The Price of Friendship Chapter 22

JC was unaware of neither the work-worn, gentle hands that tucked his lax figure in under the many blankets that covered him nor the other various hands that periodically softly touched his forehead to check for fever or to touch his shoulder or arms in comforting gestures.

Throughout the long night, Imelda and her children had each taken their turns in caring for JC and, fortunately, he had not suffered from a fever or any other side affects that they had feared. He had simply rested a deep sleep that only proved the exhaustion that he had been experiencing during the past two weeks�physical�emotional�mental.

Davis and the other members of his family could only imagine how similarly exhausted the rest of this young man�s friends were as well.

The sun was now beginning to rise and the warm glow of light was gliding its way into the small bedroom in which JC was sleeping. The large, hulking figure bent over the sleeping form would, at first glance, appear to be an imminent threat to the one he was leaning over, but in reality, he was far from it.

Davis had just finished wringing out a cloth and was now carefully running it over JC�s lax features all the while contemplating his plans for the young man and his friends. Beginning today, it was his hope to help the five young Americans to leave the island and send them to a safer island nearby where help could come and take them home.

The danger for all involved would be overwhelming, but necessary in order to make a rescue possible for the young men. In Davis�s heart of hearts, he knew that the Johnsons would fight him and his family to the bitter end in order to accomplish his wicked goals. It would take all of their courage to fight the evil that Russell and Leigh Johnson would display. It would take all of his courage to fight against the one that he had, at one time considered as a brother�a good friend�Marco.

A small shudder passed through Davis�s large frame at the thought of facing Marco in order to protect the Americans and he took a shaky breath before once again wetting the cloth and continuing with his ministrations. As he worked, Davis heard his mother�s familiar footsteps coming toward the room. He quickly gathered himself so that she would not be able to detect his worry and he willed his actions and movements to be smooth along with his voice and words.

�Has he stirred at all my son?� Imelda asked her son as she walked into the bedroom to stand by his side and look down at the inert figure lying buried beneath the mound of blankets on her bed. She and Martha had finally taken their turns to lie down to rest a few hours earlier and were now almost finished preparing breakfast for the group.

�No mama,� the large man answered as he placed the cloth back in the small bowl of water before carrying it over to a tiny table that was set beneath one of the windows in the room.

�He must have been exhausted before his accident. He and the others have been on the island for two weeks now and I�m sure they have not been resting properly during that time.�

�Nor eating properly,� the older woman added as she remembered how thin JC appeared to be last night and how easily her son could carry his limp form.

�Why do you think he would venture so far from his friends?� Matthew asked from the bedroom doorway.

�That is a question he must answer,� Davis replied as he glanced one more time at the young American before leaving the room.

Imelda watched her oldest son�s retreating form then pulled the wooden stool that he had vacated closer to JC�s bedside.

�I will wait here with this young one, Matthew,� she said pulling the covers further up JC�s chest when she felt the cool breeze coming in through the nearby open window.

�I will bring you breakfast when it is ready then.�

With that said, Matthew left the room to help his sister in the kitchen while Imelda carefully ran a calloused hand over JC�s slack features.

�You will be safe with my sons, my young one,� she murmured before rising to walk to the table to retrieve the bowl of water and cloth that Davis had just left. She sat back down on the stool and began the task of wiping JC�s face with the moistened cloth. �You and your friends will soon be going home my child�soon�very soon.�

Imelda continued her with her soothing words as she ran the cloth over JC�s face in hopes that he would soon awaken from his deep sleep so that her son�s plans could soon begin.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the island, in order to prevent another seizure, Lance, Justin, and Chris had taken turns sitting in the cool, shallow water with either Joey�s head resting in their laps or in deeper water with Joey�s body resting in their arms, holding him up in the water. They had been in the pool for several hours now in an effort to keep Joey�s temperature from becoming too high. In the backs of their minds, they were each thinking about what JC had told Lance the previous day before he had left in search of help for Joey�high fevers could cause seizures and seizures could lead to coma. Without help, there was the possibility that the group might possibly lose Joey. It was that underlying fear that helped them to cope with the fact that JC had taken the great risk that he had. It was their hope and prayer that JC would return to them soon with the help that Joey desperately needed.

