Annabeth Fawn

Betsey tittered, shaking her head in good nature. "So, really, it would have never happened without everyone here." She assured him with a sweet smile. She may have been the ringleader in it all but it would have been an almost impossible task to achieve without their help. Betsey would be lying if she said she hadn't been tempted every day to just tell Joss about the party.
She grabbed Joss's hand and ushered him and the others through the door to sit at the coffee table. Briefly, she let go of his hand and left his side to hand Sarah a sparking beverage -- since she could not drink -- and return with the cake. Once Betsey was seated beside him again, she patted her skirt pockets until she realized she had none. "Where's the ..."
Lana held up the box of matches and rattled them in her hand. "Looking for these?" she grinned and handed them off to the blonde. "Remember it is an ice cream cake, so it will melt."
"Mhm." Betsey hummed and lit the number candles to the cake spelling out nineteen. "Now you can blow them out."
 
JASPER CARMICHAEL

Joss couldn't wipe the smile off his face, and not just because of the party. Betsey was just so damn cute, and so excited about the party she had put together that Joss couldn't even find it in him to be a tad annoyed that she had gotten him so worried that she was mad at him. It seemed ridiculous now, that he had ever even been worried in the first place.​
He followed Betsey over to the delicious cake she had prepared for him, complete with the candles and everything. Joss couldn't remember the last time he had had a birthday cake, much less one that had been homemade. He smiled as 'Happy Birthday' was sung to him, and then leaned down and blew out the candles, his friends and loved ones applauding behind him.​
"What did you wish for?" Sarah asked as the cake proceeded to be cut.​
"I can't tell you, it'll ruin the secret," Joss told her with a smirk. But in truth, he hadn't wished for anything. He had everything right there in front of him.​
The cake was delicious, and Joss made sure to tell her that. He would compliment her every single minute of every single day if need be. Anything to make her happy. After a little while, Wyatt and Tessa were smoking outside and thus, Joss was left alone with Betsey, Sarah and Lana.​
"You know you're, like, the sweetest thing ever and I don't deserve you, right?" Joss told Betsey adoringly.​
 
Annabeth Fawn

"I think you do," Betsey's cheeks were tainted a soft pink but she smiled as she shook her head. "You deserve me and more." She leaned in and kissed his cheek lovingly. If Betsey could, she would have handed him the world and taken on the pain he had to endure in his stead. But that was impossible, so she settled with making him as happy as possible and making him feel as loved as he made her feel.
If anything, Betsey was the one who didn't deserve him but she loved him anyway.
She glanced at the other two in the room before cupping a hand over his ear and whispering, "I have something else for you too but it's kind of ... intimate." she gave one more look to Lana and Sarah and blushing slightly when the former glanced back at her. "I'll show you when the others are gone."
"Keeping secrets from us?" Lana said teasingly as she began clearing the coffee table a little. "What is it? Birthday sex?"
"Wha - crude!"
"I'm just joking, you're too easy." Lana patted Betsey's leg and set a bottle in the middle. "What do you say we play a game of truth or dare before we go?"
 
JASPER CARMICHAEL

When one put aside all the trauma Joss had sustained, and all the multifaceted components to his sexuality, he was still, at his core, a teenage boy. So of course he got excited to hear the word 'intimate' leave his girlfriend's lips. He gave her a cheeky little smile and a kiss to the lips, to tell her that he was looking forward to it. Then he turned to face the others and proceed to play the game.​
Truth or dare was fun, of course, when you were surrounded by a group of people who were just about willing to do anything. Tessa answered a series of explicit questions about her sex life and Wyatt willingly did a sprint down the road in nothing but his underwear. Joss also downed almost half a bottle of vodka straight after being dared to do so by Wyatt, but he didn't even flinch, because if there was one remotely good thing to come from his shitty life, it was his remarkable alcohol tolerance.​
Eventually, everyone left, except for Tessa of course because she lived there, and Joss retreated to Betsey's bedroom with her. He took off his jacket and put it on her desk chair, then walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her. "Thank you, love," he murmured into her hair. "This was the best birthday I've ever had."
Of course, that didn't mean much considering the history of birthdays he had had recently. But that didn't change the fact that this birthday would probably be impossible to beat.​
Joss squeezed her gently and pulled back to look at her. "So what did you have for me?" he asked her curiously, and admittedly, somewhat suggestively.​
 
