him. He didn't know the man. He didn't know how to say hello. Should he hug him? Bow? Shake hands? Wait for him to make the first move?
Mr. Kon was having the same problem. It was a horrible feeling when you realize that you don't know your son. He could see his son's eyes flicking around the room uncomfortably. His own son felt like a stranger in his presence. Kenji's father didn't know what to do. Should he hug his son? Speak? Apologize? Wait for Kenji to make the first move?
Mr. Kon sighs. His son was seventeen, almost an adult. It had seemed like weeks ago his wife died and his son was only five. Now time had flown and Kenji was almost a full grown man. Mr. Kon had wasted time on work; he hadn't spent time or developed a relationship with his son. He hadn't been an influence or a factor in Kenji's life. It made his heart ache to realize all his precious time was gone and he didn't know his own son.
"D-Dad," Kenji says, still unsure what to do.
Kenji's father decides that the best approach was a hug—despite the fact that it was awkward and felt odd in his culture—at the same time that Kenji decides to be formal and bow. It ends up awkward as Kenji bumps his head into his fathers chest and they back up. "Sorry," the two apologize and try again. This time, Kenji's father tries to bow and Kenji tries to go in for a hug, making it awkward again.
"Sorry," Kenji apologizes awkwardly.
"All right, do you want to hug or not?" Kenji's father chuckles. "I'm fine with whatever."
Kenji hestitanly reaches out for a hug and his father pulls him in close. The boy blinks back tears as he embraces his father. He couldn't remember a time when his father hugged him. It had always been his mother.
Mr. Kon rubs his back and pulls away. "You've grown so much." He looks at his son's arms. "You've lost a lot of weight."
Kenji chuckles. "Well, we were starving."
Kenji's father places his hands on his son's shoulders. "I… I'm sorry, Kenji. I know that I was never there for most of your life. I hardly know you."
Kenji looks down. "You were busy with work…"
"And that shouldn't be how it is," he says, guiding his son to sit down next to him on the hospital bed. "I'm sorry that I was never there. I wish that I could go back and spend time with you. Make work less important. Now you're seventeen. Almost an adult… I don't know you."
Kenji looks at his hands. "Do you… do you care?" he asks, barely above a whisper.
"Yes, of course I care," Mr. Kon nods. "I realize that I never said 'I love you' or gave you a hug, but I did care and love you."
"Why didn't you say anything?" Kenji asks. "Why didn't you prioritize or make time for me?"
His father sighs. "I know that I didn't give you the best rearing—nowhere close to it. Your mother was always… Always so kind and compassionate. She could always express how she felt and loved to give hugs and kisses."
"I remember that," Kenji nods with a whisper.
"That… That's never been me," Mr. Kon says. "After she died, I tried to give you the childhood my parents gave me."
"So you tried to raise me the Japanese way," Kenji says, a bit of bitterness creeping into his voice. "Cold, estranged, and devoid of love and physical affection?"
Kenji's father looked surprised by Kenji's view of their culture. "We're not devoid of love, and we're not cold."
"I don't know anything about my heritage," Kenji says. "I never learned anything about Japan other than what pop culture says."
"I suppose that's my fault," Mr. Kon sighs. "Japanese parents aren't devoid of love anymore than Western parents. We just have different ways of expressing it. In Western culture, they tell their children how much they love them and give hugs and kisses. In Japanese culture, we express our love for our children by caring for them and providing. We say 'I love you' through our actions."
"So giving me everything I could want in materials was your way of saying 'I love you?'" Kenji asks. "That never felt like love. I wish you had picked the Western way of telling me that I'm loved because the way you raised me felt like abandonment." Kenji blinks quickly, trying not to cry.
"That wasn't exactly the way I grew up, either," his father says. "The Japanese way of parenting is supposed to create a strong sense of family and love. The Western way promotes confidence and individuality. Where I went wrong was not developing a bond with you. Neither way would've worked without a bond. If I told you how much I loved you but never spent time with you, my words mean nothing. If I provide for you but don't develop a bond, the care is nothing special."
"It's…" Kenji bites his lip, not wanting to say it.
His father sighs. "Just say it."
"It's hard to believe that you care when you haven't done anything before now," Kenji forces it out. "It's hard to hear that after twelve years of basically living alone. You provided for me physically, but emotionally I was starved. You let me have independence to promote individuality, but I was left to figure everything out on my own. I had no idea how to make friends. I had no idea how to grow up. I-I had to figure out everything on my own. I was so lonely, and desperate for love and friendship and d'anything! I could care less about Isla Nublar; I've seen it a gazillion times! The only reason I wanted to go to Camp Cretaceous was because I might have been able to make some sort of friends."
His father looks down at his hands as he listens to his sons hurt words.
