Groaning, Nick felt a sharp twinge of pain burn within his lower back while he shifted uncomfortably in the confines of AJ’s vehicle. He had been the last one to drive about the stretch of deserted road near the outskirts of Malibu, California in AJ’s quest to find the murderer of his girlfriend, so he had been given the honor of sleeping in the driver’s seat. AJ, however, had been given the opportunity to sprawl out in the backseat. Though, when Nick turned to look at his friend, he realized that AJ hadn’t been getting the best of sleep either. He twitched visibly with each moment, his face contorted into a consistent look of pain from the loss of his girlfriend. Of course, a week and a half of searching for a killer in a cramped and cluttered car would make anyone grimace with discomfort. Especially Nick, who only participated in something if it was clearly beneficial to his means of existence.
"No!" AJ screamed as he sat straight up, the nightmare still gripping his heart in a fit of terror. Scrambling on the backseat, he lurched when he felt a hand land on his arm, whirling to realize it was Nick. Rubbing bleary eyes as he fought to calm down, he rummaged around the backseat for his cigarettes. "He-He had her tied to a wall, and-"
“J, she wasn’t tied to a wall,” Nick attempted to assuage, pulling the blanket away from his body so he could crawl into the backseat. Given his large stature, it proved far more difficult and ungraceful than he had intended, and he groaned when he sat upon the last pack of cigarettes. Shifting with a growl, he pulled a broken cigarette from the pack, handing it over to AJ with a sorrowful expression. He had seen the photographs of the murder scene and last night he had thumbed through the horrifying photographs and letters the killer had mailed to AJ quite personally. Though it had been brutal, the death had been surprisingly quick. She had been surprised by her attacker, who the police assumed wanted to take her, but she had fought with overwhelming honor. Because of her feisty nature, what was supposed to be a kidnapping turned into a violent death. But, thankfully, as the police had stated, the murderer did not have time to rape her, which seemed to be a portion of his M.O. Whatever that meant…
"It wasn't her, it was someone else," AJ murmured, staring at the broken cigarette for a long moment. Days of useless searching and inquiries in the worst possible hellholes they had come across was causing him to lose hope, but each memory of what had happened to the woman he loved renewed his anger and determination. Tossing aside the filter when it snapped between his fingers, he reached to light the remainder of the cigarette. "He's got someone else, he's doing it again, he-"
“Slow that roll, Dionne Warwick!” Nick interrupted with a whistle, leaning into the back of the car to retrieve some sodas from the melting ice of the cooler they had brought along. Then, rummaging in the grocery bags, he brought forth a mangled box of overly powdered donuts. “How could you possibly know that the fucker is striking again?”
"Because it's been three weeks, Nick! Don't you know shit? Every three weeks, he…" AJ groaned, accepting the dripping soda with a shrug. "His M.O. is to kidnap them, torture and rape them, then he kills them. Then three weeks later, he does it again-"
“Who the fuck told you that?”
"The fucker himself," AJ whispered, reaching into the front seat for the folder of letters and photographs.
For the first time in his entire life, Nick said nothing witty or sarcastic in response to AJ’s confession. Instead, he waited for AJ to make sense of his statement, though he frowned when a letter was thrust in his hand. Opening it, several photographs fell into his lap. Picking up the first, Nick held his breath when he looked at the two terrified women being defiled within the photograph. One with long ebony black locks dangled from the ceiling, not a shred of clothing covering her body or the wicked red streaks of raised skin, looking as if she had been whipped repeatedly while the other woman had a dog chain wrapped around her neck, bolting her to the wall. “Jesus Christ…”
"They get worse," AJ murmured, keeping his gaze on his cigarette. He had seen the photographs enough to recite the detail. He had pored over them upon first receiving them, as though by doing so he would have some clue as to where the man was. "He said he was making the older one watch while he rapes the younger one-"
“So what--”
“They’re sisters.”
“Jesus Christ,” Nick repeated when he found the last photograph of the younger woman strapped tightly to a dingy mattress with the older one handcuffed to the headboard to watch. Blood could be seen pooling from her legs as the murderer stood off to the side, brandishing his crimson streaked erection and pile of toys that had caused the damage. Feeling his stomach turn violently, he hurriedly flipped the photographs to the back, his eyes widening at the detailed descriptions that had been written on each. “How long have you had these?”