Annabeth Fawn
Betsey took both of Joss's hands in her own and led him over to sit on the bed. "Certainly not what you're thinking." She whispered to him teasingly before kissing the corner of his mouth and leaving his side to obtain her ukulele. "So ..." Betsey smiled bashfully and somewhat nervously as she pulled at the collar of her blouse. After a second, she decided to pull it off over her head, leaving just her white cami on as a top, and dropping it onto the floor.
"A while back ago, a long while back, we promised to play each other a song. And you did yours." Betsey moved to stand in front of him. Joss wrote her a song -- and God did she love it --, he was so good with words and his voice was magnificent. She never got tired of hearing him speak. "I'm not good with words and I'm no Jasper Carmichael. But I do have a song for you, just for you."
Annabeth didn't sing in front of just anyone, but Joss wasn't just anyone. When she did sing though, her voice was warm, sweet and melodious, much like her speaking voice. It showed when she started to sing and play her ukulele.
"You're just too good to be true ... I can't take my eyes off you ... You'd be like heaven to touch ... I wanna hold you so much ... At long last love has arrived ... And I thank God I'm alive ... You're just too good to be true ... Can't take my eyes off you."
She swayed slightly to the music. It wasn't something she wrote herself, but she couldn't help but sing with every bit of emotion. Because nonetheless, she meant all that was being sung.
"Pardon the way that I stare .. There's nothing else to compare .. The sight of you leaves me weak ..There are no words left to speak .. But if you feel like I feel .. Please let me know that is real .. You're just too good to be true .. I can't take my eyes off you."
Her round blue eyes locked onto his when it came to the chorus.
"I love you baby, and if it's quite alright .. I need you baby to warm the lonely night .. I love you baby .. Trust in me when I say Oh pretty baby, don't bring me down I pray .. Oh pretty baby, now that I've found you stay .. And let me love you baby .. Let me love you ..." The song came to soft close.
 
JASPER CARMICHAEL
Joss had let a couple of tears slide from his eyes by the time Betsey finished with her beautiful performance. He recognised the song and knew that she hadn't written it, but that didn't matter to him, because he understood the emotion and the meaning behind what she was trying to say. And the message she was conveying was one Joss had never thought he would warrant from another human being in his entire life.​
He still didn't really think he warranted this sort of love. Whenever he looked at Betsey he worried that he was depriving her of a more pure kind of love that she truly deserved. A love where she didn't have to worry about drugs and alcohol and dark histories and illegitimate children.​
But little things like this just reminded Joss that she truly loved him, by some miracle of God, with all of her heart. And he loved her too.​
"Come here," he requested softly, reaching out to take her hands and pull her into his lap. He wrapped his strong arms around her tiny little body and gave her a passionate and true kiss. God, he had never met such a perfect person. Joss didn't know what he would do without Annabeth Fawn in his life.​
"That was beautiful," he whispered. "I love you so much."
 
Annabeth Fawn

Usually the weather in Casselbrook during Spring was relatively beautiful, but today the sky was gloomy. If it rained, Annabeth wouldn't be surprised but it would also be bad considering she and Sarah were out without an umbrella. Fortunately, without being showered on, they made it to their destination. The Carmichael house.
It had only been about two weeks since Joss's birthday party. And things had been rather smooth sailing. The only hiccup was when Joss didn't arrived to Sarah's doctor appointment early today. And he had come to every one of her appointments, determined to be there every step of the way. Betsey had been just as confused as the Greenvales and twice as worried about his absence. That concern only increased when he didn't pick up any of hers or Sarah's calls.
When the appointment was over the two girls stayed behind and waited to see if he'd still show even if he was more than tardy. But after a few minutes passed, Betsey suggested going over to his house. Joss didn't know it, but she knew where he lived. She had known for a long time but never visited or brought it up because he seemed so adamant about her coming over or even meeting his father.
Of course, Betsey only knew because she had met his grandfather and uncle before. Well, not so much as "met", it was more of overhearing their conversation when serving them coffee at her family's bakery cafe. And she hadn't brought that up with Joss either. Still, she was happy that she did know even if Joss would be upset with them for coming over.
She knocked on the door and was meant with silence. Again, Betsey knocked and once again no one came to answer.
"Maybe no one's not home?" Sarah said, disappointingly. "I'll try calling him again." She pulled her phone out from her pocket and Betsey watched as she dialed Joss's number. There was no answer from him, sadly, but they could hear his cellphone's ringtone from inside.
"Joss?" She knocked harder against the door and only wanted two seconds before trying the knob. It was unlocked, she looked back at Sarah and held her gaze before following her inside. "Joss ..." She called his name again as she looked around the dim room.
They hadn't need to look long before Sarah cried out tearfully, "BETSEY!"
Her blood curdled as she rushed to the other girl's side and witnessed what the other girl found. And she found Joss. But he was covered and bruises and bleeding out. There was a small puddle of blood underneath him and the sight of it almost made Betsey shut down.
"No, no, no, no ..." Betsey repeated over and over, her voice breaking as she knelt beside him, leaving her tank top on, but taking her clean t-shirt off to stop the bleeding. "We need a ... we need a .. we need a..." God, she couldn't get the words out as she stared at the blood the shirt sucked up and stained her hands.
"Ambulance!" Sarah quickly suggested as she knelt at his other side, crying many tears. She wasted no time in calling for help.
"Please." Betsey blinked back tears and tried to lift his head with one hand so that it could rest on her lap. "Joss? Baby, can you hear me?"
 