Justin stood at the pool�s edge, watching Lance and Chris take their turns in caring for Joey. Throughout the evening, Joey had awakened and spoken deliriously as his fever gradually began to rise again. With a shudder, Justin recalled the worst of those moments when Joey�s cries punctuated the early morning hours.

Justin, Lance and Chris had earlier on decided to take turns in watching over Joey throughout the night. There were two reasons for this. First and foremost, none of them wanted to take the chance that Joey could possibly suffer another seizure or have his fever rise so high as to cause him to slip into a coma or even worse. The other reason was that their concern for JC�s well-being was too great for them to sleep�how could they�knowing that he was out there�alone? Their worries and concerns were very easily put aside since Joey kept them very busy.

During the early evening hours Joey would awaken periodically and would one moment be lucid with clear speech and able to converse with relative ease with the others only to fall into moments of confusion with speech so slurred that even between the three of them, they had difficulty in working out what their friend was trying to say.

It was during the very early morning hours when everything seemed to hit the fan and Joey�s condition slid down hill dramatically. Throughout the evening the boys had noticed a decline in Joey�s awareness, but the last occasion that Joey awakened proved to be the absolute lowest of the lows.

At first, Joey acted in a manner that the three was growing used to. His eyes fluttered open and he called out for one or more of them and whomever he called for immediately came to his side to speak to him in quiet, relaxed tones. He normally calmed down and asked questions that usually didn�t relate to what was happening and they would be answered in such a way as to keep him from growing agitated, then Joey usually drank a little water and would fall back into an uneasy sleep.

This time was completely different, though. Instead of his calling out any one of their names, he screamed out in terror. His shrill cries reverberated loudly against the cave's stonewalls and seemed to only heighten his apparent anxiety and fear. Chris�s gentle words were lost amid the terrified cries as were Lance�s and Justin�s.

Joey struggled to sit up and his eyes darted about the semi-darkened room wildly as if in search of what was behind his terrified screams all the while the others tried their best to get him to lay back down.

�He�s dreaming�it�s a night terror,� Chris said as Justin and Lance knelt on either side of him and gently tried to push him back down to the ground, but found that Joey�s strength seemed suddenly multiplied.

�NO�NO�NO!!� Joey screamed out when he felt their hands. �Get them off! Get them off!�

Justin and Lance released Joey�s arms and watched as their older friend frantically began raking his hands over his arms in an effort to rid them of something that only he could see.

Joey didn�t even flinch as his left hand roughly ran over his infected, right forearm, but the other three winced as they watched the jerked movements and new bleeding beginning to seep through the bandage that had been wrapped about his arm.

Exchanging looks of confusion and fright, Justin, Lance and Chris sat back and watched Joey�s jerked movements become sluggish as his strength began to wane. Taking his cue, both Justin and Lance gently began to run their hands over Joey�s arms all the while telling their frantic friend that whatever had been on him was now gone while Chris stayed back and watched not wanting to further complicate things by overwhelming Joey with three people hovering over him.

It was then that Joey looked down at the ground and pointed at what he could only see while screaming in fright and Chris immediately stood up and hopped about the floor, stomping at the imaginary creatures.

�Take that�gotcha�you won�t get away�dead thingy�dead thingy�stay away from my friend!� Chris shouted in mock fury as he continued to stomp about the dirt floor causing puffs of dust to float up about his bare feet. If Justin and Lance hadn�t been so frightened by Joey�s delirious state they would have laughed at Chris, but the seriousness of the situation did not allow it and they continued to brush their hands over Joey�s entire body in an effort to push away the imaginary creatures frightening him.

They all continued their movements all the while watching Joey as he gradually began to further tire and his glazed eyes began to wander about until they landed on Lance. With a small shake of his head, recognition seemed to briefly take place for Joey and the previous nightmare was forgotten as quickly as it had surfaced.

�Lance�Lance�what�s going on?� Joey asked in a voice hoarse and scratchy from his screams as he slowly lowered himself back to lie flat on the ground. He coughed and ran a shaky hand over his throat, wincing at the pain that his terrified screams had obviously caused.

�You woke up a few minutes ago, Joey,� Lance quietly answered as he leaned over Joey. He found himself choosing his words carefully so that Joey would not slip back into the night terror that he had just awakened from.

