CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR , TILL THE BETTER END

*CONTENT WARNING* MENTIONS OF POSSIBLE SA
PLEASE SKIP IF NEEDED!!!

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Maddie heard the scuffle in the background.

She never ended the phone call. Instead, she did what Emery had fought Joe for. She left the line open in order to track her location. Athena, Wren, and Romero were immediately on their way to the dispatch center as soon as Josh called them. This was the first lead they had since Chandler's house and it sounded legit.

"Maddie?!"

The brunette was already standing at the doors to greet the officers. "The call ended 2 minutes ago." Her voice was trembling. "I tried to keep it going for as long as it could—"

"Hey," Wren lightly touches both of Maddie's arms. Maddie focuses on Wren's face. Wren saw the tears and panic across Maddie's face. She was hardly there right now. Wren didn't know what Maddie heard over that call, but she could tell it hit her hard. "you did so good."

Maddie swallows, "I can show you guys the call a-and we can track it."

Wren inhales a breath and nods her head. She looks at Athena and Romero. They both had a look of relief.

They had a lead.

Maddie led them to her desk and sat down with the three officers. They all had headphones on and waited for Maddie to play the video. Maddie swallows the lump in her throat and her hand shakes. "Guys...before I play this. There's something you should know."

Wren pulls her brows together when she sees the heartbreak across Maddie's face. Wren didn't know what she was going to say. But she wasn't expecting the next words.

"Thomas didn't make it."

Wren keeps her eyes on Maddie. It didn't register until a few seconds later. But when it did, her heart sunk deep into her stomach until she felt ill. "Wh-what?" She croaks. "But he..." Wren trails off her words and her breathing quickens. What the hell could she possibly say? Her ears begin to ring and her throat tightens.

"T-Tom's dead?"

Maddie looks down at her hands. "Yeah, Emery said...she said it was just her." She exhales. "She sounded so tired and hurt."

Athena gently grabs Maddie's hand. "It's okay." She gives her a soft smile. "Play the call and we can get to her before anything else happens."

Maddie looks back at them and nods her head. Wren wipes her eyes and tries to get her breathing under control.

"Marshall?"

Wren looks at Detective Romero. He raises his brows, "You okay?"

Wren swipes her tongue across her lower lip. "No, I'm not." She inhales a breath and holds it before speaking again. "But I'm ready to find Emery and bring her home."

Romero remembers when Wren was a soft-spoken boot, who would second-guess every choice she made. Before she would've just said she was 'fine'. But Wren was a completely different woman now and he couldn't be prouder.

Maddie ended up playing the audio of Emery's call to the three officers. It was hard to listen to. The way Emery was on the verge of giving up before Maddie spoke to her. Even the screaming in the background from her and Joe. It shook them to their core having to hear that.

But after listening to the call, Maddie was able to trace the call to a cabin in the middle of the Mojave Desert. It was almost 4 hours from Los Angeles and everyone knew that if Emery was in that barrel right now—she would run out of air.

All first responders were already on their way to the desert—praying they had time to spare.

...

Once Emery woke up, her hands were zip-tied to her side and her wrist was bandaged. Her leg was patched up too, but it didn't help the limp she had. Joe didn't want Emery to die too fast in the barrel. Especially after all the shit she put him through. It made Emery crack a smile knowing she was able to kick his ass a little before her death.

Joe had a knife to her back as they walked through the desert. Anytime she would grow tired and slower, Joe would lightly poke her back with the blade, forcing her to speed up. "I'm gonna shove that thing straight through her chin if I get my hands on it."

"Murder threats coming from a firefighter?" Joe winces. "Have I really pushed you that far—"

"Yes."

The anger in her voice caused Joe to grin. "Good." He mirrors her tone. "You bit my fucking fingers off."

"You murdered Thomas and who knows how many others..." Emery softly scoffs. "If you ask me, I didn't do enough."

She pinches her brows together. "I wish I killed you..."

"Yeah, well...you had two chances and you wasted them." Joe clicks his tongue. "Too bad, so sad." He pokes her back with the blade again and she cries. "Don't worry, we're almost there."

Emery winces as she walks up the hill of sand with her boots slipping a bit. As she oversees the hill, her heart stops from the barrel next to the large hole. Emery feels her steps slow again and Joe whistles. "C'mon, sweetheart." He pokes her back again.

