What Was Lost
Chapter 2
Creep
Jenny arrives at Ellie's apartment early. Parties may not be her thing, but Jenny owes Ellie many times over, and she'll do anything for her future sister in-law, including but not limited to attending large social gatherings that make her feel awkward and out of place.
Without Ellie, Jenny literally wouldn't be the woman she is. Ellie was the on-call neurologist when Jenny was brought in after she was found on that beach all those years ago. Ellie was the one that made it her personal mission to find someone that could identify Jenny. Someone that could give her a name. Because, as Ellie said back then, going through life as Jane Doe is something no one should have to suffer through.
And Ellie was successful. Kind of. A nurse at the hospital recognized Jenny from high school. The nurse said she didn't really know Jenny that well, but she remembered her face, and her name. That was how Jenny Burton got back a small piece of who she was before the incident, and it was all to Ellie's credit.
The young doctor stayed in touch with Jenny after she was discharged from the hospital, and eventually invited Jenny to Chuck's 26th birthday. That was where Jenny met Chuck, the man that changed her life forever. So having to endure one night of discomfort for Ellie's benefit seems to Jenny the least she can do for the first real friend she can ever remember having.
Ellie greets Jenny at the door and invites her in.
"Thanks for coming over early," Ellie says, moving away from the door and walking back towards the bathroom. "I just have to finish my makeup, and we'll start final preparations."
"You ever think you take these things too seriously?" Jenny asks, fiddling with a picture that sits on Ellie's mantle. It's a picture of Chuck and his best friend Morgan from when they were kids. Jenny absently wonders if someone, somewhere has pictures like that of her.
"Too seriously?" Ellie asks, reemerging from the bathroom while putting in her earrings. "That's easy to say for you. You have a fiancé and a daughter. Your whole family life is set up. Me, on the other hand…"
"You're single and afraid you're doomed to live a life alone," Jenny finishes for her. "Which, by the way, is a completely irrational fear. You're still young, you're beautiful, and you're a doctor, for crying out loud. The right guy is out there for you."
"Which is why we have these parties," Ellie says.
Jenny sighs. She can't really argue with Ellie's logic. Jenny would fear being alone too, if she didn't have Chuck and Gracie. And Jenny had been there for Ellie's breakup with her ex-boyfriend Devon. They'd been together for years, and Ellie really took it hard. Jenny still thinks it was the right thing for Ellie to do, ending things with Devon, but it didn't make the split any easier. It took months for Ellie to even test the waters in the dating pool after that, and when she did, she was met with an influx of duds and douche bags. Jenny knows Ellie deserves much better, and can't blame her for trying.
"And besides," Ellie continues, "you look absolutely gorgeous. Which, by the way, is not helping the rest of us that don't have men at home. How's anyone supposed to notice me when you show up wearing that?"
Jenny looks down, suddenly self-conscious. She didn't really think about what she was going to wear for the party. The simple red cocktail dress she wore was the only thing she had in her closet that she thought was appropriate for a holiday party, and the Santa hat seemed like a nice touch at the time.
"You want me to go change?" Jenny asks.
"No," Ellie says. "I was only teasing you. Mostly."
000
Two hours later, Jenny finds herself sitting on the edge of the fountain in the middle of the courtyard, her feet now bare and sliding back and forth across the brick walkway. Gracie is playing with some of the other kids at the party, and Jenny feels like she's done her part for Ellie. She mingled with everyone early on, she helped greet guest as they arrived, and now she can relax. Only she's interrupted.
"There's no reason to be a wallflower, Guinevere."
Jenny knows that voice. Lester. One of the many slackers that works for Chuck at the Buy More. Why Chuck keeps people like Lester, and worse, his idiot friend Jeff, on staff, Jenny will never know. Chuck really is too nice for his own good sometimes. Still, Jenny tries to fake a smile like she has all night. Her jaw is actually starting to ache from all the fake smiling.
"Just because Charles is bored with you, doesn't mean you're completely useless," the wee Indian man continues.
And Jenny loses her smile.
"Chuck's not bored with me," Jenny says through gritted teeth. "I'm alone because I want to be alone. And it's Jenny."
"You don't have to lie to me, Jenny," Lester says.
"Aw man," says a new, very drunken voice. Jeff, Jenny realizes. "You got the yogurt girl? I knew I should've made my move. It was only a matter of time before all her baggage made Chuck dump her."
"No one's 'got me,'" Jenny says. She's never killed anyone-that she knows of-but if ever there was a time for justifiable murder, Jenny figures that time is nearly upon her.
"So you're still available?" Jeff asks.
Just when Jenny feels like she can't take anymore, just when she's about to snap, she's pulled back from the abyss.
"Jeff, I hear they tapped a new keg," Morgan, Chuck's best friend, and now Jenny's guardian angel, says as he approaches.
