"Jameson-" after quietly shutting the door in fear of his father returning, I rushed over to where he was lumped over the sofa. "Ohmygod-" I put the back of my hand to my mouth to contain the sob threatening to choke me.
Tears ran down my face uncontrollably as I reached for his face, begging his beautiful eyes to open and meet mine, but they never did.
"J, wake up. Please, oh god, there's so much blood." Frantic, I scuttled next to him, not caring if my ballgown became soaked in his blood, because I needed him to be okay, I needed him to wake up. I took his limp body in my arms, cradling his head in my lap and I tried and failed to locate the wounds on his body, but there was just so much blood everywhere.
"Shit, think Clara, Think!" I tore the rest of his shirt open so his chest was now on full display, and I carelessly ripped the fabric of my gown to make a make-shift bandage around his torso to contain the blood. Confused why the blood was still not stopping, I shifted him so I could get a better view of his back, and I almost screamed at what I saw.
Littered all over his back were numerous scar lines everywhere, from his shoulders to his hips, and I have never felt so utterly useless and heartbroken for the boy laying passed out in my arms. How I never noticed these before made me furious with myself, but also so so livid with the man who was clearly responsible for the fresh open scars that now lay exposed on his back as well as for all of the old ones too.
I tried to cover them up as much as I could to contain the blood, and only when I turned him back so that he was now laying across me did he begin to stir.
"J?" I whispered brokenly as I cradled his face in my hands, begging him to wake up. His eyes every so slowly started to open and he let out a pained groan as his ocean eyes locked onto mine. "Hey, hey easy. J, I-"
My words were cut off as he lifted one of his bloodied knuckled to my cheek as if he was checking that I was really there.
"Clara?" His voice was thick and gruff, and I was really trying to contain the tears openly flowing in-front of him, but the relief I felt when he said my name was something that I will never ever forget.
"Hey J, it's me. I've got you, it's okay. He can't hurt you anymore," I tried to sooth him, running one hand through his hair gently whilst the other continued to cradle his face, tracing small circles across his cheek. He leaned into my tough, body slumping even more than it had a second ago, giving up.
"You shouldn't be seeing me like this-" He tried to sit up but I pushed him back down.
"You shouldn't ever have to be put in the position to even look like this." I traced my eyes down the length of his body to make sure that my make-shift bandage was at least doing something, and the blood seemed to have stop spilling everywhere, so that was a start. "Listen, we need to call someone to help. I can call for a docto-"
"No!" His hand gripped mine then, forcing me to look at his panicked expression, "Don't call anyone. No-one can know."
"But-"
"No buts Clara. Please," He leaned so close to my face our noses were almost touching "I'm trusting you." His eyes scanned mine, and all I could do is simply nod at his request. "Call Xavier and the twins, they know what to do."
Nodding, I quickly slipped my phone out of my gown corset where I'd stuffed it, and dialled Xavier, briefly letting him know what happened and to get here right away with the twins.
Waiting for them felt like an eternity, But I savoured every moment that I had with him, just holding him in my arms, because nothing else I did could fix any of this for him.
"You called me J."
"Hmm?" I was so busy reeling about what had just happened in my mind, I hadn't even noticed him looking at me.
"J, you called me J."
I let out a broken laugh. "I did, didn't I? Want me to go back to calling you Jameson?" My lips hovered close to his, and I swear I saw his eyes flash with emotion and hunger as he looked at me.
"No, princess. I don't." He reached up, wiping the tears from my cheek, and I took in the sight before me.
"I'm sorry this happened to you. It's fucked up." The hatred I felt towards his father was impeccable.
He moved to sit up, and this time, I helped guide him, so we were both sprawled out on the floor with our backs up against the leather sofa.
"It's not as bad as it looks," He tried to reassure me but from what I could see, I think it may actually be a lot worse than it looks. "Besides, you being here makes the pain being all the more bearable."
I could practically feel the heat rising in my cheeks at his words, but as I leant my head back on the couch and looked into his eyes, I knew that he was wroth every amount of pain I have ever felt in my life, if it meant that I could have him in mine. I would live a thousand lives and still search for him, because I realised, the feelings I have for him are stronger than I think.
