A Wolf's Purpose

•Chapter 100• Awaken the Dead

Casper rubbed the bridge of his nose and squinted his eyes shut. His feet still tapped on the floor rapidly. Andrew was sitting in the chair beside him. He almost looked as anxious as Casper and that made him feel even more anxious. They were affecting each other but neither of them refused to leave. She was just lying there almost lifelessly. Across from them were her brothers and uncle. They were all standing or sitting with their eyes glued to her, scared something might happen if they looked away for even a second. Liz was still sitting with Jerry, the poor guy clung onto her like a child clinging to its favorite teddy. As if he couldn't breathe without her. Henry stood behind his brother and next to him was Ian. His hand was on Casper's shoulder, which gave him a comforting squeeze. The room was stuffed. "How much longer?" Jack asked impatiently. He just wanted to see his sister again. Look her in the eyes and talk to her. "They said she'd be waking up soon. A little longer." Louis explained. He asked the doctor three times if he was absolutely sure about that. Jade would wake up and she would be fine. "Do you think she'll need Meg?" Jayden spoke up and glanced over his shoulder at his uncle. "She seems to be fine for now. I'll make sure to get some of Bill's supplies. He sure gathered enough. I'd have to test it, though, to make sure it still works. But we may not need Megan for a little longer, kid." Louis assured him and tapped his shoulder. "She's more than happy to."
"We know. I'll talk to your sister about it. Don't worry." Louis gave him an assuring smile, "Just give her some time to wake up first, bud." He shot a quick glance at Casper and Andrew. He hadn't seen either of them like this ever. The only time he ever saw this much anxiety with someone was when Parker was giving birth to the triplets.

Jayden was holding his sister's hand tightly. He would lean in and press a kiss to her knuckles every few minutes to make sure she knew he was there and that he loved her. "What do we do when she wakes up?" Jerry spoke up, "The last thing we should do is overwhelm her. Those people outside, we can't have them talk to her as soon as she opens her eyes." Louis shook his head and rubbed his chin slightly. He would keep that door locked if he had to. "No, they won't. I've put some people outside of the building to make sure they're not taking her out of this building without my permission or any of you." It felt good to have some kind of reassurance – a backup plan if you will – so they wouldn't end up in some ditch again. "She will have to talk to them eventually, though. She can clear your name. She was there with Bill, she can testify against him and get you out of all of this. We just have to be patient." Ian cut in. Casper changed from his right to his left leg bouncing up and down. Ian noticed this. "Take it easy. She's alright." He said to him. But Casper wouldn't listen. He would calm down when she opened her eyes again. What he wouldn't give for her to look at him again and say his name. That's all she had to do. "What happens to the boys while we wait? Are they just going to let them go back home?" Liz questioned. It seemed a little unlikely, but then again, you could never be sure. Louis might convince them. They already trusted Louis more than they trusted Bill – which did not say much, but it was something positive. "They're underage still. And with a new ward and new evidence," Louis pointed at Jade, "I don't see a legal reason why they shouldn't allow the boys to go back home. They can't leave the house, probably, but they're not going back to prison. What they did to you months ago was not legal. It won't happen again as long as I'm here."

Jayden felt a sudden rush of anger go through him. Louis wouldn't let him get shipped off to prison again and have him separated from his brothers. Bill never even lifted a finger to help them. Not once. They had to do it all on their own, and he didn't care if something happened to them as long as he didn't get caught. "At least someone cares about us."
Jade was the one who called the police and turned them in all those months ago. Bill just disappeared. At least Louis was trying to make up for that now. His uncle spotted that small muscle tense up underneath the skin of Jayden's neck. "He didn't care for us," Jayden mumbled. Almost everyone in the room turned to look at him. His eyes started to become watery. He kissed his sister's knuckles again. "Jayden, could I talk to you for a second? Outside?" He didn't want to leave his sister. He felt Louis' hands on his shoulders as he already started to pull him out of his seat. He knew he didn't have much of a choice but to go with his uncle. Outside the door were Donna and Detective Hayden Smith. They looked up as they exited the room, looking a little suspicious. Louis pulled the boy along with him to get out of earshot from them. "No need to have them eavesdropping on us." Louis muttered, "Bud, listen, I know a lot is happening right now. I don't know what you're feeling, obviously, I don't, but I'm here for you." Jayden nodded his head. "Promise me that you'll let me handle this. If you, or any of you, try to fix this it can turn around. Promise me you will let me handle it, okay? I'm trying to keep you out of prison." Louis said. "I promise," Jayden told his uncle. He knew what to do. They should trust their uncle. It couldn't get much worse anyway.

"I don't understand why he couldn't do this for us. He literally left us to rot in there." Jayden mumbled. Louis reached out his hand again and placed it on the boy's shoulder. He was grieving his best friend, but Jayden was right. He left his kids and abandoned them for his own sake. He wouldn't do that. "He's a terrible father. He wasn't always and you know that. I'm not letting you or your brothers down like he did. I'm not him, I'm not your dad."
"I know that. But you're already better than him. I'm pretty sure Dad would have fled at the moment he saw them," He pointed at Donna and Hayden, "and let them take us back to that shithole." Louis patted his shoulder with a kind smile on his lips. "Neither of you will go back there. You three are sleeping in your own beds when you get back home." Louis looked at Donna and Hayden, they were looking at them from across the hallway. "Let's get back to your sister before those two get any ideas or ask us a bunch of questions again. I'm surprised they haven't escorted half of us out of your sister's room because it's against their policy. Though, I wouldn't mind it if her boyfriends weren't obsessing so much over her." Jayden nodded his head as they started to walk back to the room. "Tell me about it. They really want me to commit a crime."
"I'll probably beat you to it," Louis said and opened the door. Everyone was still in the exact place they left them. Jade still wasn't moving and her eyes were closed. Liz looked up and gave Jayden a sweet smile. He appreciated her kindness. There was a time when Liz wouldn't even dare to look him in the eyes – and she still struggled with that sometimes – but that was so different now. Liz and Jerry were good together. He could have seen it coming. Still, it was a little strange to him that Jerry had a girlfriend. An actual girlfriend. Not like one of the hookups Jayden had with some girl who was just doing it because they thought of him as a bad boy. He could thank his father for that. Jack had some hookups as well, he went on some dates. Liz really cared for Jerry. He couldn't handle hookups. He's too soft for that.

As Jayden sat back in his chair, he grasped his sister's hand again. "Sorry for leaving." He muttered under his breath. No matter how many fights they've had, or how much they argued sometimes, he couldn't bear to see her like this. He wanted her to feel safe. The beeping sounds on the monitor started to pick up slightly. The triplets looked at her. Casper and Andrew both sat up straight with their eyes wide. Liz could feel Jerry's grip on her hip tighten. Kayden rose out of his seat and hovered over her. "Take it easy, kid. Give her a minute." Everyone in the room watched closely as Jade started to move around ever so slightly on the mattress. Once her eyes started to move behind her eyelids, and her eyes started to flutter open, Jayden felt a huge wave of relief wash over him. More tears stung behind his eyes.