Mirror – Chapter 8
Four years ago…
The police arrived ten minutes later to the Peters home after Cayla's abduction. They had sealed off the area as an active crime scene. The ambulance arrived five minutes after the police and was for the past ten minutes trying to calm Michonne down.
As neighbours gathered around, some of them were crying while others clutched on to their children for dear life. This is the first time anything like this has happened in their neighbourhood.
The men gathered around Randy as he sat on the steps of their next door neighbour Mr Andrews for support. He had tried to comfort Michonne before the police had arrived but all she did was scream hysterically for their daughter.
Although he had tears in his eyes, he didn't show his grief as expressly as Michonne. It was all too much for him and Mr Weekes took over comforting Michonne until the ambulance arrived. Rhonda, one of their neighbours took over the care of Cindy until her father arrived.
She was in a catatonic state. Once Michonne was sedated she was placed on a stretcher and they began treating the wounds to her hands and feet. Another EMT personel was also attending to Cindy when Andre arrived.
His panic went into overdrive when he saw the amount of people gathered at Michonne's house.
'Cindy!'
The sound of her father voice snapped Cindy out of her trance and she began wailing again, crying out Cayla's name. Andre followed the distressed voice and pushed through the crowd and rushed into his daughter's arms. Cindy wrapped her arms around her father's neck tight and she didn't want to let go.
"I'm here! Daddy's here!" Andre cried.
"They took Cayla!" she wept as Andre continuously wiped the streaming tears from her face.
He picked her up in his arms and walked over the where the EMTs were attending to Michonne. She was fully sedated. He held her hands tightly. Semper, one of the neighbour's 19 year old son came up to them with Kiki in his arms. Her paws were bloodied and raw and one on her legs were broken.
Unknown to them, he had took off running after the black van and Kiki when they had disappeared around the corner. He followed the dog as closely as he can but she had disappeared as well.
He found her three blocks later whining loudly from her injuries next to the abandoned black van that was used to take Cayla. There was alittle blood on the ground next to the van and Kiki also had blood in her mouth.
"They change vehicles and there was a little blood on ground. I think she bit one of the men who took Cayla!" He said anxiously.
The EMT immediately took several blood swab samples from the dog's mouth and began attending to her leg and paws.
"Take us to where you found the dog!" an officer commanded.
Semper left with three officers and a CSI officer. One of the EMTs instructed Andre with Cindy and Randy to follow them to the hospital and they need to check both Cindy and Randy extensively for emotional trauma. Andre offered Randy a lift in his car but he sulkily declined.~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
At the hospital, after examining Michonne, three senior doctors strongly recommend that she be put on immediate suicide watch. Cindy and Kiki were attended too separately and one doctor recommended that Kiki be given to Cindy as a source of comfort and strength to the little girl.
Upon seeing Kiki, Cindy burst into tears of joy as she hugged the dog. Kiki licked Cindy's tears nonstop. When asked, Randy had no objections to Cindy keeping Kiki until Michonne is awake. Cindy was kept overnight for observation and it was noted that she seems to be doing better whenever Kiki was around.
Michonne however woke up several times during the night screaming for Cayla and clawing at herself. She was given a large dose of medication to keep her from hurting herself. When Andre was given the all clear to eventually take Cindy home he asked Randy's permission for him to also take Kiki with him…for Cindy's sake.
Randy grudgingly agreed but strongly stated that the dog doesn't belong to her. Andre took note and he left the hospital.~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Three days later….
For the past two days, doctors and nurses have been carefully monitoring Michonne's vital signs. Police detectives have been visiting the hospital several times during the day over the two days, checking up on her, anxious to talk to her to get crucial information on anything she may have seen or remembered during Cayla's abduction. The quicker they get as much information as possible, the faster they can work on finding her. It was now day three and Officer Walsh had just walked into the hospital room with a bit of good news.
"How is she?"
"Is it wrong for me not to want her to wake up? To face this nightmare?"
"I think it is wrong for anyone to face this nightmare. She may be sedated but I am sure Cayla is still on her mind."
Suddenly they heard a weak groan and they turned to see Michonne's eyes slowly opening up. Randy held her hand and showered it with some kisses.
"Baby! I'm here."
Michonne smiled weakly at him and looked at the other man in the room. The man was dressed in plain clothes.
"Who's this?" she whispered.
Officer Walsh stepped forward showing his police ID card.
"My name is Officer Walsh and I have a bit of good news for you both. The blood where the van was abandoned…"
Michonne'e eyes leaped fully opened now.
"Blood? What blood?!"