SARAH GREENVALE

The sight of Joss, the father of her child, laying on the floor in a puddle of his own blood was the most terrifying thing Sarah Greenvale had ever witnessed. She had seen her own bone stick out of her body when she had broken her leg at age ten. She had been researching birth since she had gotten pregnant and had seen pictures of babies on their way out. She had seen horror movie upon horror movie, and she had never even flinched.​
But this, seeing Jasper Carmichael bruised and battered and not responding to their calls to him, was the worst thing she had ever seen in her entire life. Sarah stared at him in horror as she told the 911 lady their address. Then she hung up and collapsed onto the floor beside Betsey and the unconscious Joss.​
"Joss? Joss?! Oh my God, Joss, wh - what happened?" Sarah begged him, even if she didn't think he was even conscious.​
Joss made a muffled moaning noise, and Sarah's eyes widened, because this was a sign of life and therefore was incredibly positive. "B - B -"
Joss tried to speak, but he just ended up vomiting a bubble of blood onto the floor beside him, and Sarah burst into tears. Luckily, the paramedics didn't waste much time in arriving, and soon Joss was being shipped off to the hospital, with one kind lady telling them where to find Joss when he arrived.​
When they were gone, Sarah pulled Betsey in for a close and tight hug. "It's okay, he's with the paramedics now," she assured the other girl, even if she knew it wasn't worth much since Betsey was undoubtedly freaking out, as was she. Sarah reached into her bag and pulled out a spare sweater she kept -- she had been getting quite cold since she had been pregnant. She pulled the sweater over Betsey's slight frame, then pulled her outside.​
"I - I - I'll call my dad, he can come get us and t - take us to the hospital," she said, before dialling the number and squeezing Betsey's hand.​
 
Annabeth Fawn

If Sarah hadn't been there, Betsey wouldn't have the slightest clue on what to do next. In response to Sarah, she nodded her head softly. She was afraid that if she opened her mouth nothing coherent would come up. So, Betsey remained silently, squeezing her hand and silently crying as she listened to the short conversation between Sarah and Robert.
Robert Greenvale didn't take long to show up, it was very possible he had run some lights on his way. When seeing the frightened, wet faced girls and the dried blood on Betsey's hands, he stopped to fret over them thoroughly before ushering them in the car and making the journey to the hospital. While in reality the drive was only a few minutes, it felt agonizingly slow to Betsey.
Once they were there and checked in a nurse led them to seats outside the operating room where Joss was inside. Robert sat with Sarah, rubbing her back soothingly. "He'll be okay." He promised them both.
"You don't know that," Betsey said somberly as she paced the floor. It put her closer to comfort than sitting down and doing nothing. But after those words had left her mouth, she sat down and regretting her decision to speak. It was nothing but the anxiety speaking. "I'm sorry." Choked Betsey as she leaned over and buried her face in her hands.
 