Emery softly winces and walks toward the barrel. She stands a few feet from it.

"Get in."

Emery then lets out a bitter chuckle. "No."

Joe tilts his head to the side. "You're getting in, Emery."

"Yeah? And why would I?"

Joe pulls his gun from the back of his waist and aims it at the girl. "If you don't, you'll die out here—immediately." He then looks at the barrel behind her. "But in there, you have a chance of survival. At least, that's what you think..." Joe then shrugs. "Everyone always thinks they have a chance."

Emery swallows the lump in her throat and her eyes look back at the oil barrel. She slowly inches toward it and takes a peak inside. Her stomach tones, "You sick son of a bitch—no!"

Joe then laughs which causes Emery's skin to crawl. "Joe, I can't." Her voice shakes. "Please—"

"Chances of survival." Joe waves the gun back and forth.

Emery's lower lip quivers and she looks back in the barrel. Tears blur her vision and she felt her stomach turn from the rancid smell. Emery lifts her bad leg and softly winces. She places a foot inside the barrel. The girl uncurls her closed fist and her foot slips from the barrel. Emery stumbles and she drops her necklace to the side. God, please let someone know.

Emery climbs over the barrel again and places both feet in. Joe softly chuckles and rolls his eyes to the side. "Get down, Em." He walks over to the barrel.

Emery swallows the lump in her throat. Joe cups the side of her face and looks into the barrel. "Think of it like this...you two started this journey together. Now you're gonna finish it together—poetic really."

Emery feels vomit rise in her throat. Joe kisses her forehead and touches her shoulder, gently lowering her into the barrel. Emery sits on her butt and her eyes come face to face with Tom's lifeless corpse. She rolls her lips into her mouth to keep herself from crying.

"I debated on putting cameras in here, but...I also know you might have a few things to say to little Tom." Joe clicks his tongue and motions his head to the lifeless body. He raises the camera and snaps a quick pic of the girl. She flinches from the flash. "I'll give you two some privacy."

"Any last words?"

Emery looks up, her teary yet strong eyes on his. "Yeah, actually." She inhales a shaky breath. "I don't know why you're like this..." her tone was low. "I don't know if it's because you had a whore mother who didn't pay any attention to you while growing up or if you just grew up without parents altogether. But just know, you're not getting any sympathy from anyone."

"You're not getting away this time." She tilts her head. "You're going away forever."

Joe's jaw tightens and Emery knew she got to him. But his pissed expression drops and he smirks. "I was kind of hoping they would kill me at the end of this. I would like to go out with a bang, y'know?" He then winks. "I'll see you on the other side, Em."

"You really were someone special to me."

Joe looks across her face for a moment and clicks his tongue. "I told you that you were gonna end up alone. You have no one..." he then looks at Tom's lifeless body in the barrel. "Well, I guess you're not...entirely alone."

"Be grateful."

Emery doesn't say anything. She just keeps her eyes on his. Joe softly hums and places the lid over the barrel and seals it shut. Emery is sealed in darkness and the stench of Tom's rotting corpse burns her nose which forces her eyes to tear up. Joe raises his boot and kicks the barrel into the hole. Emery lets out a cry as her head hits the barrel and her body rolls around. Tom's body hits her hard and a whimper escapes her lips.

"Shit, shit..." Emery softly cries. She whispers soft "I'm sorry's" as she pushes Tom off of her. The barrel was small, so she could still feel his face on the side of her arm. Tears roll down Emery's face, but she pulls at the zip ties on her wrist while sobbing. "Tom, I'm sorry—I'm sorry." She shakes her head. Emery pulls harder at her zip ties and she lightly hits her head against the barrel. The girl begins to hear dirt hit the barrel and her breathing quickens. Don't panic.

Emery inhales breath through her mouth and holds it for a moment. She couldn't use up all the air she had. No matter how bad the air smelled right now, it was all she had. Emery clenches her jaw and continues to pull at her zip ties. She had to keep herself preoccupied. If she lost her focus, she would think about...

Emery's hands freeze and her eyes trail up to Tom's body her stomach turns and her eyes blur with tears. The despair was drowning her right now. She couldn't breathe without feeling her hopelessness grow. The girl looks back down at her zip ties and she pulls her brows together. If I die, he wins.

