Finding Pride

by Jill Sanders

  The young couple arrived right before Iian, who brought some turkey and roast beef sandwiches for the guests. They set the lunches out on the porch table for guests to help themselves.

  Everyone enjoyed eating out on the porch, chatting about a visit to the beach and how to get to the national park. The young couple was heading into town for some shopping before they headed out to sightsee. Megan made a point to mention Allison’s store. The couple seemed eager to stop there for some pictures and knickknacks.

  After Iian and the guests left to go about their afternoon, Megan decided to spend some time outside. It was too nice a day to go back inside. She spent time in her small garden area out back, where she’d planted some vegetables.

  Boomer rolled around in the fresh dirt. He swatted at flies that buzzed by or glared at birds as they drifted overhead.

  She was digging up some fresh carrots when Boomer let out a loud hiss and ran off towards the garage. Megan glanced up and watched his tail disappear inside the doors. Then a shadow fell over her. Without looking, she knew who it was. Her happy new world disappeared.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Todd was drowning in paperwork. He enjoyed a good, healthy stack of work now and then, but this was ridiculous. His desk looked like he’d been out of town for a month instead of only one week.

  Iian had stopped by earlier and had brought him a sandwich for lunch. He’d heard the happy news from Lacey and had come over to congratulate him.

  He told him of the new couple that had checked in before lunch. He’d given Todd an update on Megan, saying she looked tired, but she’d eaten a good lunch before he left her.

  After Iian’s visit, Todd started back on the stack of papers. He wanted to finish up early so he could get back home. He liked the picture his mind drew when he thought of that word: Megan sitting on the front porch waiting for him with Boomer lying on her lap. He could imagine kids running around the front yard, a boy and a girl who had Megan’s eyes. His daydream was broken by the sound of his phone ringing.

  “Jordan Shipping,” he answered.

  “Todd Jordan?” came a deep voice. The connection was bad, and he could barely hear.

  “This is Todd. May I help you?”

  “Todd, this is Mark. I have some news about Megan Kimble’s ex-husband. He escaped yesterday morning. Apparently, they were moving him to a minimum-security prison when he overpowered a guard. He shot and killed the man. He’s been missing since then.”

  Todd slammed down the phone and then quickly picked it up again and called the house. After the fifth ring, he slammed it down again. Calling the police on his cell phone, he rushed out the door.

  He knew Megan didn’t like that he was watching out for her, but she was part of his life now.

  Apparently, Derek had used the guard’s ID to jump a small plane from Boston and had landed in Portland this morning. Using the man’s credit card, he’d rented a white sedan. Relaying this information to the police over the phone, Todd prayed he wasn’t too late. Megan could just be in the yard or visiting with the new boarders.

  When he arrived at the house less than five minutes later, the sheriff was already there. Sheriff Robert Brogan, who had been a high school friend of his, had his hand on his gun as he came around from the side yard.

  When he saw it was Todd, he moved his hand away from his gun.

  Todd jumped from the car after it came to a stop beside the Jeep.

  “Megan, Megan,” he screamed, running up the front stairs. He bolted across the porch and threw open the front door.

  Robert came up beside him. “She’s not here. I arrived about two minutes ago. No sign of a struggle in the house. I checked out back in the garage and found a cat out there, but it wouldn’t let me get near it. The front door was left wide open. Could she have gone up to one of the cabins?”

  “You take the farthest ones and I’ll check the closer ones.” As they sprinted off, Todd’s mind ran through the conversations they’d had about her ex and what he’d done to her. He searched his memory for any information that might help him locate her.

  He remembered the story she’d told him of Derek locking her away for weeks at a time. He prayed the bastard didn’t have his hands on her.

  He prayed she was alive. Just let her be alive.

  ********

  Megan opened her eyes a little. Her tongue felt thick and dry. Her head throbbed, and her eyes could barely focus. She could only see shapes and colors.

