Okay so my computer has gone totaly bazurk and is mesing around with my favourites and threads etc etc. So I decided to continue the story here to make everything easier on everyone. I'll post the last three chapter just to be safe. And oh if ur just reading now and you want to rest.. just give me a shout :).. Thanks!
Chapter 37.
I started to come to my senses as my eyes flickered. I tried to keep them open but they were just too heavy. I awkwardly attempted to move onto my side but something started to poke me. I jolted back as I felt a long tube attached to my arm. As I reached out to pull it off, a pair of hands held me back. “Oh no you don’t.” the voice said firmly. I felt their hands around my wrists as they held my hands against the bed. A smile started to tug at the corners of my lips as I made one last struggle to keep my eyes open. “Joe!” I screeched as I flashed my eyes open. He smiled down at me as he sat on the edge of the bed. “How you feeling?” he asked. “Umm…okay I guess. A little sleepy though.” He laughed as he kissed my forehead. “What happened?” I asked confused. I had no recollection of why I was in the hospital at all. “You cut your foot on glass back at the dorm rooms. They had to give you a few blood transfusions. I didn’t like it all. I was never really good at dealing with blood.” he confessed as he carefully stroked my hand. I flinched as my foot all of a sudden started to throb and the memories started to flow back into my mind. “Did they find him?” I asked in a whisper. I stared down at my bed sheets as I waited for an answer. “No” he looked down at the floor as he spoke. “But they will” he assured me with a smile as he looked me in the eyes. I smiled back at him as I leaned in to kiss him. His lips pressed against mine as I laced my fingers through his hair. “Liz! You’re awake!” My face went red as I pulled way from Joe and saw Alex standing in the doorway. She danced over with a grin on her face as she pulled me into a warm embrace. “Hi Alex” I said in shock as I looked over her shoulder and gave Joe a helpless look. He suppressed a laugh as he shrugged his shoulder. “What are you doing here?” I asked once she let me go. “Well I came with Grayson of course! As soon as we heard you were in the hospital, we came straight down. How are you feeling?” She stared at me in wonderment as she tried to read my face. “I’m doing okay. But, where are the boys?” I asked as I looked around the room and outside the hallway. “They went to go get food. You know how Caleb gets when he’s hungry. It’s not a pretty sight.” Alex’s eyes widened as she thought about that for a moment. “You’re right about that one.” I laughed as I leaned back and closed my eyes. I felt the other side of the bed slant as Joe sat down and started quietly talking to Alex.
I must have fallen asleep from the anaesthetics because the next thing I knew, I heard two rowdy voices arguing. I flashed my eyes open to see Caleb and Grayson sitting down in the corner, yelling about who had won their card game. Joe was trying to compromise with them while Alex was reading a book in the chair next to my bed. I turned my head to give her a confusing smile, wondering how she could possibly be reading while the boys were fighting. She nodded her head once she realised what I was thinking and pointed to the orange earplugs stuffed in her ears. I nodded back in comprehension as I started to clear my throat. Three pairs of eyes turned around to look at me with stunned faces. “Lizzie!” Caleb said as he skipped over to give me a hug. Joe and Grayson walked up behind him and sat down on the edge of the bed. “Sorry to wake you up baby.” Joe apologized as he kissed my forehead and glared at Caleb and Grayson. “Hey kiddo! Glad to see you awake.” Grayson said with a huge grin as he ruffled my hair. I gave a weak smile as I yawned and leaned into Joe. Silence filled the air as panic all of a sudden rose in my chest. I had totally forgotten about my parents! “Caleb?” I asked in a quick almost hyperventilating voice. Worry spread across his face as he looked down at me. “Elizabeth? Are you okay?” I started to have a hard time breathing as I thought about what Evan would do if my family came out of hiding. My mind went blank as started gasping for air. My eyes were trained on the wall in front of me as my head started spinning and I grasped onto Joe for comfort. “Liz?” Joe’s anxious voice seemed a million miles away as my grip on him tightened. From the corner of my eye I saw Alex and Grayson’s shocked faces as they stared at me in horror. My eyes flashed to Caleb as I saw him reaching for the call button. “No!” I screeched as I grabbed Caleb’s hand and tugged him down beside me. “I’m