SARAH GREENVALE

If Sarah was fretting over Joss this badly, then she couldn't begin to imagine how Betsey felt. She leaned over and hugged the girl around the shoulders, hoping it helped even a little. Sarah was panicking on the inside. Because in spite of herself, and in spite of every corner of her mind screaming at her to stop being so fucking stupid, she had come to really care for Joss.​
But what was strangest was that she cared for him in the way someone should care for the other parent of their child -- she had feelings for him. But Sarah knew he was happy with Betsey. And she didn't want to ruin his happiness.​
She couldn't imagine what had happened to Joss, not at all. Perhaps someone he had a drug altercation with had come to get their revenge? She had no idea and she wasn't going to breach the topic with Betsey when she was so hysterical. What she did do, however, was text both Wyatt and Tessa to let them know what had happened. They showed up not long after her own mother did.​
The six individuals waited awkwardly for what felt like years, but what was realistically only a couple of hours. Eventually, a nurse came out to tell them that Joss was barely awake, and that he could have up to two visitors for the moment. Sarah insisted Wyatt went with Betsey, but he shook his head and demanded she go first. So she went, holding hands with the other blonde girl as they entered Joss's hospital room.​
He was a fucking mess, of course. His arms, which sat above the sheets, were almost black in places from the bruises, as was several parts of his chest and face. He had a bandage over his forehead to cover up a nasty cut he had sustained from what the nurse told them had been a piece of glass. And he was attached to various machines via various cords and IVs and drips. It was just miserable.​
But in spite of everything, he still brightened up when he saw the girls. "Hey," he croaked, his voice raspy and weak. Then his smile died when he saw how distressed they were.​
 
Annabeth Fawn

Annabeth wanted to see Joss as soon as possible. She had been expecting him to look dreadful. But as soon as she saw how dreadful she almost burst into tears all over again. She hadn't completely prepared herself for the sight that was before her. How could anyone hurt another human being this bad? Least of all Joss. She had to turn around and the silent tears fall before hurriedly wiping them away and sniffling as quietly as possible.
The last thing she wanted was for Joss to be currently concerned with anything else besides his own well-being.
Betsey twisted back around so that she was facing him once again and cleared her voice. "Hi." Her voice was nothing but a soft and cracking whisper. There was nothing that followed after that. She couldn't think of anything else to say, her blue eyes only observed every bruise, every cord and every bandage, each thing chipping at her heart before her eyes finally met his.
"You ..." Betsey started but couldn't continue. Her hand in Sarah's was the only thing keeping her from crying and trembling. With how hard she was squeezing the girl's hand it was quite possible she cut off her blood circulation. When Betsey realized how tightly she was holding on to her, she let go of her hand and had Sarah sit in the seat beside his bed while she stood.
Gingerly, Betsey took his hand, afraid that if she held on too firmly she'd only cause him more pain. "Who did it?" She asked, staring him straight in the eyes. No matter how hard she tried not to, hot tears slipped from her eyes anyway. "Don't lie. Don't avoid the truth. Tell me." The longer she looked him, the more Betsey began to tie loose ends together. But she needed to hear it from him.
 
SARAH GREENVALE
Sarah sat down in the chair, her hand over her swollen belly, as she watched Joss carefully. She could almost hear the cogs in his brain whirr as he tried to formulate an excuse. He was so obviously planning to lie, and that irritated Sarah, because as much as she loved Joss's altruism and kindness, she wished he could care about himself for once.​
Sarah also had an idea of who had perpetrated the crime, but she didn't want to admit it. She didn't want to thin that a father could be capable of treating his own son in such an appalling manner. But it just made sense. Everything, from the way Joss acted whenever Beck Carmichael was mentioned to the fact that he had never even had Betsey over at his house, just screamed bad news.​
And as inexcusable as his behaviour was, it sort of made sense considering Joss's dark background. Joss had obviously turned to drugs. But perhaps Beck hadn't had the resources to cope, and had suffered a psychological break instead.​
"It doesn't matter," Joss so clearly lied. He was gripping Betsey's hand tightly. "Please don't try to fix this, okay? There's nothing to fix. You don't need to --"
"What? To worry?" Sarah interrupted with a hiss. Joss looked to her in surprise, only to see that she was visibly livid. "How can we not worry when we find you bleeding out on your living room floor? Someone hurt you Joss, and we all know who it was, we're just waiting for you to say it. But even if it isn't him it doesn't matter, because you're going to be a father in a few months and I do not want to have to explain to our child that Daddy's never coming home."
Sarah's voice broke and Joss's eyes welled over with tears. She reached over and took his other hand. She didn't like bringing up such terrible things, but it was necessary, because they needed him to talk. And he needed to talk now.​
But he didn't say anything. Sarah sent a desperate look in Betsey's way.​
 
