Chapter Eight
Day 7
Tuesday, April 25
10:30 PM
"You look a little green, Bobby."
"My head feels like it's going to explode." He goes into the kitchen gets some ice from the freezer and wraps the cubes up in a towel, lies down on the couch and puts the towel to his head.
"Bobby?" He does not answer. She calls him name a little louder, "Bobby?"
"What? What do you want?"
"I have to pee."
"Oh Christ." Her left hand is handcuffed her left is free. He gets the gun then tosses her the key. She returns. "Give me the key."
She sits back down and cuffs her one hand, he might have a headache but he knows enough to check her cuffs. He returns to the couch. "Bobby."
"What? What now?"
"Nothing really I just want to talk."
"Jesus, Nicole give me a break, can't you just sit there and be quite?"
"You never told me about the time you unintentionally tried to disappear."
"Well, I'm not about to tell you now, can you please stop talking."
"It's just that I'm bored."
"Will you shut the hell up?"
"God what a grouch. Why don't you put some music on?"
"If I put music on will you be quite?"
"Yes."
He gets up from the couch and turns on the radio. Each movement causes him to cringe in pain. She keeps quite.
Wednesday
April 26
Day 8
6 AM
Alex has been up most of the night just waiting for the sun to rise. When the first ray of sun appears Alex starts knocking on every ones door. Everyone is dressed and ready to go within the hour. Mike does the driving again. Mickey sits in the front seat and stares out the window looking for the second dirt road. He feels everyone's eyes on him and he starts to panic, he knows where it is, at least he thinks he does.
"There, see it, its there."
Mike looks. "Where? I don't anything."
"Stop the car, right there, see it."
"Jesus the bushes are closing in on the side of the road, no wonder we couldn't see it last night."
Mike pulls the SUV into the dirt road and after about two minutes of driving a little house appears behind a group of trees. Alex is the first one out of the vehicle. She runs up the stairs, onto the porch and opens the door. Everyone follows her in and Mike grabs a hold of Mickey and escorts him into the house. She sees Nicole on the floor and she smiles.
"Bobby, Bobby." He sits up on the couch and she runs over to him and gives him a hug that does not surprise anyone. They speak but no one can hear what they are saying.
"Alex, goddamnit, it's so good to see you."
"Are you alright?"
"I've had better days."
"I'm sorry I took so long." She holds him tighter.
"I never doubted that you'd get here."
"I was so worried. And when you didn't call back yesterday I got so scared."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you, the phone died."
"You don't have to apologize."
He holds her tighter. "I would have been here sooner." She breaks the hug and holds his arms. "But you never told me where you were. I had to rely on Mickey."
He laughs and then he starts to cough. "Oh Bobby I'm sorry."
"No, it's alright, it feels good to laugh." They embrace again.
"Hey Alex."
"Yeah."
"Did you know that there are other people in the room?"
Whispering, "I know, I just don't want to let you go, not yet."
They hold on to each other for a few more moments. They finally break the hug and she sits down next to him and lays her hand on top of his.
"Wait till you see the road we had to take to get up here it's like a roller coaster. We were here last night but we couldn't see anything in the dark."
Bobby looks at Mike and points towards Mickey. "What happened to his face?"
"Not me. Alex."
He gives her a puzzled look. "I'll tell you later. Come on Bobby let's get the hell out of here."
She grabs his arm and he slowly gets up from the couch. Mike and the Captain walk over and each man grabs one of his arms and leads him out the door into the vehicle. Nicole does not speak as she is taken into custody. She is escorted out of the house and into one of the police cruisers. They drive down the mountain Bobby says looking out the window. "Good thing I didn't try to walk down here."
As they pass the grocery store Mike pulls into the parking lot again, goes into the store, and asks for directions to the nearest hospital. He gets back into the SUV. "Rome Hospital, in Boonsville. The man inside says it's about 25 minutes from here."
Wednesday
April 26
8 AM
After Bobby is admitted, the doctor walks into the waiting room and he is surrounded within minutes. "He has a nasty bump on his head, and without proper nutrition and rest he has had a chronic headache, he's dehydrated and he had a fever of 103 when he was admitted, as of five minutes ago it has gone down to 101, he also has bronchitis. I want him to stay here for a couple of days; he just needs complete bed rest. He has just fallen asleep, so why don't you four go get something to eat and by the time you come back he should be awake."
"Thank you doctor."
11:30 AM
Bobby wakes up in the hospital and is startled by the nurse who is injecting something into his IV.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."
"It's alright. What's that?"
"This?" She lifts up the tube. "This is your lunch."
He smiles. "Could you please turn off the light in here?"
"Of course."
"Thank you." He rubs his eyes then starts to move around in the bed.
"What' the matter?"
"I have to go to the bathroom."
She points. "It's over there."
"All the way over there."
"Well if you aim just right you might be able to get it in from here." He laughs and then he starts to cough. "I'm sorry. Try to sit up. Here let me help you."
"What the hell."
"You have bronchitis."
"That's why my chest feels like someone is sitting on it."
"Are you ready to get up? She grabs hold of his arm. "If you feel like you can't stand please let me know and I will get someone to help you. You have to take the IV pole with you."
He finishes in the bathroom and walks very slowly back to the bed. "Jesus I feel like I just walked five miles. It was only, what, fifteen feet away."
He starts to cough then lies back down in the bed. "Where am I?"
"At Rome Memorial Hospital in Boonsville. Your friends brought you and that woman here early this morning."
A strange feeling goes through his body. "The woman. Where is she?"
"Down the hall."
"Is she there alone?"
"No, there's a policeman outside her door."
"Besides your friends have been here most of the morning. And Detective Eames has been in to see you twice but you've been asleep."
She walks toward the door. "You try and get some rest and don't worry. You are going to be fine. I'll be back a little later."
He falls asleep and when he wakes about two hours later, the room is dark and he thinks that he is in the little bedroom. He stares at the door waiting for Nicole to come in. The door opens and a small figure enters the room. His heart starts to race and he can feel the color drain from his face. He turns his head away from the door. He does not want to look at her. Why doesn't she just leave me alone?
TBC