by Marla Monroe
Smart girl. She had used the nail to cut through the tape. But where was she now? He pushed past Joshua and stalked into the other room.
“Where is she? If you don’t start talking, I’ll start cutting off pieces of you.” He pulled out his knife.
“Jayson, put that away right now.” The sheriff walked over to him. “You’re not doing a damn thing but looking for Haley. He said she got away and is somewhere out there.”
“Where is she? You know where she is.”
“You’ll never find her out there. She’ll die first and it’ll be all your fault, you and your perverted brother’s. You should have left her alone. She belonged to me!”
Jayson walked toward him, but one of the deputies stepped in front of him.
“You need to be out looking for Haley. He’s right. She’s going to die out there if you don’t find her soon.”
Chapter Twenty
Haley was freezing. She’d woken up shivering in the middle of the night and hadn’t been able to get warm since. Even when the sun came up, she couldn’t stop shaking. She was stiff and hurting all over now. She was sure she had bug bites all over her as well.
It took several tries to climb out of the hole she’d taken shelter in the night before. When she did manage to get out, she fell into the tiny stream. Now she was wet and cold.
I’m going to die out here for sure. I’ll never get to tell Jayson and Joshua that I love them.
She slowly got to her feet and stood up straight. Her back was cramping as well as her legs. She was so thirsty. Her stomach took that opportunity to growl loud enough she was afraid Matt would hear it. She stilled and listened but didn’t hear anything.
After several minutes of trying to work the kinks out of her body and control her shivering, Haley began to make her way along the little stream in hopes it would take her to a road eventually. She was totally lost and scared that Matt was out there looking for her.
She trudged along, falling to her knees several times before she finally didn’t think she could go any farther. Her legs hurt from the hundreds of scratches and bug bites. Her knees had most of the skin scraped from them, and she was shivering so badly that she was having trouble standing up straight enough to watch where she was going.
Several times she imagined she heard the guys calling for her, but she couldn’t make her voice work to call back. Tears slid down her face as she finally sank to the ground and curled up. They would find her body here someday. She had no doubt now that she was going to die.
* * * *
“We need to divide up and search in a grid.” Joshua looked over at Jayson.
Joshua and Jayson spread the map out on the tailgate of the truck. They were each carrying a small pack with water and cereal bars for when they found her. He refused to believe anything other than that they would find her.
“I’ll take here. You concentrate on this area.”
“Give me an area. I sent Matt with my deputies back to the office.” The sheriff stood off to the side waiting for them to agree.
“We’ll take all the help we can get.” Jayson pointed to one of the areas on the map.
Joshua was glad the sheriff was interested in helping search instead of dealing with Matt. He had been worried they would leave them out there to search all alone.
“I’ve put in a call for volunteers as well. We’ll find her.”
“Thanks.” Joshua nodded at the man.
They gave him water and cereal bars to carry as well and they all divided up and headed for the brush. He started calling for her as soon as he began walking. He could hear the other men calling as well. A couple of times he stopped to listen in case she was calling back, but he only heard the other men off in the distance.
He called until he was hoarse. Then he rested his voice so he could call some more. He refused to give up hope even though an hour had passed, and then another hour. It seemed the longer he searched the less confident he felt that they would find her. Once he thought he’d found her trail, but it led nowhere. He called Jayson to see if he was having any luck.
“I can’t find any fucking sign of her. She has to be out here.” He sounded as frustrated at Joshua felt.
“I’m not having any luck either. Maybe we need to shift our grids over now. I think I’ve gone too far into the woods now anyway.”
“Walk over my way. I’m about two miles deep and midway through the grid.”
“I’m on my way.”
He called the sheriff and gave him the same directions. They would look over the map again and adjust their search areas.
Once all three of them were present, Joshua spread out the map and drew off three more grids.
“Got them?”
The other two men nodded.
“Keep in touch by phone so we know how we’re doing. It’s getting close to eleven. If we don’t find her in the next two or three hours, we’ll switch sides of the road.” Joshua felt in his bones that she was on this side.
It was the right side, and since she was right handed, he figured she would have naturally gravitated to that side. They just had to find her soon. He couldn’t stand for her to be out there all alone and frightened.
Once again, he began shouting for her. It took less time before he was too hoarse to shout any longer. He focused on looking for any sign of her. He was about to give up and call Jayson to see about switching sides when he stumbled on what looked like footprints by a stream. He followed the odd prints for a little ways when he saw handprints and what looked like knee prints in the wet, sandy stream bed. He called Jayson.
“I think I’ve found her trail. Get over here. I’m down the gully where there’s a small stream. You call the sheriff for me.” He disconnected and picked up the pace.
After a few minutes, he heard Jayson running behind him. He stopped and let his brother catch up with him.
“It’s her isn’t it?”
“Yeah, I think we’re close. She’s fallen a lot, though. I’m worried.”
“Let’s find her.” Jayson squeezed his shoulder.
