Luke's PoV

I was an idiot for trying to end my life, I should have known how Carlos had felt, after all he didn't take no for an answer when he insisted on sharing a room with me. He had been by my side since we had pulled him in for help at the age of thirteen. He had grown up fast, pulled out of school to do online schooling so he could be available if we needed help. Come to think of it, he hardly left my side, I just assumed it was because I never really gave up on looking for Julie while the others started to give up after a few months. When in fact among wanting a brother, he was worried that I would do something stupid because I refused to acknowledge the reality of the situation. His words still cut through to me that if I died, it would be like losing Julie all over again. I held him as tight as I could in my arms and felt him shake a little from tears that he was trying to hide in my shoulder. I cared for him immensely also and had shed a few into his neck.

Then we heard the announcement and we let go of each other to share a shocked look for a few seconds before leaping over the chairs to get behind the nurse as fast as possible. The nurse stopped in front of a door to address us quietly.
"She might look a lot different, she has several broken bones in her hand, a broken ankle, a lot of burn marks and scars. She's fading, needs a lot of food high in nutrition and we currently have her connected to a feeder but she is your Julie, the results just came in matching her to her brother's DNA. Some more good news, she gave a thorough description of where she was kept and her surroundings. They caught him, he's currently in jail with his associates and he wont be getting away from them. They have a team of black ops currently guarding his cell"
I pulled Carlos in for a hug as we both shed more tears, Reggie and Alex were both hugging each other also while Bobby asked an important question.
"Can we take her home tonight, I can pay for the expenses, and some of your team are welcome to come by to monitor her but can this happen please?"
"I'll have to check with my supervisor but I see no reason why not as long as you get her to eat and some qualified nurses can monitor her vitals" the nurse replied before stepping to the side.

I opened the door and found my beautiful Julie's eyes immediately, her body was severely broken in many places, there were bruises all over her face and her arm that wasn't in a cast. She also looked thin, too thin, I could see her bones sticking out where her arms should have been full. But somehow she mustered the strength to whisper my name and lift her good arm out to me. I rushed over and kissed her forehead while taking her hand in mine. Her eyes were so gaunt, it was like seeing a nightmare only this was her reality. I peppered her face with kisses, grateful to have her back in my arms. Her arm that I was holding, had a nasty gash across it but had been stitched up. And the rest of her injuries were under the blankets or under her robe.

"Julie" Carlos said from the doorway, obviously quite shocked from the last time he saw her as a kid, happy and full of life. Julie started crying as everyone slowly piled into the room and I stepped back so Carlos could carefully hug her. Everyone had tears in their eyes or streaming down their faces but we were all so happy.
"Well Julie, I spoke to a supervisor, if you want we can get out of here and head home, we are just taking a team with us to monitor your vitals. What do you say, wanna get out of here?" Bobby asked from the doorway after we had all finished hugging her carefully.
"Yes please, I'm also hungry" she said softly.
We all shared a sad smile as Bobby nodded and stepped away to finalize our plans. We stepped out to give her some privacy to get changed, the nurses were going to help her into some sweatpants, underwear, a t-shirt and cardigan that had been living in the back of Bobby's car for the last three years in case we ever did get the call that she had been found. Everything was too big probably for her but hopefully she would grow back into her clothes again.

Once she was dressed, I wheeled her out of the hospital and chucked the wheelchair into the boot before climbing next to her in the back. Alex and Reggie were in front with Carlos on her other side.
"What do you want to eat Julie?" Alex asked as he started to pull out of the hospital.
"Could I have two cheese burgers please?" she said quietly.
"Of course Julie!" he said.

Julie wasn't talking a lot and when she did it was quiet. I squeezed her good hand and kissed her cheek softly. I wanted to take her pain away and hoped that over the next few days as her mind adjusted to being free that she would find her confidence again. But I also could guess what she had been through and understood that she would need a lot of time, love and patience. We had the doctors follow us through the driveway and then on towards our house while Bobby followed close behind. We were going to stay a few weeks at Bobbie's before finally returning to our house that we hadn't visited in three years. Reggie was going to get someone to do some deep cleaning, he did say he paid someone to empty our fridge out and hand the groceries to a homeless shelter when we made the decision to move in with Bobby for convenience. So at least we weren't going to open a fridge that was growing stuff when we did get home.

