Ephram started to come to with a pounding ache in his body. He groaned and tried to shift positions, but he was still tied to the chair.

"Mourning, kiddo," Charles greeted him. If he wasn't holding him hostage, Ephram would probably like the guy. "Does it hurt?"

Ephram closed his eyes. "What do you think?"

"I figured so. Which is why I snuck you some Tylenol."

Ephram looked at the man through the dim light. Charles walked over and showed him two Tylenols as proof. Ephram opened his mouth and let Charles feed it to him.

"Thanks," Ephram said. "That'd better be extra strength."

Charles laughed good-heartedly. Ephram thought it was an odd relationship between captor and victim but he didn't mind. Charles was able to give him a glimmer of hope. It was ironic actually.

"Listen," Charles dropped his voice to a whisper. "Now you didn't hear this from me, but I figure if I got anything of an honest man left in me, I'd tell ya what I'm about to say."

"Okay."

"A.J. sent another ransom note. Along with your picture. Only he ain't ask'n for more money."

"What then?"

"Your girlfriend."

Ephram gapped at him like a show on mute. "Amy?"

"I'm sorry, kid. I really am."

Ephram shook his head. "She won't do it."

"She might… When she knows you got a week to live if she won't."

"You are not going!" Harold shrieked at his daughter.

"I know," Amy retorted. "But Ephram's gonna die."

Harold proceeded as if he hadn't heard her.

"Over my dead body are you to even consider trading yourself for him."

Amy threw a pillow at him. "He'd do it for me!"

"Oh, and I'm sure he wants you to be in his place, huh?"

"Shut up! I know I can't go! Just shut up!"

"Don't yell at me!"

"You're drinking again! What would Mom think!"

Harold looked as though he'd been slapped. "Don't you dare speak about your mother like that!"

Amy screamed into the air and stomped up the bathroom. Bright came out of his hiding spot and followed Amy at a distance. He watched in horror as she snatched a bottle of sleeping pills off the shelf of the medicine cabinet.

"Stop," he said as he wrapped his arms around her torso to pull her away, fully expecting her to fight back, which she did.

"Let go of me!" She shrieked. She dropped the bottle and several pills scattered across the tiled floor. Bright pulled and tugged and heaved her out of the bathroom. Bright carried her to her bed and let her down clumsily onto her bed. She scrambled around like a frightened mouse in a small room with a cat.

"Amy, stop," he begged her, despair in his voice. "You're scaring me."

Amy ran over to the windows and yanked at the blinds. She tore the covers off her bed. Ripping open her closet, she started yanking out clothes.

"Stupid clothes. Careless. We were all so careless. Who cares about some missing kid? As long as it's not someone we know, who cares, right?" She started to pull out drawers of her dresser and flipped them upside down on the floor.

"Please," Bright pleaded his sister. "Please, Amy stop it." Tears were streaming down his face as he watched his sister destroy herself, and he could do nothing but beg. "Your scaring me."

Amy picked up the scissors.

Bright panicked. "Put the scissors down."

Amy went over to the mirror above her dresser and brought the scissors to her hair. "I hate myself." Snip. "Dad's drinking." Snip. "Mom's dead." Snip. "I was raped." Snip. "Ephram was kidnapped." Snip. "Now they want me." Snip, snip, snip.

Amy gasped as she looked at her reflection. She dropped the scissors and brought her hand shakily to her head. She patted around in disbelief. Jagged edges met her fingertips. Her hair was five inches in some parts and two in others.

She looked at her brother in the mirror. He was crying is despair. He looked frightened. Frightened of her. And hopeless. Amy's lips trembled and she turned quickly. She thought about falling into her brother's protective arms, but she realized that they weren't so protective after all. He couldn't protect her from this. Amy ran out of her room and ran to the kitchen. She went for the phone.

"Amy?" came her father's concerned voice. "Amy, what happened to your hair?"

Amy sobbed at the sound of her father's words but she kept her back to him and dialed the phone.

"Hello?" the person answered.

"H-Hannah?"

"Amy? What's wrong?"

"Can you pick me up?"

"Of course. I- I'll be right there."

Hannah picked Amy up who just climbed in without saying anything.

"What happened?" Hannah gaped at Amy's hair.

"Just drive. We'll go to Andy's but, just drive for now."

"Sure."

The door banged open. Ephram and Charles snapped their heads over to see A.J.

"Pack your bags, we're going out."

Amy walked into the Browns' house.

"Andy, I'm sorry. I can't do it."

