Withstanding Love
The snow could have been a giant pillow by the way her body slipped and bounced through it. But all Nicole felt was the cold. Nothing else registered in her mind. And it was the cold that was slowly killing her. She knew this as she tried to strain and look at the man who was trudging through the snow, coughing and grumbling, letting his feet kick her as he closely dragged her behind him, deeper into the forest.
It was getting dark, according to the slight color of sky that pierced through the canopy of trees. The forest smelled of pine and ice, while the snow kept getting deeper and heavier, as if it were trying to stop the man pulling her farther and farther away from safety. Instead, he pumped his legs and arms harder and more vigorously toward nothing in particular other than the general direction of going North.
Nicole knew where she was. About fifteen miles from home and buried deep in this huge, beautiful yet dark and deadly forest. It stretches for miles in all directions and is popular during hunting season or for the occasional getaway. Despite the time of year, there is never usually a lot of people who try to navigate through the forest or find solitude in it.
It had been almost two hours since Nicole was shoved into an old, run-down van and gagged to be taken out into the cold to die. Tears began to stream down her face and just as she started to wiggle against his hold, he finally stopped. Looming over her, he was a black shadow, blurred by the snow blasted wind that whipped through the forest.
"You've been chosen Nicole."
A lump forms in her throat as she tries to understand what he is saying. But all she can hear is the roar of the wind and sharp pain of frost bite, slowly eating it's way up her thighs. Just as Nicole is about to reply, a fist comes swinging at her, making everything go black.
Denise let her head fall in her hands with dread as another uniform walked through the door. This is too much, she thought. The house was so quiet without Nicole and the thought of someone doing anything harmful or disrespectful to her daughter brought fear shooting up her spine. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, but the uniforms didn't seem to be finished yet questioning her. There was a weight pressing down on her and only got heavier with each passing moment Nicole was with that fugitive.
"Ma'am?"
Denise looked up and saw the worried look in the cop's face watching her, but Denise just couldn't bring herself to composure. And why should she? Nicole's life was at stake. For a few seconds, Denise closed her eyes and drew in a shaky breath before opening them and letting a helpless sob escape. The cop crouched down and put his hand on her knee.
"Don't worry ma'am. We will do everything we can to find her and won't rest until we do."
With little strength, Denise sagged forward and quietly said thankyou with not much feeling behind it. Instead, her heart was reaching out for Nicole, grabbing onto an image or feeling that would unite them somehow. But that wasn't going to happen. Her precious daughter was out there fighting for her life. We need a miracle, Denise thought as the uniforms finished writing things down and started to leave.
Nicole doesn't know what happened next, but a white light started to seep at the corners of her vision, getting wider until it nearly burned her eyes to look directly into it. Her body felt disconnected as it seemed to float toward what was at the end of a tunnel. An image of her mom's face flashed through Nicole's mind as she achingly thought of how much she wanted to see her. Instead she was on the virge of life or death. It was all or nothing. Her mother's eyes sparkled and another image of her smiling brought tears to Nicole's eyes. If death were to take Nicole right here, one thing she would know. The love and bond she shares with her mother will last through this lifetime and the next.
"Hang on Nicole."
The helicopter lifted off the snow and was creating a wind blast as the paramedics secured Nicole into a stretcher. The wind didn't feel cold anymore and periodically her eyes would open just a little for the paramedic to say everything will be okay. Was it real? Did she really make it? The assumption felt too impossible but her body was no longer laying in the snow tied up. She was still breathing and the word hospital kept getting mentioned so it must have been real. A surge of joy ripped through her chest and she started to cry uncrontrollably.
Denise had to be driven to the hospital because she couldn't see anything with tears in her eyes. Her hands were clutched tightly in her lap and she couldn't stop shaking. Her neighbor Henry kept asking her if she was going to be okay, with the most tender look in his eyes. She must have looked as awful as she felt. But Denise kept insisting she would be fine. As long as she saw her daughter. As long as Nicole was alright, everything would be fine.
The rush of hospital personel, their equipment, and the patients overwhelmed Denise. It was like watching from someone else's eyes as the doctors would pull back the curtain and talk to their patients or treat them accordingly in the little box rooms that lined the walls. The lights were bright and made Denise's head hurt but the only thing on her mind was Nicole.
"Excuse me..."
The nurse looked up from her computer with a smile. "Yes?"
Denise could barely get any words out from the panic that lodged itself tight in her chest. Her hands were shaking and she could barely stand so Henry stepped in.
"There was a patient brought in here no too long ago. Her name is Nicole Robinson. Could we have the room number?"
The nurse saw how distraught Denise was and looked at her with sympathetic eyes. "Right away. Let me see...Ah, here we go. Room 302."
Denise's breath caught in her throat and she sprinted down the hallway, leaving Henry calling after her. A fresh round of tears poured down her cheeks, while snot started to drip out of her nose but Denise kept going until she found the room.
Nicole was half asleep and listening to the beeping of the machine she was hooked up to. She didn't know the extent of her injuries and was afraid to find out. Her eyes were finally dry but puffy from all the hysterical crying she was doing. The room was warm and comforting, but quiet.
Hearing footsteps in the hallway, Nicole turned her head to find her mom a complete mess in the doorway with tears running down her eyes. She let out a cry and Nicole felt overwhelmed with emotion.
"Mom!"
Denise quickly came to her daughter's side and squeezed her tight.
"Oh! Nicole! I thought I lost you. I was such a wreck...I still am." Denise softy chuckled through her tears and pulled back to look at her daughter. Nicole was softly crying and her vision became blurry looking at her mother's tired, red eyes and pale skin. The horror of her experience came rushing back in clipped images and a panicked, sinking feeling.
"What happened?" Nicole whispered with frightened eyes.
Denise buried her face in her hands and sobbed some more.
"Oh, Nicole..."
"Mom?"
Lifting her head to look at her daughter, she relayed what information she knew from the cops.
"There was a man who broke from prison, about 30 miles from here, who has been wanted for attempted murder, kidnapping and arson. He found you through school records. Apparently he had been volunteering and sneaking around at your school and remained virtually unnoticed. He didn't stay for long. As soon as he found your file and information, he stole it and never came back. Oh Nicole I can't talk about this right now." Denise exclaimed, shaking her head with tears rolling down her cheeks. "That man deserves to be in prison for the rest of his life. The police were lucky to find you but by some miracle they got a lead and license plate number from his van. I guess one of the neighbor kids saw you being taken. Once the police got his plate numbers the rest was an easy puzzle to piece together. They saw the tracks in the snow, the van parked down the road, and now this vile man is in custody. I'm sure we will have much more to deal with on this situation but for now I want you to rest. Rest dear, please, and we'll talk some more in the morning. I will be talking to the doctor shortly."
"Oh, mom," Nicole sobbed, "I'm so glad to be safe, here with you. I love you so much. I thought if I didn't make it--"
"Shhh I'm not going anywhere. And neither are you. I love you baby." Denise bent down to kiss Nicole's forhead before quietly leaving her daughter to rest.
