Eric sat in his cruiser at three'o clock in the afternoon. The sun shining off the bright snow and he was bored our of his mind.
His chief had been giving him small jobs: ticketing speeders and watching traffic, patrolling a few city streets. He hated this. He wanted to be out there, finding Anna, finding her kidnappers and making them pay but he wasn't in high school anymore and he needed this job.
His partner Sam was next to him, offering him the small bag of chips. Eric shook his head. "No thanks." Sam sighed. "So how's things at home? I've been trying not to ask." But I'm really worried too. It went unsaid as Eric let out a huff. "Same. Kyle still isn't back at work. Says he's not sure if he could, with some of the cases he gets. He doesn't get many child abuse cases but he's not sure he'd be able to handle some of the...darker cases. Ones that aren't just a ticket violation." Sam nodded. "I got ya. I don't blame him. I'm not sure I would either, if I were in his place." Sam was about to speak when a car sped past them, the speedgun in Erics hand showing the car was going 75 in a 45 zone. He started the lights and drove to catch up.
He ended his day around five. He always did nowadays. He placed his weapons into his locker and locked it up.
He drove to their house. Not Sheila's. He always checked the mail once or twice a week so it didn't pile up. He gave Kyle and himself six months at Shielas before deciding to move.
He got out of his personal car, shoes crunching in the snow of February as he went to the mailbox on the porch. He grabbed the contents from inside and went back to his car.
He looked through the papers. Mostly ads but there was an envelope addressed to "The Cartman family" with no return address. He raised an eyebrow and put it with the rest of the mail on the passenger seat. He'd open it at the house.
As he started the car his cell started ringing "I swear." So Kyle was calling. He picked up. "Hey babe." "Eric, meet us at the hospital, my dad collapsed and he could barely breath-" "Whoa,Kyle, calm down! What the hell happened?" Kyle sobbed on the other end, making Eric's heart twist with pain. "He's been sick, you know that. We think the flu may have developed into pneumonia. The paramedics are already taking him to the hospital." "Which hospital?" Kyle told him and Eric let out a breath, trying to keep himself calm.
"Kyle, stay calm, Alright? I'll be there soon as I can. I love you." He hung up, rubbing his hands into his eyes, trying to keep from having a panic attack.
Once he felt calm he drove the way to the hospital. Once inside he saw Kyle in the ER waiting room next to Sheila who was equally in tears. He nearly ran over. Kyle saw him, standing and hugging him tightly. When he pulled away he asked "Have you heard anything? Any updates?" Sheila sniffled. "Nothing yet. They just got in a half hour ago. " Kyle was nearly hyperventilating. "Oh god, Eric, I can't lose him too, I can't." Eric held his arms, looking at him sternly but voice gentle. "You haven't lost anyone yet. Anna is still likely alive and your dad is being treated the best the doctor can possibly do. Just breath. Breath with me."
It took nearly five minutes before Kyle calmed and sat down next to his mother, Eric sitting next to him, holding his hand. Pushing away his own anxiety and worry.
An hour later they said they moved Gerold to intensive care as they want to keep him the remainder of his illness and keep him monitored.
Sheila was calmer when the doctor came to talk to them. "Please, will my husband be ok?" He sighed. "At this time we can't give a clear answer. Flu complications can improve in days or he could get worse in hours. It's a bit unpredictable and I really wish I had a better answer. Right now his lungs aren't great, we have him on oxygen. He is stable, his heart so far is fine which is a very good sign and if you would like to visit his room you're welcome to." Sheila odder, letting out a breath of relief. "Thank you so much doctor. I was so scared he was gonna die." The doctor smiled. "It's my job to make sure he doesn't. Please, don't hesitate to call me if you have any questions." "Thank you Doctor, I will keep that in mind." "Here, I can show you to his room."
The three of them followed. Eric not letting go of Kyles hand for a second. Still feeling him shake with anxiety. The doctor opened the door gently, letting them go inside. Gerold was asleep, breathing tube through his nose, several wires hooked up to him.
Gerold woke up an hour later. Somewhat alert but still obviously weak. He frowned as he held Sheila's hand. "I'm so sorry to worry you like this." Sheila smiled tiredly. The ordeal taking her energy. "It's not your fault. You'll get better and come home within the week, you'll see." Eric gave a smile himself, trying to keep them thinking positive. "Yeah, nothing can keep you down for long." Gerold chuckled but it quickly changed to loud, painful hacking coughs that shook his entire being.
Sheila, Kyle and Eric started to go home a little after six, deciding to go out for dinner. Too tired to make anything.
It was when they left the restaurant and Kyle got into the passenger side with Eric that he noticed the mail on the floor.
As Eric started the car Kyle reached down and grabbed the papers and ads. "Anything important?" "Like bills? No, not this week." Kyle sighed as Eric pulled out of the parking lot as Kyle held the mail in his lap, making a mental note to look at it more closely at home.
When they all got back home Kyle went through the mall, standing in the dining room. He saw the letter addressed to the "Cartman family" with no return address. Kyle spoke up as Eric was channel surfing the television while his mother was already getting ready to sleep. "Eric? What's this letter?"
The larger man got up, going to his husband. "I'm not sure, I saw but soon as I saw it in the mail I got the call about your dad. Open it up."
