Bill and Edith Hunter stayed with Jason all through the evening on Sunday. Jason was able to have his first meal in a while with his parents as Bill Hunter ordered up dinners for Edith and himself to have when Jason’s dinner came. For now the doctors wanted to have Jason eat lightly so that his system could concentrate on healing rather than digesting food.
After they ate, Jason asked his parents if they would call over to the Friesen house. Jason wanted to talk with Laura and arrange for a meeting on Monday. Bill Hunter made the call and talked to Dorothy Friesen, Laura’s mother. She told him that they were holding Laura out of school for the time being so they would be able to arrange a visit to the hospital tomorrow during the day, while their friends were in school. Eventually she put Laura on the line.
Bill Hunter handed his cell phone to his son. “Laura, is that you, Babe?” Jason began.
“Jason, it is so good to hear your voice again and know that you are alive and safe!” Laura exclaimed. “Are you hurt?”
“Those men had a great time turning me into what Daniel called a great impression of a hamburger patty, but I am okay now,” Jason said. “It will take me some time to heal from what was done to me, but my parents are wrapping me up in their cocoon for the next few weeks, so I will be totally focused on recovery. How about you, Laura?”
“They didn’t hurt me or touch me other than to hold a gun to my head, handcuff me, and tape my mouth shut. But I was really scared and fearful of what they might do the whole time. When you came to get me I was incredibly grateful. Then too late I realized what that exchange meant. As I drove away tears were streaming down my face! Who were those men?”
“They were hired by Roland Thomason, the man who ran Camp Chinquapin, where Tim and Cody were held prisoner and tortured. He now is in jail but wanted his revenge. I’ll tell you more when we see each other. Can you come by the hospital tomorrow? I really need to see you and hold your hand, Laura.”
“I want to do that first thing tomorrow,” Laura replied. “I won’t be going back to school right away either.” Laura looked over at her mother and asked, “Can I visit Jason tomorrow?” When Dorothy nodded her head ‘yes’, Laura resumed her conversation with Jason. “Yeah, she said it would be okay.”
“That sounds great, Babe,” Jason answered. “I can’t wait to see you again.”
“Jason,” Laura went on with tears forming in her eyes, “thank you for coming to rescue me, and for being willing to sacrifice yourself for me. You are the bravest person I have ever met. I still can’t get over it!”
“I did that because I love you, Laura. There wasn’t any time to even think about the consequences. And even the thought of those men with their hands on you made me furious. In my heart I knew I had to do this or I couldn’t live with myself for the rest of my life!”
“I love you too, Jason. Now I have to get off the phone, but will see you in person tomorrow. Bye, my love!” Tears were streaming down her face as she handed the phone back to her mother.
Bill and Edith Hunter arranged their weekly schedules so that one of them would be with Jason all through the days and evenings until he was released from the hospital. Bill took the morning shift while Edith went into her office. In the afternoons he went to his import/export business while Edith stayed with Jason. She could also some do work with her laptop when Jason was with the doctor or visiting with friends.
Monday morning Jason was feeling better. He had slept through most of the night, partially due to the painkillers he was receiving. The glucose IV was reenergizing his body along with regular meals. A follow-up medical exam was scheduled for 9 AM and then he would visit with Laura after that. She arrived at Mercy Hospital around ten in the morning with her mother who drove them there.
Jason had just finished being examined by his doctor, who did a little more treatment on his wounds, and went over some of the test results with his patient. Then he had the nurses change and redo some of his bandages. Jason was still being wheeled around the hospital in a gurney as was their standard procedure, but was able to move around on his own some now that he was starting to regain his strength. When they brought him back to his room, Jason was able to get off the gurney and get back into bed on his own. Even though it was a little painful, Jason felt very good about that. The doctor had decided to keep Jason on an IV with glucose and painkiller for another day, so the orderly hooked him up to that after Jason got back in his bed.
Bill Hunter was sitting with Jason when the Friesens arrived. He had arranged with security to be contacted before anyone was admitted to see Jason. Since this visit had been prearranged, Laura and Dorothy were ushered right in.