"I wish I had had someone to guide me and discipline me," Kenji says. "Maybe then I wouldn't make all the mistakes I made…"
"What mistakes?" Mr. Kon asks in concern.
Kenji looks down at the floor. "I was desperate for any kind of love in any form. That's why I had a lot of girlfriends. One of them… got pregnant… but she had an abortion… You're a granddad…"
His fathers eyes widened in surprise. "When did this happen?"
"Last year, around January," Kenji says. "After that, I decided not to mess around until I was married. Wish I didn't learn that the hard way, but… it is what it is."
"I'm sorry that I… I'm sorry that you couldn't come to me with your problems," Mr. Kon sighs. "I'm sorry that you couldn't come to me at all. Are you… are you mad at me?"
"I was," Kenji sighs. "Back when I was eleven and twelve. I was just angry that you wouldn't spend time and wouldn't give me any attention. It didn't help anything. When I got mad, it just caused a lot of trouble. Got into fights with kids at school, went to the principal. You got mad at me, the staff got mad at me… It was just a lot of anger. After a while I just… I realized that anger wasn't helping and… decided not to care anymore… I wasn't getting your love anytime soon, and making you angry wasn't helping. I just accepted that I wasn't going to get anything from you…"
"Is it too late to start over?" Kenji's father asks tentatively. "Is it too late to form a relationship?"
"No," Kenji shakes his head. "It's not too late."
"All right," his father nods. "Let's start over. I promise to spend more time with you without you asking. Do you… Do you want me to say 'I love you' and give you hugs, or would you prefer I say it through actions?"
"How about both?" Kenji suggests. "They both have their pros and their cons. Can we not speak through words and back it up with actions?"
"Sounds like a plan," Mr. Kon nods his head. He gives his son another hug.
"If you really want to get to know me, hang around me when I'm sleep deprived," Kenji laughs. "I'm pretty crazy then. Yaz told me I act like I'm on drugs. Oh, how are the others doing? Did Darius and Yaz survive?"
His father chuckles. "All of you made it back alive. I don't know the state of the others, just that you all are alive."
Kenji sighs with relief.
The door opens and Hayoon races in. "Kenji!" she exclaims, tackling him with a hug. "Oh my gosh! I thought you were dead! I missed you so much, I'm so happy you're alive and safe! You're so skinny—what happened to your face?!"
"I missed you, too, Hayoon," Kenji chuckles, looking down at her concerned face; she was about Brooklynn's height. "Oh, I got kicked in the face by a Carnotaurus. It's a pretty nasty bruise. Hurt my teeth."
"The doctor said your wisdom tooth was broken according to their scan," Kenji's father says, standing up. "Your other teeth were fine. They want to remove the wisdom tooth soon, since it's painful."
"Fine by me," Kenji shrugs. "Just don't let the others see me, Yaz would have the ultimate blackmail if she catches me under anesthesia."
Hayoon starts laughing. "I'm so glad you're off of that island."
"Me, too," Kenji nods with a weary smile.
"You're safe now, you're in a hospital," Brooklynn tells herself as a nurse checks on her. "Did the others live?" she asks the nurse. The nurse doesn't understand, so Brooklynn says it in Spanish.
"Si, si," the nurse nods.
Brooklynn sighs with relief.
The nurse leaves and her parents and brother walk in. Brooklynn sits up quickly. "Mom? Dad? Milton?"
"Brooklynn!" Milton says as the three of them hug her. "Oh my gosh, I can't believe it!"
"We were so worried!" her mother says.
"How did you survive two months on that island?!" her dad asks.
"Certainly wasn't easy," Brooklynn chuckles.
"I'm glad your back safe," her mother says, stroking a wisp of hair out of her face. "And in… good condition."
"Better than some of the others," Milton says, earning a cuff on the chin from his father.
"How bad do I look?" Brooklynn asks.
Milton motions for her to stand up and takes a picture. Brooklynn doesn't even bother to smile. Her brother shows her the picture. The most noticeable thing was the large bandage over her left eye. Her arms and legs were extremely thin and gangly. Her cheeks were sunken in. Her hair had gone from fluffy, cotton candy pink, to a bleached white with brown roots. It was a rats nest and all over the place. She looked like a wreck. Or like one of those abuse survivors…
"I look Anorexic," Brooklynn mumbles. "Well… I guess I am…"
"You're Anorexic?" her mother asks.
"I have a hard time believing it, but…" Brooklynn sighs. "It's hard to deny the signs."
Her brother looks at the ground. "You probably are… I wish I had said something to someone instead of ignoring you and hanging out in my own world…"
"We all could've paid more attention to you," her mother says. "Youtube was your life; I should've… I should've taken it as a sign…"
"Sign that I was lonely and neglected?" Brooklynn says, making her family wince. "Sign that I was searching for validation and some sort of family?"
