Ok guys here it is! The next chapter of Taken! It's another long one (almost 6,000 words!) since you had to wait a while again for an update. But school's been crazy and so has life. Anyways here it is! I hope you like it! Also I wrote this chapter and checked it over for any mistakes but if I missed any (which I always seem to do) then I am sorry.
Detective Marshal and his men were on their way to the location Delia had given them, they had no idea what they would find there but they knew that it was worth a shot. Even though Detective Marshal had only known Jim for a few days now, he had learned a lot about him. He could tell from the moment that he met him that Jim would do anything to find his wife. It didn't matter if it would put himself in harm's way, Jim Clancy was going to find his wife one way or another. In 3 days, Detective Marshal learned that Jim and Melinda had a love that most would only dream of. He saw it in their house, he saw it in the way Jim talked about his wife, and he also saw it in Jim's eyes. There was something special there that no one, not even some lunatic, would be able to destroy. On a normal day, with a normal case, the detective wouldn't have rushed out of his office the way he did. He wouldn't have called all of his men and told them to get ready because they were leaving in 5 minutes. On a normal day he would have waited to see how things played out. He would have given the husband time to realize that he found nothing and that he wasn't the police department. In time, the husband always returned to his office, defeated and pleading for them to help and do more. But this wasn't a normal day, this wasn't a normal case and these were not normal people. There was something different about Jim Clancy, something that was admirable and quite frankly not something that you see every day. Detective Marshal knew that today was the day they were going to find Melinda Gordon, the day that they were going to bring her back to her husband and friends and family. The one thing that was different about today though, Detective Marshal knew that Jim Clancy was going to keep his word to his wife. Jim Clancy was going to be the one who saved his wife, was going to bring her out of the hell she was trapped in and bring her home to everyone that loved her. He just hoped that they weren't too late. He hoped that Jim was able to find her in time and that even after everything that she had been through, that she would be ok. He knew it was a long shot but he couldn't help but hope, their love was too strong to not believe that this was going to end with happy ending.
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Jim had no idea how he was going to get the two of them out of here but he knew that one way or another they would. Melinda was so weak, he needed to get her to a hospital immediately. Jim was still holding Melinda close to him, he was afraid that if he let her go that he would never get the chance to hold her again. It scared him to realize how close he is to losing her forever. Her condition was worsening by the second. He knew that he didn't have much time.
Jim moved slowly, trying to be as careful with her as he could. Holding her close to his body, Jim moved to stand up. He was shocked when a jolt of pain pulsated from his gunshot wound and sent him crumpling to the ground. Luckily he was able to turn his body so that way he didn't fall on top of Melinda and hurt her even more then she already was. He cushioned her fall as much as he could and somehow she made a relatively soft landing. Jim grabbed his leg in agony and looked to his wife, he let a tear slowly escape. He knew that if he couldn't get her up the stairs then she would die here. He could not, would not, let that happen. He quickly reassessed her condition, he grabbed the thermometer and placed it in her mouth. Luckily her temperature seemed to stay steady at 107 degrees, which was dangerously high to say the least but at least it wasn't climbing. Jim quickly took off his jacket and wrapped her up in it. He didn't want her naked body to be exposed to any more danger. He knew that it would be cold outside and he couldn't risk her becoming more sick then she already was. Once she was wrapped in his jacket he took the blanket that David brought down and wrapped her lower body in that. He then took a deep breath, he knew this was going to hurt but that was nothing compared to the pain he will feel if he loses her. He pulled Melinda back into his arms, holding her bridal style, he took one more deep breath before he slowly began to stand up. "Aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh " He yelled out in pain!
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Detective Marshal and his men made it to the address that Delia gave them. They all took their positions around the perimeter while a few select men made their way to the front door and slowly opened it. They looked around quickly before turning on their flashlights and raising their guns in front of them. They made their way into the house and quickly cleared every single room.
"Clear! There is no one here sir!" One of the men hollered to Detective Marshal.
Detective Marshal scratched his head in confusion, "If no one is here then where is Jim Clancy?" He hollered back.
"Who?" His men thought they were looking for a woman not a man.
