Here we are everyone, the aftermath of Chapter 16. TBH, I'm a little angry with myself that I started this journey exactly two years ago and haven't finished. But hey, I'm not going anywhere. However, seeing the new followers that I get in between each chapter is always some great motivation for me to get it together and update. So to those who have stuck around since the prologue, get ready for some good old BenxKate.
Chapter 17: "And I Will Give You Rest"
They made it this far, but they were nowhere near the end. True Kate, Max, and Chloe had found Ben before they were too late. But now, judging from the bad shape he was in, getting him to the hospital was their next priority. Still in the Dark Room, Ben managed to stand to his feet with what little strength he had left in him. Max had finished taking photographs of the Dark Room's disturbing nature. She took a clean sweep of the entire area, gathering shots of Jefferson's photography equipment, the chair he psychologically tortured Ben in, the cabinet of drugs he used on his "models", the red binders that contained images of the girls he had kidnapped, and even the photos of both Rachel and Kate that were on the computer. She ended the collection of photos she took on her Polaroid with taking a picture of the defeated Jefferson.
Chloe still had her stepfather's gun trained on the psychopath who had been posing as a photography teacher all this time. She was hoping that he wasn't crazy or stupid enough to try and disarm her. After all, he was too occupied with applying pressure to his gunshot wound and trying to come to terms that he had been beaten. What made it feel even more painful was that the gun he was going to shoot Ben with was only a few feet away from him as he stared at it.
"Reach for it and I shoot you right between those stupid hipster glasses." Chloe threatened.
"Typical punk slut. All talk." He retorted. You think I didn't deal with my fair share of your kind in the nineties?" Jefferson mocked. "Do you really think killing me in front of your girlfriend, Max is a good idea? I know all about you two. The fact that you pick her up in your shitty pickup truck each day after school. And hang out together at that old junk yard? The same place that I buried Rachel."
"Fuck you! That's bullshit!" Chloe denied furiously.
"Now why would I lie about that. After all, I knew about how close you and Rachel were. But now that you're here, you gave me a great idea of what it would be like to see you and Max pose for me. And I promise I'll make sure nothing unfortunate happens to the two of you like Rachel."
"Shut the fuck up!" Chloe shouted pointing the gun even closer to him.
"Don't do it Chloe!" Ben intervened. "He wants you to kill him in front of all us. So that watching him die will fuck us all up. And most of all so that his death will be on you. So fuck him." He persuaded.
"Ben, are you alright?" Kate asked him with concern. He looked over at her to see that she had her head turned away from him. In her hands, she held all of Ben's clothes that she was able to find. This reminded him that he was still undressed.
"Yeah, I'm good now. I'm gonna go change real quick." He told her as he made his way towards a vacant room that he kept his eye on. He entered the room and changed now that he had some privacy.
"Hey, Ben! Talk to us while in your in there so we know you're okay." Chloe called out from the main room.
"Sure." Ben replied. "How'd you guys find me. Better yet, where are we?"
"Nathan was the one who told us where you were. He said this Dark Room place was underneath his family's old barn." Chloe explained.
"So that's where we are. I don't even want to know how long I've been down here. Right now, I just want to get out of here, take a shower and have a nice burger with fries at the Two Whales. It's been way too long since I've had food." Ben had just finished getting dressed and buckled his belt as he walked out of the room he used to changed. He now found himself just a couple of feet away from Kate.
"Hey!" Ben said softly.
"Hey!" Kate replied.
"I'm sorry for what I said to you before. I just got so caught up about my past and I was trying to protect you that I made myself look like such a douche."
"It's alright Ben. I forgive you. And I always will no matter what. Nobody in this world is perfect, but I think that you're close to it." She said as she stepped forward to embrace him. Ben wrapped his arms around her to do the same. The two of them were so caught up in the moment that they forgot Max and Chloe were still there.
"I don't mean to interrupt your whole reconciliation, but can we get out of here and find somewhere to do that where there isn't a fucking psycho in the same room with us." Chloe said.
"You sound so paranoid, Chloe. You have every right to be." Jefferson mocked in a sinister tone.
"Look, there's a door open down there." A voice called out from outside the room, turning everyone's attention to the bunker's entrance.
