Chapter Twenty-Four: The Hiding Game
"Hey, I am searching for my sister, Josette Parker." A little out of breath because they had been rushing to get to the third floor after being sent here by another nurse at the lobby of the hospital, Kai asked the nurse behind the desk about the whereabouts of his twin.
Kai hadn't said much to Bonnie about what happened and why Jo had been delivered here. Some of the things he didn't know himself, like what happened exactly and how her condition was. He had only said this much: Jo had been in an accident and their parents couldn't know about this until he made sure of her condition. Bonnie hadn't asked too many questions because first, the Parker-twins' relationship was complex and anyone trying to figure it out completely, was going to realize he had no idea what the two of them were, after a few days, and second she remembered that Jo was driving around in Kai's car, maybe it was some kind of cover up mission they were trying to achieve here.
After Kai had filled her in on the little information, Bonnie had instantly offered to drive him to the hospital. For one because this was the fastest way and also because she was worried sick about Jo herself. Getting a vague statement like 'your sister is in the hospital because she had an accident, come quick' would freak anyone out. And Jo was her friend; she didn't want her to get hurt.
The nurse pressed a button on the keyboard in front of her and searched for Jo in the system. She was painfully slow doing it, so much so that Bonnie wanted to yell at her. If she already felt like this she couldn't even imagine what Kai must be feeling right now. With a side glance she saw his intense mien; he has nervously tapping his fingers onto the desk, ready to strangle the woman if she didn't hurry up.
"She is in room 387, but she is still with the doctor so please wait until you are cleared to enter." The woman finally explained and in the next second Bonnie and Kai were on their straight way to search for room 387. The rooms along the floor had number over 400 and the further they got into the corridor the smaller the numbers got. They passed normal hospital rooms, every now and then a door was open and Bonnie could peek inside: two or three beds inside, a bunch of devises attached to people or just standing next to empty beds, a few visitors heading into the rooms and nurses caring for the patients. Somehow the fact that they apparently were on a ward where it was comparatively calm made Bonnie relax a little. Jo couldn't be hurt that much if they brought her up here.
But then suddenly when they reached room 390 they stood in front of a big half-glassy door. To open it you had to press a button on the right and in big, bold red letters Bonnie read 'Intense Care' at the top of it and her heart missed a beat.
She saw Kai hesitate to press the button. He swallowed hard and only stared through the glassy part of the door into the hectic corridor in front.
"Bonnie, what if…" he started but she hurried to cut him off. She couldn't let him finish his thought, not for his or her sake.
"Let's not jump to conclusions." She took his hand and with shaking hands she pushed the button and the doors gave way for them to pass through.
None of the nurses or doctors looked their way when they stepped inside and slowly made their way to room 387. They could see it already when they stepped inside. The door of the room was to their left, no window or anything that could give away the condition of the person inside. On the opposite side of the corridor were a few chairs lining up. They weren't occupied and since the nurse said they needed to wait until they were cleared to get in, Bonnie ushered them both to the chairs and made Kai sit.
He did everything she wanted from him after that without second thought. He took off his coat because in here it was pretty warm and they had no idea how long this would take. He waited when she went to get some water and even drank a few sips when she returned to offer it to him. He was lost inside some kind of trance, his thoughts probably offering up scenario after scenario of Jo being injured, one worse than that, never letting his gaze shift from the door in front of him.
At some point he had reclaimed her hand but throughout these cruel minutes of waiting he didn't say a word and that was the worst thing. Kai was a person with the ability to babble on and on and on, no matter if the person in front of him was interested or not. The rare times she had seen him silent like this were never good. Even when he told her about his mother's condition he said a few things but right now… this complete silence…
In that moment something in Kai lost the ability to keep his attention stuck on the door. His head fell down and he leaned his upper body forward so he could place his elbow onto his thigh, his gaze now turned to the floor.
Bonnie shifted a little closer to him. Her knees now touched his right leg and she placed her right hand on top of the one already holding her left, squeezing lightly. She wished she could do anything for him right now but there was nothing she could do, and she knew. So as a last attempt to give him a little comfort she placed her head on his shoulders and let it rest there.
