Okay so a few of you may not remember Melissa. She was in the first couple chapters as Rachelle's mom. Rachelle and Melissa will both be speaking in this chapter.Don't worry. This isn't the last chapter but sadly there is only one chapter left after this! =( I enjoyed writing this and I'm thankful for those of you who took time out of your day to read and support this story! =)
So another terrible year has past. Things are still crazy here. Joe hasn't changed at all but he's calmed down a little bit. If Samantha weren't here to keep him company I'm sure he'd be beaten on me alot more.
It's been eight years since Joe and I first layed eyes on one another. That moment I saw him standing there ready to kidnap me I thought, great my life is going to get alot worse.
Suprisingly Joe and I fell in love. The first six years were great except for the little complications we had, but somehow we always managed to pull through.
These past couple years however have just been complete hell. I thought Joe and I could get through anything but he let his jealousy finally get the best of him.
I miss the Joe I fell in love with. The old Joe was sweet and caring and did everything in his power to protect me. The Joe I use to know felt guilty about keeping me prisioner and was ready to let me go until I begged him to let me stay.
I now realize that I should of went back home to my mom when I had the chance, but I was stupid and fell for a guy I didn't know anything about. How could I fall in love with someone who kidnapped me? It's complicated but everything happens for a reason, I guess. Like I said if I would have known then what I know now, I would have never stayed with Joe.
It's sad to know that Joe actually did love me at one point and would do anything to protect me. But now he hates me and is the one putting me in harms way.
Even though Joe has calmed down and is now with Samantha, he still bothers me here and there. When he does decide to bother me, it's awful.
Atleast once a month he'll come in the garage and force himself on me. If I give him a hard time about it he'll either hit me in the mouth or make me go a week without food. Water is the only thing I'm allowed to have when I get that punishment.
When I'm laying down staring at the ceiling theres always that one thing on my mind that bothers me. Did I do this to myself?
I'm sure if the whole thing with Jake didn't happen, Joe and I would still be extremely happy. So was it really me who put myself in danger by staying with him?
Whoever's fault it may be, I know I'm atleast a little bit happy to see the real Joe. I just think that what if I had met Joe on the streets and got to know him and start dating him, would he turn out like this if I made a mistake?
Jealousy is an awful thing and I know how it feels, but you just have to know how to control it. You can't let something like that take over your mind because then it's not you making your descions, it's the jealousy doing it for you.
Either way it's made me a stronger person to have to deal with all of this. It's not something I ever wanted to go through but if I ever get out of here this is going to help me deal with people alot more. Instead of being scared and weak, I'm going to start sticking up for myself.
I do have faith that I will one day get out of here. It may not be today or tomorrow. It may just be so many years from now but I know one day I will see my mother again. I know she's not the greatest person in the world but I believe once I get back home we'll be able to work on a real relationship.
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Melissa's Pov
It's been eight years today since my daughter went missing. She's going to be turning twenty five in a few months. It's sad that I may miss another birthday of hers.
I'm still working but I chose to get a job closer to home just incase my baby comes back. I still make decent money. I'm actually making more then what I did when I traveled so that's a plus.
I'm so torn up about not spending time with my daughter when I had the chance. I never stopped and took Rachelle's feelings seriously when her father died. They were so close so I know that was hard on her. Rachelle's dad taught her everything she knows because I was always too busy with work.
I believe the saying you don't know what you have until it's gone because I didn't realize how great of a daughter I had until she was gone. I would do anything to bring her back home and show her that I changed and I would do anything for her.
The police are still working very hard to find Rachelle. I was hard on the detectives involved in my daughters case at first but any parent would be. I didn't feel they were doing enough but I now know that their doing everything that they possibly can to bring Rachelle home.
People in the community have been so supportive. Everyone around here is helping out as much as they can. I never knew that so many people who didn't even know my daughter would come together and help like this. It's amazing how many people have been helping out. I'm so grateful for everybody and never again will I judge another person in a bad way.
It's hard for me to get up each morning. It's going to be hard going over to my mother's today. She's going to want to know why I'm sad. I hate that she doesn't remember Rachelle because of her old age.
I cant even believe my mom has even made it this far. A year before Rachelle went missing, the doctors told us my mother didn't have much longer to live but here she is nine years later still fighting for her life. I know that wherever Rachelle may be, she's still alive because strong woman run through this family.
