When A Heart Stops – Chapter 3

Copyright © 2021 by Loudest Thoughts

No part of this work is to be copied or distributed without the prior written permission of the author.

 

CHAPTER 3

After a few minutes, everything came to a standstill.

“Are you okay?”

Ginger heard a familiar voice behind them.

“Martin, I think we are okay.” She recognised the voice of the guard.

She quickly rose from Jewel’s body and continued to examine her.

“Have you been hit anywhere?” She kept asking.

“You saved me, Ginger.” She jumped into her arms.

Ginger held on to her this time. She winced in pain, and Jewel let her go.

“It looks like you are not fine.” One of the guards with Martin said

“I’m okay; remember, I can take care of myself.” She feigned a smile.

“Are you sure, Ginger?” Martin asked, concerned.

“You two got this, right?” She asked them with a weird tone.

“We’d look into it, but you’d need to visit the police station for a statement.”

“I’d rather not, Martin; besides, whoever they were, they’d be back for me, and you know what happens when I get hold of them.”

“I know you are strong, but I’m w…..”

“Martin, we’ve got to go.” Ginger dragged Jewel along.

“What are you going to do when you find them, Ginger?”

“Are they going to die?” Jewel was constantly bickering.

“Goodness, can you stop bickering, Jewel?”

“But I’m concerned and…”

“You don’t have to be this annoying right now.” Ginger pushed herself into Jewel’s car.

Jewel got behind the wheel and wiped her tears.

“Stop being a baby and drive.” Ginger thundered.

She wiped her tears again and then started the car.

It was a silent drive from the Yoke women’s prison, with both ladies mad at each other.

**************

“I need some cash,” Ginger said for the first time on their way from the prison.

Jewel pointed to her purse on the dashboard. She grabbed it and signalled her to stop.

She came to a halt, and Ginger walked out without another word.

After what seemed like ten minutes, she came back with a medicine bag.

“Wait a minute, have you been hit?”

“Mind your damn business,” Ginger said.

“Look, you don’t get to treat me this way, Carla.” She hit her hand on the steering.

“Would you stop yelling?” “And the next time you call me by that name…..”

“You’d what? ki*ll me?”

Ginger just kept staring at her face and then took a deep breath.

“No,” she answered softly. For some reason, she didn’t want Jewel to know she was dead inside.

“Have you been shot?” Jewel asked again.

“I can take care of myself.” “You are not the only brave one.” Ginger muttered.

Jewel stared at her sweaty face and shook her head. “Ungrateful.”

“Drive to the damn hotel already.” Ginger thundered in pain.

She obeyed and drove to the hotel. Ginger waited for her to finish the booking, and she rushed to pick up the first key card, leaving Jewel to sort out the food.

She rushed into the room and took off her jackets, only to notice the bullet wound on her left side.

Ginger sat on the floor, took out the new knife from the medicine bag, and started fishing out the bullet when Jewel walked in.

“Omg.” She rushed to her and started crying.

“Shut your mouth and help me here.”

“I’m calling the ambulance.” She pulled out her phone from her bag.

“I’d slit your throat, Jewel.” “Put that phone down and get your naive self here,” Ginger yelled on top of her voice in pain.

Jewel took another look at her and dropped her phone to the floor.

“What do you need me to do?” She fidgeted with her hands.

“We’ve got to get the bullet out.”

“I can’t do that.” Jewel took her eyes off her instantly.

“Do you trust me?” Ginger asked her, and she nodded. “Good, so follow my lead.”

After a good ten minutes, They were successful and proud of themselves.

Ginger sterilized her wound and was hand-stitching when their doorbell rang.

They both looked at each other.

“It’s just room service.” Jewel informed her.

“Good. I hope you ordered something strong.”

“Not really, but I asked for red wine.”

“Great,” Ginger muttered.

Jewel wiped the blood off the floor with Ginger’s jacket and walked over to the door.

Taking a look at Ginger’s condition, she asked the waiter to leave the cart for her.

She dragged it in by herself and helped get Ginger cleaned up before they started their meal.

“So, Martin.” Jewel broke their silence.

“Ahuh! “We’ve had sex several times.” Ginger answered her straightforwardly.

“Okay, I wasn’t expecting you to be that straight with me.” She laughed.

“Come on, we aren’t kids anymore.” Ginger picked up her wine glass with a smiley face.

“Is there anyone in your life?” She boldly asked.

Jewel just kept staring at her face. “Some guy.”

“Some guy, huh?”

“Yeah, and I love him, but at the same time I’m uncomfortable around him.”

“Isn’t that the whole point of love?” Ginger laughed.

“I guess so.” Jewel joined in the laughter.

“So, how’s the police commissioner?”

Jewel nearly choked on her wine. “What?”

“Oh, come on. “How else would you have found me all these years?”

“How did you know about him?”

“Prisons have ears, my dear.”

“Of course, but it was just a one-time thing, Ginger.”

“You call sleeping with your mother’s friend in order to find a murderer a one-time occurrence.”

“Ginger, you are no murderer to me, and as you said, I wouldn’t have found you and we wouldn’t have been here today if not for that sex trip.”

“It was a trip, huh?” Ginger laughed.

“Sort of, but it’s over.” “He got what he needed, and I got you back.”

“It’s a win, I get it, but what happens if your mom finds out?”

“I don’t care, and I may even tell her myself.”

“You’ve grown so bold now,” Ginger said, and there was suddenly some silence in the room.

“I miss you, Ginger,” Jewel said, reaching out for her hand.

“I missed you too, but are you sure you told no one we’ve been in contact for the past six years?”

“I swear my life on it.”

“I believe you, and I’m sorry I called you names out there.”

“That’s okay, but you know we’d still have to go home and meet the family.”

“Yeah, when we get there, we’ll cross that bridge.”

The girls reached out for a long hug.

 

“Wait, Ginger, she pulled herself out of her arms; if you knew about the commissioner, then you might have had help from up the chain because your records were sealed.”

“Yes.”

“So you could have found a way to get an early release.”

“I could, but I don’t think it would have helped.”

“Let me guess, you just didn’t want to come out.”

“Jewel, my heart stopped the day I was ripped from your arms.” “I died, and I don’t know what life I would’ve had out here.”

“You are out now; are you still dead?”

“I’m still dead inside, but I’m only out to…”

“To plan my wedding?”

“Weddings; I love them.” Ginger quickly changed the topic.