They both winced when the door of room 387 got opened and two figures dressed in white coats, a man and a woman, and a third figure, a woman, dressed in light green stepped outside. The women exchanged some words before the nurse headed in the right direction and the woman turned to her male colleague. They both looked into something that seemed like a medical file and then the woman nodded in their direction.
The male doctor then started walking in their direction. "Kai Parker?"
"Yes." Kai and Bonnie rose from their seats and met the doctor half way. The man was about 50 and the grey strands in his hair had taken the upper hand in his former naturally dark hair. The doctor offered them his hand and they both shook it. Bonnie's left hand was still entwined with Kai's.
"Hello, I am Dr. Washington. Me and my colleague were just talking to your sister."
"How is she?" Kai's voice sounded strangled.
"She is awake, her condition is stable." Bonnie and Kai both sighed heavily from relieve. Dr. Washington continued. "She lost quite a lot a blood and we had to give her pain medication but she is going to be okay."
"Can I see her?" Kai asked.
Dr. Washington looked from him to Bonnie and back, his expression unreadable. "Yes, but you both need to be extra careful. She needs rest."
Kai nodded and wanted to head to the door before Dr. Washington stopped him. "One more thing, you were the only one in her emergence contact list but I need to inform your parents…"
The doctor looked at Kai and tilted his head. Something about his expression reminded Bonnie of someone that knew a secret about Kai and wanted him to know about it, pressure him into making a mistake. For a few seconds they were only looking at one another and then Kai nodded. Dr. Washington flashed a faint smile and patted Kai's shoulder before he left him and Bonnie alone.
Without losing any more time Kai went to the door and without knocking opened it, stepping halfway in. It was a rather dark room, no windows and the sound of different kind of medical devices filling the room. Jo was sitting on the only bed in the room right in front of them. She was wearing hospital clothes and her long dark hair was held back by a loose ponytail.
When the door opened her face lifted to the door. Spotting her brother in the doorframe she tried for a small smile but when she saw the questioning expression on his face she burst into tears.
Bonnie watched Kai's expression change from worried to dismayed. He let out a breath and then stepped into the room, giving Bonnie enough space to enter herself. Kai headed straight to his sisters side, placing himself on the side of the bed and hugging her close. Jo kept on crying heavily, her face now hidden from Bonnie by Kai's. He held her tight, brushing her hair lightly with his right hand, his left hand resting on her back. Jo's right arm wrapped around Kai's neck, while her left arm rested between their bodies, wrapped in cast.
Bonnie stepped a little closer but gave the two space. They had clearly communicated about something the second Kai had entered and she had no business disturbing this moment now. Without a clue about what was actually going on right now, she waited by the end of the bed watching the siblings hug each other. Kai's eyes were closed now as he let his twin sob into his chest. He looked even tenser then before. Shouldn't he be more relieved that his sister was doing okay? But Jo clearly wasn't okay, if it was nothing physical than maybe mental? What happened to her?
Finally the sobbing sounds receded and Jo slowly unclamped herself from Kai. His hands still rested against the side of her head though and his eyes were looked to hers.
"I'm so sorry." He said and his voice was so broken as if he had been affected by that accident as well. But Sorry? For what?
Jo had to fight back another swell of tears and she swallowed heavily. She couldn't respond to that so she only nodded. Bonnie saw some scratches on Jo's face. Then her gaze found Bonnie's and she turned her face to her, speaking her first words. "You're here." Her face and also her voice indicated relief and gratitude and Bonnie stepped closer to stand directly next to where Kai was sitting on the bed.
"Yeah, I was with him when he got the call. I just had to know you were okay." Now Bonnie placed herself next to Kai onto the bed and took Jo's hand that wasn't wrapped in cast. The gesture seemed to comfort Jo because she mustered a small smile.
"What happened" Kai finally asked.
Jo breathed in deeply before she started. "I was on my way to the doctor for the appointment. I was already late because Mrs. Vanderson wanted to talk to me about the next prom and I had to get rid of her first. So that I wouldn't be late I wanted to take the interstate. At the crossroad right before the ramp I had to wait at the traffic lights and when they turned green some car crashed into the passenger side. The car got pushed in the middle of the road and another car bumped into the trunk. The first car took off but because of the impact I broke my arm but I instantly knew something was wrong. I just prayed that… that…" her voice broke again and tears started rolling down her cheeks. Kai patted the back of her head until she was calm enough again to finish her story. "I knew when I saw the blood on the seat that it was too late, that I had lost the baby."