"Beer? I like beer," Jeff says dumbly and walks off.
"Come on, Jenny. You don't want to miss Chuck's toast," Morgan adds.
When they're out of earshot, Jenny thanks Morgan for saving her from Jeff and Lester.
"What?" Morgan asks. "I was going to allow the lady of my best friend, the future wife of the Skipper to my Gilligan to be harassed by the dregs of Buy Moria?"
"You're Gilligan?" Jenny asks with a smirk. "Did someone leave you in the dryer too long? I thought Gilligan was a little taller."
"You wound me," Morgan replies, mockingly clutching his hand over his chest. "And I'm not that short. I'm just surrounded by people that are freakishly tall. Like you."
Jenny laughs at that. When she first met Chuck, she wasn't sure about Morgan, but over the years, she's come to appreciate Chuck's life-long friend for his loyalty to her fiancé. And she'll freely admit that Morgan has his moments where he surprises her with a maturity and grace that he doesn't normally show. Like saving her from Jeff and Lester.
"So Gilligan, where's your Mary Ann tonight?" Jenny asks as they make their way over to the makeshift stage where Chuck is preparing to make a toast.
"Mary Ann?" Morgan asks. "Honestly, if I am Gilligan, I'd like to think I was with Ginger. But to answer your question, Anna had to work late tonight."
Anna Wu used to work at the Buy More. Back when Jenny met Chuck-when Chuck was a lowly Nerd Herd supervisor-Anna was one of his Herders. It was back then that Anna and Morgan started dating. Somewhere along the line, however, Anna impressed John Casey enough that he hired her on to assist in his private investigator business. Jenny has never been able to figure out exactly what Anna does there, but for a struggling business to keep someone on full time, she must be good at whatever it is.
"Any idea what she's working on?" Jenny asks, hoping against hope that maybe it's something related to her case.
"None," Morgan answers. "But she seems to be working late a lot now. John Casey is a harsh taskmaster."
Jenny nods knowingly. "I just hope he's thorough enough to come through for me."
Morgan looks at her with a bemused look on his face. Jenny knows he wants to say something supportive, but like most of her friends, he's run out of supportive things to say. Fortunately, the awkward moment ends when Chuck begins to speak up on the stage.
"I was asked to say something here tonight," Chuck begins. Jenny knows he's uncomfortable speaking in front of crowds, but she has always found him adorable when he's nervous, so she can't help but smile. "Another year is winding down, I guess. The holidays are upon us, a time for friends and family. And soon, it'll be New Year's, and we'll have a new beginning, I guess. So, in closing, here's to all of you: my friends. May the best of your past be the worst of your future. Cheers."
Jenny smiles again and sips at her glass of wine. Chuck's speech is oddly eloquent for him, but he still manages to stumble around enough to be cute. And maybe he has a point. Maybe Jenny should stop worrying about her past. Maybe she should finally let it go. That could be her Christmas gift to herself, she decides.
000
"Just leave that table out here. We can bring that in tomorrow," Ellie shouts across the courtyard to Chuck and Morgan.
"We have to work tomorrow," Chuck answers. "And we don't mind cleaning up, do we?"
"Not at all," Jenny answers, stuffing the last of the cups littering the table in question into a garbage bag.
And that's true. Jenny really doesn't mind helping clean up. She actually prefers the clean up to the party itself. Cleaning has a set objective, and there aren't strangers all around, expecting her to talk to them.
"Seriously, guys, it's late," Ellie reiterates, still standing in her doorway.
"Fine," Chuck says. "Just let me get—oh my God!"
"What is it?" Jenny asks, walking over to Chuck who is standing by the fountain. Then she sees what startled him. "Oh my God! Is that Jeff?"
It is Jeff. He's lying in the fountain, fortunately face-up.
"Is he alive?" Morgan asks, poking Jeff with a stick.
The prodding seems to rouse Jeff, if just a little, as he growls and begins to roll over.
"No, Jeff," Chuck says, grabbing Jeff's arm to pull him to his feet. "Come on buddy, let's get you out of there."
With the help of Chuck and Morgan, Jeff is able to get to his feet. He looks conscious. Well, as conscious as Jeff ever looks, but he's not saying anything.
"Jeff, do you have a ride?" Chuck asks. "Where's Lester?"
"He took Loretta," Jeff growls.
"Who's Loretta?" Jenny asks, not sure she wants to know the answer. Any woman that would be associated with the likes of Jeff and Lester doesn't strike Jenny as someone that would exude class. Or either she's someone that has very poor judgment.
"Loretta is Jeff's creepy van," Morgan answers.
"Oh, well, that explains it," Jenny says. At least it's not an actual person.
"You didn't think it was so creepy when you thought Anna was cheating on you, and you asked—"
"Jeff, buddy, let's save that story for another time, okay?" Morgan says, blushing. "Here, come with me, I'll drive you home."
