THE BOAT TRIP: Stampy And Squid

What Matters Most

--SQUIDS POV--
I sat down at the table as Lily put Sarah to bed. Peter, Lily's boyfriend sat down beside me.
"Hi, nice to meet you." I said, shaking his hand,
"Hey, I'm Peter, yourself?"
"David," I said, sitting back down again,
"Heard you were a friend of Lily's in England, am I right?"
"Yeh, she was in my chemistry class in high school." I said, I was pretty sure that he didn't know that I was Sarah's dad.
My phone started ringing, it was the hospital,
"Sorry, I better get this." I said, feeling anxious again,
"Sure, hey do you wanna go out for a drink later tonight?"
"Eh.. Sure." I said, picking up my phone, "see you around seven."

I answered the call and stood outside the door of Lily's house.
"How is he?" I asked,
"He's just regained consciousness.. He's asking for you."
"For me?"
"Yes, if that's possible."
"Yeh, I'll be there in about ten minutes, tell him I'm coming."
"We will. Thanks."

I hung up and walked around the back of the outside Lily's house to where the window of Sarah's bedroom was.
I knocked quietly on it, Sarah lay in bed on her phone, her face lit up when she saw me outside.
"Hey Sarah. I never really got to say hi to you today, are you okay?" I asked, leaning against the window.
"I'm okay, how are you, you got treated the worst there."
"Pfft, no I didn't," I said, "hey, do you have your own phone?" I asked,
"Yeh."
"Let me type in my number for you, I'd love to keep in contact with you."
"Sure." She said, handing me her phone, I typed it in.
"Did you an mum just-"
"Nope." I said, before she could finish.
"Okay.. But d-"
"Here's my number, I'll come back later, alright." I said, letting go of her hand and passing her her phone.
"Dad.. Is Stampy okay?"
"I hope so, love." I replied, before I leant up and hugged her.

After I left the house I started to run back to the hospital. I vaguely knew the way, I just ran through the suburbs in hope of reaching the hospital eventually.
When I got to the hospital I ran up the stairs to where still, at least thirty fans sat down outside the door. They looked up at me as I came.
I started to feel bad again, I could feel the thrill of intercourse, the happiness of paternal love or the pride of being famous fading from me.
I just walked through the crowd, taking deep breathes before I put my hand on the door. Can I face seeing him like this again?
I felt a hand on my back, which startled me. I turned around,
"You're gonna be okay." Someone said,
"You can do this, Stampy will recover."
"He needs you, so do we."
"We are in this together."
I nodded, "thanks guys. I mean it." I said, pushing the doors and walking into the hospital room.
But something was wrong.
The hospital bed was empty, I walked into the connected bathroom but it was empty.
"Stamps? Joe? Stamps?!" I called, getting worried. Where was he?!
I looked under the bed and behind the equipment until I saw it.. A window was open..
I walked over to the window and looked down.. We were five storeys high.. And Stampy had climbed out of a window nine hours after being shot.. This could be fatal..

My eyes widened as I ran straight back out the doors again, hearing confused calls back at me. I kept on running, down the stairs and out the front entrance.
Where would he have gone? Where would he have gone?!
If I were him.. I'd probably want to get back to the boat. So I'd go to the beach and get back that way.. Or maybe Courtney's house.
I took out my phone. I had already received a text from Sarah asking if Stampy was okay. I didn't reply and went straight to calling Courtney.
"Hello, Courtney Holt, Maker St-"
"Courtney Stamps is gone! Is he with you?!"
"What no?! What happened?!"
"Didn't you hear?! He got shot!"
"Tell me what happened-"
"I haven't got time, Courtney."
I hung up on her before running as fast as I could down the beach. Looking at the faces of everyone I met.

Stampy was being kept alive by the hospital drugs, without them he would be in incredible pain and could easily die.
When I saw the pier I ran even faster, although I was so out of breath, knowing that Joe could be there motivated me to keep on running.
When I got to the pier I immediately ran on deck to find the cabin doors unlocked and wide open, thankfully there were no fans nearby.
I ran into the boat, "stamps?! Joe?!" I called, before I saw Joe on the bed in his paper hospital gown.
"Oh my god.." I sighed, running over to him. His face was white as snow but his eyes were purple.
"Stamps can you hear me? Stamps.."
His bloodshot eyes were wide open but he wasn't moving or making any indication that he was alive or not.
I called an ambulance.
"He has a pulse, but his wound is bleeding again, and he's unconscious." I said.
Joe continued to lie still. He was freezing.
I wrapped the duvet around him, sitting down beside him I put my hands on his face, trying to get any sort of response.
"Please.. Stampy answer me." I whispered, moving his face left and right.
"Joe.." I cried, but he was completely unconscious.
"Please, please stay with me." I begged, "don't leave me!"
"What's happening?!" Someone yelled, I turned around- it was Peter.
"David is he breathing?!" He asked, "I'm a qualified doctor I can help."
I moved out of the way, letting Peter work.
"How'd you get here?" I asked,
"I saw you running out of the hospital calling out his name- that can only be a bad thing, right?"
I nodded, still in shock. I could barely look at Joe, but every time I did I felt part of me dying.
Lily ran down into the boat and held my hand. I looked over to her,
"Lily.. Please." I said, removing my hand from hers, shaking my head. I didn't want Lily, the only person I wanted was Joe.