Jess has been slowly settling back into the routine at work, but it's not without problems. Ren has continued being a royal pain in the ass, almost saying whatever she felt like to piss people off, but not enough to get herself fired.
"Jess, Jesse?"
Jess is dozing off, leaning against a pole. Someone reaches out and actually tugs her sleeve. "W-what?!" She says, waking up panicked and blinking her eyes. However she fell asleep in a crowded, noisy, bright fun centre must mean she's beyond tired today for some reason.
"Jesse."
She hears a voice. Are they back? "Jesse!" Someone says louder and she actually focuses in front of her to see Jamie Stevens.
"Uh, sorry. Are you okay? What can I do for you? Is someone hurt?"
"Nothing's wrong."
"That's so great to her." She responds a tad annoyed. "I just wanted to talk." Jamie tells her.
"Well, I don't. Jamie, you're 15 and I'm an adult. It's not appropriate and I have a job to be doing."
"Well, you're not doing it if you're sleeping are you?"
"Ugh. What do you really want?"
Jamie smiles wildly and her eyes sparkle. "Can I have a burger and milkshake voucher?"
"You have got to be kidding me."
"Pleaseeeee."
"Jamie, I'm a security guard. You do know the meaning of that, yes?"
"Do you want me to tell your boss you're being rude and sleeping on the job?"
"You're blackmailing."
"Yes."
"Ugh, fine. I'll see what can I do. Just stay here, don't move." And Jess heads over to the food court. "Hey." Says Ren who's sitting under a fake palm tree, burger in hand.
"You want a bite?"
"No, not hungry."
"OK. Don't go starving yourself though, I like some meat on my girlfriends."
"Friends or actually-"
"The second one." And she flutters her eyes.
"Shut the fuck up."
"You shut the fuck up. So, what you doing here? It's my luncbreak."
"I'm working through mine. And I'm being blackmailed by a 15 year old right now who's otherwise threatening to report me to Bella for sleeping on the job."
"Yes, I saw you sleeping standing up. Impressive, ha."
"......"
"Okay, I'm sorry. I'll help you." And Ren follows Jess to the kitchen and wrap up a burger and fill a milkshake.
"I'm not giving her a coupon that she could trade or something."
"That makes sense."
As Jess has her back turned to grab a carry box to put them in, Ren lifts the lid off the milkshake and spits into it, quietly clicking it back into place and pours a bottle of hot sauce off to the side on the burger.
Jess packs it up unknowingly and returns it to Jamie who walks off satisfied she scored. Jess yawns, eyes blinking heavily that she can't stay awake again.
She leans back against the wall when she hears a scream which jolts her awake. She and a few others go running towards the noise to see Jamie at the medical tent on a makeshift bed screaming and crying, holding her tongue out.
"What happened?!" Jess says.
"My tongue!" She responds between screams.
Brianna and Adam are working their best to stop the pain. Eventually it dies down. "So, Jamie. What happened right before you felt pain? Your tongue is very blistered and red. Are you allergic to anything?" Brianna asks, shining a light into Jamie's mouth.
"I ate a burger."
"Was it spicy?"
"I don't think so. It says normal chicken on the wrapping."
"Okay, did it taste spicy?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, I'll talk to the kitchen. It was proably a mix-up with your order-"
"She's the one who gave it to me. Is this revenge for annoying you? Dumping my sister in the nursery?" Jamie argues annoyed.
"Jess?" Brianna speaks up.
"I didn't. I would never do something like that to hurt someone, I sware."
"Jess, get out. Report to Bella. She'll be hearing about this." Brianna says, and Jess leaves the medical tent, Brianna dabbing something on Jamie's tongue that is rapidly blistering and swelling.
A few hours later when the day ends, Bella's called a debriefing again and everyone is sitting in circles discussing incidents, including the hot sauce tongue one when Maggie interrupts.
"Bella, I'm sorry to interrupt. But can I steal Jesse and Ren from you for a bit?"
"Take them." Bella huffs annoyed. Maggie leads them to her office, they see Louie is already sitting inside. "Take a seat you two." Maggie says, returning to her desk. They take one beside Louie.
"Now that all three of you are here. There is someone I want to bring in, whom you should all know..."
And the door opens, in walking a woman. "Oh, fuck. For fuck sake." Ren hisses. "You have got go be kidding." Louie says.
Jess doesn't anything at all. "Hi Ren, Louie."
It's Dr Anna Walker, Psychatrist from the unit. She doesn't just prescribe, suprisingly does therapy as well.
---
At home, Jess flops onto her bed exhausted and annoyed. Nearly every day is a shitty day at work she's never look forward to, she's tired and hasn't been feeling hungry.