Once home, I helped Julie into her chair and wheeled her inside with her cheese burgers in her lap. She had already consumed half of one which was good to see. I then started pulling out the couch into a bed while Alex and Reggie found me pillows and sheets to set it up. It made sense that with Julie not having the strength to get around the house, to have her on the bottom level. The doctors were busy talking to Bobby and after she was set up in bed, they asked her a few questions about how she felt pain wise. They had already administered morphine and were happy to give her some more if she needed at any point during the night. I realized how strange it might be to sleep with two doctors potentially watching you sleep but they assured me that they would read off of their phones or monitor her fluids. They also said I was welcome to sleep with her as they understood how I felt having finally found her after so many years. I suspected they were being so chill about it because Bobby had spoken to them which was really nice.

Julie finished the other half of her cheese burger and passed me the other one with a sad smile.
"It's okay, your body will get there over time, and when it does you can eat all the cheese burgers you want! I'll eat this one before it goes bad and we can get some more in a few days alright?"
She nodded her head so I distracted myself by eating the cheese burger while Carlos gently stroked her hair .
"Would you like a bath Jules? I can wash your hair if you like" I asked once I finished the burger She nodded so I went to start running the bath while Carlos helped wheel her in.

It made me sad to know she didn't feel up to talking much yet but I could only imagine what she had been through. Carlos found some plastic bags for her hand and ankle with elastic ties and I helped her undress once Carlos left. She was thin, covered in marks and her skin was tight across her skeleton from. It was hard to see and hold in my emotions. I helped her into the bath and started to wash her hair gently. Carlos came back a few minutes later, and offered her a platter of fruit. I didn't think Julie would be able to eat much more but she slowly snacked away on the platter. It had grapes, strawberries, blueberries and pineapple grilled in cinnamon. Carlos talked away while keeping his eyes on the floor about what he had been up to in the last three years. He refrained from throwing me under the bus with what I had done earlier today to which I was grateful for.

When it came time for Julie to get up and get dry, Carlos quickly made his exit and I helped dry Julie's body. I then dressed her, dried her hair and brushed out the curls. Her hair was very long now, down to her waist. I then gave her a toothbrush with toothpaste after she used the washroom. It reminded me of the first few days I spent with her, trying to care for her. Only this time I could physically help a lot more. Julie couldn't hold her weight for long so I stayed close by to help assist and supported her waist from behind while she brushed her teeth.

When we finally left the bathroom, ready for bed, Reggie had started a movie and everyone was already snuggled in their corners. The two doctors had found a corner to read in, I assumed their tests and monitoring only took effect if Julie suddenly wasn't feeling well so I led her to our corner of the couch and she snuggled into my side. I froze for a moment before resting my arm gently around her small frame. I didn't think she would want anyone to touch her for more than a few seconds unless it was to help her after what she had been through but I guess I was wrong. She had twisted her one good hand into my t-shirt and was holding on for dear life. I lent down to kiss her forehead and kept my mouth to her forehead breathing into her hair. She soon fell asleep with a soft smile on her face which made it hard for me to not shed warm tears of joy. I settled for gently stroking her hair and humming lullabies when she would stir.

Eventually, Julie woke up around five in the afternoon in pain so I let the doctors quickly check her out and administer some pain relief while I helped Carlos in the kitchen. He had started on a vegetable soup so I offered to start chopping the chicken breast since it was nearly done. Reggie had set up a loaf of bread in the bread cooker when we came home while Carlos was timing his soup to be finished at the same time as the loaf of bread. Once Julie was released I wheeled her to the table and sat next to her while everyone else bustled around.

"So eat what you can and we will make burritos later on tonight after you've had another nap" said Alex as he gave her a small bowl, a glass of milk and a small piece of bread with butter. Julie managed to down an entire bowl of soup and her bread which made us all happy since it was pure nutrition. Reggie gave her a chocolate chip cookie to go with her milk which she also managed to finish.
"Alright back to bed" I said as Julie was about to fall asleep at the table.

Once Julie was settled, I slid in next to her and Alex started up some Mario kart while Reggie did the dishes quickly with Bobby. Carlos was getting really good at this game and I was struggling to keep up with him. Soon enough though, Julie was beginning to doze off in my arms so I handed off my controller after one match to Reggie and rested my arms around Julie's small frame. She immediately found one of my arms and pulled it tighter into her chest. That's where I dozed off for a while also, finally able to breathe for the first time in three years.