It rang out loudly, the sound bouncing off the cliff face and around the little harbor. I froze in fear, my limbs immediately started shaking. Mikey was already out of the water, my purse over his shoulder, my towel in his hand.

"Angel! Come on!" he called. "Hurry!" His voice snapped me out of my trance of fear, and I immediately swam to the edge. As soon as I was out, Mikey threw my towel over my shoulders, and grabbed my hand, pulling me at a run towards the cabin. Bob was in the doorway, and as soon as we appeared, he dropped the ladder.

"Come on, Angel, get up," he cried, and I started climbing, Mikey pushing my ass, and as soon as he could reach me, Bob put his hands under my arms and pulled me inside. Mikey scrambled up the ladder, pulling it up behind him. I hurriedly dried off, and threw my towel to Mikey, before taking my purse from him, and racing to the overhead bin. I pulled on my black board shorts, and stuffed my purse in the bin, and raced back to Bob and Mikey. Charlotte and Tori were huddled on the ground in the open area, they had pulled Zara to the ground, and both had their arms around her. Charlotte was crying.

"Was that a shot?" Tori whispered. "I mean, a GUN shot?" I turned to face her.

"Yeah. Gerard and I found it the first day," I replied quietly. As I turned back to face Bob and Mikey, I felt the bile rise in my stomach, and turned on my heel, racing back to the open end of the cabin, and throwing up onto the sand.

When I finished, shaking, I headed into the bathroom, and quickly brushed my teeth, spitting the toothpaste out of the end of the cabin, and returned to Bob and Mikey. I stood between them, my eyes scanning the beach. My arms and legs were shaking so hard I could barely stand, and grabbed onto Bob to steady myself. He and Mikey each put an arm around me, and we stood there, waiting. I buried my face in Mikey's chest.

"Angel, look!" Mikey cried, after what seemed like years. There they were, Ray's bushy afro filled with light from the setting sun, as he and Frank dragged something behind them, and beside them, Gerard, walking casually, gun in one hand, and smoking a cigarette with the other. "Get the ladder down, Bob!" Mikey cried. I didn't wait. I jumped out the door, and before I had time to think, I was running as hard as I could across the beach. I didn't stop until I reached him, I threw my arms around his neck, and kissed every inch of his face, sobbing harder than I had ever in my life cried before. I felt his arm circle my waist.

"What's all this?" he asked softly, laughing a little. "Wait, is everyone ok?" I nodded into his chest, still crying.

"I thought- I didn't think I'd see you again!" I sobbed. He laughed.

"Takes more than that scumbag to finish me off," he laughed. I leaned back now, looking up in his face, though I continued to grip his neck. I realized that his eye was red and swollen, and his cheek was cut. Gently, I brought my fingertips up to his eye.

"You'll have to let me take a look at that," I sniffed, before turning to inspect Ray and Frank. Both were a bit scuffed up, Frank's cheek was a spectacular shade of purple, and Ray's lip was swollen and bleeding. I let go of Gerard, finally, and moved over to Ray, throwing my arms around him and hugging him tightly, he returned my hug awkwardly, with one arm, before I turned to Frank, doing the same to him. Then I went right back to Gerard, and threw my arms around him again. He laughed.

"Relax, Monkey, we're ok. I told you I'd be back," he whispered, and I relaxed my grip, snaking one arm around his waist. He threw his arm, and the gun, around my shoulder, and the four of us began to head back towards the camp. That's when I finally noticed what Frank and Ray were dragging: Phil, duct tape over his mouth, and wrapped several times around his hands, as though he were praying, Frank and Ray each dragging him by a foot. An obvious gun shot wound was in his shoulder. He was unconscious.

"He cried like a baby when Gee shot him," Frank said, his voice full of disgust.

"Looks like he got some good swings in at you guys," I said, wiping my eyes with the palm of my hand, trying to compose myself, and failing miserably.

"Yeah, I guess. You should have seen Frank, he practically flew at Phil, nearly beat him senseless," Gerard said.

"Yeah," said Frank, "until the dirty bastard took that cheap shot. I doubt I'll ever have kids now."