It feels like she needs another break even though she was on medical leave not long ago. She sulks and looks at her phone lying infront of her, hand shakily reaching for it. Pressing a button, she brings it to her ear waiting for him to answer.
"Hello?"
"Douglas."
"Yes?"
"This is going to sound really stupid, and you can say no, but do you want to go out?"
"Like on a date?"
"What?"
"I'm old enough to be your Father, Jess. You're my dead daughters age if she was alive."
"That came out wrong, I am so sorry-"
"Are you asking if I want to hang out?"
"It was stupid, I'm sorry. I don't know why I-" and she prepares to hang up.
"Wait! No, don't you dare hang up the phone, missy!"
"......"
"I'll be at your address in ten minutes to pick you up. I have errands to run, but you can come with me. We can use the time to chat, just do what I say though, and don't speak unless spoken to."
And Douglas hangs up. Jess changes out of her uniform and he arrives no long after parked in the shadow of the trees behind her apartment. She walks over, seeing him just barely. The door opens and she slips inside, pulling it closed behind her when she instantly is dragged towards him half on his lap by him, her shoulder colliding with the steering wheel, one hand hanging onto her wrist and the other over her nose and mouth, a cloth silencing her screams.
When she wakes up, it's dark outside, but there is a small light on, she's in Douglas car still in the passengar seat, the heating is on, the car on standby. She sits up, her chair having been lowered back a bit to allow her to sleep.
She looks out the window, sees lights, fancy classic cars around like Douglas, people talking and exchanging stuff not far off, even hears the screech of a few tires. She presses on the door handle trying to open it, but it's locked.
There is no way out. She reaches for her phone, but it's missing. Of course he took it.
"Hey!"
She almost screams, startled hearing the back door open, a man slightly older than her poking his head in. "Douglas is coming back, don't worry."
"......"
"Uh..." He looks perplexed. "Uh, you can call me Green. My understanding is your Douglas little informant. What for?"
"Uh, work?"
"Work? What kind?"
"A fun park?"
"Oh, right! Sorry, I'm being dumb. I got it now, sorry."
"Where are we?"
"Illegal Street Race."
"Is it fun?" Jess leans into him a bit. He blushes. "Uh, yeah. I'd say so. You wanna hop out and watch?"
Before she can reply a man older than Green here pushes his way in beside. "I'm Bailey, and no you can't. It's not safe. This is just a detour. I'm a parent just like Douglas so don't push me."
She doesn't look so sure like she believes him when Douglas reappears, opening the door and sliding in. "I see you're awake now. We're just going to park on the other side. I have one more person to talk to and then we can talk.
These two here are my friends so be nice to them."
"Yes, Douglas."
"Good girl." He responds, Green and Bailey hoping in. They drive to the other side. "So, where did you pick up this young one, Douglas?" Green asks.
"Why her?"
"She works in the Security Office. Yeah, I could go the top or even straight to my ex. But Jess here is more covert and a safer option. And you're a good girl who listens, hey?" He says.
Jess gulps unable to talk. "See?" Douglas adds on, smirking a bit. "What you goanna do with her once you have everything you need and she's no lomger useful?" Green adds on when Jess quickly turns around panicked and restless.
"No! Hey, stop!" Douglas says, grabbing onto Jess under her arms, but she keeps twisting out of his grip, wrapping her arms around his neck squeezing so he can't breathe properly. "I'm not letting you do this to me again!" She cries.
"Well, don't just stand there. For god sake, Bobby." Bailey chastisies, Bobby hopping out the car and going around to Jess from the front side as Bailey shakes his head, reaching inside his coat pocket, pulling out a small vial, inserting a needle as Bobby climbs onto Jess, his knees digging into her legs as she tries to lessen her grip on Douglas.
One of her arms slip and Douglas restrains her properly as he catches his breath while Bobby press down on her knees to stop her attempts at wriggling.
She feels a pinch into her skin, realizing Bailey sticked her. "Who are you both?" She manages weakly. "Guess I'm just hired guns." Green whom she nows to be actually Bobby. Is it just his first name or his full name?"
"And I'm the drug dealer. Enough said." Bailey says from the back when a guy comes over. "I heard yelling." Says a stranger, beer can in hand.
"I'm sorry, it was my daughter. She was being difficult." Douglas says quickly. "K, mate." The dude says staggering off, sipping his beer.
"We goanna return to base and hang?" Green asks. "The girl?" Bailey asks, pointing at her.
"Uh, we'll handcuff her up when we get back and she's more lucid. I wanted to talk to her anyway." Douglas responds letting go of Jess now who's almost completely out of it.
