The Price of Friendship Chapter 21
A steady rain began to fall upon the island and the winds that pushed the tree into JC�s path threatened all those caught outside in its growing fury, including not only JC, but also Davis and his three brothers.
�Did you see that?� James asked, shielding his eyes as he pointed further down the trail with the beam of his flashlight. He had not only seen the tree tumble down across the worn, dirt path, but also what looked like a person barely escaping the tree�s extended limbs.
�Yes�it looked like one of the young Americans,� Davis answered as he quickened his pace, flashing his light before him. The rest of the group moved quickly to keep up with the older man, but were also trying to take care in not slipping on the rain-slick trail.
Minutes later, Davis and his brothers were kneeling beside JC�s unconscious form lying on the side of the muddy trail.
�He must have hit his head against this rock,� James said as he played his flashlight�s beam upon the rock in time to see the rain wash away the last traces of blood from its surface.
�What is he doing out here?� Matthew asked as he watched Thomas and Davis slowly turn the young man over from his chest to his side. They were being mindful to support his head, which they could tell was bleeding steadily from a cut on his scalp but the rain made it difficult to tell how badly he was bleeding.
�I don�t know�there�s no way that he could have received any of Johnson�s drug�is there?� James asked as he pushed JC�s wet hair back from his forehead in order to get a better look at his face.
�It does cause some to become disoriented�doesn�t it?�
�Yes,� Davis answered as he cupped JC�s face gently in his hand and turned it so that he could he could lift JC�s eyelids one at a time.
�That is what Mr. Johnson had said, but he must have become lost somehow.�
Davis saw that JC�s pupils reacted well to the beam of light that his flashlight provided leading him to believe that there were no drugs in his system.
�Look�� he said to Thomas and the others. �His pupils react well to the light�the drugs do not allow that...Mr. Johnson mentioned that one time, long ago.�
All of the brothers crowded around and watched as once again, Davis showed them what to look for with the drugs. They all nodded in understanding then watched as Thomas pulled his shirt off and wadded it up before pressing it against JC�s head in order to stop the bleeding.
�Then there might be another one of them around here somewhere�they�ve been staying close together,� James said as he stood from his crouched position to look about him.
�Maybe I should go further down the trail to search for more of them,� Matthew suggested.
�Go ahead,� Thomas answered, but do not go far�the storm is growing worse and we don�t need another injured body to carry,� he said as he pointed down at JC.
�How bad is it Thomas?� Davis asked as he gently held JC�s head in his hands, watching as his brother carefully ran his hands down JC�s arms and legs then over his chest, shoulders and finally his back. It was almost impossible to truly know the extent of JC�s injuries without the ability to see�the flashlights were not providing enough light and besides that, there was danger for all of them if they continued to stay outside for much longer during the storm.
�It looks like his only serious injury is his head wound�there may be smaller cuts or bruises but we need to get him to shelter,� Thomas said, his voice full of urgency.
�I don�t like the idea of his being out here and becoming too wet or chilled.�
Davis nodded his head then, with Matthew�s help he gently lifted JC�s limp form to cradle him in his arms with JC�s head pressed against his neck.
�Let�s go,� Davis said as he carefully carried the unconscious form in his arms. He was not surprised that JC was not that heavy. He and the others knew that the boys had been on the island for nearly two weeks and that they all must be losing weight due to the stress of the situation and to the fact that the island offered very little in way of nutrition if you didn�t know where or how to look.
�James�we are leaving now�don�t be too long in coming,� Thomas called out over his shoulder as he followed after his two older brothers.
�Okay!� James shouted as he continued down the trail in search of any more of the young Americans.
The rest of the group quickly set out for their family home with questions running through their minds about the young man and his reasons for wandering so far away from the shelter of the cave.
�Oh my heavens,� Imelda exclaimed as she watched her oldest son enter the house with a wet and limp burden in his arms.