  She was lying on a bed, and her hands were tied behind her. There was a rag in her mouth, stuffed so far in that it almost caused her to gag.

  The back of her head hurt; something sticky slid down her neck. Her legs were either tied or being held down. She tried to move and realized Derek was in the process of tying them. Immediately, she started kicking until she felt her knee connect with something solid and she heard a grunt.

  “Stupid bitch, hold still.” She kicked and struggled harder. When she thought he had her pinned down, her foot connected with something solid again, and he went down, falling backward off the bed.

  She could hear him cussing, but she didn’t stop to think. Instead, she jumped up from the bed and ran over to kick him some more. Because her hands were tied behind her, she couldn’t open the door without him getting to her first.

  She plowed her foot into the side of his head. This time he stayed down, his eyes closed. Blood poured from a cut on his lip and one above his eye.

  Jumping over him, she ran to the door and turned backward to use her tied hands to open it. It took her a minute to turn the handle. As she turned to run out, she was thrown clear of the door, back across the bed. She bounced off the mattress, hitting the floor hard and landing on her hip.

  The wind was knocked from her lungs, but the single piece of duct tape Derek had used snapped free. Pushing herself up, she saw him lock the door with a jerk.

  “You stupid bitch! I’ll teach you.” She could see the rage on his face as it turned redder. He had changed a lot in the last couple of months. The first time he was in jail, he had gained ten pounds. Now, however, he’d lost a lot of it and was also almost completely bald. The remaining hair was cut very short. His eyes darted around the room as if he was high. His blue shirt and pants were too small for him, and his gut showed under the shirt. “They let me go. I walked right out of there. They said I had to teach you how to be a good wife.” His lip was bleeding and his right eye was starting to close shut. She had to get out of this room. Her life and the baby’s life depended on it.

  Looking around, she noticed a window beside the door. Thick drapes hung over it, closing out the light and the world. She had to get to the door or that window.

  Megan yanked down her gag and tossed it across the room at him. “I’m not your wife! They didn’t let you go!”

  “Shut up! You don’t know anything! You’re a stupid slut. You belong to me. I have to teach you. You think you can live after what you did to me?” He started walking again

  “Derek, you have to let me go. Don’t come near me. Don’t ever lay a hand on me again!” she yelled. Scooting away, she stood up and backed towards the wall.

  “Oh, big words. You can’t hurt me!” he screamed, and pulled a gun from his back pocket. He waved it around. “You’ll know I’m in charge. I have always been in charge, and you’re a stupid slut who couldn’t keep her damn legs closed. You think I didn’t know about all the men you fucked? You’re nothing but a whore. You deserve to be treated like a whore. I’ve been thinking about this for months, what I’d do when I got my hands on you. Well, I can tell you, you’re going to enjoy me, honey.” He moved towards her again, his free hand on his belt.

  Megan saw the gun waver between her head and her heart. She put a hand over her stomach and knew it was over.

  ********

  Todd raced towards the house. He and Robert had checked all the cabins, but Megan was nowhere to be found. “We’ve put an APB out on the sedan he rented. How
did you get that information anyway?” Robert asked when they reached the main house.

  “I had a PI watching this guy. I’m going to drive around and see if I can find her,” he said, heading towards the Jeep.

  “Todd, let the police handle this. We’ll find her,” he said.

  “No! I will! And when I find him, I’m—”

  “Don’t!” Robert broke in. “You stay out of this Todd, you hear? I’ve got my deputies driving around looking for the car.”

  “Damn it, they could be halfway across Oregon by now.” Todd jumped in the Jeep and pulled out, crossing the yard. He drove through town, going about sixty. He imagined Derek would stop somewhere; he just didn’t know where. He thought of heading back up towards Portland, but instead of turning left, he headed right. Edgeview was only ten minutes away, and on instinct, he headed there. He called the house and told Lacey what was going on. Both she and Iian were going to start searching.

  “Don’t worry, Todd, we’ll find her,” Lacey said. Todd could hear Iian in the background and knew they would help.

