Chapter 10
Two and a half months later....
Bobby knocked on Kim's door, but no one answered. He had just finished his shift as a paramedic with the City of Akron. He was finally beginning to settle in. He still didn't know all the streets and all the shortcuts, but he had found a good friend in his partner, Leslie Manning. She wasn't bad to look at either and he felt the same "tension" that he always felt riding with Kim. They had all been out to ballgames and things together and Kim liked her just as much as Bobby. She'd said that Leslie reminded her of Alex Taylor from back home.
He looked at his watch and noted that she should have been home from work a couple of hours ago and that Joey should have been home from school as well. Just as he was about to knock again, the door opened a crack and Bobby noticed Joey peering out from the door with a tear-streaked face.
After realizing that it was Bobby at the door, Joey threw the door open and started talking at a high rate of speed - Bobby catching about every third word.
"Whoa! Slow down, Champ. Start over, nice and slow. Where's your Mom?" Bobby asked quietly, trying to calm Joey down.
"I don't know," Joey said, fresh tears springing to his eyes. "She wasn't here when I got home from school. I tried calling her work and they said that she left at her usual time. I don't know where else to check," Joey finished, his shoulders shaking as he began to sob. Bobby pulled the boy close and told him that everything would be all right.
"Where's the number for Mom's work?" he asked Joey. Joey showed him and Bobby dialed the number. An older woman answered the phone.
"Hi. My name is Bobby Caffey and I'm here with Kim Zambrano's son, Joey. Can you tell me what time Kim left work today? She hasn't come home yet," he explained, waiting for the woman to respond.
"Oh dear. Well, let's see. She left at her usual time, 2:00. She always leaves at 2:00 so she can be home in time for her son when he gets home from school. But, it's 8:30 now. She should have been home hours ago," the woman said, worry in her voice.
"Yes, she should have been here long ago. Did she seem okay at work today?" asked Bobby.
"Well, she said that she wasn't feeling that great. She said the baby was really knocking her around today. I told her she could go home if she wanted, but she said that she could stay," the woman informed him.
"Okay, thank you ma'am. If you hear from her could you please have her call home?" he asked her, trying to keep the worry out of his voice for Joey's sake.
"Yes I will, young man. I hope everything is all right. She's such a lovely young lady," the woman said before hanging up.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the hours since Bobby had talked to Kim's work, Bobby and Joey walked the route that Kim took to and from work every day and found no sign of her or her things. He had returned to the apartment with Joey and decided it was time to call the police. He knew that they wouldn't do much if she hadn't been missing for 24 hours, but he thought that maybe since she was pregnant they would speed things up.
While he was waiting for the police to get there, he decided to try calling the area hospitals. He didn't remember any calls coming over the radio today for any pregnancies, but who knows, maybe while he was out at another call.
He had called two of the three area hospitals and then dialed St. Joseph's Hospital. The phone rang a few times and was finally picked up by the hospital operator. "St. Joseph's Hospital. How may I direct your call?" came the voice from the other end.
"Yes, can I have the Emergency Room please?" asked Bobby. "One moment, Sir," came the response.
A moment later, the phone was picked up by another woman, "St. Joseph's ER."
"Yeah, could you tell me if you have a Kimberly Zambrano there, please?" he asked. "She is about 8 ½ months pregnant and she didn't come home from work today," he added.
"Hold on just a minute and I'll check for you," said the woman before she put him on hold. A moment later she returned. "She was admitted from the E.R. to the ICU. Are you a relative?" she asked Bobby.
"No, but I'm the closest thing she has here in Ohio. I'm on my way over. Can you let the ICU know in case she is asking for me, that Bobby Caffey is on his way and that her son Joey is fine and with me?"
"I'll call them right now, Sir," answered the woman.
"Thanks," he said and hung up. "Well, Joey. We found Mommy. She's at the hospital. What d'ya say we grab our coats and head over to find out what's going on?" he said, trying to lighten the tone a little so that Joey didn't worry anymore.
