“Okay Jayce, back up a second,” Lance said and looked at his friend. “What do you mean?”

            “Exactly what I said,” JC sighed, leaning his head back. He was getting tired of all this running around in circles. “I saw him.”

            “Shit,” Lance muttered under his breath and Joey nodded in agreement.

            “What about Maddie? Does she know anything?” Joey asked and JC nodded slowly before answering.

            “Yeah, she was there. She saw him too,” he whispered and the other two men just stared at him in shock.

            “So what you’re saying is the cops arrested the wrong guy? You lied to the police?” Lance questioned. Again JC nodded and ran a hand through his hair.

            “Pretty much yeah,” he replied, Joey gave him a firm but confused stare.

            “Why?” Joey asked.

            “Why what Joe?” JC asked back, confused as to why his friend was asking such an odd question.

            “Why did you lie to the cops? I thought you were still at odds with him and shit,” Joey clarified. JC shrugged and looked between the two of them.

            “No matter what happened, he’s still my little brother,” JC said softly, “I can’t let him take the fall for it.”

            “But Jayce…” Joey began and JC cut him off.

            “No Joe,” JC said firmly. “If it was you you’d have done the same thing.”

            “Yeah but Jayce,” Lance said and looked at him, “That’s not the point here.”

            “Then what is the point?” JC asked angrily and Lance sighed.

            “The point is,” Joey said and ran a hand through his hair.

            Lance cut through him and looked at JC, “The point is Jayce, he committed a crime and that is something even you can’t cover up for him.”

            Justin raised his hand and got ready to knock, wondering if he was doing the right thing. But then again, as Trace and Chris had assured him, he was doing the right thing. He smiled softly and got ready to knock, but before his hand reached the wood on the door, it opened and he was face to face with Madeline.

            “Maddie,” he said softly, and found himself looking down at his shoes unexpectedly.

            “Justin?” Madeline asked confused and tried to meet his declining eye line. “What are you doing here?”

            “Uh, I came to see Jayce,” he barely whispered, and managed to look back up. “Is he here?”

            “Yeah,” Madeline smiled and looked over her shoulder, “He’s with Lance and Joe.”

            “Oh,” Justin said and the small smile that was on his lips fell. He hadn’t been expecting that.

            “How did you know where we were?” Madeline asked, looking back to him.

            “Um, the hospital told me,” he blushed sheepishly, “I wanted to talk to him, and um, apologise, alone. But I can see that he’s busy so I can come back later.” Justin began to back up but Madeline shook her head and reached out for his arm, grabbing it gently.

            “No wait,” she said and gave him a smile, “You can wait, at least until Joe and Lance leave. Come into the kitchen, have a coffee in the meantime.”

            “Are you sure?” Justin asked with a smile, and she nodded in response. “Okay then, maybe I will.”

            “Good,” she smiled and pulled him through the door.

            “Here you go,” Madeline said and placed the steaming hot mug of coffee in front of Justin. Justin looked up and smiled appreciatively at her.

            “Thanks,” he said softly and cast his eyes back down. “I really appreciate you not shooing me away Mads.”

            “I could never…” Madeline began and sat down beside him, “Justin...”

            “I know you saw me Mads,” Justin said softly, ignoring what she was trying to tell him. “And you could have said something but you didn’t.”

            “We have a history Justin,” Madeline replied and smiled softly before continuing, “It’s a history that’s more than…”

            “I’m sorry Mads,” Justin whispered and reached a hand out to touch her arm, “I didn’t mean…”

            “I know you didn’t,” she replied and allowed his to trace his hand down her arm until his hand clasped hers. “It was an accident.”

            “It wasn’t an accident and he knows it.” Both Madeline and Justin looked up then, and saw Lance leaning against the doorway that lead into the living room, with JC hobbling behind him next to Joey.

            “Lance,” Madeline said and pulled her hand quickly away from Justin’s before standing up. “You don’t know…”

            “He knows Maddie,” JC said offering her a sympathetic smile and moving into the room. “They both know everything. What are you doing here J?”

            “Jayce,” Justin began and stood up slowly, “I came to...”

            “We’re gonna go Jayce,” Joey said interrupting and seeing the two needed to talk. “Mads, can you walk us out?” Madeline nodded, noting where Joey was going with that and stepped towards the door to leave.

            “Sure,” she whispered and glanced quickly between Justin and JC, “I’ll be back in a bit.”

            “Lance…” Joey said, grabbing Lance’s hand and veering him towards the door as well. “See ya Jayce, Justin.”

            “Bye Joe,” JC said, not looking at Joey and Lance, just keeping his eyes on Justin. “Lance.”

            “Bye Jayce,” Lance mumbled and followed Joey and Madeline reluctantly out the door.

            “Why are you here Justin?” JC asked once Joey and Lance had left, he leaned his crutches against the wall and sat down on the nearest chair.

            “I came to talk Jayce,” Justin replied, as he to sat down. “You weren’t really up for talking the last time.”

            “Yeah I know,” JC nodded and ran a hand through his hair.

            “And are you now?” Justin asked hopefully. JC looked at his friend and sighed.

            “No I’m not,” JC said truthfully and noticed Justin’s face fall, “But I guess I have to be won’t I?”

            “You can’t be serious,” Madeline said standing outside with her hands on her hips as she glared at Joey and Lance.

            “We are Mads,” Joey nodded and looked at her, “It’s the right thing, you know it is.”

            “But he’s your brother,” Madeline protested with a sigh.

            “Yeah but so is Jayce,” Lance pointed out. Madeline let out another frustrated sigh and stamped her foot angrily before saying anything.

            “You can’t do it,” she said and stepped down a stair so she was closer to them, “I won’t let you.”

            “Mads…” Joey said as he leaned forward and placed a hand on her shoulder in sympathy.

            “No Joe,” Madeline snapped pulling away from him, “It’ll ruin him. It’ll ruin both of them.”

            “Then J should have thought about that before he…” Lance said stepping closer to her.

            “Yes, but he was upset!” She snapped and glared at them, “When we get upset we all do stupid things!”

            “But this wasn’t a stupid thing Maddie,” Lance said, with a firm smile.

            “Yes it was! Josh saw that so why can’t you?” Madeline asked in desperation.

            “Because, Jayce wasn’t thinking properly with the meds,” Joey said and Madeline snorted in response.

            “So now you’re backing him up on the meds when a few hours ago you weren’t?” Madeline asked glaring between the two of them, “You’re full of shit Joe.”

            “That has nothing to do with it Madeline,” Joey snapped back, crossing his arms across his chest.

            “Then what is it?” Madeline asked with a snarl.

            “It’s about the truth,” Joey said and pulled out his phone between handing it to Lance. “Call them Lance.”

            “No,” Madeline gasped and leaned forward to grab the phone from Joey. “I will not let you two do this. This is a decision that Josh made, and I will not have you over ruling it if this is what he wants.”

            “Well then Justin should have thought of that before he did what he did,” Joey snapped and grabbed the phone out of her hands. Madeline opened her mouth to respond but no words came out. Instead she stood helplessly watching Joey dialling 911. All the while wishing she could say something, but couldn’t.