Shot of Vodka, Shot of Pain

"Just tell me what's going on," Detective Catter said as I sat across from him at my kitchen table. Morgan was next to me, holding my hand while Danica paced the dining room trying to get ahold of Jesse. Craig and Braxton were out looking along with another officer and she decided to act as a relay.

I went over my story for him, starting with just a few days ago and how I was now fearing for Jesse's life. No one had been able to get ahold of him and I was nervous. One officer, Officer Fuller, was in my living room, keeping an eye on the door while Catter sat with us. I was a nervous wreck and would be until I heard from Jesse. The hours had waned into night and I was wearing thin. My energy level had sunk to such a dangerous level that I was shaking. Craig told Danica who told me I was almost going into a psychological shock. Morgan had to keep me hydrated and focused but as the hours went on, it was hard.

I heard a radio crackle and the officer in the living room murmured something and sent Morgan, Danica and me into a closet by the stairs. Someone had just hopped the fence in the backyard and was making their way through the backyard. I refused to go in the closet, refused to go upstairs. I needed to face Jimmy and give him a peace of my mind. I needed to know where Jesse was and if he was safe. Morgan and I cowered by the edge of the kitchen that lead to the muckroom where the backdoor was. The lights were shut off inside and out. When the door knob jiggled, Morgan let out a whimper. I held her hand over my mouth. Weird how suddenly faced with a dangerous situation, I sobered up and Morgan was the one falling to pieces.

When the door opened enough, Officer Fuller grabbed the intruder by the collar and threw him down to the ground, gun drawn.

"Stay on the ground and don't move!" he shouted.

"I'm not moving!" the intruder shouted. But there was something about that voice that was filled with fear. Catter flipped the lights on.

"Jesse!" I shouted. I ran to his side and pulled him off the ground into my arms. I hugged him hard and heard Fuller put his gun back in the holster. After I finally let go, he extended a hand to Jesse to help him up.

"We've been looking for you," he said after apologizing.

"I guess this was a bad day for my phone to die and the truck to break down?" he asked nervously. After we filled him in he understood why sneaking through the backyard in the future would be a bad idea.

Catter left, hoping to get a lead on where Jimmy was. Paula and Keith said their boss told them he was taking a short vacation with his girlfriend and his neighbors hadn't seen him all day. It would take a while to get a court order to trace his cell phone. Catter was weary about it though because even with Jimmy's past, his threat against Jesse had been vauge. There was an officer watching the front of the house, another watching the back but there was no way Jesse was allowing us to stay there.

He managed to get a couple hundred out of the ATM and we checked into a hotel two towns away just to be safe. We didn't keep our cell phones with us, handing them over to Catter, and got some burn phones. I almost felt like a criminal on the run but knew it was a completely different game.

When we settled into our new (and hopefully temporary) moderate digs, Jesse and I laid together on the bed. We faced each other in the quiet dark with only a small bedside light to illuminate our field of vision. Jesse's face looked scared as he stared at me. He wasn't talking which was doing nothing to calm my nerves. He dragged a calloused finger along my cheek and caught a tear that was sliding down my nose.

"You okay?" he murmured.

"Okay as I can be," I replied.

"Why don't you get into your pajamas and we'll go to sleep. A good nights sleep is what you need right now," he said. Hesitant, I got off the bed and slid off my jeans and tee shirt. I climbed underneath the covers where Jesse's warm body was waiting for me.

"I don't know if I can sleep," I said as he wrapped his arm around me.

"Just close your eyes and let it go," he said, a whisper in my ear. I did as he said and felt the quiet surrounding me. I took a deep breath and before I could finish exhaling, I was out cold.