Chapter 74

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Hour thirty nine

Twelve am

Suddenly I feel a pump of oxygen enter my lungs. I shoot my eyes open as taking the deepest breath that I have ever taken. I begin wheezing as placing both my hands onto my breathing mask. I search my surroundings to find four paramedics taking me out of the back of an ambulance on a stretcher.

Thank God I'm not dead. Fuck - if I'm not dead then what does that mean for Calvin and Matthew?

I attempt to speak but it comes out incoherent. Everything around me is a blur, including my arms that were torn and bloody.

"Miss you're at the hospital" one paramedic tells me as wheeling me into the hospital.

I remove the mask. "Casualties?" I struggle to say as another paramedic puts my mask back on.

"You need to leave this on" she orders. 

Casualties? I need to know.

"Two" one of the male paramedics glance at me "both fatal"

My eyes widen. They're dead? Matthew Peterson and Calvin Johnson are dead?

This is over?

***

Hour forty seven

Six am

"Sober, tipsy, or wasted?" A familiar voice questions.

I open my heavy eyes slowly.

"Hey beautiful" a different voice greets.

I feel two tubes down my throat so I don't dare to speak.

"Don't speak" the first guy orders as pointing to the notepad that sat beside me.

My eyes begin to adjust - transforming the two figures into Ross and Thomas.

"Congratulations you're officially an arsonist" Thomas half smiles as taking a step towards me.

"Don't ever scare me like that again" Ross orders from beside me on my bed.

I take the pen from beside me and begin writing on the note pad.

No promises

I flash them the note pad - spreading a smile to their faces.

Matthew and Calvin are dead

"We know" Thomas nods "they hit their heads during the blast and died from smoke inhalation....kinda got toasted in between"

I nod but my eyes grow watery.

So is Hank

We exchange emotional looks for a moment causing Thomas to nod slowly.

"Yeah....I thought so" he admits.

I can tell by the look in his eyes that he's completely broken inside. He's has spent the last ten years searching for someone that wasn't even there. It had cost my Brandon his life.

We are free

"First time in twelve years" he kisses the back of my hand. "Get some rest"

I nod.

***

Hour seventy two

Eight am

"At least they had the decency to bury them" Thomas comments as I stand between Ross and Thomas, holding ten roses in my grasp.

Here we go

I bend down and place a single rose in front of Katherines Tomb stone. I sigh as standing up straight.

I place two down for my parents Alexandria and Wyatt who were buried together in the same plot.

"Sober, tipsy, or wasted?" She would ask me.

"I crave drinks when you ask her that"  my dad kissed her lips.

"I need a few drinks in order to watch this" i laughed.

I place one down for Liam the love of my life who was taken too soon.

"I love you Isla! Call me crazy but I'm completely and utterly in love with you!"

I laughed "Who talks like that?"

"What?"

"Your fifteen years old" I laugh "not twenty seven"

"I'm professing my love for you over here and you're laughing"

"I'm sorry" I attempted to keep a straight face "I'm cruel....why don't you just smile, walk towards me slowly.... And say, look Isla, I know that i sound cheesy as hell but I think that I'm in love with you?"

He begins walking towards me slowly with a small smile.

"I don't think" he held my jaw "I am in love with you" he kissed my lips.

Next one was the sweetest little girl out there. I place the biggest, biggest rose down for my baby girl Lexi.

"What's wrong?" Liam whispers as we lay in bed beside each other.

"The baby's coming" I told him with wide eyes.

"Wait what?"

"The baby is coming" I repeated "get Hank"

"But it's early" Liam cried "you're only twenty three weeks...the kid needs to stay in the oven for another four months"

"Tell the baby that"

"She has your brown hair" Liam smiled at me.

"And your blue eyes" I told him.

"Katherine's nose" Hank added.

"Dads ears" Brandon added.

I place my next one in front Brandon's tomb stone, I'm glad Thomas sent him here to be buried with my family. It means a lot.

Next is Hank, he's buried beside his son. He had wronged me in so many ways that I can't even begin to describe, but I had the pleasure of calling him dad when I needed one the most.

"What's her name?" Hank asked.

"Alexandria" I smiled as we stood around the baby.

"No" he shook his head.

"No?" Liam raised his brows.

"It's too grown up"

"What are you talking about dad? My name's Thomas" Thomas pointed out.

"But when you were a baby we called you Tommy" hank told us.

"So what do you suggest grandpa?" I chuckled.

"Lexi" he smiled. "Just till she grows up a little"

"I like that as a nickname" Liam smiled at me "what do you think?"

"I love it" I told them.

"Alexandria after mum?" Brandon looked up at me.

"Yeah" I nod "Alexandria after mum"

I take the remaining three roses. For three woman that were so much more then collateral damage.

Though they aren't buried here, I place one of three remaining roses down for the beautiful Sarah.

"Happy seventeenth birthday" my friend Sarah cried as giving me a chocolate cupcake.

"Thank you" I smiled as we stood in the parking lot of our favourite diner at eleven am "you know you didn't have to do all this"

"I totally shouldn't have, cause you know it was so much work...with the whole going into the bakery, asking for one cupcake and handing the money-" she started sarcastically.

My feisty Willow.

"I'm laura by the way" she said cheerfully as another student sits beside her "oh and this is Willow"

"I apologize for my friend" Willow said to Thomas and I "she can come across as a hyperactive,
creepy, extra as fuck, bitch"

"I've been on my best behaviour I swear" Laura rolled her eyes "this is Emma and Jacob"

"Great now stop bugging them" Willow ordered.

and sweet aunt Rebecca.

"Osmund...meaning under God's protection...ironic right?" She raised a brow as we walked across her home.

"How did you know Katherine?" I gulped nervously.

"She was my sister" she told me as moving her long brown hair behind her ears.

"Older sister or younger?"

"Neither" she half smiled "Katherine and I are twins"

"That evidence would have taken down the dirty cops from the FBI and CIA" I stats, "that's what we lost our lives for."

I wipe my tears as my phone buzzes from my pocket. I missed my hearing.
I've probably lost my job.

"Hello" I press my cell against my ear.

"It's Laura" she starts "we've pulled it off...I don't know how but we did it...you're back on the force from Monday morning"

A tear rolls down my cheek as a smile washes across my face. "Thank you" I sniff.

"You're welcome....I'll see you around Isla Mills" Laura says.

"See you around" the call ends as I glance at Thomas and Ross who both shoot me blank looks. "I'm back on the force"

"That's great news" Ross kisses my lips.

the three of us walk side by side out of the cemetery — a place that none of us will be returning to any time soon.

--------------------------------

Hey guys!

So that's it.

I honestly had no idea how I was going to end this until I was actually writing the final chapter.

I love the ending despite the amount of people that died throughout the book.

I actually didn't know if I wanted Hank to live or not until I was writing chapter 73. I had to write what felt right to me and I guess I didn't know where Hank would fit into Isla and Thomas's present lives.

There was a point where I wasn't going to kill off Brandon or Lexi - I was going to make it ten years later and she had these two kids in her life and perhaps a husband. That idea went out the window because I found that Isla couldn't be selfish and put everything on the line to find Thomas and find out the truth if she had kids.

I hope you all have enjoyed this book.

Thank you for being incredible.

Email: [email protected]

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