When they entered Jason’s room, Bill stood up to greet them. He gave each of them a little hug in greeting. Both Laura and Dorothy were a little shocked when they saw Jason. Although his black eye had receded, there were still a lot of bruises and bandages on Jason. Jason’s appearance made tears come to Laura’s eyes. She hadn’t realized how badly hurt he was until she saw him.
Dorothy said, “Jason, I am so happy so see that you are back with us. Donald and I are very grateful for the sacrifice you made to save our daughter.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Friesen,” Jason replied. “You know I love Laura, too. I went for the exchange because it was the only way I could prevent something else from happening to her. Now is it okay if Laura and I had a little privacy together?”
Bill Hunter escorted Dorothy Friesen over to the waiting room across the hall. They decided to go down to the cafeteria and get a cup of coffee.
Jason looked over at Laura and said, “Come over here and sit with me. Give me a kiss and hold my hand. I’m still sore all over, but need to feel your presence again!”
Laura hurried over and gave Jason a long and passionate kiss. She then pulled up a chair and sat beside Jason, holding his hand.
“Having you kiss me again like that was worth all the pain,” Jason told her with a weak smile.
“Don’t say that, Jason!” Laura said with an emotional voice. “I can’t bear the thought of what those men did to you! My handsome Jason, dragged through a meat grinder!” Laura burst into tears.
Jason squeezed her hand and replied, “It’s okay, Babe. All the violence is over. The doctor says I am on the road to full recovery. It’s just a matter of time. They could tie me up and beat me up but they couldn’t defeat me! Now we are back together. That’s all that is important now. I know there are issues to be dealt with but you know that we can work everything out if we put our minds to it.”
“I was so worried about you, and so freaked out about what those men did to me, not physically so much as mentally.”
“Laura, I want you to tell me about everything that happened to you. I feel terribly guilty about the fact that you were used to get to me. That is the last thing I ever wanted to happen to you.”
Laura took a few minutes to describe what happened to her Saturday morning until the exchange with Jason later that day. Then Jason told her the story of what was done to him.
“I hope I am not burdening you with the details of what was done to me, Laura. The first time we did something like that, at that beach house, was such a great moment in our relationship. That was when I realized that I truly loved you and that I could tell you about my innermost feelings. I had no idea that this was coming. Daniel and I weren’t working on anything other than getting ready for his band tour this June.”
“Jason, I am so afraid for us!” Laura said in a fearful voice. “Is there any way that we can ever be safe again? Do I have to be constantly looking over my shoulder because some thug or kidnapper might be after me?”
“No, Babe, you can’t live your life like that! Just like any normal person you have to be careful when you are out in public, but what happened to you was an extremely rare occurrence. What is important in life is that you have people you connect with who are there for you, who love you and watch your back. People that you want to be with and want to be with you.”
“Yes, I understand what you are saying, Jason, but when you are out doing dangerous things doesn’t that increase your chances of getting into trouble?”
“I don’t know, Laura. I was home doing some web work for Daniel’s band when the call came in that I had exactly fifteen minutes to save you. I wasn’t out on a case, there was nothing new coming up, this was totally out of the blue!”
“I know I told you earlier that I wasn’t going to stress about any of your outside activities any more, but inside that same fear keeps running through my heart, especially now since this weekend. Can’t you just give up doing any kind of detective work and concentrate on our relationship, playing basketball, being a good student, and running your Whatever Foundation?”
“Those are always the things I want to do, Laura. You know that, and I have told you that many times. I have many friends, a number who are friends for life because of how we helped each other out in times of need or extreme danger. I can’t just abandon them, or say I never want to help out a person in trouble again. That’s just the way I am, Laura.
“By the way, you aren’t the only one saying I should give up detective work. My parents are telling me the same thing! I’m pretty much grounded for now.”
“I love you so much, Jason. But I am being torn up inside. Each time we part company I cringe to think that it could be the last time we see each other. It’s hard to live that way!”
