Chapter Thirty-Six 

I breathe heavily as JJ holds on to me tightly. All our eyes widened as we looked at Pope who was crawled on the ground, also breathing heavily. The cross had made a huge mess inside, it was sticking out of the floorboards and Pope, he didn't look so good.

"Pope, are you okay?" Kie asked hurriedly, rushing over to Pope along with Sarah, John B, JJ, and I.

JJ places a hand on Pope as he is bent down towards him. "You okay?" JJ asked worriedly. Concern fills in his eyes as he looked at his friend.

"Yeah, I'm good. Just, give me, like, a second to, like, catch my breath." Pope pants out.

"You did it, Pope." John B smiled at him, glancing at the cross that was in the floorboards. "Ah."

"Pope, she's... She's beautiful." JJ complimented the cross, rubbing his hands down the pure gold.

"I've never seen anything like it." Sarah admires.

"Details insane." JJ's eyes were lit up.

"Well, here's why Limbrey wanted the key so bad." John B brushes his thumb over the keyhole inside the cross. How have we gotten so lucky, yet, unlucky at the same time?

"Whoa." JJ looked over, his eyes widening. "How much do you recon she's worth? Like, if we melted her old bones down, dude, I'm talking like high billions."

"This belongs in a—No! This belongs in a museum." John B insisted and he was right, it does belong in a museum.

"What? So no one sees her?" JJ questioned.

"In a museum where everyone sees it." John B argued back.

JJ looked at him in disbelief. "Are you kidding?"

"Hey!" Pope cuts them off. "It's my and ancestors' cross!"

"Right, okay. Alright, alright. Well..." JJ begins.

"This is bigger than money, and worlds gotta know the truth," Pope says.

"Yes. If we don't get this shit out of here I before Limbrey gets here, nobody is going to see it so saddle up." John B states.

"It's heavy, like right here," JJ pointed out. "Okay, hold on." We were all currently in a position, ready to lift up the cross. "John B, you're gonna pull, all right? Pull down."

"I'm gonna pull down. You guys pull up." John B stated. "Ready? One, two, three." John B pulled down and we pulled up.

"Oh, shit," I groaned at the heavyweight under my arms as we slowly began to carry the heavy cross. I'm not sure how we're doing this if I'm honest.

"Who's... Who's not lifting right now?" JJ asked. "Stormy, are you seriously—"

"Babe, I'm lifting!" I glared at him.

"Move forward, people!" Kie instructed.

"It doesn't feel like it—"

"I am!" I whined as we slowly moved towards the door. And I meant turtle pace at this point—no, a turtle could probably reach the door quicker than we can at this point.

"Okay, guys, I can't," Pope confessed as he began to lower the cross.

"No!" Kie exclaimed. "No, no, no!" We all called his name, trying to get him to stay strong but he had dropped the cross—almost crushing my feet and I jumped out of the way, causing everyone else to quickly let go and dodge the cross from falling onto our toes.

Pope slumps into a chair. "Damn it, yo!" JJ exclaimed and looked at me. "You almost dropped it on my foot!"

I frowned deeply. "I'm sorry, J. I didn't mean to, I didn't want it to drop on my toes—I didn't mean it."

"Okay, okay, okay," John B cuts us off. "Listen, we'll make a sling, like a little—"

"Yeah, yeah, and then put it on the tail hitch." JJ agreed, nodding his blonde head frantically.

"Guys! Guys." Pope gained our attention. "I'm not okay. I'm not okay." He was breathing heavily, panting, even as he was looking up at the roof. He seemed extremely uncomfortable.

"Your eye, it looks all puffy," Sarah pointed out how it was swollen.

"You good?" JJ questioned, leaning over him. "You don't look too good, bro."

"I can't—" He gasped.

"He's having an allergic reaction." Kie pointed out.

"How many times did you get stung?" I asked him gently.

That's when Pope faints. "Hey! Hey!" JJ spoke frantically as we tried to aid him.

"What about the cross?" Kie asked.