"Since the day before the funeral," AJ admitted, dropping the remainder of his cigarette in an empty can. Nudging the can aside with his foot, he sighed, running a hand over his face as Nick flipped through the photographs. "Let's find a place to get breakfast and take a piss, man…"
“Why didn’t you give these to the police instead of trying to play Dick Tracy?” Nick asked, visibly shuddering when he looked over the pictures again. Closing his eyes, he thrust them into the front seat before fumbling for the door handle. They had spent the night on an abandoned road leading to a dune covered and overly weeded portion of the Oceanside. No paparazzi would be lurking in those bushes if they wanted to urinate in the wilderness.
"The police don't do shit, remember?" AJ reminded him, crawling out behind his younger friend. Stretching his lithe form as Nick shuffled towards the edge of the road, he glanced around, thinking perhaps he had heard something in the bushes nearby. A moment of silence passed, however, and he moved to stand near Nick, ready to relieve himself on the side of the road.
“Hey, Shit-Stick, this isn’t a public bathroom with a set distance between urinals. Give me some fucking space to take a piss in peace,” Nick immediately growled when he lowered the zipper of his jeans and realized how close AJ was. Kicking some dirt toward his friend, he took a few more steps down the road till he found a bush-covered ditch. Freeing himself from his jeans, he glanced around his location before the flow of urination could begin. Though, any means of controlling his urination was halted when he looked down to see a dirty, bloody, naked woman lying amongst the weeds. Gasping in shock, Nick stumbled back as a terrifying shriek exploded from deeper in the brush and a wild woman came flying at him, throwing him to the ground with furious punches. “AJ! GET THE BITCH OFF ME!”
"Whoa, whoa!" AJ shouted as he rushed over. Gently grasping the woman by the arms, he pulled her off of Nick, who quickly rolled away. When she thrashed in his arms, hair snapping against his cheeks, he released her, stepping between her and Nick before she could attack his friend again. "It's okay, we're not going to hurt you-"
“Fucking great! I just pissed all over my new jeans!” Nick moaned in disgust, looking down to his splattered jeans instead of the wild woman.
"Nick, chill," AJ hissed, shrugging out of his black hooded sweatshirt. Offering it to the woman so she could cover herself, he raised a brow when she began to speak in fluent French. Though he barely understood two words of her speech, the inflection in her voice coupled with the rage in her eyes assured him that he was better off not knowing what she was saying.
“I just ruined a pair of four hundred dollar jeans because of Tarzan’s Jane over there and her accomplice hiding in the damn bushes like some ambush attack!” Nick defended with an annoyed whine, though at his sickened gesture toward the ditch seemed to alight the woman yanking on AJ’s jacket further. With a startled gasp, she immediately raced back to the ditch with another flourish of softer, kinder French sentences. “When did we take a ride in the ocean over to Baguette-Ville?”
"Nick… Don't you recognize her?" AJ whispered, his eyes on the two women in the ditch. "She's the woman-"
“Excuse me,” the elder sister murmured, her choked voice seemingly sounding like a gunshot to the two men who lurched in disbelief. She wrenched her muscles in attempts to hold her younger sister close, who was sobbing painfully and shivering uncontrollably. “Do you have anything else to cover her with? She’s… She’s lost so much blood…”
"We should call nine-one-one," Nick decided as AJ darted to the car to retrieve something for the younger woman to wear. Getting to his feet, he headed after his friend, wrinkling his nose in disgust at the feel of his damp jeans clinging to his crotch.
"Later," AJ tossed over his shoulder, gathering the blankets from the front seat of the car. Pushing them into Nick's arms, he moved to open the trunk, digging inside of his duffle bag for pants and shirts the women could wear. Draping the clothes over his shoulders, he took the blankets from Nick, rushing to take them to the women.