Annabeth Fawn

"Please," Betsey begged, biting the inside of her cheek because she wasn't sure what else to do. She kept her eyes locked on him, searching for the right words to say. She could only imagine how hard it may be for him to spill, more so if it was true and his father did hurt him. And if that was the case, she knew for a fact it had been happening for too long.
This whole thing, between herself and Sarah, was almost like a good cop bad cop routine. "I told you about my mother, " she swallowed hard, because even thinking about it was painful. So, in that sense, Betsey understood what he was going through. But it only proved to her more that he had to tell them at the very least. How were they going to make any change if he didn't open up to them. "And when I did ... things had gotten so much better." She squeezed his hand softly and shortly.
"We need you to tell us, please. None of us want to find you like that again or worse." Her voice was cracking all over the place, but she meant ever word, never blinking for even a moment.
It wasn't fair that Joss would be there for her or anyone of them whenever they need help and he wouldn't accept it when they offered it to him. Honestly, Betsey wasn't having it either. What type of girlfriend would she be if she did? "Nothing can change if you don't open up. And things can change.."
 
SARAH GREENVALE

Sarah didn't know what Betsey was talking about, with her mother. She knew the girl was living with Tessa to escape domestic abuse but she didn't know the details. But whatever it was, it seemed to work for Joss, because when she brought it up, he started to tremble with the emotion he was feeling.​
She hated that he was suffering, but they needed him to tell them who had hurt him. They needed to put a stop to it.​
"O - O - Okay, it was m - m - my ... m - my dad," Joss whispered through his tears. Sarah had suspected as much, but hearing it confirmed just made it all worse. She couldn't imagine how someone could cause so much harm to their own children.​
After that, Joss just cried for a solid two minutes, before he finally gained the resolve to be able to explain what had happened. "I ... I came home and he was drunk, like always, and he started to beat up on me. And usually I can hold my own, I've won more fights than I've lost, but ... but this time he got this doorstopper and hit me over the head with it, and I was out cold ..."
Joss sighed, squeezing both of the girls' hands and closing his eyes with pain written all over his expression. "It's not the worst he's done. But I swear, girls, please, there's nothing you can do about it. Don't worry. I'll just stay with Tessa until he cools off and then I can go home."
 
Annabeth Fawn

"Don't worry ... ?" Betsey repeated in a whisper, because truly if anything, they were meant to worry about the truth and what it entailed. Her eyes lowered, looking away from his face and to the bandaged wrapped around his head to the dark bruises marring his skin from his chest to his arms. And this was only what they could see. Betsey hated to think about what may be hidden underneath the sheets.
"He's going to kill you." She didn't say as a possibility, but as a fact. If this wasn't even his worst ... It made her sick to think about. A majority of the scars on his body, she know knew the origin behind them and it made her sick and heartbroken and incensed, But she was the quiet type of angry, the one where it made it hard to think, where she had no idea what she'd do next. "And you're just going to let him."
No, he wasn't going to go back and lie over to let his father stab him, but he might as well. Joss was going to go back to the house, to the man who hospitalized who knew how many times, knowing that one day it could result in his own death? It was ridiculous and horrible and Betsey wasn't going to let it happen.
With her free hand, Betsey gripped the sheets and took a deep breath. "You can not go back." She stared at the white sheets and her hand gripping it. "For once just - just think about yourself." She snapped. Then, she paused, because Betsey didn't want yell or get upset with Joss when he was like this. And to be frank, it was a rarity even to herself to raise her voice.
Betsey looked at Sarah and her swollen belly. "Don't you want to always be there for you child?"
 
SARAH GREENVALE
Hearing the truth of what had happened to Joss was terrible, but what was even worse was realising how brainwashed he had been into thinking that this was okay. As he spoke she was staring at him in utter disbelief. Sarah knew what had happened to him in the past, of course -- she had been there that day with Fitzwilliam, she had heard what he had confessed.​
In a way, this continued assurance that he was okay was sort of just proof that he was completely broken. Sarah believed he had had all the selfishness expelled from his body through his experiences. And that was admirable. But it was also terrifying.​
"Betsey, I do want to be there for my baby," he said. Then his eyes welled over again. "And I know you're right," he whimpered. "But I don't have anywhere else to go. And I'm all he has left -- he's an asshole, I know, but we've both lost everyone else, only I have you and Sarah and the baby now. He doesn't have anyone else. What kind of son would I be if I walked out on him when he needed me most?"
"Are you even listening to yourself?" Sarah asked incredulously. "You don't owe him anything. Aren't you scared?"
Joss's resolve faltered. "Of course I'm scared," he said weakly. "But my mum and my sister would need me to be strong."
 
