'To the praying Mother and the worried Father
Let your children go
If they come back they'll come home stronger
And if they don't you'll know.'
The River - Good Charlotte.
Chapter Seven - What Happens Now?
The plummeting rain had finally decided to subside, and left now was only a few thin traces of water that Cody watched with great intrigue as they slid gently down the bus window. Squinting his eyes, he concentrated on how the raindrops would glide swiftly in a straight line, but then in the next instant, begin to wiggle in their path and slide all about the area of the glass where they were. The window was foggy and coated with condensation. Soon, though, it would all evaporate up into the atmosphere and fall back down to the Earth as rain all over again. It was this kind of natural science that Cody used to enjoy immensely, however, now whenever he even dared to think about water, all that came to his mind was the accursed ocean that had selfishly swallowed up his brother.
All of a sudden, the bus came to a jerking stop. Snapping out of his trance, Cody gazed down to where Bailey was resting comfortably against his chest, as she, too, fixed her eyes to his.
"End of the line, kids," the bus driver called up to the backseat where the two were sitting.
There had been a few other people that were on the bus, as well, but they had all gotten off at bus stops almost twenty minutes back from where the two teens found themselves now.
As they stood up and began walking down the aisle towards the exit, Cody stared back out the window, this time concentrating on what lay beyond the glass.
He couldn't exactly tell because of how dark it was, but the town that the bus had stopped in looked a lot different to the main city centre where the Tipton was located. The streets were poorly lit, there were traces of graffiti that lined all the loft-type houses, and there wasn't really a single sign of any public places in sight.
Just as Cody was beginning to question the friendliness of the area, he felt Bailey jab him in the side.
"Cody," she whispered into his ear nervously, "where are we going to sleep?"
Staring at the immeasurable amount of apprehension in Bailey's eyes, Cody sighed and squeezed her hand, whispering back to her not to worry. Deep down in himself, however, Cody was trying his absolute hardest to convince himself of that same reassurance.
It was ten minutes to ten o'clock, and they had been traveling for about thirty-five minutes. In all honesty, and as stupid as it may have sounded, the last thing that Cody had even considered when embarking on this great adventure was finding a safe place to sleep each night. Although, that was before he had any idea how long it was going to take he and Bailey to find their way to Newberry Hospital.
Clearing his throat, Cody looked up at the bus driver as they walked by, "You wouldn't know anywhere around here that we'd be able to stay the night, would you? I've got just over a hundred bucks, I suppose. It doesn't have to be anywhere great, it's only for one night."
Falling into slight hesitation for a moment, the older man soon shook his head, "Sorry, kiddo. The only bed and breakfast around here was just up the road there, but it shut down a few months ago now."
Cody followed the man's gesture out the front window of the bus and could faintly see the larger building sitting on the corner of the street in the dim light.
"Ok," he replied softly, "Thanks anyway."
"Just be careful hanging around here," the man warned just as the two teens had stepped down onto the concrete footpath.
Bailey frowned, "Why do you say that?"
The bus drover mulled over his next sentence before he spoke again, "This area isn't exactly known for its hospitality, ok? Just look out for yourselves."
Then with that said, the rickety, white doors slid back together and the bus took off from the curb, quickly disappearing into the darkness.
Bailey heaved a deep breath, "Well, that sure doesn't make me feel much better."
Normally, Cody would bite back at Bailey's sarcasm with some lame, little snipe of his own, but in this particular situation, he could definitely see where she was coming from. But, then again, he already had their solution all panned out.
"It actually should," Cody began, "one of the things he said, anyway. If that motel, or whatever it is, has been closed down for months, then there's no-one telling us we can't still sleep in there, is there?"
Bailey's eyes widened, "You want to break in?"
"Do have any other ideas?"
Striving her hardest to come up with an argument to counter her boyfriend's proposal, Bailey eventually shrugged her shoulders in defeat and shook her head.
"Well, then," Cody said, beaming ever so slightly in success, "let's go."
Still feeling slightly nerved at the idea, Bailey reluctantly took a hold of Cody's hand and allowed him to lead her up to the end of the street where the abandoned structure quietly sat.
Stretching his arms in the slightest, Cody simply pushed out a fly screen and then lifted himself and Bailey through the window and into the empty room furthest away from the main street.
The room was small and dusty, but it easily would have been livable while the establishment was still in business.
There were two old looking arm chairs and a dodgy T.V. set, a small fridge along with a table for eating, and a queen sized bed that sat right against the back wall. It was quiet enough, the two supposed, but far off noises of loud music and other teenagers hanging around the streets could still be clearly heard.
"Are you sure about this?" Bailey asked.
