Destined For You

Chapter Eleven

Jennifer

An expansive black abyss surrounded me, crushing me under its weight. I attempted to claw my way out to no avail. Growing more and more panicked as I sank deeper and deeper into the darkness, a small tingling sensation in my left hand began to guide me out of the darkness. The tingling was not unpleasant, if anything it was euphoric. The tingling slowly moved its way up my arm and toward my chest. As I moved closer and closer toward the light, a sense of calm and security covered my entire body. Am I dead? Finally, my head breached the light leaving the dark abyss below my feet.

My eyes fluttered open instinctively and I was thankful that the room was dimly lit. In front of me was an old wooden door and a window with the blinds closed. The familiar smell in the air and beeping of medical equipment helped me to identify where I was: the hospital. The events of the past few days slapped me in the face and I could feel their heavy burden nestling in the forefront of my mind. Trying to distract myself from the unpleasantness of these memories, I began to survey the room. What hospital is this? Banner? MHC?

As I turned my head to the left I was extremely surprised to see a man sitting there with my hand in his. As my eyes settled on his form, the beeping of the heart monitor vanished as did my awareness of my other surroundings. All there was, is him. His steel grey eyes bore into mine and felt as if he could see into my soul, making me feel less alone, less scared. To anyone else, he may have looked intimidating, scary even but the only thing I could think about was his large frame wrapped around mine. I suddenly became aware of the fireworks sprouting from where his hand touched mine and I had to all but tear my eyes away from him. Every muscle in my body felt relaxed for the first time in my life, and all the pain of my injuries paled in comparison to the euphoric feeling of his hand in mine.

"Who are you?" I asked a little breathlessly. As I spoke my hand instinctively moved out of his and the fireworks instantly disappeared, leaving me confused. No longer distracted by the pleasure of his touch, I could feel the darkness in my soul slowly creep out of its hiding place until it suffocated me in the negativity.

"Sorry" he quickly said with a small frown. He must not have felt the sparks that I did. I must be going crazy.

"My name is Derek and I am a consultant for the FBI. I helped save you" he said matter of factly, instantly causing me to be even more depressed. How stupid was I? He was here to make sure I was okay and ask me questions about my kidnapping. He was just being kind. I felt a pang in my chest at the thought that he was just here for business reasons, not for me but I pushed it away as soon as it came. I was being irrational, probably due to my head injuries. I just met this man.

"Thank you," I said steeling myself from my irrational emotions, hopeful they will disappear once my head is fully healed. However, the more I tried to push the pain of his rejection away, the more my heart ached. Attempting to distract myself, I began running through the events of the last few days trying to decipher what I was going to tell the police. The faces of each of the girls flashed through my mind and I remembered that Olivia was still in danger. I turned my head out the window, not wanting Derek to see the pain I was in, not wanting him to know my failures. Olivia being carried out of the door played on repeat in my mind, causing a single tear to roll down my face. I didn't deserve to be happy, to live my life, knowing she was out there alone and scared all because of me.

"You saved them" Derek informed me, the rest of his words falling on my deaf ears. Did I though? Emmie is dead, Olivia is gone, all because of me. But he was right I did save the other 3 girls from an evil fate.

"What about Olivia?" I asked hopeful that maybe she was in the house when they rescued me. I could see his confusion as he tried to figure out what who I was asking about.

"She was in the house with those men. They took her before..." I attempted to explain, bombarded by the thought of Emmie's death.

"I'm sorry," he said "We will find her." And at that moment I didn't doubt his words, I knew he was going to find her.

"Um," Derek started off unsure how to put what he needed to say next. Immediately causing concern to bubble in me. Was it the girls? Did something happen? Or was it Miguel? Did he get the medical treatment he needed?

"You are being put into witness protection" was the only word that registered in my mind. Witness protection? Why me? Will the other girls come with? Are we still in danger? My mind swirled with a million different questions, none of which my mouth could speak.

"Okay," I said maybe a bit relieved. A huge part of me was thankful to have to put the past few days behind me. I didn't realize how stuck I had felt in Tucson. There were not a lot of good things here for me. The only thing I did have going was my kids in the pediatric ward. As sad as I was to say goodbye to them, a larger part of me was happy to start fresh in a new place.

"Is there any way I can pack my stuff?" I asked quietly. There were a few things I would like to take with me to this new life.

"The doctors haven't cleared you yet and I would like to get you to safety as soon as possible" Derek said gently, causing a frown to form on my face. "But I can have someone pack your stuff for you if you like," he said hoping to make me feel better and Derek handed me a piece of paper to make my list.

At the top of my list was Missy, along with all of her stuff. They were mistaken if they thought I would go anywhere without Missy. I then listed a few of my favorite clothing items and other basic necessities. At the very bottom of my list, I added the dark wooden box at the foot of my bed. I had been writing letters for eight years now and placing them in there. It started randomly and out of the blue but somehow it seemed to help me in ways I didn't really understand. That was the one piece of my life I wanted to keep with me. Satisfied with my list I handed it over to Derek who quickly took a picture of it and texted it to someone on his phone.

Again awestruck by the man in front of me, I was startled by the knock at the door.

"Hi Jennifer, I'm Doctor Martin. I'm happy to see that you're awake. I just want to run a few more tests on you and then you are free to leave" she said politely. She checked my eyes to make sure they were dilating correctly along with my other reflexes. Satisfied with her exam, she jotted a few notes down.

"I'm happy to say you will make a full recovery. I will start the discharge paperwork" she informed me. An unfamiliar feeling settled in my chest at the thought of leaving Tucson for my new home.