Her family looks everywhere but her eyes guiltily. "I have fault in it, too," Brooklynn sighs. "I should've said something. Should've asked for help. Should've opened up."
"Shouldn't have gone to unknown people on the Internet?" Milton raises an eyebrow.
"We found your secret friends," her father says. "Most of them were just weird and creepy, but some of them turned out to be criminals."
"You could've gotten into big trouble with those friends," her mother says, taking her hand. "You were in serious danger communicating with them. Between your Youtube channel and the information they got from you, they could've found our house and kidnapped you! Or worse!"
"I know…" Brooklynn murmurs.
Her mother sighs. "Is there anything else?"
"Anorexia," Brooklynn mumbles, counting on her fingers. "Communicating with strangers… you know about those…" Brooklynn shows them her forearms, showing the old cut marks Yasmina found. "Self harm, sometimes…" she mutters. "Depression… suicidal thoughts. I tried to kill myself on the island… Vaping… I tried alcohol and… cocaine once… under peer pressure from some shady friends. Only once, though! The idea of being a drug addict was scarier than their peer pressure. But I did do it once…"
Brooklynn's mother looks sick, her father looks disappointed, and her brother looks guilty. "I wish you had told us," her father sighs. "But it's my fault for not being there and spending time to form a relationship with you."
"It's my fault, too," her mother says, rubbing the back of her hand. "You weren't given the love and affection and attention you needed, and you searched for it wherever you could. Had we spent more time with you, this might have been preventable."
"I'm sorry for not saying anything," Milton says, fighting back tears. "I saw everything and ignored it."
"I told you not to say anything," Brooklynn mumbles.
"Yeah, but I should've!" Milton snaps. "I should've noticed that what you were doing wasn't healthy and said something! But I didn't… It's… It's hard to think about what would've happened…"
"Good thing I was with the others," Brooklynn says. "The island was horrible and traumatizing and life threatening and I hated it! But… at the same time… it was good… I was stuck with five other teens. No distractions. No peer pressure. Just time to form real friendships and build trust. Nobody to tell me to act this way for this and that way for that. I almost died several times, but… I can trust them to come for me. When I was feeling depressed and starving myself, they were there. They checked that I was okay, told me I could come to them. When I tried to kill myself, they stopped me and stayed with me. They never left my side. I… It would've been easier to kill myself at home… All it would take was a night where you guys were both at work and Milton was playing video games… No one would notice until it was too late…"
Her mother hugs her and her father and brother join in. "We're sorry," her father says. "Things are going to get better. Work won't take up so much time."
"We love you, Brooklynn," her mother sobs. "I'm sorry that I never gave you time."
"It's okay," Brooklynn sniffs. "Just… Don't abandon me again."
"Never again," her mother promises.
Brooklynn lets out a sob as she hugs her family. She had just about given up on the dream that she would ever feel this type of love from her family. But here she was, being embraced by all three of her family members. She sighs and hugs them tighter.
"Can I see my friends? My family? Somebody?!" Sammy asks for the umpteenth time.
"En un momento," the nurse sighs in frustration.
Sammy lets her head flop back. She had been stuck in bed for an entire day with only strangers to talk to. She was getting anxious. Being alone was one of her worst fears, and after living on the island, being with people wasn't enough to quell that fear. She wanted family, friends. Someone that she knew to be with her and make sure no dinosaurs got to her. She knew she was in a hospital and not on the island, but what if…
"Sammy?" a small, high-pitched voice asks.
Sammy opens her eyes and looks at the door. Shelby was poking her head through the doorway. Sandra and Rio poked their heads in, too, creating a ladder of heads. "Sammy!" Sandra shouts, flinging the door open and almost tripping over Shelby to get to her. The three jump on the bed and tackle their sister.
Sammy laughs as they pepper her with kisses and hugs and giggles of joy. "Oh, I missed you guys so much!"
"Sam Sam!" Miriam exclaims, jumping in and hugging Sammy. "Oh my gosh, you've changed so much!"
Sammy looks at herself. Her arms and torso were skinny and boney, and she could feel that her cheeks were sunken in. "I never noticed how skinny I was on the island."
"Your cheeks are sunken in!" Holly exclaims, taking her sister's face in her hands. "You were my little chipmunk sister, what the?!"
Her parents come in and engulf her in a hug. "Samantha Isabella Gutierrez! What possessed you to sneak off on your own and go to that wretched island?!" her mother scolds.
"I wanted to help with the ranch," Sammy whimpers. "I heard you and Papa talkin' about what to do. You said you would have to sell some of our land to pay off the debt."
"Sammy, we have acres upon acres of land," her father sighs. "We could sell some of the grazing land and be just fine. We never needed you to run off like that. I appreciate the enthusiasm to help, but don't ever do that again."