She quickly regained her wits and ushered her sons into the adjoining bedroom where Davis gently lowered JC�s unconscious, but shivering form onto his mother�s bed.
�Is this one of the Americans?� she asked as she quickly began tearing already JC�s already tattered shirt and pulled it away from his body to reveal several bruises and superficial cuts across his chest and arms. His wet shorts were also quickly removed and placed by the fire to dry, leaving JC in his boxers and he was wrapped tightly in a blanket in an effort to warm him.
�Yes�we found him unconscious up the trail near the last bend,� Davis explained as he watched Thomas part JC�s hair in an effort to find the source of the steady flow of blood.
�Is it serious, my son?� Imelda asked as she quickly reached under her bed for her sewing basket.
�No�not too bad�at least five or six stitches,� Thomas answered as he began to check JC for further injuries by unwinding the blanket little by little then running his hands over his arms, legs, chest then his back.
�Then let�s begin before he awakens,� Imelda answered before leaving the room to wash her hands and sterilize her needle and thread in boiling water.
There had been countless times that she had been required to stitch the cuts of her sons, various family members or friends and this was not the first time that she had cared for the needs of a complete stranger either.
�Are there any other injuries?� Imelda called from the kitchen area as she placed her needle and thread into the pot of boiling water.
�There are many bruises and cuts, but many of them appear to be old ones�possibly from when they first arrived on the islands,� Thomas answered as he and Davis wrapped JC back up in the blankets tightly so that if the young man did happen to awaken during the stitches, he would not be able to thrash about too much.
It was a short time later that Imelda�s practiced hands made quick work of the task of caring for JC�s head wound by carefully cleaning and washing around the deep cut.
Once finished with the cleaning, Imelda carefully stitched the wound closed then watched as Thomas wrapped a bandage about the young man�s head after cleaning the area further.
In the meantime, Matthew had gone back out to help James in his search for any more of the Americans who might also be wandering around, lost in the storm. The winds and rain had not abated in the least and everyone was concerned that James could also fall victim himself to the storm if he remained out in it for much longer. It was not much later when Matthew returned to the house with James after their search yielded no more of the young Americans.
Once Matthew and James were in the house and had told of their fruitless search, Imelda and Davis wrapped another blanket tightly around JC�s still shivering body while Davis�s sister, Martha began warming some broth for JC to drink once he would awaken. Amid all of the busy activity going on about him, JC remained unconscious and unaware of those who were caring for him, but for how long, no one knew.
�Do you think JC�s found them yet?� Justin asked Chris quietly not wanting to awaken Lance who had finally been convinced to come back into the cave and lay down for a while. Justin gently ran his hand over Lance�s head, which was lying on his lap. Justin didn�t actually need to speak too quietly because even the noise of the storm outside clearly did not seem to be enough to awaken Lance who had fallen into a deep sleep due to his exhaustion and the emotional stress that JC�s leaving had put him under.
The thunder and lightning, along with the driving rain had both boys beyond feeling worried about JC. They were now desperate to know how their friend was, but the storm was too fierce to venture out in and they had no idea of the direction in which JC had gone.
Chris merely shook his head and shrugged in answer to Justin�s question. He was afraid that if did happen to speak, he would lose what little control he had over his emotions. So, instead, he stared at the fire before him and carefully stoked it before adding another stick.
�I can�t believe that JC is out in that�somewhere,� Justin whispered as a tear tracked its way down his face. He quickly swiped at it, not wanting to cause Chris any further worry.
�Too late, J�I saw that,� Chris said as he turned to face Justin and the young blond saw that there were tears streaming down his face also.
�What was he thinking when he did that�why did he have to go like that?� Justin asked as he struggled to understand what JC had been thinking.
�He was thinking about him�� Chris said as he looked over at Joey�s still body, lying near the fire.
Justin carefully raised Lance�s head from his lap and placed a life jacket under his head without disturbing his sleep. He then stood up and made his way over to the fire and sat down beside Chris. The pair sat quietly for several minutes before a flash of lightning followed by a tremendous clap of thunder caused both young men to jump. The silence following the noise outside was disrupted by a low groan.