"So then he goes at Ray, and Ray pulls his knife, and they're struggling, and I'm trying to help Frank, and the next thing I know, Phil's coming at ME with the knife. He grazed my cheek, and then started to run. That's when I pulled out the gun, and shot him." I shuddered a little as Gerard finished speaking, my tears starting to fall again, and he tightened his grip around my waist. We had reached the bonfire, and very soon, we were back on the yellow mat in front of the cabin. Mikey immediately grabbed Gerard, and pulled him into a hug, though Gerard managed to return it without taking his arm from around my waist. Charlotte was practically wrapped around Frank, and Bob was hugging Ray, as Tori sat perched over the ladder. Zara was not in sight. Mikey and Bob switched, and then Frank disentangled himself from Charlotte, and was pounced on first by Mikey, and then Bob. Ray, I noticed had begun duct taping Phil's knees and ankles together, and winding another layer tightly around his fingertips.

"What do we do with him?" I whispered.

"Honestly," Gerard whispered in my ear, "I missed.I didn't intend for him to survive. I'd feel much safer at night if he were dead."

"Let's worry about it later," I said, with a shake of my head. "Can I look at your cheek? I'd like to take a look at Ray's lip as well."

"You can," he said. "I don't think it's very deep."

"I'll determine that, Mr. Way," I replied, using my best doctor voice. "Tori, can you toss me down the first aid kit?"

"Sure," she replied, and crawled back into the cabin. A moment later she reappeared. "Catch," she called, tossing the kit to me, and I caught it. Gerard sat down on the mat, and I knelt in front of him, gently tilting his head back so that the sun hit his cheek.

"Well, Dr. Emerson? What is your professional opinion?" he asked, laughing lightly. I pulled out a couple of band-aids, and some anti-septic wipes.

"It's not deep, but you need some aspirin, to keep the swelling down on that eye, and I need to clean it up a little," I replied, as I extracted a wipe, and quickly pressed it against the cut on his cheek, cleaning the wound as gently as I could. He winced slightly, but allowed me to continue. I covered the cut with a band-aid, and cleaned the cut by his eye, gently feeling the orbital to make sure there were no breaks. When I was satisfied, I handed him four aspirin and a bottle of water. "Take four now, and we'll look at it again later," I said, before turning my attention to Ray, and then Frank, prescribing four aspirin to each of them as well. By this time, Phil was beginning to stir. I felt disgusted by his presence, the man who had done those terrible things to Amanda, our friend. I climbed up into the cabin, and extracted my bloodstained clothing, quickly slipping it on over my bikini, and looping my stethoscope over my neck. I found a pair of ice tongs in the stewardess' station, and then hurried back down the ladder. Then I knelt by Phil's wounded shoulder. He looked up at me, relief in his eyes.

"Angel, what the fuck are you doing?" Ray yelled. I looked up at him, my face stony.

"I took the Hippocratic Oath. I have to," I said softly, and I glanced at Gerard, who looked slightly horrified. Our eyes met. "But no where in that oath does it say I can't enjoy it." With that, I stuck the ice tongs directly into the wound in Phil's shoulder. He let out a bellow of pain through the duct tape, and began to squirm and writhe. Gerard nodded briefly to me, and held him still. I probed the wound, until I found the bullet, and grasped it with the tongs, quickly pulling it out, and dropping it on the sand. I routed around in the first aid kit, and found a rather large bottle of tincture of iodine. I opened the bottle, and poured a small amount directly into the wound on his shoulder, and he screamed again. Roughly, I shoved a gauze pad over the wound, and left him there.

"If I ever get shot, don't let them take me to her ER," Frank said to Ray, and I laughed.

"If I ever had to treat you, Frankie dear, I'd give you this," I replied, holding up a syringe and a tiny bottle of morphine, before carefully packing them away in the first aid kit. Gerard suddenly walked past me, and ripped the duct tape from Phil's mouth. Phil whimpered in pain.

"Care to tell us why you did it?" Gerard said, leaning over him, gun still in his hand. A strange, manic gleam came to Phil's eye.

"Oh, I enjoyed it," he grunted. "When I saw her walking alone, I'd hoped it would be Angel, but Amanda served the purpose. Next time, Angel, next time." He winked at me, and I began to tremble. Mikey wrapped a protective arm around me, as Gerard smacked Phil across the face with the butt of the gun, knocking him out once again.

"Fucking cocksucker," Frank muttered.

"What should we do with him now?" Ray asked.

"Could we tape him to that tree over there? We could bring him food and water, and otherwise just leave him there, until someone finds us?" Mikey asked. Gerard nodded.

"That's probably the best idea," Gerard said. "But I don't want any of the girls going anywhere near him. Agreed?" I exchanged relieved glances with Charlotte and Tori, and we nodded.

