PARADISE LOST | JJ Maybank VS Rafe Cameron

FOUR

F O U R

[age 14]

THIS WASN'T THE BEST BIRTHDAY SHE'S HAD SO FAR. It was just Juliette's luck that her birthday had to fall on the first tuesday of the month — the day when she had to have her monthly check up with Dr. Bamford. It wasn't all too bad though, because Rafe was waiting for her back in the estate with Sarah and Wheezie. She didn't have much friends in school, so there was no complains whatsoever that it would just be her, her father, and the Camerons.

Today went by pretty smoothly with the echocardiogram. Bamford just needed to check and make sure that the valve he'd replaced when she was a baby was still working well, because the older you get, obviously the bigger the heart gets. And the bigger the heart gets, the sooner she'll need her aortic valve replaced a second time.

Juliette was sitting right outside by the hospital on one of the benches with a popsicle in her mouth. The sun was pretty brutal that day, but the cool breeze made up for it. Her dad was inside talking in Dr. Bamford's office about the next possible surgery for the replacement. The last few bits she'd heard before she was sent to wait outside was that Bamford was offered a position as chief cardiac surgeon outside the country, but that he might not even take it up until a couple years, so she shouldn't have to worry.

She thought Bamford should take the job — it's not very often you'd get an opportunity like that. Juliette wouldn't know what to do if she were in his place — she loved traveling, but she also loved Outer Banks; this was her home.

     "Hey, get back here!" someone was shouting a few blocks away, and Juliette glanced over to see commotion in front of a store. "Stop! Thief!"

     There was a boy running away from the owner, a pack of something in his hands and a shit-eating grin on his face. He looked to be around her age, probably a year younger, with unruly blond hair. She watched as he successfully outran the store's owner, bolting across the street and stumbling into the parking lot of the hospital.

     He was breathing heavily, coming to a halt several feet in front of Juliette with his hands bracing on his knees as he sucked in as much air as he could. He looked up, noticing she was staring at him like an insane person. "I've got sensitive lungs," he explained, but the roguish grin on his face seemed as though he wasn't serious.

     Juliette blinked, still sucking on her popsicle as she looked to see what he'd just stolen.

     The boy followed her line of sight and he waved it at her. "Firecrackers — it's the Fourth of July after all." He held one of the packs up to her. "I've got two, do you want one?"

     She shook her head, pulling the cold treat out of her mouth as she said, "That's okay, I've got some at home. You can keep it."

     The boy chuckled as he stuffed the firecrackers in his pockets. "Your tongue's all blue. You know, if I had a red popsicle, we could totally — "

     "The store owner followed you," she cut in, pointing at the bald man who started to run across the street, only to be caught up with oncoming traffic.

     "Stop right there, thief!" the man cried out from afar.

     "Oh, shit!" the boy exclaimed, sprinting over to grab Juliette's hand and tug her to her feet. "Come on, we gotta run."

     Her eyes widened to the size of saucers. "What — ? No!"

     "Stop, you two!" the man was yelling, getting through from the pedestrian lane where it's much safer.