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Hope paced back and forth in the hospital room, she wanted to yell, she wanted to shout, she wanted to punch a wall to feel anything besides the pit of worry built in her stomach. Hope had left the kids with Josie, she wanted them to have some alone time and be able with their mother. Hope was gone for not more than an hour and ten minutes. When she returned Josie was nowhere to be found.
Hope at first thought maybe the nurse took her to get a check-up, or even Mr. and Mrs. Saltzman took her for a stroll around the pediatric floor so the twins could let some energy out. Hope, however, was proven wrong when Lizzie was brought back in by the nurse she and Josie shared.
"Josie isn't with you?" Hope asked.
"No, she was here when Nat took me," Lizzie pointed to the nurse who was pushing her wheelchair. "Maybe they took her for some test." Lizzie did not want to let her mind go wild, but she let her mind run when she noticed something under Josie's bed. "Hope what's under Josie's bed?"
Hope reached down under Josie's bed and found Josie's hospital gown and Josie's phone next to it. Hope showed Lizzie and she knew when they locked eyes that both their mind were coming up with a million different scenarios.
"I'll get your aunt." nat dismissed herself.
Hope placed the thing on the empty bed and wheeled Lizzie closer to the other bed. Hope gently helped Lizzie onto the bed. Both teenagers shot their heads in the direction of Josie's bed when they heard a ding. Hope walked over and grabbed the phone.
"What is it?" Lizzie did her best not to sound freaked out. Feeling she has already been through once were starting to replay in her body and mind.
"It's a message."
"From."
"The number isn't saved." Hope wondered who would be texting her girlfriend. Then Hope thought it could possibly be a kid that Josie tutored.
"Well open it."
"Elizabeth I can't do that."
"Hope Mikealson now is not the time to be a good girlfriend." Lizzie stared Hope down and the girl gave in.
"Fine," Hope unlocked the phone. As she glances at the message it became clear that the person sending it clearly knew Josie. Hope began to read, "I beg you please stay safe and if there is anything I can do for you don't hesitate to call me. Jojo never forget you are going to make it through whatever is troubling you right now." Hope felt a bit of jealousy reading the message, she didn't understand why Josie just didn't talk to her. "Who could it be?"
"Satan." Lizzie scolded. She was certain of it. No one but Penelope Park called Josie, Jojo. Lizzie explained further when she saw Hope's confused face. "Josie's ex. The one whose wedding you went to."
"I am going to kill you sister Elizabeth," Hope forcibly chucked when she saw Lizzie smile at her words. "I am not kidding, I am going to literally kill as soon as we find her."
It had been three hours since everyone became aware that Josie had run away. Sheriff Forbes had sent out an amber alert for the teenager but she made sure it stated they were looking for Josie Forbes.
Camille had been informed of what was going on and she showed up at the hospital to talk with everyone, she knew there would be a lot of emotion going around. The one thing Camille was thankful for was that no one yelled at her or blamed her because she told them Josie shouldn't know she was Josette until the medication wore off.
It was decided that Keelin, Caroline, and Hope were going to go talk with Josie's ex. This is why Hope found herself knocking on the door of Penelope Park's apartment. Hope was getting impatient, no one was opening the door of the apartment. Hope decided to knock one final time, but there was still no answer. She headed back to the car.
Before she enters the car Hope noticed that girl had passed her making her way to the apartment complex entrance.
"Penelope!" Hope shouted hoping it was the girl she was looking for. "Penelope Park?"
"What are you doing here?" Hope did not need any more confirmation. The way the woman greeted her was enough for Hope to know this was Josie's ex.
"Josie left. Do you happen to know where she is?"
"If I did I would tell you." Penelope began to walk away but was stopped by Hope. "Look sweetie if Josie left, it clearly because she wasn't happy. So leave her alone if you love-"
Hope let her anger get the best of her. She had slammed Penelope onto the wall before she got to finish her sentence. Hope could feel her breathing speeding up, she heard the footsteps getting closer to her. Hope didn't need to turn around to know it was her Aunt Keelin and Caroline.
"I do love her. My love for her is the reason I am here." Hope tightens her grip on Penelope's shirt. Hope got frustrated every minute that passed. Hope let go of the right side of Penelope's shirt. Hope wanted to punch the woman in front of her she was sure Penelope knew where Hope was, instead she punched the wall right next to her. "Dammit Park, where's Josie."
"You really do care about her?" Penelope found herself asking as she wiped a tear that rushed down Hope's cheek. "She panicked and ran didn't she."
"More than you can understand." Penelope could tell the teenager in front of her was being sincere she really was concerned for Josie.
"I dropped her off at a hotel an hour away from the hospital. You might wanna hurry though because if I know Josie she's probably already moving."
