Chapter 20

Kevin sat in his room watching TV. They were all being released in an hour. They had only had to stay one day. The doctors had given them a clean bill of health. They were still scared to death. They knew what Rob was capable of and obviously not willing to stop until he saw all five of the young men dead.

**************

“Brian?”

“What Nick?”

“Will you do me a favor?”

Brian sighed and rolled his eyes. “What now?”

“Can you go ask my doctor if I can go visit AJ or Howie or Kevin? Please, the last time I got out of bed that nurse yelled at me.”

“Nick…c’mon I don’t wanna go search for your doctor. I don’t know where he is.”

“So. You’ll find him.”

“Fine…”

Brian stood up. He walked out of the room; he didn’t know why Nick wanted to leave the room now. They were allowed to leave in less then an hour. And his nurse had said that she wanted him to rest that last hour before he left.

He walked down the halls in search of Nick’s doctor.

“Hello Brian.”

A chill surged through Brian’s body. He spun around, his heart beating rapidly. His breaths came in short gasps, sweat accumulated on his forehead. He recognized that voice. Before he could run back to Nick’s room a large hand wrapped around his mouth. Brian fought to get loose. He heard vague voices, more than one. He silently prayed that a nurse or anyone would find them.

“You make so much as one little sound! It’s over, and I mean it. You will walk out casually. Got it?”

Brian nodded frantically, his mind racing.

“Lets go guys.” The four of them walked out. Rob’s car was parked outside of the door with another person in the driver’s seat.

They tore open the door and shoved Brian through. A few minutes passed and he sat biting his nails.

“So Rob…what should we do to him?”

“I don’t care, but we have to think of a plan to get the others.”

Brian shut his eyes momentarily. Why did they have to get the others?

“Thought you’d get away huh? Think the police would take care of ya? Well guess what? I never give up,” Rob stated harshly. “Never. And I won’t give up ‘till all five of ya are dead!”

“What did we ever do to you,” Brian demanded. “We never ever did anything!”

“It’s not about that! It’s much, much more than that kid.”

“You’re going to go to prison! All of you! You’re all going to rot there! You’ll never get Howie, Nick, Kevin or AJ!”

The car screeched, evidently it wasn’t in that great of shape. Brian winced, but his gaze remained soley on Rob. His eyes bore into him, not willing to show his fear. Not caring anymore.

“Who do you think you are? Huh? Nobody talks to me like that!”

Brian didn’t so much as flinch. “I’m not scared of you Rob or any of you. You can do what you want with me, but I know you’ll never get my friends. I know it,” he stated. His voice not once wavering.

“Oh yeah and what makes you so sure of this?”

Brian didn’t answer. He sat still.

“You just wait till we get back. You’re gonna be in a lot more pain then you could ever imagine. You think you’re in pain now, from that car wreck. You just wait,” Rob said evilly.

Brian drew in a shaky deep breath. “Why,” he asked, his voice faltering slightly, as if in defeat.

“Why,” Rob retorted angrily. “Shut up!”

Brian turned his head away and rested it on the window. He shut his eyes. Wondering what his friends were doing. He struggled to hold back the tears that threatened to spill over with a vengeance. Would he ever see them again? What about Leighanne, his parents, his brother? He then gloomily glanced out the window. He then realized that it could be the last time he ever saw daylight again. Was he really going to die this way?

********

“What do you mean you can’t find him,” Kevin yelled. “This is a hospital! You’re supposed to be watching out for him!”

“Kevin, man chill,” Howie said silently. Deep down inside, however, he felt the same way as Kevin, and only wished he could yell at the doctors, police and nurses like Kevin could. How could they let something happen to Brian?

“I will not calm down! Brian is my cousin. My cousin! I have a right to be angry!”

“Oh God, when I start to think of the possibilities…” Kevin moaned.

“Mr. Richardson, I assure you, we’ll bring Mr. Littrell back safely. He probably just wandered off,” a police informed matter-of-factly.

“What? Why would he want to wander off? He’d be getting out of here in less than an hour anyway!”

The police officer studied his hands for a moment. Kevin’s answer wasn’t inept. Why would he want to leave when he would be leaving soon anyway? If Brian hadn’t wandered off, then the reality of it was that Brian had been taken. Someone took him from the hospital. Rob.

“This is all my fault,” Nick cried. “I can’t believe it! If anything happens to him, I’ll never be able to forgive myself.”

AJ sat down next to Nick and wrapped an arm around him, trying his best to comfort his friend. “Has anyone notified Leighanne or Bri’s parents,” AJ asked.

“Not yet. We are though,” a doctor said and turned away.

“The hospital will be searched again, we’ve got teams scouring the area. We’ll do out best to bring him back safely.”

“Fine,” Kevin said coldly, in clenched teeth. He then buried his head in his hands. They were gonna have to be extremely strong to get through this…