till forever falls apart, jj maybank₁

epilogue .

Three days had passed from the moment JJ had brought the news to Rylee in her hospital bed of what had happened to Sarah and John B. Originally, the doctors and nurses had assured her she was only going to be held overnight for observation. Her concussion wasn't serious, and as long as she took her antibiotics and promised to see her physician about how her wound was healing, she would be okay. 

Then, when news of her relationship with suspected-murder-now-missing-person John B came to light, a polite doctor who wore a sweater vest and tie underneath his white lab coat had entered her room and asked her question after question. It wasn't until about an hour in that Rylee realized he was a psychiatrist. Unfortunately, her responses to his questions and other information that had come to light had thrown enough red flags for the doctors to recommend she extend her stay temporarily, despite her objections.

Finally, her stay at the hospital was winding to a close. Rylee obviously had no insurance, and each day that past, every test they ran, every pill they passed to her in the white Dixie cups terrified her more and more. Would she ever be able to even make a dent in the payments that she now owed?

A firm knock sounded on her door. Kiara was due to pick Rylee up from the hospital and take her home -- though Rylee wasn't sure exactly what "home" really meant at the moment -- in about an hour.  She had just changed into her own clothes, grateful to finally shed the hospital gown, and she quickly grabbed her sling to slip her arm into in case it was a doctor or nurse. She was told to wear the sling for the next three weeks, but Rylee knew as soon as she was out of the stuffy hospital, the sling would be going in the trash.

"Come in," Rylee called out after tugging the sling into place. She cleared her throat and sat down on the edge of her bed.

Rylee was dying to get out of the hospital for several reasons, one in particular being that she hadn't seen JJ since the visit he had paid her the morning after John B and Sarah went missing. Pope and Kiara had visited every day, staying for hours, but JJ hadn't joined them. He had been staying at the Château temporarily, fearing the wrath of his father when he found out that the Phantom was missing, but he had been avoiding all of the Pogues, and none of them were totally sure why.

As the door opened, Rylee felt dread drench her entire body as Sheriff Shoupe entered the room in full uniform, his badge glinting on his chest, his gun holstered at his hip. He had been by to see her already, to take a statement from her regarding her involvement with John B's escape, and also to inquire about what had happened to land her in the hospital. Rylee was tight lipped, only telling him information the Pogues had agreed upon, and telling him she had no recollection of how she got hurt, of who did it. The way she saw it, her keeping quiet made her and Barry even.

"Miss Edwards," Shoupe said with a small incline of his head.

"Shoupe," Rylee responded hesitantly, picking at a loose string on the hospital bed mindlessly, "How can I help you today?"

A strict looking woman in a gray pantsuit followed Shoupe into her room.

"Rylee, this is Mrs. Brooks. Cheryl, this is Rylee."

The woman, Cheryl, inclined her head gently at Rylee by way of greeting.

"Hi ..." Rylee carried off hesitantly, confusion settling in.

In Cheryl's hand was a black trash bag that looked to be filled about halfway. She took a step forward and offered a polite smile, "Rylee, I'm from the Division of Child and Family Services. The hospital alerted us that they were not able to reach a parent or guardian for you and when working with local law enforcement, we've discovered your mother is missing-"

Cheryl continued to speak, but Rylee could no longer hear or understand what was being said. Her head began to spin, and her breathing picked up rapidly. If she hadn't already been sitting, she was sure her legs would have given out underneath her and she would have collapsed. She opened her mouth to argue, to ask what it all meant, to come up with an excuse for her mother, but nothing came out. Shoupe's firm hand was gripped tightly around her arm, Cheryl guiding her with a hand on her upper back. They led her from the room, out of the hospital, and into the back seat of a small silver car.

Panic was coursing through Rylee's veins as she stared out of the back window of the car, her ears still ringing, her head pounding. She didn't know where she was going, but she knew she wasn't going home. JJ's face was plastered in the center of her mind, nausea rolling through her. She didn't even get to say goodbye.

season two:

a/n: i want to offer my sincere appreciation for anyone who has taken the time to read rylee's story, your messages, and your likes. i hope you'll continue with me for season two. thank you <3