"Okay, now you need to keep your head down until we're at least a few blocks away. If Simon is hiding out somewhere around here or has set up a few cameras, we don't want him seeing that there's anyone else in the truck. Soon he's gonna figure out that you're no longer staying at your house, and he's gonna start digging. But until then, we have to be secretive."
"Yes, I know," I said, shaking my head. Still, I did as he said and ducked down so that I couldn't be seen from outside the truck.
After we had driven a few blocks, I finally got up and sat normally, feeling relieved. I couldn't believe this was happening. How the hell had Simon found me after everything I'd done to keep my location and identity secret? I had thought that changing my name, moving and cutting off all ties from my old life would have been enough to stop him – but that didn’t seem to be the case. I honestly had no idea how we would go about stopping him, short of putting him in jail. But even if the cops did catch him, I wasn't sure how it could be proven that he had been the one who had broken into my daycare. The cops had combed the scene, and there were no fingerprints or other evidence that could link him to the crime. I was starting to feel hopeless about this; it was like living with a type of cancer that couldn't be treated. No matter what I did, I just couldn't live a normal life. It seemed like I would forever be doomed to an existence of hiding and running.
The thought was almost too crushing and depressing to handle. I struggled not to have a mental breakdown right there next to Everett in his truck – but somehow I managed to hold myself together.
We reached the hospital, and after Everett had parked the truck, we headed inside and went straight to Jane's room. She was in bed and didn't look so good, but at least she was awake. When she saw us, a huge smile spread across her cute little face.
"Daddy! Vivienne!" she cried.
Tears welled in his eyes as he looked at his little girl, and a surge of emotion crashed through me. I fought back the urge to tear up myself. He rushed over to her and picked her up carefully, cradling her in his arms.
"Hey, my little sweet pea," he said, his voice choked with emotion. "How are you feeling? Daddy has missed you so much, so very, very much."
"I'm still not feeling good, Daddy. I'm real hot. But then sometimes I'm real cold, too. My head hurts. And my tummy hurts. My tummy hurts real bad. I don't want to eat because it makes my tummy hurt more."
"I'm so sorry, my little angel," he said hoarsely. "But you're gonna feel better really soon, alright? I promise you that. The doctors are working hard to make sure you feel better."
"I don't like staying here, Daddy. I want to go home."
"I'm sorry, sweet pea, but you can't. You have to stay here because otherwise, the doctors can't make you better."
"But ... can't the doctors come to our house? Can't I stay there, and they come see me?" her little voice trembled.
"I'm sorry, sweet pea, but you have to stay here. The doctors can't come to our house."
We sat and talked with Jane for another half hour or so until a doctor came in.
"We're going to give her some sedatives now," he said gently. "She needs a lot of rest. This should help her rest for the entire night."
"Alright," Everett sighed. “I’ll just wait here until she falls asleep.”
He kissed her on the forehead and squeezed Jane’s hand.
Thirty minutes later, she was sleeping peacefully.
"I'm so sorry, Everett," I said. "It must hurt terribly to see her like that."
"Like no one would believe," he said. "But at least she's getting better. I just pray that the speed of her recovery gets a little faster. I don't want her here by herself for a moment longer than she needs to be."
"I understand, and I hope that she gets out soon, too."
"Let's go," he said with a sigh. "I don't know about you, but I'm pretty damn tired. Let's just get some takeout and veg out in front of the TV for a while."
"We can do that."
***
We were curled up together on the sofa, watching the final credits of The Big Lebowski roll. Both of us had laughed a lot during the movie, and it had certainly helped us each to get our minds off the things that were worrying us.
"Thanks for a nice evening," I said to Everett, cuddling to him.
He kissed me softly and hugged me closer.
"Thank you for being there for me. I'm glad you're here."
I looked up to find a deep, intense passion smoldering behind his stare, and a stirring bubbled inside me. Everything in me wanted him. By the way he was looking back at me, he was feeling it, too. Our lips met and parted, and soon a voracious hunger took over. After unbuttoning and opening my blouse as we kissed, he slipped his strong hands deftly under my shirt, reaching for my breasts. I reached behind my back with eager fingers and unclipped my bra, allowing him access, and then I dropped my shirt from my shoulders.