"Sit down." She instructed and they did. She sat next to Brian and held onto his hand. "Let me tell you what happened," she said, knowing that everyone was dying to know. "They kidnapped me, two men and a woman. At two o'clock in the morning someone came in my window, grabbed me and gagged me. I was thrown into a van, and no told me what was happening. They brought me to a warehouse and I got my own little 'room' the windows were boarded shut, so I couldn't get out. They fed me three times a day, but didn't say anything to me. They were stupid, really stupid, they had no idea what they were doing, they were scared and when they found out that everyone thought I was dead, they got scared, they might have even left me in the warehouse and ran, I am not sure. I noticed a cycle, breakfast, lunch, dinner and then I wouldn't see them until breakfast again, so I had plenty of time to escape, like I told you before, they were stupid. The warehouse was a dump, everything was rotten, including the ceiling. So the second they shut the door after they gave me dinner I started my work. I moved my 'dresser' under a really rotten tile, one that had been dripping water. I removed the tile and climbed in. I quietly made my way up there, into the pitch black. I found a door, which I was surprised to find it, but I did. It went up to the roof. The only way for me to get down was to jump from one building to another and then climb down the fire escape, I did it, but almost missed, it was a four foot jump. I climbed down and ran for 10 miles, or so, in my bare feet." She said as she looked down at her feet, which obviously needed to be sewn up.
"Oh...my...god," Brian said through a burst of tears and Katie hugged him and rubbed his back, trying her hardest to make him feel better. "I think I should go to the hospital, I think I am dehydrated and I need my feet to be fixed up." She said in a small voice as everyone stared at her in amazement. They didn't know what to think, or what to do, they were so confused. Brian stood up and picked Katie up. "Brian...I can walk, I mean...I did run 10 miles to get here," she said, and he shook his head and carried her to his jeep. He laid her down and looked deeply in her eyes and didn't know what to say, he just shook his head and let a single tear fall from his eye to his chin. She reached over and put her hand on his cheek.
"It is going to be okay, I'm going to be okay," he nodded, not able to speak, and kissed her gently on the lips. They drove to the hospital and they washed her feet and sew her up. They told her to sleep and drink plenty. The stitches would come off in two weeks and she had to be sure not to walk because they might split. Brian picked her up and put her back in the Jeep and drove her home. The next day they were going to put up a steel gate, they didn't know why they hadn't put one up before, and an intercom system.
"I thought I was going to die, I thought I lost you..." Brian said as he drove home, speaking to her for the first time since she got back. "I know...they were so stupid, they didn't know what they were doing, it was so easy to escape, I just wished I did it sooner..." as she spoke his car phone rang, and he looked shocked, and relieved, to hear what the voice had said.
"Katie," he said after he hung up, "they got them, they were sitting there and watching TV, they didn't even know you were gone! They are going to be in jail for a long time!" He whooped in joy and Katie smiled and waited to get back home.
Everyone was sitting at the door when Brian carried Katie in, they looked tired and happy at the same time. "I think you should all go to sleep right now!" She said, and smiled. They just looked at her in wonderment and nodded. They all gave her a little kiss and went upstairs. "I want to go to sleep now, Brian," she said and he nodded. He picked her up and carried her upstairs, but not into her room. "Brian, what are you doing?" She said, sounding confused. She was so tired that she looked like she was going to doze off in mid-sentence. "You are going to stay in here with me, I will sleep on the floor." He said, looking as tired as she did and she shook her head and looked at the huge water bed. "There is enough room, you can sleep with me on the bed." She said and smiled. He nodded and sat down. "But first-can you drop me off in the bathroom, I need a major shower, but first bring me to my room, I need some clothes."
"Yes, mam," he said, finally giving her a huge smile. He walked into her bedroom and got her something to wear and then he picked her up and sat her on the edge of the tub. "Are you sure you don't need any help?" He asked. "No, I will be fine." She got undressed and sat in the tub with her feet over the side. She sat there and thought, the crawled out and got dressed.
She opened the door and crawled into the bed. "How did you get here?" He asked as he turned around on the bed and smiled, seeing her there. "I ran..." she said and they both laughed, mostly in exhaustion. They fell asleep, Brian's arm around Katie, and they got sleep for the first time in a long time. Katie heard him wake up and she could feel his eyes on her. "I love you..." he said and she opened her eyes to see that he had fallen back to sleep. "I love you more..." she said and fell asleep, not realizing that he had heard her, smiling in response, thinking to himself that that was impossible.