Chapter 11
Sabrina awoke with a sharp gasp of fright. Slightly disoriented, she sat up and looked frantically until she remembered where she was.
Rain was still steadily beating against the roof of the car, a sound that had been soothing as she drifted off to sleep but now was abrasive and irritating. She took a deep breath to calm herself down. The damaged car battery had apparently died while they slept, leaving it very dark. But at least they were safe from the storm, warm and dry, instead of outside. Unlike Gary and his men. Their enemies were injured and exposed to the elements. They had probably holed themselves up somewhere for the night.
Sabrina sat up to check on her friends. In the passenger seat, Laura was wrapped in a blanket, sound asleep against her window. She looked alright. Sabrina turned in her seat, ignoring stiff and achy muscles as she did, to see the rest of her friends in the back.
Kelly, Jill, and Kris were huddled together under the big beach blanket fast asleep as well. Even in sleep, Jill looked completely wiped out. Sabrina's features tightened with worry as she watched her sleep. Jill was still resting against Kelly, wrapped in a protective embrace, with her sister's head laying on her hip. Though she had a blanket and the body heat of two people to keep her warm, she still shivered. Sabrina frowned. Jill was getting sick.
She stretched out and lightly pressed the palm of her hand to Jill's forehead. Her skin was hot and clammy, moist with a sheen of cold sweat and her hair clung in damp strands around her neck and forehead. Sabrina sighed and withdrew her hand. This was not good.
She turned back in her seat and squinted at the watch on her wrist.
9:36
They had been sleeping a little over two and a half hours and been waiting for rescue around three. Sabrina rubbed her tired eyes and shifted in her seat to get comfortable. How much longer would they have to wait, she wondered to herself. She yawned. Her body was begging her for both food and more sleep, and with nothing else to do but wait, she was more than happy to oblige it the only way she could.
Just as her eyes were about to close, a sudden flash of light caught her attention. She tensed and stared hard out of her window through the running film of water into the dark forest.
Another brief flash of light swept up and down and then disappeared.
A flashlight?
A wave of anxious uncertainty washed over her. Had they underestimated Gary? Or was that the help they were waiting for. Whoever it was, the headlights were no longer on to guide them. And that could be a good or bad thing, depending on whoever owned that flashlight. She would have to scout them out, she decided.
But not alone.
Sabrina turned back in her seat, reached out an arm, and gently shook Kelly's shoulder. Laura or Kris would have a much easier time getting out of the car, but if there was trouble on the other end of that flashlight beam, she couldn't put them in harm's way.
Kelly's eyes snapped open instantly and darted around in the same disoriented confusion that Sabrina had experienced minutes earlier.
"Kell. Wake up." she whispered.
Kelly's bleary eyes drifted over too her face and blinked a few times to focus.
"I saw a flashlight out there. Come with me?"
Still half asleep, Kelly nodded her head and moved to sit up. Her brows furrowed in momentary confusion when she couldn't, but quickly realized the problem.
Jill.
"A little help?" Kelly whispered back, glancing at her friend.
Sabrina quietly got out of the car and opened Kelly's door. As carefully as they could, the two lifted Jill enough so that Kelly could slip out from under her and gently lowered her to the car seat.
Jill was a heavy sleeper already and combined with her exhaustion, Sabrina and Kelly hadn't even considered the possibility of waking her. But for some reason, just as they lowered her head to the seat, her eyes snapped open and she jerked away from them in alarm.
"Shh. It's ok, Jill." Kelly whispered, patting her shoulder.
Jill twisted around, confused and trying to find the source of her voice. "What?" she whimpered.
"Go back to sleep." Sabrina whispered quickly. "We'll be right back, ok?"
Jill looked distressed. "No!" she breathed, shaking her head frantically. "No, don't go!" She reached out and latched onto Sabrina's arm.
"Jill, calm down. It's ok." Sabrina soothed, gently prying her friend's hand away. "We'll be right back."
"Don't leave me! Please, don't leave me alone!"
Kelly sighed and gently but firmly pushed Jill back into her seat amid her desperate pleas. "Relax, ok? Kris is here with you. So is Laura." she whispered. "I'm gonna close the door now so you don't get wet."
"No, Kelly! Please!" she wailed pitifully.
"We'll be right back, I promise."
