Jennifer heard the phone ring through a heavy sleep. She opened her eyes
slowly and
reached over for Jonathan. She groaned when she realized that he was off at
sea.
“Hello?” Jennifer said sleepily.
“Is this Mrs. Jonathan Hart?” said a detached voice.
Jennifer pulled herself up in bed and ran her hand through her hair. She
noticed the
seriousness of the caller’s voice. “Yes, it is,” she said hesitantly.
“Mrs. Hart...this is Inspector Morris with the Federal Bureau of
Investigation. I’m afraid
there’s been an explosion aboard your husband’s ship. The Coast Guards search-
and-rescue have
been combing the water for survivors, but we fear there aren’t any.”
“Oh, God,” was all that she could utter.
“Please know that we are doing everything possible, but the ship sank quickly
and no
survivors have been found. We have not located your husband’s body yet, but we
will continue
our search.”
Jennifer dropped the phone in shock.
Days later, Jonathan regained consciousness. He felt like his head was
splitting. He
struggled to free his hands, but no avail. He seemed to be inside a cellar or
cave. He had no idea
how he got there or where he was. As he became more aware of his surroundings,
he could hear
muffled voices coming from down a passageway. He could hear a man and woman
arguing, but
he couldn’t make out what they were saying. Suddenly, Jonathan became aware of
a sharp pain in
his calf and looked down. He appeared to be bleeding, but couldn’t tell for
sure with all the mud
on his legs.
Soon, the voices became louder and he could hear someone coming down the hall
towards
him. A striking woman entered the room, her red hair tied back severely. She
was dressed in a
clingy black suit that accentuated her shapely figure.
“Well, it looks like our guest is coming around,” she said smoothly, moving
like a cat
around the room.
“If I’m a guest, I need to make a complaint to your customer service
department,”
Jonathan spoke, wincing in pain.
The mysterious woman smiled without showing her teeth. “Yes, well, if you
play your
cards right, you may enjoy your stay.”
“Which reminds me...where are these cozy accommodations?”
She laughed wickedly. “Don’t worry. You’ll find out what you need to know.”
Down the hallway, he heard a man shout, “Jessie!” The woman turned and darted
out of
the room.
Jennifer walked over to the piano in the livingroom and picked up the picture
of her and
Jonathan kissing. She remembered when Max had taken that picture en route to
Africa - their first
of many trips to her favorite country. Jennifer traced the outline of
Jonathan’s silhouette with her
fingertips, her heart heavy with grief. The house was so empty. She refused to
believe he was
gone. Jonathan would come home, she just knew it. He had promised.
Kurt could not stop thinking about Jennifer Hart since the day he met her.
She invaded his
thoughts while he was working, while he was eating, and especially while he
was sleeping. The
news that her husband had been killed on a ship was horrific, and he wondered
how she was
handling everything. she would not crumble, he knew that. Jennifer Hart was a
woman who could
take care of herself...and yet, there was something so vulnerable about her,
something he wanted
to reach out to hold and protect.
Kurt picked up the phone to dial Hart Industries. He reached Deanne, Mr.
Hart’s
secretary.
“Hello. This is Kurt Jameson. I was wondering if I might be able to leave a
message for
Mrs. Hart. I’m running into some problems with the research project and
wondered if she might
be able to help me out. Please have her call me.”
“I will give her the message, Dr. Jameson, but I’m not sure when she’ll be
able to return
the call. You understand.”
Kurt Jameson was not what you’d call a liar, but he would have to think up
some
problems with his research in case she returned the call.
Jennifer spent many weeks returning phone calls and attending to business at
Hart
Industries. People nodded to her in respect as they passed her in the
hallways. They knew she was
doing what many grieving people did: throw herself into her work. To
Jennifer, it was a matter
of keeping Hart Industries running smoothly until Jonathan returned.
Jennifer also enjoyed being involved in Kurt Jameson’s research project. He
had been kind
to include her in his updates and discoveries. She had been to his lab several
times now to see his
work. Quite remarkable, she thought. They also had dinner on occasion, since
their meetings were
usually late in the afternoon. Sometimes she felt bad about leaving Max, but
it was good to do
something to take her mind off the pain when she was alone.
Days had turned to weeks, and Jennifer could not believe that it had now been
months
since she had seen her beloved husband. There were times when she thought she
saw him in a
crowd, but it was only someone who wore his hair the same way...or times when
she thought she
heard him humming in the bathroom and then realized it was Max’s radio playing
in another
room. Everywhere she turned, she saw reminders of him. Sometimes at night, she
would go into
his closet and hold one of his suits, hoping to catch his scent. Her heart
ached.
Max was helping her as much as he could, but he was grief-stricken too. He
took Freeway
out on endless walks, always with a faraway look in his eyes. His buddies
called to get him to play
a hand of poker, but he had no interest.
For Jennifer, it all seemed like a never-ending nightmare. The Coast Guard
had never
found Jonathan and had called off their search several days after the
explosion. They were so
saddened when they came to her door to deliver the news, as if they had lost
one of their own.
Still, despite the news, Jennifer secretly felt that Jonathan was somewhere
safe, trying to get
home. She would not give up hope.
