CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The boat had come closer - it was a really big one - before some smaller boats came from it and by the time the seven smaller boats made it to shore most of us had run into the ocean to meet them. I held Lorraine close since she didn't know how to swim and I kept a close eye on the boys too, but I could also feel eyes on me; Joe's eyes. And then I felt him come closer and his hands reached out; warm and wet and stained red from blood. Lorraine tensed in my arms and I heard Joe sigh sadly.
"I'm sorry, Princess." Joe murmured, his hands falling from my hips. "I didn't mean to scare you." Lorraine hid in my shoulder and I sighed. The first of the boats reached the shore; search and rescue people and a doctor got out and started coming to us, meeting half of the survivors half way. Everyone started talking at one; yelling, cheering, celebrating, crying. We were actually being rescued.
"Can I see the child, please?" A few more boats had arrived, letting off more passengers - including doctors - one of which was talking to me now and holding his hands out expectantly.
"Miley!" Lorraine held onto me tighter.
"She's a little attached." I muttered, stroking Lorraine's hair.
"I need to check her." The man insisted.
"You need to back off." Joe snapped from behind me. "Lorraine is fine."
"With all due respect-" The man started to say in an official stuck-up voice. "Mister Jonas!" He was surprised it was Joe. He sputtered for a few seconds. "I'm sorry, Mister Jonas, but with all due respect she needs a doctor; she's a small child and she's been through a traumatic experience; even if she's okay physically she still needs a doctor."
"No." Lorraine frowned into my shoulder. "I wanna stay with Miley."
"Miss Stewart." The man adressed me now. "My kids love you, really, they do. But, I need to look at the little girl." He was practically ppleading with me.
"She's not gonna let go, so why don't I come with you?" I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Honestly, that was the most obvious solution, it would keep Lorraine happy and she would get checked over by a doctor. And why did people insist on playing the 'fan' card?
"Check Miley's head." Was all Joe had to say to that, his voice low and demanding. "She had a concussion when we crashed."
"You're not scary anymore." Lorraine looked up at Joe with wide eyes. "You just want Miley okay like before. Does that mean you're not upset anymore?" Lorraine asked, lifting her head.
"Yeah, I'm okay now, Princess, Miley made me better." Joe said efore clearing his throat. "So you gotta look after her for me so she can always make me better when I get upset."
"'Kay." Lorraine agreed, smiling shyly.
"Miss Stewart, I really need to check the girl and the other children." The - possible - Doctor insisted and I rolled my eyes.
"Shouldn't this be done on the boat. You know, when we're actually rescued and not just standing in the water?" Lilly spoke up and the man let out a frsutrated sound.
"Alright, let's start getting everyone back to the boat and notifying families!" Someone yelled out over all the noise, as if on cue with Lilly. "Women and children first!"
"Miley!" Will ran through the water with surprising speed and almost knocked me over when he hugged me. "We're getting rescued, Miley." He beamed up at me as his older brothers started coming closer too.
"I know, Buddy, we get to go home." I had to stomp down on the urge to scream and squeel and jump around; I had Lorraine, Will, Sean and Carter to look after and keep safe. Sure, rescue was here and it was technically their job now, but I couldn't just stop when they were half the reason I hadn't broken down on this island, because I knew I had to keep it together for them.
Ten rescue boats had come for us from the big ship in the distance, and since they could each seat twenty and had each brought five to ten boat people with them ad there was only fifty survivors all of us could go back to the ship in one fleet instead of having to make multiple trips. And it also left five boats on the shore to deal with all the luggage and the giant piece of plane and the burning fire and shelter.
"A week is a long time, huh?" Lilly asked, sitting next to me in one of the boats.
"It feels like a lifetime." I shook my head; it was ridiculous, we spent all our time on the island trying to get off the island. According to Lorraine Joe was even trying to build a freaking lighthouse to get us off the island. Why would I miss it there?
"Gross!" I heard Carter exclaim and looked over to see all three boys leaning over the side of he boat with looks of fascination on their young faces.
"Don't lean so far." I told them, tugging Will back a little because he was practically half out.