She pulled her sleeve out of Jill's grip and before her scared friend could grab at her again, quietly pushed the door closed. Jill's fingers scrabbled at the door for a few seconds and then stopped. Once her sick friend was safely locked in, Kelly looked up at Sabrina and shook her head.
"She's not doing too good." she said, needlessly pointing out the obvious.
Sabrina frowned. "No. No she's not. Hopefully, help is close by."
Kelly nodded and pushed herself to her feet. She immediately stumbled and caught herself on the trunk of the car.
"Whoa! Hey, you ok?" Sabrina cried, rushing forward to steady her.
Kelly laughed and shook out her right leg. "Fine. I had two Munroes sleeping on me. The entire right side of my body is asleep."
Sabrina smiled and pulled her forward. "Well, wake it up. I don't want to be in the rain any longer than I have to."
The two girls made their through the valley in the direction Sabrina had seen the two flashes of light hoping to find more. To their frustration, the only light they saw came from the frequent lightening that illuminated their surroundings a second at a time. Just as they were about to give up hope for fear of getting lost, two flashlight beams popped up from a dip in the terrain about twenty yards in front of them.
Sabrina and Kelly shared an excited look and then cautiously headed towards it. As they approached, more flashlight beams revealed themselves, sweeping around the trees in turn and both male and female shouts floated out to their ears over the roar of the downpour as they got even closer. Had they just found their rescuers?
Bursting with hope yet still wary from days on the run, the two huddled behind a tree, clutching each other's sleeves in anticipation and watching carefully for sure signs of rescue. It came quickly. Two men with matching slick black rain jackets sloshed past them talking urgently to each other. A crackle of static interrupted them and one of the men raised a CB radio to his ear and listened intently.
"Team five. Nothing yet." he shouted into the radio, before sticking back into the protective cover of his raincoat.
Kelly and Sabrina grinned happily at each other and without another word, scrambled out from their hiding place and bounded over to the two men.
"Hey!" Sabrina called, waving her arms. "Over here!"
The two men whirled around in surprise and whipped their flashlight beams into the girl's faces, temporarily blinding them. An instant later, they lowered their lights and hurried towards them.
"Looking for us?" Sabrina asked, still shielding her eyes.
"Yes, ma'am." one of the men answered with a warm smile. "Are you ladies alright?"
"We're ok. Our friends are back that way in the car." Kelly replied, pointing back the way they had come. "One of them needs to get to a hospital as soon as possible."
The policeman stared at her for a moment and then quickly stepped away to radio everything he had just learned. The remaining man smiled reassuringly and removed his large raincoat to wrap around both girl's shoulders.
Kelly caught Sabrina's eye and grinned. The purpose of a raincoat had long since been defeated, but if he wanted to help who was she to stop him?
The girls huddled together, weak with relief, and let the officer usher them to safety.
Hours later, Jill sat miserably between Kelly and her sister, waiting for Sabrina and Laura to finish talking to police in the next room. She felt nauseous and exhausted and wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep. With a sigh, she dropped her head on Kelly's shoulder and closed her eyes.
It was past two in the morning already and Jill remembered little more from the night other than awakening in a hospital room an hour ago. Her knee had been cared for and bandaged loosely. Kris had told her twice how many stitches it had taken, but again she had forgotten. More than a few, she guessed. Upon awakening, she had been poked and prodded for an additional twenty minutes while nurses examined her. Lights were shined in her eyes, questions that she wasn't sure she had answered correctly were asked, and shots were given.
Jill winced at the sting in her right arm. She hated shots. But she supposed they weren't all bad. Her knee was oddly numb and the pain free sensations were intoxicating. She had almost forgotten what it felt like to not hurt constantly. A few hours of sleep had also cleared her head a bit, but she was nowhere near feeling rested. Her body ached and her head throbbed with lack of sleep. Jill sighed unhappily.
"We can go soon, Jill." Kris soothed, taking notice of her discomfort. Jill smiled faintly at her sister. Kris was being so attentive and sweet to her, stepping easily into the role of caretaker while she was hurt. It made her proud.
"I'm ok. How're you two feeling?" Jill asked quietly. Both of her friends looked a great deal better now that they had been cleaned up, taken care of and given a small meal. The heavy air of exhaustion hung over them all, however, evidenced by their listless stares and bloodshot eyes.
She heard Kelly snicker softly. "We're fine, Jill. You're the guest of honor here." she said gesturing toward the open hospital hallway.
Jill smiled. "Thanks. A real night to remember."