“Don’t come any closer!” the elder sister suddenly demanded before AJ could get any closer to the traumatic scene. She had been murmuring consoling words into her sister’s bloody ear, but it was easily seen that the younger woman was losing consciousness. AJ wanted to speak out to the older sister, to tell her it would be best to hurry, but she was desperately ignorant to the seriousness of her sister’s condition. “Don’t you dare look at her.”
"Do you want us to call an ambulance?" AJ questioned, turning to offer them privacy.
“God, no,” the woman breathed, struggling to dress her sister’s limp body.
“Lady, she’s bleeding to death,” Nick boldly announced, searching in his own duffle bag for a dryer pair of pants.
"Do you want us to take you anywhere?" AJ asked, ignoring Nick as the woman muttered under her breath. When she sharply drew in a breath to retort, he held up his hands in defeat. "You can't expect us just to leave you here by the side of the road bleeding to death!"
“I’m not bleeding much,” the woman insisted, cradling her younger sister delicately within her arms. Manically, she brought her fingers through her sister’s matted, ginger locks, oblivious to the smears of blood covering her hand. She furiously pressed her lips against the younger woman’s forehead, squeezing her eyes shut. “Adie, wake up… You were so brave, Adie, just wake up now… Show them you’re okay…”
"AJ, they both look like they're starved," Nick pointed out, glancing over at the two women. Gulping nervously, he ran a hand through his hair. "Can't we do something to help?"
“Ma’am, please let us help you,” AJ tried once more when he felt Nick nudging him toward the sisters. He wasn’t sure what he could possibly say to the older sister to make her trust him. Given the circumstances, he knew that he shouldn’t expect too much confidence from her. She looked so disheveled. A dried trail of blood could be seen just at the base of her neck, leading up from a matted spot of ebony hair at the base of her skull. His jacket just hung to her grimy body. Bruises, lacerations, and abrasions could be seen littered over her body. The torture she sustained was unimaginable in AJ’s mind. But what worried her most seemed to be the barely conscious woman in her arms. “…I know you don’t trust me and, given the situation, I don’t blame you. But your little sister…Adie? She’s hurt very badly… You really need us to take you to the hospital… Both of you need checked out… Please?”
The woman looked over at him suspiciously, clinging to her younger sister. "I…"
"You two can ride in the backseat and we'll drive directly to the hospital, I promise," AJ pleaded.
“Is she going to die?” she suddenly whispered fearfully.
"No, she won't die… Just let's help her get some help, okay?" AJ murmured. "I know how it feels to have someone so close to you hurting, and I promise you that my only concern is making sure Adie's okay…"
“I swear to God if you…” the woman’s heart seemed to leap to her throat when her younger sister’s eyes fell closed. Immediately, the woman stumbled to her feet and attempted to bring her sister into her arms. But something about her ankle and the overwhelming fatigue of her body wouldn’t allow her to support her sister’s weight. She crumpled easily into a frustrating ball of sobs. “Damnit! I shouldn’t have let her go in alone! I should have done something!”
"Hey… You didn't know," AJ attempted to soothe, taking a tentative step forward. When she didn't shoo him away, he moved closer to her. "Is it okay if I carry her to the car and then help you?"
Nick suddenly groaned at the overwhelming amount of time it was taking to coax the victim into trusting them. Without warning, he stepped forward. “Look, I’ll take the younger chick and you take the older chick. We’ll waste less time--”
"No!" the older woman screamed suddenly.
"Goddamnit, Nick," AJ growled. "Just go start the car and pull it up!" Pausing, he met the older sister's eyes. "It's okay," he promised as Nick stalked off to do his bidding. "We'll just wait here for him to get back with the car. …What's your name?"
“Secousse,” the woman muttered with disbelief, glaring at Nick as if she had the power to make him spontaneously combust. But with AJ’s soft clearing of his throat, she jerked back to look at him, immediately sighing. “My name is Josette and this is my sister, Adrienne.”
"My name is AJ-I mean Alex, and this is my friend, Nick…" AJ trailed, tentatively reaching to pull the blanket around Adrienne. When Josette didn't push him away, he eased the still form into his arms, his heart clenching when he saw the blood on the ground where she had been lying. When he heard the crunch of gravel behind him and the idling of the motor, he motioned for Nick to turn off the engine before looking to Josette. "I'll be right back…"
Josette lurched at his response, “Wait, please don’t take her without me--”
"I just have to put her in the backseat, Josette," AJ promised. "As soon as I do that, I'll get you, okay?"