“Then don’t, Laura! Don’t live your life afraid of what might happen. You know that I will always be there for you as long as we are a couple, and I would even if we were just friends. I don’t know what more I can do to convince you. When you were in danger I didn’t hesitate to act! Just look at me!”
Tears came to Laura’s eyes again. “Jason, I wasn’t making light of the sacrifice you made for me. If that isn’t true love, I don’t know what is. I just don’t think I am strong enough inside to handle it. When you are not with me out on a case, I am afraid to answer the telephone in case it is a report of something bad that happened to you!”
“Babe, I need you to calm down. Right now I need your healing powers. When you are with me I feel safe and complete. When you show me your love, I feel good all over. Can we agree to just do that for the time being? Can you just kiss and hold my hand for now?”
Laura leaned over and gave Jason another passionate kiss. After they finished, Jason smiled and said, “See? I feel better already.”
Just then Bill Hunter and Dorothy Friesen walked back in the room. “Did you two have a good visit? I think we need to leave now, Laura, and let Jason get some rest.”
“All right, Mother,” Laura said standing up. “Oh, I have this for you, Jason.” Laura opened her purse, took out Jason’s cell phone, and handed it to him.
“Thanks, Babe,” Jason told her. “I’ll call you later. When can we see each other again?”
“Soon, I hope, very soon,” was Laura’s answer.
That afternoon, Edith Hunter stayed with Jason in his room. In between naps, small talk with his mom, and visits by the hospital staff who were taking care of him, Jason spent time on his cell phone, calling as many friends as he could, talking with them briefly about his current condition, and thanking those who took time out of their lives to search for him. He told them not to bother hanging around the hospital trying to get inside to see him. They would have security and the media to deal with. Instead he told them he would be spending the next few weeks at home. “Please come and visit me there,” he told his friends. “I would like to see you in a more informal setting, when I am feeling better. We’ll get caught up then.”
There was one other person that Jason wanted to see right away, while he was still at the hospital. Of course that was his best friend Daniel, who had spearheaded the Jason’s Network campaign that ultimately saved Jason. They agreed to meet after Daniel got out of school on Tuesday.
Monday evening, Bill Hunter came back over after closing his store at 6 PM. Again they had a hospital dinner together in Jason’s room. Bill Hunter brought over some of Jason’s things from home including his cell phone charger, laptop computer, and some schoolbooks. Jason was starting to feel a little bit better each time another piece of his life was returned to him.
At dinner and for while after, the Hunter family continued their conversation about what should happen next in Jason’s life. Edith commented on how happy she was that Jason was planning to stay at home and have people visit him there for the next few weeks. Bill Hunter said that he was pleased with the doctor’s report, which indicated that Jason’s recovery was progressing normally.
Then Edith asked about Laura’s visit.
“It was very emotional to see her,” Jason reported. “I could tell that she has been having a difficult time dealing with everything. I told her that she shouldn’t worry so much. I told her that being with her helped me to heal. And that’s the truth.”
Later, after his parents had left, Jason felt very depressed and sad about what had happened and how it had affected Laura. He could sense that the violent incident with Brice Thomason had reopened the rift they had about him doing detective work. It also made him realize that he was vulnerable to being attacked, and that his detective activities truly had put someone he loved in grave danger. For the first time, Jason had doubts about helping others through detective work.
When they were back home, Bill told Edith about his conversation with Dorothy Friesen. “Dorothy and Donald are very worried about Laura and her relationship with Jason. They believe that it is tearing her up inside emotionally and consuming her free will. Donald strongly feels that the two need to be separated for a while, until they can get their heads on straight. Their plan is to take Laura off on a long vacation this summer, well away from the Silicon Valley and Jason. They also support the idea that Jason needs to stop doing any detective work. They don’t think that Laura can handle the stress of worrying about him anymore.”
“I hope you didn’t tell this to Jason,” Edith said. “Being separated from Laura will be a real blow to him and not help his recovery!”