The three girls chuckled softly to themselves and then lapsed into a comfortable silence. Jill drifted off again after a few minutes and Kelly and Kris sat quietly in a daze as they watched the occasional nurse bustle by with a cart of supplies or a patient's chart.
Kelly had just dozed off, when Sabrina came down the hallway looking like she was ready to drop. Kris picked up her head at the approaching footsteps and smiled with relief at the sight of her friend.
"Hey, Bri." she greeted her. "Everything alright?"
Sabrina sank wearily into the bench next to her and sighed. "I think so. Laura's still in there, but she should be done soon." she explained, rubbing an eye. Her gaze drifted to her two sleeping friends. "I told her we'd wait in the lobby. Might as well wake up Heckle and Jeckle and head that way now."
Kris laughed and nudged her two friends. Kelly, the lighter sleeper of the two by far, awoke with a start and eyed Kris with confusion for a few moments, before realizing what had happened.
"I fell asleep?" she asked sleepily, rubbing her eyes.
"Only for a few minutes." Kris answered, still trying to shake her sister awake. Kelly turned and noticed Sabrina mid-yawn.
"When did you get here?" she blurted out, her words nearly indecipherable through her open mouth.
Sabrina laughed and stood up. "Just a second ago. Laura's meeting us in the lobby in a few minutes. I got a hold of Bosely awhile ago and he should be here soon. We're getting a ride to the police station and Boz will-" She turned and, inspired by Kelly, gave a big yawn. "-Boz will pick us up there."
"Good." Kris added, tugging on Jill's ear. She paused to become the third victim of the contagious yawn. "I can't wait to get home and get a hot shower."
"I can't wait for you to get a shower, either." Jill muttered grumpily, suddenly awake. Kris released her ear and gave her a playful slap on the shoulder. "Who asked you?" she giggled.
The girls laughed softly and rose to their feet, much to the discomfort of their sore and tired bodies.
"Come on, Tumblelina." Sabrina said, taking Jill's arm to help her up. To her surprise, Jill cried out in pain and jerked it away.
"Jill? What?" Sabrina choked in alarm. She knelt down, took Jill's wrist and pushed up her sleeve, revealing the inflamed puncture marks from the fox bite. All the girls winced at the painful looking wound.
"You didn't have this taken care of?" she asked in disbelief.
Jill made a face. "I was asleep when they patched me up. I forgot about it."
"You forgot about it?" Kelly echoed. "How do you forget about it?"
Jill glared at her. "Kelly, I have so many bumps and bruises its hard to keep track of them all." She pulled her sleeve down. "And anyway, it's fine. I just want to go home."
"You need to get that looked at Jill." Kris pointed out. "A wild animal bit you, you can't just ignore it."
Jill heaved a frustrated sigh. They were so close. Just minutes from getting the hell out of here and putting an end to their nightmarish weekend. And she was so very tired.
"It's really not that bad." Jill mumbled, pulling her arm away from Sabrina. She leaned back against Kelly's shoulder and closed her eyes again, not caring about anything else but sleep. Had she ever been this exhausted before?
Sabrina frowned. "It's not that good either." she argued. "And when a wild animal bites you, you need to get a rabies shot. Especially foxes. The red fox is one of the top carriers of rabies."
"She's right, Jill." Kris added.
Jill sighed in irritation. "Rabies?"
"Yes, Jill." Sabrina explained patiently, as if she was talking to a child. "People can get rabies too."
Jill opened her eyes and furrowed her brow in confusion. "Wait, rabies? What's that again?"
"Like Old Yeller." Kelly offered helpfully. Jill's eyes popped open and she straightened immediately with a look of horror on her face.
"Kelly!" she cried shrilly. "I can get that?"
Kelly bit back a fit of laughter. "Only if you let that bite go untreated." she answered, taking Jill's arm. "Come on, it won't take long. You can go to sleep right after."
Sabrina suddenly looked thoughtful. "Well-" she started. "If she doesn't want to she doesn't want to, Kell. We can't make her do anything. I guess we'll just put her in the corn crib and keep her away from people."
Kelly nodded her head. "That might work, Bri. How long do you think she'll last in there?"
"Let's see-" Sabrina pondered, making a show of carefully counting her fingers. "About a week before she starts going mad."
"And then- well.."
"Exactly." Sabrina said gravely. "We'll have to put her down."