“Don’t take her away from me,” Josette pleaded in a mere whisper, shrinking back when he started to carry Adrienne toward the vehicle.
Once he had placed Adrienne in the backseat, AJ made sure to cover her securely with the blanket, ignoring Nick's impatient sigh from behind the wheel. As she settled against the seat, she released a soft groan, and he allowed himself to reassuringly squeeze her hand before backing out of the car. Turning back to get to Josette, he carefully lifted her into his arms, surprised when she curled her arms around his neck.
“If… If I forget to tell you or I don’t see you again… Thank you,” Josette whispered against his cheek.
"You'll see me again, I promise," AJ whispered as he carried her to his car. Settling her in the backseat next to her sister, he pulled the seatbelt over her and secured it, his eyes meeting hers briefly.
Josette mustered a smile, reaching a trembling hand out to fix a stray dark curl that had fallen across his forehead. “Thank you so much.”
Josette winced as the nurse tightened the Ace Bandage around her ankle, though her pain was moot compared to her worry for Adrienne. Her sister had been taken away the moment AJ had escorted them into the Emergency Room, and no matter how many times she asked no one could tell her a thing about her condition. Nodding distractedly as she was told to keep the weight off of her foot, she was surprised to see AJ step into the examining room, carrying a shopping bag.
“Hey…” AJ called softly with a wave when he saw her resting on the examination table. She looked far better than she had hours before. The health care workers had done their best to help clean her up as well as taking care of the cuts and whatnot that littered her body. Offering her what he hoped was a positive smile, he stepped forward only to excuse himself as a nurse breezed past with a bag of varying contents of containers, swabs, envelopes, and such; which sobered him significantly when he realized it was the infamous rape kit. Watching as she handed it to the police officer standing outside the treatment room, AJ swallowed hard and gestured toward the shopping bag in his hands. “While I was waiting, I decided it be better if I ran out and got you some clothes to wear. I pretty much guessed on your size—Oh! I got your sister some clothes, too.”
"You shouldn't have," Josette murmured, mustering a smile of appreciation as she pulled the hospital blanket tighter around her shoulders. That he was being so kind to her, a complete stranger, was unnerving. She felt she was justified in being wary of his kindnesses, considering the trauma she and Adrienne had been through. Though, she was touched when he withdrew items of clothing, grateful he had chosen an oversized black t-shirt and what looked like comfortable stretch pants. "Thank you so much… Alex?"
“Yeah, that’s my name,” AJ confirmed with a nod, taking the nearby stool to sit at her side while another nurse moved to withdraw blood from her arm. He made sure to keep an adequate distance between them, not wanting to unnerve her completely. “How are you feeling? …I don’t want to pry into your personal business, but I just worried that…”
"I'm worried about Adie," Josette admitted softly, turning her gaze to the floor as the nurse inserted the needle into her arm. "I haven't heard a word about her, Alex, and no one seems to know anything, and I just… If I knew she was okay I wouldn't worry so much-"
“You know how doctors are… Too high and mighty to ever come off their pedestal for the worrying family members. I’m sure once he gets that stick out of his ass, he’ll come and give you some news. And not just any news, but good news,” AJ murmured with a hopeful confidence, hesitating slightly before reaching for her hand, realizing she hated needles.
"You've been so kind to us, Alex," Josette murmured, staring at his hand for a moment before placing her hand in it. "Driving us here, buying us clothes… You really didn't have to… We can pay you back-"
“I’m extremely financially secure, so I don’t want anything to be paid back… Just, don’t humiliate me in front of these nurses when they inquire about our relationship. We’ve been together for six months, I’m looking at engagement rings, and you’re madly in love with me, okay?”
"Okay…" Josette trailed, realizing the nurse had left already. "How did we meet, Alex?"
“I swept you off your feet the instant our eyes met--” When AJ realized she was smirking, he offered a pleased grin. “Well, that wasn’t a lie.”