He slowly took my hand in his, intertwining our fingers are we waited for the others to join us.
So I took a risk.
I leaned in, placed a featherlight kiss to his cheek, making him close his eyes and released a frustrated sigh, before I lowered my head to his shoulder, cradling our joined hands in my lap while we waited.
***
"In here!" I heard Gray's voice call out from the corridor fifteen minutes later, the other two swiftly on his heels.
"Ohmygod, that sick son of a bitch," Tom seethed through clenched teeth and he asserted the situation.
Jameson and I still sat against the couch, but he was leaning most of his body weight onto me, in too much pain to sit up on his own. Xavier silently marched over to where we were and crouched down in-front of us, looking at me first with a silent question asking if I was okay, to which numbly nodded, before he turned his focus onto Jameson.
"Hey Jamie, Its Xavier. I'm going to get you all fixed up, alright buddy?" I'd never heard Xavier speak with this much sincerity and softness since the first day I had met him at school. "Can you sit up on the couch if I help lift you?" Jameson let out a slow nod of his head, and on three, Xavier lifted him so he lay on the couch, but made sure to keep him slightly sitting up so he wouldn't choke on his own blood. "Tom, Gray, outside the corridor, to the left, is the cleaning cupboard. There should be a first aid kit inside. I need antiseptic wipes, alcohol, and a bandages. Get those quickly and bring them back, we need to clean these before any of them get infected."
He then made his way over to me,
"Clara, you aren't going to like what I'm about to say to you, but I need you to please just listen." He hooked both of his hands under my shoulders as if I was a child, before hoisting me back up to the floor again. I cringed at how stiff my dress had become with blood, the smell of it making me feel sick. My stomach felt queasy when he said that, and I knew that I definitely wouldn't like what he was about to say. I nodded for him to continue. "I need you to go back to your room, shower and clean all of this blood off, and then wait for us in Jamie's room. Can you do that?"
I almost chocked. "What? Are you insane?! I'm not going anywhere." I crossed my arms in protest, annoyed that I felt so useless in this situation. Xavier's pained expression only made me feel worse.
"Look, it's not because I don't think you can handle the blood or anything, we all know you're a badass Clara. But, right now, Jamie wouldn't want you to see him like this, and quite frankly, neither do I and I'm sure the twins will agree too. You've already done a lot for him by even finding him and calling us, okay? So let us take over from here, we've had to do it countless time before."
The pain in my chest intensified with every word, But I also knew that what he was saying was true. There wasn't anything I could do now.
"Okay. Okay, just- please make sure he's okay. And make sure you all are okay. Call me if you need anything. And I mean anything, okay?" Xavier reached for my hands and gave them a gentle squeeze in response before I turned to leave the room, just as the twins re-entered with all of the medical supplies.
I turned around as I got to the door to look back at them all. Jameson still in and out of consciousness, the twins rushing to his side, their hair all tousled and shirts unbuttoned and rolled up at the sleeves.
But it was Xavier's expression that made my heart shatter even more if that was even possible, as he stood and collected himself for a second, both hands raised locked behind his head, his shirt unbuttoned and rolled like the twins, his tie handing loosely from both ends of his shirt as he took in two deep calming breaths, before his face went void of emotion, and he was set on the task at hand.
***
After I had showered about three times because I was paranoid about still being covered in blood, I slipped into my pair of cosy grey joggers and a black cropped tank top before I patiently waited in Jameson's room across the hall.
While I waited, I decided to message my father about the threat from John Sutherland, not having the emotional capacity to ring the man I called a father, because I knew it would result in an ugly argument.
He answered about ten minutes after I had sent the message, claiming that one of his colleagues had already figured it out due to a breech in the system, and that it was all under control. So, not caring to ask any further, I continued to wait and wait and wait, sitting on the edge of Jameson's lavish bed with dark grey sheets.
After about two hours, I heard the door open, and only Xavier entered, making me jump from where I was sitting and rush over to the door to make sure he was okay. I've never ran over to someone faster in my life as I flung my arms around his neck and gave him the biggest hug. He returned the hug almost instantly, tightly wrapping his arms around me like a teddy bear, and I felt his body physically sag in relief as the tension began to leave his body.