They start driving away from the scene. She looks around for an escape option. She can't tuck and roll, child lock and the sedative. She's growing tired. The fall could kill or injure her.
Unless they slowed down enough and she could get out to run as best she could. She needs to come up with a plan.
"So, is she avaible?" Bobby wonders. "Whaddya mean?" Douglas responds.
"For you know."
"I'm old enough to be your Father, Bobby. I don't know slang and all the words you kids use these days. No, I don't know."
"Sex?"
"Uh..." Douglas trails off awkwardly. "Dude." Bailey says, giving Bobby a firm backhand on his neck.
"I can pay."
Douglas is distracted, this is her chance. She reaches for the steering wall, pulling it the other way causing the car to swerve.
"Hey!" Bailey yells, being smacked in the nose by Bobby on accident. The car goes onto the curb, hitting a few trashcans, one specifically hits the window shattering it. This is her chance and they are all out cold partially.
She undoes her seatbelt and slips out the front of car, slicing the skin on her knees, hands and nose slightly, blood starting to streak. She takes off jogging into the darkness not looking back.
She jogs onto the main road when she hears a car, bright lights coming towards her from a side street. Black car with dark tint. It's to late, she's thrown across the dash hitting the road hard.
The car braked just before it hit her and then she sees red and blue lights flash, lighting up the car as she lays there.
"Dispatch, I just hit a civilian." Says a voice, hearing the car door open and someone stepping towards them. "Are you okay? If it hurts, don't move. Help is on the way- Oh, shit."
It's a woman, they see Jess caked in blood, clothes cut up a little and bruises This is not just from being hit, she went across the front, but it hardly hit her as the woman breaked.
She bends down to Jess, finding no phone or wallet on her. "What's your name?"
"J-J-J-J." Jess stammers repeatedly and then it all comes back to her. She has to get out of here, she pushes herself to stand squealing from the pain.
"No, don't move!" The woman her. Jess looks at her, seeing a shiny badge on the women's coat. Police.
She starts hurrying away as best she can, the officer begging her to come back and has no choice, but to climb back into her car and get on the radio.
Jess drags herself home, letting herself in with the spare key she has hidden, collapsing into bed bruised and in pain. This is going to hurt in the morning, it's a miracle she made it home with a now fucked up leg. Next thing she knows she opens her eyes, sunlight streaming in and sits up, hissing from the pain. 11:12 a.m, Thursday
"Shit!" She curses realizing she must have been out for a day, and she's very late for work. Walking to do the bathroom to change, leg defiantly buckled, pulling on a knee brace with agony and tries to wipe off the blood from everywhere as best she can.
She looks around her room, phone and wallet nowhere to he found. She has her bag though and her other keys and manages to catch a bus.
She can't ride the bicycle she got in this state. She saved up for a cheap one to make getting to work easier. The bus drops her off in front of the fun centre and she drags herself inside, passing through the greeters who kick up a fuss as she has no pass to scan to get in, making her way onto the floor to horrified park guests faces and her co-workers.
She hears Brianna right behind her freak out and so does Adam, they begin to help her to the medical tent, Jess hopping slightly.
"What the hell happened to you!" Brianna yells at Jess on the bed. Adam calls for Bella and Maggie.
"I fucked up my leg." Jess hisses in pain, Brianna gently undoing the brace and rolling up her pants leg. "It doesn't seem broken, but you're really badly injured. What happened?"
Jess doesn't tell her and then the tent curtain flies open, Maggie there with Bella, both horrified.
"What happened to you?! You look like you've been in accident!" Maggie gasps.
"I'm fine." Jess hisses.
"When did this happen, Jess?" Brianna asks.
"T-tuesday n-night?"
"What!" Brianna yells. "Nah, fuck this. Bella, call an ambulance."
"You can't make me go!" Jess yells. "I know my rights! And I'm fine!"
"Did you pass out, Jess? What is the last thing you remember?" Brianna grills her. "Laying down Tue-" but Brianna doesn't let her continue.
"You could have a concussion and internal bleeding. Bella, call that ambulance!"
"No!" Jess yells back, sitting up. "If you don't want to go to the hospital, we are going to call the police though." Says a voice, a woman with long brown hair coming in.
"Who are you?" Jess snarls. "I'm Dr Anna Walker, Psychatrist. We met briefly a few weeks ago and on Tuesday afternoon. Maggie here has hired me for the next few weeks privately to provide counselling to any one of her employees." Anna explains.
"Jesse, what happened to you?"