"And you took me to see Phantom of the Opera on our first date, before a romantic candlelight dinner on the beach," she decided with a smile, feeling him gently squeeze her hand. "But you fumbled when you tried to kiss me goodnight, because you were so startled by my beauty-"
“Oh, of course, how could anyone not fumble in the glow of your gorgeousness? Every man looked our way and I just smiled wickedly at them, because I knew you were all mine,” AJ murmured, looking up to admire her profile for a mere moment. Though there was bruising to the side of her temple and her bottom lip was split and swollen, she was still a beautiful creature. Her dark cocoa eyes seemed to warm the very depths of his aching soul and the way she smiled was so charming...
"Can my wonderful boyfriend do me an immense favor?" Josette requested softly, unconsciously tracing the back of his hand with her thumb.
“Anything for my gorgeous girlfriend,” AJ promised, concentrating on the soft movement of her thumb.
"Go put your foot down and insist they tell us how Adie is?" she murmured.
“I’m quite the belligerent bastard when I want to be; I’m sure I can get some kind of information for you,” AJ promised with a soft nod, moving to stand as a nurse came back in with a cup of pills and several prescriptions.
"Thank you Alex," Josette whispered, squeezing his hand for strength before he slipped away.
“Quite the man you have there,” the nurse announced when she watched AJ breeze out into the hallway in search of Adrienne’s doctor. She smiled sweetly to Josette as she offered her the cup of pills. “These are just some preventative medications that the doctor prescribed. The one is the morning-after pill, which will prevent pregnancy. The others are to prevent HIV and other STDs. Also, the blood that we took from you today will be tested and in two to four weeks you’ll have to come back for more blood work to assure you didn’t contract anything... And then three months for another HIV test… I know it all sounds scary, but that’s why we have you start on this medications immediately.”
"…What are the side effects?" Josette questioned warily, looking down at the array of pills in the cup.
“For the most part, you’ll experience some nausea, abdominal cramping and tenderness, fatigue, and headaches. Effects of the emergency contraceptive should usually be relieved in twenty four hours. Since you take the antiretroviral to prevent an HIV infection, those symptoms of fatigue, nausea, and dizziness may last a little longer. But, I would think that the benefits outweigh the risks right now.”
"I think you'd be right, too," Josette murmured, accepting the cup of water to gulp down the pills. Glancing up when AJ entered the room once more, she didn't realize her face lit up with gratefulness at his nearness. Glancing to the nurse, she cleared her throat. "…Can I get dressed now?"
“Of course, I’d also like to speak to you about the closest rape crisis center to where you live before you leave,” the nurse answered, glancing to AJ for a moment. “Is your boyfriend going to help you dress?”
"Um… Yeah," Josette muttered, just wanting the woman to leave. Once the door swung shut, she released a soft breath of relief, sliding off the examining table. "What did you find out?"
“Adrienne’s surgeon is currently screaming at some old bird on the phone, but he managed to say that he’d be in to speak with you in a few moments,” AJ confided, immediately turning his back to Josette so she could dress. He even slid his hands over his eyes to prevent any peeking that he might be tempted to do. “Watch your ankle, please.”
"Old bird?" Josette repeated, quickly shedding the blankets and hospital gown. Adrienne must have called Mother, she realized, holding her foot aloft as she wriggled into the oversized t-shirt before reaching for the pants. "Can… Can you help me with the pants?" she questioned after several moments of struggling.
“Blindfolded?” AJ squeaked erratically.
Josette furrowed her brow for a moment, leaning against the examining table. "Well… For some reason that even I don't know… I trust you, Alex-"
“If you’re sure…” AJ murmured, extending his hand behind him so he could shuffle backwards through the room. When he bumped into the examining table, he made sure to clamp a tight hand over his eyes as he turned. Stretching his arm out next, he felt Josette’s hand enclose over his. Slowly dropping his other hand from his eyes, he smiled at the reassurance in her dark cocoa eyes. Reaching for the knit pants, he tore off the tag and then bent down to ease her injured leg into the first leg and then he repeated the action before helping her ease the pants up her body. “How are you feeling now?”
