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Note: This is the first of a series. Next is 'A Special Valentine'2004 keygen
The Not So Wonderful Life
by N.R. Levy
Jarod watched the scene unfold in front of him and though a million thoughts ran through his head, he knew he was helpless. It was up to them now, they were the only one’s could stop it from happening.
It seemed only hours ago that Parker had answered her phone with her usual brusque what, only this time, there was something in her voice he was very unused to hearing...fear. She told him Lyle had taken another girl and that she was on her way to see if she could free the young woman before she ended up like the others.
Jarod begged her not to go. He came up with a list of other solutions –send a sweeper team, call the police, anything but Parker going after him herself. He couldn’t stand the thought of her alone with that madman, and he knew she wouldn’t risk anyone else’s safety by bringing them into the situation.
She hung up on him, furious that he’d tried to stop her. He could see her logic. It was him, after all, who had dragged her into this by throwing Lyle’s demented activities in her face, by telling her that, "one of them had to stop him." But somehow, he’d never imagined she would rush off after the psycho alone.
Whether it was fate or luck, Jarod counted his blessings that he was only a half an hour away from Blue Cove. He had just been delivering Christmas gifts for Sydney and Miss Parker, and was on his way out of town when he felt the urge to call her. Her voice and what she’d told him resulted in a swift u-turn, and he sped toward Lyle’s apartment.
What he saw when he got there was beyond anything he had expected. The girl – he had only found out a few minutes ago that her name was Sue-li, had been chained in Lyle’s little box. She had clearly already been subjected to hours of torture. She was completely incoherent, and he had been unable to get any information out of her. Then he saw a thin blood trail that led out of Lyle’s secret room to a back entrance for his apartment. He followed it into the alley, and that was where it all happened.
Parker and Lyle were fighting – more than that, what was happening was clearly a battle for survival. Lyle knew if she won, he would be destroyed at the Centre, and Parker knew if she lost, it would mean her life. They were fighting hand to hand, and Jarod saw Parker’s gun lying on the ground a few feet away. He rushed forward, yelling at them, trying to distract Lyle as he swept the gun up in hands.
His tactic worked, Lyle blinked, so to speak, and Parker landed a powerful blow to his head, sending him flying backward in the alley. Parker glanced toward Jarod to acknowledge his presence and she moved forward toward Lyle, continuing her attack. Lyle seemed dazed, his body unmoving, but she had to be certain.
That was when it happened.
Jarod didn’t know where the weapon had come from, only that it seemed to appear from nowhere and in a moment, the knife flashed across the sky and then he heard a whimper from Parker and suddenly Lyle was running and she was falling to the ground.
Jarod raced to her, the gun falling from his hand. Soon blood covered them as he turned her onto her back and discovered the bleeding wound in her chest. Her eyes were half-opened, and all she said was, "Make sure he doesn’t get away." Then her eyelids fell, and her breathing stopped.
Jarod frantically began CPR, his hands moving as swiftly as possible as he balanced the need to restart her respiration with his need to get more help. He grabbed the cell phone from his pocket and called 9-1-1, all the while, one hand keeping check for a pulse. When he finished the call and still had none, he again began trying to restart her breathing. Finally, she took a shallow breath, then another. Then Jarod turned his attention to her wound. It was large – an indication of the size of the knife, and again, Jarod wondered where Lyle had hidden it, but that was of no consequence now. The blade had nicked a blood vessel, and though it was difficult to see through all the blood, Jarod knew he had to stop the bleeding in order to save Parker’s life. Carefully, he reached into the wound and applied pressure to the injured area with his fingertips.
The paramedics arrived, and so did the police, and Jarod told them only about the man who’d gotten away after he attacked the woman in the alley. He said that he didn’t know the assailant. It was difficult for him to lie to the police, but he had to protect Parker now – he had failed to do so too many times already.
Now here they were at the hospital, the doctors swirling around her as they tried to stop the bleeding, which they now knew was coming from her aorta. She had minutes left it they couldn’t repair the damage, and he could do nothing. He had never felt so useless in his life.
Remembering the cell phone in his pocket, Jarod withdrew it, not even seeing the blood that still covered his hands and clothes as he dialed the familiar number.
"This is Sydney."
"Sydney, get a cleaner team to Lyle’s now. Make sure there’s no way the police can trace Parker there. And get Sam – he has a murderer to find."
"Jarod, what’s happened?"
"Parker tried to stop him – and it may have cost her life."