"Check it out, Miley, it's gross and awesome." Carter grinned, looking up.
"That's an oxymoron." I smirked and he rolled his eyes, leaning over again.
"There's people down there, they look all weird and stuff." Sean said, makng me pale.
"Okay, no more looking. Period. Get your butts back in the boat." Lilly commanded, looking pale too. All the people from the plane that drowned; it was nauseating.
"A week is also not long enough." I muttered to Lilly, it would only be a matter of time until the kids got back to reality and stopped thinking this was all awesome and realised their parents were gone. It was heartbreaking.
A
"What's taking the others so long?" Someone on the ship who I think was important asked when the five boats of survivors were unloaded onto the ships deck.
"This is it, Sir." Someone else said, this is it; only 53 survivors out of roughly 200 passengers. "The other fleet is getting the luggage and taking care of the fire."
"How many?" The first man asked, eyeing us all; dirty, wet, some bandaged, relieved to be rescued.
"Fifty-three." Francis answered for all of us. "Fifty-seven survived, but four succumbed to their injuries in the first days."
"Fifty-three." The first man shook his head sadly. "Well." He straightened up and put on a business face. "You all need to see a doctor, the children first, there's a medical bay on board and we'll set pace for shore as soon as possible." Instead of cheering the sombre mood from realising there was only 53 of us left carried on as we were led to the medical bay that had dozens of people bustling around.
"Hanson probably broke something." Francis gestured to the still bloody and groaning man who had to be practically carried by two other men.
"What happened to him?" A doctor asked as Hanson was flopped unceremoniously onto a hospital bed.
"He ran into a tree." One of the guys said quickly and I raised my eyebrows. Why were they protecting Joe?
"About four or five times." Ted added, at the doctors secptical look. "Real clumsy guy." I guess no-one really liked Hanson.
"Can I look at the children?" Another person in a lab coat came over.
"Stay with Miley." Lorraine became clingy again, looking around with wide green eyes.
"That's okay, Cutie, you can stay with Miley, we need to make sure she's okay too." The doctor smiled reassuringly, seemingly a lot more understanding and cooperative than the other guy.
"Check Miley's head." Joe sounded from behind me and the doctor flushed, huh, even doctors aren't immune to Joe Jonas. "She had a concussion."
"Okay." The doctor breathed out; she was young - maybe late 20's - and very pretty.
"Good." Joe hummed and from the way the doctor swooned I knew he was smiling. "See you soon, Rai." Lorraine smiled shyly in response. "Help Miley keep those monsters in check for me?"
"'Kay." Lorraine nodded.
"God, he's a beautiful man." The doctor muttered so lowly I think she either didn't mean for anyone to hear, or she didn't realise she said it out loud. I frowned and resisted the urge to glare.
"The kids need to be checked." I reminded, trying not to sound bitter and resentfull.
"Right." She shook herself back to reality from staring at Joe. "Come right this way." She beckoned, "my name is Lexi Lane, even under these circumstances, it's such an honor to meet you." I sat on one of the hospital beds and I could finally look up to see Joe sitting on another bed across the room getting his hands cleaned and examined, but he as staring at me intently the entire time. "And you of course, Cutie." Lorraine sat on my lap as a couple of other doctors started on the boys in the next couple of beds. "What's your name?"
"Lorraine." The little girl answered. "Why did you say Joe is beautiful?" Dr. Lane blushed and stumbled over her words for a moment. "Boys aren't 'posed to be beautiful, boys are s'posed to be handsome. Joe is a boy so he can't be beautiful."
"Boys can be beautiful sometimes, Rai." I smiled as Dr. Lexi got her stethiscope and the other things she'd need for Lorraine's physical. "But, only really, really special ones."
"Like Joe?" Big green eyes asked innocently.
"Yeah, like Joe." I blushed.
"Okay, Lorraine, let me lisen to your heart?" Dr. Lexi asked, recovering from being caugght by a four-year-old checking out Joe Jonas. After that the medical check went smoothly and all four kids were cleared as perfectly healthy, whilst sshe said I was fine, but would need a CT scan when we got to a propper hospital just in case because I had a head trauma.