  When he reached Edgeview five minutes later, he started looking for the sedan. He was passing by the outskirts of town when he spotted the car parked on the side of a small out-of-the-way motel.

  Phoning Robert, he told him he’d check it out. Robert told him to stay put, not to do anything, that he would contact the Edgeview police. He could be there in fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes could mean the difference between life and death. Todd parked the Jeep and got out.

  ********

  Derek stalked towards her. He undid his belt and struggled with his zipper. The only light came from the bedside lamp and she could see he was hard against the jeans he was trying to unzip. The thought of this man touching her made her stomach spin.

  He started waving the gun again. “Now you be a good wife and lay down on the bed and spread your legs for your husband. It shouldn’t be too hard for a slut like you,” he said, reaching for her.

  She only had one chance to survive. Without another glance at the gun, she pushed away from the wall.

  ********

  As Todd reached for the door handle to the front office, he heard a loud crash. He saw movement to his right, three windows down. Lying on the cement was a small body tangled in thick drapes.

  The door to the room flew open, and a short, thick, bald man ran out, waving a gun. Without a thought for his own safety, Todd ran towards the man.

  “You stupid bitch!” The man pointed the gun and drew back his foot to kick the mound lying on the cement.

  “No! Megan!” Todd yelled.

  Derek’s head and the gun snapped up. Megan threw off the curtains and kicked the man in the shins with all her weight. Derek went down hard on his knees, the gun wavering in his hand, and then Todd was on him.

  She’d been almost in a dream state before jumping out the window, knowing the only hope of survival for her and the baby was to get out of that room. She’d prayed the room was on the ground floor.

  As she lay on the hard cement, encased in the thick drapes, trying to catch her breath, she heard Todd yell her name and watched as Derek swung the gun towards him.

  All thoughts left her. All she could imagine was life without Todd. There would be no life for her without him.

  She saw murder in Todd’s eyes. It wasn’t aimed at her, never aimed at her, only to protect her. In that instant, she realized she loved him. Beyond anything she’d ever felt for anyone else in her entire life, she loved Todd.

  Derek’s legs were right next to her feet. Kicking as hard as she could, she hit him in the shins, and he fell down almost on top of her.

  Then Todd got Derek in a headlock and pounded his fist into his face. The gun flew out of Derek’s hand and landed on the cement with a dull thud.

  Several people poked their heads out their doors after hearing the commotion, and they gathered around to stare at the scene.

  “Call the police!” Megan screamed at a middle-aged woman who stood there in complete shock.

  “Todd, stop!” Todd was pounding his fist so fast and hard, Derek was now unconscious, slumped against the wall. Megan could see that his eyes were swollen shut, his mouth was bleeding, and his nose appeared broken. She jumped up from the ground, her hip screaming at her, and ran over to Todd.

  Todd was focused on each blow, but she had to get him to stop. “Todd! Stop, I’m okay, please, Todd. Stop!” She grabbed his fist as he threw another punch. He looked up from the slumped figure and looked deep in her eyes. He took a breath and shook his head clear.

  “I’m okay. We’re okay.” She wrapped her arms around him.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Oh, God! Megan?” He picked her up, holding her close. Blood ran down the side of her head, and she had cuts and pieces of glass in her arms. He shook uncontrollably. He walked several paces and glanced back over his shoulder at two large men who stood over Derek. “Make sure he stays put until the cops get here.”

  “This man isn’t going anywhere,” the larger of the two men said, rolling Derek to his back. “You got him real good.”

  “I called the police,” the middle-aged woman said, coming out the office door. “Are you all right, honey?” she asked Megan.

  “I’m fine,” Megan said as Todd carried her towards the Jeep. “Todd, where are we going?”

  “Hospital,” he said and set her gently in the Jeep. “Damn cops and ambulances take too long.” He put her seat belt around her. “Tell them if they want my statement, I’ll be at the hospital,” he said to the woman, who nodded in reply.