Emerson's jaw clenches. All she wanted to do was look Joe in the eye and tell him that she won. She survived. But Emery knew deep down that she wanted Joe to hurt. She wanted him in the ground. Emery's entire body froze from the hateful thought that had entered her mind. Joe cracked something open in her that no one had before. It was terrifying that this feeling was something she could feel. Emery's skin began to crawl and she let out a quiet shudder. Her eyes shift back down to her zip ties. clears her throat. "No...no." Emery softly exhales. Stay strong. She begins to pull at the zip ties again.

☆

"LAPD unit on site."

Athena and Wren were standing behind the SUV--inspecting the creaky cabin on top of the desert hill. They were the first of many responders to arrive on the scene.

"We cannot wait for SWAT. We're going in." Wren opened the trunk of the vehicle as soon as Athena spoke those words into the walkie. She pulls her gun from her holster and turns to the sergeant, waiting for her go ahead. Athena gives her a small nod, telling her to head towards the cabin.

Wren was the first to make her way up the hill with Athena not far behind. Once they were at the cabin and on the porch, Wren takes a small glance through the window. Her dark brown eyes pierce past the curtain and she sees a man pass the window. Wren pulls her face back and motions her hand telling Athena that there was just one man in the cabin.

Athena stands on the other side of the window. The sergeant looks at Wren and gives her a confident and curt nod—telling Wren to make her way in.

Wren sucks in a soft breath and holds it. She takes a step back and stands in front of the door. Wren lifts her leg and kicks the door open. Her gun was already aimed at the man with her finger on the trigger. "LAPD—Hands where I can see them!"

Joe's eyes widened from the sight of the officer in front of him. He sprints in the opposite direction of the woman. Wren's jaw clenches.

"I've got eyes on Joe!"

Wren runs through the cabin after the man. "LAPD! STOP!" She runs into the room, and out of the corner of her eye she sees a figure. The girl raises her gun and spins around; Joe hits her wrist and her gun flies across the room. He swings his fist toward her, Wren raises her arm; blocking his hit.

Joe swings his other fist and Wren hooks her arm around his and rams her head against his nose. Wren headbutts him a second time and he stumbles away from her. The brunette stalks toward him and sweeps his legs, his back slamming against the hardwood floor. In a swift move, she picks her gun up and aims it at Joe. "Where the fuck is Emerson?"

Athena jogs into the room, "LAFD just pulled up." Her eyes shift to Joe and her jaw clenches. "He talking?"

Wren opens her mouth to answer, but Joe lets out a low laugh that causes Wren's skin to crawl. She raises her steel-toed boot and presses it against his chest. Athena stands beside Wren, "And what's so funny?"

Joe looks to the side and spits blood from his mouth. "Why don't you look on top of that dresser for me?"

Wren and Athena exchange a look. Athena cautiously walks over to the dresser and Wren reverts her attention back to Joe, making sure he didn't move. Athena's eyes shift to the pictures on the dresser and her heart drops.

"Athena, is everything okay?" Wren inquires.

Athena's hands begin to shake and she felt her hope for finding Emery lessen while her worry grew. She walks over to Wren and holds the pictures out to her. Wren looks at the pictures of Emerson tied up in the chair bloodied. Her eyes widen and they begin to burn. "H-He did this to—"

Joe pushes Wren's foot off of him and scurries out of the room. "Son of a bitch!" Wren slides her gun back into her holster and sprints after Joe again. She jumps forward, tackling his legs and taking him to the ground. Wren turns Joe around and puches him across the face. She punches him again then again then again. "Where the hell is she?!"

"Wren, enough!"

The brunette halts her punches and her hands begin to shake. Joe then laughs once again, "She's already dead."

Wren lets out a defeated breath and her tears begin to rise in her eyes. She stands up and looks at Athena, whose face was also filled with a shock that worried Wren.

"No. No, she's not." Athena shakes her head, trying not to believe it. "You had too much of an infatuation with Emery to kill her immediately. That's why the pictures are still here and not hiding, right?" She holds them out to Wren.

Thats when the firefighters and paramedics walk through the door.

"Is that him?!" Buck points at the man.

"Yes, but we need him alive." Athena seethes.

Buck keeps his strong fiery gaze on Joe's bleeding face. He lets out a short breath and crosses his arms. "

"I wasn't going to hurt him..." Buck lies. "Just rough him up a bit."

