Chapter 12.
Jill and Bill met up outside the warehouses where Kelly had met Jefferson and Colt the other night. Now there was two other police cars there, and an ambulance pulled up behind them.
"Do you think we need the ambulance?" Bill asked and Jill nodded.
"Kris was bruised up all ready at the picture that Kelly got the other day. Even if she seems okay, I still want her to be looked over."
"What picture?"
"Oh, we don't have time to discuss everything now. Let's go in."
"Okay! Everybody! Listen up. Let's go inside, and hopefully we'll find Ms Munroe. Don't put her into any danger, and only shot the bad guys if you have to. I want all of them out of here alive. We'll walk inside in two groups. You're with me and Jill."
Everybody followed instructions, and Jill and Bill walked in into the building together with four other cops. They split up, all of them - with their guns drawn in front of them - walked into all the rooms, looking after Kris and the two men. They suddenly heard screams from one of the rooms, and they all headed that direction. Several cops ran into the room, and Jill, who had been heading the other direction and was now running as fast as her legs carried her, still had some distance to run. She heard the cops screaming, and she heard them fighting. She was happy that no gunshots were heard, but that didn't make her worry go away. She ran as fast as she could and almost crashed into a cop that was taking Colt out of the room. She gave him a look and continued into the room, scared of what she would be seeing next.
Jill ran into the room, and got there in the same time as another cop pulled out an angry Jefferson from the room. Another cop was trying to get a chain away from Kris' throat. Jill froze by the door and stared at the sight in front of her. Kris was sitting on a chair, arms tied to the armrests and feet tied to the legs of the chair. A think wire-chain was wrapped around her throat, slowly suffocating her. Now another cop was helping out, trying to get the chain off.
"Someone get something to cut this off with!" One of the officers screamed, desperately trying to get the chain off.
Another cop who were standing in the door ran out. As he bumped into Jill, she got out of her paralysis and ran up to Kris, kneeling in front of her, taking her hands, even though they were still attached to the chair. Tears were streaming down Kris' face and her eyes screamed in panic as she tried to inhale without any luck.
"Hang on Krissy, hang on. Hang on for one more sec, they almost have it off. Hang on, hang on. I'm here. Don't dare leave me, okay. Hang on…"
Kris squeezed Jill's hands for all she was worth. Jill noticed that Kris was blinking a lot, it was hard to keep her eyes open, and Jill realized that Kris was passing out.
"Kris, look at me. Look at me!" Jill said scared, and Kris looked at her. Her eyes were faded. "Honey. Hang on. They'll get it off any second. Keep looking at me. I need you to keep looking at me."
The officer who had run out before came back with a wire cutter.
"This was all I could find." He said, and they luckily managed chopped the chain off. Kris began coughing as she felt fresh air into her lungs. She closed her eyes in pain as she was coughing, and Jill could see how red, swollen and discolored her chest area were beneath her thin top.
"You're doing great Kris, you're doing great. We're gonna remove the ropes around your feet and wrists, and we're going to help you to lay down, okay? Paramedics are right outside, they're on their way in."
Kris nodded, still crying, coughing and gagging. Jill and the two cops continued to tie up the ropes, and while they were untying her, Jill kept talking to Kris.
"Take it easy Kris, take it easy. Take slow breaths. In… and out. That's right kiddo, one more. In… and out."
Kris did the best she could, and by the same time as Jill and the cops helped Kris to lie down on her side on the floor, paramedics came into the room, kneeling in front of her. They gave her painkilling, and they immediately put on an oxygen mask. It only took a few minutes before she was on a gurney, breathing still shallow, heading towards the hospital, Jill next to her in the ambulance. Before Jill jumped into the ambulance, she faced Bill.
"Bill!"
"Yeah?"
"Did you hear about Justin Matthews that was taken from the cops on his way to prison this morning?"
"Yeah, oh, I was going to warn Kelly about that, I totally forgot it."
"It's okay. It was Kelly that took him from the cops, with Bri's and my help. He's at that big abandoned building that you closed after that accident when Bri, Kelly and I were new in the force."
"I severely hope that you're not serious."
"You should go and get him." Jill said with a strained face before she jumped into the ambulance.
In the ambulance, Kris took Jill's hand. Jill leaned forward and stroke Kris' hair.
"Ella?" Kris wheezed out, having obvious problems with her speech.
"Ella is okay. She broke and dislocated her arm, but she's okay. I guess. She was still sleeping when I left the hospital but the doctor said she was going to be okay. Kelly and Sabrina is with her."
When Jill noticed the plate-sized eyes of her sister, she realized she might didn't know about the accident.
"She was hit by a car." Jill explained quickly.
Jill noticed how Kris breaths that had slowed down was raising again.
"No, honey, calm down. She's all right. Now we have to take care of you. Calm down. Slow breaths."
"Your sister is right, you have to calm down. You can talk more later. You have to relax. We'll be at the hospital within a few minutes, they'll help you out, and then you can meet that girl you talked about." The paramedic added.
About an hour later, Kris was resting in a trauma room. They had examined her thoroughly, but they hadn't found any damage to the throat or the speech. Kris felt like her throat was still surrounded by the chain and she was happy when the doctor had removed his hands from her throat. They had gotten the plates from x-ray back, and they had shown 5 broken ribs, and Kris was not surprised. Her entire body was bruised and so sore, but she had been very lucky they said. Nothing major except the ribs. It could have been so much worse.
She looked towards the door when it opened, and she smiled when Kelly wheeled in Ella who were sitting in a wheelchair. Jill and Sabrina was walking behind them.
"Aunt Kris!" Ella happily said when she saw Kris.
"Hey kid." Kris smiled weakly, voice very, very hoarse.
"Can I put her in the bed?" Kelly asked, eyes filled with worry.
Kris nodded, still with a weak smile on her face, and Kelly helped Ella climb down in the bed.
"What… happened?" Kris whispered to Ella.
"I was hit by a car! I did as you told me but I was looking towards the store and I forgot to look to the left and to the right before I crossed the street and I didn't see the car."
"How… bad…?" Kris whispered, looking at Kelly.
"Arm's broken at two places, elbow was dislocated. Hip's a bit bruised but she's okay. All the plates has come back clear and she's been released. But how are you sweetie?" Kelly asked.
"Broken… ribs… but… mostly… lots… of… bruises… Body's… very… sore."
"Does it hurt to talk?" Jill asked, and was answered by a nod. "Then we'll talk more later. You just rest. I talked to the doctor, and they want you to rest for another few hours before we take you home. They want to make sure your oxygen levels are normal before they send you home. And they're treating you for dehydration too, so when that IV bag is empty, then you might be able to get home." Jill smiled, and Kris nodded again.
"Why do they treat you for dehydration when they said Ella was good feed and had been drinking?" Kelly asked confused.
"They… gave… us… food… But I… didn't… eat."
"And why not?" Jill said, upset.
"Ella… needed… it."
"Aw, Kris." Kelly said, carefully leaning forward, hugging her. "I was so worried about you, I'm sorry for everything."
"Not… your… fault."
Kelly didn't answer. She blamed herself badly, and her heart was aching.