"Who is that?" Kate asked nervously.
"I'm not sure but that voice sounds familiar." Max said. She was able to distinguish that the voice had a southern accent.
"Oh shit! Not him." Chloe said. She immediately put the gun in one of her jacket pockets
As the four of them wondered just who was coming down, they were all surprised to see that it was David Madsen, accompanied by several police officers. He wasn't dressed in his Blackwell security uniform and instead was dressed in a dark green button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up, a blue belt, and a pair of brown work boots.
"What the… Chloe?" What are all of you doing down here?" David questioned. Several police officers followed him into the room shortly after.
"Doing your job, David! You say you're all about keeping Blackwell safe by trying to install a bunch of surveillance cameras on school and interrogating students by getting all up in their faces. Yet you can't stop a single student from being assaulted and kidnapped in their own dorm room." Chloe shouted.
"Now just wait a damn minute…" David said trying to defend himself.
"How about you look at Ben for a minute. Sure he looks like he got jumped by a bunch of assholes which did happen to him last night, but just fifteen minutes ago, we found him tied up and naked in this place, where he was about to have his brains blown out by Mark Jefferson."
"Wait! Jefferson?" David questioned in confusion as he looked at the man in the back of the room. "Is that blood? How did he get shot? Chloe just stop being mad at me for once in your life and please tell me what the hell is going on?" He demanded.
"Okay." Chloe said, followed by a deep breath. "Long story short, this whole bunker was exists so that Jefferson could do some fucked up shit without anyone in Arcadia Bay knowing. He was using Nathan to dose and kidnap girls at Blackwell so that he could tie them up and photograph them while they were still drugged out of their minds." She explained.
"Christ!" David replied in disgust. "Please tell me you're alright. If that pervert touched you Chloe, I swear I will…"
"I'm fine. The only reason we came here was to find Ben before we… before we were too late." Chloe replied.
"Jefferson and Nathan took me here because they felt that I was a threat to their whole plan. Nathan paid a couple of guys on the baseball team to jump me and then I tried to get away from them by jumping out of my window just before I blacked out. Next thing I know, I woke up to Jefferson playing all sorts of mind games with me just before he was going to kill me."
"I'm sorry son. We tried to get here sooner after a couple of the guys working the night shift for security at the school found Prescott all beat up in the locker room after curfew." David explained. "Dupratt, Pearce, get that piece of shit in cuffs and out of here. He ordered two police officers.
The two men in uniform made their way over to Jefferson and placed him in handcuffs. They then marched him out of the bunker.
"Officer Barry, I need you to get a stretcher for the kid. After all he's been through, the first place he needs to be is hospital."
"Already on it." The cop replied. "Dispatch, I need two EMTs to enter the barn with a stretcher, we got a kid down here with what looks like signs of lacerations on the face. Most likely from blunt force trauma to the head." He relayed into his radio.
"Officer, it's really not that bad." Ben tried to insist.
"It's okay Ben, we'll be right behind you on your way to the hospital in Chloe's truck." Kate said as she smiled at Ben.
"Not just yet, I'm afraid. Officer Barry is going to need a statement from you three girls before we let you go." David stated.
"Well that didn't take long at all." Chloe said sarcastically in the truck. "I mean, was it really necessary for them to keep us that long to give statements when they knew that being there for Ben was more important?"
"They just wanted us to help them Chloe. I'm sure that what we just told them will help them in their investigation." Max said.
"It better, we've got enough dirt on those two to make sure they both get life." Chloe stated.
Kate sat in the seat closest to the window just like before. She felt awful knowing what really did happen to her that night of the vortex party. She also felt sorry after finding out what happened to all those other girls. But the goodness in her wanted to forgive Mr. Jefferson and Nathan for all the evil they had done. Right now, getting to the hospital to see Ben was all that really mattered right now.
"Hey, we're here." Kate said as she acknowledged the hospital sign.
Chloe pulled into a spot in the parking lot and the three entered the hospital entrance. They all made their way towards the circulation desk so that they could find out where in the hospital Ben was being held.
"Excuse me, I'm looking for someone that may have checked in not too long ago. His name is Ben Ferris." Kate said softly.
