She swung her leg over the wall but wasn’t tall enough to touch the ledge. She scooted to her right and tried to grip the concrete she sat on as she began to pull her other leg over. She had her feet on the ledge when she heard voices shouting in the house. “Jack! Catch me!” She let go, and he used his body to break her fall. They scrambled to their feet.
“Go! Go!” he yelled, and they began running through the backyard to the clearing just beyond the pool where the helicopter could land.
There were four men in dark suits standing on the balcony with weapons drawn. No one could hear the orders “Let them go!” being shouted from the door on the porch below because of the whipping blades as they descended. Gun shots accompanied the pounding noise, and the air swirled.
Jack kept Megan in front of him, and she reached her hand behind her. He took it and they were within 15 yards of the copter when Jack let go. Megan stopped and turned with horror on her face.
“NO!” she screamed. She ran back. Jack had fallen face down. She squatted next to him and looked toward the house. The bullets had stopped and Mr. Rawlings was standing behind the pool. “Jack?” she yelled.
He looked up and managed the word, “Go!”
“Get up!” she screamed. “You’re getting on this helicopter if I have to drag you!” She saw blood on the upper, right part of his back. He struggled to get to his feet. She used every bit of power she had to brace him and pull him to the copter. She fell in backwards and pulled Jack in on top of her. “GO!” she screamed.
She looked at the camera man who was still filming and then at the young blonde reporter, “Damn it, help me!” she screamed at her. The reporter, whose jaw hung open pulled herself together and dropped the microphone she was holding. Megan knew what she was doing when she called her old nemesis from her childhood, Tara. Tara Tierra would do anything for a story - she was just like Megan had been. Megan knew Tara didn’t care whether she and Jack lived or died, but she also knew that this footage would give Tara national exposure and possibly seal a deal with a national television news organization.
Tara helped put Jack on the floor next to Megan. It was a tight squeeze, but Megan pulled herself up onto her side. “Jack! What should I do? Jack!”
“Pressure,” he whispered.
“Pressure,” she repeated. She grabbed Tara’s scarf, balled it up and pulled Jack up enough to press it into the hole in his back. “Get us to a hospital! Now!” she screamed toward the pilot. “Hold on, Jack. Hold on,” she said and used her other hand to hold his hand.
Chapter Nineteen
Megan opened her eyes slowly not even sure where she was or how she had gotten there. The last thing she remembered was landing on the roof top of a hospital in a news helicopter. She had watched as Jack was put on a stretcher and wheeled away. He had held onto her hand until he was pulled out of reach. Then she was put on a stretcher. She closed her eyes, and that was it.
She didn’t know how long she’d been asleep or what had happened during that time. Her throat was sore. Everything hurt.
“Hey, you.” She heard a familiar, deep voice with a slight southern drawl. She blinked and turned her head. Her eyes brought Will’s face into focus. He was sitting next to her bed smiling at her. She smiled, and he leaned to her.
“Hi,” she said groggily.
“You sure surprised the hell out of me,” he put his large, soft and warm hand on the side of her face.
“What happened?” she asked. Her mouth was dry.
“You had to have surgery on your hand, and you have an infection,” he said stroking her hair.
“What about Jack?” she asked. Will’s eyes showed a flash of jealousy and then a smile.
“He’s lucky to be alive. The doctors took the bullet out of his back, but he’s still in serious condition,” Will said soothingly.
“But he’ll be okay?” she asked with concern in her voice.
“He’ll be okay,” he said. “I couldn’t believe it when I got the message from some trucker that you were alive. I thought it was a joke. And then, when I heard your message…” he said with his voice trailing and emotion flooding his face. “You have no idea how happy and how afraid I was.”
“I think I can guess how afraid you were,” she said with a weak smile. He shook his head as if to admit what he said had sounded crazy. “Can I have some water?”
“Sure, Sweetheart,” he said and reached for a plastic pitcher on the nightstand next to her bed. He poured some water into a small plastic cup, put a straw in it and held it for her to drink.
