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“Whoa there. I gotcha.” I hear the familiar southern voice say. He caught me before I fell down again. I can’t make out his face, but I recognize the voice, it’s not Chris or Anthony, but the voice is familiar. Just as I’m about to ask him his name I hear several gunshots. I must have jumped because he leans in and starts talking low into his radio as well as calming me down.
He says to me, “Turn around and I’ll take those cuffs off of you.” I do as he says and am instantly rewarded with my hands being freed of the restraints. I feel him put a jacket over my shoulders, it’s huge on me and he whispers to me. “Hold it closed with one hand, I’m sure you don’t want fifty cops seeing you like this. I’ll get you a blanket once we make it back to the car.”
I finally recognize the voice it’s Anthony’s friend Billy. He starts leading me back to where the cruisers are parked. Before we get there though I hear someone running through the woods, I must have frozen dead in my tracks. Billy shines his flashlight where the sound came from and to my surprise there stands Anthony. Concern is etched on his face. I know without asking that he never reported the car stolen, so it must have been a fluke that they pulled me over. I go to Anthony and he opens his arms up and gives me a warm loving hug. That’s when I lose it. I was so stupid for thinking that he wanted something from me aside from just my heart. He really was concerned about me.
He picks me up and carries me the rest of the way to the ambulance. When we climb into the ambulance the paramedic tries to kick Anthony out of the rig, but he only tells them that he’s not leaving my side for a long time. The paramedic asks, “Ma’am is it okay if this gentleman stays with you?”
“Yes, most definitely.” I say shooting Anthony a smile.
The ride to the hospital the paramedic won’t let Anthony touch me, but just having him by my side lets me know that I’m loved. We arrive at the hospital and the first thing the nurse notices it the missing colostomy bag. She hurries and gets me a replacement bag. When she comes back she cleans the port and the site and hooks me up to the new bag.
Once they’ve checked me out and noted all the injuries that I tell them I know of they send me to the cat scanner to see what’s happened to my head. Billy is with Anthony when I am wheeled back into the room. He’d managed to convince the lead ranger that I’d feel more at ease with him than anyone else.
I overhear part of their conversation. Apparently Anthony’s outburst in court helped the rangers wrap up a case they’d been on over the last few years. Women were reporting being sexually assaulted with objects often times they’d have to go to the hospital and have the abrasions treated, or an abscess that had formed treated. The women would often be traveling alone, not breaking any laws, and then be pulled over. A cop would pretend to write her a ticket while his partner snuck up on the passenger side and would knock her out. When the women woke up they were in a cabin of sorts with their hands cuffed behind their backs. It was so similar to what had happened to me. I wondered how the information got back to the jail that Jeff was one of the officers doing these assaults.
A female ranger came in and took the notes on what had happened with me tonight. I rehashed what had happened and she thanked me for being so brave. She asked if the men had sexually assaulted me. I told her they were in the process of striping me down when I managed to escape. She suggested that I go through the rape exam just in case they had assaulted me while I was knocked out, but I told her that I knew that they hadn’t done anything. When she questioned me as to how I knew. I told her about the shocked look on their faces when they realized that I had a colostomy bag. And apparently Josh had cut it when he was trying to cut my pants off of me.
“So, he got a shit bath, eh.” The female ranger said chuckling at the irony of the whole thing.
“Yeah and Brett thought that Josh had farted.” I replied with a smile on my face. Who would know that a colostomy bag could protect you from getting raped.
The doctor admitted me for the night so that I can get some sleep, and they can observe me during the rest of the night. I must have fallen asleep when they rolled me into the room for the night, because when I wake up the morning sun in shining in the little window in the room. I look around, but can’t find Anthony.
I spot Billy and he’s sitting in the visitors chair. Hopefully he hasn’t slept there all night. When he sees me looking he tilts his hat back onto his head and says, “He went to get some breakfast. He hasn’t eaten since whenever y’all stopped the other day. I interrupted the dinner he was trying to eat when I called having located you.”
I don’t speak back, but I nod in acknowledgement to what he has just told me. A little while later the doctor comes in and does another neurological test and gives me the clean bill of health. By nine I am released and Anthony brings the car around to the pick up area. Someone had gone during the night and drove the Rolls to the hospital. I’m riding outta here in style.
Anthony drives us home, he’s quiet most of the ride and I’m wondering what he’s going say when he finally does speak. Last night I could see the worry on his face as he’d greeted me near the command post. But, I know he’s gotta be pissed that I just bailed instead of talking it through with him. I’m expecting him to yell at me for being so stupid, that’s what Jeff would do.
He reaches out and takes my hand. He pulls it close to his lips and gives it a gentle kiss. He looks over at me, I’m thankful that he hasn’t torn into me about the whole leaving issue. He finally speaks. He says,”What do you want for lunch, Lillybear?”
I don’t want to go anywhere for lunch. Hell I look like pure shit, and smell awful. Even though the nurses helped clean me up last night, but there wasn’t a shower in my room, since I was only staying a short time. “Uh, I don’t know.” I finally answer him.
He grins at my answer and replies with, “I was thinking a drive thru so that we don’t have to get out of the car...” He pauses for a moment. “Neither of us look presentable for a real restaurant.” He gives a small chuckle.
“Oh, in that case why not some kind of hamburger joint.” I reply still uncomfortable since he hasn’t mentioned the whole running out on him. I see him searching the exit signs that tell you what kinds of things the next exit has looking for a burger joint.
“Aha!” He finally exclaims when he sees a particular burger joint. He tells me it’s his favorite in all of Texas.
We pull in and he orders himself a bacon cheese burger, fries, and a soda. For me he orders a cheeseburger and a soda. At first I look surprised that he is ordering for me, but he hits the nail on the head everytime when he does. We’ve only known each other a few months, but he seems to know what I like.