"The husband of the woman we are looking for took off about 5 hours ago looking for his wife, his friend said that this is the address he went to. So I will ask again, if there is no one here then where is he?" Detective Marshall explained. "I want everyone to spread out and look for clues that might tell us where he went!" he ordered.
His men fanned out and started looking. They searched the living room, bedrooms, dining room all with no luck. One of his men finally yelled from the kitchen, "Detective! I think I found something that you should come look at!"
Detective Marshal walked into the kitchen and saw the mess on the floor with an address scribbled into it. "What the hell is that?" he asked.
"I'm not sure sir, maybe it is where he is at?"
"But who wrote it there and why do it like that? Wouldn't it be easier to simply get a piece of paper? This makes no sense?" Detective Marshal was becoming confused and quite honestly had no idea what was going on let alone what to expect anymore.
"I'm not sure sir, but I will say this; this is the only lead that we have that suggests where he might have gone. I say that we take a risk and go to this address. Who knows we might actually find something."
"Alright, you're right! Let's go men!" Detective Marshal yelled out as he men followed him out of the house. They loaded back up into their vehicles and made their way to the address scribbled on the floor. No one quite knew what to expect. All they knew was that they had no other leads in the case and that it was worth a try.
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"Aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" He yelled out in pain as he finally managed to stand up. Luckily they were close to the wall and Jim was able to lean his back against it all while still holding Melinda in his arms. He took a second to collect himself and catch his breath. He could tell that he was starting to go into shock from the pain but he had to try his best to not let that happen. He looked down for a second to evaluate his leg. There was blood running down his leg and dripping onto the floor but that didn't matter. Jim thought for a second, all he had to do was make it up the stairs, to his truck, and drive Melinda to the hospital. He had to get her out of here. He had to! So Jim slowly began to step forward, one leg at a time. It was a slow and painful process but Jim knew that he couldn't afford to stop. He was breathing heavily and trying to focus on Melinda lying in his arms instead of the pain in his legs.
After a few minutes they finally managed to make it to the stairs. Jim took another moment to rest and catch his breath. His legs were throbbing in pain, the beating took a lot more out of him then he originally thought. They were weak and shaking, he wasn't sure if or how he was going to be able to make it up the stairs and out the door. He wasn't sure if he would be able to get her out of here. He took this time to look down and the beautiful woman he held in his arms. She was still breathing, even though it was shallow and weak. He could see the beads of sweat forming on her forehead. She looked lifeless in his arms, and even though he knew she was still alive it scared him. He looked back up the stairs then back at her. "Ok baby! Time to get you out of here!" He said as he kissed her forehead before slowly lifting his leg to the first step. Pain seared through his body but he knew that he couldn't stop. He knew that he had to keep going.
There is a belief that when someone you love is hurting or in trouble that you find a strength that you never knew that you had. The story goes that a child is trapped under a car, his mother is frantically trying to find a way to get him out. She knows that if she doesn't that he will die. So she gets into position and slowly starts to lift the car off of him. She was able to do this unbelievable task because of the love for her son. She wasn't going to let anything happen to him and would do anything to save him. She found the strength of 20 men and was able to save her child. Some would argue that Jim found that strength today and that is how he was able to carry both himself and Melinda up those stairs, others would argue that Jim always had that strength and that it was simply waiting for the right time to present itself to him. No one quite knows how he did it. If you look at the circumstances it seems pretty impossible that a man, who was beaten only 4 hours before hand, who fought for his life and almost died twice, who has been sick with worry for 3 days over his kidnapped wife, who hasn't slept in days. A man, who has been doing everything that he could to find his and bring her back home, and lastly who was shot in the leg. It seems impossible that this man was able to carry his wife up a flight of stairs and out of the house that held her prisoner for so long. How did this man do it? The answer is simple, love. He wasn't going to lose her. Their love gave him the strength he needed. Their love kept her alive through it all and got them out of that house, together!
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Jim was covered in sweat he was breathing heavily and felt like he was going to pass out at any minute. Somehow they had made it to his truck, Jim gently laid Melinda down in the front seat. Her head was in the driver seat and her feet with in the passenger seat. He readjusted the blanket making sure that her entire body was covered, then as quickly as his legs would allow him made his way over to the driver seat. He gently lifted her head and slid into the seat, then lovingly laid her head in his lap. The keys were still in the ignition so he quickly started the engine and drove off towards the hospital.
