Chapter Thirty Two

Walking up to the bed, Jayme saw all the wires and tubes and knew what each one was for. The tube coming from his chest was to drain the blood and fluid from his lungs and the pleural space between his lungs and rib cage. She knew that tube would stay in for three to four days.
The ventilator, which was assisting his breathing, would stay in for twenty four hours. The monitor, which monitored his vital signs and alerts the nurses when there is a change, would stay attached until he was alert. And Jayme knew they would keep him heavily sedated until they removed the ventilaor tubes.
Jayme knew the survival rates with this type of injury, even after a successful surgery. She prayed that he would come out of his current state of health without lasting effects. Jayme pulled the chair up to the bed and sat down, taking his hand. Knowing that he could hear her, she began to speak to him.
“Rex, I know you can hear me…” Jayme started. “You listen good. After all the years we’ve known each other, all the years I’ve loved you, I know you can pull through this. Do it for Bella. Do it for me. Whatever, just please, come out of this. I would love to tell you that it’s over, but, I can’t. Jim has once again, escaped. Now, I need you to come out of this so you’ll be here to protect Bella and I.”
At that moment, Simon and Paige walked through the door, Paige holding Bella. Dropping the diaper bag at her feet, Paige handed Bella to Jayme. “We’re going home…” Paige started. “It’s late and Simon has to work in the morning.”
“Yeah, Bella’s probably ready to eat.” Jayme said.
Hugging her parents good-bye, Jayme watched them walk out the door, then dug through her diaper bag to pull out a diaper and the wipes. Changing Bella first, she swaddled her in a blanket before offering her a breast.
Sleeping in the chair with Bella in her arms, Jayme was uncomofortable and didn’t sleep well. At seven, when they made their rounds with the breakfast treys, Jayme got up and laid Bella between Rex’s legs, then quickly went to the bathroom and relieved herself. Coming back out of the bathroom, she obtained a diaper from the diaper bag and changed her before picking her up off the bed.
Sitting back into the chair, Jayme positioned herself to begin feeding Bella. Reaching for the remote control, she flipped on the TV and went through the stations to find something interesting. But the story she saw reminded her of her life. A woman running from an ex and constantly looking over her shoulder, even after changing her name, appearance, and moving to a new town. Eventually, he caught up with her and murdered her. Jayme knows it happens, she just never suspected it to happen to her.
When she finished feeding Bella, she gathered her purse and walked to the cafeteria, on the ground floor. Rex was in the intensive care unit, on the third floor. Finding it difficult to hold a tray, along with Bella, she gained the assistance of a young man, dressed in scrubs. He carried her trey while she walked through the line and gathered what she wanted. They held friendly, circumstancial conversation. Jayme thanked him, then sat at a table to eat while holding Bella.
She caught the attention of a few people, being alone and holding a very young infant. They cooed over the small baby and wished Jayme luck. She didn’t feel like sharing any information with them as to why she was there. She wasn’t very talkative at that time.
Returning to Rex’s room, Jayme sat in the chair and looked up at the TV. As she sat there, holding Bella, her eye lids grew heavy and she couldn’t keep them open. Hearing a commotion, she opened her eyes and realized she had fell asleep. The nurses and the doctor entered the room. Immediately, she got up and moved her chair out of the way. She knew they were ready to remove the tubes that intubated him.
Standing at the foot of his bed, Jayme watched as they unattached the ventilator to see if he could breathe on his own. She held her breath as Rex inhaled his first breath on his own. Relieved, Jayme exhaled as they pulled the tubes from his throat. Rex coughed and gagged but was alright. Then they began to wake him up.
The first person he saw when he opened his eyes was Jayme. What he saw gave him a look of relief covering his face. Rex reached out for Jayme. Jayme took his hand and smiled as a tear slid down her cheek. She felt the relief too.
Remembering what had happened, Rex looked down at his chest and saw the bandages beneath his hospital gown. He saw the tube coming out of his side and cringed when he felt the pain of it. “Jim… Where’s Jim?” Rex asked in a rough voice, his throat sore from the tubes.
“Shh… he’s still loose.” Jayme said.
“Damn it.” Rex mumbled under his breath.
“Don’t talk right now.” Jayme said. “Do you think you can swallow?” She asked.
“Yes.” Rex answered.
“Ok, I’ll be right back.” Jayme said and left to find the doctor.
Inquiring about specific foods, the doctor gave Rex the ok to eat foods that were of the same texture as pudding or gelatin. Then she went to the cafeteria and brought Rex back some pudding and gelatin. She helped him eat it as he was very sore.
Of the ten days that Rex stayed in the hospital, Jayme stayed by his side. She ate food from the cafeteria and showered with Bella in the shower within the bathroom that was in his room. She only left the hospital long enough to gather clean clothes for her and Bella, and an outfit for Rex to wear when he was released. Jayme knew it would be much safer for her to stay in the hospital with him, where there were more, and better, security measures.
Having four weeks off to heal, Rex knew it was the time he needed to get rid of the problem Jim had become. But the first thing on his agenda was healing. He knew he couldn’t very well protect them both in the current state he was in. For now, he needed extra protection.
Calling a friend who shared the same interests, Rex asked for his help. Jaxson was a fellow deputy, having been on the force for eight years. It was where they met and worked together for the past eight years. Discussing the situation in full to Jaxson, he and Rex decided on a plan of action. Bringing in yet another deputy to come in when Jaxson was unavailable, it would only be for a week or so, until Rex recovered his health and strength.
Deciding to stay at Jaxson’s house, Rex and Jayme went home to pack a bag for them each for the duration of their stay. Jayme packed the diaper bag with extra supplies and packed a bag of clothes for Bella. Stacking the suitcases and essential items in the back of the pickup truck, Rex and Jayme locked up their house and headed to Jaxson’s house.
Jaxson is someone who Jayme had met once or twice before, at least at the Christmas party. Seeing his face, she instantly remembered him. He was short, but handsome. He was single and slightly younger than her and Rex. He did, however, have a steady girlfriend who was there when they came. Jaxson introduced Rachel to both Rex and Jayme.
As Rex and Jaxson discussed the issue at hand, Jayme and Rachel sat at the kitchen table. Jayme filled Rachel in on what was happening and told her she may be in danger as long as they were there. Rachel took it lightly, reminding Jayme that there were two sheriff’s deputies there to handle the situation. Jayme knew that Rachel didn’t take the situation seriously enough and encouraged her to be constantly aware of her surroundings while at Jaxson’s house.
Taking the evening to settle in, Rachel cooked a large dinner for everyone and took turns playing with Bella. The first night of sleeping in a new place and the torment of not knowing where Jim was, Jayme could hardly sleep. She laid awake for two hours before she heard the cries coming from the bassinet.
Climbing out of bed, she cared for Bella, changing and feeding her. Every small noise cause her to jump and look around. She was not used to the noises of the house as it creaked and cracked here and there. The strong wind outside didn’t help the situation much.
After changing and feeding Bella, Jayme quietly played with her for a bit until she was ready to fall back asleep. But Jayme wasn’t, she still didn’t feel tired. But she was exhausted, which was worse. Still, after laying back down, it was nearly five in the morning before she fell asleep.