"Nervous… And kind of fluttery," Josette whispered, wondering how it could be that he elicited such a reaction from her. The concern in his warm chocolate eyes caused her heart to trip over itself, and when he gently lifted her onto the examining table she gasped softly. "I mean… I feel a lot better, thank you…"
“Think nothing of it,” AJ promised softly, gently brushing the damp, wavy curls that had fallen into her face behind her ears. Gingerly, he rubbed his index fingers and thumbs over the lobes of her ears, but the clearing of a throat caused him to jerk away. Blushing furiously, he shoved his hands into his pockets and looked to the floor.
“Miss Josette Moreau?” a somewhat older man asked, looking to Josette for confirmation before glancing back to his notes.
"Yes?" Josette murmured nervously, instinctively reaching to hold onto AJ's arm before he could step away.
“I’m Dr. Adler, your sister’s surgeon--”
"How is she? Can I go see her? Will she be alright? Does she need a transfusion? She and I have the same blood type-"
“We already have blood infusing into her, so as noble as that act is, we don’t need you to give blood at this current stage,” Dr. Adler gently interrupted, looking to AJ for a moment, then his notes, and then back to Josette. “Is it alright to discuss your sister’s condition in front of him? I will be quite frank, Miss Moreau…”
"Yes, yes, go ahead," Josette insisted, not wanting to waste the time it would take for AJ to leave.
“The level of sexual abuse that I saw on your sister today… I have never seen such a blatant display of disrespect for a woman’s body in all my life… To imagine what you and her endured would be unfathomable to me. She sustained several lacerations to her breasts, thighs, and buttocks. Bruises are scattered in the same areas as well... The man even went so far as to brand his initials on her inner thigh. I did my best to suture what I could to reduce and minimize the scarring. But what horrified me the most was the trauma sustained to her genitalia. She lost an overwhelming amount of blood from lacerations to her vagina, cervix, and, God help her, her uterus. I wanted to do an emergency hysterectomy--”
"A what?! Is it that bad?!" Josette blurted, sliding off the examining table once more.
“Josette, your ankle,” AJ gasped, immediately reaching to wrap his arms around her waist to support her weight.
“A hysterectomy is the removal of the uterus and surrounding reproductive organs that are causing the bleeding--”
"I know what a hysterectomy is," Josette interrupted. "What did you mean by 'wanted', though?"
“Your sister is unresponsive, so I had to call the power of attorney to have consent in order to do the procedure. So, that meant that I had to call your mother, but she absolutely refused to give permission for the hysterectomy as well as the rape kit--”
"That evil old bitch!" Josette shrieked. "You have to do a rape kit, right? Isn't there some law?"
“A patient can refuse a rape kit if he or she chooses. We can’t enforce it,” Dr. Adler murmured, scratching something furiously over Adrienne’s chart. It was obvious that the man was infuriated by the conversation with the sisters’ mother. “Right now, I have my surgical team working to repair all the trauma done to your sister’s reproductive system. Your mother was so concerned about grandchildren to carry the tradition of your family that she is jeopardizing your sister’s health. Not only that, but she wants her discharged immediately after she wakes up. She also requested to speak to you immediately...”
"Do you have a phone I can use?" Josette sighed. Realizing she was leaning against AJ, she pulled away, grasping the edge of the table for support.
When AJ nodded and reached into his pocket to retrieve his cell phone, Dr. Adler continued to speak, “I’ll come and find you when your sister is out of surgery. Hopefully she doesn’t bleed out in the process--”
"I'll get it taken care of," Josette interrupted snappily. "Just go do what you have to do to take care of my sister."
“Make sure you wear some ear protection when you speak to her, she shrieks terribly,” Dr. Adler mumbled, rushing out of the room when his pager went off.
Groaning, Josette dialed the number to her mother's private office, waiting impatiently as it began to ring. Hearing her mother's crisp, cold answer, she drew in a deep breath. "How dare you refuse permission for Adie's hysterectomy?! Do you realize that she could die?!"