He took a second to look down at Melinda lying next to him. He couldn't help but feel guilty about it all. He gently stroked her head while he talked to her the whole way. Whispering words of comfort to her. Telling her that everything would be ok now that she was safe. That he was here and no one could ever hurt her again. She was going to be ok now. Even though he himself wasn't so sure of the last one.
Jim was driving as fast as he could when he thought he saw something off in the distant. It looked like lights but he couldn't be sure. He had already checked his phone and it still had no service. He needed to call Delia and tell her that he found Melinda. He needed to call the hospital and tell them to get ready because they were coming and his wife needed help. He needed to call Detective Marshal and tell him that he found her. He checked his phone again and still no service. Suddenly he saw it again, the lights off in the distance, only this time they looked closer. He strained his eyes to see what it was, he couldn't tell but it looked like there were a lot of them. As he continued to drive and the lights got closer and closer he couldn't help but get a little ray of hope. Driving towards him were he guessed 5 cop cars and maybe even more. Jim frantically honked his horn and flashed his lights at the cars rushing towards him. He continued to flash them as he pulled over to the side of the road.
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"Umm, detective? Are you seeing this?" a young officer asked while he was driving the lead car.
The detective looked up from the map to see a truck flashing its lights and swerving on the road in front of them. "What the hell is that?" He asked.
"I'm not sure sir, what should we do?"
"Slowdown a little bit. Let's see what else he does." The detective said as he watched the truck closely.
"Sir, I think he is pulling over. Should we do the same?" The officer asked. Both officer and detective could hear the driver frantically and repeatedly honking the horn of the vehicle.
The truck in front of them was still flashing its lights at the officers. But now had pulled over to the side of the road.
The detective thought for a moment before finally deciding to investigate this incident further. "Yeah, umm pull over." The detective ordered, never once taking his eyes off the truck. The rest of the cars followed the lead cars example and also pulled over. All the officers got out of the car and got out their guns while taking cover behind their doors. All of the officers pointed their guns straight at the truck, no one knew what could possibly happen next.
Detective Marshal pulled out the megaphone and turned it on before talking into it slowly. "I want you to slowly step out of the vehicle with your hands in the air where we can see them!" His voice bellowed through the air.
Jim looked down at Melinda one last time, "It's going to be ok now Mel, help is here. I'll be right back." He brushed the hair off of her forehead before slowly lifting her head off of his lap and placing it onto the seat after he slid his leg out from underneath her. Jim then slowly opened his door and stepped out of the vehicle with his hands held high over his head.
"That's it, nice and easy. I want you to walk to the front of your truck and place both hands on the hood. We are going to come over to you!" Detective Marshal ordered Jim what to do.
Jim did as he was told and limped to the front of his truck, "Please! We need help! My wife is in there and she is hurt! She needs a hospital! She is dying!" Jim yelled. He knew better then to approach the officers, he knew that if he looked at all threatening that they would have no other option but to open fire on him. So instead he stayed where he was, hands on the hood of the truck, looking over desperately at the bright lights that were shining directly onto him.
Detective Marshal thought that the voice sounded familiar, "Jim?" he asked through the megaphone.
Jim strained to see who was over there. It was hard to distinguish the voice when it was coming at him through a megaphone but he was pretty sure that it sounded like Detective Marshals. "Yes! Detective is that you? Please! My wife! You have to help her!"
Detective Marshall and his men lowered their weapons and the megaphone. The detective was the first one who made it to Jim's side. "Jim!" he yelled as he got closer. "What the hell were you thinking? What happened?"
Jim shook his head, "Look that isn't important right now. I need you to help Melinda, she is in the truck. Detective she is hurt and it is bad! Please she doesn't have much time!" Once Jim in fact saw that it was in fact the detective he hobbled as fast as he could to the passenger side door and opened it.