"Mom? Where are you at?" I panicked hoping nothing bad happened.
"I know where she's at." My mom gave me a serious look.
"Mom, sit down. What are you talking about? You know where who is at?" I asked thinking my mom was loosing her mind.
"Rachelle. I know where she is." My mom kept repeating.
"What? What are you talking about?" I started to worry but I had hope that my mom was remembering something.
"A..A man." She continued.
"A man? Mom, what man? Did somebody take Rachelle from here?" I asked hoping for a lead.
"A man in a red truck. He was outside." Mom continued to spill out.
"Keep going. Tell me everything you remember." I begged.
"He forced her in his truck. A red truck. Tall. Dirty blonde hair. I think blue eyes." My mother started to describe the man.
"Mom, I'm going to write all this down and take it to the cops. If the cops come here do you think your going to be able to tell them what you just told me?" I asked hoping she would say yes.
"I..I don't know." She cried.
"Will you just nod your head yes to the questions then?" I asked also starting to cry tears of joy.
"Yes." She agreed.
"Good. Is there anything elese you remember?" I asked in hope.
"No." Mom shook her head.
"Alright well lets get you your medicine and then I'm going to call the detectives over here."
When the detectives got here, mom shook her head to the questions they were asking her. The cops told us that it may not be much to go on but they would go back to the station and check out any suspicious behaviors on any red trucks and report back to us.
I sat patiently for hours waiting for the detectives to call me back. The more and more I waited felt like days were passing by until finally detective Arnold came to the door.
"Did you get anything?" I asked hoping something had come up.
"About a few years back, an older lady reported some strange behavior going on as she was walking past a house of another woman named Susan. She said she saw people running out of that house and into a red truck. This susan lady also has a son by the name of Frank who lives with her. We sent out detectives Carr and Brown to go check it out." The detective told me.
"Are they checking it out now?" I asked hoping so.
"Yes they are. I'm going to head on over there and I'll be back as soon as we get some information." The detective said as he headed for the door.
"Thank you so much." I cried.
I hated to wait any longer but I was glad to get another lead. My mom hasn't remembered much in so many years now. It's almost crazy that she would remember this. For her to remember something like this years after Rachelle's been missing must be some kind of sign. I know deep in my heart that something is going to come out of this.
I suddenly got a sick feeling in my stomach and I immediately ran over to my mom's house to go check on her. I didn't even bother putting on shocks or shoes. I knew something wasn't right.
I ran into my mom's house without even knocking on the door. I cried at the sight. My mom was laying on the floor. I ran over and tried to wake her up but she didn't have a pulse. I called an ambulance and demanded they get here as soon as possible. I lay down on the floor next to her and cried. I couldn't loose my mom yet. I wans't ready.
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Rachelle's Pov
So I'm laying here and in the pit of my stomach I just have a feeling that something awful has happened and that something good is going to come out of it. It's weird. It's like I'm almost having visions of something but I can't quite wrap my finger around it.
"Rachelle?" Sam walked in the garage with a tear falling from her eyes.
"Um what's wrong with you?" I asked kind of rudely but feeling bad.
"I'm leaving. Joe put his hands on me." Sam continued to cry.
"Why?" I asked in shock.
"We had an argument. I was trying to convince him to let you go because I wanted it to just be me and him. He got pissed and doesn't trust me now."
"That's terrible. Where's he at now?" I asked concerned.
"He got mad and left. Now's our chance to get the hell out of here. What do you say?" Sam was serious and I was shocked she was going to help me get out of here.
Sam and I made it to the door as Joe was walking in. He looked pissed that we were trying to escape. Sam and I looked at eachother in fear. We both knew that this wasn't going to turn out good.
"Lets go girls." Joe said as he grabbed both of us by the arm and dragged us towards the garage.
Joe pushed me into the garage. I fell and hit my head so I was knocked out for a few seconds. When I finally got back up I heard the door locking behind me.
Sam wasn't in the garage with me so I was worried what he was going to do to her. I know I don't like Sam and she's been terrible to me but nobody deserves to go through this. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy, which is now Joe.
I was trying to get out of here and go help Sam but I should have known that if I couldn't get out of here before that I wouldn't be able to now.
Minutes went by before I heard anything. I sat on the bed and cried at what I was hearing. I could just hear Joe hitting Sam and her crying and begging him not to. Soon I didn't hear anything at all. That was good because it meant he stopped hitting her but then I feared something far worse. What? Is she quiet because he killed her? I was scared as hell and then I hear Joe's footsteps coming closer to the garage.
