Here's chapter two! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited, or alerted this story! Continue to give me your opinions. They really do help me a lot.
The smell of disinfectant reaches my nose the moment I step into the hospital, making me slow my pace a bit as I begin to feel sick to my stomach. I hate hospitals. They're full of sick people and blood and needles. God, I hate needles... Kendall places a hand on my shoulder in comfort, guiding me to the check-in counter. I glance around the waiting room, heart pounding as I try hard not to throw up all over the floor. I refuse to believe that I'm actually here to see Logan, to see him DEAD. It's too horrible to be true.
"Hi," Ms. Knight greets the woman behind the counter, forcing a smile and trying to be polite. "We're here to see Logan Mitchel. We received a call saying he was in an accident and is...dead." I see her take in a deep breath, eyes already filling with tears once again. I need to get out of here before I go crazy. This isn't really happening. I'm just...dreaming! Yeah, dreaming, and soon I'll wake up in Logan's arms and everything will be okay!
"Oh, yes, Logan Mitchel," the woman says cheerfully, making her way around the counter to stand beside us, clipboard in hand. I've only known her for about a minute and already I hate her. We're here to see someone who's dead, and she has the nerve to act all happy and positive. What part of dead doesn't she understand? "I'm very sorry about your loss." Bullshit. "If you'll please follow me, I'll take you to his room." Ms. Knight and Carlos follow immediately, but I can't seem to move.
"K-Kendall... I don't think I can do this..." I whisper, glancing back at the entrance. Kelly and Gustavo are out there waiting in the limo. I could just sit with them and-
"Come on," Kendall says, grabbing my wrist and tugging me along. I half-heartedly try to pull away, swallowing hard against the nervousness in my stomach. What will he look like? Will there be blood? Bruises? Will he even look like him?
"Right in here," the woman we're following says finally, stopping in front of a door and turning to face us. "Take your time. I'll be waiting out here to give you some space." For a long moment, none of us move, and then Kendall's pushing me towards the door and I open it slowly, heart beating fast, my eyes tightly shut as I prepare myself for the worse. I take a few steps into the room, taking a deep breath, and then cautiously open my eyes, on the verge of tears once again. I slowly follow the line of his body to his face, and suck in a quick breath at what I see.
It's not him. I don't know who the hell this is, but he's not Logan. This body has blonde hair that comes down to about his chin in slight waves, and his face is completely different. I feel a bit light-headed with relief.
"It's not him," I say softly in disbelief. "It's not Logan." Ms. Knight begins to sob behind me.
"Oh, James, does he really look that disfigured?" she asks, hand wrapping around my wrist. I turn to her and grab her shoulders, pulling her into the room.
"No, look!" I tell her, walking her closer to the bed. "It's really not him!" She gasps, eyes widening slightly before she turns back to the woman outside.
"This isn't Logan Mitchel," she says, her voice steady and calm, but I can tell that she's furious inside. "There's been some mistake." Kendall and Carlos rush to the bed to see for themselves, small smiles coming to their faces in relief. Katie wipes her eyes and tries to look annoyed, but she only manages a small frown before she, too, is grinning. The woman just stares at us for a moment before deciding to speak.
"Excuse me?"
"This is not Logan Mitchel," Ms. Knight repeats, crossing her arms. "What is going on here?" The woman looks like she's at a loss for words.
"I-I don't understand... This is the only accident patient we've had all day. Someone identified him and gave us a number in which we could reach his family at..."
"Who identified him?" Ms. Knight demands, eyes narrowing. "Surely it wasn't just some stranger? I demand to speak with whoever's in charge." Nodding, the woman quickly hurries away, and Ms. Knight ushers us out the door, closing it behind her. She leans against it, letting out a sigh of relief as she pulls Katie close to her.
"He's alive," Carlos says excitedly, pulling on my arm. "Can you believe it, James?" I burst into tears in reply, so happy and relieved I can't help it. I just want to go home, where he's surely waiting for me, and hold him close to me until I have every inch of him memorized. He's alive, he's alive, he's alive! A tall man approaches us, the woman from behind the counter following behind. I barely hear the conversation that follows, holding onto Kendall and Carlos and letting myself heal. I notice Ms. Knight practically screaming at the man and woman, though I don't listen to what she's saying. It doesn't matter. Nothing matters but the fact that Logan is not dead. And then I feel a tug on my sleeve, and Ms. Knight is pulling me and the others down the hall and out of the hospital.
"Those complete idiots!" she says, furious. "They let some stranger identify him! And they call themselves a hospital!" She practically pushes us into the limo, Kelly and Gustavo looking surprised that we're back so soon. "Thank god he's alright."
"They identified the body wrong," Carlos quickly explains.
"It wasn't Logan!" Kendall adds.
"He's alive!" I nearly scream. "Now hurry up and get us home! I need to see him!" Gustavo and Kelly just sit there, mouths open slightly.
"Wait, what?" Kelly asks, shaking her head in disbelief. "How could they have made such a huge mistake?"
"Who cares?" I reply. "Just tell the fucking driver to drive!"
"James!" Ms. Knight smacks my arm. "Language."
"Sorry," I mumble, not really meaning it. Kelly sighs and turns around to tell the driver to take us back home, and I almost start bouncing in my seat, becoming impatient. Logan's probably wondering where we are. I'm sure he's home by now. We probably just missed him.
"So, how did the hospital make this mistake?" Kelly asks, addressing Ms. Knight. I actually listen this time, a bit curious as to how those idiots screwed up so bad.
"I don't even really know," she replies. "They told me that while they were bringing him in, a man in the waiting room said he knew who he was, and they didn't have anything to identify him with, so they just went along with what he said."
