| ~ Chapter Forty-One ~ |
| Jeff hung up the telephone, and immediately dialed *69. He called the number and found out that Ryann and Chris were at the Holiday Inn in Raleigh. He called the police and told them what he knew, and that he was headed to Raleigh. He threw on a shirt and went in to wake up Matt. "Matt!" Jeff said as he turned on the light. "Where are my keys?" He started moving things around in Matt's room, looking for them. Matt sat straight up in bed and asked, "Where are you going at quarter of two in the morning?" "Ryann just called, and I know where she is. I am going to get her, so where the hell did you put my keys?" Matt got up out of bed and threw on a shirt and some jeans. "Come on Jeff, I'll drive you." "No!" Jeff exclaimed. "You drive like an old person, and I need to go all the way to Raleigh. I'm driving." Jeff swiped the keys out of Matt's hand and headed for the corvette. Matt followed him out and they both jumped in the car. Jeff tore out of the driveway, and turned north onto Highway 1, headed straight to Raleigh. What should have been an hour and fifteen-minute drive took fifty minutes, and Jeff found the hotel. He pulled in, and was getting out of the car when Matt stopped him. "Jeff, slow down a second�you need to wait for the police to get here." "I want to go get her now." "Jeff, you have know idea what room they are in first of all. What are you going to do? Knock on every door until you find them?" "If I have to�" Jeff said. "Look Jeff, he could have a weapon or something. You know Ryann didn't go winningly, and she certainly isn't staying in there because she wants to, so he's got to be keeping her there somehow. If you just barge in there, he could do something to her, or you. Let's just wait for the police." Jeff gave his brother a scowl and sort of growled at him. He turned around and got back into the car. Matt got back into the passenger seat. Jeff was staring at the road. "Matt, I swear to you right now, if he has hurt her in any way, once I get my hands on him, I am going to kill him." "Jeff, Ryann is fine. How did she get to a phone?" "He made her call to break up with me, but I heard him in the background telling her what to say. I asked her if he was telling her to say it, and she said yes. I asked her if she loved me and wanted to be my wife, and she said yes again. We got off the phone and I called *69, and found out the call came from this hotel." "And you called the police already, so I'm sure they'll be here any minute." The police showed up, but didn't cause a lot of ruckus. They found out the room number, and the police went to the door. They knocked on the door, and Chris yelled "What?" "This is the hotel manager." One of the police officers said. "Could you please come to the door?" Jeff watched from his car as he saw the light come on in the room. The door cracked open, and the police rushed in and threw Chris to the ground. They put him in cuffs, and told him why they were arresting him. And officer read him his rights, and they led him out the door. Jeff headed over to the room door, but he couldn't get over right away. The police were blocking him, so the paramedics could go in and see if Ryann was ok. After what seemed like forever to Jeff, two police officers came out of the room with Ryann. Jeff ran past everybody over to his fianc�e, and threw his arms around her. Ryann put her arms around Jeff and started crying. Jeff pulled back and looked at her. He could see the bruise on her cheek, where Chris had punched her. "Are you ok?" Jeff asked. "We have to take her to the hospital to be check out." One of the police officers told Jeff. "I am ok." Ryann said. "We have to have the paramedics take you to be sure." The other officer said. Matt had made his way over at this point, and Jeff tossed him the keys to the corvette. "Drive my car to the hospital Matt. I am going to ride with Ryann in the ambulance." "Ok." Matt said. He went over to the car, and headed for the hospital. The paramedics helped Ryann into the ambulance, and Jeff would not leave her side. At the hospital, the doctors ran a bunch of tests on Ryann, to make sure that both she and the baby were ok. Aside from a bruised cheek bone, Ryann was ok, and the baby was also. The doctors wanted to keep Ryann overnight, but she wouldn't stay any longer than was absolutely necessary. The hospital finally released Ryann at about six o'clock in the morning, and she, Jeff, and Matt all had to go over to the police station to file formal charges against Chris. His arraignment was scheduled to be that coming Monday. After spending about two hours at the police station, the three of them headed back to Cameron. When they got home, Lexi's Passport was in the driveway. Ryann walked into the house and Lexi gave her a big hug. "I am so glad you are ok Ryann." "Me too." Ryann said. "I made breakfast for everybody. Come eat." Lexi told everyone. "I'm sorry Lex, I'm not hungry. I am just really tired and I would like to go to sleep." "Ok�" Lexi said. Ryann left the kitchen and went to her room. Matt, Lexi, and Jeff looked at each other, with quizzical looks on their faces. "She is acting weird." Matt said. "Well you dumb ass�" Lexi said to her man. "She did just get kidnapped and beat up by her ex. I'd be acting a little weird too." "I am going to go lay down with her." Jeff said, and headed down the hall to join Ryann. The door was shut when he reached it, so he knocked on it, and slowly cracked it open. "Ry?" "Come in Jeff." Ryann said softly. Jeff went into the bedroom and shut the door. Ryann was lying in the bed, still in her clothes. Jeff went over and crawled into the bed. He snuggled up behind her and held her in his arms. Ryann started to cry. "Babe, I am so sorry. I never should've left you alone." Jeff told her. "It's not you fault Jeff." Ryann said between sobs. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but how did he get you out of the house?" Jeff inquired. Ryann turned over and faced Jeff. She looked deep into his eyes. He studied her face inquisitively, wonder what thoughts were wandering through her mind. Ryann spoke very softly. "I was loading the dishwasher when somebody grabbed me from behind. I thought it was you at first, trying to scare me. But when I tried to turn around, they wouldn't let me. They dragged me out the front door, and put a blindfold on me. I was thrown into the backseat of a car, and I must have gotten knocked out, because the next thing I know, I woke up in that hotel room, and saw Chris sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at me." "What did he say?" "He asked if I was ok, and I said no. I asked him how I got there, and he said that he brought me there. He had followed me home from Aberdeen yesterday morning, after he saw me buy my wedding dress. I think his words were, 'I'm not going to let you marry that fucking freak! You're going to marry me.' I told him I'd rather be dead than to marry him, and he told me that could be arranged. That was when I started to get scared. I tried to run, but he tackled me at the door and slapped me in the back of the head. He pulled me up by my hair and threw me back onto the bed. He told me that if I tried that again, he's blow my head off. I didn't try to escape after that." "How did you know where you were? You told me on the phone that you were in Raleigh." "I saw the address to the hotel in the book they leave in the room. Chris made me call you." "I figured as much." "I had told him that you had probably called the police, and that everyone was going to be looking for me. He told me that if I broke up with you, you wouldn't come looking for me, that nobody would. But I knew that you would know I didn't mean it. So I told him to give me the phone and I'd call. So I did." "You knew I would know?" "I trust in us Jeff, and I knew that you wouldn't believe me, or at least not give up without a fight." "I don't know what I would've done if I hadn't found you." Jeff said to Ryann. "I am really sorry I wasn't there to protect you." Jeff gently ran his fingers across Ryann's cheek. "We are together now, so just hold me Jeff. Hold me and promise me that you'll never let go." "I love you Ryann, and nobody is going to get in the way of that. I am always going to be here for you. You and I come first. Not wrestling, not my music. It's me and you from here on out." Jeff pulled Ryann close to him, and they kissed. Ryann closed her eyes as she lay in his arms. Within moments, she was fast asleep. Jeff watched her sleep, until his eyelids grew heavy and finally closed, sending him off to so much needed sleep. |
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