"JJ, try and hide it," John B pleaded as we tried to take care of our friend. Kie and Sarah both support Pope as we tried to lift him up and walk him back to Kie's car. Kie and John B are now carrying Pope to the door who was gasping a heap.

"Guys, I don't know how I'm gonna hide this!" JJ exclaimed and I turned to him.

"Just—we'll just—" I stuttered as I began to throw the old pillows on the cross in an attempt to hide it. "Surely no one can see that, right?"

JJ squints his eyes. "If you squint your eyes, tilt your head, and turned around the other way—you can't see it. Good job, baby!" He rushed over, kissed my cheek and grabbed my hamd, dragging me back to the others. "Jeez, that thing is heavy!"

JJ closed the red doors behind us. "Sarah, we didn't hide it well enough." I admitted to my sister who looked at us.

She shakes her head. "Don't worry about that. We gotta get Pope to the hospital." She had opened up Kie's trucks door.

"Pope, what do you need, buddy?" JJ asked desperately.

"Keep his legs elevated," Sarah instructed as Pope laid on the back.

"A shot!" Kie informed.

"Okay, I know where to go, give me the keys!" JJ beckoned the keys from Sarah and I climbed in the passenger seat, with JJ in the driver seat.

"They're in the ignition!" Kie yelled.

"Right. I knew that." JJ lied and we all squeezed into the truck, JJ driving off quickly.

✫✫✫

JJ had arrived at his cousin's, Ricky's. JJ banged on the door loudly as the others helped Pope out of the car, bringing him towards Ricky's door.

"Ricky!" JJ yelled desperately. "Hey! Bro! Ricky! Ricky! Hey, Ricky!" Ricky had finally come to the door as I stood next to JJ, grabbing onto my hair frantically.

"Not today," Ricky yelled out as he stood in front of the door, shirtless.

"Hey, Ricky," JJ pleaded. "I've got a problem, bro. I know you're mad at me!"

"Remember that time you stole my ambulance?" Ricky yelled back. He was angry.

"Yeah. I know." JJ yells back. Ricky flips off JJ and shuts the door.

"No! Please!" I pleaded. "Please, we need help! Someone's dying here! He got stung by a wasp! He's having a reaction! Please help!"

JJ was banging loudly on the window. "He can't breath, Ricky!"

"Ricky!" John B had yelled as he and Kie supported Pope, bringing him over to the door with Sarah.

"He's right here, please!" Sarah pleaded.

Ricky opened the door again. "Who can't breath?"

"Look at him!" John B yelled. "Help my friend!" Pope was wheezing heavily, his head going all floppy-like.

"All right, Jesus!" Ricky opened up the door.

"Hey! Nice to meet you, sorry," I told Ricky, pushing past as I walked into his home. I cleared the table, pushing off all the laundry. The nice, cleaned, folded laundry. I instantly felt bad.

"You know I wouldn't come to you if it wasn't an emergency," JJ told Ricky as John B and Kie laid Pope down on the table. "Hang in there, buddy. Hang in there."

"What's wrong with him?" Ricky asked.

"Wasps!" Sarah exclaimed.

Ricky stares at her with wide eyes. "Wasps?"

"Yes." Sarah nods her head.

"Is he allergic to wasps?" Ricky questioned.

"Clearly," Kie pointed at Pope.

"A beehive worth of wasps." John B blurted out.

"Raise his legs, raise his legs!" JJ told John B and the two boys did, putting some laundry under his legs, to keep them risen.

"What's his name?"

"Pope," I answered.

"Hey, Pope?" Ricky looked down at him. "Hang tight. I gotta get my kit."

"Hang tight? Ricky!" JJ yelled after him as his cousin walks off, leaving us alone with Pope.

"J, he's looking for a kit, go help him." I motioned towards the room Ricky went and JJ's nods, racing after Ricky.

"Breath a little, okay?" Kie shakily told Pope. "Like a little bit. I just need you to focus. Focus on your breathing, okay?"

After some yelling later, Ricky had finally found his kit. JJ had returned to my side slyly, his hands on his waist as he stood behind me.

