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fourteen - injuries
they managed to get back to the mainland where a medical centre had been set up for everyone from the park. elle was being seen to, her wrist having swollen up and bruised. she watched everyone around her, holding back tears as she realised the damage her adoptive father had done.
he had destroyed lives because he wanted something scarier for the island. he wasn't making enough money as it was and he got greedy, as if the billions he had wasn't enough. simon masrani wasn't a good man. his greed destroyed lives.
elle had decided long before this that she wasn't keeping his money, but this solidified it. she just needed to get somewhere to live and after that she was paying her way through a job. the rest of the money was theirs.
the doctor brought her back to reality by informing her that she had fractured her wrist and they were going to have to wrap it until they got her to a real hospital.
she let her wrap her wrist, watching zach and gray as they were reunited with their parents. she sighed. no one was coming to see her. she was alone again. the brothers hadn't even looked at her since she was taken away to get her wrist checked.
"hey, kid," a voice broke her out of her thoughts.
she smiled, "hey owen."
"what's the verdict?"
"she thinks i have a fractured wrist," she informed, shrugging the shoulder of her free arm.
"don't forget the concussion," the doctor spoke up.
elle rolled her eyes, "how could i?"
owen sat next to her, "so pretty good all things considered."
"yep. healthy as a horse."
"you did outrun a t-rex, so you have to be," he reminded.
"i did, didn't i?" she hummed.
owen nodded towards the family reunion happening only metres from them, "why aren't you with them?"
elle thanked the doctor as she finished and left them alone, "not my family. mine's dead, even if he was shit." she glanced around once more. "owen, he destroyed all these people's lives for some more money. he isn't- wasn't a good man and now he's dead and i have to- i'm sixteen, i shouldn't be planning how his money is going to be distributed to these people."
owen wrapped around her shoulder, "so don't. let ingen decide that, after all it was ingen that did it all, not you."
elle let the unshed tears fall, resting her head in her hands, letting a small sob wrack her body, "i'm all alone again."
owen pulled her into a hug, even if it felt foreign to him, "you're not alone."
"i am. i have no family. all my friends worked at the park and half of them are dead. i have nowhere to go and no one to stay with," she cried.
owen spoke before he could think but he didn't regret the words that came out next, "you can stay with me."
she pulled away, "what?"
"i don't have a place or anything but-"
"i don't care. i- can i?"
"i wouldn't offer if you couldn't."
elle smiled, pulling him into another hug, "thank you."
they stayed like that while elle calmed down. she pulled away, wiping her tears, sending him a smile to tell him she was okay. they sat in silence.
"elle," a voice called. she turned to see gray waving her over. "owen."
she made her way over, passing claire, who she knew wanted to talk to owen.
"mom, dad, this is elle. she saved our lives. three times," gray exclaimed. "she pushed us off a cliff to stop a dinosaur eating us, and electrocuted another-"
"hey, gray, maybe let your parents appreciate that you're okay before you traumatise them more," elle advised.
gray nodded, "right. but zach kissed her."
"gray," zach groaned. "what part of shut up about that do you not understand?"
"i'm karen and this is scott," his mom introduced. she thrust her arms around elle, hugging her tightly. "thank you for keeping them safe."
elle hugged her back, before quickly pulling away, "um. sure."
"so, where are your parents?" scott asked.
elle saw the brothers flinch, "um, my dad died on the island."
"oh my god, i am so sorry," karen exclaimed.
elle shrugged, "it's fine. this was kind of all his fault, so... some might say it's karma." she saw the horror on their faces. "that was a joke. sorry."
karen laughed uncomfortably, "you're okay, elle. i'm sorry about your dad, what was his name?"
"simon masrani," she told. "i'm adopted. was adopted."
"what did the doctor say about your wrist?" zach asked, changing the subject. he saw her relax as he did.
"fracture. i need to go to an actual hospital to get a cast. and a concussion but i think i need to just wait that out," she answered.
"not bad for someone who outran a t-rex," he quipped.
karen's eyes widened in worry, "you did what? that was incredibly dangerous, elle."
elle stared wide-eyed, she wasn't used to being scolded in an almost caring way. she stuttered, unsure what she was meant to say.
"mom, you're not her mom," zach muttered.
"well obviously someone has to tell her to not put herself in danger because from what gray was saying she put herself in the line of fire a lot for you both," karen ranted. "i am grateful you saved my boys but did you think about what could happen to you?"
elle shook her head, not saying anything.
"well you should." karen turned to her husband and son. "right, you two, let's leave these two alone to talk. it was nice to meet you elle."
when they were out of earshot, she turned to zach, still shocked, "what just happened?"
"you got a mom-scolding. she tells you off but you can't tell if she's angry at you or the situation. it's her way of showing she cares," he explained.
"i don't know how i should feel right now," she admitted. "like i feel bad for it but know that if i hadn't you might be dead."
he wrapped an arm around her shoulder, "there is no logic to it. you just have to nod along." she hummed, nodding. "so... where do you go now?"
"i'm sixteen, i'm too old for the system, kind of. i get a place and owen looks after me and if that falls through, i look after myself like i always have," she informed.
"and what happens with us?"
"us?" she turned to him. "well, what do you want to happen?"
he stared down at her, "i don't know. i just know that whenever i'm near you i get like warm and i think you're the prettiest person i've ever met."
"that's... wow. i didn't expect that." she held out a hand. "give me your phone."
"i lost it," he revealed. "give me yours."
she grabbed her bag, pulling out her phone. he typed in his details.
"so, we what? take it slow and see what happens?" elle questioned.