“Thanks. That’s better. What happened to Rawlings?”
“From what you left on my voicemail and the footage they had of his men shooting at you and Jack as you ran away,” he paused and swallowed hard. “Well, the Feds finally had probable cause to get a search warrant for the house and Rawlings’ properties. There was also a lot of media and public pressure, which made it nearly impossible for any judge to deny one. Once they got inside, they found some incriminating stuff on some of the computers they confiscated. They had tried to clear the hard drives, but technicians recovered them. Rawlings is going to jail for a very, very long time. You’re safe,” he said smiling. She breathed a sigh of relief and tears filled her eyes. Emotion built and built.
“I’m free?” her voice cracked when she spoke.
“Yes, Sweetheart. You’re free now,” he stroked her cheek. “You should probably try to get some rest. I’ll be right here when you wake up, and your parents are on their way back from getting dinner.” Megan smiled at this news and nodded. She closed her eyes to sleep as Will kissed her forehead.
* * * * *
The following weeks brought countless interviews with Federal and local law enforcement agents. Megan had become Kristine again - even if in name only. She spent hours apologizing and explaining to friends and family what had happened the day of her “death” and giving them the highlights of her life over the last two years. Her parents stayed for several days, and were finally convinced it was okay to go home when her infection was under control. They wanted Kristine to move home with them, but all she could manage to say was, “We’ll see.” She didn’t know what she wanted.
Most surprising was Burt Newman’s daily visits. His wife had passed away and, as Will said, Burt thought pretty highly of Kristine. Burt’s appearance and disposition toward people had improved now that he didn’t have the demands of his ailing wife. He even seemed to enjoy the drama when his visits overlapped with Derrick’s.
After Derrick’s first visit, he returned with makeup and hair styling implements. He told Kristine that if she didn’t feel good, he would at least make her look good. He repeated gossip he’d read in the tabloids at the grocery. He even brought his surgeon boyfriend to meet her. When Will wasn’t with them, he’d ask about both Will and Jack. Kristine couldn’t tell him what he wanted to know, which only frustrated Derrick. She did send him on fact-finding missions to check on Jack’s condition. It was easier to ask Derrick than it was to ask Will. Derrick wasn’t very popular with the nurses or doctors as he completely took over and offered suggestions on how best to care for his friend.
Then there was Will. Not only was he popular with the nurses, Will was sitting next to her hospital bed every time she woke - day or night. Somehow he always managed to be clean shaven with fresh clothes. Will could spend as many hours as he wanted to with her now that he and Emily had divorced. He said it was final about a year ago. He phoned the paper regularly and his daughters every evening before they went to bed.
While she enjoyed her visitors, it was somewhat overwhelming to her. She’d been alone - even when she was in an over-crowded classroom - for two years. Days passed slowly as she gained her strength and fought the multiple infections she had from her wounds. She was thankful for the medications that let her sleep, because her mind raced with questions about what came next in her life when she was awake. Finally, after a week and a half, she was well enough to get out of bed.
“Will?” Will looked up from the newspaper he was reading. “I really need to see Jack,” she said. Will nodded, but he obviously wasn’t thrilled with her request. He folded the newspaper, removed his reading glasses and put them both next to the phone on the nightstand.
“I’ll get a wheelchair,” he said and stood.
“No. I want to walk,” she insisted. “I need to move my legs again. Can you help me?”
“Sure.” Will helped her put on a robe, walk down the hall to the elevator and then to Jack’s room. Jack had been moved from intensive care to a private room. She knew she had looked better - her hair was in a pony tail, and she didn’t have on any makeup. Derrick hadn’t been to see her yet that day to work his magic. Will supported her as she walked.
“This is it,” he said when they reached Jack’s door.
“I’ll just be a minute,” she said to let Will know she wanted to go into the room alone. Will nodded and leaned against the wall.
