Chapter Twenty Six

Jayme felt herself growing hungry and asked Jodi about lunch. Moving their conversation to the kitchen, Jodi made lunch for both of them then joined Jayme at the dining room table. For nearly two hours, Jayme and Jodi talked and reminisced about the old times. Before she realized it was almost time for Rex to get off duty, she realized that Bella would be getting hungry again.
Excusing herself from their conversation, Jayme got up and went towards the bedroom door. As soon as she opened it, she saw that Bella was not laying on the bed. And she was not on the floor on either side of the bed. Instantly panic ran through her. “Bella!” Jayme screamed.
Startling Joni, she jumped up and went to the door of the bedroom. “What’s wrong?” Joni asked.
“She’s gone…” Jayme said, frantically checking every corner of the room.
“I’m calling Rex…” Jodi said and turned away from the doorway.
Walking to the window, Jayme looked outside and saw the footprints in the snow, coming to and going from the window. “Jim took her…” Jayme said and exited the bedroom. “Tell Rex that Jim took her.” Jayme said as she put on her shoes and coat.
Walking out the front door, Jayme went around the corner of the house to the window where the footprints are. Following them, she discovered the started and stopped alongside the road. Jayme looked in both directions up and down the road but there were presently no cars on the road. Jayme dropped to her knees and burst out in tears.
“Bella, where are you?” Jayme sounded loudly.
Every nerve ending in Jayme’s body ached and her breasts began to leak profusely. Her stomach hurt and she wanted to vomit. All she could think about was that she knew her baby was getting hungry and couldn’t eat. Jayme screamed and beat her fists into the snowy ground.
Jayme was so caught up in the loss of her child that she didn’t see the car coming down the road. She was knelt down in the middle of the road. Rex could see her through his windshield as he stopped the car and got out. Walking up to her, Rex helped her off the road and to his car.
Jayme was trembling and crying and almost couldn’t get in the car. This was the last place she knew her daughter had been before being abducted and it was hard to leave that spot. Rex coaxed Jayme into the car, trying to get her out of the cold. But Jayme didn’t care about the cold. She didn’t know if her daughter was cold or warm, hungry or thirsty or safe.
Returning inside Joni’s house, Joni too, was crying. Joni felt partly responsible as Bella had been taken from her house. Walking outside, Rex used his radio to contact dispatch. He had already called in the kidnapping before he arrived at Joni’s but he wanted any updates available.
Dispatch told him they had Jim’s car pulled over but there was no infant in the vehicle. There was no proof that he took the child but they still arrested Jim on past allegations. Discovering that the child was not with Jim, Jayme prepared herself for the worse as they scrambled to find the newborn girl.
Jayme had never felt so helpless as she did in that moment. She had lost all control of her emotions and felt as if her world had crashed down all around her. Running to the bathroom, Jayme dropped down before the toilet and expelled everything from her stomach. But the heaving didn’t stop, she kept heaving even when nothing was coming out.
With the anguish of losing her baby, Jayme felt no relief from Jim’s arrest. She didn’t care what happened to Jim as long as they could find her baby. Then she hoped Jim wouldn’t go to jail because she already had it set in her mind that she was going to kill Jim for all the hell he’s put her through. Starting with Scott’s murder.
At that moment, they all heard Rex’s radio when it was announced that Jim had been stopped by a fellow deputy. He was apprehended but a search of the vehicle revealed no child or evidence that one had recently been in the vehicle. As they listened to the radio, Jayme learned that with the questions that were asked of Jim, he would not reveal the location where he left the girl.
Jayme ran to the bathroom, vomiting again. All the relief she felt to know he had been apprehended had disappeared when she learned they still don’t know the whereabouts of her child. They knew in the time frame they were given that the child would not be too far away. The chance of her being somewhere between the traffic stop and Jodi’s house was probable. But the biggest question was of Bella’s well being.
Walking into the bathroom, Rex sat down on the floor beside Jayme. With her arm resting on the toilet seat, she leaned her head on her arm where the tears gushed from her eyes. Crying uncontrollably, Jayme nearly gasp for air as she inhaled deeply, trying to recover her breath.