fine. Really I am.” I tried to reassure them. But their worried faces never believed me. “Liz, baby, what’s the matter?” Joe asked as he saw my heart monitor racing off the charts. I closed my eyes tight as I tried to calm myself down. “Mom, Dad…do mom and dad know I’m in the hospital?” I asked in a panic. A light bulb must have gone off in everyone’s head because realisation automatically covered their faces. “Oh no baby. Don’t worry, everyone is still in hiding. Evan can’t get to them.” Joe reassured me as he pulled me close and kissed my cheek. I heaved a sigh as my heart rate slowed and I snuggled closer to Joe. “But they do send their wishes. They really wanted to come but the police aren’t taking any chances.” Caleb told me. “They know?” I screamed as I sat up and started going after Caleb. Joe’s tight embrace pulled me back as I bounced back into his chest. “What do you mean they send their wishes?” I demanded as I scowled at my brother. “What? I can’t just not tell them that their daughter is in the hospital. They have a right to know these things Liz.” he told me as he scowled back at me. “Caleb! Don’t you get it! Evan is dangerous! He found me! What’s not to say that he’s not going to find everyone else?” I freaked as I yanked myself out of Joe’s arms. I came face to face with Caleb as I stared at him with cold hard eyes. “Oh Lizzie please! Everyone is going to be fine.” Caleb shouted at me. I froze as I slowly started to back away. Caleb had never yelled at me before, it took me by surprise. “But…” I started to say in a whisper. “Liz, just let it go alright? Seriously you need to calm down!” he yelled as he sat up. I stared at him blankly as he gave an apologetic look to Alex, Grayson and Joe then walk out of the room. The door slammed closed as silence filled the room. “Well…ummm…maybe we should go now.” Alex suggested. I gave a weak smile as she kissed my forehead. “We’ll come back later okay?” she told me as she headed to the door with Grayson. I nodded my head in silence as she quietly walked out the door and down the hall. As soon as the door closed, I turned to Joe with tears in my eyes. “Joe…” I choked out. He held his arms out as I walked back to him and wrapped my arms around his waist. “It’s okay sweetheart. He’ll get over it. But he’s right, you really need to relax.” he told me as he ran his fingers through my hair. Sighing, I buried my head into his chest and smiled as I smelt his cologne.
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Joe’s arms were snaked around my waist as I leaned into him for support. We were signing out of the hospital as Alex waited in the car out front. The receptionist handed me some papers as I signed them and handed them back to her. “Have a nice day.” she told us as she handed me back some documents. “Thank you” I told her as I gave her a smile. The girl gave us a small wave as we headed out the door. “You okay babe?” Joe asked as he kissed the top of my head. “Caleb didn’t come, did he?” I asked with hints of sadness in my voice. Joe just shook his head. Caleb was still mad at me from my recent outburst and refused to see me. I sighed as Joe opened the car door and I slipped inside. “Hey hun, how you feeling?” Alex asked with a smile as she turned towards me from the front seat. “Better I guess.” I told her as I leaned my head against the seat. Joe hopped inside beside me and closed the car door. Alex started the car as she pulled out of the driveway and started heading back to the University. “Ummm….Alex?” I asked hesitantly. “Yah Liz?” Alex said as she looked back at me from the rear view mirror. “How’s Caleb?” I asked in a whisper. “He’s…doing okay.” she told me as she stared at the road. “Oh” was all I could manage to come up with. Joe gave me an encouraging smile as he dragged me closer to him and started playing with my hair. “Ummm…well I was thinking…” “Oh no, that can never be good.” Joe said with a laugh. I looked over to give him a serious glance before talking again. “I was thinking that maybe we should move out of the University. I mean I don’t want to make Caleb any angrier…Maybe we can just find a hotel somewhere in town. We could sign in with fake names and that way Evan can’t find us.” I explained. “That’s not a half bad idea.” Joe agreed as he looked at Alex. “What do you think?” he asked. “Well…I don’t know. I mean it is a good idea. But I’m not sure how Caleb will take it.” she confessed. “Caleb, shmaleb. I don’t care what he thinks. It’s my decision.” I told her confidently. “Well if you say so, we’ll move you guys out right away.” She said worriedly. “Thank you Alex” I said with a smile. She smiled back at me as she pulled into the University and parked the car.