“Let me know if you need me.”
“Thanks,” she added with a smile and knocked on the door.
“Come in,” she heard Jack say.
“Is it okay?” Kristine walked in slowly. She saw Tara Tierra sitting next to Jack’s hospital bed and felt her jaw drop.
“Yeah,” he said, and his smile widened when he saw it was her. “It’s great to see you, Megan.”
“Uh, it’s Kristine again,” she interrupted. “Hi, Tara.”
“Hi, Kristine,” Tara said standing with bright white teeth screaming past her pink lipstick. “You look terrible, dear.” Kristine inadvertently rolled her eyes. “Here. Take my chair. I was just leaving - have to get back to work.” She turned to Jack and said, “I’ll see you later.” Her perfect hair, her perfect clothes and her perfect makeup and expensive perfume brushed past Kristine, and she was gone. Kristine was speechless. She suddenly wished Derrick had paid her a visit this morning to fix her up a bit. She used her right hand to smooth her ponytail. She was thankful for Tara, but she still disliked her - it was a habit too hard to break. She walked over and sat next to Jack’s bed.
“So, Kristine it is. I like it,” Jack said snapping her out of whatever zone she had entered.
“Uh, yeah. I didn’t see a need to keep Megan, and the agents agreed with me. Being on the national news kind of puts an end to any protection program you may be in.”
“Good. Kristine - I like it,” he said again nervously. “So, how are you?”
“Not shot. How are you?” she said smiling. She noticed his arm in a sling that held it tight to his body.
“I’ll be fine. I might need another surgery, but I’ll be fine. The bullet didn’t hit my spine so I’m really lucky,” he said. “What about the hand?”
“I had surgery. Doctors said you did a great job on it, though. I may have a little nerve damage, but I can live with that. The infections took some time to react to the antibiotics, but I’m going home in a day or two,” she said smiling. She looked down at her hand wrapped in bandages. She had some gauze taped to the worst cuts on her face. “I’m going to have some minor scarring on my face, so I may tryout for some haunted houses in October or something,” she added nervously. “If I were more like Tara, I could have made it through everything without messing up my hair and makeup.”
“Tara couldn’t have done what you’ve done. The scars will only make you look more beautiful,” he said. She couldn’t help feeling grateful to him for his words.
“Did you see our story on the news and in the papers?”
“I’ve been kind of out of it,” he said. “But a nurse saved the newspapers for me,” he said smiling. “You were amazing, you know. You should be safe now. Rawlings is going to jail for a long time, and we got his top people.”
“How do you feel about that? I mean, I know that has to be some relief, but he’s still your father.”
“No. My father is the man who raised me. I was lucky enough to have two mothers, but I only have one father. I may even change my last name.”
“Change your name?”
“Yeah. I don’t want anything to do with those people. I want to distance myself. At least you got your name and life back. You can live the life you wanted and not worry about what or who is lurking in the shadows.”
“I hope so. I think we could both use a little happiness for awhile,” she said. “So, what was Tara Butmacher doing here?”
“Butmacher?” Jack said laughing and wincing.
“Yeah, that’s the princess’ real name,” she said in a tone that wasn’t flattering. She suddenly decided she didn’t want to know why she was there. “Um, listen Jack. I just wanted to say that I’m sorry for being such a...well...bitch and for not trusting you when I should have. I also wanted to say thank you for keeping me alive.”
“I should thank you, too. If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be alive. You saved my life in the woods and probably a couple times when we were at the mansion,” he said sounding truly grateful. She laughed a little and was about to speak when she saw Jack’s eyes dart to the door. She turned her head, and Will walked into the room. She was a little disappointed with the interruption.
“Are you okay, Krissy? I really should get you back to your room. You’re not strong enough to be out of bed for long,” Will said as he put his hand on her shoulder.
“Almost,” she looked at Jack. “Jack, this is Will. Will, this is Jack.” Will took his hand from her shoulder and shook Jack’s available hand.
