Jayne Doe (16 page)

“I apologize,” Casey says. “I would've come sooner, but there was another accident.”

“What?”

“Her sister left a candle burning in the bathroom. It burst into flames.”

“Oh, sweet child,” the nurse says. She sets down her clipboard and places a cuff around Jayne's arm. “Sweet, sweet child.”

“Nobody will tell me if she's going to be okay,” Casey says. His voice is tight, controlled. “Will she be alright?”

“She's fine, but she took a nasty blow to the head.” The nurse looks Casey up and down, assuming he's Jayne's boyfriend. “And the baby is fine, too.”

Casey gulps.

The nurse pulls the cover up to Jayne's shoulders. “If you two aren't married, we need to get her on Medicaid as soon as possible. Maybe before she's discharged.”

“When will that be?”

“We're removing the IV drip tonight.” She checks the bag as she talks. “She should wake up around noon tomorrow and be ready to go around five or six.”

“Thank you,” he says, fighting back tears. “Really, I can't thank you enough. You've been so much help.”

“I'll tell you what. I'll give you a few more minutes, but I need you to be out of here when the next nurse checks her rounds.” She glances at her watch. “You have fifteen minutes.”

Casey smiles and shakes her hand, promising to be gone. As soon as the nurse walks out the door, Casey rushes to Jayne, brushing his hands over her face and laying feather-light kisses on her forehead. His stomach is in knots. He never would have had the courage to kiss her like this if she was awake.

I smile at Casey, knowing that he'll take care of her even though I can't.

He kisses her forehead again and whispers, “Jayne, I have loved you since you were in seventh grade. And, if you'll have me, I promise to take good care of you and the baby.” He squeezes her hand, his face is finally serene. “I have to leave, but I’ll be back tomorrow.”

Twenty-One

Mom's yelling.

Martha's whining.

And Billy's high as a kite, dropping crumbs from a cookie he weaseled out of one of the hospital personnel.

Jayne blinks. Twice.

It's not quite noon, but she's restless and ready to be awake. Her toes move first. Then her fingers. But her mind is slower. It can't understand why her body isn't working right. Martha and Billy start to bicker, as usual, but I try to ignore them and focus on Jayne.

It’s not working.

“Mom, Billy's spitting on me.”

“Damn it,” Mom says, but she's not paying attention to Martha; she's searching for the remote. “Billy, leave your sister alone.”

“I need a shower,” Martha complains as she finds the bathroom mirror and rummages through her make-up bag. “When can we go back to the hotel?”

“Casey said check-in is at noon.”

Casey? Why is he helping them?

“My box...” Jayne's lips form the words, and only a small sound comes out.

“I don't understand why we have to stay in some high-priced hotel. Motel Six worked fine last night.” Martha doesn't care about the hotel, but she hates being across town from Bryan. Heaven forbid he buy a car and pick her up once in a while. And heaven forbid she be grateful for a single thing.

“Why can't we stay at Motel Six?”

“Do you ever stop complaining?” Billy asks, finally exasperated. Martha chucks a tube of mascara at the back of his head.

Jayne’s eyes are open,
I want to scream
.

Billy’s so pissed he doesn't even notice that the curtain is opening until the unsuspecting nurse walks in and kicks the tube of mascara clear across the room by accident.

“Good lord, what's going on in here?” she screeches.

“I'm trying to get this TV turned on so my daughter can relax,” Mom snaps.

“How long has she been awake?”

Mom looks at Jayne for the first time since she's been here. “Jayne? Talk to me, sweetheart. Tell me what's wrong.”

Jayne's face is full of confusion. She doesn't understand why she's here and why her body won't move. Or why she can't recall anything from a few days ago.

“Give her some space.” The nurse pulls Mom back. “Jayne? Honey, you've been in an accident. You're in the hospital now and you've been hurt. Can you nod for me?” The nurse’s words make Jayne squint. Then she slowly moves her head.

“Good.” the nurse smiles at her. “We've had you on some medication to keep you asleep. I want you to relax. It'll be a few more hours before your body is ready to move around.”

“Casey.” Jayne trembles as she whispers the word. My heart breaks. I know what she wants.

“Hush, child.” The nurse rubs her shoulders to build circulation. “Just relax until the medication wears off.”