"Wren already did that." Athena sends a look to the brunette.

"She'll be dead soon."

Everyone looks at the bleeding man on the floor.

"And you can stop that from happening." Hen states.

Joe chuckles, "Why would I want that?"

"Because you care about Emerson." Eddie says. He digs his nails into his arms, trying his best not to beat the living shit out of this guy. They all had that same urge. "In your own sick and twisted way, you do."

Joe keeps his eyes shifting from each person. He loved to torment his victims, but being able to hurt their loved ones? That was a plus.

"Yeah, but like you said...I'm sick and twisted. I find everyone is better when they're dead. Even Emerson."

Wren shakes her head, "We're wasting too much time—we go out there and find her. Now."

"Darius!" Athena motions the deputy over. "Put him in the back of your car. Not letting him out of your sight."

"Yes, ma'am."

Joe's smug expression drops. Emery was right. They weren't going to kill him. He was going away for a long time and all of this wasn't worth it.

"She could be anywhere..." Hen exhales, her eyes skimming across the miles of desert.

"All right, everyone spread out." Athena orders. "The choppers almost here. We each take a spot and we go."

...

Her eyes settle back on Tom's body and her eyes water. A small desperate cry escapes her lips and her body shakes.

"I really tried..." Her eyes began to grow heavy and her chest heaved. Her breathing begins to shallow and it gets harder to take deep breaths. Emery knew what was coming. She could tell just from the black dots growing in her vision. Emery hoped that her life would flash before her eyes. She wanted to see all the memories she made. Good and Bad—she wanted to see Helena's face one last time. She wanted to see Amaya's. She wanted to see the team that slowly but positively became her family.

She wanted to see Evan.

But all that happened was Emery feeling her body get heavy and cold.

She leans her head against the barrel. Her eyes slowly fall shut and a shaky breath slips from her lips while a tear slips from her eye.

Emery just wanted to shut her eyes for a moment.

That's all.

☆

Everyone had been searching as far as they could for her. No one had any lead on where she was, but they weren't going to stop. They couldn't.

Buck looks around the area he was in with his breathing quick. He hadn't heard anyone shout that they found her. It was silent over his radio. Buck looks down at his watch. How long had it been since they started searching?

Buck could see his hands shaking. He could hear his pessimistic thoughts slowly clouding over his optimistic ones. After Wren and Athena told the team that Tom hadn't made it, everyone's hope began to dim. It was difficult trying to stay positive after someone they saw as family was taken far too soon from them.

Buck then shakes his head. He had to refocus and keep a level head. He was going to do whatever it took to find Emerson safe and sound.

He lowers his hand to his side and goes to keep walking, but light shines in his eyes. It causes him to squeeze his eyes shut and he rubs them. Buck opens his eyes again and refocuses on the reflection that was on the ground. He keeps his eyes on the shining object and his brows pull together. Buck wanted to brush past it and continue looking for Emerson. That's what his head kept screaming at him to do. But for some reason he walked towards it.

As he walked closer to the shining light, he realized that it was a necklace. Buck crouches in front of the object and picks it up. His eyes examine the necklace with his lips parted. He instantly recognized the two wedding bands. He remembers Emery showing them to him. He remembers her asking if it was too soon to move on from Helena.

Buck quickly stands back up on his feet with his eyes still glued to the ground. He slams his steel-toed boot against the sand until he hears a thud. A small breath that he had been holding escapes his lips. Buck slips the necklace into his pocket.

"I've..." Buck swallows. "I've got her!" He screams. Buck falls to his knees and begins to dig at the sand with his hands. Soon, the entire team and officers more joined beside Buck.

They all begin to dig at the sand and finally get to a metal top. Bobby grabs the halligan and pops the can open. Wren looks into the can and a loud gasp escapes her lips. She covers her nose from the rancid smell of death. "Oh, my god is that—"

"Tom." Eddie exhales with his eyes filling with tears.

Buck's eyes land on Emery's unconscious body and a small whimper escapes his lips. He hooks his arms under Emery's arms grabs Emery and Eddie grabs her legs. They both pull her out of the barrel and lay the unconscious girl in the sand. Everyone crowds around the girl, anxiously waiting for her health status.

Eddie presses his ear against her chest.

