Now

November 1997

He just laid there. No movement, no sound, nothing. He was in so much pain physically and mentally. 'Where's Court? I need to find her and make sure she's alright.' But his body was telling him otherwise. He couldn't more, he legs and arms where strapped down, and his arm felt like he was being stabbed over and over again. His eyes traveled down there only to see an IV stuck in his arm with a small piece of bandage covering it up. He looked around to where he was. 'Hospital' he thought. His room was filled with nurses checking his vitals. He could feel something moist coming from his head, but he couldn't tell what it was. He smelled something foul, like rotten meat or something that stayed in the sun way too long.

Duncan spotted his father trying to get through the nurses, he saw his mother balling her eye out on the side of his father, then he saw Courtney's parents right behind his.

Coutney.

The only girl who ever talked to Duncan in this crazy way that annoyed yet excited him at the same time. She wasn't like all the other girls at their school or even the girls he dated. She was different. He liked different. I guess that's one of the reasons he fell in love with her so quickly. 'I hope and pray she's okay' he had a gut feeling that was telling him otherwise, but he pushed it down.

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James Harte was the head doctor of that particular hospital, so when he got the call about his son, he tried to rush into the room where is son laid. "Sir, you are not allowed to go in there, the nurses need to check his fluids" one the nurses said. He figured she was new to the place, because she didn't even recognize who he was. Another nurse came and told her who he was and instantly let him into the room.

He saw Duncan with all that blood and through up his dinner all over the floor. He couldn't take being in there, but he needed to make sure his son was alright.

Duncan turned his head slightly and saw his father. He reached out his hand and James did not hesitate to grab it.

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Gus was pacing back and forth, "what is taking the doctors so long?" she said aloud. She saw Duncan being rolled into the lobby in a wheelchair. She almost jumped on him, if it weren't the look of devastation on his face. She stepped back and let her husband take care of her son.

James followed the nurses and his son to see the CT scans they'd worked on previously. Luckly they did not find any intracranial contusion or any epidural hemorrhage. 'Thank god' James thought as he walked over to Gus.

"Did you say anything to you about what happened?" James shook his head no. "He looked too frightened to even speak." He went to the vending machine to his right and brought a small bag of M&M's. "James, I hope you didn't mention Courtney's death to him," Gus said worriedly. She didn't want any extra stress on her son.

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Leshawna Ramey was the lead detective on the case. When she was called down to the scene, she didn't know what to expect. All she saw was a punk looking teen laid out on the ground with blood coming out if his head with slight breathing, and a preppy looking girl with a gunshot to the head but she was not breathing. One thing came to mind when she played this scene over and over in her head.

When she reached the hospital, Leshawna found the boy's parents out in the waiting room. "Hello, I'm Leshawna Ramey. I'd like to see…" she looked down at her notebook to find the boy's name. "Duncan Harte… Is Duncan Harte available?" Gus looked distraught, "He is… But he's sleep, he needs his rest." She looked Leshawna up and down. She was on the heavier side, but was still stunning. She had to be about mid-thirties, African American women with a bodacious body. 'Wow I kind of wish I had a body like her' she shook that thought away when Leshawna started to speak again.

"I'm sorry… Mrs. Harte, but this is very important." Leshawna had no time for games. "Your son is the only person there tonight and we need more information on what happened, and the faster I talk to him, the faster this whole process can be." Gus looked mortified.

"He's a sleep! Besides he doesn't even know about Courtney's death, he loved her so much," she tried to plead. The look on this detectives face had no look of remorse, instead it showed something else. Something Gus could not depict.

"Were Duncan and Miss Courtney Gold… Seeing each other romantically?"

"Yes, they have been dating for more than two years now… Well were dating for more than two years," It took all of Gus' power not to ball her eyes out in front of this strong women.

Leshawna was slightly surprised. 'What was a prep like her doing with a punk like him?' She thought. She couldn't shake off this feeling in her gut that was telling her something she was missing.

"Like I said Ms. Ramey, my son loved Courtney with all of his heart."

Detective Ramey starred at Gus for a long time. "That may be… But he also may have shot her."

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AN: So sorry about not being on here in a while. I've been trying to figure out ways to make this story similar but not exactly the same as the book. If you have read The Pact by Jodi Picoult then you should know I am keeping the details of Emily's life kind of the same as Courtney's . Duncan however is going to be my interpretation. Well I hope you guys are enjoying this story and don't forget

R&R