Real difficulties can be overcome; it is only the imaginary ones that are unconquerable. – Theodore Newton VailJD needed to burn off some energy. It would be so easy to take Dean into an empty room and use her body. He could easily convince her to give up her virginity. That would make him no better than the man who put his sister in the hospital. It would make him no better than his father. He was better than both men.After changing into their school swim team uniforms, they went to the indoor pool at the hotel. Back and forth. Back and forth. JD swum lap after lap after lap. He pushed his body as far as it would go. With rubber arms and legs, he pushed himself out of the pool. A few long strides took him to the hot tub that Dean sat in. He sat next to her, and she snuggled into his side. He pulled her in close and took comfort from her. “Tell me about your parents.”“Well, my dad, Dennis Coppell, was a doctor with Doctors Without Borders. That’s where they met. It was mom’s
You can, you should and, if you’re brave enough to start, you will. – Stephen KingIt was because of the interest that the case was generating, mainly from Hank’s family, that Douggie scheduled a press conference for Monday. Reese hired a lawyer for Jolene and a second one for the family. They in turn immediately filed for a divorce and orders of protection. Douggie usually did not release pictures of crime scenes while the investigation was still going, but sometimes you had to fight with facts.And sometimes you had to keep your hand hidden. Like the fact that he had video footage of the locals not investigating and simply accepting the suspect’s word. But that could wait. After all, that would be a separate investigation.To set the public record straight, he commandeered the community room at city hall. There was a long table sitting up front with three chairs behind it. Three microphones sat on the black tablecloth. An emerald green banner hung across the front of the table wit
The scariest monsters are the ones that lurk within our souls… - Edgar Allen Poe“I guess that leaves just me.” Douggie said as he nodded to his assistant to prepare the video footage. “Pursuant to state law, after the body cam video was viewed by the county DA and state attorney, the victim’s representative and the suspect representative, it is being made available to the public. The victim is twenty-one-year-old Jolene Fargo, wife of the suspect, officer Henry ‘Hank' Fargo, aged twenty-eight. Deputies Hendricks, Pawlowski and Jenson responded to the scene. Hendricks and Jenson arrived first; Thomas, please start the video.”The two TVs on either side began to play the footage. The screen was split in half vertically showing both cameras. “You can hear the crash and Mr. Fargo declaring, and I quote, I own you, bitch. At this point, the officers are concerned with the victim’s well-being and make a forced entry. They identify themselves and the suspect turns on the deputies and lunge
It’s okay to cry when there’s too much on your mind – the clouds rain when things get heavy. – Amina MehmoodJolene opened her eyes and looked around the unfamiliar room. It was a very white and sterile room with something green and red that was very blurry. She looked at the bed that she was in and recognized her Jack Skellingto blanket from her teenage years. Her throat burned and breathing hurt. She tried to move and winced. Every inch of her body hurt. Slowly it all came back to her. Tears began to slide down her face. “Oh, sweetheart, you go ahead and cry.” A woman said as she gently wiped Jolene’s cheek. The woman pushed a button on the side of the bed and voice answered. “Hi, umm, she’s awake and I think she’s trying to talk.”“We’ll be right there.” The voice said. “You want me to call your momma?” the woman asked, and Jolene nodded. “I thought so.” She held her phone up to her ear. “Hey, daddy. No. No. King, shut up. Your princess is awake. OK. I’ll see you in a few.”The
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used to create them. – Albert EinsteinMarti was not happy with the judge but understood why the decision was made. There was no record of previous violence. Hank was seen as an upstanding member of society. The chief, under intense pressure from the city council and mayor, suspended Hank pending investigation. The PR war that his family started fizzled out once the body cam was released. Henry Senior tried to file a defamation suit against Jolene. The judge asked if he was really that stupid before dismissing it without hearing any arguments. Marti walked down the hospital corridor to the room where Jolene was. She had gotten a message while she was in court that Jolene had woken up. This time she did not ask to be knocked back out. Between the pain her body must be experiencing and the heartache and betrayal, it was no wonder she kept going back to the blissful darkness. Knocking on the partially closed door, Marti waited for
Better to fight for something than to live for nothing. – General George S. PattonShelby rescheduled guards to cover Jolene Fargo. When she sent out the message that she needed volunteers for the job, she did not expect to get as many as she did. The message was sent out to the hundred guards that worked for Reese and another thirty or so that kept asking to work for him. They all responded with a yes.The updated schedule was sent out via email, and she quickly received confirmations. The first two guards were in place within an hour. Eight-hour shifts of two guards. This allowed them to step away for breaks without having to call for someone. Neo was clear about his rules. Especially when they were guarding an abused woman. Under no circumstances was a guard to be in the room with the victim without their duty partner. If one stepped away, the other stayed, within view, but in a separate room. All activity was logged. All visitors were checked. No exceptions. Shelby contacted the
Strength doesn’t come from what you can do. It comes from overcoming the things you once thought you couldn’t. – Rikki RogersNeo parked his bike and went inside the hospital. It didn’t take him long to make his way to the CCU ward. As he approached, he received a text from Reese telling him that Jolene had been moved to a regular room. He muttered under his breath as a second text popped up with the new room number. Quickly he headed for the stairs and called Shelby. “Hey, boss man, Reese just called and said that Jolene was moved. When I told him you were on your way there, he said he’d text you.”“He did. Did you-.”“Already sent updates. And the termites are gone, but so is your foundation.”“Son of a bitch.”“Four more weeks. You should be home just after the new year.”“Great.” He growled and she laughed. “Don’t you dare say it.”“I’ll just let-““Trust me,” he gave a small laugh, “Reese will say it.”“Crandall asked me to tell you that the other house is done.”“That’s good n
She made broken look beautiful and strong look invincible. She walked with the Universe on her shoulders and made it look like a pair of wings. – ArianaIt had been just over two weeks since the attack. Jolene was doing better and could whisper for a few minutes each day. The women in Reese’s family had worked out a schedule so that someone was always with her. The single women and teens flirted with the guards. If Neo and Reese were not around, they flirted back.On Monday, Helen would return to work. Frank had tried to convince her to take more time. But she knew that her daughter was tired of always being watched. JD and Jaxon took turns staying overnight with her. The nightmares were still strong and suffocating. One night she was woken up with JD carefully crawling into the hospital bed with her. “I’m here. He’s not going to touch you. Ever. Again.” He had stayed there all night, wiping away her tears and reminding her that she was loved. Ty even stayed one night. He was not a