Jarod disconnected the call, his mind no longer able to focus on anything but what was happening in the emergency room. After what seemed an eternity, the medical team emerged, their efforts taking Parker’s gurney down the hall at top speed. Jarod ran along side as they moved.
"What’s going on?" The doctor looked up briefly, long enough to see that the man speaking had blood all over him, and was therefore probably connected to his patient.
"We’re taking her to surgery. We’ve got a temporary hold on the cut in the aorta, but we’ve got to get it fixed and we need to do it now. Wait in the fifth floor waiting room."
Jarod stopped moving as the team squeezed into an elevator, and as the doors closed, his gaze fell on Parker. She looked dead already.
The doors slammed shut and Jarod stood there dazed for a moment. Then he pressed the button on the elevator, and headed to the fifth floor.
Sydney arrived two hours into Parker’s surgery, and told him that Sam was on the hunt for Lyle, but so far, they’d only been able to follow his trail to a local parking garage. Broots was searching the records to see if any of the monthly parkers could be traced to Lyle. Sue-li had been put into a safe house, and hopefully, between her statement and what Parker could tell the Triumvirate, Lyle’s days were numbered. That is if Parker could tell them anything.
It didn’t take much for the shrink to see the turmoil his friend was in. Clearly he felt responsible for what had happened, and though Sydney knew that it was more Parker’s stubbornness than Jarod’s strategically dropped hints that had led to the current crisis, it would be useless to say so. Instead, he pulled out the shirt he’d taken from his office and handed it to Jarod. The Pretender looked up at him with total confusion on his face.
"Change, Jarod. You don’t want her to see that, do you?"
Jarod looked down at himself and saw Parker’s blood on him for the first time. Sydney heard his sharp intake of breath, but remained silent as Jarod slowly made his way to his feet and down the hall toward the bathroom.
Two more hours passed, and the doctor who Jarod had spoken with earlier emerged in blood-spattered scrubs. Parker was alive, barely, but she had thrown an embolism during the surgery and her heart had stopped again. They did not know if she would recover.
Slowly, Jarod made his way to intensive care. He had told the police that Parker was his girlfriend – that was the only reason the hospital was even letting him in the room now, and he was grateful he had been coherent enough to come up with the cover story at the time.
The Not So Wonderful Life
by N.R. Levy
Jarod watched the scene unfold in front of him and though a million thoughts ran through his head, he knew he was helpless. It was up to them now, they were the only one’s could stop it from happening.
It seemed only hours ago that Parker had answered her phone with her usual brusque what, only this time, there was something in her voice he was very unused to hearing...fear. She told him Lyle had taken another girl and that she was on her way to see if she could free the young woman before she ended up like the others.
Jarod begged her not to go. He came up with a list of other solutions –send a sweeper team, call the police, anything but Parker going after him herself. He couldn’t stand the thought of her alone with that madman, and he knew she wouldn’t risk anyone else’s safety by bringing them into the situation.
She hung up on him, furious that he’d tried to stop her. He could see her logic. It was him, after all, who had dragged her into this by throwing Lyle’s demented activities in her face, by telling her that, "one of them had to stop him." But somehow, he’d never imagined she would rush off after the psycho alone.
Whether it was fate or luck, Jarod counted his blessings that he was only a half an hour away from Blue Cove. He had just been delivering Christmas gifts for Sydney and Miss Parker, and was on his way out of town when he felt the urge to call her. Her voice and what she’d told him resulted in a swift u-turn, and he sped toward Lyle’s apartment.
What he saw when he got there was beyond anything he had expected. The girl – he had only found out a few minutes ago that her name was Sue-li, had been chained in Lyle’s little box. She had clearly already been subjected to hours of torture. She was completely incoherent, and he had been unable to get any information out of her. Then he saw a thin blood trail that led out of Lyle’s secret room to a back entrance for his apartment. He followed it into the alley, and that was where it all happened.
Parker and Lyle were fighting – more than that, what was happening was clearly a battle for survival. Lyle knew if she won, he would be destroyed at the Centre, and Parker knew if she lost, it would mean her life. They were fighting hand to hand, and Jarod saw Parker’s gun lying on the ground a few feet away. He rushed forward, yelling at them, trying to distract Lyle as he swept the gun up in hands.
His tactic worked, Lyle blinked, so to speak, and Parker landed a powerful blow to his head, sending him flying backward in the alley. Parker glanced toward Jarod to acknowledge his presence and she moved forward toward Lyle, continuing her attack. Lyle seemed dazed, his body unmoving, but she had to be certain.
