Born To Fly

Fifteen-Lost Hope

Fifteen

(Joel)

I looked over his shoulder and he started CPR, and my knees gave out. I killed her, I killed Bailey...It's my fault she is dead. Then I heard a gasp and he grabbed for his bag and shot something into her arm.

"Joel," I leaned over and took her hand and she turned her head and looked at me. And I couldn't help myself, the tears of relief just flowed.

"Don't cry..." I ran my hand over her cheek, Randy sat back.

   "I need to rebreak her ribs...they healed wrong....hold her down Joel." And she looked up at me not sure if she was ready for this.

"It's alright, i'm right here." I rolled her over so she was lying on her side instead of her back and held her shoulder and hip down. And Randy used his elbow and slammed his weight against her side, and I head the sickening crunch, and she screamed.

      "Easy Bailey...i'm here. Everything is alright." A few minutes later she quieted down and Randy felt around her ribs.

"They are in place, but still cracked. Take it easy for awhile Bailey alright?" I nodded and looked at her. She looked like she wanted to kill him for the pain, but understood why he had to do it.

"Come on...let's get you two home." I picked her up and carried her back to Randy's car. She held onto me while Randy took us back to the house. I got inside and took her upstairs, I tried to walk towards her room, but she wouldn't open the door for me. I knew the look on her face and sighed and walked towards my bedroom. She pushed the door open and I laid her down in the bed and walked back to her room, grabbing her a pair of pj bottoms. She would have to live with one of my shirts for the night. I walked back and handed them to her and she sat up in bed.

"I'll be right back. I need to go lock the house up." She nodded and I took my time downstairs making sure that the door was locked and the garage was closed. I walked back upstairs and Bailey was curled back against the wall. I got in bed and kept my distance, I didn't want to hurt her in anyway...ever.

"Joel?"

     "I'm here Bailey..."

"I keep seeing the accident....being hurt..." I pulled her over to me and she curled against me and I ran my hand over her hair, and her tense muscles relaxed and I felt her heart beat slow down. I leaned my forehead against the back of her head and let myself relax.

(Bailey)

I woke up and felt like I had been run over by a semi-truck. I took a breath in and the pain knocked it back out of me. I sat up and Joel wasn't in bed. I looked at the clock and it wasn't after 10. I swung my legs out of bed and walked to my room. I got dressed and just listened; the house was totally silent. I didn't like it one bit. I walked downstairs and no one was there. I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and called Joel. 

"Hey Bailey, how are you feeling?"

    "Extremely worried that I wake up and i'm home alone." He gave a winded chuckle.

"It's Monday, and Randy told me not to let you do anaything extreme today; and getting in a fight counts as extreme. So I let you sleep."

  "As much as I really do appreciate the thought, I need to catch up on everything I missed while Lucas was here...."

"Darling, you look like you were beaten to a pulp by a gang of over sized bikers on steroids. If you come to school you are going to draw a lot of attention; and you know you will end up getting in a fight, and you have cracked ribs. I can't protect you all day." I heard Nick and Ryan in the back ground yelling about being body guards for the day.

"See they all want me there."

   "I say no." And his voice was so upset about nearly being over ruled.

"If I sit at home all day alone, i'm going to go insane; you don't own me Joel."

    "Yes I know that, and I would never try to...I just want you to be safe that's all. I almost lost you once......nearly. And I don't want to put you in that kind of danger ever again."

"I understand your concern and I have taken into consideration that there will be trouble, but I need to graduate with good grades to be able to get into college; and eventually take care of my pack."

"Just not today. You can do all that stuff tomorrow. Just stay home, lay down and have a few dozen cups of tea....please Bailey..."

"Joel you can't baby me..."

           "Just this once, please...."

"Fine." I heard him sigh and I realized at that moment how much my well being meant to not just him, but my whole pack.

"I'll see you when I get home."

     "Okay." I hung up and actually did feel like making a cup of tea. I walked upstairs, and pulled the ladder down for the attic. I walked up to the piano, and I looked at my unfinished music. It was never going to get done at this rate. I put my tea down on the piano and picked up the pen and put it inbetween my teeth and I set to work.

                                                            _*_*_*_*_*_

I wasn't sure how much time had passed exactly, but I heard the door downstairs open and close and I didn't even have to hear a voice. I knew who it was. I jumped down the ladder and he was coming up the stairs. I jumped on him, which wasn't the best idea with him standing at the top of the stairs, but I did it anyway. Joel laughed and wrapped his arms around my waist.

"I miss you too?"

     "I was about to go insane."

"You were alone for 5 hours, not 5 years."

          "Felt like years to me."  I buired my face in his chest and just took a deep breath, and all the pain I had been putting up with all day, just went away and I felt healthy again.

"So how was your day?"

   "You know the normal ignore all the teachers and what they are gabbering on about. Yours?"

"Nearly finished my first piece of music."

   "You are writing music?"

"Yea, there is a piano up in the attic, and I found a box of my mother's old stuff, so I figured if she could do it then it was must be in my blood." He smiled and gently ran a finger under my jaw.

"So that's why you spend so much time up there."

    "Yep, there are a bunch of boxes; but I haven't gone through those yet." I looked back up the ladder and a nearly overwhelming curiosity hit me.

   "Come on." I went back up the ladder and he was waiting at the bottom.

"Do you think this is a good idea?"

     "Of course, why isn't it?"

"What if you find something you don't want..."

  "Then i'll deal with it when I come along to that part of it." I down at him and the black stone still hung around his neck.

"Come on...we might find something good." I walked over to a box and sat down. I pulled it open and in the evening sun I could see all the dust. I looked inside the box and saw pictures. I pulled out an album and sat it on my lap. I flipped open the first picture, but it wasn't a picture. It was a letter. Addressed to me.