“Mom, did you take the hairspray out of my bag?” Martha shouts from the bathroom, oblivious to anything going on. The nurse is fuming at the spoiled rotten brat.

“No, it must be in the car unless we left it at the hotel.” Mom's exhausted. But sober.

“Billy, did you forget it? I can't go around looking like this.” Martha steps out of the bathroom fluffing her hair.

Jayne's sheer panic is so strong it feels like my own. She wants to help. This is making her tense.

The nurse looks down at her. “I need everyone to leave the room.”

“When is my daughter coming home?” Mom isn't so much concerned about Jayne as she is how much this hospital trip is going to cost her.

“She should be discharged around five or six, but it's up to the doctor.”

“I don't know how I'm going to afford all of this or if I can even get back here. We just lost our house yesterday.”

Mom, stop. You look ridiculous. The nurse can see right through you.

My mother pauses to bite her lower lip. “But I can ask Casey to come pick her up.”

The nurse knows exactly the boy Mom’s talking about and she’s pleased. “I'm sure he can help take care of things as long as Jayne consents to leave with him.”

“She will.” For once Mom's not lying. “Make her.”

Twenty-Two

I stare at the food lining the nurses station. I’m not hungry. Just missing old habits. When I flip around to join Jayne again, a black cloud swarms me. I begin to panic before taking in the clean, blue cop uniform now standing only inches away. It’s Johnny's uncle. The gum in his cheek bulges out the muscles in his face every time he chews. The mere sight of his greasy hairline is enough to send tendrils of anger through my blood.

Why are you here?
I stare him down, but he ignores me and slithers toward Jayne's room.

He's not alone.

I spread myself out into a makeshift barricade. Then he reaches through me and grabs the door handle. As soon as his skin passes through mine, I'm forced to remember Johnny's hell. And I refuse to be stuck in this man's perdition.

Jayne is fast asleep as he and another guy enter the room.

Why don't the nurses care about letting strangers in?

The other man speaks in a low mumble. His voice is so much like Johnny's it freaks me out. This guy is gruffer from age, but there's no mistaking he’s Johnny's father. He’s nothing like Johnny’s distorted images. The two of them are running over scenarios – how to stop Jayne from pressing charges.

I concentrate on Johnny’s whereabouts. He's home. Crying like a baby, but not from shame. Rather, it's from fear. No matter how much he explains himself, this looks bad. Kind of like getting caught in his grandma’s panty drawer.

Johnny's father recognizes this too. He needs discipline, but his dad's not sure what to do.

Within a few minutes, the two men leave.

Minutes later the curtain rattles again. I'm surprised to see Casey. He has a chocolate Frosty from Wendy's and it's dripping down the sides of the yellow paper cup. He searches for napkins, but settles for toilet paper before setting the frozen mess on a push table next to Jayne's bed.

Even with Casey being friendly and warm, running his hands over Jayne's fingers, he can't dispel the ice-cold hatred I have for Johnny. For his family.

Darkness spreads over my skin like a rash, making a wispy fog leak into the room from beneath the door. Casey's oblivious to it. And he should be.

It's not here for him.

It's here for me.

Minions. Servants to the underworld. Coming to shroud my body. I stretch out my arms and welcome them.

You belong with us.
Their words only enforce how good the cold steel is going to feel in my hand.

I can't leave until I kill him,
I say and their lithe bodies quiver in excitement.
I’m going to need you to weaken him.
Loud screams cry out from their demented forms.

Jayne opens her eyes and they launch themselves at her before I can say anything. She clenches her teeth and turns away.

Stop. Leave her alone,
I scream. They jump back to me immediately. I open my thoughts and concentrate on Johnny, showing them the creep to attack. Their hollow moans fill the room. It's so loud that I can't believe Casey can't hear them. His face is full of happiness. He's thinking only of Jayne.

The door opens, but I don't have to look up to know who it is. The tiny pairs of gnashing teeth tell me everything I need to know. The minions lunge for Johnny and he groans as they enter his body. The darkness inside him screams and I revel in their delight.

Casey squares his shoulders. “I thought I told you to leave her alone.”

Johnny stops in his tracks and takes a few small steps back. He's not alone. His dad, uncle, and a nurse who knows his family are behind him.

