Hey guys. Here's Chapter 2 of ROTN. We're putting a little focus on the parents of the gang, how they're taking all of this, especially after the state their beloved children are in right now. Plus we'll see two more of the boys and their conditions. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 2: A Parent's Concern

About an hour after Albert arrived at the children's hospital, his parents followed suit, with his mom bringing cookies as promised. Russell and Harold gladly accepted the treats and hoped that the others would be able to get some as well...

The parents were relieved that their children were alive and saved from... whoever took them, but seeing them in their current conditions... well, it was hard for everyone. The Robertsons walked into the lobby to meet with the others.

"So... how're the boys?" Mr. Robertson asked.

Mrs. Parker spoke up, "Last we heard, they're stitching Donald up, and we should be able to see him very soon..."

"James hasn't talked much, but he's sleeping now..." Mrs. Mush added.

"Rudy just got out of surgery..." Mr. Davis also added.

"And Bucky is going through some tests..." Mrs. Miller spoke up.

Mrs. Cosby sniffled as she wiped her eyes with a soft cloth, "Bill... he's still in a coma... and hasn't woken up at all... I'm worried about my little boy... what if he never comes out of this...?"

Mr. Cosby took his wife's hand, "Don't worry, Anna. He'll pull through. Bill's a tough boy. Honestly, I just hope Russell will be okay. I think he's in denial about this whole thing. It's just a shame that this happened to our boys..."

"Honestly, Alice. You and Cliff are blessed that Albert wasn't kidnapped..." Mrs. Davis told the Robertson's, "I can't believe our babies were taken and hurt by these... cruel people. How could something like this happen?"

Mrs. Mush shook her head, "To think we could have never seen our boys again... could this have been prevented?"

"I feel like... we could have had a closer eye on our children..." Mrs. Miller sobbed, "We try our best to set them on the right track, but we couldn't even keep this from happening..."

"It's not our fault, Helen. We had no way knowing this would happen..." Mr. Miller assured his wife, "But all that matters is that they're safe. And the police are searching for the kidnappers."

Everyone in the room shuddered at the mention of the people who hurt their children. From what they knew, the kidnappers were this couple, who apparently took pleasure in torturing kids. They had no idea of this couple's motives, but they must be stopped before any other child can get kidnapped.

"Let's hope they find them..." Mr. Robertson said, "The last thing we need is another child to go through the same thing the boys went through."

"Yeah." Mr. Parker agreed, "If that man and woman really like hurting kids, then there's no telling how many other kids had to share the same fate, if not less."

They could only hope that the criminals were caught as soon as possible, and from there, justice for the boys could prevail. After what they must have suffered in the last week and a half, they really needed that justice.

Soon, the adults were able to see their respective children for the first time again since they were all rescued. Bucky was sitting up in his hospital room, drinking some water as his parents sat with him.

"How're you feeling, son?" His dad asked him.

The preteen shrugged slightly, "Okay, I guess... I've felt better..."

"Do you need anything?" His mom asked.

"No..."

"... Do you want to talk about everything that happened, dear?"

"... Not really..."

Bucky didn't have the clearest memories of what happened during his and his friends time with the crazy couple, but the parts he did remember, were the most horrendous. And honestly, he didn't want to talk about it right now, as it would only trigger flashbacks of those awful memories.

"Some of your friends are in the children's room, son. Would you like to join them? I hear your friend Albert brought some food, and his mother brought cookies..." Mr. Miller spoke.

The preteen lit up slightly at the mention of food, "Well... I am hungry. And I haven't seen the other guys in a while. Okay! I'll go..."

With that, he made his way to the room, with his parents helping him to walk. Once he made it there, he was delighted to see Albert, Russell, and Harold, "Hi guys!" He greeted.

"Bucky. Good to see you." Albert greeted back with a smile.

"We'll be back later. We're going to talk to the doctor." His father said before he and his mother left.