Bonnie breathed in. Baby. Jo was pregnant. And due to the accident she lost it. Now it all made sense. Kai's fierce comments about Jo's weight all the time. Their whispering. Jo's outburst. Kai's reaction. The sibling's silent conversation right when Kai had entered. He had silently asked about the baby. He had had known. Bonnie suddenly felt all kinds of bad for the girl in front of her. She squeezed her hand tight.
"Jo, I am so sorry. I didn't know, otherwise…" Bonnie felt bad that she didn't instantly went to comfort the devastated girl when she entered the room.
"Don't." Jo squeezed her hand back. "No one knew, except Kai and I asked him not to tell anyone. I'm just glad that you are here right now."
"Of course." Bonnie managed a smile. She had no idea what to do except smile and show Jo that she was there for her. She had never been in a situation like this before, none of them had. Jo placed her head back onto Kai's shoulder, looking exhausted. Kai tilted his head so that his cheek rested against Jo's hair. Looking at them in a bad time like this, Bonnie only now realized how close they really were, how tight the bond between the siblings was. It was beyond explainable.
All their attentions were raised by the door being opened in one swing. Evelyn Parker stood in the door frame looking only at Jo. Bonnie rose from her spot and took a few steps back so Evelyn would have the space to properly take care of her daughter. Jo gave her a pleading look and Bonnie knew what she wanted to say. 'Please, don't say anything.' And Bonnie wouldn't.
But apparently she didn't need to because when Evelyn Parker stood on the other side of Jo's bed and looked down at her daughter, who desperately tried to hide her sorrow form her mother, and after making sure Jo was alright she asked. "What about the baby?"
Jo and Kai both looked at her with shock. "How… how did you know?" Jo stammered.
Evelyn's still concerned gaze turned softer. "I am your mother, darling. How could I not know?"
Jo fought the tears in her eyes for a few seconds but she lost the fight. Once again her body shook from the pain inside her coming to the surface and Bonnie's heart clenched.
"Oh, god no." Evelyn sat next to Jo now and hugged her daughter to herself.
Bonnie realized Kai was now standing next to her at the end of the bed. He was facing his mother and sister and waited with anxious eyes for the reaction their mother would show about lying to her about the pregnancy.
"Are you mad?" Jo managed to get out between sobs.
Evelyn looked at her daughter with so much admiration. "No, honey I am not mad. I was always hoping you would finally open up to me and we could find a solution together but I figure you and Kai did that all by yourselves, hm?" Still padding Jo's back Evelyn's gaze turned to her son.
"Don't blame him, it was all me. I asked him not to tell you." Jo defended her twin but there was no need to. Evelyn wasn't mad at Kai either.
"I don't blame any of you. I just want to know what the two of you were thinking. How would you have hidden this from us?"
"You know the exchange student plan for the summer?" Jo asked and Bonnie witnessed the moment when the penny dropped with Evelyn.
"You got to be kidding me. Which smart ass came up with that idea?" Evelyn raised her eyebrows at Kai.
"Don't look at me, this was actually professional advice." Kai said.
"I was never planning on taking those classes. It would have been the official excuse. I went to see this councilor, specialized in teenage pregnancies, where the kids are afraid to tell their parents. She advised me if I was going to keep this a secret to you I should get out of town and get into these programs that are offered by the state. But I knew I could either never come back to the family if dad found out I had a baby and he would have found out because, how could I have explained living in another city? So I took the advice and came up with the idea of this summer classes in England. There I would have the best opportunities for me and the baby."
Bonnie blinked, impressed at how far Jo was willing to go to keep this a secret, literally. Evelyn seemed to have some other reaction to Jo's story.
"Who knew about this?" he asked, serious all of a sudden.
"Kai knew, that's it."
Kai and Jo exchanged a short glance. It was barely noticeable but of course Evelyn picked up on it. She looked from one child to the other but Jo and Kai both kept a convincing pokerface.
"Granny?" Evelyn's voice tumbled in a mixture of disbelief, frustration and anger.