Two and a half months later....
Bobby knocked on Kim's door, but no one answered. He had just finished his shift as a paramedic with the City of Akron. He was finally beginning to settle in. He still didn't know all the streets and all the shortcuts, but he had found a good friend in his partner, Leslie Manning. She wasn't bad to look at either and he felt the same "tension" that he always felt riding with Kim. They had all been out to ballgames and things together and Kim liked her just as much as Bobby. She'd said that Leslie reminded her of Alex Taylor from back home.
He looked at his watch and noted that she should have been home from work a couple of hours ago and that Joey should have been home from school as well. Just as he was about to knock again, the door opened a crack and Bobby noticed Joey peering out from the door with a tear-streaked face.
After realizing that it was Bobby at the door, Joey threw the door open and started talking at a high rate of speed - Bobby catching about every third word.
"Whoa! Slow down, Champ. Start over, nice and slow. Where's your Mom?" Bobby asked quietly, trying to calm Joey down.
"I don't know," Joey said, fresh tears springing to his eyes. "She wasn't here when I got home from school. I tried calling her work and they said that she left at her usual time. I don't know where else to check," Joey finished, his shoulders shaking as he began to sob. Bobby pulled the boy close and told him that everything would be all right.
"Where's the number for Mom's work?" he asked Joey. Joey showed him and Bobby dialed the number. An older woman answered the phone.
"Hi. My name is Bobby Caffey and I'm here with Kim Zambrano's son, Joey. Can you tell me what time Kim left work today? She hasn't come home yet," he explained, waiting for the woman to respond.
"Oh dear. Well, let's see. She left at her usual time, 2:00. She always leaves at 2:00 so she can be home in time for her son when he gets home from school. But, it's 8:30 now. She should have been home hours ago," the woman said, worry in her voice.
"Yes, she should have been here long ago. Did she seem okay at work today?" asked Bobby.
"Well, she said that she wasn't feeling that great. She said the baby was really knocking her around today. I told her she could go home if she wanted, but she said that she could stay," the woman informed him.
"Okay, thank you ma'am. If you hear from her could you please have her call home?" he asked her, trying to keep the worry out of his voice for Joey's sake.
"Yes I will, young man. I hope everything is all right. She's such a lovely young lady," the woman said before hanging up.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the hours since Bobby had talked to Kim's work, Bobby and Joey walked the route that Kim took to and from work every day and found no sign of her or her things. He had returned to the apartment with Joey and decided it was time to call the police. He knew that they wouldn't do much if she hadn't been missing for 24 hours, but he thought that maybe since she was pregnant they would speed things up.
While he was waiting for the police to get there, he decided to try calling the area hospitals. He didn't remember any calls coming over the radio today for any pregnancies, but who knows, maybe while he was out at another call.
He had called two of the three area hospitals and then dialed St. Joseph's Hospital. The phone rang a few times and was finally picked up by the hospital operator. "St. Joseph's Hospital. How may I direct your call?" came the voice from the other end.
"Yes, can I have the Emergency Room please?" asked Bobby. "One moment, Sir," came the response.
A moment later, the phone was picked up by another woman, "St. Joseph's ER."
"Yeah, could you tell me if you have a Kimberly Zambrano there, please?" he asked. "She is about 8 ½ months pregnant and she didn't come home from work today," he added.
"Hold on just a minute and I'll check for you," said the woman before she put him on hold. A moment later she returned. "She was admitted from the E.R. to the ICU. Are you a relative?" she asked Bobby.
"No, but I'm the closest thing she has here in Ohio. I'm on my way over. Can you let the ICU know in case she is asking for me, that Bobby Caffey is on his way and that her son Joey is fine and with me?"
"I'll call them right now, Sir," answered the woman.
"Thanks," he said and hung up. "Well, Joey. We found Mommy. She's at the hospital. What d'ya say we grab our coats and head over to find out what's going on?" he said, trying to lighten the tone a little so that Joey didn't worry anymore.