No heartbeat.

"She's not breathing!" Eddie's voice cracks.

Buck could feel his own breathing halt.

Eddie instantly reacts. He begins CPR, his breathing filled with panic. Everyone watches in silence and a tense anxious feeling in the air. Wren covers her mouth to silence her shaken cries as Eddie begins mouth to mouth. Emery still wasn't moving.

"C'mon, Emi." Eddie whispers. "Don't do this—fight."

Buck's eyes fill with tears and his hands begin to shake again.

The thing was Emery had been fighting. But recently it felt exhausting to keep fighting. Did she even want to anymore? She felt like she had lost everything. So, was there really a need to keep going?

All her life Emery has had to keep going. And this time...

It was no different.

She inhales a deep breath and her body jerks forward. Buck exhales a small cry and hangs his head low with relief. Emery coughs and lays on her side while Eddie pats her back. She slowly rolls onto her back once more, her eyes landing on Eddie's. Tears prick his vision, seeing that the physical well being of his friend was okay. Emery's eyes shift over to the inside of the can, but Eddie grabs her arms. "No, don't look." His voice was soft. Emery's eyes slightly widen and her body begins to shake and she softly cries. She forces her body up and she wraps her arms around Eddie's neck. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry—"

Eddie softly shushes her and touches her back, hugging her back. "Don't talk. You're okay."

Eddie knew that Emery was apologizing for everything in the past. The things she said and did. All her regrets. But no one knew that Emery was also apologizing for Tom. He was still gone. And Emery was still here.

She hated feeling relief that she was still here.

☆

Everyone was sitting in the waiting room of the hospital. There was a tense silence that shadowed over the group. No one wanted to break the silence, they were all still reeling from feeling relieved that Emery was alive. But they also felt heartbreak over losing Thomas. Athena and Wren were the only ones not in the waiting room due to them still having to finish up the case. Athena and Wren went to go inform Thomas' parents about what happened to their son. They had been watching Dylan for the last few days. They hadn't told him yet. They planned to do it after confirming his body in the morgue. But they didn't need to even confirm it. Their parents felt it in their hearts.

Their son was gone.

Athens slows the car to a stop and parks in the hospital parking lot. Wren quickly gets out of the car and opens the back doors for the grieving parents. The officers wait patiently as they get out of the car. Once the parents were out of the car, the four turn to the hospital emergency room doors. Wren's jaw clenches when she sees the news reporters and interviewers behind the caution tape.

Then her eyes caught someone that forced and anger to drown her completely. Wren looks at Athena and the Fletchers. "I've got this."

Athena keeps her eyes on the girl. "Are you sure?"

Wren nods her head. "You three should go inside."

Athena gives Wren a small smile and looks at the parents. She guides them through the doors to the hospital, ignoring the shouting reporters.

Wren turns to the reporters, her eyes trained on one specifically.

"Officer, my name is—"

"Taylor Kelly. Yeah, I heard you before I even saw you."

"Look Emery's not taking any questions right now—"

"Can you at least tell me if—"

"No." Wren squints her eyes. "Absolutely not."

Taylor moves her head to the side. "We have mutuals in common why can't you do me this one favor? This is my career—"

"You wanna talk about careers?" Wren takes a step forward. "You are part of the reason why Emery wasn't able to tell her team about her and Buck's relationship—when she wanted to." She tilts her head.

Taylor clenched her jaw and lowered her microphone.

"Favors will never be in the cards for you and I." Wren then walks inside without sparing Taylor another glance.

...

Buck was sitting out in the waiting room with everyone when he heard the worried shouts.

"Miss Sharpe, wait!"

"Emerson!"

The rest of the team along with Buck could feel their hairs begin to stand up. Buck shoots out of his seat as he sees Emery limping down the hall in her hospital gown. His voice gets caught in his throat, but he can't help but be relieved by seeing her awake.

Then he took a minute to look across her and noticed just how bad she was hurt. Emery had two black eyes forming around her eyes, her wrists were wrapped by bandages, her neck was bruised and her upper lip had a gash in it that was now stitched.

"Emery—"

"You found my ring." Emery's voice was hoarse but there was a weakness to it. Her shaky eyes never left Buck's soft and worried ones.

