OUTER BANKS SEASON 4 : JJ'S LEGACY

BLOOD PRESSURE

"Dad.. I don't think you should be here right now." JJ slowly spoke to the grimy man at the door, watching John B like a hawk.

"But why not? You're my son and I came-" Luke went to walk towards JJ's bed.

Feeling he had to do something, John B stepped in front of him and cut him off.

"If you don't mind getting out of my way, I'd appreciate it." Luke spoke with a menacing, intimidating tone that rubbed John B up the wrong way.

"I think you should leave." John B warns him.

"Oh yeah? You gonna make me?" Luke replies, rudely, raising his eyebrows.

"I will if I have to." John B retorted, strongly whilst maintaining eye contact.

At this, Doctor Simmons puts his notepad and pen away and gently walks over to the two men, placing a hand on John B's shoulder.

"Gentlemen, please remember that this is a hospital and we do not permit any violence or threatening. If you continue then I will ask you both to leave the room. Is that understood?" He speaks in a calming voice, trying to ease the situation.

"Yes, Sir." Luke smiles as if he could do no wrong.

However, John B doesn't budge. He holds eye contact with Luke and eyes him wearily before backing away and sitting down in the chair that has now been left by Heyward standing up in alarm.

Luke breathes in and then approaches JJ's hospital bed with a soft however frightening smile on his face.

"How you feeling, kid?" Luke stood besides Kiara who was now death staring him from his bottom left.

"A bit dizzy. A bit drunk. But I'm fine." JJ laughed as he mirrored his father's smile.

"We all know what that feels like." Luke chuckled.

"Oh yeah. Of course you'd know what that's like." John B rudely told him, crossing his arms.

"Dude." JJ warned.

"JJ doesn't want you here so just leave."

"Hey. I can speak for myself, John B. You don't have the right to say what I want and what I don't want." JJ argued, voice getting stronger and harsher with every syllable.

"Oh don't get into this shit again. Everyone here knows Luke is not fucking good for you and that's why he needs to leave. You don't have the right to be here right now." John B furiously looks the grey bearded man deep in the eyes on his last sentence, every word coming out of his mouth being the truth (no matter how much anyone tried to hide from it).

"John B." Sarah tried.

"No, Sarah. This ends now. JJ doesn't want you in his goddamn life! He's just getting himself put back together and all you ever do is come back and tear him down again. And everyone knows it! And JJ, you may think you need your 'father' back right now, but all you need is to be as far from him as possible." John B's voice has reached its limit, not in dynamics, but in pitch. He waves his arms around as the others look awkwardly at him.

"Yeah? Well at least I have a father who came back for me!!" JJ spat, regretting his words as soon as they released from his coarse, pale lips.

After a moment of silence, frowns from the group to both arguing parties, frustrated shared glances amongst the outsiders, John B finally looked back at Luke.

"Wow. Really cheap, you know that? Well, Luke." John B walks towards the two sat by each others side.

"If you hurt him in any way shape or form, you're a dead man. You hear me?" John B snarled, curling his lips as he spoke in a menacing manner.

"Are you threatening me?" Luke stood up, ignoring everyone else's opinions of him in the room.

"Yes. But hey, wouldn't be the first time either of us threatened each other, right Luke?" John B spoke with a light, cheery voice for comedic, sarcastic effect.

John B then walked away from Luke. This is one of the biggest things he's ever had to do. He could've easily hit him out cold right there and then. But he didn't. Why? Honestly, he has no idea. He imagines it's for JJ or Sarah's sake. Or maybe to try and make himself feel better and not get into trouble. Either way, no violence means no trouble. So hopefully, Luke thinks the same way. He didn't trust him, though. He has never trusted a Maybank other than his best friend. And he would never trust another.

Sarah followed him out the door along with Cleo and Pope, leaving the older Heywards, Kiara, JJ, Luke and the doctor together. After a few minutes the others returned. But not John B.

Mrs Heyward let Kiara take her seat as Luke talked surprisingly softly to his son. She'd never seen him like this. But it didn't mean that she approved of it. However, she just let them have their moment and they'd talk about it another time.

"I think I'm gonna head off, son. I'll talk to you later, okay? You feel better now." Luke patted his shoulder and then exited through the loud glass door.

"Kie." JJ struggled to say.

"Hey, Jay." Kiara replied, contently.

"I'm tired." JJ squinted at the light as if signalling her to turn it off.

"Oh, yeah." She got up awkwardly and flipped the switch by the bed.

The lights dimmed to a much more cosy setting.

"I think I'm gonna go to sleep." JJ told her, squeezing her hand.

"Yes get some sleep and rest, okay?" Kiara smiled at him, her big brown puppy eyes idolising his deep blue oceans.

Mr and Mrs Heyward rubbed his arm and said they'd be back in the morning as the day had rolled on by at this point. Mrs Heyward gave JJ a motherly kiss on the forehead as Sarah and Cleo approached the outside of the door, peering through the window blinds in the hallway.

Sarah craved a motherly figure in her life. When she imagined what it would be like if her mom came back, she glanced across at Cleo who also seemed to have a sad complexion on her face as if she was thinking the same.

"JJ's so lucky. I mean.. to have best friends who love him so much and to have more than two parents who care about him. My dream, man. You know what I mean?" Cleo spoke the words that Sarah could not find.

"Yeah. That's the dream." Sarah felt her heart ache in her chest as she spoke but she moved the feeling to one side and stuck her head in the door.

"Goodnight JJ." Cleo and Sarah both said as the Heywards came out into the hallway.

Kiara placed a hand to JJ's warm cheek and then pressed a gentle kiss to his tired lips, he was almost asleep but he smiled, leaning into her touch.

"I love you." JJ croaked, quietly.

"I love you too." Kiara returned, widely grinning like a teenager in love.

Everyone vacated the room and then went home. Everyone was asleep. Everyone was quiet.

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Hey everyone! Sorry I've taken like weeks to post I've just been super busy because I had my final mock exams (the ones before the real things) and I've just been super distracted, I haven't even been editing that much either and it's really annoying!! Anyway I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I wanted to really go in depth about how much John B cares for JJ and the kind of love/hate relationship they have at the moment but don't worry good things are coming!! The adventure, the real plot and the action stuff is coming very soon :) I've also had a bad cold and I've been coughing for almost 3 weeks now because something is apparently going around but I'm feeling better and I think I have more time on my hands now that mocks are out of the way. Hope everyone is well and please DO NOT hesitate to comment because I love love love comments so much I get so excited when I see your guys' opinions! Love y'all. P4L :)