Everything starts to spin out of control.

“What the hell?” Johnny screams. He squints from the pain of his swollen eye.

Johnny's dad lurches toward Casey. “If you ever touch my son again I'll—”

“You'll what?”

“Why don't we let the law handle this?” Johnny's uncle steps between the two men.

“Why don't we?” Casey counters. “I'll give you all the evidence you need.”

The uncle grins exposing a gold-lined crown. “It seems my forensic department left your little bag of tricks in the window too long this morning and the crayon melted.”

Johnny freezes. The hairs on the back of his neck raise from his flesh. He never considered the box of crayons when he sent Jayne to his car to grab his stuff. Within moments, he's covered in sweat.

“I have other things with DNA, officer.” Casey thinks of the Payless box. The one with my first tooth. He got out of Jayne’s room. His mind is completely open. I can see Jayne telling him to get it out of the house before he left her at the mall.

Genius.

“Dad, I told you this guy's a pervert.” Johnny's voice is too high-pitched and it emanates in loud squeaks. He wants to pin this on Casey. “He was always watching Jill every time I went over to their house.”

“What?” Casey pinches the bridge of his nose, trying to keep calm. “What are you talking about? Why don’t we tell them who the guilty one is?”

“Stop.” Jayne raises her voice from the bed. It’s hoarse, but powerful even though she's silently sobbing.

Johnny lunges at Casey, prepared to strangle him if he says another word. His father grabs him. The strange nurse rips at Casey's shirt, but Casey refuses to make a scene in front of Jayne.

“What is going on in here?” The sassy nurse who likes Jayne rushes into the room. “Jordan, let go of him,” she says, and the strange nurse drops Casey's arm.

“Tell me what's going on?” She stands in the middle of it all, not intimidated in the least by the middle-aged police officer with his bad haircut and even worse mustache.

Casey speaks first. “I came to get Jayne.”

“Well, she's not going with you,” Johnny roars. He’s trying to make everything disappear and I'm terrified that Jayne will go with him just to keep Casey safe.

“Gentleman.” The nurse sticks out her hand. “We're all adults here. Jayne's old enough to sign her own discharge forms and go home with whomever she chooses.” The nurse looks expectantly at Jayne.

“I—I feel lightheaded,” Jayne says. She doesn't want Casey to get hurt. But she has no idea the danger she'll be in if she leaves with Johnny.

“That's it. Everyone out.” Jayne's nurse winks at her and shoves Johnny and his father out the door. Casey goes willingly to avoid stress for Jayne.

She pats Jayne on the shoulder before handing her a small brown bag. “I want you to take a few breaths into this sack,” the nurse says, and closes the supply cabinet next to her bed. “You're hyperventilating.”

Jayne obeys, sucking in and blowing out several deep breaths, trying to clear her head. When she feels okay, she drops the bag into her lap. “Thank you. I'm starting to feel better.”

“If it helps any, your mother said that you had to leave with Casey.” The nurse smirks. “She said it would help the family.”

Jayne nods, but she's picturing Johnny.

Stop it, Jayne. Don't be an idiot.

Her expression remains calm. This only infuriates me more.

“Child, I want you to tell me the truth. How did those bruises get there?” she asks, tracing her fingers along the handprints splayed on Jayne's skin.

“I'm not sure.” Her face is blank, vapid. “I can't remember the last few days at all.”

The nurse sighs. “It'll come back to when you least expect it.”

“I don't know what to do. I feel like such a mess.”

“Well, child, the only way to dig yourself out of a hole is to find a shovel.” She smiles at Jayne, but she's still conflicted. “I have to grab some gauze from the supply cabinet. Will you be okay in here by yourself?”

Don't leave her. He's outside her door.
I stare at Jayne, waiting for her to say something, anything. But she isn't strong enough to handle this. I watch her skin, watch how the tendons and veins move beneath it. I haven't done this since I squeezed Johnny's heart.

I hesitate.

What if I end up stuck in her?

The nurse is almost gone.

I have to do something.

Slowly, I stick my fingers into Jayne's hand. Curl it into a fist. She knows that something feels weird, but thinks she’s just tired. Then I slip the rest of me into her body.