They ran along the stream bed until, after what seemed like over an hour, they finally found her curled up on the sandy ground not moving. Joshua fell to his knees and reached to check her pulse with a shaking hand. Thank God it was there. Weak, but there.
“She’s alive. She’s in bad shape, though.”
“Fuck, Joshua. Give her some water. Look at her mouth.”
The sheriff jogged up. “Is she alive?”
“Barely.”
“I’ll call in for an ambulance. Can you get her back to the cabin?”
“We’ve got her.” Joshua opened a bottle of water.
He held her up while Jayson poured water on her lips. She was ice cold. Finally, she began to lick at the water. Then she was trying to gulp it.
“That’s enough, Jayson. We don’t want her to get sick from it.”
“Fuck, she’s so damn thirsty.”
“She’s suffering from exposure. We need to get her to the cabin and get her warm while we wait for the ambulance to get here.”
They stood up and hurried back through the trees then the brush. Joshua carried her a while. Then when he began to slow down, Jayson took her. They finally made it back to the cabin where the sheriff had several blankets waiting on them. They wrapped her up and talked to her, telling her how much they loved her and needed her.
Jayson had tears in his eyes as he rocked her in his arms. Joshua wasn’t so sure he didn’t have tears in his own eyes. Seeing her all torn up and in shock just about killed him. He wanted a chance at Matt. He knew Jayson did as well.
“She’s starting to shiver now.” Jayson held her closer.
The sound of a siren could be heard in the distance. He sighed. Finally help was almost there. He ran a hand over his face and wiped at his eyes.
When the paramedics walked in, he breathed a sigh of relief. They took her from Jayson’s arms and began to work on her. She was covered in scratches
and bruises. Half of her face was covered in one great big bruise.
They followed the ambulance back to the hospital. When they entered the emergency room waiting area, they were told they couldn’t go back with her. Instead, they gave the clerk her information then paced the waiting room waiting for word on how she was. When the sheriff walked in, they immediately walked over to him.
“What’s going on back there?” Joshua didn’t beat around the bush.
“They’re working on her. She’s suffering from exposure, multiple bruises, cuts, and scrapes. She’s also got some puncture wounds in her hands and wrist.”
“She’s going to be okay, right?” Jayson’s voice still shook.
“I think so. The doctors are better qualified to answer that than I am.”
“Thanks, sheriff.” Joshua closed his eyes and dropped his head back before opening his eyes again and rolling his shoulders.
“Might as well have a seat, Jayson. It’s probably going to take a while before they come to talk to us.”
They waited for nearly two hours before the doors opened again and a man in scrubs walked into the room.
“Are you two with Ms. Andrews?”
“Yes, how is she? When can we see her?” Jayson was up before Joshua.
“She’s stable but in serious condition. Although all the cuts and scrapes are minor, they are already infected. She’s dehydrated. I’m also concerned that she will develop pneumonia. I have her on some major antibiotics to try and stave it off. I don’t know if it will work or not.”
“When can we see her?”
“I’m putting her in ICU overnight. The nurse will come get you once she’s settled.”
“Thanks, Doctor.”
The doctor nodded and walked back through the door.
“Thank God.” Jayson ran both hands over his head.
“She’s not out of the woods yet.”
“No, but she’s alive, and she’s getting help.”
They waited another hour before a nurse walked in and led them up in an elevator and through the maze of halls until they reached the ICU. The nurse had them wash their hands before entering the area. She led them to one of the rooms and left them.
Joshua nearly went to his knees at the sight of her in the bed hooked up to so many machines. The bruises stood out on her pale face. He wanted to soothe her but couldn’t figure out where to touch her that wasn’t scratched or bruised. He looked over at Jayson where he’d taken a seat by the bed and was running his hand down her hair.
“We love you, baby girl. Come back to us.”
Joshua took the other chair, prepared to wait until she woke up. Jayson laid his head on the bed next to her. Several minutes later, the nurse walked in and sighed.
“You know you can’t stay back here.”
“Why not? We’re not bothering anything.” Jayson sat up.
“Because if I let you, I’ll have to let everyone.”
“How many people to do you have back here right now?” Joshua asked.
“Um, just one.”
“Then I don’t think there’s a problem then, is there?”
“I guess not.” She smiled and shook her head. “Don’t cause any trouble, and I won’t say anything. If we get anyone else in, you have to follow the rules like everyone else.”
“Fine.” Joshua leaned back in the chair once she had left.
They took turns sitting close to her over the rest of the night. With all the machines, there was only room for one chair close to the bed. Jayson was hogging it, but Joshua didn’t have the heart to pull him away too often.
Around three that morning, Haley moaned and shifted in the bed. Jayson jumped up from where he’d been in the far chair and eased closer to the bed. Joshua stood up as well and leaned over the bed to watch her face.
“Haley, baby, can you hear us? Jayson and I are right here with you. Open your eyes for us, baby girl.”
Jayson pressed closer to the bed. “Please, Haley. I’m worried about you, baby.”