Buck tenses. He knew she was talking about her rings from the desert. The ones she always had around her necklace. She hadn't told a lot of people about it, so they wouldn't have known to look for it.

But Buck knew as soon as he saw it. He knew Emery was smart enough to leave something. And that ring was the only thing he could think of that she could drop as a clue.

Buck manages to answer. "Y-Yeah, I did. But, Emery, you have to get back to your bed—"

As fast as she could, Emery hurried over to Buck and wrapped her arms around his neck. Buck tenses from the desperate embrace. Emery's entire body had been trembling hit he didn't know if it was from how much she had crying, from how weak she was, or because she was cold. Emery inhales a shaky breath, hoping to actually get her words out.

"You found me." Emery softly speaks. Her breath hits Buck's ear which causes A chill to rush down his spine. A lump forms in his throat as Emery cries harder than before. She tucks her head into the crook of his neck.

The group hadn't dared to say a word or even interrupt. Even the doctors knew this was some kind of personal moment that was quite literally a big step for the two. Buck wraps his arms around Emerson's waist and pulls her close.

"Always." Buck softly whispers.

Emery inhales a shaky breath and pulls back from Buck. She stares at him for a moment before her eyes trail to everyone in the waiting room. "Thank you." Her voice was shaky but you can hear the authenticity. "You guys all..." she lets out a weak breath. Her entire body was aching and it hurt to breathe, but Emery had to let them know that she was grateful. After everything she had put them through, she didn't deserve them.

"You all saved me."

"Em...you've been there for us more times than we can count." Eddie voices. "You would've done the same thing for any one of us."

"You have done it." Maddie adds with a small smile.

Emery wipes the tears from her eyes and her face begins to warm from all the eyes on her.

"Uh, I'm really sorry; but Miss Sharpe." The nurse softly speaks and takes a small step forward. "We need you back in the room."

Emery looks back at the nurse holding a wheelchair. "Okay, I'm sorry." She then looks back at the ground and gives them a small smile. Her eyes shift to Buck's and he sends her a comforting smile. "We'll wait for you." I'll wait for you.

Emery's eyes soften and she bites the inside of her cheek. She turns back to the nurse and the nurse helps her into the wheelchair. Buck tucks his hands into his pockets as Emery is pushed down the hall and back into her room.

"So...all in favor of having Buck be the last person to see Emery as a visitor?"

Buck pulls his brows together and turns to see everyone raising their hands. "Oh, come on—"

"No. Wren has a point. You got the first hug." Hen states. "You get the last visit.

Buck opens his mouth, "Actually, Eddie. Was the one who got the first hug out in the desert."

Everyone looks at Eddie and his mouth drops. "Well, yeah, but Christopher wants to see her and if Christopher goes, I go." He folds his arms—standing his ground.

Buck's jaw goes slack. "This...This is unfair."

☆

As soon as Maddie entered the room, she saw Emery lying in the bed with an officer standing beside her bed; asking her questions. The brunette subtly stands beside the deputy with her arms folded.

As Emery continued to answer the questions, her eyes were glued to the window.

"Miss Sharpe, are there any other tests we might need to...assess on you?" The deputy nervously questions.

Maddie's body tenses from the question. She knew what he was asking. But Emery wasn't paying much attention to the conversation any longer. "Hey, Em?"

Emery forces her eyes away from the window and turns to the two. "Sorry, wh-what was the question?"

Maddie looks at the deputy and slightly opens her mouth. She then looks back at her friend. "Officer Long was asking if there should be any other tests ordered for you..."

Emery keeps her eyes on Maddie's sympathetic brown eyes. Then she looks at Officer Long's nervous eyes. Emery raises her brows and a small breath escapes her lips. "You mean a rape kit?" her voice gets caught in her throat. "I, uh...I don't know," she admits.

"What do you mean?"

Emery raises her good hand, "You saw my drug test I'm guessing?"

Maddie pulls her brows together. She hadn't had a chance to take a look at it, but from the look on Officer Long's face; she knew that there was something wrong.

Emery saw the confusion across Maddie's face. "Uh, Joe--The Firesnatcher drugged me for half the time. So, some things are a blur to me." she bites the inside of her cheek until it bleeds. "So, yeah. You can order that test for me--thanks." her eyes begin to blur with tears.

Maddie takes a small step forward, "Em is everything--"

"Did they see him?"