"That's not funny!" Jill snapped, swatting Sabrina's arm.
"Can we flip a coin to see who'll shoot her?" Kelly piped up cheerfully.
Sabrina frowned and shook her head. "No, she was my friend first. I'll shoot her."
"Wait a minute." Kris argued, stepping in front of them. "She's my sister. If anyone shoots her it should be me."
"Ok! I get it!" Jill cried in irritation. "I'll get the damn shot! But then after I get to go to sle- Why are you sulking, Kelly? Shooting me is not funny!"
To their credit, Sabrina, Kris and Kelly held their straight faces for nearly an entire three seconds before bursting into laughter. At Jill's cross looking face, Sabrina ruffled her hair affectionately.
"It'll be ok, Jill. Ten more minutes and then you can sleep as much as you want, ok?"
Jill sighed and let Kelly pull her to her feet. She rubbed her eyes tiredly. The room around her spun and blurred, giving her the illusion that she was floating. This had better not take long. She had never wanted to sleep so badly in her life.
Ten minutes later found Jill sitting on an examination table with Kelly, Sabrina, and Kris standing supportively by. Her wound had been cleaned and bandaged and all that was left was the shot. The four watched curiously as the nurse prepped a disturbingly long needle for Jill's vaccination. Jill's face paled at the sight of it. "Is that gonna hurt?" she whispered nervously.
"Yeah, it's horrible." Kelly whispered back gravely. At Jill's mortified expression, her serious face broke into a laughing smile. "I'm kidding, Jill. I'm sure it'll be fine. Just like any other shot."
Jill glared at her.
Kris had been staring in open mouthed horror at the oversized needle. "I don't see how it couldn't hurt. That's the biggest needle I've ever seen!" she blurted out.
Sabrina, Kelly, Jill and even the nurse slowly turned their heads to stare at her. Kris blushed and, suddenly deciding that the sink in the corner was very interesting, turned and wandered towards it.
The nurse bustled around the room for a few more seconds, gathering various supplies, and then returned to Jill's side. "Ok, Ms. Munroe." she warned gently. "It's just fair to warn you that this isn't just like any other shot."
Sabrina, Kelly, and Kris bit the inside of their cheeks to keep from giggling at the pitiful expression on Jill's face.
The nurse methodically dipped a swab of cotton in iodine and sanitized a section of Jill's forearm about an inch from the wound. Jill winced as the needle punctured her skin. The shot burned terribly, but now it was over.
"Thanks." Jill muttered. She turned to her friends. "There. All finished."
The nurse laughed and patted her arm. "Not quite yet, dear. One more."
Jill sighed and extended her arm so unhappily that her sister and two friends snickered behind their hands. She shot them a dirty look and Kris and Sabrina had the decency to sober. Kelly's grin only widened.
The nurse looked confused at Jill's offered arm and then chuckled. "Oh no, honey. Lift up your shirt please. I have to give this one in your abdomen."
Jill smiled her confusion. "What?" she asked sweetly. Surely, she had misheard.
"This shot doesn't go in your arm, honey. I have to give it to your in your stomach."
Kelly made a strangled gurgle in her throat, then calmly turned and walked out of the room, her face bright red with the effort of suppressing her laughter.
The nurse watched her go. "Oh, is the poor dear squeamish?" she asked warmly, pity in her voice.
Sabrina smiled. "Yeah. Something like that."
She leaned forward and with Kris's help, laid Jill down on the table and pressed down on her shoulders to steady her trembling. The nurse repeated the same routine she had with the first shot and then eased the needle into Jill's skin. Jill yelped as the fiery liquid coursed into her system and, like a good friend, Sabrina gently stroked her hair to ease her suffering.
Like less of a good friend, Kelly poked her head into the doorway, having just managed to compose herself without rupturing any major organs. Kris and Sabrina smiled tolerantly at her and gestured towards Jill.
"She's done now." Kris announced, giving her sister a warm pat on the shoulder.
Jill groaned. "Am I really?" she asked the nurse.
The old woman chuckled merrily. "Yes, dear. You're all finished."
Jill let out a breath, straightened her shirt, and stood to go. Kris steadied her and still the ever supportive friend, Sabrina handed over her crutches.
"We'll see you in three days." the nurse bid them warmly.
Jill paled. "What?"
"You have to come back in three days for the next shot."
The door quickly closed again. Kelly was nowhere in sight. She would win no sympathy awards tonight.