�Are you thirsty?�

At the weary nod of Joey�s head, Justin immediately handed Lance a bottle of cool water and Lance helped Joey to drink his fill.

�You really need to get some rest, Joe,� Lance murmured as he ran his hand over Joey�s sweaty head. For several moments, the three watched as Joey�s eyelids seemed to grow very heavy. Just as they thought he had drifted off to sleep once again, Joey�s spoke in a little more than a whisper.

�Mom? Mom? Where�s Mom?� he asked in a tone of voice that resembled that of an 8 year old.

�Where�s Mom, Stevie?� Joey asked as he gripped Lance�s hand while looking directly into his eyes.

�Stevie�I�m scared and I want Mom.�

To Joey, in his feverish state, Lance had suddenly become his older brother Steve and none of them could guess as to how old Joey believed himself to be.

Lance glanced over at Chris in anguish then closed his eyes and bowed his head. He was coming very close to his own breaking point emotionally and had no idea how to handle this new twist to Joey�s fevered state. Much to his relief, Chris quickly took over and slid his hand into Joey�s in place of Lance�s, who simply scooted a short distance away to sit watching the exchange before him through blurred vision due to the tears streaming down his face.

Justin placed his hand on Lance�s shoulder all the while keeping his attention riveted on Joey and Chris. This was hard for all of them and it seemed that Lance was taking it the hardest of them all.

Chris tightened his grip on Joey�s hand and place his other hand on the side of Joey�s face, turning it so that he was looking up at him knowing that at this stage, it really wouldn�t matter that he didn�t look anything like Steve or sound like him either. Joey�s fevered mind would take care of that illusion for him.

�Hey�Joe-Joe Man�� Chris said quietly, using Steve�s nickname for his little brother as he gently stroked his friend�s face.

�You really need to get some rest. Mom had to go out for a while, but she�ll be back soon.�

�Okay, Stevie�stay with me�I don�t feel so good,� Joey said quietly as his eyes began to close all the while keeping a death grip on Chris�s hand.

�Sure�that�s what brothers are for,� Chris murmured as he lifted Joey�s head into his lap and began to quietly run his hand over his friend�s head.

�Just go back to sleep, little brother�I�ll be right here when you wake up,� Chris added.

Joey let out a sigh of contentment and fell into a light sleep all the while believing that his real brother was taking care of him when in actuality, his brother by choice was doing so.

Lance took a hitched breath then stood up and with haunted eyes walked into Justin�s offered embrace. How much more was the group going to have to endure? Were they going to lose Joey? How much longer would they need to wait for JC? Where was JC? These were all questions that needed answers, but they would not be soon in coming.

�Hey�J�Justin,� Lance called out from the pool. Getting no response, he flicked a handful of water at Justin and couldn�t help but laugh when he saw Justin jump in surprise.

�What?� Justin cried out. �Why didn�t you just say something,� he added in a slightly frustrated tone as he watched a slow smile cross Chris�s face while Lance continued to laugh.

�He did, J�you were in outer space,� Chris said with a grin as he poured a handful of water over Joey�s chest.

�Oh�well�what do you need?� Justin asked as he wiped the water off his arms.

�Why don�t you find us something to eat�I�m getting pretty hungry,� Lance said.

He shifted his position in the water slightly trying to get some relief to his cramping arms and grimaced. He had been sitting on the sandy bottom of the shallow end of the pool with water lapping up against his chin now for the better part of an hour, helping Joey to remain afloat while Chris periodically dipped handfuls of water over their unconscious friend.

�I can either do that or take your place and let you go look�it�d give you a break,� Justin offered as he stepped out into the water to kneel beside Lance.

�No�I�m okay,� Lance said wearily with a small grin. He didn�t think his legs could possibly hold him up at this point. They had long ago gone to sleep and were comfortably numb. He was actually dreading the thought of having to get up out of the pool�it was going to hurt.

�Go ahead and look for some food and when you get back, I�ll trade out with you,� Lance said reassuringly with a small smile.

�Okay�Chris�what about you�need a break?� Justin asked as he stood up.