"Okay, let me check our database." The woman said as she searched the name on her computer. "We do have someone with that name on our list that just checked in just an hour ago, age 18." She said followed by a sigh. "I'm sorry miss, but I'm afraid that our visiting hours for friends just ended an. Only extended family are allowed at this time. You can come back tomorrow morning if you'd like."
"Look, lady. Our friend doesn't exactly have the best extended family situation. And right now, we're the only thing close to family that he has." Chloe mentioned. "All I'm saying is that it would mean a lot if you could make some sort of arrangement. No one will even know."
"Even if we can't, can we at least drop this off to him?" Max questioned as she showed a photograph to the woman. It was the same photo that was taken of the four of them and Warren and Ben's house the night he invited all of them over to have pizza and watch movies. The woman could see the look of joy and silliness on each of their faces.
"I'll see what I can do." She said.
A nurse was now escorting the girls to the ward the Ben was held in.
"Please try to keep you visit short. He has a concussion and he needs rest." She urged.
"Kate why don't you go. Max and I will give you two some space to you know, talk things out." Chloe said.
"Okay, I will. Thanks for coming with me. It really means a lot." She said as she looked back at Max and Chloe, who both sat in two chairs that were across from the door she was about to open.
Kate was frozen as she felt the cold door knob. This was going to be her first time alone with Ben after things between them the last time went so wrong. Could they possibly reset everything and make it work this time?
She opened the door to see Ben who was lying in a bed. He was dressed in one of the usual hospital gowns and had his face covered with all sorts of bandages and gauze. He had bandages that were wrapped around his forehead and temples along with one across his nose, most likely to stop the bleeding from the gashes made in those particular areas. He also had a piece of gauze taped to his left cheek and one on the left side of his neck. Despite the quick response to his wounds from the staff hospital, there were still bruises on his broken face that were clearly visible to Kate. But surely, this was nothing compared to the mental scars that were much deeper than Ben's physical ones.
Ben could be seen gazing out the window to his right side. He heard the door open and knew that someone was here to see him. Although he just wanted to be left alone after everything that happened tonight, he decided to humor himself and see who was here to see him. And upon seeing Kate, the only person that meant everything to him, he exchanged a faint smile before making one of his stupid quips.
"You know, we really need to stop meeting each other at this place like this." He joked. Kate smiled upon knowing that this was a sign that he was recovering well.
"I came here with Max and Chloe as soon as I could. And Max wanted you to have this." She said as she took the picture out from her cardigan pocket and placed it on the nightstand next to Ben's bed.
Ben slowly moved his head over to see the picture, to which he remembered how much fun everyone had that night. "Thanks for this." He said.
"You're welcome. So, how are you doing?" Kate said as she approached his bed.
"I've had my fair share of hits and blows from eight years of physical contact sports, but I haven't caught a break in the last two days. The Doctors told me I've got a concussion, a fractured skull, two broken ribs, and a collapsed lung." He said.
"Oh, Ben. I'm so sorry!" Kate lamented. "This is all my fault. I should have come back for you after I told you to leave my room. You've been so kind to me these past few weeks and it wrong of me to just…"
"Kate. Stop. This is all on me." Ben interrupted. "After that day on the roof when I got to meet you, the real you, I told myself that I was going to do all the good in my heart to make this girl happy like she should be. I had no idea that I was going to make enemies along the way. Especially ones hiding in plain sight."
"I can't believe Mr. Jefferson would do something so horrible to all those girls. Including me. I feel so sick knowing what really happened to me that night. I looked up to him." Kate said sadly.
"I did too, Kate. But when he kept me down in that place, I saw the real Mr. Jefferson. And what kind of sick bastard he really was. And believe me when I say that I would give anything to unsee the kind of things I saw down there." Ben said in a voice that practically sounded scared. Kate had never heard him sound so phased before. She placed her hand on his cheek that had the gauze on it, the same exact cheek that she kissed the last time she saw him in this same position from getting injured in his last Football game.
"It's okay, Ben. We've both been through a lot. And the only way we can both face this is together. I'm here for you. And I know that you'll always be there for me. And I hope that one day what happened to us will all just feel like a nightmare that we eventually woke up from.