She tried to get up but Randy gently but forcefully pushed her back down on the bed. Randy looked up at the officer to continue speaking.
"We found blood at the scene where the van that took your daughter was abandoned. The dog Kiki also attacked one of the persons who took her. The blood wasn't Cayla's so at this point we are working on the positive assumption that she's still alive."
"Do you know whose blood it is?" Randy asked.
"We are running it through every database we have locally and internationally. No hits yet. I'm sorry."
Michonne reached her hand up to Officer Walsh and he rushed to hold it.
"Please find my baby!" Michonne cried. "Please! She's all I have!"
"I will do my best Mrs Peters. We will not rest until she is in your arms again."
Officer Walsh spent the next 45 minutes questioning Michonne as gently and as thoroughly as he can. When Michonne expressed that she was tired, he stopped and promised to come back. Michonne was allowed to go home and two days later Andre came over to visit bringing Cindy and Kiki with him.
Randy wasn't pleased with his unannounced visit but was careful not to show it infront of Michonne. He left the room. When Cindy saw Michonne, the little girl ran into her arms with Kiki and began crying.
"I'm sorry I couldn't stop them from taking Cayla!" the little girl cried.
Tears welled up in Michonne's eyes and when she looked up, she saw Andre turning away from them trying to hide his own. She comforted Cindy and in the process was comforting herself as well.
"Hey, it is not your fault what happened to Cayla! Don't blame yourself! I don't blame you and Cayla wouldn't blame you."
"Are they going to find her?!"
Michonne choked back her own doubts. She remembered the conversations that she have with the police countless of times. They had told her the longer a child remains missing the chances of her being found alive diminishes. She understood what that meant but a five year old wouldn't. She is not going to take hope…albeit a false one away from Cindy.
"Yes they will find her and when they do you and I will be the first ones to hug her…ok?!"
Cindy wiped away her tears. Michonne hugged Kiki, who have been squirming in Cindy's arms since she got here. As soon as she put her down, Kiki dashed up the stairs and Cindy followed her.
Michonne didn't have too. She already knows where the dog was going. Michonne now turned her attention to Andre who had stepped outside.
"Hey."
Andre turned around and faced Michonne with bloodshot eyes.
"Hey." He croaked.
Then he walked over to Michonne and engulfed her in his arms.
"I'm so sorry Michonne!"
Michonne buried her face in shoulders.
"Where is she?! Where is Cayla!"
With that Michonne began crying again.~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Rick found himself distracted today. In fact he has been distracted since their last CVOC meeting. All he could think of was Michonne. He wondered if she was ok and if she would really show up for their next meeting and if she would continue to show up.
He picked up the phone to make a call when there was a knock on his door.
"Come in."
The door opened and in walks Jessie.
"Hi!" she said chirpily. "I came by to pick up a few forms and flyer from the clinic to hand out."
Rick cocked his head at Jessie. She was one of their new active clients and had taken an interest in helping out the clinic by giving out fliers and forms about the clinic whenever they can. Their efforts have helped the clinic tremendously as they can give first hand testimony to potential clients about how the clinic has helped them so far.
"Thank you Jessie. The work you and the others have been doing for the clinic is invaluable."
Jessie blushed although Rick didn't understand why.
"Thank you Rick. I'm just glad to help out. The work you, Carol and Karen is helping a lot of people."
"That's our aim."
Jessie smiled and after a few minutes of silence in the office, she spoke again.
"My family is having a small get together at my aunt's place. I was wondering…if you are not busy Sunday night, you could probably come."
Rick smiled.
"I might have plans."
"Oh…ok." The disappointment was evident in her voice as she rose from her seat. "See you at the next meeting."
Rick nodded and she left.~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Abe was surprised when he was told that he had a visitor. It was not the usual day that Rick would visit him. When he walked into visitors' room and upon seeing who it was, he sucked in his breath. She is still beautiful as the last time he saw her. It was his wife Sasha.~*~*~*~*~*~*
They sat looking at each other for the past ten minutes.
"What are you doing here Sasha?" He asked softly. "I told you not to come."
"So your best friend gets to visit you almost every week and your wife can't?!"
Abe leaned forward.
"Because I don't want my wife to see me in here like this. In a cage like an animal!"
Sasha caught a hint of annoyance in Abe's voice but she didn't care.
"For better or for worst…remember?"
"I just don't want your perception of me to change. I don't want you to resent me for making you come here to visit me."
"I love you Abe that's why I married you and after all these years you think a steel cage is going to change my perception of you? Do you have any idea how hurtful that is? It's like you don't know me at all."
