Safe & Sound
Copyright © 2014 by T.S. Krupa
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without prior written consent of the author, except as provided by the United States of America copyright law.
Published by Advantage, Charleston, South Carolina.
Member of Advantage Media Group.
ADVANTAGE is a registered trademark and the Advantage colophon is a trademark of Advantage Media Group, Inc.
Printed in the United States of America.
ISBN: 978-1-59932-465-4
LCCN: 2013956889
The characters in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
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Contents
CHAPTER 1
I
could hear him rustling in the bedroom. A hint of sunlight was streaming through the windows. The air was still damp and cool, telling me it was early, too early for a Sunday. I slowly stirred in bed, stretching my legs, trying to ease from my body the soreness of yesterday’s long run.
“No. You sleep,” he whispered as he leaned down, moving my long chestnut-colored hair out of the way and kissing my forehead. “I’m just going to run the short course today and I’ll be back soon.”
“Sounds good. Love you,” I mumbled, rolling over in bed.
“Love you too,” he said as he closed the door to the bedroom.
I could hear my phone ringing in the distance as I tried to bring myself out of a deep sleep. I wondered what time it was. The bedroom was now bright as the sun shone directly in through the windows, but I could feel the chill in the air. I squinted at the clock that sat on the nightstand. It was already past 10 in the morning. I must not have heard Jay come back from his run. Maybe he was letting me sleep in. I sighed and pushed myself up and out of bed. I found an old pair of sweatpants on the floor and pulled them up on my slender frame. Then I pulled a tank top out of the dresser and grabbed my robe from the end of the bed, wrapping it tightly around me. I made my way downstairs and as I entered the kitchen, I heard the loud chime from my iPhone, indicating someone had left a message.
“Jay?” I called out throughout the house. No answer. The smell of freshly brewed coffee hit me as I walked into the kitchen. I drew a deep breath in and instantly made my way over to the coffee pot. I drew my favorite oversized green mug out of the cupboard and poured myself a cup. I then fished through the drawer for a spoon and came up empty. I pulled the dishwasher open and grabbed a spoon and examined it closely, determining that it was clean enough for me. After I added two large spoonfuls of sugar to my morning coffee, it was finally ready for consumption. I took a sip and leaned against the counter, examining the kitchen and looking for Jay’s running shoes.
Just then, my phone started to ring again. Sighing, I leaned over and grabbed it off the counter. An unknown number registered across the screen. I instantly hit
Ignore
and made my way to the living room, sinking into our oversized sofa with my coffee in one hand and my phone in the other. Turning the TV on, I found it was already on ESPN. Jay must have turned it on earlier to catch the baseball scores from the night before. Letting ESPN continue, I leaned back on the sofa, taking a big sip from my coffee and felt content in the moment. My phone chimed again as another voicemail recorded. Taking another long sip of my coffee, I wondered who was so persistent this morning. I made a mental list of who could possibly be calling. None of them really made any sense, so I quickly gave up. I shrugged my shoulders at my mystery caller and reached over and picked my phone back up. Only then did I notice that there were four missed calls and two voice messages. A knot started to form in my stomach as I punched the voicemail button to listen to the messages.
“This is Officer Patrick Thomas with the Greensboro Police Department. I’m looking for Jill Greenfield. Please call me at the following number as soon as possible.”
Stunned, I felt cemented to my place on the sofa, coffee in one trembling hand and phone in the other. The next message started to play.
“Jill, it’s Harry. Pat said that there was an accident this morning involving Jay and they were having trouble getting a hold of you. Listen. I’m going to send someone to your house. Call me back.”
Involuntarily, I was on my feet. A low moan escaped from my lips. The coffee mug fell from my hands and shattered on the floor, sending hot coffee and shards of ceramic all over my feet. I turned and dashed into the kitchen, ignoring the sharp pain that I now felt on my legs. I grabbed my running shoes by the back door and jammed my feet into them. I grabbed my bag, which hung on the back of one of the kitchen chairs and checked to see if my car keys were still inside. I raced to the front door, pulled it open, and tried to bolt down the sidewalk to my car, only to find myself running into a policewoman.
“Jill Greenfield?” the female police officer asked.
“Yes,” I stammered.
“My name is Officer Sarah Steely. Officer Henry Conner sent me to—”
“What the hell is going on?”
“Yes, ma’am, I understand you are upset. Please, Officer Conner sent me to bring you to the hospital as soon as possible. There has been an accident involving your husband.”
Not able to muster any more words, I just nodded.
“Do you have everything you need?”
Again I nodded, not allowing my mind to drift to the endless possibilities of what could have happened to Jay that had resulted in my getting a police escort to the hospital.
“Are you sure? Perhaps you’d like to get dressed?” She gave me a quizzical look as I stood in a bathrobe and tennis shoes in the doorway of my home.
“Um …” I stammered, not knowing what I should do but ultimately decided that the officer’s suggestion was reasonable. “Alright, give me five minutes,” I said, holding up my hand.
She nodded and I dashed back into the house and up the stairs to the bedroom, leaving her in the doorway. I kicked off my running shoes and threw my bathrobe on the bed. I pulled off my sweatpants and put on a pair of blue jeans and a cream knit sweater. I tied my long hair up in a loose ponytail and slid on my beige boat shoes after cleaning up the blood and coffee that had been drying on my leg. Finally ready, I hurried down the stairs to where the officer was waiting.
“Ma’am, do you want to close up the house?” she shouted after me as I walked past her on my way out the front door. I stopped and turned around to face her. I was sure the look of desperation on my face convinced her that I was ready to leave. She closed the door wordlessly and came down the driveway. By the time she arrived, I had taken a seat on the passenger side of the patrol car. I wasn’t sure if I was allowed to sit up front, but I wasn’t about to sit in the back.
“Do you know what happened to Jay? Is he alright?” I asked as soon as she was seated in the car with me.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know very much. I owed Officer Conner a favor and I was on this side of town, so I told him I would swing by and bring you to the hospital.” She threw a sideways look in my direction as if unsure of what to say next. “I know that the accident involved your husband and another driver just after seven thirty this morning on Horse Creek Road.” Horse Creek Road was a dangerously windy road that Jay insisted on including on some of our running routes. It had always made me super nervous because of the speed of the cars and the lack of shoulder space.
I corrected her. “My husband wasn’t driving. He was off on a morning run.” She looked startled and unsettled by this additional information. Her slipup let me know that she truly did not know what was going on, nor was she going to give me any more details. I sighed and settled into the seat, staring out the window, trying not to let my mind wander to all the possibilities that awaited me at the hospital. Involuntarily tears formed and started to slowly stream down my cheeks. I was gripped by fear. My instincts indicated I should prepare myself for the worst.
CHAPTER 2
W
hen Officer Steely pulled up to the emergency entrance of the hospital, I was out of the patrol car before it came to a complete stop. I jogged in and located the check-in desk where the receptionist told me to speak with someone at the nurse’s station. She pointed me down the hallway to my left. When I arrived at the nurse’s station, there was no one around to direct me further. I waited impatiently for a nurse to return, drumming my fingers on the counter and frantically looking around for anyone who could direct me to where Jay was.