Kyle sighed as he opened it, expecting it to be an invite to a reunion of some sort or another fucking ad for Direct TV. Lord knows they try to make them as personal looking as possible. But what he read was so much worse. After the first few lines he gasps, tears filling his eyes. "Eric! Oh my god!" Eric ran in, worried and terrified. "What is it? What's going on?" Kyle sobbed but swallowed the lump in his throat. "It's from her kidnappers. It's all the fucking information we need to find her. He even gives a fucking address!" Eric grabbed it, Kyle practically handing it over. Eric read it carefully, not wanting to miss anything in it.
"My name is Danial and my wife and I have your daughter. My wife was part of the group that kidnapped the both of you and did unspeakable things. I was not apart of that group but I held similar values to it but I'm not so sure of them anymore. My wife, Lisa, is bordering insanity and her mission was to lure you here but now she just wants to find pleasure in hurting your daughter and I am doing all I can without my wife finding out to help your daughter. In this letter is the address we are currently in, please come quickly or your daughter may not be alive, me either. If my wife finds out I'm helping her she will kill me and your child. Please come quickly.
Dan."
Kyle was nearly into a panic attack as Eric stood there, rereading it over and over, not quite believing that he has the answers right in his hands. He was shaking so bad he eventually leaned against the hardwood table.
Kyle spoke up, voice cracking. "Eric, what do we do with this? What the hell do we do?" Eric snapped into his police mode, focusing on one problem at time. First was calming Kyle. "I'm taking this to the police chief and we are going to start a search and rescue operation. We may not be able to go until tomorrow but we will get our little girl back, I promise." Kyle calmed down a bit, wiping tears away. "What am I supposed to do? Just wait, like we have been for nearly two months?" Eric let out a breath. "I'm sorry. If I let you come with us I could lose my job, a lot of people could. I'm going to call the chief now, go tell your mom what's going on." Kyle nodded as Eric got his phone out, nearly running upstairs.
Eric paced as the phone on the other end rang and rang before finally it picked up. "Eric? Something happen?" "We just got a letter from Annas kidnappers. Someone from the inside is trying to help us, he sent us the address. How soon can we get a search and rescue team? SWAT? anything?" Eric felt his own panic attack starting as the chief talked. "Let me get to station and I'll call you with an estimate. Actually can you meet me there?" "Yeah. I'll bring the letter." "Good. See you soon."
Eric hung up, Taking in a few deep breaths before going upstairs to Sheila and Kyle to tell them the news.
Back at the hell Anna was stuck in. Dan was getting ready for bed, washing his hands in the bathroom sink as the door opened, slowly.
He looked in the mirror, seeing Lisa and feeling his heart seize. She had a dangerous, livid sort of look. He turned the water off slowly, as if moving faster will spook her into action. "Yes dear?" Lisa held up the piece of paper that held the Cartmans address. "Where exactly did this come from? I could have sworn it was packed up with the rest of my research." He turned, facing her. "Maybe Aaron went through your things. You know how nosey he gets sometimes." Lisa glared, walking closer. "oh I think it was someone else. I think it was a fat, smelly rat name Dan!" She suddenly stabbed him with the same small pocket knife she used on Anna. He didn't think it punctured any organs, he was thankful for his chubby weight now more than ever but he barely got the thought as he held his stomach wound, crying out in pain as blood dripped through his fingers.
Lisa wasn't done. She grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt and dragged him down the hall and to the living room. He barely could keep up with her until she got to the basement stairs, throwing him down.
When his fall ended he was thankful he was still alive but Anna was sobbing as she saw Dan. Nearly screamed when she heard him fall down the stairs. "Dan..." Dan saw her as Lisa turned the lights on, walking down the stairs, bloody knife in hand. Dan adjusted against the cold, cement brick wall as she passed by him and walked toward Annas cage. He shook his head. "No, please, leave her alone. Take me, please, I'm the one that ratted us out." Lisa drug Anna out of her cage, putting her face down on the cement floor. It smelled of piss and blood and Anna wanted to vomit. Lisa looked over at Dan. "This is what you get for trying to help this low life. You are going to watch while I cut her and violate her. If she's lucky she'll live through it but she will know its because of you that she is in so much pain. You did this to her."
Anna kept trying to struggle in vain, weakly as she sobbed quietly into the cement floor. She felt Lisa move and saw her slippered feet in front of her vision.
Suddenly her shirt was being cut from her body, her jeans and everything else following, leaving her naked and shaking.
Dan was nearly sobbing and Lisa spoke, already threatening him with what he knew she would do. "Try to help her or stop me and I won't hesitate to kill both of you." Dan cried. Feeling and smelling the blood and fear. "Please...don't do this..." Lisa moved Anna so he could have a better view of her torture. She cut a deep line in Annas back and Anna screamed. Blood dripping down her back as Lisa laughed.
Dan could only watch as Lisa cut her back up to shreds, the blood pooling on the floor. But he didn't vomit until he saw her start to violate her young body with whatever was near. In this case, a baseball bat. The one Aaron never used. Dan sobbed and the blood continued. He prayed that she would live. Another day closer to freedom, he hoped.