Both her children kept quiet and that was what gave them away.
"I can't believe this." Evelyn got up from the bed and paced the room. "My own mother knew about the pregnancy and I didn't? Of course, why else would you choose summer school in England. You've been there a thousand times already and never seemed to be too thrilled about the place. How could I have been so blind?" She was really angry now, Bonnie had never seen her like that before. But if she was angry at her kids, herself or her mother was hard to tell. She resumed "How did you think you could pull this off? You can't just leave the country like that and stay with your grandmother. There are laws. Did any one of you even really thought this through? This plan is full of flaws."
"Mom, we're sorry." Jo tried to reach for her arm, but Evelyn kept walking around, lost in thought. She didn't reply anything only constantly shaking her head. Her right hand was pressed over her mouth, seeming like she wanted to keep the thoughts roaming her head from exiting.
"How did you think this would work? Didn't you think about the fact that we might wonder why you were spending so much time in England and not coming back? We would have come for you and then there would have been no hiding."
"Yeah, but then I would have been with granny." Jo looked down at her fingers nervously playing with the blanket. "Dad wouldn't have done anything if I were with her."
Today was the first time Bonnie had heard of Kai's grandmother and the way they were talking about her she seemed like some kind of woman scaring Joshua Parker, or why else would the mighty family patriarch be powerless when he found a pregnant Jo with her grandmother in England?
After a while Jo asked the question that stopped Evelyn's movement, the question that was lingering in the room the moment Evelyn entered. "Are you gonna tell dad?"
Next to her Kai stiffened a little, anticipating his mother's response. The two would now find out if all their scheming and hiding would have been for nothing. Evelyn's expression turned a little bit more understanding and suddenly she sighed heavily, all anger gone from her face. She slowly went back to standing next to Jo and took her hand. "No, I am not going to tell him. What happened, happened. But there is no need to fill him in on this, he would just be upset and there is no need for that any longer." Her thumb caressed the back of Jo's hand as she visibly relaxed. "I'll go call him and inform him about your accident, he won't find out about the baby." And with a look to Jo and then Kai she added. "I promise."
It was stunning to see the dynamics of this family. It was so complicated and divided with so many different bonds but somehow it was built on one common fact: Joshua Parker's ways of handling things involving his family were more than questionable. Seeing Evelyn Parker agree to that fact, if not verbally then with her actions, made sense at the same time as it didn't. Fitting for this family, Bonnie thought and was once happy for her simple mother-daughter-grandmother family.
"I'll go call your dad now." Evelyn gave Jo a kiss on the head and then came to stand in front of Kai, kissing his cheek. To Bonnie's surprise she turned to her and caressed her cheek as well, the woman hadn't really taken any notice in Bonnie's presence before but apparently she had been very aware of her being there. "Good to have you here, sweetie." She said and after that she headed to the door, searching for her phone in her purse.
When the door closed behind her Kai and Jo both sighed heavily, Kai next to her visibly relieved.
"Wow, this was kind of easy." Jo claimed with something of a smile forming on her cheeks.
"Yeah, thanks to Bonnie." Kai stated.
"What? I haven't done anything."
"You were here, that's enough." And now Jo really smiled at her.
"If you weren't we would have gotten the lecture of the century." Kai walked to the end of the bed and leaned onto it facing his sister.
"I doubt that it would have been that hard. I mean it your mom; I can't imagine her being mad at any of you." Bonnie thought back to all those time she had seen the woman. Always with warmth in her eyes and nice words on her lips.
"Oh, she can be furious. People never believe us but she has got some temper. It doesn't happen very often but when she does get mad… you better run and hide." Jo said in an almost joking voice and Kai laughed a humorless laugh. It was hard for Bonnie to imagine this nice woman getting mad at any given time. She always imagined raising this many kids made her the most relaxed person on the planet but apparently even super-moms had their limits. Understandably so.
The door got opened once again and Dr. Washington stepped into the room.
"Greetings. I see you are taken good care off, Josette." He smiled to Bonnie and Kai and Jo smiled as well.
"Yeah, I am glad they are here."
"I am sorry but I have to do one more test on your sister." He turned to Jo. "You want them to stay or should they wait outside."
