Chapter Two
Sam lay in the dark room, only dimly aware that she had been moved to a new location. Through the haze of pain and fear in her mind, she could hear the baby crying far away. She had stopped praying for her own safety and the baby's long ago and now only hoped that her child would survive. Jack had taken the baby away right after it was born, not telling Sam what he was doing. She was not even able to hold it. She wanted desperately to soothe the child's fears, but couldn't. Jack had handcuffed her right hand to the wall with an eyebolt, but she doubted if that even mattered. The labor had been painful without an epidural and she had lost a lot of blood. She was sure that the fact that she had not eaten anything for days probably wasn't helpful. Floating back into unconsciousness, she thought about how nice it would be to see John and her baby before she died.
"How did he even know where she was?" Nate asked John as the group sat in Bailey's office at the FBI's Atlanta Field Office. John shook his head.
"When I came home from my shift, the door was wide open. I really didn't think anything of it; I mean, Jack hasn't popped up in four years, but the house was a mess. There were lamps and vases on the floor, appliances all over in the kitchen, and the knife with the blood on it on the counter. Sammy knew she had to make a mess. Otherwise, I would have thought she had just gone out. Plus, there was the message he left us on the answering machine, giving us the address of that house."
"Jack left the door open for added emphasis; he wants us to find her." Bailey added.
"The blood was Jack's, so Sam wounded him, but not severely. The coagulation of the blood tells us that he abducted her between seven to nine in the morning." Grace pointed out. *Right after I left for work,* John thought.
"What I don't understand is why she went with him. Couldn't she have run? Or shot him?" Nate queried.
"That's a stupid question, Nate." John retorted hotly, "She's eight months pregnant, as big as a house, how far could she have gotten? As it is, she struggled quite a bit. My spare weapon is on the top shelf of the hall closet. I doubt she had the time to find a ladder; if she could even climb it."
"Enough." Bailey intervened. "Jack could find people who knew Sam when she was nine years old. I'm sure it wasn't that hard for him to find her. He probably knew she was pregnant, with your child, and timed it this way. He knows that having a baby in the picture makes things harder for us, rescue-wise, and makes you even more eager to kill him. He enjoys these games. The baby is just a pawn."
"Thanks a lot, Bailey." John said bitterly.
"I know how much you love her, but you said back at the scene that you wanted the truth. I'm giving it to you. I wouldn't bet the farm on a successful double rescue. We're even pushing our luck on just one."
"They've only been gone three days…"
"If they were only gone for one, our chances would be improved tenfold."
"We can't give up." John pleaded. *I can't lose her, not now, not after things have been so great. Not after I've finally realized what love can be, and how it feels. I need her to live. *
"We won't."
Sam drifted back to reality and instantly wished she hadn't. The baby wasn't crying, which made her afraid. She tried to shake to fog from her brain; the watch on her left arm read 10:14, but she didn't know if it was day or night. She couldn't feel her right hand because it hung from the handcuff; its circulation cut off. With only one free hand, she couldn't sit up, not that she wanted to; her entire body hurt.
"Jack?" Sam whispered hoarsely, breaking the silence with her own raspy voice. No answer. *Did he take the baby somewhere? she wondered, Where did he go? Is he still here, hiding, watching me? I want to try to escape, but there is no way in hell I am leaving my baby. I will die before that happens.* Another tremor of pain ran through her body, *If I don't get out of here soon, I just might. Funny, I think I hear sirens…*
Sam lay in the dark room, only dimly aware that she had been moved to a new location. Through the haze of pain and fear in her mind, she could hear the baby crying far away. She had stopped praying for her own safety and the baby's long ago and now only hoped that her child would survive. Jack had taken the baby away right after it was born, not telling Sam what he was doing. She was not even able to hold it. She wanted desperately to soothe the child's fears, but couldn't. Jack had handcuffed her right hand to the wall with an eyebolt, but she doubted if that even mattered. The labor had been painful without an epidural and she had lost a lot of blood. She was sure that the fact that she had not eaten anything for days probably wasn't helpful. Floating back into unconsciousness, she thought about how nice it would be to see John and her baby before she died.
"How did he even know where she was?" Nate asked John as the group sat in Bailey's office at the FBI's Atlanta Field Office. John shook his head.
"When I came home from my shift, the door was wide open. I really didn't think anything of it; I mean, Jack hasn't popped up in four years, but the house was a mess. There were lamps and vases on the floor, appliances all over in the kitchen, and the knife with the blood on it on the counter. Sammy knew she had to make a mess. Otherwise, I would have thought she had just gone out. Plus, there was the message he left us on the answering machine, giving us the address of that house."
"Jack left the door open for added emphasis; he wants us to find her." Bailey added.
"The blood was Jack's, so Sam wounded him, but not severely. The coagulation of the blood tells us that he abducted her between seven to nine in the morning." Grace pointed out. *Right after I left for work,* John thought.
"What I don't understand is why she went with him. Couldn't she have run? Or shot him?" Nate queried.
"That's a stupid question, Nate." John retorted hotly, "She's eight months pregnant, as big as a house, how far could she have gotten? As it is, she struggled quite a bit. My spare weapon is on the top shelf of the hall closet. I doubt she had the time to find a ladder; if she could even climb it."
"Enough." Bailey intervened. "Jack could find people who knew Sam when she was nine years old. I'm sure it wasn't that hard for him to find her. He probably knew she was pregnant, with your child, and timed it this way. He knows that having a baby in the picture makes things harder for us, rescue-wise, and makes you even more eager to kill him. He enjoys these games. The baby is just a pawn."
"Thanks a lot, Bailey." John said bitterly.
"I know how much you love her, but you said back at the scene that you wanted the truth. I'm giving it to you. I wouldn't bet the farm on a successful double rescue. We're even pushing our luck on just one."
"They've only been gone three days…"
"If they were only gone for one, our chances would be improved tenfold."
"We can't give up." John pleaded. *I can't lose her, not now, not after things have been so great. Not after I've finally realized what love can be, and how it feels. I need her to live. *
"We won't."
Sam drifted back to reality and instantly wished she hadn't. The baby wasn't crying, which made her afraid. She tried to shake to fog from her brain; the watch on her left arm read 10:14, but she didn't know if it was day or night. She couldn't feel her right hand because it hung from the handcuff; its circulation cut off. With only one free hand, she couldn't sit up, not that she wanted to; her entire body hurt.
"Jack?" Sam whispered hoarsely, breaking the silence with her own raspy voice. No answer. *Did he take the baby somewhere? she wondered, Where did he go? Is he still here, hiding, watching me? I want to try to escape, but there is no way in hell I am leaving my baby. I will die before that happens.* Another tremor of pain ran through her body, *If I don't get out of here soon, I just might. Funny, I think I hear sirens…*