Maddie keeps her eyes on Emery's bandaged wrist. She takes a moment to blink her tears away before looking across Emery's broken expression. Her right eye had a dark circle around it and her left eyebrow had stitches through it.

"Tom. In the barrel with me?"

Maddie's lower lip quivers. She could see from the way Emery's eyes lowered that she was relieving it. The sight of her probie in the barrel with her. "Emerson, I am so sorry."

Emery's eyes well with tears and her chest tightens. She lays on her side away from the two and her breathing quickens. A choked sob escaped her lips and her body began to shake.

Maddie looks at Officer Long. "Let's give her a few minutes, all right?"

Officer Long nods his head and leaves Maddie and Emery alone. Maddie shifts her eyes to the ground before looking at Emery's trembling body. "Do you need anything? Anything at all?"

Emery inhales a shaky breath and exhales a sharp one. "I...I just can't handle any more interviews or questioning right now—I can't."

Maddie nods her head, "Yeah, of course. I'll ask Athena to send everyone away now."

"Thank you." Emery looks back at Maddie.

The brunette gives Emery a soft smile. Emery slightly opens her mouth, but she closes it. Maddie tilts her head, "What's up?" Her voice was soft.

"Can...can you grab him for me?"

Maddie couldn't stop the smile from forming. "Yeah, that's no problem."

Maddie walks out of the room. As soon as she closes Emery's door, she looks forward and her eyes soften from Buck already sitting in the chair that was in front of Emery's door. Buck raises his brows and stands up. "Everyone was joking about me being the last to see her." he exhales. "I thought they were being serious that entire time, but turns out they weren't. I just don't know if she even wants to see me--I mean, I know she hugged me earlier but still emotions were high and--"

"Buck."

Buck cuts his nervous rambles off when he notices the smile on his sister's face. "I was just coming to get you." she then motions her head. "Em was asking if I could get you from the waiting room."

Buck's shoulders slump and he lets out a huge breath of relief. His eyes then fill with tears which causes Maddie to pull her brows together. "Hey--"

"I almost lost her." Buck could feel his legs begin to grow weak. "What if I--"

"But you didn't, all right? Emery fought." Maddie softly speaks and touches her brother's arm. "She fought and she survived. And now...she wants to see you." she raises her brows. "Go in there and put a smile on her face. Be there for her."

Buck wipes his tears and nods his head. "Yeah, no--you're right."

Maddie lets out a soft breath,  wraps her arms around her brother; pulling him into a comforting embrace. "She's lucky to have you, you know that?"

Buck hugs Maddie back. "I'm lucky to have her."

...

Emery was sitting in her hospital bed with Buck sitting bedside. He was sitting with Emery in silence, not knowing what to talk about. He knows that she hugged him. In the waiting room, but it was still weird. He didn't know how to feel. And he wasn't going to push Emery with questions about so many unnecessary things either.

A soft knock is heard at the door. Emery shifts her eyes over to the door and Buck does the same.

"Is it okay if I come in?"

Buck looks at Emery for her answer. Emery blinks, "You're the nurse, right?"

"I got you that tea, you wanted."

The end of Emery's mouth twitches. "Thank you."

The nurse sets it on the table. But it was too close to the edge. So, the mug knocks over and the steaming water spills on Emery's right hand. Emery flinches and Buck's eyes widen.

"Oh crap!"

Buck looks at Emery, "Shit, Emi. Are you okay?"

"I am so so—"

"It's...okay." Emery kept her eyes on her right hand which was now wet.

"I'll go get some paper towels and bandages. I am so sorry."

"No, really it's.."

The nurse darts out of the room, screaming for bandages. Emery lets out a small breath. Buck keeps his eyes on Emery's hand that was still practically steaming from the hot water. "Jeez, do you have super power or something?" He tries to lighten the mood. Buck grabs the paper towels and pats Emery's hand dry. She pulls her brows together and her jaw goes slack.

"I mean, whatever trick that is—"

"Buck?"

"—you have got to teach me that."

"Evan."

Buck stops and looks at the girl, noticing her shaken expression. "Em, you okay?"

"I can't feel you."

Buck pulls his brows together and his back straightens. "What? What are you..." his eyes trail down to his hand over Emery's right one. His heart sinks into his stomach. "Em—"

"I can't feel your hand." Emery softly whimpers. Her breathing begins to quicken. "Evan, I-I can't..." she then lifts her left hand and touches her right. "Oh my god—"

"I-I'll get a doctor."

