Chapter 7
Saturday night after the boys went fishing on the HMS Pogue, they had a nice, quiet dinner with Brooke and Julian. Shortly after that, Pope went home, and JJ and John B went out to the hammock. When they were sure Brooke and Julian had fallen asleep, they shared a joint. "Ughh," JJ said in a rare moment of vulnerability, "I'm not looking forward to pretending to go home tomorrow when Brooke or Julian drops me off."
"Do you want me to come with," John B asks.
"Nah, man. Besides it's just an opportunity for you to slip up."
"True. Besides what are the chances Luke is actually there?" John B replies.
"That's not the real question, bro. The real question is—what are the chances he is sober enough to notice me when I come into the house?"
John B looked at JJ with a worried expression. "So, you're thinking it's like a ten percent chance?"
"Who knows," JJ said biting his lip. "It's a crap shoot."
It was 10 am on Sunday morning when Julian pulled up to the shack and noticed JJ's dad's truck. "I see your dad's home. Do you mind if I get out and introduce myself?" Julian asked.
"He probably just got back a few hours ago from a double shift at the marina," JJ lied easily.
"Okay, I don't want to disturb him then. We won't be able to make it to the Outer Banks next weekend, but you and Pope are more than welcome to come to Tree Hill."
"Yeah, that would be great. Thanks, Julian," JJ said nodding enthusiastically.
"Great! I'll have Brooke coordinate with you guys about ferry schedules. Have a good week, JJ."
After JJ got out of the SUV, Julian drove to the gas station to fill the tank and put air in the tires. When he returned to the SUV, he noticed JJ's worn baseball hat on the passenger seat. Several minutes later, Julian parked the SUV in JJ's yard, grabbed the hat, and made his way to the front door. After walking for about twenty feet Julian tensed when he heard screaming.
"You useless piece of shit—you think you're too good to come home," Luke's voice bellowed from the shack.
Julian froze, unsure if he should step in or not.
"Dad—ahhhhh!" JJ screamed.
Julian, hearing JJ scream in pain, knew he needed to step in. He ran towards the shack and through the open front door. He froze when he saw Luke kicking JJ in the abdomen. Julian had the fleeting thought that JJ appeared to be unconscious.
"Hey," Julian shouted.
JJ looked up at Julian, a dazed look in his eye. While Luke looked at Julian and sneered, "I don't know who the fuck you are but get the fuck out of my house." Then he picked his beer up from the table, took another swig, and kicked JJ hard.
"Uggghhh," JJ moaned.
Julian lunged towards Luke and shoved him so hard that he stumbled back. Momentarily stunned, Luke remained on the floor.
Julian rushed to crouch down beside JJ who was barely conscious and pale. "JJ," Julian said shaking his shoulders gently. "JJ," Julian tried again when JJ didn't respond.
"Man, I thought I told you to get lost," Luke said to Julian.
"I'm taking JJ to the hospital," Julian said standing up.
Luke took a step towards Julian. "Is that right?" he asked.
"Yes, he needs—" Julian started to say.
Luke punched Julian who fell backwards. "No, you ain't taking the little prick to the hospital," Luke sneered and started to walk towards his bedroom. "Now, I'm going to get my gun and I reckon you'll be gone by the time I get back."
Julian sat on the floor momentarily stunned by Luke's threat. He then charged at Luke and shoved him to the ground. It wasn't difficult given Luke's level of intoxication. He wanted to take JJ and run, but he knew he could not let Luke come after them with a gun. With a surge of adrenaline, he was able to flip the sofa onto Luke's legs. He also conveniently saw some rope by a table. He tied Luke's wrists together as best as he could manage. Then, he ran back to JJ and crouched beside him. "Come on, buddy. Let's get you out of here."
"I'm not too bad off. Get out of here," JJ wheezed.
Ignoring him Julian bent down and scooped him up and moved as quickly as he could towards the SUV. He placed JJ in the front seat, quickly buckling him in before peeling out of the yard. When he was more than a mile away and sure Luke was not trailing them, he pulled over. It was the first time he was able to get a good look at JJ. He saw a black eye blossoming. Julian didn't even want to begin to think about what his ribs probably looked like. His eyes were closed and his face pale. "JJ, can you hear me?" Julian asked. He grabbed his wrist to feel for a pulse. "Oh, thank god," he whispered when he found one.
"What happened?" JJ asked.
"I found you at your house," Julian said watching as recognition struck JJ's face. Julian had to work hard to keep his expression neutral and his tone calm. "I'm going to take you to the hospital."
"No, no, no! My dad not great, but, but he is the only family I've got. This is the worst it's ever been I swear," JJ said before breaking into sobs.
