One by One

Chapter 18- Recollection

"So when you left without telling any of us, when I woke up and found that you weren't there, I found your note instead. I panicked and woke everyone up. From there I wanted your father to pay for the shit he'd been doing. We uploaded the videos onto the Internet". He looks at me guiltily and I feel a tinge of anger bubble up in me.

"You did what?! Devon! Do you know what they are going to say about my family now? About me? Jesus, Dev!" I screamed and saw that a few people were starting to be nosy.

"I know. I'm sorry. We weren't exactly thinking rationally at that moment. I'm sorry," he pleaded.

"God. I'll deal with you about that later, continue." I fumed at him.

"Well after we did that, we rushed to the warehouse. Deborah gave us a gun and we didn't think twice. We went ahead to come rescue the both of you. You know Robert? The CIA guy you trusted? He was a fraud, Brady. He was working for your father and that is why when you thought back-up was coming, it never came. He told your father you were coming." He clenched his jaw and looked to the side.

He continued. "We only found out about that later on. I'll get to that part in a bit. As you know, Deborah didn't come. I knew she knew more than we did so I left her. We left her. She's the one that arranged SWAT and all the other cops to come. The two cops that came? The ones that were hung?" I grimace at the thought. The sight that was very much still alive in my train of thoughts.

"We called them, thought they could slow down whatever it was that was going on. We thought wrong. Well when we realized that, we were a little too late. Then I saw you and I just... I couldn't lose you. Not ever." He looked at me with hooded eyes and in that moment all I wanted was for him to hold me.

"Anyway, when the team crashed your dad's party, we thought all was good. That was until your dad shot you. We thought we were going to lose you. I thought I was going to lose you. We rushed you to the hospital and they lost your heartbeat for a few minutes before they resuscitated you. I thought you were gone". His voice broke and I saw how glassy-eyed he was becoming.

"Come here. You think you can get rid of me that easily? Never. You will never lose me". I moved to the side of my bed for him to come in. He climbed in and held me close to his chest and buried his head into my hair. He laughed at what I said and I smiled at this boy that lost almost everything for me and he didn't even know it.

"Continue". I said, as much as I wanted to be in this moment we were having forever; I wanted to know what happened.

"Persistent as always," he smirked. "Well your father was arrested and they weren't going to let him go for his trial until you were awake so you could testify against him. Brady, he's going to be put away for an extremely long time." I nod at the thought of him behind bars. At least he wasn't going to hurt other people anymore.

"Many people have come in and out, to come visit you. Frank and Georgie came. Luke, Jung, everyone. Even Will's girlfriend, Lauren. She said she really salutes you for what you did. For everyone." I look around my room and realize it's full of flowers, balloons, gifts and pizza?

"Who brought pizza?" I laugh.

"Jung brought you pizza. He ate almost all of it though," he laughed. "Well, your mother and I have been the ones that have been here most of the time. She's alright. She left earlier this morning and I told her I'd look after you. Everyone is outside actually, when the doctor told me you would wake up sometime today I called Will, then he called Luke, then Luke called the rest. Your mom is on the way now."

"Tell me about you now. Don't think I can't see the cast on your leg." I said, worried.

"I kind of fractured my shin." He said, with no sense of sadness, no glint of regret.