Detective Marshal was shocked by what he heard "Jim…..you found her?" He asked astonished that Jim was actually able to do it. In all of his years on the force and as a detective, he never had a case where the husband actually found his wife. What he saw next though took his breath away. Laying motionless on the seat was a very beaten woman. She was cut and bruised and didn't look good. He knew that he chances of survival were slim to none, not after that much torture. He looked at Jim for a second before yelling to the ambulance driver that followed them, "I need a medic over here! NOW!"
Jim quickly checked Melinda's vitals one more time while he waited for the paramedics to bring the gurney over.
Jim was relieved when he saw Bobby running towards him. Bobby had no idea what was going on so he knew he was going to be confused but Jim knew that Bobby was the only other man he would trust with Melinda's life.
"Jim?" Bobby asked when he neared his truck. "Man what is going on?"
"It's Mel, Bobby. I need your help!" Jim said she he motioned towards his injured wife laying in his truck.
Bobby was shocked by what he saw. "What the hell happened to her?" Bobby asked. He expected to see Melinda looking perfect as always, not this. She was covered in nasty bruises and cuts all over her body. She was laying there naked with only Jim's jacket and a blanket covering her.
"It's a long story, come on man we need to get her to the hospital." Jim said. Bobby started working quickly to get Melinda out of the truck, onto the gurney. Once Melinda was secured on the gurney, Bobby's partner started to wheel her to the ambulance. Jim tried to follow but almost fell over from the pain in his legs. "Ahhh…." Jim grunted.
"Woah Jim," Bobby said as he caught his friend. "Slow down there man! We need to get you on a gurney, you're hurt."
Jim shook his head, "No….no…." he said through gritted teeth. Please let me stay with her! She needs me. I promised her I wouldn't leave her alone….not….again." Jim was starting to get dizzy, probably from the pain and all the blood he had lost.
Bobby looked down and noticed the amount of blood that was starting to puddle in the grass by Jim's shoe. "No Jim you need as much attention as Melinda does, come on let me get you on a gurney and start working on that leg."
Jim shook his head again and looked directly at his friend. "Bobby, let me ride to the hospital with her. I promise you as soon as we get there then I will go with the doctors and have them take care of my leg, but please don't make me leave her just yet. I need to be with her. I promise I will get it looked at when we are at the hospital. Please, Bobby. She needs me. I can't leave her alone again! Please Bobby, I already left her once and look at what happened. She needs me. I'll have the doctor look at me when I get there. Please man. Don't make me leave her. Bobby, please." Jim rambled on.
Bobby looked at his friend as he struggled to keep him standing upright. "Jim you're delirious and you're not making any sense man. Come on I need to get you to a gurney and you need to lie down."
Jim grabbed Bobby's arm, "Please!" He said it was so much determination.
Bobby took a second to think about it. He knew that when it came to Melinda, that Jim would do anything for her. He knew that he wasn't going to win this battle. He also knew that if they didn't get both Jim and Melinda to the hospital now that they could lose both of them. "Ok! Fine….but as soon as we get to the hospital you are going with the doctors, no matter what. Understood?" Bobby said forcefully.
Jim nodded and looked up to the ambulance. Bobby's partner and another police officer had just made it there and were getting ready to load her into it.
Bobby and Detective Marshal supported Jim's weight as the three of them walked to the ambulance. Every officer there stopped what they were doing and looked at the man walking before them. They had never seen such love and devotion from one single individual before. This man risked his own life, put himself in danger, to bring his wife home. He risked it all and was able to save his wife.
Detective Marshal and Bobby got Jim into the ambulance, Jim sat down next to Melinda and grabbed her hand in his. "Everything is going to be alright now honey, help is here. They are going to make you better." Jim whispered to her. He knew that she could hear him even though she was unresponsive, "Don't worry, I'll be right here the whole time! I will not leave you alone again, I promise!"
"Jim, we need to get her to a hospital," Bobby said as he gently grabbed Jim's arm.
Jim looked at his friend, "Bobby, don't let anything happen to her. Please…. I can't live without her!" Jim's voice broke as he wiped a tear away from his eyes.
Bobby nodded in understanding and grabbed Jim's shoulder, "Don't worry man, she's my family too! I won't let anything happen to her!"
Jim at Detective Marshal, "Detective, can one of your men drive my truck to the hospital?" Jim asked.