"But why would he tell them it was Logan? And how does he know your cellphone number?" Kendall asks, his eyebrows furrowing.
"I don't know..." his mom replies, stroking his hair. "What matters is that this is all over and everything's okay."
"But it does seem a bit suspicious," Katie says, resting her head on her mom's shoulder.
"Maybe it was all just some sick joke," Carlos suggests, frowning. "If I knew who he was I'd kick his a-"
"Language," Ms. Knight cuts him off, giving him a warning look.
"Can't we go any faster?" I whine, giving Kelly my best puppy dog eyes. "Please tell him to go faster."
"We're going the speed limit, James."
"Exactly!" I exclaim. "You don't understand! I need to get home!"
"We'll be there in five minutes," Gustavo spoke up. Five minutes... I turn to look out the window, counting cars to try and pass the time, and after what seems like an hour, we're parked outside the Palm Woods. As soon as Kendall opens the door I'm out, running through the front door and up the stairs, ignoring everyone else calling my name and telling me to wait up. Heart racing with excitement, I burst into apartment 2J, eyes searching the living room and kitchen.
"Logan?" I call, stepping further into the apartment. "You here, babe?" I notice a neon pink envelope on the coffee table, and almost roll my eyes as I go over to it. Really, Logan, pink? Oh, who am I kidding? That's so cute! I hurriedly pick up the envelope, seeing that it's addressed to "James Diamond," and open it.
Dear James,
Looking for Logan? Well, you won't find him. I've kidnapped him, and you'll never see him again. In person, at least. Don't believe me? I'm the one who gave the hospital false information. I knew you would go and say goodbye, giving me the perfect chance to sneak into your apartment and leave you this.
This is not a joke. I have Logan. And there's nothing you can do about it.
I drop the letter, gasping for air as I feel the breath leave my lungs for the second time today. This just cannot be happening to me.
"James, is he here?" Kendall asks from the doorway, and I turn to look at him.
"No." And then I burst into tears again, and I hate myself for it, but this is just so fucked up. Why would anyone want to kidnap my Logie? I mean, yeah, he's famous, but why hi m? There are so many celebrities out there; what makes Logan so special? And the kidnapper is a guy! What is he going to do to Logan?
"It's okay, James," Kendall says quickly, coming to stand beside me. "I'm sure he's just down by the pool or something and we missed him."
"What's going on?" Carlos says, finally appearing in the doorway with Katie and Ms. Knight.
"James is just freaking because Logan isn't here," Kendall answers for me. "But you can't blame him after what just happened." Oh, he had no idea.
"Aw, Jamie," Carlos says, hurrying forward to wrap me in a hug. "Let's go look for him." I shake my head, pointing down at the note I dropped on the floor.
"R-read it," I whisper, staring intently at Kendall as he bends and picks it up. He quickly scans the letter, and then turns back to me, unable to speak.
"What is it?" Carlos asks, and when neither of us replies, he snatches the letter from Kendall's hand. "Is this from Logan?" I watch his confused expression quickly change to one of disbelief. "No..." Ms. Knight comes forward and takes the letter, reading it as well. She screams, throwing the paper to the ground as she hurries to the kitchen counter, picking up her cellphone.
"Kendall, Carlos, make sure the door and windows are locked," she says, eyes watering. "Take Katie and James and go to your room. I'm calling the police."
"What's going on?" Katie asks as I grab her arm, pulling her along to Logan and I's room as Kendall and Carlos check the door and windows. I'm trying hard to calm down, but I've lost him, again. And this time it's real. This time, he really is gone. "James!"
"Quiet, Katie," Kendall says as he enters the room behind us, Carlos following. He closes the door and I collapse onto a bed, releasing Katie's arm as I curl up in a ball and cry. I feel so weak for doing it, but having your heart shatter twice in a day without being fully healed makes you this way.
"Kendall, what's going on?" Katie asks, grabbing his hand. "You're scaring me! Why was mom screaming? Why is James upset?" Kendall leans down to whisper in her ear while Carlos comes over to me, placing a gentle hand on my back.
"It's alright, James. We're calling the police."
"What good will that do?" I sob, burying my face into the pillow. "We have no idea who he is or where he went!" I take in a deep breath, freezing when that scent hits my nose. I lift my head up, looking around. I'm in Logan's bed. It smells just like him... I bury my face into the pillow once again, breathing in his scent deeply, and manage to calm down a bit. At least, enough to stop crying. Katie starts to cry again, screaming up at Kendall.
"No, no, no! You're lying!"
"He's not lying, Katie," I whisper, sitting up and bringing my knees up to my chest. "Logan's really gone." She doesn't say anything else, just cries as Kendall picks her up in his arms, rocking her slightly, trying to calm her down. Police sirens go off down below in front of the Palm Woods, flashing lights dancing along the windows. Ms. Knight opens the bedroom door, eyes red with tears.
"We're going to find him," she says. "The police know what to do." There's a knock on the door, and she quickly leaves to answer it, Katie hopping out of her brother's arms to follow her. It's silent between Kendall, Carlos, and I for a moment, and then Kendall speaks up.
"They'll ask us a bunch of questions." I nod, wiping at my eyes.
"We don't know much," I say softly. "We're never going to find him."
"Don't say that," Kendall says gently. "I mean, he couldn't have gotten THAT far. I'm sure he'll be caught within a few hours, and Logan will be back home safe and sound." But something in the pit of my stomach tells me that he's wrong. This is just the beginning, and it's going to get much worse.
"The police need to speak with you guys," Katie says, poking her head into the room. I have such a bad feeling about this...
So, there you go! :)