“Please, please, please,” she whispered to herself. Please let those commands be from Decker and the good guys.
When the door to the cabin flung opened, and it was Decker standing there with a smile on his face, Jessa burst into tears. He rushed to her and wrapped her in his arms. “It’s over, Jessa. It’s all over.”
Jessa sat on the bumper of a military jeep, and pulled the blanket securely around her shoulders as a woman asked her questions. Her body shook, and no matter how many blankets she had around her, Jessa worried if she would ever feel warmth again. Ambulances, undercover cars, jeeps, and even cop cars filled the area, their lights swirling around her as men shouted out orders. Women like her were being shuttled out to be questioned. Jessa’s heart lurched as she realized that some of the women were holding babies—babies born in the deepest circle of Dante’s hell. Would the tears of happiness of rescue being shed by their mothers be enough to wash away the taint of their conception? Jessa prayed to the God she’d believed had forsaken them, and that each mother and child would find peace.
“How many men?”
Jessa looked up at the woman writing on the clipboard. “Excuse me?” Jessa tried her best to focus and answer all the questions being asked, but she just wanted to be with Decker. When he was pulled away for his own debriefing, Jessa wondered if she would ever see him again. The mission was over; the women were saved. Decker could move on to whatever his next job demanded of him.
“I’m sorry,” the woman answered. “I have to ask these questions. How many men would you say raped you?”
Jessa shook her head. “None.”
The woman looked up at her surprised. “None?”
“No, I was one of the lucky ones.”
The woman wrote on the clipboard and then asked, “Is there any way you could be pregnant?”
Jessa almost said no, but then paused and realized there was a chance she could be. She and Decker hadn’t used protection. Looking beyond the woman, she saw that Decker was surrounded by people. One after another conferred with him before saluting and turning towards whatever task he set them to. Yes, there was a very small chance she could be pregnant and yet, if she were, she really only had herself to blame. He’d pulled out of her that first time and she had been the one to beg him to fuck her a few hours earlier.
“No, like I said, I wasn’t raped so there is no way I could be pregnant.”
After a few more questions which the woman dutifully recorded on the form, she said, “I’m glad you were lucky. Soldiers sign up for war, but no one signs up for the hell you went through. I wish you the best. The EMTs will take you to the hospital to make sure you are okay.”
“Thank you,” Jessa said, waiting until the soldier moved away before standing up and approaching a policeman. One of the questions asked she hoped would allow her to complete her plan.
“Hey, shouldn’t you be in one of the ambulances?” the man asked when she reached him.
“Oh, no, I’m fine,” Jessa said. “That soldier over there said you needed to see where the men kidnapped me from. I can take you there.”
The policeman looked to where she’d pointed. “You mean Captain Cassidy?”
“Yes.” Fearing that he would go over to validate her statement, she pulled the blanket a bit tighter. “Look, I’ve been cleared and I can help the investigation. Besides, I’m hoping my rental car was left there. I’d really like to get into my own clothes, if you know what I mean.”
Perhaps he thought she was stark naked under the blanket or perhaps she was a better actress than she believed, but he finally nodded and led her to his car.
“Shall I sit in back?”
“No, ma’am, you aren’t in trouble. You can sit up front.”
She almost asked if she could run the siren but remembered her intent was simply to disappear. As the cruiser pulled away, she said, “It was by a large lumberyard.”
“I think I know where you mean.” Wishing to avoid any further questions and not wanting him to see the tears that had begun to well in her eyes the moment Decker was out of sight, she closed her eyes and leaned her head against the window.
Four months later, Jessa sat in the swing on her front porch, her hand rubbing against her belly. She’d been truly surprised to discover that she had become pregnant that day. Taking a sip from her bottle of water, she looked down. Her baby would never know that its daddy was an incredible man and a hero. She might not have Decker, but she would have a bit of him for the rest of her life.