Chris straightened from his bent posture and put his hands on the small of his back with a slight grimace as he stretched, trying to work the tiredness out of his aching back muscles.

�Nah�go on and when you get back, we�ll all take a break,� he answered waving his hand in Justin�s direction.

�I think his fever is starting to go down anyway and we�ll need to get him out of the water and by a small fire,� he added before bending back over to scoop another handful of water over Joey�s chest.

�Yeah�probably don�t need to get him too cold,� Lance said quietly as he once again shifted his position.

�Alright�I�ll be right back. I�ll take the trail to the left this time and I�ll avoid the cameras,� Justin said over his shoulder as he walked away.

This was actually the second trip out into the forest that he had made since sunrise. Earlier in the morning, just after daybreak, he and Chris had taken the trail to the right of the glade surrounding the cave in search for any sign of JC but they soon realized, much to their disappointment, that last night�s storm had to have washed away any footsteps that their friend may have left.

As he walked through the forest, Justin kept his eyes glued to the trail before him in the hopes that he would find even the slightest sign of JC all the while knowing that he would most likely be severely disappointed once again. After almost 15 minutes at a steady walking pace, Justin paused on the trail and looked about him for any cameras. After seeing that there were none, he closed his eyes and bowed his head.

�JC�where are you?� Justin said quietly to himself. �Please�God�take care of him�� Justin fervently prayed. �Let him find help�please.� With those thoughts in mind, Justin looked back at the trail before him and continued on his little mission.

�Where do you suppose he is going?� Leigh asked her husband as they both sat watching Justin�s little moment of solitary prayer.

�I�m not sure,� Russell answered as he pushed several dials in an effort to hear what Justin was saying to himself but his efforts proved fruitless. Apparently, the sound components of the camera were also not operating.

Then, almost immediately in answer to their questions, Justin veered off the trail and headed toward a towering banana tree. Minutes later, the young man had a large bundle of the yellow fruit balanced on one of his shoulders and was now heading back in the same direction in which he came.

�Where is he going now?� Leigh asked. She and her husband had been vainly trying to find where the boys had been staying. Just as Justin was about to make a turn toward the cave, giving away their location, heavy static hit the screen, effectively blocking out any further visual transmission.

�Gah!!!� Russell yelled in frustration at the screen and hit the monitor several times.

Leigh watched her husband�s frantic movements and realized that he was nearing the breaking point. He needed to get his hands on one of the Americans soon to work out his experiments�very soon or she was sure was not sure what her husband would do.

Just as she was about to calmly put an end to Russell�s fit, the monitor screen once again came to life only to reveal that the young man that they had been watching was no longer in sight.

With another cry of frustration and anger, Russell stormed out the room but not before throwing the monitor to the ground transforming it into several hundred pieces.

Leigh simply remained in her seat knowing that her husband needed to be alone for the time being. She would later send Marco out for him�or Davis�if she could locate him.

It was still early in the morning when JC began to show first signs of awakening. Imelda could see slight movement underneath the blankets that had been laid upon his still form and she let the others know of the young man�s progress, but she alone remained in the room. They did not want to cause the young man any undue stress when he would awaken and the group had decided that the older woman would seem as the least threat to him.

Martha brought a small cloth to her mother along with a bowl of cool water and the older woman began her effort in hastening JC�s return to consciousness.

As she wiped his face with the cool, damp cloth, she hummed in comforting tones the same songs that she would sing to her own children whenever they had been younger and ill. She did this in the hopes that the quiet sounds would help alleviate some of the fears that would come in his awakening in a strange place among those he didn�t know.

It was the gentle sound of the voice that brought JC back to awareness. With a small moan he shifted under the layer of warmth covering him and for a brief moment, he believed himself to be home in Bowie, Maryland with his mother softly singing to him.

These thoughts soon faded when he began to become aware of the fact that the words that were now being sung were not ones that he understood nor was the voice singing one that he recognized.

In his growing confusion, JC also became aware of a dull throbbing pain along his forehead and he carefully reached up to touch his head and was surprised to find that a piece of cloth was wrapped about it. At the moment that his hand made contact with the bandage, the memory of the previous day and night suddenly flooded his mind and he abruptly cried out. He quickly sat up and opened his eyes and the first image he saw somewhat clearly was that of an older woman with a kind face smiling sat him.