Chapter 38.
I ran up the stairs in front of Joe and Alex as I raced to the dorm room. I almost ran into the door as I planted my feet on the ground and waited impatiently- I hated not having a key. Joe appeared from around the corner as I started tapping my foot. “What’s the hurry?” Joe asked as he handed me the key and I shoved it into the doorknob. “The sooner we get out of here the better.” I told him as I walked inside. I heard him mumble something under his breath as I started picking clothes off the floor and packing my bag. All of a sudden, I realised someone was missing. “Where’s Alex?” I asked as I looked up at Joe. “She went to go tell Caleb and Grayson that we’re leaving.” he told me blankly as he threw clothes into his bag. My eyes went wide as I stood up and grabbed Joe by the collar. “She did what?!?” I screeched in his face. He backed away as he removed my hands from his neck and placed them down at my side. “Babe, he deserves to know.” he told me calmly as he put my face in between his hands. I heaved a sigh as I stared angrily at Joe. “Elizabeth, will you please stop acting like a child now?” Joe asked as he stared me down- my face stayed blank. “I’ll act like a child if I want to!” I whined. Walking over to the bed, I sat down and crossed my arms. “Joe, if Caleb found out we were leaving…” My mind went into panic mode and my body cringed at the thought of what Caleb would say. “He’d never let us go. He’s already mad at me, and I don’t want to put him in anymore danger than he’s already in.” I tried to explain. But, I could feel the heat rising in my face and my vision became blurry from the tears building up in my eyes. Joe’s face softened as he looked at me in dismay. Slowly, he kneeled down beside the bed and wiped my eyes dry. He took his hands and placed them on top of mine as he flashed me a smile. “Elizabeth…” “Please Joe. Can we just go and deal with Caleb later?” I choked out. He looked at me as he thought, until he finally nodded his head. Silently, he helped me off the bed and wrapped his arm around my waist. Grabbing the bags off the bed, he slung it over his shoulder and ushered me out into the hallway. “Thank you” I whispered as I watched him locked the door. He smiled down at me and kissed my forehead as he closed the door and slipped the key into the room. “Let’s go” he said with a smile as we walked down the hallway. I sighed in relief as I held onto him tight and followed him down the stairs.