"Okay, what do we do now?" JJ asked.

"You don't do anything 'cause you're not a paramedic," Ricky told him. "Okay, hey, Pope. How you doing, man? You look like shit." Ricky brings out a needle from his duffle bag of supplies. "Here's the thing. This is a paediatric dose of epinephrine."

"Is that gonna be enough?" Sarah asked.

"He's not a kid, right?" Ricky asked.

"He's not a kid!" Kie exclaimed.

"It is ten times a normal dose," Ricky informed us. I nodded—that's good, that's what we need. That's what Pope needs. "So if... If it doesn't stop his heart, it'll help him. But I gotta use the whole thing, or it won't work and I'm not going down if he dies."

"Okay! Fine! Do it!" JJ nodded his head, gripping onto me tightly. "Hit it!" Ricky looked at JJ and I—noticing our closeness. Ricky nods his head. "Come on, hurry up!"

"Okay," Ricky replied. Ricky turned to Pope. "Pope, hang in there, buddy," Ricky injects the epinephrine in Pope's arm and I cringed at the sight. I hated nails. I turned around and hugged JJ, JJ doesn't hesitate to wrap his arms around me tightly, a hand around my back and a hand at the back of my head.

"I hate needles, man," JJ told me quietly.

"Me too," I whispered back, burying my head in his chest. He hugged me even tighter.

"I learn things about you every day, Storm," JJ whispered in my ear and I smiled a little.

"Okay, now, that's it," Ricky spoke.

"Okay, now what?" Sarah asked.

"Now we wait," Ricky replied and I sighed, turning around. Pope goes still on the table—his left eye is severally swollen.

"You killed him," Kie said.

"No." Ricky shakes his head.

"Yes, you did!"

"I didn't do shit." Ricky snapped.

Kie looked at him, panicked. "What did you do?"

My heart thumped into my chest. "I did exactly what you told me to do." Ricky had glared at Kie.

"Please!" Kie pleaded Pope. "Please! Pope, come on!"

JJ broke away from me and grabbed Pope by the t-shirt, shaking him lightly. "Pope, come on, bro!" Suddenly, Pope gasps—letting out a breath and I sighed, relaxing a little. "Wait, wait, wait, he—"

"Pope?" Kie asked, leaning over him. "Pope, Pope, Pope?"

Pope lifts his head up, letting out a few coughs. Ricky lets out a laugh of victory as Pope sits up. "Thank God!" I run a hand over my face, feeling the stress leave my body.

"There he is!" JJ smiled widely. "That's my boy right there!"

"It's hot!" Pope exclaimed. "I'm real hot, guys."

"It's okay. Take it easy." JJ advises him as Pope climbed off the table, taking off his jacket. JJ glanced at Ricky. "I owe you."

Pope walked out of the house, getting some fresh air as the others followed him. "Take a second!" Kie called.

"It's hot!" Pope exclaimed.

I turned to Ricky. "Thank you so much," I told him, JJ was standing by his side. Ricky glanced at JJ. "Are there any side effects we should be concerned about?"

"He'll have a rocket up his ass for about half an hour, then he'll be fine," Ricky told us.

I looked over on the grass, seeing Pope jumping around like a little kid. "Let's go get that grass!" Pope yelled. "Game six, baby! I'm Michael Jordan!"

"JJ, I wanna talk to you, man." Ricky grabbed the JJ's arm, pulling his side and shutting the door in my face. I turned sharply on my heel, walking back over to the others.

"P!" I yelled, smiling widely. "Hey, P!"

"Stormy!" Pope screamed my name, running towards me at full speed. He spins me around as soon as he reaches at me, letting out a yell while I let out a yelp, feeling myself being put down.

JJ soon came back out, grinning like a mad man and he reaches me, taking ahold of my hand. "Let's go, baby!"

A/N 

Holy shit its been almost a month, but I'm back with another update. My fingers are royally fucked for 4-9 months and it makes me cringe everytime I look at them and it still hurts when I type. I'm nearly done with this book, though... That's sad. 

AND tysm for 12K reads!