"I'm sorry. I thought you knew." the nurse said, obviously trying hard to keep the bubbling laughter from her voice. "It's a series of shots over the next week or so."
She bent down, scrawled a few things on a card and handed it to a very defeated looking Jill.
"Have a good night, Miss Munroe!" the nurse called happily. "See you Thursday!"
Jill sighed and tucked the card into Sabrina's pocket. She could only hope that somewhere, far away from them, Mr. Fox and his entire family were getting eaten by a bear.
Bosely hurriedly pushed through the heavy glass doors of the police station and took a quick look around. It was very late and only a few blue uniformed officers milled about the lobby, talking without interest to each other or reading the newspaper. He noticed an officer looking at him, and though the young man quickly looked away to avoid interaction, headed right toward him.
"Excuse me, officer? I'm looking for the girls that were involved in th-"
Without looking up, the officer cut him off by abruptly pointing his finger in the direction of a partially open office door across the room. Bosely followed the man's finger to the office and immediately noticed Sabrina's tall, thin silhouette in the opaque glass window.
"Thank you." he said absently, patting the rude officer on the shoulder. He took long, quick strides to the door and was relieved to hear hushed female voices as he closed the distance. They were all in there. Hearing approaching footsteps, Kelly wearily lifted her head and turned an exhausted looking face in his direction. A big, happy smile instantly brightened her pretty features and Bosely felt a warm surge of affection for all of his girls.
"Boz is here!" Kelly announced cheerfully, rising to her feet. At her announcement, Sabrina and Kris stopped talking and turned in his direction as well, their smiles mirroring Kelly's.
"Hey, Boz!" they called out happily.
Bosely grinned back. Boy, was he happy to see them.
"Hello, ladies." he called as he poked his head in the door. The girls immediately scooted back to give him room to come inside and then bombarded him with hugs. Bosely laughed and patted them affectionately. Sudden movement caught his eye during the happy reunion and he was a bit startled to realize that there was another girl in the room. He caught himself and gave her a warm smile.
"Hi, John Bosely." he said, over Kris's head. He extended his hand and she smiled shyly and shook it before pressing herself back to the wall. The girls pulled away and crowded toward the new girl.
"Boz, this is Laura Jacobi." Kris said brightly, pushing her forward.
Bosely smiled at her again and nodded his head towards the girls, who had settled back onto the bench with Jill. "I see these four have dragged you into a fine mess."
Laura blushed and looked at the floor. "Actually, Mr. Bosely, I'm afraid it's the opposite." she said apologetically. "I dragged them into my mess."
Bosley raised his eyebrows. "Oh?" he stammered awkwardly. "Well, they're more than accustomed to trouble, miss. Don't feel bad." He gave her another friendly smile, hoping it would put her at ease.
"We are four trouble magnets." Kelly piped up sardonically. Sabrina, Jill, and Kris nodded in agreement.
Bosely shook his head and stared at the five young women in front of him. "That's truer than I'd like to believe." he muttered. It certainly appeared that way. The girls looked ready to fall over from exhaustion. He had wondered briefly why Jill was being so uncharacteristically quiet and staying in her seat. A closer look revealed cuts and bruises all over her and a bandaged knee and arm. A pair of crutches leaned against the corner and Bosely realized that they were for her. The rest of the girls were covered with similar injuries, their clothing torn and caked with dried mud and grass stains. Whatever had happened to them had definitely taken its toll. There would be a long story on the way home.
"Jill?" Bosely asked in concern. Jill smiled weakly at him and waved before closing her eyes again.
"Don't worry, Boz. Her pills are kicking in. She'll be alright." Sabrina explained quickly.
Bosely nodded, still staring at Jill. "Are you girls ready to get out of here?" he asked.
"Born ready." Kris muttered. "I can't wait to get home and sleep."
Bosley laughed. "You all look like you need sleep." he said, helping Jill to her feet. He looked at the five girls in turn and flashed a mischievous grin. "And a shower, I might add."
Kelly grinned, and too tired to think of a comeback, lightly punched his arm. "Gee, thanks, Boz. I'll remember that." she muttered sardonically. She gave him a tired smile and took Laura's arm to lead her out. Kris and Sabrina followed, helping Jill limp along on her crutches between them. Bosely shut the door behind the girls and watched. They all looked so tired, drifting into each other as they walked and staggering along as if in a daze.