"We might not have to sell anythang after what Mantah Corp did to you," Miriam says, gently touching the bandage on Sammy's cheek. "They cancelled our debt, and we might be able to get some money back in the case against them. Maybe, I don't know how the law works. We'd have to ask Miss Grace about that."
"Who?" Sammy asks.
"Darius's Mama, silly!" Shelby cackles.
"I didn't know her name!" Sammy laughs. "I'm awfully sorry for sneakin' off without tellin' you. I know it was wrong, but I thought I was helpin'..."
"Not when it leads to you gettin' stuck on the island," Rio frowns, hugging Sammy tightly. "Oh, lawd, don't ever mess with us like that again!"
"Seriously," Holly nods. "The thought of losin' ya is scary."
"Not as scary as the island," Sammy shivers. "Enough talk about sad stuff, when are ya gettin' married to Justin?!"
Her sisters laugh. "We were plannin' on it bein' sometime in December," Holly chuckles.
"Can I be yer bridesmaid?" Sammy giggles, holding onto her arm. "If yer… okay with a paralized bridesmaid…"
"Yer para-la-lized?" Shelby asks, unsure how to say the word correctly.
"Yeah," Sammy nods sadly. "Hurt my back. I can only feel some sensations in my legs. Can't move them."
"You can't ride horsies anymore?" Sandra whimpers.
"No more piggyback rides?" Shelby's lower lip trembles.
"Oh, Sam," Miriam sniffs, hugging her younger sister.
"The doctors said that there's a chance that you might be able to recover," her mother says, hugging her. "And if not, there's new therapy for paralysis. I have high hopes that you'll be able to walk again."
"So do I," her father says, hugging her close.
"I'm sorry," Sammy whimpers. "I'm sorry that I snuck away and got injured and now everything's gonna have to change! I'm sorry that I scared y'all and hurt y'all."
"It's okay," her father says. "We forgive you. And we're not mad at you for getting injured, it's not your fault. Don't worry."
Sammy lets out a relieved sob and her family moves in for a great big bear hug.
"Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep."
Yasmina's ears pick up on a soft, mechanical beeping. She ever so slowly moves her head towards the source of the sound on her left side and opens her eyes. Blinking in the blinding light, her eyes slowly adjust. A monitor was keeping tabs on her vitals and was the source of the beeping.
Yasmina slowly moves her head to look at the ceiling. "Where am I?" she wonders, staring up at the white ceiling. She slowly moves her fingers and feels soft sheets.
She looks over to her left again and sees her mother sitting in a chair. She was reading a book, chewing on her lip as she always did when she read. Habeeba had turned another chair around, curled up into it, and laid her head in her mothers lap. It did not look comfortable.
On her right, her father sat in another chair. He appeared to be asleep. Jabari and Ghaleb were having a thumb war next to him.
"Mom," Yasmina says softly, causing everyone in the room to look at her. "Where am I?"
"Yasmina," her mother whispers, getting up and coming to her side. "You're in a hospital." She strokes a matted wisp of hair out her daughter's face.
"Yazzy!" Habeeba squeals, gently hugging her sister.
"You're awake!" Ghaleb smiles, hugging her from the other side.
"When they took you out of the plane, I thought you were dead," Jabari says sadly, joining in.
"I thought I was, too," Yasmina murmurs.
"The doctors thought you wouldn't make it," her step-father says, holding her right hand. "You lost about 60 percent of your blood. But you pulled through, Champ."
Everything comes rushing back to Yasmina. The Spinosaurus. The ragged leg stump. Flashes of being carried through the jungles. Ben comforting her…
"D-Did the others make it?" she sighs shakily. She couldn't remember much after they cauterized her leg. She could vaguely remember Darius, Ben, and Brooklynn carrying her. Then Ben holding her on his own. A strange woman trying to heal her leg, and Ghaleb looking down at her. If she tried hard, glimpses of Dave and the strange woman above her inside a building or something… For all she knew, she was the only one of the campers to survive.
"All six of you made it," her step-father nods.
Yasmina sighs in relief. "What happened?"
"Well, first off, Ghaleb decided to sneak onto the island, against orders," her mother says sternly.
The seventeen year old shrugs unapologetically. "I wanted to save my sister, and I wasn't about to sit on the sidelines."
"I wish I could've gone," Jabari mumbles glumly.
Yasmina chuckles.
"You're still grounded," Yasmina's father says.
"Did you at least save me?" Yasmina asks with a slight grin. "I remember you sitting over me."
"He sat on you?" Habeeba asks, horrified.
"No, he sat down next to me and was leaning over to look at me," Yasmina explains with a laugh.
"He helped carry you onto the plane," her step-father says. "I'm still disappointed that you disobeyed my command to stay here, but what's done is done. You're here safe and alive, and that's all that matters."
