RIVER | JJ MAYBANK

ONE HUNDRED

WAKE UP

River squinted at the bright light and rubbed her eyes, she felt drained and then when she tried to move she had an immense pain everywhere and like a light being turned on she had a flood of memory.

She gripped onto her stomach and let out a sob, she'd hoped it was all a nightmare but the blood that was around her on the bed linen proved otherwise and so in great pain she doubled over and let out another scream.

Her phone was still sat on her bedside counter and so she picked it up and sat up in shock at the date, she must've been out for multiple days because the last thing she remembered was all the Pogue's sitting around the bonfire.

Silas had been messaging her with updates which made her smile through the tears, he'd told her that they'd found the golden cross and then he'd told her that Pope had had an allergic reaction and that he could've died but he was alive. He'd also messaged her telling her that he was worried she hadn't responded but also that he needed help telling Pope how he felt.

The others had messaged her too but no one's texts were quite as detailed as Silas'.

River got up completely distraught thinking back to JJ and how gutted everyone was going to be, she honestly wanted to call them and ask them to pick her up. She needed her friends and more importantly she needed a hug.

But instead of calling her friends she made an unexpected decision and packed her bags and took herself back home, she knocked a few times on the door and waited anxiously.

"River?" Georgia questioned looking at her daughter, she was still in a dressing gown despite it being around midday, she looked the girl up and down and noticed the blood.

"Georgia." River suddenly sobbed falling into her arms feeling lightheaded with emotion but also the lack of blood. Rivers whole body was vibrating and her mom felt her head and panicked at the high temperature.

"What happened?" She panicked and River had never really heard her mother seem so worried for her safety, Rivers whole face contorted with pain as Georgia laid her out on the couch, "River." She spoke sternly again to get her attention tapping her cheeks.

"Reggie." River cried punching against the couch arm in anger, Georgia dropped to her knees next to her daughter worried about the amount of blood that drenched her outfit, "He poisoned me." She whispered breaking out into another sob.

"And he took you to the Doctor?" Georgia whispered holding her hand to her mouth in shock, suddenly River wasn't the only one violently shaking, she reached out to grab Rivers hand and caressed her knuckles.

"My baby's gone." River croaked holding onto her stomach as tears continued to run down her face, her breath hiccuping and her nose sniffling.

"I'm sorry." Georgia started with running her hand through her daughters blonde hair, "I shouldn't have left you there, I should have protected you." she continued to stroke River's hair and for the first time ever she felt like a real mom.

"He took you there too?" River croaked looking at her moms face she could see how broken she was but then she let out this soft chuckle and her eyes glistened as she squeezed the girls frail and cold clammy hands.

"Your boyfriends dad saved me." She whispered, "Sean hated Luke like with a burning passion but he was there when my dad carried my lifeless body into that god forsaken house and he was the one who carried me back out. He said something about having a kid of his own- I'm guessing that's your boy right?" Georgia questioned and River nodded her lip trembling at the thought of JJ.

"And that's how we became friends because Luke saw in you what he saw in JJ's mom? I'm literally only alive right now because of the fucking Maybanks." she knocked her head backwards in disbelief.

She had been put on this earth for JJ Maybank and had stayed in debted to him subconsciously her whole life.

"Let's get away." Georgia blurted, "I was a shit mom but I'm sure we could be better and I could do better. There's a boat that docks just across the island- come with me?"

River stopped to think about it for a moment, she hesitated and then thought some more and finally agreed on an answer she hadn't expected herself to land on.

"Okay." She whispered and Georgia's eyes widened in shock honestly expecting the girl to fight it.

River had everything in the Outerbanks, she had her friends and her family but now without the baby she couldn't bare to face them all. To admit that she hadn't been strong enough and had allowed someone to literally snatch their baby's life away from them.

"That's amazing." Georgia cheered grabbing her bag and doing a small stomp but River didn't feel too much like celebrating especially seen as she was in so much pain and was loosing a vast amount of blood, "We should get going, this is going to be good for us and our mother-daughter relationship." She spoke up tending to Rivers forehead.

But all River could think about was JJ Maybank.

wrote by lucidgravity