"Miles." Lilly came over when she'd finished her check-up too..
"Hey, Lil." I rocked Lorraine slightly in my arms, she was getting tired and wanted to nap, but she was fighting to stay awake in the light of rescue.
"Gimme the kid, I'll get her to sleep, I have a feeling you're gonna need to calm Joe again." Lilly muttered no-nonsense, sitting up next to me.
"What? Why? What's-" I started to qustion, feeling panicked, my eyes scanning for Joe. He was in the same corner with a doctor and a couple of guys, and Lilly was right, he looked pissed.
"I don't all I heard was something about some guy named James and he looked ready to murder someone.
"Dang flabbit." I let Lilly take Lorrane and got up. "You're the best, Lil." I smiled at her, she really was the best sister anyone could ask for.
"I know, and you're the best at getting through to the violent rockstar." Lilly half grinned, shooing me off.
"Oh, good!" French Fancis grabbed me as soon as he realised I was heading towards Joe. "Jonas." Francis called to his attention, pushing me so I was directly in front of Joe. "You've got the girl now calm the Hell down before you kill someone or scare the kids."
"Miley!" Relief flooded Joe's face as he reached out for me, pulling me into a suffocating bear hug.
"Joe." I choked out, patting his back awkwardly from the position I was in. "Joe. Need to. Breathe." I reminded and he sighed as he let me go.
"Are you okay? What about your head?" Joe went straight from murderous to concerned.
"I'm fine, Doctor Lane just wants a CT scan when we get to a hospital to make sure." I assured him, speaking in soft, soothing tones. "What happened, Joe?" I asked as I heard Francis explaining to the doctors that it was best to always keep me in Joe's vicinity because I was the only one that could calm him; and we'd only been on that island a week ad they could pick up on that, and Joe had only lost it once in that time.
"James." Joe muttered, slumping down on the bed, hs shoulders hunching, looking defeated. I knew it had something to do with James from what Lilly said. "Dumbass Doc was cleaning the cuts and he asked who James was." His arm had fresh bandages wrapped around it that were a lot neater than what I'd done. "I tried to tell them, Milo, but they didn't remember." He sounded so broken, just like before when he had to carry James. "They didn't remember James and I just... I lost it; how could they not remember James? He was so tiny." I heard gasps from the people who had stopped talking to listen to Joe speak as they finally understood that James was the baby. "I couldn't tke it, Milo, I wanted to hurt someone, to make the bleed and be in pain like what James must have felt."
"That grave really did a number on him." I heard someone mutter and I turned to glare.
"Of course it did; there were dozens of dead people that he helped move, and he was the only one who had to move the children, and the baby and the pregnant woman whilst all of you just pretended that they weren't there." I snapped, feeling the anger bubble inside me. "You all just stood by and watched when Joe had to pry a little girls body from her fathers arms, so of course it affected him because he's caring and compassionate and sensitive and you all just stood by and watched."
"So she calms him down, right?" Someone asked lowly. "Who calms her down?"
1) Sorry it's late; I've been having a lot of writers block lately :(
2) I'm thinking this story might go to 20 or 25 chapters - to give you a glimpse of life after the rescue, but I don't want it to go on for too long.
3) I'll have the next chapter up as soon as I've written it.
4) I'll also hopefully have the first chapter of Camp Rock: Year Three up soon. And to the person who ased and the people who are wondering; Mitchie will not be in Year Three. Y3 is gonna be in Joseph's point of view from the Summer he's 15 going on 16, and the start of Connect 3's rise to fame.
5) What would you preffer happen to the kids? I have a couple of ideas, but I'm not sure about them.
6) No-one's still caught the connection betwee Lorraine and her sibings; Nora, Charlie, Lorraine... I panicked when I was naming them and I was wtching Cheaper By The Dozen at the time.
Please review? Pretty please? With a Joe Jonas on top?
Smiler For Joe!
P.S: Miley lied :(
She said she'd have a single out by the end of the year... It's now the begining of a new year and there's no single. I was hoping for new Miley music an now I'm all sad without it :(