Justin and Chris swiftly turned around and practically tumbled over each other to reach Joey�s side.
�Joe�Joey?� Chris said quietly, hoping that he was keeping his voice calm so as not to alarm his awakening friend.
�Mmm�Chr�Chris�mmm.� Joey�s reply was so quiet and small that if Chris and Justin had not been right at Joey�s side, they would have missed it all together.
Joey weakly reached out and immediately Justin grabbed his hand and pulled it up to his face, rubbing it gently against his cheek as tears of relief began to fall.
�It�s good to see you awake, Joey,� Chris said as he grasped Joey�s other hand.
Joey turned his head from side to side as he gradually began to gain dim awareness of his surroundings. He could hear his friend�s voices but they seemed so far away�too distant for him to comprehend or grasp.
�Wha�what�s going on?� Joey asked, his voice thick and full of confusion as he slowly blinked in an effort to clear his blurred vision once he was finally able to open his eyes.
�You�ve been sick, Joey,� Justin said quietly.
�Really?� Joey asked in a small voice before he began to cough.
�Does Johnny know? He�s going to be mad if I can�t go to practice today,� Joey whispered once he had stopped coughing. �Chris�can you tell him I can�t practice? Will JC be mad at me too?�
Chris heard a small gasp escape from Justin knowing that Joey�s confusion was upsetting him and he quickly took a deep breath to steady his own nerves before he spoke to Joey.
�I�m sure no one will be upset with you, Joey if you don�t practice today�you just need to try to get some rest so you can get better�okay,� Chris said quietly as he ran his hand slowly over Joey�s head. Joey coughed once again and struggled to clear his throat.
�Thirsty?� Chris asked.
Joey nodded his head and slowly closed his glassy eyes.
�I really don�t want to practice today Chris�tell them I don�t feel so good.�
�It�s the fever talking,� Chris said quietly when he looked up and saw the distressed look on Justin�s face as he grabbed a nearby water bottle. Joey began to cough again and Chris motioned for Justin to lift Joey�s shoulders up so that he could have a little water.
�Here�let�s get you something to drink, Joey,� Chris said quietly as Justin slowly lifted Joey�s shoulders up from the ground and supported him while Chris allowed Joey to take a few sips of water from the bottle. The water seemed to help Joey and the coughing subsided briefly.
�Don�t worry about Johnny or JC�we�ve got the day off�no practice,� Chris reassured Joey in a calm voice as he wiped Joey�s face with a damp cloth.
Joey seemed to relax somewhat with what Chris was telling him and soon, both Chris and Justin could tell that Joey was not going to stay awake much longer.
�Tired?� Justin asked as he watched Joey�s eyelids begin to droop closed with each passing second.
Joey was too weak to answer and simply nodded his head in response to the question as Justin slowly lowered his shoulders back to the ground.
�Why don�t you get some rest Joe�go back to sleep,� Chris quietly murmured as he slowly began to once again run his hand over Joey�s sweat dampened hair.
Justin placed his hand on Joey�s forehead and noticed that he seemed warmer than he had been about an hour ago.
�Chris�he�s starting to get real warm again,� Justin quietly commented in a voice full of dread. Chris looked at Justin and saw how scared he was.
�JC will find them, J�he�ll find help,� Chris said in a voice that sounded more confident than he was actually feeling at the moment.
�I hope so,� Justin replied before struggling in his mind with the question that he wanted to ask. Finally, he took a deep breath and looked at Chris.
�You don�t think the same thing could happen to JC�that happened to Joey�do you?�
�I don�t know�I don�t know,� Chris murmured as he continued to wipe Joey�s face and neck with the damp cloth.
�I wish he had come to us with his idea�we could have stopped him or something,� Justin said, his voice breaking as his imagination began to run wild with what JC could possibly be going through at that very moment.