"Nuh-uh," Jenny says. "You've been drinking the whole night. You too, Chuck. Help me get him to the car and I'll drive him home, if you can tell me where he lives."
"You sure, Jen?" Chuck asks, handing Jenny a card that states Jeff's name and address. At least Jeff is a well prepared drunk. "I'll ride with you, if you want."
Jenny waves her hand dismissively. "No, you guys stay here and finish cleaning up. That way when I can get back, we can go right to bed. We both have to work early in the morning."
000
Two minutes into the drive, Jenny already regrets her decision to take Jeff home by herself. The smell was bad enough, but she got over that rather easily. As a mother of a small child, she can still remember changing poopy diapers, so a vagrant in her passenger seat barely registers on her smell radar.
The groping, on the other hand, is driving her mad. She repeatedly has to slap Jeff's hands away from her arm, her thigh, and one time her breast.
"Come on, Chuck's my boss. He won't mind sharing," Jeff slurs.
"Jeff, if you don't stop it, right now, I'm putting you out on the side of the road," Jenny says. She means it. She doesn't really care if Jeff gets home or not at this point.
"Just a quickie. No one has to know," Jeff continues.
He reaches for her again, and Jenny has had enough. She grabs his hand and shoves him away from her, taking her eyes off the road briefly. That split-second is all it takes.
When she focuses back on the road, she realizes she's flying toward an intersection. She's speeding toward a red light.
"Dammit!"
It's all Jenny has time to say as she slams on breaks and tries to swerve around a large box truck barreling toward her from her left. She avoids contact with the other vehicle, but the car's momentum sends her skidding the railing of a small bridge just on the other side of the intersection.
Not that she can focus on any of that. As soon as she hits the brakes, it's all lights spinning by, and screaming tires, and smoke, and darkness again, and finally a hard jolt.
Jenny strikes the railing head-on, and because she removed her seatbelt earlier, in order to slide as far away as possible from Jeff, she's thrown through the windshield and over the railing.
Somehow, time seems to slow and speed up all at the same time. Jenny has time to feel fear, panic, and regret, but the water below is approaching her faster than she can react. It's an incredibly detached feeling, falling to what she thinks may be her death. She's always wondered what it would be like to fly.
Jenny feels something pop when she hits the water. Blinding pain shoots through her shoulder as she's submerged, but her first thought is I'm not dead.
"Your shoulder's dislocated."
It's a voice just on the edge of her consciousness. Jenny doesn't recognize it, but it seems all too familiar. Still, she doesn't have to think about it. She fights to get back to the surface. Now she's not thinking anymore, she's reacting, she's obeying the voice when she grabs her left wrist-the arm connected to the damaged shoulder—and forcefully yanks, popping her shoulder back in its socket.
Jenny yelps in pain, but manages to flail about in the water, just trying to stay afloat, trying to survive.
"Get to dry land," the voice demands.
Jenny looks around frantically for somewhere to swim. Her breathing is ragged, but finally, she thinks she spots something. She tries to paddle her way to the land mass that is just close enough for her to see, but her arm is deadweight. If anything, it's pulling her down.
"Use your legs! Your arm's not strong enough."
Where did the voice come from? Has it always been there? Jenny doesn't know. She doesn't know anything but pain. Still, she does as she's told and switches to a stroke that utilizes more leg kick than arm power, and when she eventually reaches the shore, she walks far enough to be clear of the water, coughs, and collapses.
000
It's not a dream. Well, it is, but not really. It's more like a memory just beyond her reach.
There's a woman standing on a cliff, looking out over a vast nothingness. Storm clouds loom in the background, making this dangerous woman look even more dangerous. Then Jenny focuses on the woman's face. Something seems familiar about her.
It seems familiar because this woman looks almost exactly like her. Only, the memory has lighter hair, carries a gun, wears a dangerous scowl, and looks altogether more fit than Jenny can ever remember being. A sister perhaps?
She doesn't have any more time to think about it, as the woman in her dream, in her memory jumps from the cliff, and Jenny can feel her falling.
The feeling of falling causes Jenny to wake with a start, with a scream. Her breathing is labored, her vision blurry, and Jenny realizes she's in a hospital.
"Oh my god," she says breathlessly. Who was that?
End Chapter 2
Notes: Thank you to everyone that read and reviewed the first chapter. I'm really excited about the possibilities for this story, and it's nice to know that people are interested in this, my rookie effort. I guess I should mention that I got an angry PM from someone that was upset that I didn't say upfront that the setup to this story was based on The Long Kiss Goodnight. I don't know why I should have to tell you that. If you've seen the movie, great, you'll recognize some of the themes. If not, great, it's a good story, and you'll get to experience it for the first time. But other than that one PM, most of you were very supportive, and I appreciate that.