Hope Is What We Crave (#Wattys2016)

Chapter Seven- Tears

Libby's POV
I lay back, trying to calm my myself. I had gotten a fever this morning, and with the lymes, that could be awful. I texted Joel, asking how he was doing. That was an hour ago. It was eight, and I knew he normally got up at 7:45. Then, Luke came in, his eyes bloodshot and tear stained.

"Elizabeth...." I sat up straight. He never called me by my full name. The last time I'd heard him do that was a couple years ago, when he told me he had the ulcerative colitis.

"Luke....what happened? Did someone else get taken?" He sat down beside me, nodding.
"Moriah. But it's a lot worse than just that." My hands shook, and I don't think it was because I was sick.
"Does it have to do with why Joel isn't answering my text?" He nodded, wiping away a tear.
"He's...he's not doing good. He was shot, he's got a severe concussion, and he's in a coma." I shook, tears streaming down my cheeks.
"No....no, Luke. Please. Please tell me this is all just some kind of cruel joke. Please." He bowed his head, hugging me.
"I'm sorry, but I can't." He whispered. I broke. I was in my brother's arms, sobbing as he cried as well. Joel was very protective of his younger siblings, and Rebecca as well. He punched a kid one time for saying I was dumb. and got in trouble. I think that was where the whole Respect and Honor thing was started. I took a deep breath, and looked at Luke.

"Do mum and dad know yet?" He nodded.
"Courtney told mum, and I ran into dad in the hall. They know. Mum has the boys, and Courtney came. She and dad are with him right now." I nodded slowly, thinking.
"Can- can I go see him at some point?" Luke looked at me, confused.
"What?" I groaned under my breath. Seriously? He wasn't deaf!!
"You heard me. I want to go see him at some point. He is my brother. Well, one of them. I'm not just gonna sit here, not knowing exactly what's going on. And you can't stop me if I want to." He nodded slowly, processing what I'd just said.
"Okay. I'll work something out, and I'll be back later. You want anything?" I shook my head, hugging him one more time. I sighed, turning the tv on. It was The Flash. I'd watched a couple episodes, but I wasn't caught up. I flicked through the channels, coming to one I'd never seen before. CMTV. (A/N- Just making the channel up!) Huh. I stayed there, recognizing a video they showed. Mercy Me- Flawless. I chuckled. Apparently, this channel shows music videos from Christian artists. I sat back, watching and occasionally singing along. Then, it came to one I hadn't seen in awhile. Shoulders. I watched that one, tears streaming down my cheeks. It got to the part where the angel pulled Joel out of the car. It had been kinda funny to watch that when I first saw the video. Now, I cried. Did he look like that? Or was it worse? I turned my phone on, looking at the picture I had from the day Rachel was born. It had been taken by Luke, and it was Moriah, who held Rachel, Joel, and me. I pulled the phone down, lay back, and sobbed. This just couldn't be real! They'd already had enough pain, with not being able to have children for so long. Just having Rachel was a miracle. Did Moriah and Rachel know that their husband and father was in a coma, and could die? I knew he was more than just a father to Rachel- He was her best friend. She'd dated a couple times, and both times, it hadn't worked out. They'd tried to push her too far. As I cried, I clutched the Australian penny necklace that I'd been given the day after the first one was made. Joel couldn't die. He had to be okay. He just had to be.

Lucy's POV
Rachel and aunt Moriah were asleep against the wall, and I sat in the small room, playing an annoying game of 'smack the spiders with Rachel's sandal.' None of us were sure how long we'd been here. Moriah said it had been about three days since we'd disappeared when she'd been taken. I knew who one of those men was, I just couldn't place him. He seemed frighteningly familiar. Could it be.....no. He was long gone, and I'd never see him again. I hadn't even told my parents what he'd done to me. I guess I got lucky afterwards. As I smacked another spider, I thought about that morning, when we were taken. I'd seen a man standing at the door when Rachel had opened it, and screamed when she collapsed. Then, the door opened, and a newspaper was tossed in. The front page article was about dad and uncle Joel. Just then, they woke up, and I tossed it to Moriah. She flipped a couple pages, and then let out a cry, slamming it shut.

"Mom....What was it? What did you see?" Her voice shook.
"I've been praying about this ever since I got here. I heard some of what those men did to Joel, and I....As we drove away, I saw him. There's a picture in here. It's not...well....go ahead." We looked, and Rachel started crying at the sight of it. It was taken from a security camera, and wasn't even in the article. One side of his face was completely bruised. He had one arm in a sling, and there was some kind of brace or cast around his chest. I tried not to cry, but tears trickled down my cheeks. How could anyone do something like this?! Especially to someone as kind and caring as him? It just wasn't fair! He'd never done anything to hurt anyone! Why did he have to be the one that got beaten up?! Why couldn't they just have taken him too? It just wasn't fair. But, I guess one way or another, we'd just have to stand strong. God would carry is through this.