�He�ll be okay, J�he�ll be okay,� Chris said quietly as he placed his arm around Justin�s shoulders, hugging him.
�I hope so�I hope so,� Justin whispered as tears slowly tracked their way down his face.
The pair continued to watch over Joey, drawing comfort from each other as they waited for JC�s return. Neither realized that Lance had been awake throughout their exchange about JC. A single tear made its way down Lance�s cheek as he thought about JC being alone in the forest looking for the very men who could possibly harm him. He also felt tremendous guilt in allowing JC to follow through with his plan. He should have been the one to stop him, but he hadn�t.
�If anything happens to JC, it�ll be all my fault,� Lance thought to himself. With a silent shudder, Lance squeezed his eyes tightly shut and fervently said a silent prayer for JC�s safe return with or without help.
Back in Davis�s home, JC was slowly becoming aware that he was no longer lying on the wet, muddy ground. He was laying on something soft and dry and he felt as if he was cocooned in layers of warmth. For a brief moment he found himself imagining that he was in his own bed at home, but those thoughts were shattered when he heard strange words being spoken by unfamiliar voices that seemed to surround him from all sides.
With a start, he opened his eyes and immediately regretted the action when he felt a stabbing pain shoot through his head. With a low moan of pain, JC winced against the low light around him and tried to bring his hands up to his head, but found that he couldn�t. Something was wrapped tightly about him and instantly his mind returned him to the day when he and Lance had been attacked and bound and he began to panic.
�Please�let go�let me go�� JC weakly cried out as he feebly pushed against the blankets that had been wrapped around him in an effort to warm him.
In JC�s panicked state, he didn�t hear the gentle words being spoken to him nor did he feel the hands gently grasping his face and wiping his tears of fright away. In his mind he was feeling the strong arms of his attacker wrapped tightly about him giving him no hope of escape.
While Davis, Matthew and Imelda dealt with the delirious JC, Thomas and his sister Martha were busily preparing a concoction of bittersweet leaves and boiling water while James stood nearby. Martha quickly crushed the leaves in a bowl before Thomas poured the water over them then rushed into Imelda�s bedroom.
Imelda quickly reached for the bowl of liquid that her son Thomas was handing her.
�Here, Mama�wave this under his nose�it will calm him,� Thomas said as he joined Davis, James and Matthew in holding JC�s squirming body down on the bed.
�Sh�sh�my child�sh�breathe�breathe, my child,� Imelda crooned in her sing song voice as she held the bowl under JC�s face when Davis, James and Matthew turned him on his side. JC continued to weakly fight against his imaginary bindings as Davis supported his head while the entire group watched as the young man slowly calmed down with each breath of the liquid�s vapors he took.
�When he is still, unwrap the blankets,� Davis said quietly to Matthew and James. �He is remembering the other night.�
Davis had felt great guilt over how he and his brothers had had to make their attack seem realistic, and seeing JC�s reaction only caused his guilt to multiply.
As JC began to quietly moan, Davis looked at his brothers and saw that their faces reflected his own. Then he looked at the faces of his mother and sister, he saw fear.
�He will be alright, Mama,� Davis said quietly as he and his brothers continued to hold JC on his side until they felt his tense body gradually begin to grow limp as his awareness of his surroundings began to dim.
Imelda watched as JC�s eyelids began to flutter before his eyes rolled back into his head and he once again lost consciousness.
She removed the bowl from under JC�s face and the blankets surrounding him were carefully unwound. Once his lax body had been freed of the blankets, JC was placed under the bedcovers with additional blankets to help warm him back up.
�It will be a long night, my children,� Imelda said with a small sigh as she carefully adjusted JC�s covers then smoothed his hair back from his forehead with a gentle touch.
�Yes,� Davis answered as he looked at the faces of his family. �Tomorrow we will take this young one back to his friends and put our plans into action.�
He watched as his family nodded their heads in agreement. Tomorrow would be the day that they would begin to put an end to the Johnson�s plans.