"Safe, sound, and not completely whole," Yasmina says, a tear slipping down her cheek. She looks down at her leg. It was covered by the hospital blanket, but it was obvious where it ended. Her left leg was elevated to keep the swelling down.
"I'm so sorry, sweetie," her mother says with a sob. "I shouldn't have let you go there."
Yasmina doesn't hear her. It had just dawned on her that her leg was gone. Forever gone. There was nothing there beyond her knee. She was an amputee. She would have to wear a prosthetic. She would have to relearn how to walk, how to run. "I am missing a leg," she tells herself, unable to believe it. "I can't walk now, I can't run, I'll have to use a prosthetic leg. Oh, God, I'm an amputee…"
When she first saw her leg stump, it was shock and horror that she felt. She had panicked. She had screamed. She couldn't believe it was real. But now… now that she wasn't in danger… now that she had time to process everything… all she felt was grief. Sorrow. Pity for herself. Loss…
Yasmina starts to cry, the idea of her injury settling in. Her family hugs her close, comforting her as she begins to grieve her lost limb.
Yasmina calms down and looks up at her family. "How do I carry on like this?"
"You can still be a runner, Yazzy," Ghaleb says. "This won't stop you unless you let it."
"Shh," her mother says, waving him away. "Ghaleb is right. But let's not think about athletics just yet. Lets let you recover and get used to this first. You're going to make it through this, and we're going to help you."
"Okay," Yasmina nods with a whisper. They sit in silence. "D-Did anything change here? How did things go while I was on the island?"
Her family gives each other a knowing look. "We got a puppy!" Habeeba exclaims, startling her sister.
"What?" Yasmina sputters.
"We put the payment down the morning of the incident," her mother says. "We were going to keep it a surprise until we brought her into the house, but Jabari ruined it by finding the pictures."
"What's her name?" Yasmina asks, a smiling creeping onto her face. "How old is she? What is she? When can we bring her home?"
"We haven't named her yet," her step-father laughs. "We were going to wait until you guys knew, and then we were going to wait until you came back. She's a little over nine weeks, and she's a Siberian Husky. She can come home whenever we want to pick her up."
"What do you think we should name her?" Habeeba giggles. "We looked for dog names and found Roxie. I think we should name her Roxie."
"Like my camp counselor?" Yasmina cackles.
"I like that name," Ghaleb shrugs.
"Yeah, me, too," Jabari nods with a grin. "Huskies are supposed to be sassy dogs. Roxie would be perfect."
"I'm fine with that," her mother chuckles. Her husband nods.
"Hey, Roxie sounds like a great name for a dog, and Roxie was a good camp counselor," Yasmina shrugs.
"So it's official? We gotta dog named Roxie?" her mother asks. Everyone nods. "Okay, guess it's decided. We'll have to welcome Roxie into our family soon."
Yasmina pulls her family into another hug. She had lost a leg and would need a lot of therapy to get over what happened on the island. But at least she was safe with her family again. "We're starting over again," she thinks. "New pet, new life, new friends. I'll make the best of it.
"Hopefully I can make the best of it…"
Darius opens his eyes and blinks rapidly. "Too bright, too bright," he thinks. When his eyes adjusted, his mother and brother were at the sides of his hospital bed. "Darius," his mother whispers.
"Mom? Brandon?" Darius mumbles.
"Honey," his mother whispers, hugging him ever so gently. Brandon does the same. "I'm so sorry. That never should've happened."
"You couldn't have known," Darius says. "How are the others?"
"Alive," Brandon nods.
"I'm so glad you're back safe and alive," his mother says, almost sobbing. "I'm so sorry that I let you go there…"
"I should've been there," Brandon mutters. "I should've been the one to keep you safe and protect you. I promised Dad…"
Darius blinks back tears at the mention of his father. "He should be here. He should be sitting here making sure I'm okay. He should be smiling and telling me everything is going to be okay…"
Darius starts sobbing, missing his father greatly. His mother and brother hug him, understanding his grief. The group sits there, comforting each other as they grieve the loss of their loved one.
After about ten minutes, they pull apart. "I'm sorry," his brother says. "I know it's not my fault, but I still feel like it is. I should've been there for you. I should've been with you. I should've…" Brandon wipes away tears, getting upset thinking about what he could've done.
"You couldn't have done anything to stop the Indominus rex from breaking out," Darius says. "Don't beat yourself up about it. Same to you, Mom."
His mother wipes away her tears. "I'm so thankful that God protected you on that island."
"And guided me," Darius says. "So many things could've gone wrong."
"Do you not want to talk about any of it?" Brandon asks. "I would think that it was terrible and you would want to forget all of it."