"You should know better then to try to escape. How many times have you tried to run and how many times have I caught you?" Joe was furious and covered in blood.
"What did you do to Sam?" I asked scared and worried.
"We don't have to worry about that tramp anymore." Joe came closer and put his arms around me.
"What the hell is that suppose to mean?" I asked still worried.
"She's dead. I'm going to go take a shower and get this mess off me. I'll be back in a little bit to try and make a baby so be ready." Joe giggled evily has he walked towards the door.
"Don't worry, I'd never kill you. I love you too much." Joe still had an evil look on his face.
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Melissa's Pov
My mom was rushed into the hospital and now all I could do was sit and wait. When I was in the ambulance, they said it wasn't looking to good and that she probably wouldn't make it through the night. Still I was hoping for the best.
Hours passed and the doctors kept telling me that it wasn't looking good and that they were trying everything in their power to get my mother back.
Another hour passed before the doctors told me they couldn't do anything more and my mom didn't make it. My heart dropped as I went to say my final goodbyes. I don't believe this is happening right now.
I knew I couldn't stay with my mom all night because I had to go home and make funeral arragments. I don't want to even believe this is true. After all this time my mother's gone. At least I could say she was a fighter. She fought until she didn't have it left in her anymore.
As I was walking out of the hospital, Detective Arnold came running up to me.
"Miss, I'm so sorry about your mother but I have some great news that will make you feel a little bit better." Detective Arnold had a feeling of sorrow in his voice for me but he also sounded very happy.
"What's going on? Did you hear something about Rachelle?" I asked in hope.
"This Frank guy came clean about everything. You may not want to hear some of it but it's important that you do." The detective continued.
"Go on." I said hoping my babygirl was going to be found soon.
"Well Joe Marco took Rachelle right in front of your home when she was walking home from school. Frank admitted that Joe started to feel bad about taking your daughter and wanted her to go back home but she fell in love with him and begged him to let her stay." I was in shock by what detective Arnold was telling me.
"What? My daughter wouldn't fall in love with some physco who kidnapped her." I didn't want to believe it.
"According to this Frank guy, she did. After awhile, Frank tried to rape Rachelle but Joe walked in. Joe and Frank got into it and once Frank was unconsious, Joe and Rachelle took off. Joe has a sister named Mia who was helping them out. Frank found out about Mia and held her husband and two kids hostage while Mia went to visit them. Frank threatened to kill her husband and kids if Mia didn't bring Frank and Rachelle to him." The detective was cut off when his phone rang.
"Can you ignore that?" I got frustrated and needed more information.
"I'm sorry it could have been important."
"Okay. Well go on with what you were saying. Do you know where Rachelle is at?" I asked wanting to know if she was finally going to be able to come home.
"Not yet but we have a really strong lead. Anyway when Mia, Joe, and Rachelle went to Franks, something happened and they were able to escape. Frank swears up and down that he doesn't know where their at but we're looking into where Mia and her husband Ben are. We have detective Brown looking into it. He's should be on his way to go talk to them now. We did arrest Frank for being an accessory to kidnapping, kidnapping, and rape." Detective Arnold sounded confident that this Mia and Ben were going to give him answers.
Detective Arnold assured me that he would let me know what was going on as soon as he knew. I was hopeful that Mia and Ben would talk to the officers but scared they wouldn't. They may just want to protect theirselves and might not say a word about anything. I hope they do the right thing and talk so my daughter can be brought home safely.
Detective Arnold continued to tell me that he had more information on this Joe guy. Joe Walkins apparently ran away from home when he was younger. Nobody knows why but suspects from his adoptive parents actions, that Joe may have been abused as a child.
I don't want to believe Rachelle fell in love with this guy. What if she doesn't want to be found? What if she is found and won't come home? I don't think I'd be able to go on with my life.
I went home to try and get some sleep but I kept waking up during the night. I kept waking up and crying about my mother. I was also hoping to get a phone call saying they got Rachelle.
The next morning my phone rang and it was detective Arnold. I was hoping for the best.
"Good news. Ben told us everything. We went to Mia's first but she wasn't home. We're hoping Rachelle's still at the place Ben told us she'd be. Cases like this you never know because people can be on the run alot." I was scared about the last sentence the detective told me.
