CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
"Miley." I sighed when I heard my Dad's voice.
"Go talk to him." Joe murmured gently. "I've got Lorraine, at least your relationship with your family can be fixed." I hesitated still, not wanting to leave Joe after everything he'd just revealed, he was still so raw. "He just wants to keep you close because he doesn't want to lose you." He kissed my temple. "Go on, before he comes in here and wakes Rai." Joe urged.
"I'll be back soon." I promised, kissing Joe's cheek before I got off the hospital and left the room quietly. "Hey, Dad." I smiled sheepishly, the anger from before having long gone after everything Joe had told me and now knowing Lorraine was alright... For now at least.
"Miley." Dad reached to hug me, but then stopped. "Can we talk?"
"Sure." I agreed, following him to a private waiting room.
"I'm sorry, Mile." Dad looked genuinely repentant. "I don't know what happened this last week, but it probably wasn't pretty and I know that probably made you close with Joe and that little girl."
"I know this is hard for you, Dad, but it's not easy for me either." I sighed, looking down at my hands. "Joe looked after me out there." And I looked after him when he was close to breaking. "And Lorraine has no-one left; the boys are gone, they're with their Aunt and Uncle, but Lorraine doesn't have anyone and I don't want her to go to Childrens Services."
"I understand that, Miley, but there's nothing we can do." Dad said, sitting next to me. "You're my little girl, and if I could do something to make you better I would."
"There has to be something, Dad, I can't just leave her." I insisted desperately.
"You can keep in contact with her, Miles, but there's nothing else, she's not yours to take care of anymore." Dad denied, I clenched my fists to keep from losing my temper.
"You don't get it, Dad." I ground out. "You may think it was only a week, but a lot happened, and I'm not just going to leave Lorraine. Or Joe."
"She's not a dog, Miley, you can't just bring home a stray and ask if you can keep it."
"I'm not leaving Lorraine, dang flabit." I got up, and left. I couldn't even get through one conversation with my Dad without getting frustrated and leaving now.
"Hey." Joe looked up, startled, when I stormed back into Lorraine's hospital room. "Not even ten minutes, I'm guessing it didn't go so well?"
"He thinks I think Lorraine is a stray dog." I started pacing, feeling angry and energised.
"Woah, calm down, Babe." Joe soothed, still holding a sleeping Lorraine who was clinging to him even unconsciously, so he couldn't move.
"There has to be something we can do." I continued, still pacing.
"Milo, you're making me dizzy." Joe commented and I rolled my eyes, was that really all he took from me fighting with my Dad and wanting to help Lorraine? Then again fighting with family was nothing new to him and he wanted to help Lorraine just as much as I did. "He doesn't know what it was like, just give him time to get used to it." I sighed and walked over, climbing back onto the hospital with Joe and Lorraine. We seemed to end up like this a lot lately; me, Joe and Lorraine.
"I can't let her go to Childrens Services." I whispered, my head on Joe's shoulder. "And I'm not letting Dad get between what you and me have."
"I'm not letting me come between you ad your Dad, Milo." Joe murmured in response.
"Well, I'm not letting you go." I snuggled into him to prove my point. "And you're not coming between us, he's the one pushing me away." Joe sighed and nuzzled me. "Besides. I still have a promise to keep."
"What promise?" He asked and I could feel his lips against my temple where he'd settled.
"You. Me." I blushed and kept my eyes down. "My virginity."
"Shit." Joe groaned and I finally ventured my eyes to see his closed tightly. "Babe, I have a four-year-old in my lap. You can't say things like that."
"But, what if it's something I want?" I cooed, one of my hands moving to his chest.
"Danger! Danger!" Joe warned, his voice a little higher than usual. My hand moved down his sculpted chest to the hem of his shirt.
"I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to say your own name, Joey, that's my job." I felt his hot, hard muscles under wandering fingers as they started under his shirt.
"And I'm pretty sure having a four-year-old wake up because I have a boner would be traumatising." Joe choked out and I couldn't help but giggle. "And I'm pretty sure Lorraine would be creeped out too."
"Okay, Mister Cuddles." I teased, stilling my hand, but not removing it from his bare chest under his shirt. "Don't want you to be traumatised." Joe took a couple of slow, deep breaths and I watched the endearing blush on his cheeks recede.
"Fuck, you're just trying to finish the job that the plae started, aren't you?" He accused and I rolled my eyes.
"Right because I'd wait until we were rescued and tell you I'm falling in love with you to kill you." I scoffed, but Joe just shrugged. "I'm tryin' to get in your pants and finish what we started in the cave, Joey."
"You sure about that?" Joe groaned, his eyes squeezed shut again, trying to fight off his hormones. "'Cause that damn accent of yours is killing me, Babe." Before I could react to that there was a knock on the door and Joe's eyes flew open. The door opened and I resisted the urge to groan when it was my Dad.
"Joe." Dad forced his name out like it was a curse before he adressed me. "Miley, can we please-"
"I'm not leaving, Dad." I cut over him, staying close to Joe. "If you want to talk we can do it here."
"If you want to talk I figure we've got half an hour before Rai wakes up." Joe told me softly.
"I'm staying here." I reitterated, not moving.
"Miley, I'm sorry." Dad began, he looked sorry at least. But, he looked sorry when I went to talk to him before and we ended up fighting. "You're right, I don't know what it was like for you." He sighed and sat on one of the visitor chairs. "But, please just understand I want you to be my baby girl forever, and I was scared for a week I'd never get you back. But, now you're back and you've changed and I don't know what to do."