Julian saw how hard he was working to choke back his tears and could not resist pulling him into a tight hug. He was surprised when JJ hugged him back. "Maybe he is your only family by blood, but Brooke and I noticed that you and John B act like brothers. You should be able to come and stay with us," Julian said cupping the back of JJ's head.
"You mean if Brooke says yes?" JJ asked pulling out of the embrace.
Julian almost laughed at that. "No, of course, Brooke will say yes, she thinks you're great. I said 'should be able to' because of DCS. But we're licensed, so I don't see it being a problem. We will sort everything out, I promise. But right now, I need to drive you to the hospital," Julian said putting a hand on JJ's shoulder.
"Thanks," JJ said staring at the SUV's floor mats.
Julian punched the hospital's name into his phone. "My phone says the hospital is five minutes away. Can you try to stay awake for me, bud?"
"No problemo," JJ said wincing in pain.
A few minutes later, Julian car screeches to a halt outside the emergency room. He quickly tosses his car keys to the first person he sees and says, "Hey! We have a bit of an emergency can you park my car for me? Anywhere is fine. Just give the keys to the check-in lady." The woman looks a bit bewildered, but quickly agrees. Julian runs to the passenger side and goes to carry JJ into the emergency room.
"Julian, there is a wheelchair right by the entrance," JJ says with a horrified expression on his face.
"Right—excellent thinking," Julian responds.
Julian pushes JJ into the emergency waiting room. "I'm going to get you signed in," Julian says as he pushed JJ into the main waiting area. JJ just nods blankly. Julian quietly talks to the woman at the check-in desk. Luckily, the wait is not too long; they are able to get into an exam room within twenty minutes. In the exam room, Julian helps JJ move from the wheelchair into the cot noting JJ's sharp breath. "How painful is it?"
"It feels fan-fucking-tastic."
"I'm sure," Julian sighed. "But I meant on a scale of one to ten?"
"A five," JJ says. Julian raises an eyebrow and holds eye contact. "Ok, maybe a seven."
Julian notes how JJ keeps cracking his knuckles in his hospital bed and how every few minutes his eyes dart wildly around the entire room. Julian figures a direct, no bullshit approach is best. He moved his chair next to JJ's bed and puts a hand on his knee. He is sure to keep his tone neutral and says, "When I checked you in, I told the lady at the front desk what happened. Whoever sees you will probably have more questions and it's likely you will have to talk to a social worker."
JJ could feel the terror, running through his body. Yes, on the way to the hospital, Julian said he and Brooke could be JJ's foster parents, but JJ knew there was no way it would last. Then he would be separated from the only two people he had left: John B and Pope. He was furious for being so exhausted that he let his guard down and didn't do anything to stop Julian from telling the lady at the front desk. JJ glared at Julian and said with barley contained rage, "You shouldn't have done that."
"JJ, you don't deserve to be treated like that. I know you probably feel a sense of loyalty to your dad, and that's normal, but you can't keep living there."
"So, I'm just going supposed to live with you, Brooke, and John B and it will be fucking happily ever after?"
"Yes, you will live with us. It probably won't be happily ever after though; there will still be challenges and difficulties for everyone. But we will find a way to make it work."
"Right, until you guys realize I'm not John B. That I'm a loser who does horribly in school. That even my own parents couldn't stand me."
"JJ," Julian said getting up to stand beside his bed and making eye contact, "I know it's probably hard to believe right now, trust me I really do get it, but that says more about your parents then it could ever say about you." JJ shrugged in response, clearly not believing him.
"So, your mom peaced out and left you with your dad who beats the shit out of you too?" JJ asked.
Julian noticed that JJ was trying hard not to cry. He thought for a few moments trying to find the words to let JJ know he could empathize without downplaying the seriousness of JJ's situation. "No, it wasn't quite that heavy. My mom was severely depressed for most of my childhood and my dad is an emotionally abusive jerk. He was never physically abusive though. But even that left me feeling like I was completely worthless."
JJ nods and asks the obvious question: "But now you don't feel like your worthless."
Julian gives him a small smile. He takes a second to answer trying to decide how honest he wants to be. "Not most days. But it can still be a struggle." Julian debates if he wants to say more; JJ has already had a traumatic day and he thinks right now they should just focus on the medical stuff. But JJ is hanging on to Julian's every word, so Julian decides to expand further. "I got better at silencing my dad's voice when I meet Brooke. Brooke's mom was emotionally abusive and manipulative, and her dad completely ignored her. She had a book written about her. I actually read it because I was dating her best friend at the time who was also in the book, but I related to Brooke's character almost immediately. Which was weird because I was very much a dork and Brooke was without a doubt the most popular girl in school. Then, when we met, I could see that even though Brooke was so beautiful, smart, witty, and kindhearted she carried around the feeling that she was not good enough. Obviously, she had her parents and especially her mom to thank for that. It had absolutely nothing to do with who Brooke was as a person, but the failures of her parents. It made me realize that maybe it was the same for me."
