I'll Come Running

Chapter 7

Jessie woke up the next morning to board her flight to the Bahamas to see Rafe. No matter how much sleep she got it was not enough to shake her racing thoughts.

"You know the plan." JJ said as he hugged Jessie goodbye at the gate.

"Yes, I know the plan." Jessie said coldly. She almost felt bad for being so pissed off at JJ. After all, this was the first time they'd seen each other in so long. But Jessie never wanted to be involved with Rafe ever again, and her brother knew that. She had to put her disgust aside and at least give JJ a decent goodbye. She tried to put it out of her mind that this could be the last time she'd see her baby brother. She knew first hand how volatile Rafe could be, and she knew no amount of time apart could have changed that, in fact, she was betting that the time apart only made it worse.

As she finally got her seat on the plane she couldn't help but let her mind wonder again. Her leg was shaking, her hands were sweating, it felt as if her brain was on fire. She needed something. She needed a smoke. A smoke? She wondered where that thought even came from. She stopped smoking the second she found out she was pregnant and never looked back. She feared that maybe her old habits were returning. As she thought about old habits she couldn't help but think of Rafe again.

***

Jessie followed Sheriff Peterkin back to Rafe's house and watched the whole extremely awkward exchange. She couldn't hear the exact words but she could tell by the look on Ward's face that he was confused and in disbelief. Not his perfect little son? He could never, right?

Well he did. At least so they thought. Jessie couldn't help but wonder why Rafe would take the blame for a girl he barely knew. She couldn't make sense of it, but she knew she had to try and make it right. Her father may have raised her to be less than moral, but she knew deep down some things just weren't right. Letting Rafe take the blame for this without receiving some form of an apology from her was not right. Jessie may have been cold, but she had some sense of a moral compass.

Jessie could see the exchange happening through the windows once Ms. Pete left. Ward at first was sad, but then it looked to just turn to pure rage. And Rafe... just stood there... and took it. Not what Jessie would have done. Jessie was outraged just at the thought of someone being that much of a doormat. She felt like she needed to defend him right then and there. But why did she feel this way? That wasn't like Jessie to defend someone she barely even knew. Maybe Rafe had grown on her? Surely not, it was probably just the guilt talking. That's what she went with in her mind anyway.

The argument— no, the one sided berating from Ward— finally stopped and without a word, Rafe went upstairs to what she assumed would be his room.

Jessie threw rocks at what she was hoping to be Rafe Cameron's window. She knew this was the Cameron house, I mean, who didn't know this was the Cameron house, but as for what room she was looking for, well, that was a total guess. There were far too many windows on all sides of the house to make an informed decision, but oh well. She really didn't care if she got caught.

After just a few more rocks she finally saw the dark gray curtains swing wide open, with some force behind them might she add. There stood Rafe, still fuming from what had just happened a few short minutes ago. The second he saw Jessie standing below his window his face softened. Softened? Jessie expected him to be furious.

All Jessie knew to do was wave sheepishly up at the window. Her small guilty smile was enough to tug at Rafe's heart strings once more and open the sliding glass door.

"What are you doing here?" Rafe whispered hastily as he leaned over the railing, trying to get as close to Jessie as possible so his hushed tone would carry. "You shouldn't be here. My dad's going to kill me! And then he's going to kill you!" Rafe stated as he looked around frantically making sure nobody was watching or at least eavesdropping.