JC yelped in fright having not realized that someone had actually been seated at his bedside. He had believed the gentle songs he had awakened to, the cocoon of warmth surrounding his body and the cool, damp rag being rubbed slowly across his face had all been part of a dream�an illusion. With another cry of fright as he realized his strange surroundings, JC scooted as far away as possible from the woman.

Imelda watched in alarm, but worked hard to keep the smile on her face knowing that the young man�s confusion was causing his fear. Speaking to him as if he was a scared child, Imelda slowly reached out toward him and he held out his hands in a defensive manner and at the same time opened his mouth in an effort to speak but found that his mouth was too dry and he only managed to cough a few times causing small explosions of pain to go off within his head. A groan of discomfort escaped JC, he brought his hands up to his head and gingerly began to rub his temples trying to will away the intense pain that he was experiencing all the while keeping a wary eye on the woman beside him.

With a look of concern written on her face, the woman quickly glanced over her shoulder and spoke strange words then, seconds later, a large man slowly entered the small room bringing with him a bowl and cup.

Fear instantly coursed its way through JC upon seeing the man, and he immediately began to panic. He had wanted to find this person last night, but now upon seeing him, JC had second thoughts. His eyes darted about, first at the woman, then at the man and finally for any avenue of escape. When all he found nearby was the small window and heard even more voices in the next room, JC let out a small whimper as he pushed away the bed covers and attempted to get up from the bed to escape from the man he recognized as being one of his attackers. JC didn�t get very far before a wave of dizziness sent him crashing back against the bed and for a moment, the world titled crazily.

Imelda, alarmed by JC�s sudden movements quickly waved Davis back out of the room then sat down upon the bed beside JC and gently pulled him into her embrace and began to rub her hand over his arm while she pulled his head to her shoulder. As JC was held close to her body, Imelda whispered tender words to the young man in an effort to calm him. JC resisted at first then realized that the woman was not going to harm him. He slowly allowed his body to relax against the woman and could feel his eyes wanting to drift closed but a movement coming into the room sent JC into another round of resistance when he realized whom it was.

�Sh�sh�my child�be still my child,� Imelda said quietly in broken English as she carefully lowered him to the bed and gently held him down by the shoulders. �You will not be harmed.�

In astonishment, JC momentarily stilled his movements under the woman�s firm hold.

�You�you know English,� he managed to say in a surprised voice barely above a whisper before succumbing to another painful coughing fit all the while continuing to fight weakly against the hands holding him down to the bed.

�Yes�some,� she said quietly as she continued to keep a firm, but gentle grip on JC�s shoulders. She knew that the young man was afraid, but she was more fearful of what might happen if he happened to actually make it to his feet�he may very well fall and further injure himself.

�My son�Davis,� she said as she slowly released one of JC�s shoulders to take the cup of water from him then handed it to JC.

�Drink my child�water.�

JC vehemently shook his head no as he continued to cough all the while seeing stars with each small explosion in his head that came with it.

With his fearful actions, Imelda immediately knew that he did not trust their motives so she brought the cup to her own lips and took a sip of the water and swallowed it before once again offering the cup to JC.

�Drink�water.�

JC reached for the cup then cautiously took a sip from it all the while not allowing his eyes to stray away from Davis.

As he watched the young man tentatively drinking, Davis slowly stepped forward and sat down on the stool that was beside JC�s bed.

�My name is Davis�you remember me from 3 days ago,� he said slowly.

JC handed the cup back to Imelda, then warily sank back against the pillows on the bed and nodded his head at the older man. �Yes�you and those others attacked me and Lance�and Justin and Joey�why?�

JC�s voice was a mixture of fear and anger. He felt fear in knowing that here before him stood the man who had overpowered him, Lance, Joey and Justin on separate occasions instead of offering help to people that they surely had to have known needed it. And, now, he might be facing another attack, but this time all by himself.

Unconsciously, JC began to rub his hands over his wrists as he recalled the sensations of rope burns he had felt after awakening on the trail a few days ago.

�There is one greater than I who wishes to bring harm to you and your friends,� Davis answered as he watched JC�s slight movements knowing what the young man was probably thinking.

