PetrA

Chapter sixty: Joachim

Joachim noticed Ellie straighten in her seat as she caught sight of sea ahead of them. "Cody where are we?" She asked startling the others. "Um just outside Georges Town." He said frowning at the sign. Ellie gasped, "That's it!" She cried scrambling out of her seat. Lewis and Anthony jumped out of her way as she stumbled forwards. "What?" Cody asked bewildered. "The place I told Timothy to meet us! George's town. Billy's Fish place!" She was breathing heavily as her hands was shaking with excitement. Cody gave her a worried glance, "You sure?" He asked. Ellie nodded and pulled the picture out of her pocket. "Look!" She pointed at the surroundings. "But Ellie that could be anywhere." Stella said frowning. "No." Ellie said firmly. "Take off at that small road there and follow it." Ellie said pointing at the dirt road leading off towards the sea. Cody did as she told and they hobbled down the road. Outside was dark, and the freezing temperature made it hard to drive as ice had settled. "We'll have to stop for the night. It's too dangerous to drive now." Cody said after a while as he pulled over on the grassy field.

Joachim watched Ellie through furrowed eyebrows. She was shaking with anxiety and probably excitement of the thought of seeing her brother again. Kim noticed him staring at her and sent him a silent warning. Joachim quickly adverted his eyes and looked down at the food in front of him with a scowl. He'd heard the talk between Ellie and Kim the same night as he'd accidently hit her. Knowing that Ellie somehow trusted him did not make him feel any better. He'd hit her and ruined his friendship with Kim. Even Henrik, who stayed out of it, did not look happy with him. Joachim knew that Henrik had felt a little like Ellie's older brother from the moment they were separated from the rest. Ellie would hardly look at him and when she did it was not a nice look he received. He suddenly felt like the odd man out. Gordon did not miss any chance to make a snide comment at him, when Ellie wasn't listening or simply just too busy with other things.

Joachim laid in his bed awake as he heard Ellie and Kim talk quietly again. After a while the talking died, replaced by the sound of silent rustling. He listened to Gemma talking to Stella for a little while before he turned around and fell asleep. He woke to somebody stumbling through the auto-camper and the door of the bathroom shutting. It took a while for anyone to realise what was going on, "Ellie?" Gemma asked knocking on the bathroom door. "What?" he heard Ellie ask muffled. "Are you okay?" the door opened and Gemma gasped. "Oh my gods!" she rushed inside and helped a pale Ellie out and into the empty seat where Lewis had been sleeping. "Stella get a bottle of water and some crackers." Gemma ordered. Stella threw open one of the cabinets and pulled out the water bottle and pack of crackers. "What's going on?" Kim asked emerging from their bed. He was only wearing his boxer shorts and his hair stuck out at odd angles. "I think Ellie's sick." Gemma said fussing over her.

Suddenly Joachim realised that Ellie was only wearing a T-shirt. A T-shirt that most defiantly were not hers. "No..." She moaned pushing the crackers away. "Ellie you need to eat." Gemma said shoving them back at her. "No. I-I can't eat anything right now." Ellie said her green eyes dull. "Ellie you need to eat." Kim said gently taking the crackers from Gemma's hands. "It'll only come up again." She mumbled looking away. Henrik crawled out from the double bed rubbing his eyes. "What's going on?" He asked. He saw Ellie and frowned. "Did you throw up again?" He asked. Ellie looked down at her fingers, "Again?" Kim asked his eyebrows knitting together. She didn't answer, "Ellie how long have you been like this?" He asked. Ellie didn't meet his eyes, "A couple of days." She mumbled quietly. Joachim sat up in his bed and scowled, "You've been sick for a couple of days? But you haven't been ill when..." Stella's voice trailed off and her eyes bulged. "Ellie..." She said slowly. "You're, you're not...?" Ellie shook her head miserably. "I don't know."

Kim looked between Ellie and Stella. "I've been sick in the mornings." She said so quietly Joachim almost couldn't hear her. "The mornings?" Kim asked. He suddenly looked pale. She nodded not looking at him. "Ellie, are you...?" Ellie looked up at him her eyes miserably. "I don't know." She said her eyes watering. "I don't know." She said again burying her face in her hands as she began to cry. The energy she'd shown the night before gone. Everybody looked just as confused as Joachim was. The only ones who didn't was Stella, Henrik and Kim. Kim sat down next to Ellie wrapping his arms around her. Ellie buried her face in his chest as she cried, "What's going on?" Joachim asked after a while of them all listening to Ellie sob. Stella looked up at him, "Nothing." She said quickly. Joachim looked at Henrik for help, but he just shook his head. "Cody could you start driving please?" Stella asked breaking the silence. Cody who'd been sleeping in the driver's seat scratched his head confused, but started the engine.

"Shh... please stop crying." Kim said stroking her hair as she cried into his chest. Joachim felt a pang of jealousy, but shoved it away. It wasn't going happen. He told himself angrily. Gemma fixed them breakfast as Kim urged Ellie to eat something. She had finally stopped crying, but her eyes were red and it looked like she could burst into tears at any moment. They passed some abandoned buildings on the road, one of the doors was ajar with stuff strewn across the area in front of it, but they didn't stop to check it out.