Melinda remained on the couch, trembling with fear. She noticed her hands started to shake. Jim thought nothing of it, at first, but noticed the terrified look on Melinda's face. Melinda hearing about murderer who is still at large was only the initial shock. It's couldn't compare to the fear she was about to feel. Jim watched the images crawl about the TV without sound. The tension in the room was unbearably high. so high; you could cut it with a knife. Jim looked back at his wife. He knew she was afraid. She was worried for all the right reason. She feared for her life, for her friends, for Jim...for the baby. Jim knew...and he knew very well. Jim continued to watch the noiseless TV. There wasn't much else he could say. He noticed something. A video of a town...a town he knew very well. He unmuted the TV and then...just listened.
"...Private investigators noticed a pattern within these women he has murdered. They are all Caucasian women between the ages of twenty-five and thirty-five. They all had a recorded height of 5'2''. Crime scene investigators have been following the murderer's trail and we suspect his next three stops will be in Beaumont, Ridgewood, and Grandview. We advise all women within these regions that fit the description to..."
Jim shut off the TV. He couldn't listen anymore. Now he was really worried. They very thought of losing his wife made him violently ill. He turned back to his wife who was already getting up to go upstairs. He knew what she was feeling. He felt the exact same way. He then knew what it was like. What it's like to feel scared, alone, and helpless. What else could Jim do? Grandview is a small town. There aren't very many people i Grandview,let alone very many people that fit Melinda's description. He knew...he knew that if this guy--this monster--found Melinda, she'd be the next to go. He put his head between his legs and breathed in deeply. He started thinking to himself about what would happen afterward.
"I love her...I love her more than anything...What am I suppose to do without her? What would I do with all her things? What is everyone else going to do without her? How can she help people if she's not around...The house would be so empty without her..." He started crying to himself. The very idea of losing Melinda seemed so final. But then he shocked himself awake. He finally started making sense of this situation.
"Snap out of it! You're losing it! No one is coming after your wife. Besides what makes them so sure he's coming to Grandview? It was just a calculated guess...plus, the killer might have had something personal with all the other women he's murdered. Why would he pick at random?" He told this to himself to calm him down. So many thoughts were running through his head. So many scattered thoughts. He couldn't infer which thought made the most sense. He couldn't decide what to were in a scary situation. The right decision is always the hardest one to make. He stood up, putting his hands on the opposite elbows. He breathed in deeply again. He started to black out, but he sat back down again. He couldn't understand why they were both so frightened. Why they felt their life together was coming to an end. Why they felt as if it was over for them.
He put his hands to his face. He was trying not to cry. He felt so broken down and he didn't understand why. He felt so sick; he felt nauseous and he was about ready to pass out. He breathed in one more time. "I have to wash my face," he thought. He tried to tell himself out loud, but he couldn't force the words out. He got up very slowly, hoping he wouldn't fall over before making it to the bathroom. His vision became more and more impaired. It was only five steps to the stairs but, to him, they felt more like five thousand. He tried keeping his balance. He stared at the ground as he watched himself walk. left, right, left, right. He finally reached the stairs and grabbed onto the railing with both hands. Almost there! He was in a cold sweat. His hands began to clam up and he was in sever pain. He breathed in deeper...much deeper. His body started to shake as he lifted his right knee to get up the first step. He made it up the first step with little trouble. He looked up this time. He looked up at the ceiling while he walked up the stairs. e counted each step to keep his mind off of passing out. He finally made it upstairs. He wasn't quite sure how, but he did. He took four extra steps into the bathroom and turned the knob to the sink. Cold water--it really helps. Suddenly, his vision came back to him, he could breathe again, and he was finally regaining control. He looked at himself in the mirror for a moment . He just stared--then he laughed. "Look at yourself...you're having a panic attack over nothing." He chuckled to himself again.
Out of nowhere came a very familiar tune. It was "London Bridge". He picked up a towel and dried his face. He still listened to the sound. He turned off the light to the bathroom and followed the sound. He walked down the hall as cool and calm as he had ever been. He turned and walked into the nursery where he saw Melinda standing by the crib. The mobile was slowly spinning and playing its tune. Melinda was looking into the crib, holding onto the sheets that adorned it. Jim walked up yo his wife and put his hands on her hips. He leaned his head and looked over at Melinda. She had a tear running down her face. He put his index and middle finger together and wiped the tear away.
"What's the matter?" He asked, as if he didn't already know.
"What's life going to be like...for the baby? Is it everything we'll ever want for it?" She asked, still staring into the crib.
"Of-of course it will, Mel." Jim said, unsure.
"Will it really? I mean...how can we know for sure? Anything can happen." Melinda said, walking away from Jim.
Jim sighed. He knew why his wife was feeling this way. He knew he couldn't do much to help, but he tried.
"Melinda..." he closed his eyes for a moment. "You can't spend your whole life being afraid of the future. Yes, anything can happen, and we can't stop every bad thing from happening. Accidents will always happen, and some things are just out of our control." Jim stood in front of Melinda and put his hands on each side of her face. "But, we can take precautions. We can learn to be careful. I can't say nothing will happen, but it probably won't." Jim looked at Melinda. She put her hand on top of Jim's. He notice a change in her facial expression. She didn't seem scared anymore. She didn't, necessarily, believe in what Jim was telling her as much as she trusted in him. Two minutes ago, Jim was terrified of the future. But he didn't find the strength to believe in what he told her until he saw how forlorn she was. He knows what the right thing is to do. He knows how to keep Melinda safe. Jim was determined to protect his wife. And he wasn't going down without a fight.