"I wouldn't let you."

Amy looked at the clock. 9:30 PM.

Andy looked at her like a father would. "You're not going." Andy stroked her hair, keeping his comments to himself. He had a feeling he knew what happened already.

"Amy, you have to sit down. You have to have faith. I think we might get Ephram back."

Amy looked at him. "What?"

"They have FBI agents in the train car that they specified in their note right now. At 10 P.M., in half an hour, Ephram will be on that train."

Amy looked at Hannah as though not sure she should believe it will work. "When will we know… if it worked?"

"They'll call as soon as they get him."

Amy bit her lip and embraced Andy like a daughter would a father.

"Come on," A.J. hissed into his ear.

Ephram didn't want to get on the train. He felt odd out in public. It was bright and no one recognize him.

Ephram sent a prayer that Amy will not be on the train. They boarded the train and it was empty save for a few sleeping homeless. They sat near the door. Amy's stop is the next one. That gives him about a thirteen-minute wait to send silent messages to her to send her away from the station.

"Bet you're excited to see your girlfriend," A.J. sneered at him.

Ephram looked at his hands and intensified his telepathic messages. He couldn't imagine what A.J. would do to her. Actually he could and the thought made him sick. He looked up as the four homeless people sat up slowly in unison.

A.J. tightened his grip on Ephram, sensing a trap. "Stay back."

"FBI," the female one said. She pulled her gun, as did the three other. "Let the kid go."

A.J. stood up, bringing Ephram up with him. He whipped a knife out and brought it to Ephram's neck. The four homeless/FBI agents took a step forward.

"You just made a big mistake," A.J. snarled. Ephram sent a pleading look to the female agent.

A.J. increased pressure on the knife. Ephram leaned further into him to avoid the knife. He closed his eyes and prayed. Then he heard the gun go off.

Andy flustered when the phone rang.

"H-Hello?"

"We got him. He's alive."

Andy closed his eyes and lifted his face to the ceiling in a silent thank you. "Can I talk to him?"

"He's being taken to the hospital."

"Thank you… so much."

Andy hung up. "He's safe," he announced. Amy embraced him again.

Andy waited outside his son's hospital room. They wouldn't even let him in until the police interviewed him. He finally saw the Officer Wilson exit the room.

"He's pretty shaken up," the man informed him. "You can see him, but don't expect much."

"Thank you, officer."

Andy and the man shared a strong hand shake.

Andy walked in the room and gave a weak smile. "How you holding up?"

Ephram shifted in the bed to sit up. "I've been better."

Andy took the seat next to him and reached for his son's hand. "I'm so happy to see you alive."

Ephram wouldn't meet his eye. "I'm sorry about the money."

"Don't worry about it. Hey, now you can tell everyone you're worth two million bucks."

Ephram shared a smile. "Good pick up line, huh?"

"Chicks go for that kinda stuff."

Ephram gave a chuckle. "Is Amy here?"

Andy nodded. "I'll go get her."

Ephram watched his father disappear out the door and soon Amy came in. Something was different, it took Ephram to figure it out. The hair.

"What happened?" He asked, pointing to his own hair to indicate.

Amy touched her hair. "I guess I wasn't in that good of a mood. You scared us." She came to him and sat next to him on the bed. He scooted over for her so she could lay down with him.

"I'm so glad you didn't get on the train."

Amy nuzzled into him. "It feels so good to hold you."

Ephram turned her head with his hands. Amy rolled her eyes up to look him in the eyes. Ephram smiled at her. She smiled in return and crawled up a bit so their noses were inches apart. Amy looked into his eyes and pulled away.

"Amy?" He questioned.

Amy burrowed her head into his shoulder and felt hot tears flow from her eyes.

Ephram sighed. "I know."

They both cuddled, knowing they couldn't go back to their carefree romance. They were both wounded.

The nurse loaded Ephram into the wheelchair two days later. Andy took over and wheeled his son down the hall. Ephram could see the smiling faces of his friends, his sister, his girlfriend, and half of the population of Everwood waiting outside for his discharge from the hospital.

Ephram smiled up at his father.

Andy looked straight ahead but he wore a bright smile as well. "Come on, son," he said. "Let's go home."

If you've read this far into the story it's only a courtesy to review. ALSO, this will be considered the ending if I don't get more reviews and suggestions for more chapters. Like I mentioned before, each chapter is a tragedy not a recovery (well, I guess this chapter is a bit of a recovery chapter). So this is either farewell or just the begining, it's up to you...