“Elizabeth! Wait!” I heard a familiar voice yell down the stairs. I looked up to see Caleb looking down from the top floor. Alex and Grayson soon followed and leaned over the railing to see. My first instinct was to run. My foot reached out to the next step, but Joe’s iron grasp held me back. “Just listen to what he has to say okay?” I stared up at Joe in a panic. He held his gaze on me until I finally broke down and let my body go limp. “Okay” I mumbled as I turned back around. A grin appeared on Joe’s face as he placed his hand on my lower back and walked up the stairs behind me. Caleb met me half way as he sat down on the steps. I kept my face unreadable and tried my hardest to show no emotion. But as soon as I saw Caleb’s worried, sorry face, I went into hysterics. Joe’s arms loosened as I wiggled out of his grasp and ran up to Caleb. “I’m so sorry Caleb!” I bawled as I held onto my brother tight. “Don’t be sorry Liz. I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that.” he apologised. I looked up and stared straight at Caleb. “Really?” I whispered. “Really really” he told me with a smile as he pulled me into his chest. “But that doesn’t mean I’m staying.” I assured him as I mumbled into his shirt. “I know. I understand. I just wanted to say I was sorry.” he corrected. “So, you’re really going to let me go?” I asked warily. “As long as you stay with Joe, I don’t see any problem.” I smiled into his chest as my grip tightened. “Thanks Caleb” I sighed. “Just be careful okay? And check in every once and awhile, alright?” I nodded my head as I pulled away from him. Looking up, I saw Alex and Grayson standing on the steps behind Caleb. Alex had tears in her eyes as she held onto Grayson for support. “Oh Alex! I’ll miss you!” I cried as I ran up the steps and yanked her into me. I held onto her as she cried into my shirt. “Just…Just be good okay?” she told me with tears rolling down her face. “I will” I comforted her. I gave her one last hug before pulling away and turning towards Grayson. “Be safe okay kiddo?” he told as he held out his hand. I looked down at his hand like he was insane and stared up at him in confusion. Without thinking, I pushed his hand out of the way and wrapped my arms around hid waist. “I promise” I whispered. Grayson’s body tensed up at my reaction, but before I knew it, he’s muscular arms were wrapped around me in a strong hug. A grin sprawled across my face as I backed away and walked back into Joe’s arms. “I’ll call you guys later okay?” I told Caleb as I hugged him one last time. He nodded his head as his eyes started to glaze over. “Be safe” he whispered in my ear. I nodded my head as I kissed his cheek. “And you better keep her safe or help me God…” “I will. Don’t worry man.” Joe told Caleb has they gave each other a quick hug. I gripped onto Joe as soon as Caleb let him go and took a step back. “We should really get going if we want to find a place before dark.” I warned him. Silence filled the air as we all nodded and Joe and I headed down the stairs. Walking out of the University, I squeezed onto Joe’s hand and gave him a weak smile. “Where to?” he asked as he smiled back at me. “I think I have an idea” I told him as I started to drag him down the street.
Chapter 39.
*Joe’s POV*
I walked hand in hand with Elizabeth as she pulled me down the quiet little street. I gawked in awe as we went through a neighbour full of doll-like houses- it was so bright. Staring up at the sky, I started to get worried once I realised the sun was setting on the horizon. “Umm Liz?” I asked softly. “Yah?” she said as she glanced around the street. “It’s getting kind of dark don’t cha think?” I told her, squeezing her hand tighter. “We’re almost there, don’t worry…Oh! There it is! I knew it was around here somewhere.” she told me as she pointed down the street. “Where?” I asked as I looked at her confused. “Over there” she said as she tugged me across the road. I followed her gaze as my eyes landed on a small little blue and green house. Flowers were planted in the front garden and a miniature fence was placed around the house. As we got closer, I noticed a little hanging sign in the front yard that said ‘Bed n Breakfast’. I stopped dead in my tracks in the middle of the road as I looked up at the house. “A Bed and Breakfast?” I stared at her in shock as I waited for an explanation. “Of course! It belongs to Cassie’s grandparents. She was a friend of mine when I was younger. We use to go here all the time during the summer when we were kids. I haven’t been here in ages but I’m sure they’d remember me.” she explained with a