Jess doesn't respond. "Are we able to move her to the Security Office or something? She can't stay here in front of children." Adam complains.
Jess blanks out and when wakes up in the Security Office, people around her.
"She has her bags and keys, but no wallet or phone. No wonder she wasn't answering." Bella says, going through Jess bag.
"Hey, stop it. That's mine. You don't have the right to-" Jess begins, someone helping her lay down again. It's Anna.
"An ambulance is on route, Jesse." Anna tells her. It's hard for her to concentrate when the phone on the table rings, Bella lifting the receiver.
"Tommorow's Future Entertainment - Security. What- Uh, hi? I wasn't aware they we're sending you. We called for an ambulance, you're downstairs? Okay... one of the greeters will show you the way up here and buzz you in. See you in a minute, I guess." And Bella lowers the phone.
"Guessing it's not help?" Anna asks.
"Not exactly." Bella responds awkwardly.
And there is a knock not long after, a greeter buzzing a woman in. "Hi?" Anna says, seeing the woman and Jess eyes widen slightly when she sees who it is. The women strides over to them and bends down to Jess level. "Who are you exactly?" Bella questions.
"My name is Detective Clara Johnson."
"Oh, shit." Maggie comments off from the side. "Hello, Maggie Stiefvater." She responds, clearly knowing who Maggie is.
"Why are you here?" Maggie wonders. "We called for an ambulance, not the police."
"I'm here to know you're alright and who I hit with my patrol car on Tuesday night because I need your name for my report."
"You we're hit by a car?!" Bella screams. "No! I-it was actually pretty light."
"You're pretty injured, Jesse. I know an amnualnce is on the way, but do you want me to take you to the hospital? Me talking you would be faster."
"It's just my leg, I'm fine really. I can wait, actually, I don't even really need to go."
"But that's not what the abrasions on your arms say or the cuts on your face and palms of your hands or the weird hole in the side of your shoulder. I've investigated drugs before and people who shoot up, insert into the veins in their arms, not their neck.
You're injuries are inconsistent with me hitting you with your car and it was heading towards midnight and you we're dressed pretty casually.
So Jesse, what happened to you? Are you okay? Do you need any help?"
"This is not how I expected my day to go. Can't I have just one normal day?" Maggie complains.
"You want Coffee?" Bella asks. "We all need coffee." Anna says. "But then it's all not that good for you..."
"Anna." Maggie chatizes.
"Maggie." Anna responds, matching her energy.
"Hey." Clara snaps, turning back to Jesse.
"I don't have to talk to you, I know my rights. Do you have a warrant?"
"No."
"Then leave, I want you to leave."
"Okay. Jesse, here is your wallet and phone. You lost then when I hit you." Clara says placing them down infront of her and stands up to leave. "Here is my bussiness card. If there is anything you want to talk about, any concerns, you're in danger, please call us." And then she leaves.
Jess picks up her phone and wallet, they weren't on her when she ran from Douglas so how did they end up on the scene? She quickly looks through her phone, seeing it's been remotely wiped and back to factory settings, the photos and video she had backed up and are present.
One text there from a number not saved. You're welcome.
Asshole, his so difficult to understand. It's clear why his doing this, revenge and leverage against Maggie, but there is other things going on here clearly. The fuck did she end up in?
When Paramedics enter. "Someone called for an ambulance?"
"We did. My friend was hit by a car a day and a half ago. She's badly injured." Bella tells them.
They bend down to Jess level, eyeing Anna's badge. "Are you in pain? Is their anything you think could be broken?"
"My leg is fucked, it hurts. That's it."
"Okay. Can we take you to the hospital? You need a scan then and they can stitch up some of the cuts we see on your face as well."
"Fine. But I don't want to go to her hospital. I want to go another one." Jess says angrily, pointing to Anna.
"What hospital do you work for?"
"North Haven Medical."
"The other public hospital in the area is South Bridges. Do you want to go there?"
"It will do."
"Okay."
And they help Jess onto a gurney and wheel her out as she glares angrily at her co-workers. She's wheeled out and looks over at Ren on the floor, Jamie is in the background playing with her friends. Jess sits up slightly. "Bella."
"Yes?"
"Check the security footage."
"Your last shift?"
And Jess looks back to Ren. Bella turns and looks at Ren. "Maggie, let's review Tuesday's security footage."
And then Jesse is loaded into the ambulance to head to hospital. "There's something bigger going on here." Anna whispers to Maggie.
"You think?" Maggie responds.
"It's what people aren't saying, Maggie. You bought me here for a reason and I intend to do that. I'm here to help though, not make things worse for your employees like they believe.
ns 172.70.34.155da2
