Hope Is What We Crave (#Wattys2016)

Chapter Fifteen- Aftermath

Rachel's POV
I sat up in the hospital bed, brushing my hair out of my face. Ew. After about two and a half months without washing it, my hair was gross. That would be the first thing I'd do as soon as I could. My back hurt so badly, but I was alive, and we were out of there. Oh. We were out of there! As soon as I got out of here, the first thing I was going to do was take a nap in my own bed. Who knew what mom and dad were going to do. Know what? I don't actually wanna know. I also couldn't wait to see Jacob Olds Jr. again. Yep, he's the son of Jacob Olds of Family Force Five. Jacob and I were dating, but you couldn't technically call us boyfriend and girlfriend. Then, there was a knock on the door.

"Come on in!" I called, and mom, dad, uncle Luke and Aunt Libby came in.
"Rachel!!" Libby squealed, hugging me. I laughed, returning the hug. I accidentally turned on the tv, and it was a live news report.

"Shocking news yet again, as it is discovered that Joel Smallbone never died in the first place. It was a ruse to help recover his missing family members. The family escaped, almost all in one piece. The two kidnappers, Jonathan Lewis and Isaac Olds were arrested an hour ago. Recognize that name as well? Isaac is the cousin of Jacob Olds, a member of Family Force Five, another well-known Christian band. Their trial is going to be held in two weeks, and there is a possibility that one or more of the victims will need to testify at the trial."

I sighed, turning the tv back off. Dad spoke up, rubbing mom's back gently with his good arm.

"I feel bad for Jacob. I know he and Isaac are close. This is gonna knock him out of the water." I nodded.
"I'm more worried about the fact that we might have to testify. I don't think I could do that. Seeing them again might not go too well for me." He nodded, and Uncle Luke spoke up.
"I'll do it. I want them to know what happened to Lucy. He has to get some kind of punishment for that. If not, he'll just do it again to another girl." Dad nodded again, twisting his wedding ring around on his finger.
"If it has to happen, I will as well. They can't be allowed to just run wild." Libby giggled.
"I'm sure they'd live free, but I dunno about love strong." We all cracked up at that, and I laughed til my back hurt. I tried to stop laughing, but it was kind of hard. They stayed for about another hour, and then the nurse made them leave. She said that I needed to rest, but they could come back in the morning. As I dozed off, I started thinking about what had happened over the last two months. I was most worried about Lucy. Now that Aunt Courtney and Uncle Luke knew what happened to her when she saw younger, what would happen now? We just had to show her that we were there for her, and that we cared.

Joel's POV
I had, surprisingly, been cleared to head home with Moriah. I lay down, trying to stay off the side that had been shot. Moriah slid in beside me, kissing my cheek. I snuggled as close as I could to her, and she smiled.

"I missed you." I kissed her, my arm around her waist.
"I missed you too." We drifted off to sleep like that, just glad to be able to be there together. It had been a long six weeks. Rachel was a warrior. Moriah was a warrior. Everyone who had fought through these last eight weeks was a warrior. And we weren't going to give up.

Author's note- Hello! Sorry this chapter took so long. I got some kind of stomach bug, so I've been writing on about five hours of sleep. The song up top is from War Room, and it's called Warrior. That's where Joel's last statement came from. Please vote and comment! And I have another surprise for you in two chapters. So, tell me something. Boy or girl? Vote in the comments! That's all imma give you. Love you guys!- Craver_Priceless :)