Hope thanked Penelope once the girl gave her the name of the hotel. She followed the adults back to the car and sat in the back quietly. She wiped the tears that were still running down her cheeks. All Hope wanted was to hold Josie and the twins and make sure they were safe.
Hope rushed out of the car when it came to a stop in the hotel parking lot. She glanced around trying her hardest to spot the brunette they were looking for. She followed quickly and silently behind Caroline and her Aunt Keelin.
"Can I help you.?" The woman behind the front desk asked.
"We are looking for a 17-year-old girl, brunette. She is traveling with two kids." Keelin answered.
"No one with kids had checked in ma'am."
"What about a reservation under the name Josie Forbes." Caroline decided to step in she was getting tired of just standing there and hearing the lady be useless.
"No, ma'am I sorry. Any other name you'd like to say."
Something that the woman said made Hope remember a conversation she had had with Josie before. Josie had slipped up and mentioned that in emergencies she's learned to never be herself. At the time of the conversation, Hope didn't understand why Josie would ever think of being someone else but after seeing Josie return from her last foster home it clicked in her brain why Josie had many emergency plans in place.
"What about Penelope?" Hope knew it was a long shot but it was worth a try.
"I have a Penelope Forbes."
"Yes." Hope felt a weight being lifted off her chest. They were getting closer to finding Josie. Hope wasn't sure if she was going to hug Josie or yell at her but first, she wanted to see Josie for herself.
Josie was exhausted. She wanted nothing more than to spend the night at the hotel and get some room. But she couldn't she knew the longer she stayed the bigger the possibility of her being found. Josie would not risk that, not again.
Josie splashed some water on her face. She was beginning to sweat. Josie wasn't sure if she was the one overheating or if the hotel room was just hot.
"Mommy." Josie heard the little cry and she knew very well who it was coming from. Josie used her shirt to dry her face, she made her way to the bed as quickly as she could. Her head was spinning but she knew she had to fight through her dizziness to comfort the small child. Josie bit her lips as she lifted Elliot. She rubbed her back softly.
"Shhh, baby. Mommy here." Josie tried her hardest to bounce but the pain waves and dizziness running through her body were not helping. Josie looked over at the clock on the wall and decided it would be best if they left in the morning it was already dark. Another cry escaped the child. "I'm here Elliot. Mommy is right here."
Josie was so focused on her daughter and herself she didn't hear the room door open.
"Josie," Keelin said.
Josie looked up to see three women she didn't think she'd see again. Josie felt relief to see familiar faces but she couldn't help but also feel scared. If they found her that meant they were taking her back and that she was not as smart with her plan as she remembered.
Josie kept her distance, she was trying to see if she could run out of the room with her kids without getting caught.
"You need to come with us Josie," Keelin told the teenager. She could read the fear in her eyes.
"I can't." Josie removed her gaze from Hope. She looked between the two adults. "Not safe, away." It was getting harder for Josie to concentrate. She wasn't sure if the sentence she said made sense but she was proud that she got the words out.
"Josie, can I examine you?" Keelin took a step closer to the girl who she was sure was bleeding from her surgery incision. Josie shook her head no. "I just want to make sure you're okay."
Josie shook her head again but it didn't help her. Her dizziness increased and now there were black little spots in her vision. Josie knew what was going to happen next. Josie took a set closer to Keelin.
"Keelin," She whispered.
"Yes, hun."
"Can you?" Josie slowly handed Elliot to Keelin. Once Josie was certain Keelin had her daughter she turned around to Hope. "Hope-" Josie didn't finish her sentence her eyes were too heavy and her body had given out under her.
"I got you, my love" Hope said as she caught Josie who had just collapsed. Hope picked Josie up bridal style. "Aunt Keelin?"
Keelin handed the child to Caroline and went to examine Josie. Keelin unbuttoned Josie's shirt from the bottom and sighed. There was blood coving Josie's shirt, and duct tape that Keelin was sure would cause Josie's incision to completely open when she saw the duct tape.
"We should get her to the hospital," Keelin told the two others in the room. "She's going to be okay she has just lost a lot of blood."
Hope nodded as she made her way out of the hotel room and into the car. They were going to head back to the hospital Lizzie was in because that was the closest one in this small little town. They were thankful that Elizabeth, Caroline's mother, had caught up to when they figured out where Josie was. Elizabeth had shown up with an ambulance. They would be getting a police escort back to the hospital.
"Do you know her blood type?" The paramedic asked.
"O-negative," Caroline answered.
Hope placed Josie on the gurney and let the paramedic do his job. Caroline would be riding in the ambulance while Keelin and Hope were in the car with the twins.