Sink or Swim || Outer Banks || JJ Maybank

Chapter 26

John B collected the wrappers from the bandages as Sarah scrubbed the kitchen counter. The smell of bleach hung heavy in the air, a constant reminder of what had just happened, not that anyone would be able to forget it anytime soon. He ran a hand through his wet hair, having showered as soon as they had gotten home because he wanted to be there for Madison but knew he couldn't when he was still covered in whatever was in the well.

Pope and Kiara had moved out to the front porch, agreeing they wanted to stay until they knew Madison would be okay while JJ had never left her side, even after Sarah suggested he at least change his clothes.

John B's eyes landed on their father's office and a heavy guilt settled in his stomach.

"JB," Madison called out, walking into the house, dropping her bag by the door.

She ran a tired hand across her face trying to wake herself up. It had been quite some time since she had used any recreational drugs but the thought became more appealing whether it would be to help her to sleep without nightmares or to keep her awake so she didn't have to sleep at all.

"Just in case no one has told you recently," John B came out of the bathroom, drying his hair with a towel. "You look like shit."

Madison stuck her tongue out like a petulant child, "Lines like that are why you are home alone on a Friday night."

"Ha ha," John B mocked her, tossing the towel to the side.

Madison went to smile but swayed on her feet before dropping to the ground. John B caught her just in time before she hit her head on the coffee table. "Mads!" John B held on to the back of her head with one hand and rubbed a thumb across her cheek with the other. "Hey, hey, c'mon." She started to stir, blinking a few times before finally focusing on him. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah," she blinked a few times trying to get the room to stop spinning and then put her hand out so he could help her to stand. He easily lifted her from the ground and kept a hand on her elbow just in case she wasn't steady. "I'm fine. Is dad home?"

"No, and no you're not," John B tried to read her face to figure out what was going on but she had gotten better at hiding her true feelings from him; something that frustrated him to no end.

Madison tried to force a smile as she rolled her shoulders to release the tension that had settled, "I'm fine. There's just been a lot of new information recently and dad had me go down to the library to pull up old news articles."

"When's the last time you slept?" He questioned, moving them over to the couch to sit down.

Madison shook her head, ignoring his question. "Hey, did you know the Royal Merchant had a sister ship called the Dover Merchant..."

"Hey," Sarah put a hand on John B's shoulder, breaking him out of the memory. "How's she doing?"

He stood in her doorway to check on her and she took a deep breath in her sleep before shifting closer to JJ who had been watching her like a hawk. He had always looked at JJ as a brother and when the idea of him and Madison came up he wasn't sure what to think at first, knowing how his best friend had been in the past.

"JJ," John B got his best friend's attention, taking advantage of the fact that they were alone for once, and got right to the point. "I heard about you and Mads."

The blonde tried to offer him an innocent smile as he took his hat off his head to run a hand through his hair. He wasn't about to deny it, there was nothing to hide in his opinion, but he was preparing himself to get punched in the face. "Yeah, I really like her, man."