  Several hours later, after being checked into the hospital and having doctors look at her, Megan lay back on a soft bed, resting in a private room.

  The baby was all right.

  She kept saying it over and over. They’d listened to the heartbeat, and it was nice and strong. Todd cried when he heard it. Megan was so touched by his tears that she broke down too.

  She had a couple of stitches in her shoulder and head. The doctor removed lots of glass from her back and arms, but for the most part, the thick curtains had shielded her. Her hip was badly bruised and her ankle twisted, but other than that, she felt fine. She felt free.

  Todd paced up and down the room, mumbling about something, while the nurse took Megan’s blood pressure.

  “The doctor wants you to take a sleeping pill to relax. He would like to keep you overnight.”

  “Oh no, I think I’d like to go ho—” she started.

  “We’ll stay,” Todd broke in, nodding at the nurse.

  Megan glanced at his face and saw his concern. “Thank you,” she said to the nurse, smiling, as she gave her the pill and some water.

  There was a knock at the door. “Miss Kimble?” A tall young man in a sheriff’s uniform stood right inside the door. “I’m Sheriff Brogan. The doctor says it’s all right to talk to you. Do you have a few minutes?”

  “Come on in, Robert,” Todd said from the corner.

  “Oh, Todd, didn’t see you there. I’d like a couple of minutes with you too.” He nodded.

  The nurse quietly went out after making sure Megan swallowed the small pill.

  Todd walked over and sat next to Megan, pulling her bandaged hand into his own.

  “I have a few questions about what happened. Do you feel up to answering them? It won’t take long.”

  “She just took a sleeping pill,” Todd started in.

  “I feel fine. Go ahead.” Megan squeezed his hand.

  Ten minutes later, after answering a dozen or so questions, Megan felt very sleepy. Todd was telling Robert his side of the story, and she drifted off listening to his soothing voice.

  Todd could feel Megan’s hand grow lax in his as he finished telling what had happened at the motel.

  Robert finished taking notes. “Well, it’s a federal matter now since the officer he killed was a federal guard. He’s going to be put away for a long time.”

  “That’s good,” Todd mur
mured, looking down at Megan. She was pale and her hair was pushed back from her face. White bandages covered her arms and shoulder. Then he looked down at the bandages on his own fists. Megan had been so concerned when she’d seen that some of the blood on his hands was his own, she’d gone white and demanded that he be fixed up as well.

  “You did a fine job on that guy. Knocked a couple of teeth out and broke his nose. He’s in the hospital ward at the state facility. He’ll be there another few days, and then they’ll ship him back East.” Robert sat with Todd for another few minutes until Iian and Lacey walked in, both carrying vases of flowers.

  “She’s asleep,” Todd whispered and signed. He ushered them both in.

  “How is she?” Lacey asked, moving over to Megan and looking down at her. She was pale and had a few cuts on her hands, but she looked well and alive. “How’s the baby?”

  “They’re both fine.” He moved over and kissed his sister’s cheek. “The baby is fine. We heard the heartbeat,” he said with a proud grin.

  Iian signed his questions, and Todd answered, telling them both a shorter version of the story. By the time he was done telling his story, he was exhausted.

  “Why don’t you lie down for a while? I can watch over her,” Lacey said, nodding towards the pull-out bed. Instead, Todd pulled his shoes off and scooted Megan over so that her head rested on his shoulder. She didn’t even stir. Lacey covered them both with a blanket. When Iian signed to her that they should leave, she turned down the lights and headed out with her brother.

  ********

  Dr. Stevens walked into Megan’s hospital room the next morning followed by a tall blond man wearing a white medical jacket and with a stethoscope casually wrapped around his neck. When he glanced up from the chart, he gave Megan a quick smile, showing off a perfect set of the whitest teeth she’d ever seen.

  “Megan, how are you feeling?” Dr. Stevens asked, taking Megan’s attention off the blond gentlemen. “I heard we had quite an exciting day yesterday.”