Chapter Two-Hundred and Forty-Five
Phoebe snuck out of her room, quietly picking the lock on John's door and opening it. "John?" She whispered, stepping toward her brother's shivering body. "Here…" She laid a thin blanket over his body, laying down beside him and cuddling into his bare chest. She could feel the cuts in his skin, the warmth of the purple bruises under her fingers. "Hush little baby, don't say a word, momma's gonna buy-"
"You a mocking bird…" John smiled as he finished the lyrics, brushing a kiss to his sister's head as he held her close to his chest. "How are you, Mouse?"
She touched a lock of his hair, noticing that it'd gotten long enough to cover a good half-inch on his shoulders. "Can we go home soon?" She asked, running her finger over the split on his cheekbone and moving to the one on his lip.
"We'll be home in no time. We just need to wait until we have a clear shot." He wrapped the blanket around them both, tucking his nose into the moth-eaten fabric as he hummed to his little sister.
Claire smiled as John's lips caressed her neck, moaning as his calloused hands ran along her spine. Finally, finally, he was hers, and he was everything she'd ever hoped for. "I love you…" She breathed, letting his strong body push her into their bed as his skilled fingers undid every button on her blouse.
Claire jerked awake, looking around John's room desperate for anything to tell her it wasn't just a dream. "Fuck…" She cried, hanging her head in her hands as she shook from the memory of how John's face had seemed to fuzz in and out of focus.
Jacob grabbed John's hair, hauling him out from under the blanket and throwing him toward the bathroom. "Get cleaned up. We're going to town." He grabbed the dirty waistband of John's jeans, pulling them off of him until he was standing bare-naked in front of him. "Glad to see at least one part of you is mine." He sneered, shoving John into the ice-cold shower and forcing him to let him scrub his body down.
John popped his knuckles, picking at his food as Jacob spoke with the couple who'd bought them dinner. He'd been listening silently for the last few minutes, trying to see if there was any way he could get out of this hell without leaving Phoebe behind.
Beverly sipped on her water, fighting the vomit trying to come up. "Excuse me, I'll be right back." She rushed to the ladies' room, throwing up what she'd had in her stomach before she dared to pull out the test she'd been keeping in her pocket for the last hour. "No…" She gasped, the pink lines showing like a death warrant. "Oh God, please, no…"
Phoebe reached for her brother's hand, able to see that he was fighting against something inside. "John…" She smiled up at him, offering him one of her chips with some of his favorite hot sauce on it. "I put too much on it."
He took the chip from her, sticking it between his teeth and crunching it up before he swallowed. "Shit." He pressed a hand to his cheek, wincing as his wisdom teeth ached. "Sorry." He stated as Cinthia, and Dwain looked at him funny. "My wisdom teeth need taken out."
Dwain nodded, seeming to understand. "We can help with that." He smirked, sliding something across the table to him. "All you have to do, is sing for us, and we'll give you as much as you like." He placed the pill in John's hand, grinning as he saw a debate going on in his head. "May even help with your fights…"