Runaway Mate

Matthews

I heard the officer's phone ring, so he excused himself from the room. When he returned, he gave me a small smile. "Good news I hope?" I cheerfully ask. He nods his head. "Yes. We just received the warrant to search his home for illegal drugs. There's no reason why he should have had any sort of sedatives." The officer informs me, and I feel relieved at the news. "We have a team on their way to Mr. Kreisher's home as we speak." Ah, so that's what his last name is. "Thank you."

"How are we feeling?" A nurse asks me as she walks into the room. "Honestly, I feel fine. May I leave now?" She giggles and hands me a form. "I would strongly recommend you stay the night for observations, but I have a feeling you are going to fight me on that." handing me the clipboard, I see it's a discharge form. As much as I want to leave, I feel safe here. "I'll take your word and stay the night," I inform her as I hand the clipboard back. She smiles warmly at me and begins to check my vitals. "I just need to replace the bandage on your head, then I'll be out of your way." When she touches the lump, I hiss out in pain. "Sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you." The nurse apologized.

"Will you be staying with me?" I ask the officer, panic rising at the thought of him leaving. "No, ma'am. I will be here with you until further notice." He reassures me and I begin to relax once more. Exhaustion creeps up on me, and I find myself drifting off. I only wake when I hear the ringing of a phone.

"She is sleeping at the moment, but I will let her know as soon as she wakes up. Thank you, chief." I hear the officer quietly talk into his phone. Little did he know that I was indeed awake. I wonder what the chief had to say? No doubt it's about Chad. My heart begins to beat rapidly. I hope it's good news and not that he's been set free. f**k. Fear is getting the best of me. I need to know what's going on. I roll over and look at the officer sitting in the chair across the room.

"Tell me. Please."

"Jennifer! You scared me. I didn't realize you were awake." He jumped in his chair at the sound of my voice. I smile a little bit at his reaction. "You don't have to ever worry about Chad Kreisher again. He's being locked away immediately." I feel as though a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I start crying in joy.

"Thank you!" I exclaim through my tears. The officer smiles at me. "It is you we should be thanking. We found bodies of missing women from different towns in Chad's walk-in freezer. The sick bastard had those poor girls hanging up next to animal meat as though he was going to skin them as well."

"Oh my god!" I feel sick to my stomach as a thought crosses my mind. "He fed me some type of meat that I've never tasted before. Do you think it was... human?" The officer's face falls flat. "It's possible." I begin to throw up and the officer is quick to grab the trash bin in the room. He hits the call button while still holding the bin for me. Two nurses help clean me up and I apologize for the mess I made. Vomit was on the blanket, pillow, and hospital gown. Luckily, most of it was in the trash bin.

"Can I go home? I want to shower and sleep in my own bed." I plea through tears. One of the nurses left the room and returned with the discharge form. "We understand." They assure me and don't pressure me to stay. "I'll drive you home." The officer, whose name I still don't know states. "Can you take me to the police station first? I need to see for myself." He nods and excuses himself from the room while I get changed into my clothes.

The doctor came into the room one last time to discuss any questions I may have. Afterward, I was free to leave. When we got into the police car, I figured I would ask him his name. "So, random question. I've been with you and the police department for a few hours now and I don't know any of your names." He lets out a chuckle. "That's not a question." He says, making me roll my eyes. "I'm officer Matthews." I smile at him, though he can't see it. "Nice to meet you, officer Matthews. Thank you, for making me feel safe and for everything the police department has done tonight for me."