That was when it happened.
Jarod didn’t know where the weapon had come from, only that it seemed to appear from nowhere and in a moment, the knife flashed across the sky and then he heard a whimper from Parker and suddenly Lyle was running and she was falling to the ground.
Jarod raced to her, the gun falling from his hand. Soon blood covered them as he turned her onto her back and discovered the bleeding wound in her chest. Her eyes were half-opened, and all she said was, "Make sure he doesn’t get away." Then her eyelids fell, and her breathing stopped.
Jarod frantically began CPR, his hands moving as swiftly as possible as he balanced the need to restart her respiration with his need to get more help. He grabbed the cell phone from his pocket and called 9-1-1, all the while, one hand keeping check for a pulse. When he finished the call and still had none, he again began trying to restart her breathing. Finally, she took a shallow breath, then another. Then Jarod turned his attention to her wound. It was large – an indication of the size of the knife, and again, Jarod wondered where Lyle had hidden it, but that was of no consequence now. The blade had nicked a blood vessel, and though it was difficult to see through all the blood, Jarod knew he had to stop the bleeding in order to save Parker’s life. Carefully, he reached into the wound and applied pressure to the injured area with his fingertips.
The paramedics arrived, and so did the police, and Jarod told them only about the man who’d gotten away after he attacked the woman in the alley. He said that he didn’t know the assailant. It was difficult for him to lie to the police, but he had to protect Parker now – he had failed to do so too many times already.
Now here they were at the hospital, the doctors swirling around her as they tried to stop the bleeding, which they now knew was coming from her aorta. She had minutes left it they couldn’t repair the damage, and he could do nothing. He had never felt so useless in his life.
Remembering the cell phone in his pocket, Jarod withdrew it, not even seeing the blood that still covered his hands and clothes as he dialed the familiar number.
"This is Sydney."
"Sydney, get a cleaner team to Lyle’s now. Make sure there’s no way the police can trace Parker there. And get Sam – he has a murderer to find."
"Jarod, what’s happened?"
"Parker tried to stop him – and it may have cost her life."
Jarod disconnected the call, his mind no longer able to focus on anything but what was happening in the emergency room. After what seemed an eternity, the medical team emerged, their efforts taking Parker’s gurney down the hall at top speed. Jarod ran along side as they moved.
"What’s going on?" The doctor looked up briefly, long enough to see that the man speaking had blood all over him, and was therefore probably connected to his patient.
"We’re taking her to surgery. We’ve got a temporary hold on the cut in the aorta, but we’ve got to get it fixed and we need to do it now. Wait in the fifth floor waiting room."
Jarod stopped moving as the team squeezed into an elevator, and as the doors closed, his gaze fell on Parker. She looked dead already.
The doors slammed shut and Jarod stood there dazed for a moment. Then he pressed the button on the elevator, and headed to the fifth floor.
Sydney arrived two hours into Parker’s surgery, and told him that Sam was on the hunt for Lyle, but so far, they’d only been able to follow his trail to a local parking garage. Broots was searching the records to see if any of the monthly parkers could be traced to Lyle. Sue-li had been put into a safe house, and hopefully, between her statement and what Parker could tell the Triumvirate, Lyle’s days were numbered. That is if Parker could tell them anything.
It didn’t take much for the shrink to see the turmoil his friend was in. Clearly he felt responsible for what had happened, and though Sydney knew that it was more Parker’s stubbornness than Jarod’s strategically dropped hints that had led to the current crisis, it would be useless to say so. Instead, he pulled out the shirt he’d taken from his office and handed it to Jarod. The Pretender looked up at him with total confusion on his face.
"Change, Jarod. You don’t want her to see that, do you?"
Jarod looked down at himself and saw Parker’s blood on him for the first time. Sydney heard his sharp intake of breath, but remained silent as Jarod slowly made his way to his feet and down the hall toward the bathroom.
Two more hours passed, and the doctor who Jarod had spoken with earlier emerged in blood-spattered scrubs. Parker was alive, barely, but she had thrown an embolism during the surgery and her heart had stopped again. They did not know if she would recover.
Slowly, Jarod made his way to intensive care. He had told the police that Parker was his girlfriend – that was the only reason the hospital was even letting him in the room now, and he was grateful he had been coherent enough to come up with the cover story at the time.