"Yeah, that's a good way to think of it." Ben said as he looked up at her. Her warm hand placed on his face was somehow enough for him to ignore the pain that still remained in his body. "I wish I could just go back to Blackwell with you guys but the Doctors said I can't even leave this bed since I need to be hooked up to this IV drip for the next couple days." He said in a dissatisfied tone.
"Oh, I'm sorry. If you'd like I could come here right after school to drop off your homework and spend some time with you for a few hours before going back to Blackwell." She said.
Ben seemed reluctant about the later part of Kate's suggestion since he felt that she should have been spending her time with her best friends. Alyssa, Stella, Max, and even Chloe. Kate shouldn't have to take time out of her personal life to spend time with him. But that was when it came to Ben that she wanted to spend her time with him.
"Yeah, I'd like that. Thanks!" Ben said. "Hey Kate."
"Yes?" She asked. "Last time when we were here and I mentioned how people like my parents should talk things out, I was wondering if we could maybe…"
The door to Ben's hospital room opened, stopping Ben from whatever he was going to say next. It was a nurse who walked in.
"Benjamin, your parents are here to see you."
'My parents? As in... Mom and Dad? Together?' Ben thought to himself. He was confused hearing what the nurse had just told him, that he had to look at Kate even though she wouldn't have an explanation at all.
After the nurse Ben's mother came in right after. After so many years, she still looked the same as she did when Ben was a small child, she had her raven hair worn down and was wearing a denim jacket, with matching jeans, and brown high heeled boots. Ben's dad came in soon after who was wearing his usual red track suit and hat, which was what he always wore when coaching Football at Blackwell.
"Benji!" His mother gasped with relief, seeing her son for the first time in months. "What happened to you? Are you okay?" She asked with concern. She ran her fingers through his hair while she scanned the physical condition of his face.
"I'm fine, Mom." Ben said as he pulled his head away from her and looked out the window. "I'm glad you came up all the way from San Francisco to visit, but if you and Dad don't mind I'd like to be alone." He said.
"Ben, can you at least talk to us. We're your parents." His father sighed.
Feeling like she was in an awkward family situation that she knew too well with her own parents, Kate tried to be discreet and silently step out of the room, until she was suddenly acknowledged by Ben's mother.
"Hi there!" Ben's mother said as she smiled at Kate.
"Oh, uh hi!" Kate replied with a cheeky smile.
"I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself when I first walked in. I'm Amanda, Ben's mother." She said as she reached out her arm for a friendly handshake.
"My name's Kate." She said as she shook Amanda's hand.
"Well it's very nice to meet you Kate. I'm surprised Ben never told me about you." Amanda said. "Listen, Kate. Do you think John and could talk with Ben for a few minutes? Maybe we could talk after."
"Sure, I could give you some privacy." Kate replied politely.
"Thanks! I really love your hair by the way. And your outfit is adorable." Amanda complimented.
"Oh! Thank you." She said as she smiled upon receiving those compliments. Kate then left the room and closed the door behind her.
"She seems really nice!" Ben's mother said with a smile.
"Yeah, she is. She's been a really great friend." Ben replied. He rested his head against the pillow, now staring at the ceiling.
"Ben, I know you've been through a lot. And even though you're mother and I are divorced we're still your parents. So just please say some…
"Fine! You want me to say something? Well here it goes. When you two wanted me to go to Blackwell, you thought it would be best for me because I would be able to have a quiet experience from my previous high school life. But low and behold, two weeks after moving in, I get sucked into the school's biggest clique where I'm exposed to peer pressure, drinking, drugs, and sex. And just when I think that those people are my friends, they end up pushing a girl to the point of suicide with some viral video of her not being herself. And guess who was the only one that actually gave a shit about her?!" Ben spat out angrily.
"Ben!" Amanda yelled in shock.
"And that's not everything. One of my friends hated my guts because I took Kate's side and he wanted to make my life so miserable because of it. And let's not forget the part where my own teacher, an adult that I actually trusted kidnapped me, just so he could torture and kill me. Do you guys have any idea how scared I was down there. I just wanted to have a normal experience. To make new friends and memories and study Drama like I was supposed to. Not fear for my life and worry if I would ever see you guys again!" He finished as he furiously thrust the back of his head into his pillows and began to cry.