Slipping his arms around her, Rex tried to comfort her with his embrace and presence. She leaned on him but it didn’t alleviate her crying by any degree.
“We’re going to find her, Jayme.” Rex said in a low, quiet voice.
“I… hope… so…” Jayme muttered between sobs.
Breathing in deeply, she exhaled slowly and repeated it five times in an attempt to calm herself. Then Rex felt her relax into him and he tightened his embrace. Turning her body to face him, Jayme lifted herself to her knees where she sat straight up and returned the embrace. Burying her face in Rex’s neck, Jayme could still smell the faint smell of his soap.
For long minutes, they held their embrace, kneeling on the bathroom floor. Rex felt the strong need to go help look for Bella but even more so, he felt the strong need to stay with Jayme. “Come on, let’s get off the bathroom floor.” Rex said, bringing himself to his feet.
“Rex, can we go look for her?” Jayme asked.
“If that’s what you want.” Rex answered.
“Yes…” Jayme said as she stood up.
Grabbing her jacket and the diaper bag, Jayme hugged Jodi and was out the door. Just as Rex was getting in his car, he heard the call on the radio. The local fire department had called to report a young infant had been left outside the door of the fire department. Immediately, Rex headed to the fire department that was just three miles down the road.
Being the first unit to arrive at the fire department, they both jumped out and ran to the door where they met a man who opened the door for them. Jayme went directly to the man who was holding her. With just a glance, Jayme recognized the girl. “Bella!” Jayme shouted and reached for her. The man looked at Rex and Rex nodded at him.
Taking her daughter in her arms, Jayme held her tightly against her as the tears streamed down her face. Jayme kissed Bella on the head. “Do you have a bathroom?” Jayme asked.
“Sure.” A man said and motioned down a hallway. “Second door on the right.”
“Thank you.” Jayme said and followed his direction.
Sitting on the toilet fully clothed, Jayme laid Bella on her lap where she unwrapped her and looked over her entire body. Jayme did not find one mark on Bella and felt the wave of relief. Although she did not have another diaper with her, she threw the wet diaper away and dressed her without one.
Coming from the bathroom, Jayme looked at Rex with red, swollen eyes. “She’s not hurt. She’s fine.” Jayme said.
“Yes, we did a complete evaluation on her when she first got here. We offered her some formula. She drank some, I think just enough to satisfy her, then wanted no more.”
“Thank you.” Jayme said.
“Are you ready?” Rex asked.
“Yes.” Jayme answered, then looked around at the men. “Thank you all so much again.”
They simply nodded and gave a short wave in acknowledgment. Jayme held Bella in her arms until they got to the car, Rex took her and strapped her into a car seat. Then he opened the door for Jayme to climb in.
“Where did you get that car seat?” Jayme asked.
“I borrowed it from the fire department.” Rex said. “I’ll take it back tomorrow.”
“Oh.” Jayme responded.
Feeling the crash from the intense stress of the past situation, Jayme laid her head back and closed her eyes. Rex reached his hand over and touched her hand, sliding his fingers through hers. Jayme merely looked at him and smiled then laid her head back again, closing her eyes. She stayed that way the twenty minutes back to Rex’s apartment.
Rex had to wake Jayme up when they arrived home. Getting Bella out of the car seat, Rex carried her to the door, helping Jayme, who carried the diaper bag. Closing the apartment door behind them, Rex locked it. Jayme took Bella directly into the bathroom where she gathered the items needed for Bella’s bath.
Running the warm water into the infant bath tub, Jayme removed the wet clothes from Bella and laid her in the warm water. Leaning over the edge of the bathtub, Jayme washed Bella from head to toe. Wrapping her in a thick towel, Jayme emptied the water from the infant tub and carried Bella into the bedroom.
After rubbing her down with baby lotion, Jayme diapered and dressed her for the night. Relaxing on the bed, Jayme offered her breast to Bella and Bella took it, acting is if she were starving. Laying her head back against the wall as she fed Bella, Jayme tried to relax after the harrowing day. Rex came into the bedroom, bringing them each a cup of hot chocolate.