Cody immediately glanced up at the doubtful tone in his girlfriend's voice. He frowned sadly as she shivered in the brisk chill of the room. He wasn't sure if it was because she was cold or scared, but either way, Cody was determined he could solve either problem for his Southern Belle.
Walking over to her, Cody smiled effortlessly and zipped up her pink, pastel coloured jacket before enveloping her in a warm hug.
"I'm sure. I promise, Bailey, nothing is going to happen to you."
"I know," she muffled into his shoulder, "I know, I trust you."
They stood like that for a minute or two, simply allowing each other's warmth to comfort any fearful or negative feelings that may have been building up inside them.
At that moment, there was absolutely nowhere else in the world that Bailey could picture herself being. Of course, she understood that Cody wasn't himself in any way, shape or form at that point in time. In fact, he was probably the furthest away from his usual bright, smart, happy self than he had ever been. But that didn't mean that he wouldn't put anything on the line to protect her or make sure she was ok. That she was utterly sure of.
"Are you going to be able to sleep tonight?" she asked quietly.
Cody wavered for a brief second, "Probably not."
Bailey sighed and broke away from the younger twin's grasp, "Cody – "
"I'm sorry, Bails," Cody interjected, "I'll try to, ok?" He then took her hand again and led her over to the bed, kicking off his shoes and gently climbing under the old, thin duvet, "But that doesn't mean you don't have to."
Still feeling unconvinced at Cody's persistence to stay awake and, no doubt, torture himself with thoughts of Zack, Bailey eventually joined him and nuzzled herself into his chest once more.
Cody draped an arm around his girlfriend as she yawned heavily into the nook of his shoulder, "We'll get outta' here early in the morning, though, ok?" he said.
Bailey nodded in agreement, breathing in the deep scent of his clothing, "I like this jacket," she spoke softly, "It's comfy."
Cody rubbed his thumb up and down Bailey's arm, "It's one of the ones London got for me. I left my favourite one at my towel station…"
Bailey subtly bit her lip as Cody's sentence dejectedly trailed off. Lifting her head up, she placed a gentle kiss on his cheek before re-adjusting her position in his affectionate embrace, "Try to sleep, sweetie."
Cody's face remained expressionless at Bailey's words, "Goodnight, baby."
There wasn't a single word in existence that could possibly even begin to describe the twisted and contorted feelings that Carey Martin felt dwelling in the pit of her stomach.
It had been just over forty-eight hours since Carey had been interrupted in the middle of one of her evening cabaret shows, which she performed in the ballroom of the Boston Tipton, and her whole world completely collapsed around her at the news that the S.S. Tipton had capsized on the West Coast of the States right near California.
And what caused her to capsize mentally was the further news that her eldest son was missing. Missing, and presumed dead.
The details given to her were pretty sketchy. The ship's engines malfunctioned, it exploded in a chain reaction up its vertical base, and Zack was swallowed up by the harsh swash of the murky ocean. That was it, plain and simple. It didn't exactly give her the closure she felt she needed with the weight of such heartbreaking news.
Everything that zoomed by her on the busy L.A. streets that morning all seemed to blur into a mesh of bright, sunshining madness. She wasn't paying attention to any feature that came into her line of vision. The only thing that Carey could think of was her baby boy, floating out in the ocean somewhere, not to mention her second son, stuck in the confines of a hotel room, which no doubt would only remind him of all the past memories he shared with his twin in their own hotel home. She couldn't even initiate any thought on the grieving process Cody must have been going through to have lost his other half.
Of course, there wasn't anything on God's green Earth that could separate the love Carey shared for her two boys. She loved them both equally, and much more than either of them would ever know, but there was always something the tiniest bit extra she felt with her first born.
When Zack was born, Carey couldn't believe how small and perfect he was, and although she didn't have much time before she had to set back to work at bringing Cody into the world, those first few minutes she had spent solely with her first baby were ones that she swore she would never, ever forget.
Cody had always been open with Carey when he had relied on her or needed her for something, but Zack liked to think that he was a lot more independent than that. It had always been a fight for Carey to get Zack to say what he was feeling or admit that he needed help. But no matter how much he insisted on being grown up, Carey always managed to get him to confess when he needed her in the end.
All Zack ever really wanted to do was to make Carey proud, especially growing up in the shadow of an over-bearing and seemingly perfect brother. If Carey had known that the Summer holidays just gone was the last time that she would ever see Zack again, she would've told him that she was proud. That she had always been proud.
As a lone tear threatened to roll down Carey's cheek, she suddenly felt a supportive squeeze on her knee. She glanced up and met eyes with the boys' father, Kurt, who sat silently beside her.