"I'm sorry, Ben. I'm so sorry." Amanda wept.
"For what?" Ben questioned as he lifted his head up and saw his mother fighting tears.
"For all of this. The day I heard about you and Kate… when you two were up on that roof. I knew I should have come up to see you and make sure you were okay." She sobbed as she held Ben's hand tightly.
"David Madsen told us about everything. Mark Jefferson, that bunker, those girls. I can't imagine how tough these next few days are gonna be for you, Ben. That's why I think it's best if you're mother stays in Arcadia Bay for a few days until things settle." John suggested.
"What's gonna happen to Mr. Jefferson?" Ben asked.
"After what he did to all those girls? They'll give him the death penalty sure. That bastard will be lucky if he even gets a life sentence." John responded in disgust.
"And what about Nathan Prescott?" Ben asked.
His father then sighed. "I don't know. David said that he was arrested after making a confession to the police. That's how they found out where you were in the first place. All I know is that things won't be easy for the Prescotts."
Suddenly, the door had opened again and a doctor had walked in.
"Hello, everyone. I hope I'm not interrupting but my name is Dr. Young. I'm one of the hospital's Psychologists. I was hoping that I could have some time to check in with Benjamin for an evaluation by the end of tonight. It shouldn't take long at all."
"Now just hold on a sec, Doc!" John yelled. "My son just spent the last two days being trapped in some secret underground dungeon with some maniac who was planning to do God knows what to him, and the hospital immediately wants a shrink to see him instead of giving him time to be with his family."
"Dad, Relax!" Ben intervened. "She's just doing her job. And to be honest after everything I've been through, I think she's someone I need to talk to right now. My Drama teacher said it herself and I thought she was crazy for suggesting that."
"I think Ben's right. And besides, John. I think it's time that we talked. Something we haven't done in a while." Amanda said as she tugged at her ex-husband's arm, hinting that it was time for them to leave. "Your father and I will see you in the morning Benji. We love you." She said as they left.
"How are you Ben?" Dr. Young asked with a smile.
"To be honest I've been better. It's still hard to laugh when I've got a few broken ribs." Ben remarked.
"Well I see that your sense of humor is still intact." She replied. "Say, now that I think of it, you must be the one that Kate mentioned."
"Wait! You know Kate?" Ben asked surprised.
"Oh shoot! I wasn't supposed to say that because of confidentiality." She said. "But yes, I've met Kate and she told me nothing but good things about you. And if you ask me. I think she's mighty lucky to have a friend like you." She stated.
"Well, between you and me Dr. Young, I kinda feel the same way about her." Ben expressed as he looked down in reflection."
"So Ben. I'm not here to diagnose you or anything at all. I just need to gather information of what happened since you've been through a traumatic experience. Everything will remain one hundred percent confidential and if it makes you feel comfortable, you can call me Penny." She explained.
"Thanks, Penny." Ben replied. He could tell that she was doing her best to make him feel at ease and feel like she was someone he could trust. "To be honest, there's been so much that's happened that I just don't know where to start." He explained.
"Why don't you start with what you think is the most important part." She said.
"Sure." He said, ready to begin his story from the earliest part he felt was vital to gain an understanding. "So a couple weeks ago, there was some viral video about this girl, Kate. And everyone was talking about it…"
Kate sat in a chair in the hospital corridor that was right across from Ben's room, wondering how the talk with his parents was going. As Max and Chloe kept her company, although Chloe looked like she was growing impatient as she couldn't stay in her seat.
"Okay, I'm glad we found Ben and all, but now we need to find Rachel. She's still out there if anything."
"Chloe... " Max interjected.
"You think so too right, Max? I mean, Kate, if that creep Jeffershit spared you and you managed to let you leave the Dark Room alive, then there's a chance that Rachel escaped too." Chloe said in desperation. Max could hear how anxious Chloe was.
"Chloe, there's something that I've been meaning to tell you. I've just been trying to think of the right time." Max said.
"Max, you can just tell me right now."