Jo looked conflicted for a second but then she asked the two of them to wait outside and they willingly gave her the privacy. Outside the room Bonnie headed straight to the chairs they had occupied earlier but Kai didn't sit next to her but stood right in front of her seat. Compared to earlier he looked way calmer but instead of fear being the primary emotion covering his face it was now sorrow. Bonnie reached for his hands.
"Hey, why don't you sit for a moment? Calm down and rest. It's been some intense few hours." When Kai didn't move to sit next to her, she squeezed his hands and gently pulled on his arms to maneuver him into the seat. He didn't put up much of a fight, probably because he was too exhausted to do that now, and when he finally sat next to her he only smiled at her without managing to make it look genuine and leaned back into the seat, saying nothing.
Bonnie turned to him, sitting on her right leg to have a better view of him. She didn't say anything either, even though she had so many thoughts roaming in her head that she wanted to let out but she felt that Kai just needed this moment of silence to recover. So she only sat there, watching him watch the ceiling and waited for him to signal her that he was willing to listen to her.
For a few minutes they sat like that, no awkwardness involved, but then he turned his head that was resting against the wall behind him and looked right into Bonnie's eyes.
"I'm sorry, for dragging you into this." were his first words.
Bonnie frowned. "There is nothing to be sorry for. I want to be here. Jo is my friend and even if I wouldn't have been there when you got the call I'd still be here when I found out." She grabbed his hand to underline her statement and make him see her sincerity.
"But you have your own issues right now…"
Bonnie interrupted and they both talked at the same time. "Still, I need to be here for Jo now and for you…"
"…and I couldn't be there for you the way I should have."
"Don't worry about it."
"No, I promise you I'll do better, it's just today was…"
"Shut up, Kai." And surprisingly he did, so she resumed. "You have been the best friend to me the past few days and even though I am not feeling 100% yet, I am better. Thanks to you and Jo and your mom… You don't owe me anything. It is my turn to be there for you now."
A short laugh escaped Kai and he seemed a little better.
"By the way, how come you are Jo's only emergency contact? Aren't the parents usually the ones being informed?" Bonnie asked, the thought crossed her mind earlier and now that she had the time she wanted to ask.
"I had my emergency contact list changed a few months ago. Jo is the only one on there and when she told me about the pregnancy we went and changed hers too. We couldn't risk it, if anything happened to her and mom and dad would find out by accident that she was pregnant we could have forgotten all about the plan."
"Wow, you really thought this through."
"Actually, no. I was never completely okay with the idea but Jo needed a plan and that was the only one we got." He stopped himself with a wave of his hand. "Doesn't matter now, does it?"
Bonnie's hand found the side of his face and she brushed over the short hair at the side of his head with her fingers. He briefly closed his eyes and to her surprise he not only let her do this but he also leaned into her touch, rewarding her once more with the sight of his more vulnerable side. He was hurting. His sister had been in an accident and she had lost her child. The child, his niece or nephew that he was desperately trying to protect from its grandfather. And all the effort was for nothing. By a force no one could have predicted or prevented the two hadn't managed to guarantee the kid a safe delivery into this world. Of course he would struggle with this.
"Are you going to be okay?" Bonnie asked and Kai looked at her.
He didn't answer her instantly but when he did his words came out strongly. "Yes, I will." And Bonnie believed him. Kai wasn't a person to crumble right away, he was a strong person.
"You should go home, Bonnie." He said with a lot of caring in his voice. He turned to the side to mirror her posture and Bonnie's hand fell back into her lap.
"No, I am good. I want to make sure Jo is okay. I wanna be here for you both."
"No, seriously. Your mom is coming home tonight and if you're not there she is going to freak out."
"I'll call her."
He huffed over her stubbornness. "For real, you should be with her. My mom is probably going to leave soon too. She can't leave the kids all alone and I am going to stay here with Jo and the most thrilling thing that is going to happen then is that we are probably going to sleep. There is nothing you can do right now. Jo is already beyond glad you were there and she is okay. If you really need to you can come back tomorrow to check in with her but right now… you should take care of yourself. Get something to eat, get some sleep." His voice was so soft. He didn't push her to go but he reasoned with her and Bonnie had to admit he was right.