“I need to thank you for everything you did to help bring her back to me,” Will said.
“It was my pleasure,” Jack said quietly, a vein in his forehead noticeably throbbed.
“We better get going. The nurse is going to track you down and make you ride back to your room in a wheelchair,” Will said looking at Kristine and putting his arm out to help her out of the chair.
“Yeah, okay,” she said still looking at Jack. She smiled and stood with Will’s help.
“Be happy, okay?” he said looking at her with such intensity her stomach leapt into her throat. She swallowed and nodded. Why did she feel like crying?
“You, too.” She took a step toward the bed, reached out and took his hand. She leaned over and kissed his forehead. Without looking at him again, she let Will help her walk out of the room.
“Are you okay,” Will asked once they were in the safety of the elevator. She nodded. Saying anything would reveal the lump in her throat. Will rubbed the small of her back while she stood in the elevator waiting for the number of her floor to light. She wanted to turn around and be held by him, but her body wouldn’t move. He even had to give her a little nudge when the doors finally opened just so her feet would take a step forward.
* * * * *
She sat in the hospital bed and played with her Jello. She thought about how ironic it would be to have an eating disorder like anorexia and end up in the hospital. If anything could make you not want to eat, it was probably hospital food. Everyone who came into the hospital received an IV, or so Derrick had once told her. Maybe they should give everyone a feeding tube, too, she thought. Will’s voice broke her train of thought.
“Is it Jack?” he asked. She was startled by the sound of the voice and the question.
“Is what Jack?” she replied.
“This mood. You should be happy to be back with your friends and family. I was really hoping you’d be happy to be with me. Then a trip upstairs and you seem a million miles away.” She pushed the food tray away.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know what it is,” she said. “I guess I’m just confused about what happens next.”
“You get your life back,” he said reassuringly.
“That’s the problem, Will. I don’t know who I am anymore,” she said. “I want to be a reporter or a writer, but I don’t think I have the drive I used to have. It’s just weird, you know? So much has happened to me over the last two years. How do I just go back to being the old me?”
“This is proba
bly more pressure than you want or need right now, but what about us? I still want a future with you,” he said.
“I honestly don’t know,” she said. “The thought of being with you kept me going all that time I was alone. I care about you so much.”
“I thought I heard a ‘but’ at the end of that sentence,” he said. She sighed and shrunk down into the bed. “It’s Jack, isn’t it?”
“No,” she said unconvincingly then changed her answer. “Maybe. I don’t know.”
“I understand,” Will said.
“No. I don’t think you can,” she said growing sure of what she was saying. “We were literally running for our lives, and all we had was each other. Will, I went so long with just fantasies of what my life could be like with you knowing it would never happen. I had accepted that you weren’t going to be part of my future. I sat in a virtually empty apartment for two years creating the perfect image of you and our perfect life together. Then I meet this man who drives me crazy. He’s far from perfect, but we shared this really intense experience. He saved my life. I’m not stupid - I know he kept me in front of him while we were running to the helicopter.”
“From what I saw, you saved him,” Will replied.
“Before that.”
“That’s his job,” Will said.
“It was more than that,” she responded. “I feel some sort of… I don’t know - bond with him.” Will’s eyes fell to the floor, and he remained quiet. “I’m sorry. I’m not saying I don’t want to be with you. I’m just saying I think I need time to sort all of this out. I feel like I’m starting my life over again for the second time. I need to figure out who this Kristine is and what she wants before I can make any decisions about my future. I do have feelings for you, Will. I just feel like I need to rid my mind of the fantasy life I created before I can give you a fair chance. No one can live up to what I’ve created in my mind, and I don’t think you want to start this relationship with nowhere to go but disappointment.” She reached for his hand, and he gave it to her. “Be honest with yourself. Haven’t you done the same thing? Please, Will. Can you just give me some time to sort out my life?” He stared at their hands and stroked her skin.
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