"Well, not all of it was terrible," Darius says, laughing a bit. "We bonded a lot and really got to know each other. We all came out of it a new person. We had many laughs there. Many, many laughs."
"Well, you'd have to keep your spirits up," his mother chuckles.
"I don't know how you would laugh over there," Brandon shakes his head. "I would be about to pee my pants the whole time."
"It's hard not to laugh when Sammy shouts, 'Life, liberty, and the freedom to judge eggs. God bless America!' at the top of her lungs," Darius says, laughing. He winces as his laughing hurt his chest. "What are the extent of my injuries?"
"Sucking wound in your chest," his mother says. "Your left femur is broken, and it'll take about six weeks in bed to heal. The left side of your hip was completely crushed. The doctors had to give you a hip replacement."
His mother and brother thought that he would be upset. Instead, he starts laughing. "Are you… are you telling me that I got a hip replacement before Grandpa?!"
"Darius, this isn't funny," his mother says.
"I…" Darius starts laughing harder, having caught a case of the giggles. He holds his chest in pain, but can't stop laughing. He finally calms down and sighs shakily.
"Why is that so funny?" his mother asks.
"I don't know," Darius wheezes. "I thought hip replacements were for old people. I'm aging!"
His mother shakes her head while Brandon laughs with him. "Oh, come on, Mom," Brandon chuckles. "Give him a break. There's nothing anyone can do about it. Might as well laugh."
"Am I gonna need a walker?" Darius asks. "Hey, Brandon, son. Can you give me ma teeth?" he imitates an old man while snickering.
His mother rolls her eyes and chuckles. "Well, I guess it's a good thing you're taking this in a humorous way."
"How are the others doing?" Darius asks. "Yaz with her leg, and Sammy with her paralysis. And Brooklynn with her eye. Nothing else happened to Kenji and Ben while I was out, right?"
"Leg's gone," Brandon says. "I think they're all doing good. Nobody got any more injuries after you passed out."
"That's good," Darius nods. "When can I see them?"
"Settle down, you'll have plenty of time to see them," his mother says, a bit surprised. "Just take this time to heal and rest up."
"Mom, I'm the leader," Darius says solemnly. "I have to make sure they're doing okay. Check in on them. I have to see them."
"You're not completely done with their existence, yet?" Brandon asks jokingly.
"Never!" Darius says in shock. "We have to stick together. We can't leave each other's side. Bad things happen when you're alone."
"You're not on the island anymore," Mrs. Bowman says, stroking his forehead. "You don't have to stick together for survival anymore. It's okay."
"I can't just leave them, though," Darius argues. "What if something happens? What if Brooklynn is left alone, or Sammy can't move? Anything can happen, I don't want to leave them alone!"
"It's okay," Brandon says, placing a hand on Darius's arm. "The hospital staff won't let you guys go neglected. There's no dinosaurs. It's okay."
Darius lets his head flop back onto the pillow with a sigh. "I'm still worried."
"Relax, you're safe," his mother says. "You're all safe."
Brandon and Mrs. Bowman embrace him again and he wraps his arms around them. "I missed you guys so much," he whispers.
"So did we," his mother whispers back.
Two days went by, and the campers had yet to see each other. They were getting very anxious and stressed; despite being safe in the hospital, they couldn't shake the need to be with each other. They harassed the hospital staff and their families to let them see each other. "What are you going to do when you have to go back home to North Carolina?" Brooklynn's mother asks as she gently brushes her daughter's hair.
Brooklynn pales. She had forgotten that they lived in different states. "Can't we just live closer to each other?" she pleads, scared of the idea of living far away from the other campers.
"Where?" her mother asks. "We all have a life in the states we live in. We can't just pack up and leave. What did you think was going to happen? We can't all live in the same house. You're going to have to live on your own some day."
The idea upsets Brooklynn, and she starts to cry. "I can't stay away from them! We need each other to survive!"
"Brooklynn, you're not on the island," her mother reminds her. "A dinosaur isn't going to eat you if you go home."
Brooklynn understood her, but the thought didn't comfort her at all.
Over in Darius's room, the young boy was getting very, very anxious. "Are they okay? What if something happened and they died of complications? Why won't anyone let me see them?!"
The door opens and Darius looks up. A nurse pushes a wheelchair into the room. It took half a second for Darius to recognize the patient as Yasmina. "Yaz!" he exclaims happily.
"Darius!" she says, her depressed, sunken in face brightening at the sight of him. The nurse wheels her to the side and she leans over to hug him.
"I've been so worried about you!" Darius exclaims as the nurse leaves them. "How are you doing?"
"Ah, the famous question," Yasmina chuckles dryly. She wheels herself back a bit so that Darius could see her leg stump. Darius stares at it. Covered in a stocking, it wasn't as bad. The last time he saw it, it was bleeding profusely and burned. "The doctors had to take off about a quarter of an inch because of possible infection," Yasmina explains with a sigh. "I'm just trying to get used to the idea of… being an amputee…"
"I'm sorry," Darius says, guilt rising up. "This wouldn't have happened if I wasn't so slow."
