We found the hopeless

Day 8

Chris' pov
"Kody! You had one job! You weren't supposed to hurt her like that! You're lucky that the bullet didn't go all the way through. Just wait till Max figures out what to do with you!" I shout while going into the ER room. Ricky was sitting there worried. "Listen, Ricky, I know you like her and care about her. But it's way too dangerous. When Vinny was with Ava, Max found out and got rid of her on the spot. I don't want that to happen to you, so man up and start following these tasks!" Ricky sighed and nodded slowly. "I noticed some extra heavy bleeding coming from below," Ricky said with embarrassment. "She probably was on her period when it happened. Poor thing has to deal with an open wound and period pains."

I walked over to Tessa and noticed her breathing was slowly coming back to normal. "We just have to be easy on her these next few days. I know it will be hard with Kody. But we'll figure that out when the time comes. For now, she needs to get some rest and hopefully be okay by morning time." I say while walking out of the room.

I decided to visit Max on a whim. "I hate to bother you, but I have some troubling news about Kody and Tessa," I said, my voice filled with concern. As I entered his office, I noticed him quickly putting down the photos, his face turning sentimental. "What's going on?" he asked, his expression a mix of curiosity and worry. Our trip to Walmart didn't go as planned. The staff recognized us from previous incidents. Unfortunately, Kody ended up hurting one of the employees... but that's not all. When we returned, Vinny and Ricky got into a heated argument. Things escalated when Kody showed his gun and made threats against Tessa. The situation quickly got out of hand, resulting in Tessa getting shot in the abdomen. Luckily, the bullet didn't go all the way through, so we were able to remove it safely. The tension in the room was palpable.

Max's eyes went wide with concern as he made a swift decision. "I'll go check on her," he said before quickly exiting the room. With him out of sight, I seized the chance to delve into the stack of pictures scattered on the nearby table. As I scrutinized each photo, a particular image caught my attention - one of the children bore an uncanny resemblance to a younger version of Billy. A wave of unease washed over me, causing a knot to form in the pit of my stomach. Questions swirled in my mind: Does Max suspect the struggles that Tessa and Billy are facing as a result of our actions?

Ricky's pov

I witnessed Max's entrance into the room, his expression stern and demanding. "What are you doing in here?" he inquired sharply. Feeling a surge of anxiety, I responded, "I'm just waiting for her to get up. I'm not doing anything wrong." The tension in the room escalated as Max's voice grew louder, "Didn't I tell you guys to go look for my kid?!" His frustration was palpable as he continued, "It's not easy, sir... we've been looking for her but this is who we found.." Suddenly, Tess's pained groans filled the room, adding to the chaotic atmosphere. Max's anger flared as he exclaimed, "This weirdo is not my kid! I know she wouldn't be as gothic as this woman right here!" The room fell silent, the weight of his accusations hanging heavily in the air.

"I'm sorry Max, but she might've changed her appearance. Not a lot of things last forever maybe she wanted to change." I say in a comforting way. Max looked at me in a pissed off way. "Dad..?" Tess said softly as she groaned in pain. "I'm not your dad!" Max shouted as he left the room.

Tessa's pov
I felt my body aching in pain "Ricky..." I say while tears rolled down my face. Ricky rushed over and saw the condition I was in "hey... it's okay everything will be okay.." he said while wiping away the tears. "It hurts.." I say "everything hurts.." I felt some blood sweeping past my legs and I knew that I miscarried.

"Come on let's get you to the shower and clean you up.." he said while carefully picking me up. I flinched at the touch "I know max doesn't believe me but I know he's my father.. I recognize so much from when we were younger.." I say with a frown. "I know but there's nothing we can do about it.." he said while turning on the shower. My eyes widened as I remembered all the stuff that's in my pocket. He's going to find the phone that Billy gave me.