Kurt hadn't said much in the past two days at all, really. He had tried his best to hide his emotions when he heard the news, but had instantly burst into tears when he met up with Carey at the Boston Tipton before going to the airport. That had been the only time when he had let his feelings get the better of him. He kept telling Carey that they had to stay strong for Cody. Cody was going to need them, Cody didn't deserve to see them upset and distressed, they needed to give all their love to Cody, Cody, Cody, Cody. But of course, that was partly because it caused his heart great pain to mention or even think about Zack.
Kurt had always said that Zack was a lot like him. And similarly, he also said that he wasn't going to let Zack make the same mistakes that he did. He may not have always been around to see this promise through, but that never meant that he didn't love his sons or wouldn't be by their side as soon as the call was made.
Cody had always been competent with his school work, and to this day, Kurt still failed to see where he had picked up such capabilities. He had never gained so much as a 'B' on any assignments or exams he participated in, when he wasn't wagging school, that is. Zack had the same potential, Kurt was sure of it, but he just never applied himself.
Everything would turn out ok in the end though, Kurt always thought. He wasn't going to let Zack fall into the trap of not waking up to himself like he had. And then, and only then, would Kurt finally be able to say that Zack was proud of him.
Just as these last momentary thoughts crossed Carey and Kurt's minds, they both gazed up at the tall L.A. Tipton that London's limo pulled up at. Stealing one final glance at each other, they both took in a huge breath to compose themselves as the chauffeur then opened the door and they nervously stepped out onto the footpath.
London and Woody sat side by side on the cream coloured couch that was positioned in the centre of the hotel lobby, constantly redialing Cody and Bailey's mobile phone numbers over and over again.
As the elevator landed with a 'ding', Moesby stepped out and gawked over to where the two teens were placed, and where they had been since the last time he checked. The previous night.
"London, Woody," he consoled sympathetically, "Have you been trying to ring them all night?"
"Not all night," Woody protested, "I had a break around twelve-thirty for a midnight snack."
"Snack?" London repeated, scoffing, "You gorged yourself on everyone's leftovers from dinner! Even the people who weren't on the ship!"
"Hey, it's not my fault if I get a little hungry when I haven't eaten in a few hours!"
"How do you think I feel? I haven't changed by outfit once all morning!"
"Kids, kids!" Moesby interjected, "Look, I appreciate how much you want to help out, but if either Cody or Bailey were planning on allowing us to get into contact with them, don't you think maybe they would have by now?"
London and Woody both fell to a stunned silent as realisation heavily began to set in.
Woody threw his phone down onto the coffee table in front of them, "Well, why haven't you called the police, or something?"
"Because," Moesby commenced, "I don't want to do anything against Carey and Kurt's wishes. London sent one of her limos to go and pick them up from the airport, and when they arrive here… I'll try to find some way to inform them of what's happened, and then go from whatever they want to take place."
"Poor Carey," London cooed with concern, "If her mascara runs just as much as the last time I saw her crying, this sure is going to be a loooong day."
Moesby rolled his eyes at London's almost genuine approach, "Your concern is truly touching, London."
"Well, if you're going to be like that, why don't you try comforting Carey and Kurt, then?" London sniped, pointing towards the front doors of the hotel.
Moesby's eyes widened as he followed the heiress' gesture across the room, until his vision fell upon the image of Zack and Cody's parents standing in the doorway. A flood of emotion suddenly swept over the hotel manager.
Throughout the entire ordeal so far, Moesby had been forcing himself to stay strong. He had to, he kept telling himself, for the kids. But catching sight of Carey and Kurt Martin for the first time since losing Zack, he rapidly realised that his grief was letting loose a lot sooner rather than later.
For the past four years - although, it felt like a hell of a lot longer than that - Mr. Moesby had been trying his absolute hardest to tolerate Zack and Cody Martin and, all in all, deal with the fact that they existed in his life. And even though they frustrated him sometimes, or, rather, a lot of the time, when it came right down to it, he couldn't deny his incredible fondness of them and their attempts to keep him on his toes. Deep down they were like the kids he never had, or never will have, for that matter. The thought that he kept pushing to the back of his mind of never seeing the cheeky, guilty smile that commonly graced Zack's face ever again was finally beginning to hit home for him.
Making his way towards them, Moesby tried to ignore the grim looks that were widely spread across the Martins' faces. He was sure the last thing they felt like coping with was the pity of others. Especially considering the bombshell that he was being forced to drop.
"Carey, Kurt," Moesby spoke in a dull voice. His emotion was drained, and in all honesty, he had absolutely no idea what it was he was meant to say.