"But, I'm not a little girl anymore, Dad, I'm always going to be your little girl, but treating me like one isn't the way to go." I insisted, sitting up more, but not moving away from Joe. "Lorraine, Will, Sean and Carter needed me out there, they still do. And I'm not going to abandon them because you want me to be like I was before."
"I needed you too, Baby." Joe hummed in my ear so only I could hear. "You saved my life. In more ways than one."
"I want you to be happy, Bud, but how can that happen if you're always worrying?" I clenched my fist on Joe's chest under his shirt feeling a surge of anger.
"You think I can't be happy because I care about other people? Because they depend on me for something other than fame? It won't matter if I'm with them physically, Dad, I'm always going to worry about them. And-" I started to get riled up, my Tennessee accent coming out a little thicker than usual with my anger.
"Calm down, Grad." Joe put his hand over my clenched one and I relaxed my fingers under his touch. "Take a couple of deep breaths and save that accent for later for me." I obeyed silently, breathing deeply and closing my eyes. "Good girl." Joe praised, his voice soft and soothing.
"What did you do to her?" Dad spoke up, for a second I'd forgotten he was there.
"He didn't do anything, Dad." I sighed, leaning back against Joe and trying to match my breathing to his. "I told you how I feel about him." So why did he feel the need to hate him so much? If he was so concerned about my happiness than why didn't he care that Joe made me happy? "And how I feel about the kids." I was starting to feel a little seperatiion anxiety from the boys; I'd only seen them this morning, but it already felt like too long. Did their Aunt and Uncle know that Will couldn't sleep without nightmares unless someone else was there to comfort him in his sleep? And Sean hides in small places when he's scared? Or that Carter refuses to cry and keeps his emotions bottled up because he thinks he has to be strong for his brothers? I mean, they probably know because they're the boys' Aunt and Uncle, but I wouldn't stop worrying about them. "I'm not just going to stop feeling that way."
"Please, Bud, I'm just concerned." Dad begged, getting up and coming closer.
"I know, Dad." I smiled sadly.
"I'll head home, you stay here for now." Dad sighed, he leaned over and kissed my forehead. "But, can we talk when you get home? 'Cause I'm not ready to give up my little girl completely."
"I think we need to talk more." I agreed before he sighed and left sadly. "I love you, Dad." I calledd after him.
"I love you too, Mile."
E
"What are you doing back here?" Joe and I had been just laying on the hospital bed with Lorraine sleeping in his lap when the next visitor came.
"It's called caring about something." Joe snapped, his whole person tensing. So much for Dr. Lexi saying we were the only ones allowed back here.
"You're supposed to be at my apartment so the cameras get us going to Mom and Dad's house." Nick glared at his older brother.
"I am where I'm supposed to be." Joe glared right back. "Now, leave. Before you wake Lorraine."
"What?" Nick looked honestly puzzled.
"The child sleeping in my lap." Joe rolled his eyes, brushing a lock of hair away from Lorraine's sleeping face. "She gets cranky when she's woken."
"Who the fuck cares?" Nick scoffed and I saw that switch flip in Joe. It was like the calm before the storm as Joe moved Lorraine off his lap and gently laid her on the bed before getting up.
"Listen up, Nicholas." Joe started, cracking his knuckles and stepping closer to his little brother slowly. "Say whatever the fuck you want about me, I don't care." I could see the rage building up in Joe, years of resentment and anger at his family close to boiling over. "But, you say one word. You think one single thing about Miley or Lorraine, or anyone else I care about and I'll-"
"Joe." I got between him and his brother. Joe looked down at me, almost as if he was surprised I was there. It was like on the island, after he beat the shit out of Hanson, he asked me how bad he was, almost as if he didn't remember; like he just blacks everything else out except the anger... And he says I'm the only one who can bring him back from that. "Joe, don't."
"But-" Joe started, I reached for his hands, holding his fists until they unclenched and held mine.
"No murder, Joseph." I scolded ad he cracked a grin. "Especially not in front of Lorraine."
"He's begging for it." Joe growled out, glaring at Nick still over my head.
"Listen to your little-" Nick started, a sneer on his face.
"Finish that." Joe challenged, I put my hands on his chest to keep him from advancing. "I dare you; finish that sentance, the last guy that did is still in intensive care."
"Joseph." I brought his attention back to me. "Step back, Joe, listen to my voice and calm down."
"Miley." Joe let out a breath, the anger leaving him as he focussed on me. "Told you, you and that hot little accent could save me, Milo."
"Look. If you're caught in here alone then it looks like you're injured and we don't give a fuck." Nick told Joe, who rolled his eyes, but kept them on me, his caramel orbs relaxed and caring. "You signed the deal, you let us know when you're doing some stupid stunt."
"I had more important things to do than worry about your image." Joe turned away and sat on the edge of the hospital bed.
Only 2 chapters left! O.o
1) Favourite part of this admittedly crappy chapter?
2) Is there anything you want followed up with in the last 2 chapters?
3) When is too early to start writing a Christmas story?
4) I just realised I've been favouritising Lorraine out of all the kids; I didn't mean to, but I guess the writing takes you where it wants to.
5) Hard to believe this is almost over. :(
6) Still taking votes nd suggestions on what story you guys want after this one is finished.
Smiler For Joe!