grin. Sighing, I took her hand as we walked up the steps. Elizabeth rang the doorbell as I leaned against the side of the house. My eyes started to close until all of a sudden, the porch light flicked on. My eyes blinked open as I jumped up to Elizabeth’s side. An older woman with short spiky brown hair and glasses opened the door. “Elizabeth?? Is that you sweetheart?” the old lady asked softly. “Grandma Abigail!” Elizabeth screeched as she ran over to give her a hug. “Oh hunny, come in, come in.” she told Elizabeth before ushering her inside. Then, she looked over at me. Elizabeth gave her a quick nod and she quickly grabbed my arm and pulled me into the house. Closing the door, she turned back around to face us. “And who is this young man?” Abigail asked suspiciously as she looked me over. “Abigail, this is my boyfriend Joe. Joe, this is Cassie’s grandma, Abigail.” she told us. I stuck out my hand but before I could blink, Abigail had me in a tight hug. “Oh it’s so good to meet you! Any friend of Lizzie’s is a friend of ours.” she promised me as she let me go and gave me a smile. I pulled back stunned and a little shocked by the immediate contact. Elizabeth laughed as she wrapped her arms around my waist. “So what brings you all the way over here?” she asked as we walked into the family room. “Actually, we were kind of wondering if we could stay here for awhile.” I told her warily. Abigail looked puzzled as she glanced over at Elizabeth. “Is something wrong sweetie?” Her voice cracked at the end of her question as she tried to wait patiently for an answer. Elizabeth scanned over my face, trying to find any sign of doubt about telling Abigail. Smiling, I shook my head as I increased my grip around her waist and leaned back on the small blue couch. Elizabeth began to explain the whole situation to Abigail. She ‘hmmm’ed and ‘ahhhh’ed as she listened very intently to every little detail. When Elizabeth was done, Abigail stood up and walked over to the couch. “Of course you can stay! For as long as she need, okay?” she told us as she sat down and pulled us both into a hug. “Thanks Grandma Abigail.” Elizabeth whispered. “No problem at all darling. I’ll go make up a room for you two.” she said as she gave Elizabeth a kiss on the cheek and started walking up the stairs. “Hey Abigail?” Elizabeth asked. “Yes?” Abigail said as she poked her head around the corner. “Where’s Grandpa Geo?” she asked. “Oh, he went out with some old pals. He should be back anytime now.” she explained as she disappeared again. “Grandpa Geo?” I asked a little confused. “It’s short for Gregory. You’ll love him. He’s really funny.” she assured me with a grin. I smiled down at her and kissed the top of her head. My eye lids got heavy as I slowly started to lay down on the couch with Elizabeth. The sound of soft music from upstairs quietly flowed through the room as we both drifted off into sleep.
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I woke up to the sound of a door being slammed shut. “I’m home!” the person yelled at the top of their lungs. I heard Abigail race down the stairs. “Shhh!” I heard her snap. There was a moment of silence as I heard someone enter the room. “Ohh, sorry” the person told her as I heard them walk into the kitchen. I felt Elizabeth turn in her sleep as I opened my eyes. Looking down I saw her eyes flash open. “Grandpa Geo must be here.” she told me with a laugh. “He was never really good with the whole ‘being quiet’ thing.” she explained. I smiled as I gave her a kiss on the forehead. “Want to go meet him?” she asked. “Let’s go” I said with a smile. With that, we both sat up as I grabbed Elizabeth’s hand and started heading towards the kitchen. “Grandpa Geo!” Elizabeth yelled as she let go of my hand and ran up to the man sitting at the kitchen table. He wore a black t-shirt and a pair of ripped blue jeans as he gave Elizabeth a hug. “Lizard! How are you darling?” he asked with a laugh. “Great” she told him with a grin plastered on her face. “And who is this?” he asked as he looked over at me. “Joe, Elizabeth’s boyfriend.” I told him as I extended my hand. “Well nice to meet you Joe” he told me as he shook my hand. I smiled as Elizabeth jumped off of Geo’s lap and ran over to me. I sat down at the counter as I lifted Elizabeth onto my lap. “So what brings you two here?” he asked curiously. Elizabeth went into a detailed explanation of how we ended up here. When she was done, Grandpa Geo stood up and started pacing the room. “Do you know where this young man is?” he asked warily. “No idea. He keeps moving around. They can never catch him. He doesn’t