Accidentally Kidnapped

Chapter 35

Ah, yes. That was the Fern I knew and loved.

Fern froze, Cage glared at her, and everyone else burst into laughter. Nick even pulled out a phone and took a selfie with Cage's furious face. He shoved Nick away and kept glaring at Fern. If I was on the receiving end of that glare, I would have burst into tears.

But no, not Fern. She wasn't scared of anything.

"November!" Fern whisper-yelled, trying not to wake the baby in her arms. "What the hell is this? Where have you been? Who are these assholes? Why are they so freakishly big? What the hell, November? I was looking everywhere for you! Five days! Nothing. Not one goddamn peep for five days! I had no idea where you were, November! Oh my God, I'm going to kill you." She glared at me and then turned her attention to Cage.

She suddenly reached over and slapped the side of his head. "Listen to me, you idiot!" Fern growled to Cage, who suddenly had a pained look on his face. "If you're here to demand ransom for my sister, you've got another thing coming. I haven't slept in five days, all I've been drinking is coffee, and I'm going to shove that cactus-" Fern pointed to the cactus by the door. "-so far up your ass that the doctor's gonna be picking the pricks from between your teeth. Get the hell away from my sister."

"Fern-" I said meekly. Cage looked like he was about to cry, Nick and Heath were still laughing, and Fern was glaring at everyone like she really was going to kill us all. 

"You have some explaining to do." Fern growled at me.

"I know." I said nervously. "And I will but-"

"No buts, November!'' Fern snapped. "Who are these people and why the hell is this idiot looking at me like-" She hit Cage again. "-he wants to kill me? Not today, you ugly freak! Go away before I call the cops."

Nick frowned at her. "In what ever loving fuck is this-"

Fern reached over and smacked him, too. "Do not curse around my baby!" She shouted angrily.

"He's sleeping, he can't even hear-" Heath began to mumble but he was instantly cut off as Fern took a wild swing at him.

"It's a girl!" Fern snapped.

"Okay!" Cage growled suddenly, his tone filled with so much authority that it silenced all of us. "Enough of this." He looked at Fern and then back to me. "This is your sister?"

"Of course."

"And this is your house?"

"No Cage, I just gave you directions to a stranger's house."

Cage skittered at my sarcastic tone but didn't pursue it. He looked down at his coffee-soaked clothes and then sighed. Fern, finally deciding she wanted the explanation that she oh so deserved, moved back to let everyone in. Cage stepped into the house, and then Nick, and then Heath who didn't meet Fern's eyes. I tramped in at last, hoping that the apologetic look on my face was enough to make up for the sudden five day disappearance and then dramatic reappearance. Of course, it didn't work and Fern gave me a look that said I might be dead soon.

We all walked to the living room. Cage pulled me down beside him on the couch. Nick and Heath, hesitating for a moment, also sat down beside Cage. Fern, with the baby, took a seat opposite of were we all sat. The living room was a mess, with packs of diapers and baby formula everywhere. The television was showing a news report. Fern grabbed the remote and turned it off, giving me a pressed look filled with anxiety. I could only imagine what she must have been thinking.

There were a couple minutes of silence. Uncomfortable, I stood up and walked over to Fern, taking a seat beside her so it was essentially the Crows on one side and us on the other. I peeked at the baby, a little bundle of pink cheeks and cuteness. I was dying to hold it, my very own niece, but I held off on account of our uninvited guests.