Lost Without You (Jemi Fanfiction)

7: Remember December

Immediately after hearing about Joe's disappearance, I make my way to the Jonas house with Luca. I pull up onto the driveway and notice the police cars parked on the street outside their house.

I retrieve Luca in the carrier and head inside. Policemen are questioning Denise and Kevin Sr. so I walk over to where Nick is standing. I place the carrier with Luca in it on the ground. Nick looks both tired and has obviously been crying.

I reach out and hug him. "Everything will be fine," I assure.

"How? Joe's gone now and there are no leads. What if he never comes back?" Nick asks.

"Maybe he just needed some time," I say.

Nick nods but I'm not sure if he believes me.

After what feels like forever, the police department receive a call about the license plate number that belongs to Joe, so the police get into their vehicles and head on their way to find Joe. I hope that he's mentally stable enough to know to stay safe and not hurt himself. I think we're all scared.

Denise holds Luca while we anxiously wait for the police to call with news on Joe's case. He hasn't fussed at all since we got here and acts as if he knows he's safe with Denise.

I nervously play with my hands and try not to think negatively about the situation. It's all my fault. If I had just done something to help Joe, he wouldn't be gone right now. He told me that he was sorry; is this why? Was he planning on running away and that's why he came over to visit Luca?

Someone sighs loudly expressing what we all feel. Luca starts fussing and I get out a bottle for him, taking him from Denise. The only sound in the room is Luca drinking his bottle and I think we're all grateful for his presence. He adds innocence to the situation that the rest of us had all lost a long time ago.

Denise's cell phone rings and I jump. She answers, "Hello?"

All I can hear from the other end is mumbling as Denise listens, then hangs up.

"Who was it?" Kevin Sr. asks.

"An officer found the car. Joe was inside it and unconscious."

"At least he's alive," I say, knowing that it doesn't help.

"I should get to the hospital," she says.

"We can all go," Nick adds as I finish feeding and burping Luca.

Denise and Kevin Sr. get into their car and Nick gets into mine with Luca and I. The hospital parking lot is close to empty as we all run inside the building. The four of us and Luca make our way into the hospital and Denise half-runs up to the front desk to ask about Joe.

"He's in the ICU on the third floor," the receptionist says after confirming that we know him personally. "You may wait int he room outside the ICU on that floor."

We arrive in the waiting room for the ICU and sit sit down in a row. Kevin Sr., Denise, Nick, then myself. Nick lifts Luca out of the carrier to hold him as we wait for more news on Joe's condition. We can only hope and pray for his health and safety.

A doctor steps into the waiting room. Since we're the only ones here, we know that he's here to talk to us about Joe.

"You must be the Jonas family," he starts. "As of now, Joe is still unconscious from his accident. He's stable but he did suffer a hit to his head, so we're not quite sure how his memory will be once he wakes."

"Can we go see him?" Denise asks standing up.

"Sure. There is a definitive chance that he will be able to hear you, so try to keep your speech positive, one person at a time, and the baby won't be allowed inside."

Denise goes to see Joe first. She spends a significant amount of time with Joe. When she returns to the waiting room, her face is tear-stained. She motions to Kevin Sr. and he leaves to see Joe as well.

Denise phones Kevin and his family to inform them and say that they don't need to rush to the hospital.

Once Kevin Sr. returns, Nick hands Luca over to me and goes to visit his brother. I don't think that my visiting would help him anything since he seemingly hates me, so I decide not to go visit, and just support everyone else.

Nick returns a while later. "Joe woke up," he says, "and he asked for you, Demi."

My face clearly displays my shock. "How much does he remember?" I ask.

"I'm not sure. The doctor said that I should get you to go so that he can see what Joe sees you as."

"Okay," I say, "wish me luck."

I give Luca back to Nick and go to Joe's room to see him. This will be a defining moment.