Bucky sat down on the carpet next to Russell, "You guys okay?" He asked, "Harold, you have a wheelchair. Like Wheeler."

"Yeah..." Harold chuckled, "It's not all that fun, but I pretty much have no choice but to use it for a while. Those dudes messed up my leg pretty badly. I'm just lucky that I'll still be able to walk when I get better."

Albert took out another tray and gave it to Bucky, "Here's some more food from Cook Out. I'll bet your hungry."

"You just read my mind, Fat Albert." He replied, opening the tray and grabbing some fries. As he did, Albert took the time to examine his athletic friend. There were bandages on both of his legs. He wore pajamas similar to Russell's and Harold's, but in yellow. He also appeared to have a brace on his right wrist.

It only made him wonder what those people did to them.

"Y'know. I'll be glad when all of this is over..." Harold spoke, "When we get healed up, that man and woman are found, and we can go back to hanging out in the junkyard again. It's been too long..."

Albert nodded, "I know. I'm just glad all you dudes are still alive. I don't know what I'd do if those people killed you."

"They came close. They really did..." Bucky sighed, "I don't even wanna talk about it. It was too scary... say, do you know if the other guys will be here soon?"

"Miss Barbara said that Donald and Mushmouth would come in tomorrow, I think... and Rudy... he's not ready. Bill..."

At the mention of his brother's name, Russell was close to bursting into tears again, that he snuggled up again Albert, who of course rubbed his back soothingly, "Oh, sorry, Russell. I didn't mean to..."

Bucky was confused, "What happened? Is Bill okay...?"

"He's in a coma..." Harold whispered, "And they don't know if he'll wake up or not..."

"Oh... right, he got hit in the head..."

"And Russell isn't taking it too well..."

"I can see..."

As for Bill himself...

Mr. and Mrs. Cosby stood next to their eldest son in his hospital room, as he continued to sleep ever so peacefully in his bed... while hooked up to countless wires and tubes. The heart monitor beeped every five seconds, and it was like torture to the mother or father, as if soon... the beeps would turn into a flatline...

Mrs. Cosby reached over to give her son a soft kiss, "Oh, my darling... I pray that you will awake soon..." She whispered.

"You're a strong kid, son..." Mr. Cosby added, "You'll pull through. Russell needs his big brother..."

But Bill remained still. The parents just couldn't believe it. Their sons were kidnapped, rescued, and now one of them was comatose, and the chances of him waking up were very unlikely. How could something so... so... unreal happen like this?

And God knows how the other boys are feeling right now...

Back with the other boys, Albert still wanted to know something, "Are you sure there isn't anything you wanna talk about?" He asked, "I mean, talking about it will help, especially in finding those people who took you..."

"It's kinda hard to remember every single detail..." Bucky admitted, "What I can remember is the really scary parts... and I really don't wanna talk about them..."

"Me neither..." Harold added, "Besides... when we got saved and such... we kinda agreed that we wouldn't talk about what happened until we all felt ready to do so... and honestly, I'm still not ready..."

"Me neither..."

Albert nodded, "I understand. But you know you'll have to talk about it sometime... the police will need all the information they need."

"We know... but... it's just hard right now..."

The large boy nodded again. He could tell that none of his friends were ready to talk about what happened... at least not out loud...

Not out loud...

Say, that gave him an idea.

"Okay, dudes. I've thought of something. You dudes will be ready to go to bed soon. We'll meet up here tomorrow, and I'll bring something to help with your current situation."

The other three boys looked confused, "What is it...?" Russell asked softly.

Albert smiled, "You'll see..."

So. The folks are still pretty upset about what happened. Bucky's doing well, and Bill's still comatose. And Albert has an idea to help the dudes express their feelings. And if you read the title of the story, you already know what it is. Next chapter, we'll see Donald and Mush... and maybe Rudy. And the first entries of the journal shall be written. Until then, I'll see you guys later. And don't forget to review, please. Thank you.