FROM NOW UNTIL ETERNITY
Chapter Twenty-Two
The rain came down endlessly,
flooding the streets and making it nearly impossible to see out of the car’s
windows. But that didn’t matter to Butch, who crept along, ignoring the redhead
in the backseat begging him to take her boyfriend to a hospital. Maybe that was
the reason he got careless and took a main road, which had a roadblock up
ahead. By time he did notice, it was too late. He was trapped. He glared back
at the girl, who just sat there with her boyfriend’s head in her lap. He
frowned at the boy, noticing how still he had grown since the last time he had
looked back there.
"No funny business, or I’ll
finish the job on your boyfriend there," Butch growled.
"Y-yes, sir." Rose
tightened her grip on Jack, as if doing so would protect him from anymore bullets.
Butch just nodded and turned back
to face the approaching police officer. "What can I do for you,
officer?"
"Who’s in the back of the
car?" the officer asked. Rose met the officer’s eyes, silently begging for
help. If not for her, then for Jack. He was losing so much blood. He’d die soon
if he didn’t get to a hospital right away. This officer was her only chance to
get Jack some help.
"Oh, my niece and
nephew." Butch frowned as the officer looked at what looked to be a flyer
and then back at the teens in the car. "We’re heading to Kentucky to visit
their grandmother."
The officer frowned again.
"Miss, will you please step out of the car?"
Rose’s eyes widened. Stepping out
of the car meant leaving Jack inside, helpless and alone. "I-I can’t.
Jack…he’s…"
"He’ll be okay, miss. Just
step out of the car."
Swallowing back the coming tears,
Rose did as she was told, as the officer looked at the flyer once again. He
nodded, as if confirming something that he had known all along. "Don’t
worry. I’ll get an ambulance for Jack. Just stay calm while I take care of this
jerk here," the officer whispered before turning back to Butch.
Rose could only nod and stand
there as the officer ordered Butch out of the car and to keep both hands where
he could see them. Rose kept her eyes on Jack, hoping that he was okay.
"Is there a problem,
officer?" the kidnapper asked, stepping out of the car, his eyes curious.
Rose watched as the officer
pushed Butch up against the car and slapped handcuffs on his wrists. She looked
at the ground as he read Butch his Miranda rights. Another wave of relief
washed through her as an ambulance siren filled the air. Help for Jack was on
the way.
*****
Irene, Ruth, Chloe, and Carter
were all at the hospital, awaiting news on Jack and Rose. The police had called
and told them to meet them at Saint Cedar’s hospital. But so far, there’d been
no sign of a police officer.
Ruth sat back in her chair,
wondering why the police had summoned her here and not shown up themselves.
Shouts from doctors and the paramedics filled the air, answering her question
right away. A stretcher with a pale and unconscious Jack was pushed through the
room. Rose came in right behind them, her eyes wide with fear. She tried to
follow the stretcher through two double doors at the very back of the room, but
was stopped by one of the doctors.
"Stay out here, miss. We’ll
keep you informed." The medic rushed back into the OR.
"Rose!" Ruth stood up.
"Mother!" Rose rushed
into her mother’s arms, clinging for dear life. As if holding onto her mother
would make Jack open his beautiful blue eyes and reassure her that he was going
to be okay. As if holding onto her mother would erase the horrifying day being
held hostage.
"What happened to
Jack?" Chloe asked, still in shock at seeing how pale her brother was. So
pale and lifeless. Different from the sunny and vibrant brother that she knew.
He looked…almost dead.
"That horrible man shot him.
We had a chance to get help. Jack sent me. But then that man returned. He was
aiming for me, but Jack got in the way." Rose tried to stop her sobs.
"The medics said that things didn’t look good." She buried herself
back in her mother’s arms, drowning in her own misery.
"Oh, no…Jack…I have to see
him." Chloe made a move for the door, just to find her pathway blocked by
Irene, who angrily glared at the young woman.
"You’re not going anywhere
near that boy, Chloe. Not now. Not ever again! The twins and Jack are coming
with me as soon as he’s well enough to travel!"
"The hell he is! You can’t
talk that way to Chloe! She has every right to see her brother!"
"And you! I ought to have
you thrown in jail for attempted murder!" Irene glared at Carter, hatred
burning in her gaze. If it weren’t for this ruffian, Jack wouldn’t be in this
situation now!
"That’s ridiculous!"
Carter growled. "Listen here, old woman…"
"Stop it right now!"
Ruth interrupted the bickering, holding her sobbing daughter. "My daughter
has just been through hell and back, plus her boyfriend is terribly hurt. All
this fighting is just making things worse for her!"
"Jack…he’s lost so much
blood." Rose pulled away from her mother, trying to wipe away her falling
tears, to no avail. Her boyfriend was probably dying, and she was drowning in
her own tears.
"Do you want to go home and
get some rest, dear?" Ruth stroked her daughter’s hair, concerned about
how this was affecting Rose mentally. After all, she had just lost her baby. If
Jack died…Rose would die right with him.
"No. I need to be here for
Jack when he wakes up. He needs to know that it’s safe now."
"Ahem." The doctor
stepped out into the waiting room, his brown eyes somber. He looked at the
small group gathered, wishing that he had better news. "Who’s the guardian
of the young man in there?"
Chloe moved to speak up, but
Irene beat her to it. "I’m his grandmother. Doctor, how is my grandson? Is
he awake?"
"Well…no, he’s not. In
fact…Jack has lapsed into a coma. We don’t know if he’s going to wake up or
not. All we can do now is fix the damage and then wait and see what
happens."
"Can we see him?" Rose
asked, trying to keep herself together. She really felt like falling apart, but
knew that doing so wouldn’t help anything. It wouldn’t make Jack wake up.
"Not right now, ma’am. Maybe
after the surgery."
Rose just sighed and nodded as
she turned away. Her whole world was falling apart. She had lost her baby, and
now the man she loved more then life itself was in a coma. Would she ever be
happy again? Free from the worries that haunted her now? When would things
finally be good for her again? When?