INSIDE THEIR MINDS

THE END

KATE

"So you're not sure?" I ask as I check the clock.

"She didn't come in with any ID. Mam. But she has a bulletwound to  the left arm and she resembles the picture that was sent to us. We would like someone to come in and identify her."
She asks and I can hear the hospitals loud speaker in the backround hovering over her voice.

"Wait, is she okay? Is she alive?" I ask suddenly feeling a lump in my throat.

"She's fine."

I breathed out a sigh of relief.

"We will be there soon." I said.

She hung up before I did, but I had more important things to worry about than her somewhat rude behavior.

I walk back into the dining room, still holding the landline, and I can distictly feel a large hopeful smile on my face. As soon as I walked over to Phil and the officers they cease in their discussion.

"They might have found her." I say with a tear streaming down my cheek.

"Where?!" Phil asks as he quickly jumps up from his chair.

"At the hospital, if it's her they said she will be ok, but we have to identify her." I say as Phil embraced me in his arms.

"Can we go?" Phil asked the officers that how now also begun to sand from the table.

"Yes. We would like to escort you." The man says.

"That's fine." Phil answers. "We just have to inform my sister that we are leaving as she is watching my children."

"I can do that." I say, wiping away the happy tears still clinging to my cheeks.

Within minutes we were on the road, riding in a police car, and hopefully on our way to see Erica.

----

Apparently, for our own safety, the officers were told to escort us wherever we may go and that included the hospital. So with three officers in tow, Phil and I walked up to the information desk.

The woman looked with surprised eyes at us as the officers stood not three feet away.

"We are here to identify someone." Phil says.

"I'm sorry about your loss." She says with a sorrow in her voice.

"No, she's not dead. She came in just a little while ago. We were told it might be our friend."

"Oh I see, sorry. Um, we so have one Jane Doe up on the second floor, that's who you must be refering to. Its just up that elevator there." She says pointing over to her right. "The nurses on that floor will assist you from there."

I answered with a nod and followed Phil over, the officers following behind me.

DEREK

Alex was grinning from ear to ear as we grew closer and closer to the hospital, held back only by the rush of traffic and congestion that sickened highways and freeways, a like. I could tell she was silently celebrating as if Erica's return was victory that she had long strived to achieve. I hadn't even been aware until now that Alex had grown so close to Erica, something I couldn't help but feel a bit nervous about. The comingling of ex's was hardly an easy thing to live through and as much as I wished I could keep the two woman away from each other I knew that at this point in time it would be damn near impossible.

I would hope that this would soon blow over, but if this were to play out like everything else had then I'm guessing the odds are against me.

It was nearly ten minutes later that we finally arrived at the hospital. Alex was practically bouncing up and down, a continuous bundle of nerves and hope coursing through her veins.