JC suddenly remembered that he had heard those same words before during the attack. He stopped his movements and looked at Davis bewilderedly.

�Who is this person you keep mentioning?� JC asked. �Why would someone want to hurt us? Why won�t this person help us get home?�

The last question came out choked as the strain of the last two weeks washed over JC. Hot tears coursed their way down his face as the questions flew about in the air, remaining unanswered for the time being.

�That is something that we should not worry about now,� Davis said, referring to who the person was. �My brothers and I intend on getting all of you off this island very soon and back to your families.�

JC blinked heavily in disbelief at the thought of going home and his family�all of their homes and families.

�Do you�do you really know how�how to get us home?� JC asked in a whisper, almost afraid to hear a possible negative answer.

For what seemed like ages, none of them had even ventured to mention the words home or family. They seemed as impossible dreams to the group and now those dreams might actually become a reality.

�Yes�we will get you home, but first�why were you not with your friends last night?� the man asked as he lowered himself to sit on the bed.

JC appeared slightly confused by what Davis asked. For a moment he tried to process what had been said before he suddenly remembered in a rush why he had been out during the storm the night before. He instantly sat up to face the man before him as his fears for himself quickly began to shift over to Joey.

�It�s Joey�he�s very sick�he had a seizure and a high fever�yesterday I think�I don�t know for sure. A tree fell on him and injured his right arm several days ago. Now his arm is infected and he�s getting worse.�

Davis nodded his head at the frantic information that JC was giving him and watched as the young man glanced down at his arm then about the room in search of something.

�What time is it? How long have I been here?�

�The time is not important here on the islands,� the older man answered knowing that the American would more than likely not understand the statement.

�We carried you here last night during the storm after we found you unconscious on the trail just a few feet from a fallen tree. You must have tried to avoid the tree and hit your head on a rock along the trail,� Davis answered before glancing over his shoulder to call out for someone.

JC closed his eyes and tried to recall the previous evening but was unsuccessful for the most part. There were brief snatches of memory here and there, but total recall would probably come for him later.

JC�s efforts at recall were interrupted when seconds later, another man younger looking than Davis entered the room. Upon seeing him JC felt sudden relief when he suddenly recognized the man as being the one who had helped Lance on the trail several evenings ago.

�You�you helped Lance,� JC said as he pointed at Thomas. �You saved his life.�

Thomas smiled and bowed his head before looking at Davis who quickly translated what JC had said from English into their native language. When Davis had finished, Thomas nodded his head and began to speak rapidly to Davis. Davis listened attentively, periodically either nodding or shaking his head at what was being said. The two men conversed with each other for several moments and during this time JC was beginning to grow impatient. At the sudden memory of the reason behind his venture into the stormy night, JC found himself very anxious to get back to his friends with the help that he had found.

JC�s thoughts immediately ended when the large man turned to look at him and spoke the words that he had been waiting to hear.

�My brother, Thomas wants you to take him to Joey�he thinks that he may be able to help him.�

JC immediately felt relief in knowing that Joey would be getting help and allowed both men to help him sit up in the bed then slowly stand up before realizing that he was only clad in his boxers.

�Um�I kinda need my�um�shorts,� JC said, his embarrassment evident in his tone of voice.

JC was allowed to sit back down on the bed while Davis retrieved his shorts. Minutes later, once JC had dressed, the two brothers guided him through the doorway and into the kitchen area where Imelda and the rest of the family was busily moving about.

Imelda looked up and smiled as she watched the young American slowly move about the room.

�He needs to eat something my sons before he makes the long journey to his friends,� she said as she handed JC a warm bowl of something resembling porridge before pointing him toward a small wooden table under an open window.

�Thank you for taking care of me,� JC murmured as he allowed himself to be helped over to the table. �I don�t know how I�ll every be able to repay you.�

�No�repay,� the old woman replied. �Eat�go to your friends with my sons then, go home.�

At the mention of home JC smiled then began to eat the meager meal before him all the while watching the movements about him as his Samaritans gathered items together to take with them.

�What a strange situation he was finding himself to be in,� he thought. � Who would ever think to seek help from the very people that caused you to fear and to feel pain? Strange�strange.�

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