"Are you okay?! Are the other's okay?! Is J okay?" I was asking the questions that had been plaguing me for the past hour. I stepped out of the embrace and made sure he still looked like the Xavier I knew, and thank God he did. I was worried I wouldn't get him back for a while as the way I saw him in the King's office.
"We're all okay Clara. Jamie should be here in a sec, the twins have gone to bed now. Just, look after him, okay?" Confused at what he was saying, I nodded in response and then my heart rate started to beat wildly in my chest as the door opened and Jameson came into his room. He didn't have a limp, which was good, and all of the blood had been cleared where bandages took their place. His face was less swollen from what must have been ice, and he already seemed to look better.
I take it back about what I said about running to Xavier. Because I ran to J ten times faster he had to catch me before I took us both out on the floor,
I tried to be careful of his wounds as I clung to him, my body shaking, not realising that I felt this much tension until I had him in my arms again. And his body was the same, as he lowered his head to rest between my neck and shoulder as he nuzzled into me affectionately.
"Okay, I'll leave ya to it. See you lot tomorrow," Xavier strolled past and clasped Jameson on the shoulder, and Jameson and Xavier looked at each other the only way that brothers could, as he gave him a firm nod of thanks before Xavier jokingly flipped him off and left the room, making Jameson roll his eyes.
Once the door clicked shut behind him, my focus was back on J.
He strolled over to his bed and flopped down on it, but I didn't miss the slight wince at the movement. I followed and sat on the edge of hid bed.
"How are you holding up?" My voice came out in no more than a whisper, but today had just been so much. Jameson reached for my hand, intertwining our fingers as usual before he answered.
"Better. It usually takes a couple days to heal, but I'll live." For now, a horrible voice said in the back of my mind. What if next time is worse? "How are you holding up?"
I almost laughed. "Me?" I stuttered, shocked. "Don't even think about worrying about how I am right now. Let me do the worrying for the both of us," I squeezed his hand and he squeezed back. "I should probably let you rest-"
"Stay."
I froze. "Wh-what?"
"Stay with me tonight." His eyes glowed their greeny blue, so magnetic and enticing. I could drown in them. Would happily drown in them, if it mean that they were on me.
"I don't think you wan-"
"I want you too", another squeeze of my hand "please?" The please broke me, how could I say no? I didn't want to say no, but I definitely couldn't now even if I wanted too. I was so utterly consumed by this boy, more than what I would have ever imagined.
"Okay," was all I said as I climbed in the other side of the bed, Jameson silently watching me with his eyes that shone with an emotion I'd only ever seen when he looks at me. I climbed under the covers to get cosy before I turned on my side and faced him. He gently reached his arm out to rest around my waist and he pulled me flush against him, our eyes so close now I could make out tiny golden flecks in them.
"Is this okay?" He asked, voice thick and velvety. I swallowed and nodded. "Tell me something, anything about you." I raised my eyebrows up at him. "I'm serious," he chuckled as his arm tightened around me and I snuggled in closer.
"Hmm, okay. When I was five..."
And the rest of the night went like that. We told each other stories of our childhood under the blanket of the night, with the glow from the moon the only source of light entering the room before eventually we started to drift off to sleep, me tucked under his arm protectively, never feeling safer than what I have in this moment as I combed my fingers soothingly through his dark hair, and with him sleeping peacefully for once as well.
But sleep eventually took over, and everything went black.
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Second chapter uploaded the next day...who would have thought?!
Anyway I am SORRY for the late chapters, which is why I tried extra hard to get this one uploaded as well for keeping you guys on the cliff hanger for so long.
I appreciate everyone who comments on my story ILY, so those who don't...don't be a ghost reader! Let us all know ur thoughts (as long as they aren't THAT mean lmfao)!! <3
Anyhow sorry these past two chapters were a bit heavy <3
But honestly all of you're kind comments make my day so much, you have no idea how much more inspired I feel to write when I read them, so thank you.
I hope everyone has a great day/night xxx