Chapter 5
A few days later, an officer spots a woman staggering on the side of the street. She is covered in blood and looks confused. The officer pulls over and climbs out of her car to check on the poor woman.
“Ma’am? Are you okay, ma’am?” The officer gently lays her hand on the woman’s shoulder.
The woman jumps and screams. The officer lets her go and holds up her hands. She turns to face the officer, her hands in front of her shaking. Her face is pale.
“Ma’am, I’m going to call for some help, okay?” The officer gives the woman space before she calls for an ambulance.
The woman sobs and falls to her knees. The officer rushes forward and holds the woman, telling her everything will be okay while they wait for help. Sirens fills the air as an ambulance rush towards them. It parks and EMTs jump out to check on the woman.
It took some coaxing, but they were able to get her into the back of the ambulance. She lay on the gurney muttering about a hatchet and blood.
Before she left, the officer snaps a quick picture. The officer sends the picture to her boss and asks if this could be the woman they are looking for. She gets a quick response telling her that it is indeed Shelly Harris.
The officer calls her boss and lets him know what happened and how she is being taken to the hospital. Her boss instructs her to hurry to the hotel where Jeff was staying and to get him to the hospital to be with his wife.
The officer ends the call, jumps in her cruiser, and heads towards Crystal Bell Hotel at the edge of town. She asks the front desk clerk which room Jeff is staying in. She heads to room 213 and gently wraps her knuckle on the door. “Mr. Harris?”
The door slowly opens, and Jeff opens the door. He is getting ready for work and stops when he sees the officer. His eyes widen and his mouth drops, no words able to escape his throat.
“Mr. Harris, we’ve found your wife,” she says, stopping the man’s fears in their tracks. “I’m here to take you to her.”
“My wife…Shelly? I… I can’t believe it. Please, take me to her immediately,” Jeff says, grabbing his things and hurries after the officer. “I have to work but I can call and let them know I won’t be coming in today. I need to stay with her.”
They climb into the cruiser and are on the street in no time. Jeff can barely keep his worry and excitement to see his missing wife. Jeff leaves the officer at the front and run inside the hospital. He asks about his wife and is taken to her room right away.
The hospital staff has cleaned up the woman and done their best to keep her comfortable. She keeps muttering about being so much blood and about a hatchet. Jeff enters the room and rushes to her side. He gently takes her in his arms.
“Excuse me, Mr. Harris.”
Jeff turns to see a few officers entering the room. He lets his wife go and stands up. “Officers?”
“Mr. Harris, we are so glad your wife is back safely. When she is ready, we will need to speak to her and hopefully find out what happened.”
Jeff nods. “Give her a day or two to rest. Then she will be able to talk, I’m sure.”
The officers leave and Jeff leans over his wife and kisses her forehead. She is finally asleep and no longer muttering. He grins and whispers in her ear before he sits down in the chair next to her bed, letting her rest.
Jeff calls work and lets them know he needs a few days off because his wife is back. They give him the days off, so glad Shelly is back safe and sound. Jeff flips on the TV with a small smile on his face.
His wife is back!