Bosely shook his head and followed them.
"Are you Mr. Bosely?" a voice called out to him. Bosely stopped and turned to see a middle aged officer holding a clipboard.
"Yes, sir."
"Sign here, sir." the officer explained. "We'll return Ms. Munroe's car after forensics finishes searching for evidence."
Bosley nodded his head and started to read through the lengthy form. Three sentences in, he gave up. The tiny print on light yellow paper was giving him a headache. "I'll take your word for it." he muttered, quickly scrawling his signature on the bottom of the form. The officer thanked him and walked back to where he came from.
Bosley sighed. The girls hadn't noticed he stopped and were already outside. He strode quickly through the station and into the parking lot, where all five girls were crowded around his locked car, looking up at him expectantly like five school children waiting for their bus.
"Sorry. Got delayed." he said with a grin. He hurriedly opened the car doors to let them in.
"Why don't you jump shot gun, Laura." Sabrina offered, catching her arm. "You'll be more comfortable."
Laura thanked her shyly and climbed into the front seat, letting the remaining girls squeeze themselves into a backseat meant for three. Bosely laughed at the sight. Luckily, they were thin. He closed their doors securely before stepping around to the trunk. The girls would probably sleep the entire way and would appreciate some blankets. He tossed in Jill's crutches, pulled the three blankets out of trunk and then settled himself behind the wheel of the car.
"Here you go, ladies. Try and stay warm." he said brightly, tossing two blankets into the backseat. The four girls in the back were delighted. "And for you, my dear." He bowed gallantly and handed Laura a blanket of her own. The girl smiled and gratefully wrapped herself up in it. "Thank you." she whispered.
"My pleasure, honey. Try to get some rest." he said, giving her a gentle pat on the shoulder. He angled his rearview mirror to check on the backseat. "You ok back there?"
The girls looked up at him as they huddled together, two to a blanket, and grinned at the reflection of his eyes.
"Nice and cozy, Boz!" Kris answered, making herself comfortable under her and Jill's blanket. Sabrina and Kelly settled down underneath their own blanket and gave him a thumbs up.
"Thanks Boz." Sabrina yawned. She leaned her head back against the seat and closed her eyes.
"Let's get out of here, huh?"
Bosely laughed. "Your wish is my command." he said reverently as he keyed the engine and eased the car into drive.
He smiled at the girls and then steered his car out of the police station parking lot and onto the street. The ride to the highway was spent in mostly exhausted silence, with quiet giggles and whispers from Kris, Kelly, and Sabrina the only sound in the car. Jill was silent, having long since flopped over onto her sister and fallen asleep. Bosely watched Laura carefully, not yet knowing how to approach her for conversation.
The young woman was quiet, eyes closed, but not sleeping. She opened her eyes and stared out the window from time to time or responded to the girls' whispered bickering and teasing in the backseat with a faint smile. She never joined in, and the girls, believing her to be asleep, didn't press her. After they had been on the highway for nearly an hour, the backseat conversations, which had been growing increasingly sparse since leaving town, had quieted. A glance in the rearview mirror revealed all eight of their eyes shut in much needed sleep. Good, Bosely thought. Bored, he decided to try to strike up friendly conversation with Laura to pass the time.
"How are you feeling?" he asked, as upbeat as he could manage. Laura looked startled for a moment by his sudden voice, but recovered and smiled weakly at him.
"Oh, I'm alright." Laura answered. "A little sore and tired, but I'm alright."
Bosely gave her a sympathetic look and nodded his head. "Yes, I imagine so. Quite an ordeal you went through."he said. "You sure you're ok?"
Laura let out a soft laugh and nodded her head. "Well, considering the alternative, I can't really complain."
It was Bosely's turn to laugh. "No, I suppose not. The five of you are very lucky to be here right now."
Laura shrugged and awkwardly toyed with a strand of her auburn hair. "I'm the lucky one. Not them." she said apologetically. "I stumbled onto them and they saved me by nearly getting themselves killed. I'm sure they don't consider themselves very lucky."
"Their job is to help people, honey, that's what they do." Bosely contested. He cleared his throat and gave her his best wise fatherly look. "The important thing is that all of you are safe now."
Laura looked down and nodded. "Yes. I owe them."
Bosely patted her knee reassuringly. "Trust me. They're glad they could help." he said. "They're good girls."