JJ nods chewing on the inside of his cheek.
Just then there is a knock on the door.
Julian makes eye contact with JJ. "Did you want me to stay or go out in the hall, buddy?"
JJ shrugs. Julian decides to take that as a yes. "Come in."
A middle-aged women walked into the exam room. "Hello, JJ. My name is Joan. I'm Dr. Schmidt's medical assistant. She should be able to see you in the next ten minutes, but first I have to get your vitals."
Fifteen minutes later, after talking to the medical assistant and the doctor, Julian stepped outside of the JJ's exam room to call Brooke and fill her in on what happened. He sheepishly admited that in the heat of the moment, he told JJ they will be his foster parents if DCS allows it without clearing it with her first. Of course, Brooke instantly agrees and tells Julian her and John B will be there in ten minutes.
John B was in his room shoving a few things into his duffle bag when he heard Brook knock on his bedroom door.
"Hey, I have some bad news. Can I talk to you for a minute?" Brooke asked.
John B went into almost immediate panic mode when he saw Brooke's face. "Uh, yeah. Is it my dad?" John B asked swallowing the lump in his throat and trying to mentally prepare himself for the worst.
"No. It's JJ, he's ok, but he is at the hospital right now as a precaution."
"Oh my god," John B said as he shoot up from his bed and ran his hands through his hair. "What happened; he was just here an hour ago!"
"I know. Before I tell you, remember he is going to be fine, ok," Brooke said she took another deep breath and sat down on the edge of John B's bed. "Julian just called. He dropped JJ off and then went to get gas and put air in the tires. He noticed JJ's hat on the seat, so he brought it back. When he got there the front door was open and he saw JJ's dad kicking him. Julian got his dad off him and then got JJ into the car and drove him to the hospital. Julian thinks he was unconscious for a minute or two, but he regained consciousness and has been conscious ever since. He has four ribs that the doctors said are either broken or cracked. The doctor is also concerned he might have a concussion. That's all Julian told me. We need to get to the hospital."
John B took a shaky breath, "Yeah."
Luckily everything on the island was close with St. Olive's hospital only a five-minute drive. Right before they got to the hospital, John B asked, "What's going to happen to JJ now?"
"DCS was probably called as soon as Julian brought him in and explained what happened."
"So, he is going into foster home or worse a group home?" John B asked.
"Yes, but—" Brooke started to say.
"Does this make you guys feel good about yourself? Julian should never have taken him to the hospital. A lot of foster parents and group homes are a lot worse than Luke."
"Whoa! First of all, what was Julian supposed to do not take him to the hospital when he was unconscious," Brooke said careful to keep her voice level. "Also, I don't think that is true for the majority of foster parents—"
John B scoffed, "Right because you would totally know that as a Kook."
"What the hell is a Kook?"
"A Kook is kinda like an asshole, Brooke."
Brooke took a deep breath and counted to ten. "Look, we're getting sidetracked here. The first thing I should have told you is that we will be JJ's foster parents. There is no way he is going to a group home or another family, okay. I promise."
John B's eye went wide, and his mouth dropped. "You would really do that?" John B asked as Brooke pulled into a parking spot.
Brooke made eye contact and nodded. "Absolutely. Julian and I talked about it when he called. Now we just need DCS to agree."
"Will it be DCS Cheryl?" John B asked.
"Honestly, I'm not sure. But I did text DCS Cheryl to let her know what was going on. I think she will be more likely than a random social worker to approve the placement. Oh, when you see her, don't call her 'DCS Cheryl.'"
"Obviously."
"Come on let's hurry, Brooke said."
Julian was waiting for them in the lobby. "Your eye," Brooke said gently running two fingers along the huge black eye that was forming.
"It's fine," Julian said.
"Anything else?" Brooke asked.
Julian shook his head.
"Thanks, Julian," John B said giving him a hug.
Julian gave Brooke a perplexed yet pleased look over John B's shoulder. Brooke shrugged back with a similar look.
"They said JJ can have one or two visitors at a time," Julian said putting his hand on John B's shoulder. "I figured you probably wanted to go in first. JJ looks a bit rough, but remember he is going to be fine."
"Did you want one of us to go in with you?" Brooke asked.
"Nah, thanks for the offer though," John B said.
"Come on, I'll take you to JJ's room," Julian said.