stay in the same place long enough to even get caught.” I explained as my grip on Elizabeth tightened. “And the last time you saw him…” he started to say. “Alex’s dorm room. Well actually, I never really saw him. He just threw a rock at the window. But I swear I saw someone running away.” Elizabeth said as I felt her cringe. “Well you can stay here as long as you need. We can warn the police over here and they can keep a look out. How about that sweetie?” he asked Elizabeth as he walked over to us. She nodded her head in silence as she snuggled closer to me. “Good. Now I don’t want you by yourself. So, you always have to be with Joe okay?” he told her sternly. “No problem. I won’t let her out of my sight.” I reassured them. Grandpa Geo nodded his head as he looked up at the clock. “Well it’s getting late. So maybe we should all end up to bed.” he told us. Elizabeth and I both nodded our heads until I all of a sudden felt Elizabeth hesitant. “I almost forgot. Can I call Caleb? I told him that I would call as soon as I was safe.” she explained. “How about you call him in the morning? It’s pretty late and you need your sleep sweetie.” Abigail suggested. Elizabeth nodded her head in understanding as she stood up. We said goodnight as I grabbed Elizabeth’s hand and walked up the stairs. We headed down the hallway until we reached a room at the end of the hall. The light was on a mattress was lying on the floor. Elizabeth laughed. “Only Grandma Abigail” she said simply as she flopped onto the bed. I looked at her confused until she pointed to the mattress beside the bed. “That’s for you” she explained with a grin. With that, she jumped off the bed and started rummaging through her bag on the floor. Grabbing some clothes, she walked over to me and quickly kissed me on the lips. “I’ll be back” she promised with a smile. I nodded as I went over to my bag and started to get changed. A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door. “Come in” I said as I rolled around in my makeshift bed. Elizabeth peaked through the doorway before gliding across the room and hopping into the bed. “Comfortable?” she asked with a laugh. “Hey! This mattress is pretty comfortable. You sure you don’t want to trade?” I said in a seducing voice. “Not a chance” she told me with a laugh as she leaned over to kiss me. I made the kiss last as long as possible until she finally pulled away and turned the lamp off. “Night” she whispered as I heard her snuggle into her comforter. “Night” I replied with a smile as I shut my eyes.
The next morning, I woke up to have Elizabeth straddled across my chest. “Morning!” she said happily as she grinned down at me. Her ocean blue eyes hypnotized me as I gave a weak smile back. Groaning, I moved over to my side and buried my head into the pillow, causing Elizabeth to fall on top of me. “Hey! None of that.” she complained as she started bouncing up and down. “It’s morning. You’re supposed to be happy! And guess what’s for breakfast.” she smirked as she laid down beside me. “Pancakes?” I asked excitedly as I looked over at her. “You betcha. Pancakes, eggs, toast, bacon and sausage! Grandma Abigail’s specialty.” she said with a laugh. “So get up!” she ordered me as she threw a pillow in my face. I pretended to act shocked as I stood up quickly and gave her an evil glare. “Oh you asked for it” I warned as I flashed a smile. She looked horrified as she darted out of the room and down the hallway I chased her down the stairs as I caught her by the waist and spun her around. “Abigail! Help!” she yelped through giggles as I carried her to the kitchen. Abigail laughed as she placed some bacon on the plates. “Well it looks like you two had a good sleep.” she said with a smile. “Eat up.” She handed us a plate full of food as we walked over to the table and sat down. “Caleb!” Elizabeth all of a sudden shrieked in realization. She got up as she ran over to the phone and started dialling numbers. She tapped her toes as she sat down and took a bite of toast. “Grayson…is Caleb there?...Caleb!...Ya, we’re okay…Oh really?...We’d love to!...Okay…yah…alright…see you then. Love you!” I listened intently as Elizabeth chatted to Caleb. As soon as she hung up, I looked at her confused. “Where are we going?” I asked curiously. “There’s this carnival thingy at the University that Caleb, Grayson and Alex are going to. The wanted to know if we wanted to come and I told them we’d be there. I mean it’s not like we have anything else to do.” she explained as she cut up her pancakes. “Sounds like a plan. What time?” I asked. “Two o’clock” she told me with a smile.