"Don't be ridiculous," Yasmina sputters. "I knew what I was doing when I swam down stream. I did it for you. That doesn't make it your fault, though."
"Was it worth it?" Darius asks sadly.
"Of course," Yasmina narrows her eyebrows. "My leg is nothing compared to your life. I would lose part of my leg all over again to save you."
"What about your whole leg?" Darius asks, a grin creeping onto his face.
Yasmina snickers. "Woah, woah, a whole leg?! That's too much! I'll have to think about that!"
The two laugh. "I wonder if a leg stump would hurt more when I kick Kenji in the crotch than an actual leg," Yasmina wonders aloud, looking at her leg.
"Why is that the first thing you think of?!" Darius protests with a laugh.
The door opens again and Ben steps in. "Yaz! Darius!" he exclaims, coming between them to hug them at the same time. "Oh my gosh, I was so worried! I'm glad you two are safe!"
"I missed you so much!" Yasmina chuckles. "The hospital staff just would not talk to me!"
"I don't think any of my nurses speak English," Darius laughs. "I'm so glad you both are safe, though."
"Woah," Ben says, seeing Yasmina's leg.
"Yeah, I'm disabled," Yasmina says sullenly.
"Knowing you, that isn't true," Ben chuckles.
Brooklynn comes through the door next and gasps. "You guys are alive!" she exclaims, gently tackling Darius for a hug. Then she pulls Yasmina and Ben into a great, suffocating hug. "It's really weird to see you with one eye," Yasmina says.
"I mean, I think I still have the eye," Brooklynn murmurs. "I just might not be able to see out of it again."
The door opens and Dave holds it open so that Roxie could push Sammy in. "Sammy!" Darius exclaims.
"Y'all! I haven't seen you in so long!" Sammy says, hugging Brooklynn and Ben as they come towards her. "I was about to go crazy!"
"Same, honestly," Brooklynn sighs as Yasmina hugs Sammy from her wheelchair. Sammy then approaches Darius and gives him a hug.
"It's only been three days," Roxie chuckles.
"That's a pretty long time for us," Yasmina says looking over the back of her wheelchair.
"Thanks for never giving up on us," Darius says.
"Of course," Roxie smiles. "Why would we do such a thing like that? I'm sorry for leaving you kids on that fateful day."
"Dumb decision, but you couldn't have predicted what would happen," Ben chuckles.
"At least you guys were trying to come get us," Sammy says.
Roxie looks relieved.
"Glad to see all you kiddos safe," Dave says. "We, uh, kinda have something to do. Unless you guys want to hang out with us!"
"That entirely depends on the rest of the information you're about to give us," Yasmina says.
Dave gives the campers a proud smirk. "Roxie and I have a date."
"A casual cup of coffee," Roxie rolls her eyes. But the smile on her face said otherwise.
The five campers start clapping. "Whoo hoo!" Darius exclaims.
Ben whistles.
"I ship it!" Brooklynn giggles.
"Way to go!" Sammy congratulates them.
"Finally asked her out, huh?" Yasmina laughs.
"Was this something everyone knew?" Roxie asks Dave.
"I never told them anything!" Dave widens his eyes.
"Nah, we just ship ya," Sammy laughs.
"Go on! Go on your date!" Darius encourages, shooing them out of the room.
"All right! All right!" Roxie laughs as the campers kick her and Dave out of the room.
"So, how are your families doin'?" Sammy asks.
"We got a puppy," Yasmina grins, finally able to share the news.
"Ooh! What is it?!" Brooklynn exclaims.
"A German Shepherd?" Sammy guesses.
"A GreyHound?" Brooklynn asks.
"A Bulldog?" Darius asks.
"A S***?" Ben asks.
The other four stare at him. "Oh! No! A Shiatsu! A Shiatsu!" Ben corrects himself.
The campers start laughing. "I have a S*** dog!" Yasmina wheezes.
"No! No, no, no!" Sammy cackles.
"Nah, she's a Husky," Yasmina says, recovering from her laugh.
"Aww, she's going to love your state," Darius says.
The campers fall silent. The idea of leaving each other to go to their separate states was hard. They didn't want to go home. Sure, they missed their homes, but not if it meant leaving behind their friends…
The door opens for the fifth time and Kenji is wheeled in by a man. "You're late," Brooklynn quips.
"You're missing an eye," Kenji retorts, his head swaying back and forth drunkenly.
"What's up with you?" Yasmina asks.
"Oh, he had his wisdom tooth removed an hour ago," the man says, bearing a striking resemblance to Kenji. "It was broken when he got kicked in the face. I'm his father, by the way."