“Good afternoon to you as well, Josette…”
"Good afternoon, Mother," Josette greeted reluctantly. "Now, who do you think you are? You know as well as I do that if she were awake she would opt for the surgery-"
“Which is precisely why I thank the Lord that she isn’t. If she would opt to have a hysterectomy, then she would be useless to any suitor that may come along during your wedding, Josette. Rudolph has many respectable friends that would suit our family quite well. But, if Adrienne is unable to give birth to children, then she truly is better off dead--”
"Is that all she is to you? A fucking breeding factory?" Josette snapped in disgust, unable to believe that her own mother could be so cold and unfeeling. "She could always adopt, you cold-hearted bitch-"
A shrill laugh interrupted Josette’s fiery tirade. “Josette, Dear, no man wants to adopt someone else’s child. That would be like picking someone’s genetics from a trash receptacle.”
"Mother-" Josette cut off with a growl of French expletives. "Goodbye-"
“Josette Floriana Moreau, I forbid you to hang up on me!” Mother Moreau exploded with disgust, halting the eldest daughter’s movement of slapping the phone shut. “This nonsense is all your fault and I will not be made the Devil’s Advocate. I’m simply cleaning up your mess! Insisting that you take a so-called “road-trip” with your sister because you want space before your wedding. You have never made sacrifices for this family and now I find that you’ve practically killed your sister because of your foolishness. I will not be made an embarrassment of our social network, do you understand? I want Adrienne out of that hospital as soon as she opens her eyes. I want you to take her somewhere and stay there for the remainder of your vacation. No one will know about this foolish mistake of yours, do you understand? I’ll make some phone calls to send Adrienne some medicine in order to cope with the problem as soon as you let me know where you’re staying.”
"…Alright, Mother," Josette whispered after a moment, tears of degradation spilling onto her cheeks. "I'll have Father wire me some money when we find a place. Goodbye," she said quickly, slapping the phone shut before her mother could interrupt anymore. Shoving the phone towards AJ, she pressed both hands to her face, stifling a sob of frustration.
“What the fuck did she say to you?” AJ inquired quite blatantly, immediately wincing at the harshness of his words when they left his mouth. He was just flabbergasted at the sheer frostiness that emulated from Josette and Adrienne’s mother. He may not have heard both sides of the conversation, but the devastation on Josette’s face was enough.
"Nothing she hasn't said before," Josette replied softly. "I just have to find a place to stay and not breathe a word about what happened and pretend that she and I have spent a delightful vacation away from home and why I'm even bothering you with all this inter-family bullshit is beyond me…"
“…You’re not allowed to go home after what happened?”
"She doesn't want there to be any 'talk'," Josette explained with a sigh, turning slightly to look at him. "She's very big on what other people think…"
“How long do you have to disappear for?”
"A month or so… See, we were going on a road trip before… Well, we planned to be gone for a couple of months, and-"
“Come stay at my house,” AJ immediately invited before arguing the potential consequences of his decision mentally. He just couldn’t stand to have these two women thrust out onto the streets because their mother was a suffocating bitch. He knew he may have sounded overbearing or potentially bizarre, but he had to take the chance. “I didn’t… I mean… You don’t have to accept the offer. I know it sounds crazy, but--”
"You'd do that?" Josette interrupted in surprise, stiffening slightly when he reached to brush her tears away. She had never met someone who gave without wanting something in return, and she was still wary of his intentions. "Even though you don't even know us?"
“That’s why you have to stay for a month or more, so I can get to know you…”
"We'd have to pay you back for everything, Alex…" she trailed softly. "Can I think about it and let you know in a little bit? But if you have something you need to do, you can go ahead, I'll figure out something-"
“I don’t have anything important to do but make sure that your sister is going to be okay. So, if you like, I can go try to find you something tasty to eat in the cafeteria? Give you time to think over my offer?”
"…If I say yes, will you go get me something from McDonald's instead?" Josette requested, knowing she wouldn't be able to stomach anything from the cafeteria.
AJ actually felt himself swoon as he rested a hand over his heart. “I think I just met a Big Mac Angel…”
Josette couldn't hold back a soft laugh. "Make sure they put extra cheese on it and I'll show you my wings…"