The detective held out his hand, "I will personally drive it and see you there." The detective said as he took the keys from Jim.
"Thank you!" Jim said as he tossed his keys to the detective. The doors were shut behind him and soon they were on the road, sirens blaring, heading towards the hospital. Jim sat down quickly and grabbed Melinda's hand. His other hand was gently rubbing her head. Bobby was frantically trying to help Melinda as much as he could. He put an oxygen mask on her face to help her breath better. He then started an IV in her arm to help with her dehydration. He checked her vitals and wrote down as much information as he could. They were a good 30 minutes from the nearest hospital and he knew that those 30 minutes were crucial to her survival. He had been a paramedic for 15 years; he had seen a lot of cases but none like this one. Looking at his friend's wife laying before him, he knew that she had a hard battle in front of her. He knew that the chances of her surviving this were slim. He also knew that if she did survive it that it wouldn't be easy, for her or for Jim. But that didn't mean that he didn't think she would make it. He knew that if anyone could make it out of this alive that it would be Melinda. Like he said before, over the years he had never seen anything this bad, but at the same time, over those years, he had never seen anything like what Melinda and Jim had. It was something that everyone saw but that no one could explain in words. Looking at the two of them it was obvious that they were meant to be together. That God had something big planned for the 2 of them. Jim and Melinda had been through more together in their 3 years of marriage than most people have been through in their whole lives. This couple had been tested over and over again and one thing always stayed the same. They came out of it, alive, together and stronger than ever before. Bobby had a feeling that this was going to be another one of those defining moments in their life. One that everyone else will look at in awe, but that they will look at and smile because it only proves what everyone already knows, that their love is stronger than anything else. Their love will conquer all.
Bobby was still working on Melinda. He was still having a hard time looking at her like this. She was beaten badly and had cuts all over her body. Never in a million years could Bobby have imagined that the outcome of a kidnapping would be this bad. He looked over at his best friend and couldn't help but feel remorse for him. He put a hand on Jim's back and spoke softly, "Jim, she's strong! She won't give up on you! I know Melinda, she will fight with everything that she has until she can come back to you. I know that this looks bad, but she will not leave you. Not if she has a choice in the matter."
Jim looked up at his friend. "Thanks man. It's just hard when I see what he did to her. I know what her odds are, I know that it isn't good. I'm not going to lie, I'm scared. I'm so scared that I'm going to lose her!" Jim hung his head, never once letting go of Melinda's hand.
Bobby kept his hand on Jim's back. "I know man, I know. But if anyone can beat this, she can. I will be here every step of the way. Just let me know if you need anything ok."
Jim nodded and looked up at him, "Thanks Bobby."
Bobby went back to working on Melinda. He took her temperature; it was sitting at a dangerous 106 degrees Fahrenheit. He reached into his bag and pulled out an ice pack, one of the ones that you have to break and shake to activate, and once it is activated then it gets cold. Bobby quickly popped it and started to shake it to activate it. He handed the ice bag to Jim, "Jim, I need you to place this on her forehead and keep it there until we get to the hospital. We need to get her fever down." Jim did as he was told and kept whispering reassuring words to her and to himself. The entire time he was watching everything Bobby was doing, not because he didn't trust Bobby but because he has been Bobby's partner for years and if something is really bad he would be able to tell.
Bobby looked at Melinda then at Jim, "Jim? Did you dress her wounds and brace her wrist?" Bobby was confused. He could tell that someone with medical experience had worked on Melinda already but wasn't sure if that was Jim or her attackers.
"Yeah, umm the man who took her brought her to me when she started to take a turn for the worst. He brought her to me and wanted me to help her. I did everything I could; sadly I don't think it was enough though." Jim explained. He glanced up a Bobby then back at Melinda.
"Jim, what did probably saved her life." Bobby explained. "I know that it at least bought her time, and right now time is what she needs."
Bobby then glanced down at the floor next to Jim's leg, he saw the blood starting to pool on the ground, he knelt down next to Jim, "Jim, I really need to look at your leg."