"Very." Laura laughed. She was quiet for a moment and then turned her body towards Bosely, a serious look on her face. "And they're also detectives. Mr. Bosely, if I can, I'd like to hire them to help catch Gary. He won't stop until he finds me and I won't be safe until he's caught. I can pay you, sir, I have a job, I have money." she said, her speech rapidly increasing in speed as she talked. She took Bosely's arm in both hands and squeezed gently. "Please, sir. I don't want to live in fear anymore." she finished.
Bosely took his eyes off of the road and gazed in surprise at the desperate young woman holding his arm. He stammered a moment and quickly averted his eyes back to the road.
"Well, honey." he started slowly. "I don't choose the cases that we take on, but I will talk to Charlie. I know he would love to help. And in the meantime, you can stay with one of the girls for safety."
His answer was non committal, but Laura beamed nonetheless, her hazel eyes brimming with pent up tears. "Oh, thank you, Mr. Bosely. Thank you so much!" she gushed. She gave his arm another squeeze and then realizing how invasive she was being, awkwardly pulled away and folded her hands in her lap.
Finally, she sniffled and quickly wiped her eyes with her dirty sleeve. "I'm sorry." she said, with a nervous laugh. "It's been a long few days."
Bosely waved his hand dismissively. "Perfectly understandable." he answered gently. The two lapsed into comfortable silence for a moment before Bosley gestured toward the clock. It was past four thirty in the morning. "It's late. Why don't you try to rest? Don't worry, you're in good hands now. The girls are complete professionals, they'll take good care of you."
As he talked, he and Laura turned to the backseat, where the girls were heaped on top of each other like a litter of sleeping puppies. Sabrina was slumped against Kelly's shoulder and suddenly twitched and swiped at her nose in her sleep, tickled by her pillow's long brown hair that had fallen onto her face. Still sound asleep, she mumbled something unintelligible, shifted herself slightly and then sighed in contentment, a faint smile crossing her sleeping face.
Though endearing, the sleeping detectives were not quite the vision of professionalism at the moment.
Bosely and Laura shared a glance and stifled a laugh at their pitiful state. Bosely shook his head. "Well, when they're conscious, I assure you that they are the epitome of professionalism." he said, in a mock haughty tone.
Laura giggled and settled herself against the car door to try to sleep. "I trust them." she said. "Thanks again, Mr. Bosely."
As the night sky began to turn gray with the approach of dawn, Bosely pulled up in front of Jill's house, where the girls had decided they would all sleep. Kris had tried several times to wake Jill, but decided it would require the combined efforts of everyone in the car. Bosely was about to get out to help them when Sabrina stopped him with a light touch on the shoulder.
"We'll get her, Boz. Go home and get some rest." she said with a weary smile. She leaned in and kissed his cheek. "Thanks again."
Bosely smiled and watched her join Kelly, Kris, and Laura by Jill's door.
"Alright then. You get some rest too." he called from his open window. "And I'll see you at the office at nine!"
Kelly and Sabrina paused and turned to stare blankly at him in disbelief.
Bosely looked confused for a moment and then nodded in understand. "Oh, you're tired. I get it. How about ten?"
The blank stare continued.
Finally, unable to keep a straight face, Bosely let out a hearty chuckle and pointed a finger at them. "Kidding! Shoulda seen your faces!" he laughed. "I'll call later and check up on you girls."
The two continued staring at him in accusing silence until Sabrina broke the trance. "Bosely. That wasn't funny." she said seriously, though Kris and Laura were giggling. Kelly solemnly nodded her agreement.
Eager to get inside to a warm and comfortable bed, the girls began nudging and shaking Jill to wake her up. The various pain medications she had been given were in full effect, making the task much more difficult than usual. Finally, after several moments of being jostled and prodded, Jill slowly became aware of voices, bright lights, and uncomfortably loud noises. What was going on?
"Jill? Come on, we're going inside, ok?"
Someone was shaking her shoulder. Was that Sabrina's voice?, Jill wondered. Kelly? Kris? Or Bosely?
Was Bosely still here?
"Come on, honey." another voice called. "God, she's really out of it. Bri, get her seat belt."
"Oh this isn't so bad. You should have seen her the night she turned twenty one."
"Not surprising. I love her, but the girl can't hold her liquor for anything."
