The Senior Trip by Trent Wes

Chapter 48: Finally Free

"They're finally waking up." Dierdra said to Jacob as they walked into the hospital room that Shaina, Shannon & Jonathan shared. Jonathan's arm was bandaged up where Kelsey/Kel had slashed him.
Shaina looked up at Dierdra & Jacob. "Where am I?" She asked. "You're back in the PaynesBurrow hospital." Dierdra said. "Wait a minute... weren't you two on the cruise ship?" She asked them. They both nodded. "We're glad that you guys are safe."
"What exactly happened on that ship?" Shannon asked. "Well, this man broke onto the ship and killed the captain, crashed the ship, took all the money hidden in a safe, and then took the rest of the crew hostage." Jacob said.
"That bastard is the entire reason we were stranded on that island." Jonathan said. "Don't worry. He's dead now. He drowned in the ocean due to the currents making the boat capsize." Dierdra said. "Jacob here saved me from drowning."
The news blared on in the background. Shaina snapped to attention when she heard the news anchor discussing what had happened to the PaynesBurrow senior class. "Can you turn it up?" She asked Dierdra. Dierdra complied, and turned up the volume.
"As of now, we have discovered a handful of bodies. There are assumed to have been 19 dead, but some may still be missing." The news anchor said. "We will update you more on this story as we get more info."
Shaina knew the police would interrogate the 3 of them over what had happened on that island. She hoped they would wait until she had had the chance to recover from the trauma over the last week. She couldn't even begin to put her thoughts into words. Her mind was jumbled and felt like a trainwreck. All she knew was that she was in tremendous emotional & physical pain.
Over the next few weeks, nurses came in and out of their rooms, treating all of their burns, cuts, scrapes, and all that they could treat. Shaina hated the burn treatments. They scraped the dead skin off until she bled, and it was agonizing. Shannon held her hand while it happened, of course. Through it all, they had both survived. Jonathan didn't talk much, not that they could blame him after losing the love of his life. The doctors called a psychiatrist in and she prescribed him antidepressants to help, not that they did much for him.
Their parents also came in and out almost as often as the nurses did. Shaina & Shannon's parents sobbed when they saw the twins. They hugged the both of them and smothered them in hugs and kisses. She was so glad to see them again. Jonathan's parents didn't come by. His parents were always neglectful. But, Shaina & Shannon's parents always made sure to make him feel included during their visits. It made Jonathan happy.
After a few weeks, they were finally released from the hospital. Shaina was glad to be back in the world. It was Late June, and the sun felt good on her face. Her high school skipped graduation, and mailed out the diplomas instead. The PaynesBurrow class of 2022 would go down in infamy. What Shaina did know was that she would always have a strong attachment to all of her peers she lost on that island. She would make sure to never, ever forget them so that they could live on inside her mind. They deserved that, at least.