"Yeah, I have less than no desire to go anywhere near him," Charlotte said.

"Ok, guys, then let's move him," Gerard said, before placing another strip of duct tape over Phil's mouth. Together with Frank, Ray, and Bob, he carried him to the tree Mikey, who followed them carrying a roll of duct tape, had indicated, and then they began to tape him to it, in a sitting position.

"I guess we can hope he gets struck by lightening?" I said to Tori and Charlotte.

"Or maybe gets attacked by a bear?" Charlotte suggested, laughing nervously.

"No, nothing so quick," Tori said. "I hope he gets pecked to death by small birds." Charlotte and I laughed.

"Birds it is," I said, and as I looked up, I saw Zara standing in the doorway behind Tori. "Hey, Zara," I called gently. "Do you want to come down?"

"No," she replied faintly. "Where's Amanda? I haven't seen her in a couple of hours." Charlotte, Tori, and I exchanged a concerned glance.

"She went for a walk," Tori said gently. "She'll be back soon."

"Oh." Zara paused for a moment, a confused look on her face. "Can I go back to bed?"

"Of course you can, sweetheart," Tori said, pulling herself to her feet, and throwing an arm around Zara's shoulders. Charlotte and I watched as Tori hobbled along, pulling Zara back into the compartment she now shared with Ray and Mikey.

"Koko? Do you think she's dangerous?" Charlotte asked. I didn't answer right away, I stared off across the sand, and watched, for several second, the guys, in some sort of tense discussion a few feet from Phil. Then I slowly began to nod, and returned my attention to Charlotte. Her eyes grew large.

"Not to anyone but herself," I said softly.

"Shit," she said, shaking her head. We were silent for a moment. "You know, if people didn't keep dying, or killing people, or going crazy, this would be a pretty fantastic vacation." I raised my eyebrows, and laughed at her. "Seriously.I mean, we have a decent place to sleep, miles of beach, a gorgeous waterfall, and five hot men running around. Five hot, rock star men. Who could ask for more?"

"Speaking of which," I whispered, "what's up with you and Frank?" Charlotte began to blush. "Come on, Bubbles, out with it!"

"Nothing!" she cried. "Well, I mean, we've kissed, and messed around a little, but nothing serious. Once we get rescued, he'll go back to being a rock star, and I'll go back to being a waitress. Oh well. Better to have fun now, and have the memories to look back on when I'm old and alone." She sounded very sad as she spoke, and the reality of the situation began to sink in for me as well. The same would happen with Gerard and I, I would inevitably fall even harder for him, and we'd get rescued. He'd go back to being a rock star, and I'd probably be unemployed. I let my head sink into my hands, and Charlotte put an arm around my shoulders.

"You're right," I whispered, and too my amazement, Charlotte began to laugh. "What?" I demanded, slightly defensively.

"You're hysterical!" she laughed. "I said that was what was gonna happen to me and Frank. You and Gerard are different." I looked at her, confused. "Frank LIKES me," she whispered. "Gerard LOVES you. That's the difference. I have a feeling he won't let you out of his sight for the rest of his life." I slowly shook my head.

"You're wrong. He doesn't love me, he can't. We've only known each other for, what? Six days?" Charlotte laughed again.

"Angel, anyone can see that he's crazy about you."

"I don't see it," I whispered, close to tears.

"Well you should. Hey, wanna play high school? Ok, so Tori told me that Bob told her that Gerard asked the guys what they thought of making you the head of their medical staff on tour when we all get home," Charlotte laughed, putting on a high, valley girl voice as she said it. I raised an eyebrow. "I'm dead serious."

"Maybe he thinks I'm a good doctor," I said.Charlotte laughed again.

"Well, see what you wanna see, all I'm gonna say is that there are probably thousands of doctors out there who would take that job, all of them with more experience than you, Miss-I-Graduated-From-Med-School-The-Day-Before-This-Happened!"

The guys were headed back to us now.

"Maybe we should change the subject," I mumbled.Charlotte sent me a knowing smile.

"So, are you gonna read the new Harry Potter book next month?" she asked. I raised an eyebrow.

"Oh yeah, cause UPS totally delivers to desert islands all the time!" I replied. We both began to laugh. She stood up, pressed a hand on my shoulder, and climbed up the ladder, reappearing a moment later, carrying what would be tonight's dinner. Coconuts and bananas.

Notes

Chapters 16 and 17 are my favorites! I hope you like them too!

That doesn't mean that this gets worse, I promise! It's just now getting good!