Carey simply nodded her head in response as Kurt kept a firm grip around her shoulders.
"How is everyone doing?" she managed to say.
Moesby sighed and shot a quick glance over to where London and Woody were still sitting. Kurt and Carey forced a small smile towards the two of them.
"We're all managing as well as we can," Moesby answered positively, "I suppose it would be foolish of me to ask yourself…?"
Carey's vision immediately fell to the carpet as Kurt rubbed his forehead with a groan, "Not unless you have any good news for us?" he quipped dryly.
Moesby solemnly shook his head, "I'm afraid not. Everything with Zack is still as it stood. I'm truly sorry."
Kurt smirked in appreciation but quickly shook his head to change the subject, "I think we'd just like to grab Cody and get on the next flight home if that's ok. You understand of we don't want to stick around?"
"Oh, no, of course not," Moesby assured them. The cogs of hesitation swiftly began to rotate in his mind, "But, uh… I'm reluctant to tell you that there's a bit of a problem."
Kurt's features widened fretfully as Carey's head bolted back up to meet Moesby's worried expression, "What do you mean a problem?" she snapped sharply.
Moesby's confidence abruptly withdrew in apprehension of Carey's heated tone. Swallowing hard, he forced his feelings of poise to re-surface before locking eyes with the twins' mother once more, "Cody… well, it's an understatement to say that Cody wasn't dealing well with the… situation. He was trying his hardest to convince everyone that Zack was ok and was out there somewhere waiting to be found. When no-one believed him, he decided to… take matters in his own hands, per-say."
"Per-say?" Kurt repeated impatiently, "What exactly are you trying to tell us, Mr. Moesby?"
Before Moesby had the opportunity to answer Kurt's question, Carey's glazed over expression shifted slightly to one of awareness and comprehension. A powerful chord struck against her heart and shed a dull light over the bleak circumstances for her, "Cody's not here, is he Mr. Moesby?"
The two men standing beside her instantly fell to silence, partly in sadness and partly in disbelief of Carey's strong twinge of 'mother's intuition'. Moesby refused to look at her any longer, and began stuttering over an answer to her powerful accusation.
"Because he would've been down here to meet us?" Carey pushed on, "As hurt he must be at what we're all being forced to go through, he still would've come down here to see me and his dad."
The chunk of emotion caught in the back of Carey's throat came through in choking sobs with each word that she spoke, as her simple statement coursed its way across Kurt's mind before he, too, vulnerably allowed feelings of realisation to settle in his brain.
"That is what you're talking about, isn't it?" Kurt indicted, agreeing with his ex-wife.
"Look," Moesby started lamely before the interrogation could continue any further, "Nobody had any idea that he was planning on leaving. I know that's no excuse for what's happened, but we've been up all night trying to come into contact with he and Bailey."
Carey immediately burst into fresh tears as Kurt hugged her tightly. All of a sudden, he paused and shot Mr. Moesby a confused look, eyebrow raised, "Wait, Bailey? His girlfriend? She's gone, too?"
Moesby nodded sadly, "They ran off together to find Zack. To prove that he's still alive."
Reaching into his breast pocket, Moesby then handed Cody's note to Carey and watched grimly as she skimmed over it before stifling out another heartbroken set of tears.
"I'm so terribly sorry," Moesby emphasized, "If there was anything I could've done to stop him, Carey, you know I would have without question."
"We understand, Mr. Moesby," Kurt ensured him, clearly trying to keep his immense feelings of fear and worry in check, "Have you called the police?"
"Oh, God, please let him be ok…" Carey pleaded softly, gazing up to the high ceiling of the hotel with the creased piece of paper firmly held against her chest.
Attempting to place Carey's inconsolable cries out of his thoughts, Moesby fixed his stare back on Kurt and shook his head, "No, we decided against it in case you and Carey wanted to go about finding him in your own way. Would you like me to contact the authorities now?"
"Yes," Kurt instantly shot in reply, "Right now."
HEY GUYS :)
Ok, so, last time I may have said that I would update quickly, and that may have been, what... over a month ago? But, I'm here now, right :)?
Anyways, what did we think? Hm, there's actaully not much I wish to say here. Just that I hope nobody's getting too worried about the lovely little town Cody and Bailey have found themselves in. Then again, maybe you all should be a little worried - without giving anything away, of course :)
So, this time I really will try to update the tiniest bit faster. There's no more exmas, drama productions, touch footy comps or any other lame teenage excuses holding me back, so I will see how all goes :D As always, thanks to those who decide to be utter legends and leave me a review!
Reneyyyyyyy x.