Jill frowned inwardly, wondering how offended she should be. Hands fumbled around her and there was a cool breeze. Were they home? Jill opened her eyes to check and closed them immediately. The overhead light was too bright. So bright it made her head spin. Three pairs of hands grabbed her securely by the arms and waist and pulled her from the car. The movement nearly made her pass out from dizziness. Her head lolled back, but stopped against someone's shoulder. Just as well, she couldn't hold it up anymore. More voices. Hushed and indecipherable. The grating sound of crunching gravel made her want to put her hands over her ears. If only she could move them. Someone's warm hand touched her face.
"Jill? Sweetheart? Can you walk?"
Could she walk?, Jill wondered. Of course she could walk. She'd been walking since she was a baby. She shuffled her legs forward. She could walk.
"Well that answers that question." another voice floated out to her. That had to be ever sarcastic Kelly, Jill realized vaguely. She would have to remember to get her back for that comment.
"Here, Kris, get her arm like this." Kelly continued. Only this time she sounded more like Sabrina. More movement. They were carrying her now.
"Maybe it's a good thing she didn't eat." another strained voice murmured. "She's not as heavy."
Jill furrowed her brow. Hey, that was mean, she thought. She opened her eyes again. Were they inside? Her vision was blurred, lights spread surreally and colors swirled in front of her. Blinking didn't help, her eyes refused to focus. She fluttered for a moment and then gave up and shut them again.
"Leave it to Jill to put her own self in the hospital."
Who said that?, she wondered. Was that Bosely again? Why was he being so mean? Keys clinked impossibly loudly as one of her friends set them on the table.
"Hey, she didn't do it all to herself, she had help. It's my understanding there was a fox involved."
More giggling. Jill tried to glare at the echoing voice but found it too difficult with her eyes closed.
"Ok, Jill. Here we go." another voice soothed.
She felt her world shift and she began to fall. Her hands shot out in panic, latching only the first thing she could. It worked. The falling stopped.
"Ow!" someone shrieked. "Kelly!"
"We got you, Jill. Let go of your sister's hair, ok?"
Someone gently pried her hands away from their holds. There was giggling. Jill opened her eyes again. The blurred face in front of her was either Kelly or Sabrina, she couldn't be sure. It was someone with dark hair though.
Maybe it was Bosely.
"Kris, toss me that pillow. And watch you're hair."
Jill nearly panicked again when she felt herself dip backwards, but this time someone held her wrists immobile. She whimpered and squeezed her eyes shut to fight off the intense wave of dizziness brought on by the movement. Her head and shoulders touched something soft and the movement stopped. A cool hand brushed the hair from her forehead.
"I can't wait to tell her about this tomorrow." someone snickered.
"Be nice to her, Kelly."
Jill almost smiled at the tone that she recognized to be Sabrina's. At least someone was sticking up for her.
"She might bite you and give you rabies." Sabrina continued.
Jill tried to open her eyes to retaliate, but her eyelids disobeyed her and stayed shut. She listened to her friends giggle and wished she could slap one of them. But she was too tired right now. Too tired to even think.
A comforting weight was laid across her, and Jill was vaguely aware of one of her friend's pulling her heavy down comforter over her exhausted body. The warmth was much welcome. Her brain started shutting down and the voices around her melded into one. Someone was still stroking her hair and it felt so nice.
"One of us should stay in here with her. Make sure she doesn't try to get up anymore."
"It is a full moon."
More giggling.
"I'll sleep here with her."
"Alright. We'll be in the next room. Don't let her get your hair."
More giggling, distant and far off like she was floating away.
"Goodnight, guys. Get some rest."
Jill sensed the sudden darkness through her closed eyelids. The mattress dipped next to her with someone's weight. Who was that? If it was Kelly or Sabrina or Kris, she needed to slap them. She tried to ask, but her mouth wouldn't form the words she needed. Fingertips pressed gently against her lips, quieting her anyway.
"Shhh, honey. I'm right here. Sleep now."
A light kiss pressed into her forehead. Sleep now? That was a really good idea. Why hadn't she thought of that? A strange, flying sensation over came her and her thoughts became more and more jumbled and random. Tomorrow she would eat a French fry sandwich, she decided happily.
She felt herself shift slightly in her spot as whoever was with her settled down. The room grew quiet and still save for the buzzing in her ears. Sleep steadily pulled her away and finally she felt safe enough to let it. Her last thoughts before she slipped away was how glad she was that someone was with her.
She was so tired of being by herself.