She moaned again, but this time, her eyes fluttered. When they didn’t open right away, Joshua bent down and kissed the corner of her mouth that wasn’t hurt. He wanted her to wake up so badly, but he also didn’t want her to be in pain. If she needed to sleep more, that was fine. They would be there with her.
“It’s okay, Haley. Sleep, baby girl. We’re going to be here when you wake up.”
“I want her to wake up, Joshua,” Jayson whispered.
“I don’t want her hurting. She needs to sleep some more. Let her sleep.”
“I guess you’re right. I’m just so fucking worried.”
“Me, too, brother. Me too.”
Jayson was dozing when the nurses changed, signaling that it was 7:00 a.m. now. The new nurse walked in and shook her head at them.
“Don’t think I’m going to be a pushover. If you do anything to bother my patient, I’ll have you thrown out. Do you understand? She comes first.”
Jayson stood up to say something, but Joshua stopped him.
“We understand. We just want her to get well. She moaned and moved some earlier this morning.”
“That’s good. She needs the rest, though. I read through her chart and she’s had a rough go of it. Let her rest. She’ll wake up when her body is ready. She doesn’t have a true head injury, so I’m not worried about that.”
“We’ll let her sleep.”
“You know, one of you really should go home and shower and change clothes. You’re both pretty dirty. I don’t like dirt in my clean ICU.”
Joshua looked over at Jayson and winced. If his brother looked that bad, it meant he did, too. She was right. They needed to get cleaned up.
“Jayson, you stay here with her. I’m going to run home and shower. Then you can go after I get back.”
“Go on. I’ll watch her. Just bring me back a change of clothes and I’ll change up here.”
“Nope, you’re going to run home and change when I get back. You’re not getting us thrown out for being nasty, little brother.”
Jayson frowned at him but nodded. He turned back around, settling all his attention on Haley. Joshua sighed and took one last look at her before leaving the ICU. He stopped by the nurses’ desk to leave his phone number in case there was any change before he got back. He couldn’t trust that Jayson would call him if something was going on.
The trip back to the ranch seemed to take forever. He hurried through his shower then pulled on fresh clothes. He took the time to make coffee and ate two cereal bars while he waited for it to brew. Once it was ready, he filled a thermos. Then he poured a travel mug full and headed back to the hospital. He figured Jayson would balk at coming home to shower and change, but he would push it.
Once inside the hospital, he hurried toward the ICU. The sheriff caught him as he was about to enter the area.
“Hey, glad I caught up with you. Matt is being arraigned tomorrow morning. He might make bail. You keep an eye on her. I don’t trust him, and there just isn’t enough of me to go around.”
“Fuck! Don’t worry. There’s no way we’ll leave her alone, especially if he is out. The man is crazy. Surely the judge will see that.”
“I hope so, but I wouldn’t count on it. Matt can fool anyone. He has for several years now. I never thought he was that way until he began to stalk Haley.”
“Thanks for the heads-up. Did you talk to Jayson?”
“No, I just alerted security and was on my way to talk to you guys when I saw you.”
“I’ll talk to Jayson then. He’s pretty messed up over this. I’m not sure he’s thinking straight right now.”
“Get him under control, Joshua. I don’t want to have to arrest him for assault or worse.”
Joshua nodded and headed to the hand-washing station outside the unit. Once he’d cleaned up, he walked through the doors and headed straight to Haley’s cubicle of a room. Jayson was standing at the head of the bed, brushing her hair from her eyes.
“Any change
?”
“No. She hasn’t moved or made a sound. She had tears in her eyes, though. I don’t know why. Do you think she’s hurting and needs something for pain?”
“Here’s some coffee. I’ll go ask the nurse.” Joshua walked back out to the nurses’ station.
“My brother said she keeps having tears in her eyes. Do you think she needs something for pain?”
The nurse got up and grabbed her stethoscope as she walked by. Joshua followed her back to the room. He watched as the woman took her blood pressure and checked the various machines. Then she nodded and walked back out. Joshua wasn’t sure what she meant to do, but a minute later, she returned with an injection. She added it to the IV line then walked back out again.
“I think you can go home and change now. She’s going to be sleeping for sure for a while now. I think she gave her something for pain.” Joshua looked pointedly at Jayson’s dirty, bloody clothes.
“I don’t want to leave her, Joshua.”
“I didn’t want to leave her either. You have to, though. I’ll be right here and if there is any change, I’ll call you. I promise.”
Jayson took a long look at Haley before sighing and walking out of the room. Joshua settled down in the chair close to the bed and opened the thermos to refill his travel mug. He figured he would be there a while. He closed his eyes and settled in to wait. Jayson would be back soon.
Several minutes later, a groan had him jerking back up. Haley’s eyes were open.
Chapter Twenty-One
Haley couldn’t figure out what was going on. Why was she in the hospital? Then Joshua jumped up and leaned over the bed railing.
“Hey, baby girl. How are you feeling?”
“Joshua? What’s wrong with me?”
“Don’t you remember?”
“No. I remember getting off work late and driving home. I was mad because the cleaners were already closed, and I had planned to pick up my laundry. Then when I got home…”
