Chapter Forty Four

Returning to the house, Jayme fed Bella before laying down in bed, tired and sore from sleeping on the hard ground. The bed had never felt so good as she sunk into it. Rex played with Bella and read her a book before she fell asleep in his arms. Carefully, he transferred her to the crib before laying down beside Jayme. Rex had moved the crib into their room.
Although it was early in the evening, both Jayme and Rex were exhausted after the ordeal and fell asleep quickly. By the time Bella woke Jayme, she was merely screaming in her crib. Jayme still felt groggy when she woke up, at three in the morning. First, she changed Bella, then sat up on the bed to feed her.
Rex woke up in the dimness of the nightlight and saw Jayme feeding Bella. He rolled over and went back to sleep as Jayme continued to feed her. When she finished, Jayme laid Bella back into her crib and walked from the bedroom to use the bathroom.
As she came from the bathroom and walked toward the bedroom, something hit her hard over the head and her world went black. She felt the incredible ache in her head before she opened her eyes to realize she was in the trunk of someone’s car. Again. Pushing her way out of the trunk, through the back seat that folded forward. In the darkness of night, she laid quietly and patiently, in the back seat.
From the contour of his face and hair, Jayme knew it was Jim. She was growing extremely tired of the game they played. As her hand fell to the floor, she moved her hand along the floor and felt an object that was hard and cold. She knew it was metal and by the feel of it, it was a crowbar. Without moving it, she wrapped her fingers around it and grasp it firmly.
While she wondered if it was the object that hit her over the head, she sat up in the car and swung sideways, striking Jim in the back of the head. Instantly, he passed out and the car swerved to the right, went through the ditch and splashed into a muddy pond. As the car sank, Jayme kicked out the back window before it filled with water.
Sliding out of the car window, she cut herself on the glass but it didn’t phase her. Standing alongside the pond, she watched the car completely sink into the darkness.. As the surface of the water became still, she knew Jim didn’t wake up or make it out of the car.
The night was very dark and cloudy. In the distance, she knew a storm was brewing and saw the lightning. She knew it would be upon her soon. Looking around, there were a few yard lights polka-dotting the black landscape. Seeing lights on inside the house, she walked towards the house, even though she had no idea who lived there.
Rex was just waking up when the phone rang. Reaching to answer it, he noticed that Jayme was not beside him. Surprised that she was on the phone, he felt like a fool for sleeping through her kidnapping. In a moment, he was up, getting dressed.
After using the phone, Jayme thanked the stranger and vacated the house, waiting for Rex outside. Her stomach was hurting and she felt sick to her stomach, along with the headache she still felt. She knew she should seek medical attention but didn’t think it was that serious.
Waiting at the end of the driveway beside the road, Jayme felt her stomach beginning to turn. Bent over in the ditch, she vomited the small amount of food that remained in her stomach, along with some bile. She knew it wasn’t anything she ate, she knew it was from the most recent blow to the back of her head.
By the time Rex arrived, Jayme could barely stand up and it was pouring rain. Her body felt weak and she was tired. All she wanted to do was lay down and sleep. But as Rex helped her into the car, he saw the blood on the back of her head and was instantly concerned. “Do you need to go to the hospital?” He asked as he got into the driver’s seat.
“I think I have a concussion.” Jayme said, guessing on how she was feeling.
“I’ll take you now.” Rex said as he turned the car around and headed back toward Hillman. “What happened, Jayme?”
“I just got up to use the bathroom, and when I came out, he hit me over the head with something… I’m pretty sure he’s dead…” Jayme said.
“Who?” Rex asked.
“Jim… he’s in the car, at the bottom of the pond.”
“Pond? Is that why you’re all wet?”
“Yes. I hit him over the head with a crowbar, he crashed into the pond and never got out. Only I did.”
“Jayme, what pond?”
“I don’t know now…” She answered. “It was that way…” She pointed behind them.
Immediately, Rex called the incident into his department, which contacted the sheriff’s department in this county to report the incident. Rex continued driving toward the hospital and told the sheriff’s department that’s where they could find Jayme. Rex was not going to wait for the police at the scene, he knew Jayme needed medical attention.
Driving up to the hospital in Hillman, Rex parked his patrol car directly before the emergency department doors. “Go ahead and go inside, I’m going to park and I’ll be right there.” Rex said.
Jayme opened the door and got out, obliging Rex. Slowly walking into the emergency department, Jayme went to the front desk. “Can I help you?” the woman behind the counter asked.
“I need to see a doctor.” Jayme asked, her voice weak.
“What brings you in tonight?”
“I believe I have a concussion.” Jayme said and turned her head to show her the back of her head that was bloody.
“Oh, you might…” The woman said as she grabbed a clipboard and some papers. Clipping the papers onto the clipboard, she handed them to Jayme. “Please fill these out.”
Jayme took the clipboard and sat down in a seat. Looking up, she saw Rex walk in. He was carrying Bella in her car seat. Sitting beside Jayme, Rex sat the car seat on the floor facing them. “Do you need help?” He asked, seeing the pained look on Jayme’s face.
“Yes, could you, please?” Jayme responded.
“Yes… Here’s your purse, do you have your insurance card?”
“No, I don’t have any insurance right now.”
“You don’t? Oh, I’ll have to add you to mine, now that we’re married.” Rex commented.
“Oh, didn’t think of that… for now, I’ll just use my debit card to pay for these expenses.”
“No, just wait, maybe they will cover you from the day you became my wife.” Rex said.
“I don’t think that’s how it works.” Jayme said.
“I’ll have to inquire about that.” Rex stated as he started filling out the paperwork.
Waiting approximately fifteen minutes, a nurse appeared and called Jayme’s name. Both Rex and Jayme stood up. Rex carried Bella and followed Jayme, who followed the nurse. Taking Jayme to a small room, there was only a bed and one chair. Jayme laid on the bed, feeling dizzy and nauseated. The nurse took Jayme’s vital signs, which were normal.
As Jayme was being seen in the hospital, the sheriff’s department found the pond and the car which went into it. Inside the car, they found the body of Jim Taylor who was pronounced deceased at the scene. The doctor wanted to keep Jayme overnight for observation but she refused. Rex promised to keep his eye on her for the next twenty four hours. The doctor ordered her to get bed rest for at least twenty four to forty eight hours.
Signing the release papers, Jayme and Rex left the hospital and returned home. Rex knew he would call the security company tomorrow and have a system installed. But for the night, he wouldn’t let her out of his sight.
Letting Jayme rest, Rex cared for Bella. After changing her, he fed her with a bottle of milk that Jayme had pumped the previous day. Then he read her a book and played with her until she fell asleep in his arms. Carefully and quietly, he laid her in her crib, then took his place in bed beside Jayme. Although he tried to stay awake most of the night, to keep his eye on Jayme, he did fall asleep for a few hours.