Emery inhales a quick breath as Buck stands up. Before he could take another step, Emery grabbed his hand with her left. Buck stops and glances at her. He looked into her teary eyes and he could see her fear. She didn't want him to leave.

Buck lets out a small breath. "Okay, hey..." he sits back down in his seat. "I'm right here." He squeezes her hand. Buck clicks on the call button.

☆

"Miss Sharpe, it seems you have paralysis in your right hand."

Emery raises her brows, "You don't say." she softly scoffs. Her eyes trail down to her bandaged wrist. As the doctor continues to speak, Emery's ears begin to ring. Her eyes shifted to her forearm which was bandaged but she knew that underneath was Joe's name carved into her skin. Emery's lip quivers, but before her tears can rise; her chest tightens with rage. He did this to me.

"We can recommend you different physical therapi--"

"Where's Dylan?"

Silence settles into the room. Buck exchanges a look with Eddie. "Uh, Em? Dylan isn't here right now."

"I need to see him." Emery pulls the IV out of her arm.

Eddie tenses, "Emerson, wait--"

"No! I don't..." Emery trails off her words and covers her eyes with her good hand. She takes her hand off her face but she keeps her eyes closed. "I don't care about my hand right now."

Emery looks at Eddie then Buck. "One of the last things Tom said to me was that he wanted me to look after Dylan." she swallows. Eddie and Buck share a small look. They both knew Emery wasn't in the right space mentally and physically to look after Dylan right now. And there was no way Dylan's grandparents were going to be eager to give their grandson to Emery, especially in this state.

"I have to...are Tom's parents here? I need to talk to th--"

"Emery."

Emery connects her erratic eyes with Buck's soft and calm ones. She hadn't noticed before but Buck's hand was on her arm. He runs a soft thumb over her skin and she feels her racing thoughts begin to settle. Emery lets out a small breath through her nose and looks back at the doctor. She swipes her tongue across her lower lip.

"Are the pt's close to this area?"

The doctor gives Emery a small smile. "Yes, and we can find the best for you."

Emery inhales a shaky breath, "Thank you." The doctor gives her a small nod and steps out of the room, leaving the three alone. Emery then looks at Eddie. "I'm sorry for yelling at you, I just--"

"Hey, it's all good." Eddie sends her a smile. "And I'll look into where Dylan is."

A weak breath escapes her lips and tears form in her eyes once again. "Thank you so much." she manages a small smile. A tear rolls down her cheek and she lets out a frustrated groan. "God, I need to stop crying." she quickly wipes the tear.

Buck slightly opens his mouth. "Well, I read somewhere that crying is actually healthy for you." He slightly leans closer to the girl. Emery and Eddie look at the boy. Eddie had a look of shock while Emery had a look of awe and wonder.

"It's not only self-soothing but it releases oxytocin and endorphins. Which can ease physical and emotional pain." Buck explains.

"When did you have time to read?"

"You read my book?"

Eddie then looks at Emery with even wider eyes. Emery keeps her eyes on Buck, whose face had become flushed with light pink dust. "Yeah, I take all your recommendations seriously."

Emery's eyes soften and she bites the inside of her cheek nervously. She looks down at her bandaged wrist and swallows.

"I'm still stuck on the fact that you read a book." Eddie shakes his head.

Buck rolls his eyes and looks at Eddie with a "seriously?" Expression.

"What? It's true! I mean—"

A small chuckle comes from the girl which catches Buck and Eddie's attention. Emery wipes her nose and looks at them with a smile ghosting her lips. "Thanks you guys. I...needed this."

Buck smiles, "You know we're gonna be here with you for your recovery?"

"Every step of the way." Eddie adds with emphasis. "All of us."

Emery's chest tightens and tears form in her eyes. She thinks back to what Joe said about her being the perfect target for him.

"One day...you would've ended up alone, Em. It's just the pattern."

"I told you that you were gonna end up alone. You have no one..."

Oh, how wrong Joe was about her.

━━━━━━━━━━

author's note.

The next couple of chapters are going to be about Emery's recovery. So it might trail off the show and Emery's recovering is going to be very rough—just a heads up 🫶

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