"No, not here. Can we go to your house? Or my dorm? Just somewhere private."
"Um, sure. Are you okay? You're kinda freaking me out." Chloe stated as she felt concerned for her best friend.
"I'm fine. I just think it's better this way if we talk alone." Max insisted.
"Hey, Kate? You gonna be okay if Max and I bounce?" Chloe asked.
"Oh, yes. I think I'm going to stay just a little while longer until I hear from Ben again. Have a good night you too." She stated.
"Yeah, you too!" Chloe replied.
"Night, Kate. Text us to keep us updated on how Ben's doing." Max said.
"I will." Kate said. After the two girls left, Kate heard someone else call her name, it was the voice of a woman that she had not heard in a few weeks.
"Kate? Is that you?" The woman questioned. As Kate looked up to identify the person, she saw that it was Penny, the woman who was there for her when she first came to the hospital.
"Penny!" Kate said as she got up from her chair to hug the doctor.
"Oh my goodness!" Penny reacted upon Kate embracing her.
"Sorry." Kate said bashfully.
"Don't be, it's good to see you again. But, what are you doing here so late? I know I'm not your mother, but it is a school night." Penny replied.
"I'm here for my friend, Ben. He's been through a lot lately and I wanted to stay the night to make sure he's okay. I know I'm not allowed to but..."
"No, that's alright. I won't say anything to the other staff. It's kind of you do that for your friend Ben. I always knew you were a good person." Penny said. "Just be sure to get some rest and take care of yourself in the long run, Kate."
Penny opened the door to Ben's room and entered. Shortly after, both his parents walked out and looked at Kate. Ben's father slowly approached Kate to say something, which made Kate worry. She feared that he was going to blame her for what happened to his son, but Kate was caught off guard when she heard him say...
"Excuse me, Kate, but I believe I owe you an apology." He stated.
"An apology? I don't understand." Kate said as she felt confused upon hearing this.
"I was wrong about you. Ben tried to tell me that you were different from what everybody else said. I thought you were using him because I believed what my players said about you. All because you made one mistake at some party. What matters is that you saved his life tonight. Losing one son was hard enough for Amanda and I. Hell, it even destroyed Ben. And I don't think I could imagine losing another…" He choked up as he tried to finish his sentence. "Thank you, Kate. For bringing him back to us."
"Goodbye Kate. It was nice meeting you." Amanda said as the two began to leave.
"You too. It was nice meeting you as well." Kate called out.
It was getting late and Kate wanted to stay up a little longer so she could check on Ben. Even though she knew that Penny was with him. Growing tired of waiting she slowly dosed off. As she woke up once again she found herself in the same spot she was in before. She checked the clock in the hallway to see that she had only been asleep for roughly forty minutes. Wondering how much longer she was going to stay at the hospital and how she got back to Blackwell, if the buses were still running, she felt someone sitting in the chair next to her, only to see that it was Ben.
"Ben?" Kate said with concern.
"Yeah?" He replied. He looked and sounded exhausted.
"What are you doing? You should be in bed resting. And you're supposed to be connected to that IV bag in your room."
"Relax. I've got my fluids right here." He said as he pointed to the bag of clear liquid that was sitting in his lap. "And now I'm about to finally get some rest." He said as he smiled at her and placed his head on Kate's shoulder, beginning to fall asleep. Kate was glad that Ben had quickly knocked so that he couldn't see the wide smile across her face that she currently had. She then decided to close her eyes and get some much needed sleep herself.
Ugh, I thought that this would be a long chapter but it only turned out being a little more than 5,000 words. Not that word count is something that matters to me, but I feel that some of the best chapters in this story are the ones that reach over 15,000 words. However, you'll either be happy or unsatisfied to know that are only two chapters left in this story. I want to apologize to guys because of how busy I was these two months when I was rehearsing for I play that I performed in last weekend. I hope you guys were pleased with this chapter when I didn't give you guys anything new in months. But I feel like you guys always forgive me whenever I give you any scenes with BenxKate being cute together. I really mean it when I say I don't want to keep you guys waiting on these last two chapters, when school is right around the corner. Until then, be good everyone and try and find the Kate or Ben in your life :)