Jim shook his head, "I'm fine, I want all of your attention on her." Jim never once stopped looking at Melinda. "My leg will be fine, I will have someone work on it when I get to the hospital but right now I want all of your attention on her." Jim now looked at Bobby. Bobby could see the determination in Jim's eyes, but he saw the fear as well. The fear that these may be the last moments he has with his wife. Jim knows how bad it was and knew that her chances of survival were slim. "Please Bobby, I promise I will have someone look at it but right now Melinda needs your help more than I do." Bobby patted Jim's back as he stood up and kept working on Melinda.
"Bobby?" Jim said to get his attention. Bobby looked over at Jim. "When we get to the hospital I know that the doctors are going to force me to go with them because they want to assess my condition as well. Could you do me a favor?"
"Anything Jim, what do you need?" Bobby asked.
"When we get there can you stay with her, I know that you have to get back to work but could you stay with her as long as you can?" Jim looked at his friend. "I don't want her to be left alone. I want her to have a friendly face there in case she wakes up. Bobby the last thing she is going to remember what happened before she passed out. She will be disoriented and confused if she wakes up. I know that I won't be able to be with her right away so will you please stay with her?"
"I will stay with her until you come back man. Don't worry man I'll call the chief and explain everything, he will understand." Bobby said.
Jim nodded, "Thanks man, I'll owe you one." Jim looked back at his wife laying there helplessly on the gurney.
"Hey, like I said earlier, Melinda is family! You are like a brother to me Jim. I promise you I won't leave her until you get back. Alright, I'll take care of her." Bobby said as he placed a hand on Jim's shoulder.
Jim couldn't find the words to say, he simply looked at Bobby and nodded his head gratefully.
They were only 5 minutes from the hospital now. Bobby made the final preparations on Melinda as they finally entered the hospital entrance. The ambulance came to a stop and that is when all the commotion started. The back doors flew open and there were 4 nurses and 2 doctors there to greet them. They quickly pulled Melinda's gurney out of the ambulance and started yelling out commands and what needed to be done. They wasted little to no time. They took all the paperwork from Bobby and one nurse looked it over quickly. Bobby followed behind them shouting out what he had done and what her condition was. He told the hospital staff everything they needed to know. He stayed with her as long the entire time, like he promised Jim he would.
Jim watched them wheel his wife away; he couldn't stop the tear that made it way down his cheek, knowing that he couldn't be with her at the moment. But he knew that the sooner he got his leg looked at the sooner he would be able to get back to her.
Two of the nurses and one of the doctors helped Jim out of the ambulance and onto a gurney. They had been informed that there were two victims and the driver of the ambulance filled them in on everything. They knew that Jim was injured and wasted no time at all. Before anyone could blink both Jim and Melinda were rushed into the hospital. Jim was in one room while Melinda was in another. Bobby sat in the waiting room waiting to hear anything about both of his friends.
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Detective Marshal was driving Jim's truck to the hospital. He instructed his men to still go to the address they found at the initial house they went to that night. He on the other hand was going to go see how Melinda and Jim were doing. On the way there he reached down and dialed Delia's number.
It rang twice before she picked it up, "Hello?"
"Hi this is Detective Marshal, you called earlier regarding Jim Clancy and Melinda Gordon." Detective Marshal explained.
"Yes detective, please tell me you found them!" Delia asked frantically.
"I, I need you to meet me at the hospital ma'am."
Delia gasped, "Why!? What happened! Are they ok?" Ned looked at his mother; the worry was evident on her face. He knew it was bad and quite honestly he was afraid to ask what was going on.
"Please ma'am I'll explain everything when you get here. I'm almost to the hospital now. I'll be waiting in the Emergency Room Waiting Room."
"Ok! We are on our way!" Delia said as she hung up the phone. She wasted no time she grabbed her purse and was out the door. She didn't need to tell Ned to follow her because he was right behind her. He knew it was bad, he didn't need to be told. He closed the door to Jim and Melinda's house. He quickly got into his car and looked over his shoulder one last time at the house, praying that one day soon he would be able to see both Jim and Melinda walk back through that door again.
Ok so let me know what you think. The next chapter we will find out how bad both Jim and Melinda's injuries are.
Please review and let me know what you thought! I would love to hear from everyone!