Annabeth Fawn

Annabeth shook her head slowly. She wish she could say that she didn't understand the attachment, but she did. As horrible as it was, she had a glimpse of an idea how hard this was for him. Once upon a time his father must have been good and loving but the man he was no longer remained. All Betsey could see him as was the father who hurt his only remaining child, the only piece of his wife that he had left.
And nothing could justify that.
"They want you to be strong not suicidal." Betsey bit so hard into her cheek the skin broke and the metallic taste of blood filled her mouth. Temporarily she closed her eyes and released her grip on the sheet. Becoming angry would help anyone, especially not Joss.
When it came to his mother and sister, Betsey tried her best not to speak of them unless Joss brought them up. And even when he did, she tread lightly on the subject in fear of saying something wrong. However, there was nothing vague in her following words about the two females. "Your mother and sister loved you and they loved your father. But - but - but that man is no longer your father." He lost the right to be called Joss's father the moment he laid a hand on him. "So trust me when I say what they would really want for you is to be safe and healthy and loved and cared for like when they were here with you."
Betsey squeezed his hand and put her free hand over it. "He can't give you that. But we can. Me, Sarah and your baby. You just have to let him go and hold on to us instead."
 
SARAH GREENVALE
Sarah watched Joss's face intently as Betsey spoke to him. His expression shifted from denial to stubbornness to grief, and then finally rested on defeat. He let the sobs overcome him for another few moments, only this time they were heavier and harder and it was clear that he had finally given in.​
Sarah wasn't happy to see him so miserable. But when he weakly held his arms out for the both of them, she went in close and gently rested her head on one of his shoulders, with her arm around his torso. She would never deny him affection like that when he needed it the most.​
"Okay," he choked out, nodding his head. Sarah could feel some of his slightly longer curls brush against her head. "O - Okay. I won't go back. I promise."
Joss pulled them both closer, and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I love you," he murmured. Sarah felt a pang of jealousy, but she buried her face into his shoulder to hide that from him.​
She would have to find a way for him to stay safe. She'd ask her dad, who she knew was in the process of acquiring Joss a job. But until then, she knew that all she could do was be strong for him. Because god knew he needed that.​
 
Annabeth Fawn

Where would Joss stay?
The question plagued Betsey's mind day and night. Joss's well-being was her number one priority the second they had found him lying on the floor in his own blood. What she wanted was to care for him in the way he had done for her and if she couldn't do that, she wanted to do even better. But Annabeth Fawn was probably the most useless human being and couldn't think of single way to help him. She herself was stuck sitting in Tessa's house until her parents finally called her home.
Betsey remained overall quiet and thoughtful for the next few days. Classes never felt more dragged out when she was only waiting for the moment the bell rung. However, the blonde shorty always left early to stay with Joss at the hospital until visiting hours were over. And she always brought something healthy but at least tasty to eat because she knew very well how terrible hospital food was.
She sat in her seat beside his bed with Sarah sitting on his other side. Her finger nails were digging into the orange skin of a clementine as her eyes were fixated on the television from which America's Got Talent was playing and some contestant was singing. "I hate to be the one to say it, but he's not that good." Betsey said with a half smile as she finished peeling away the skin of the clementine in her hands.
"You're much better," She told him as she handed him half the clementine and Sarah the other.
Only a few seconds after, Robert and Trudy entered the room. It was nothing out of the ordinary as they visited him almost as often as Betsey did herself or Sarah. After the accident, Robert had visibly softened toward Joss.
"You look better." Robert commented. But it probably didn't mean much considering Joss was still black and blue, at the very least he wasn't coughing up blood. "Do you have a moment, we'd like to talk."
 
JASPER CARMICHAEL

Joss had always fucking hated hospitals.​
He wanted nothing more than to just get out, but at the same time, he sort of liked having stability, because even if he was just wasting away attached to all these machines he still had somewhere to sleep. He knew Tessa would let him stay for as long as he needed to, and maybe even Wyatt would let him couch surf for a while. But none of that changed the fact that as if this moment, he was technically homeless.​
At least he had Sarah and Betsey, his beautiful girls who were doing all they could to make him feel better. He loved Betsey with all of his heart, and he always had. But Sarah ... he couldn't exactly describe the feelings he was developing for her. It was definitely a form of love, but it was more than just loving her for bringing their child into the world. But he didn't know what it was yet.​
When Mr and Mrs Greenvale arrived, he gave them a weak smile and raised a hand in greeting. "Hey," he said to the two of them. God, they were great people. He hadn't seen parents this good since before his own mother had died. "Sure, sir, I have all the time in the world."