"And who is going to take care of you?" she tried her last argument.
With one hand Kai gestured around the corridor. "Look around you, Bonnie. This is a hospital. Enough people here to take care of me. Not that I need that."
Now it was Bonnie's time to huff and shake her head. "Alright, but I'll wait until Doctor McDreamy is done doing his tests. I wanna say good bye to Jo AND be sure that I'll be back tomorrow."
He tiredly smiled at her, leaning the side of his head against the wall again. "Sure."
And then it hit her again. This feeling from a few days ago. His eyes, so full of hurt and tiredness, claimed her attention and something in her heart answered to the look on his face. This feeling seemed familiar but still she couldn't place this. Her breathing picked up a little and she saw his vision drop to her mouth for a moment. Bonnie wanted to be closer to him, wished that there wasn't this stupid armrest separating them. But she could still lean over it to touch him, to caress his cheek and press her forehead to his. Just a tilt of her head would give him access to press her lips…
"Why are the two of you sitting outside here?" Evelyn Parker's voice interrupted her thoughts.
NO! This was definitely not happening to her. Bonnie blinked the feeling away, breaking out of her daydream. In her head the thoughts were running a marathon. God, no, this wasn't happening again. She wasn't going to regress to her dumb junior high years of admiring him. She promised herself not to be one of those girls Kai Parker wrapped around his finger. Plus, they were friends, WHAT WAS SHE THINKING? Nothing apparently, at least not with her brain.
"The doctor's with Jo. She asked us to wait outside." Kai answered his mother, his voice strangely unaffected by what had just happened.
No. Nothing had happened. Nothing will ever happen. She was just freshly broken-up and still not over Jeremy. She wasn't one of those girls who couldn't be alone, who needed a boy by their side to feel good. She has never been. The other day she had blamed her stupid reaction to his eyes on her tiredness and now… it was probably the fact that both their feelings had been all over the place today and that the other one had offered some kind of safe haven. It is easy to get confused in an extreme situation like this.
"You can get back in now." Dr. Washington disturbed her thoughts and Kai and Evelyn were already headed for the door. Bonnie followed only a step behind.
"What was that about?" Evelyn asked Jo.
"Oh, he needed to take a blood sample to figure out some kind of medication thing." Jo answered.
Evelyn nodded, seemingly content with that answer. Then Bonnie stepped forward. "Hey, is it okay if I get going? My mom's coming home in a few minutes."
"Yes, of course." Jo immediately said and Bonnie leaned down to give her friend a long hug, no too tight to not hurt her.
"Listen, if you need anything just call or text or whatever. I'll be here in a heartbeat, okay? And I'll be back tomorrow to check in on you." Bonnie said near Jo's ear and she could feel the brunets head nodding. When she drew back from her Bonnie made sure to peck her on the cheek before she turned to Evelyn.
"Bonnie, love. Thank you so much for taking care of them." Evelyn hugged her.
Before she could go to Kai to say goodbye to him, she smiled at Evelyn who now seemed to be back to her sweet and understanding self in comparison to the outraged version from earlier. Bonnie crossed the space to Kai with a few paces and got to her tiptoes to embrace him in a tight hug.
Kai leaned down to her and hugged her back. It took a while before either of them was willing to let the other go but Kai was the first one to loosen his grip.
"Keep me posted. Text me, call me, doesn't matter. If I don't get an update from you at on regular basis you should hope you've fallen asleep because this is the only excuse I will accept." Bonnie nearly threatened him.
"Okay." Was Kai answer but Bonnie could never be sure with him so she raised both her eyebrows and pursing her lips, demanding more than just an 'okay'. Kai sighted, slightly annoyed, and in a tone a five year old would have used he said. "I promise."
Bonnie smiled and patted his shoulder. "Good boy." She turned around to face all Parkers once more. "Bye, see you tomorrow." Bonnie waved and a collective 'bye' followed her outside the room.
Author's note: Sooooo, Jo's secret finally revealed. Some of you already guessed it back when it was first introduced, so well done. I hope I can update this story as often as possible because right now I am doing my internship and that will take a lot of my time up until October. But rest assured, I am still willing to continue and I already have a lot of work done for future chapters just need the time to edit it. Thanks for sticking around, until then.