"Couldn't tell," Yasmina tschs with a laugh.
"My mouth is numb," Kenji slurs, chewing clumsily on the piece of gauze in his mouth. "I can't feel my mouth. Is my mouth missing?!"
"No, no, you still have your mouth," his father reassures him.
"They took my mouth!" Kenji exclaims with a howl. "Tell 'em to give it back!"
"It's okay, you don't need it," his father says with a straight face, while the campers howl with laughter.
"How am I supposed to eat?!" Kenji cries, practically in tears. "How am I supposed to kiss my gorgeous girlfriend?!"
"But Kenji, I ain't your girlfriend yet," Sammy snorts.
"It's because they took my specta-ta mouth, isn't it?!" Kenji wails. "I need my mouth to get a girlfriend!"
By now, the whole group was wheezing with laughter. "Please stop!" Darius wheezes, holding his chest in pain.
"It's okay," Sammy says soothingly, trying not to laugh too hard. She wheels over to him and strokes his good cheek. "I'll still love you if you don't have a mouth."
"I knew I loved you for a reason," Kenji says, his head flopping onto her shoulder with a sob. "It wasn't just for the great a**."
Sammy covers her mouth with a smothered gasp. The others are sent into another fit of laughter. "I mean, at least it was a compliment," Yasmina cackles.
"I apologize for my son's behavior," Mr. Kon says, rather embarrassed by Kenji's recent comment.
"Honestly, this ain't that different from him when he's sleep deprived," Sammy laughs, not even bothering to correct his language. "Plus, he's not fully in control of himself."
Kenji lifts his head and gives her an offended look. "I am, too!" He stands up and tries to walk with one foot in front of the other. Like a drunk, he wobbles and falls into Sammy's lap.
The campers laugh as his father helps him up and sits him back in his wheelchair. "Is there something between you two, or is he just acting weird?" Mr. Kon asks.
"Well, nothing serious because I'm not allowed to date until I'm eighteen, but there's somethin'," Sammy giggles.
"Ba, BA!" Kenji exclaims, throwing his head back.
"I thought I had seen it all when he was sleep deprived," Yasmina laughs. "And then this happened."
"What happened to your leg?" Kenji asks, turning his attention to Yasmina. "You look like crap, Yaz!"
"Kenji," his father hisses as the campers laugh.
"I'm offended," Yasmina huffs. "I'm not talking to you until that stuff wears off."
Kenji settles down, staring drunkenly at the ceiling.
"What's going to happen after we leave the hospital?" Brooklynn asks, stressed about the thought of going home.
"Not sure," Kenji's father shrugs. "Probably head home afterwards."
"How are we going to see each other if we're in different states?" Sammy asks, depressed.
"Well, we could schedule playdates and drive to see each other," Mr. Kon suggests. "It won't be a lot, but you could text and video call in between those play dates."
The campers are silent, dreading the moment they would separate. "We'll also be pursuing Mantah Corp and pressing charges," he continues. "Your lives alone are proof that they lied to us."
"They gave me this ugly scar," Sammy murmurs, touching her left cheek. "I'll never be able to forget what they did."
"And they should face justice for that," Mr. Kon says. "We're not going to let them get away with it."
"I shudder to think of what else they've done," Ben says. "All the innocent people they've harmed that haven't received reparations…"
"They will," Kenji's father promises.
"And Wu?" Brooklynn asks. "Will he receive judgement?"
"The courts are in the process of that," Kenji's father informs them.
"There's so many evil people in this world," Yasmina sighs. "So many things are wrong in this world."
"Yeahh," Kenji slurs. "Foreign debts, homeless vets, AIDS, crack, Bernie Goetz, hypodermics on the shore, China's under martial law, rock and roller, cola wars. Hey, I can't take it anymore."
The group starts laughing. "I'm surprised you could remember all of that under anesthesia," Yasmina sputters.
"Isn't that a song?" Ben asks.
"We Didn't Start The Fire," Darius laughs.
"Okay, let's take you back to your room to rest up," Kenji's father suggests. "Don't want you… getting too handsy."
"He wouldn't do that," Darius laughs.
"We're not taking chances," Mr. Kon says, glancing at the girls. "You can see him tomorrow after the plane ride. The hospital staff is flying you six to a hospital in Maryland, so that it's easier for you to communicate with your nurses and staff."
"And what about when we get out of the hospital?" Sammy asks.
"We'll see what happens," Mr. Kon says. "You might have to face the idea of living in separate states. In the meantime, enjoy being safe, off of the island."
The campers look at each other sadly as Kenji's father wheels the loopy out of the room. "He didn't say we're living in separate states for sure," Yasmina points out with a smirk. The kids laugh at this small technicality.