Abe looked away not to face Sasha's disappointment. She was right. Sasha leaned forward to him now and spoke softly.
"I never criticize you for what you did. That young man deserved what he got. I am glad he's dead! His family helped him cover up a crime…a crime that took our son away from us and I miscarried our daughter from all the stress they caused me to go through. They took both of our children and it was only fair they lose someone they loved too. The courts didn't give us justice but you got justice…for us and for Rick. My only regret is that you're in here with real criminals. You don't belong in here."
Abe looked into Sasha's fierce eyes. She had never wavered in her support for him during his trial. They were all grieving for the loss of their children, Simone and her sister. It was after Sasha miscarried at 5 months pregnant with their daughter that he hatched a plan in his head that enough was enough. Sasha temporarily spiralled out of control after her miscarriage and Abe was done losing.
He never told Rick what he was doing because he had enough on his plate with Lori suing him in civil court directly blaming him for Carl's death. Plus he wanted Rick to have plausible deniability when the sh*t hits the fan as with Sasha.
When he was arrested at his home, Sasha was shocked at first but she never left his side. While he was in holding, he and Rick argued loudly about what he had done and why he didn't let him in on his plans.
Abe said that he couldn't…not with all the crap he was going through with Lori. Losing a child could be tough but having the other parent blaming you for your child's death and even going to the extreme as taking it to court was unthinkable and unforgivable.
That's why he didn't tell him and that's why he didn't tell Sasha. When the evidence was brought forward which he never denied, he was charged with involuntary manslaughter although his victim's family clamoured for murder.
However, Sasha's went to the newspapers, CNN and other media outlets and presented his case in the court of public opinion. Rick soon joined her and after three months of intense public pressure Abe was charged with Reckless Endangerment of Life which carried the maximum sentence of three years.
Because of the charge, the choice of early release comes automatically after serving two years once Abe keeps the peace. Once that is done, the extra year will be automatically shaved off of his sentence. By this count, Abe only has 6 more months to go once he behaves himself.
When Sasha reached over and held Abe's hand, one of the guards looked over at them, disapprovingly. No touching was allowed. Sasha glanced at the guard defiantly and he turned his head away ignoring the infraction being committed.
"I am tired of all the messages you send to me through Rick. You love me so tell me in person. I want to hear you say it with my own ears. I love Rick to death but the words doesn't mean as much as when it comes directly from you."
"Visiting time is over!" a guard announced loudly.
Abe, his fellow prisoners and their visitors all began walking towards the door. Sasha was walking ahead of Abe when suddenly he grabbed her and pulled her towards him. He lifted her up against his body and Sasha wrapped her legs around his waist.
They lips connect and they began kissing deeply. Their actions shocked the guards in their positions temporarily. The other prisoners, seeing this, took the same opportunity and grabbing their significant other and began mimicking Abe and Sasha.
The other guards looked at their senior officer looking for confirmation to move in and breakup the contact between the prisoners and their visitors. Surprisingly, Officer Quashie merely shook his head, for the officers to stand down.
So for five full minutes there was a full on kissing and grope fest in the visitors room with Abe and seven other prisoners with their wives, girlfriend and fiancées. When some of the other prisoners began to get x-rated with their display of affection Officer Quashie stepped in.
"Ok! That's enough!"
As the other prisoners and spouses began filing out of the room, Abe and Sasha was the last to detach their lips.
"I love you Sasha Zoe Ford."
Sasha kissed him again.
"I love you too."
Slowly unwrapping her legs from around his waist, Abe lowered his wife to the floor. They walked past Officer Quashie and Abe watched as Sasha disappeared down the corridor. Abe was escorted back to his cell.
As he lay on his bed, Abe smiled. He wondered what kind of punishment would be given to him and the other prisoners for breaking the no contact rule. He found out later on that night when him and the seven other defiant prisoners went to bed without dinner. The other punished prisoners protested loudly for their dinners but it was to no avail. Abe didn't join them.
He however was given an additional punishment of no breakfast the next morning for their defiance as well as the supposed leader of their mini rebellion. Although he was famished he had made up his mind to suffer through it…he got to kiss his wife. That is worth any punishment dished out by the guards.
Lucky for him though, he didn't stay hungry for long as members of the mini coup slipped him bread, scrambled eggs and other portions of their breakfast to him under the table when the guards wasn't looking.
Unbeknownst to them, they were seen by Officer Quashie who was looking down on them from the room overlooking the lunch room. He just merely shook his head with a smile on his face.