"Well are you going to go check then?" I was glad he called to tell me this but worried he wasn't on his way to the place as we spoke.
"We have detectives on thier way there and I'm headed there now."
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Rachelle's Pov
After Joe had washed himself up he came back to the garage like he said he would. I was hoping he was joking but apparently not.
Joe sat down next to me and I started shaking real bad as he put his arm around me. I didn't know what was going to happen to me. Joe already killed one person. He said he would never kill me but I can't trust that.
"You know I was pissed when you lied about being pregant with my baby, but I had time to think about it and I forgive you. So how about a baby now?" Joe looked at me like he was serious and started kissing me.
"Are you crazy? I would never have your baby." I snapped.
Joe then got up out of the bed and walked in the opposite direction pasting back and forth. After a minute or so he grabbed me out of the bed by my hair and punched me in the face. He then pushed me back on the bed and started to undress me.
When Joe got done undressing me, he zipped down his pants and started to take his shirt off. I saw this as my chance to get out of this place. The door was unlocked and if I just did something to hurt Joe, I could run past him and escape.
I kicked Joe straight in the face. Joe started to groan in pain so I hurried up and got out of the bed. I thought I could get away with this but Joe quickly recovered and pulled me back onto the bed. I was being punched repeatedly in the face and dragged back and forth against the room. I honestly thought I was going to die. I then went unconsious.
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"Rachelle? Baby your awake. Doctor, she's awake..She's awake." I heard a voice that sounded alot like my mother.
I thought I was dreaming. I couldn't see anything. My sight was so blurry.
"Rachelle, I'm Dr. Reeves. Can you hear me?" I could hear but I was in shock.
"W..What's going on?" I was hoping this was real. I was still in so much pain. It hurt to even talk.
"Baby. It's your mother. Your safe now. Joe's in prison. My mother told me and I couldn't believe it.
"How did you find me?" I asked happy that I didn't have to go through that pain anymore. My mom actually sounded happy to see me.
"You can thank gradma when we go to her funeral in a couple days." My mom sounded sad.
"When did she pass?" I asked now sad with a single tear falling down my face.
"Last night. During the day she remembered what happened outside her house and that helped us find you. A little while later I went to check on her. She had a heart attack."
"I'm so sorry to hear that. I feel terrible." I was now in tears.
"It's not your fault baby. Grandma left you a letter before she went." My mom started crying.
"Heres the letter. You need to get some rest so you can come home. I'm going to be in the waiting room. I'm going to go get some coffee. Page me if you need anything. I love you." My mom was still in tears.
"I love you to." I said as my mom walked out of the room.
I opened the letter that was adressed to me from my grandma.
"Dear Rachelle,
I am remembering some things about you that I haven't remembered in years. I remember something terrible that happened and I hope I remember this when your mom comes to check on me. I know my daughter hasn't been the best mom to you but she's been fighting like hell to get you back in her arms. I' m sorry I forgot who you were and I'm writing this while I can still remember. So when you come home and you get this just know that even if I don't remember, I love you. I hope what I know helps and I hope I continue to remember things. I love you and stay strong babygirl. Come home to us soon! Love grandma!"
I was in tears after reading the letter. I was shocked she even made it this far. She wasn't even suppose to live much longer and that's before I went missing. She made it all this way and I'm pretty sure it was meant to be like that. She was suppose to remember so she could bring me back home. Her remembering that one little detail outside her house led to me being found.
I don't remember the police coming in to get me because I was unconsious from Joe repeatedly hitting me. I was loosing hope that I was going to get out. It's a miracle I'm still alive. A minute later and I could have been dead.
I still have alot of questions but for now I'm just going to enjoy my freedom. Even laying in a hospital bed is way more freedom then I've had in years. As soon as I feel better I can get out of here and work on a relationship with my mother.
I now know she cares about me and loves me. It sucks that it had to take something as tragic as this to happen but I believe only good things can come out of this.
"Honey you have a vistitor. He says his name is Jake. Do you want me to send him away?" My mom sounded worry.
"No don't send him away. He's actually a really good friend. Let him in." I was happy to hear that Jake had come all this way just to see me.
Jake walked in the room still as handsome as ever with his blonde hair and blue eyes.
"I..I can't." Jake looked away.
"You can't what? Please stay." I begged.
"It's my fault." Jake sounded like he was ready to cry.
"No way. You can't possibly think any of this is your fault." I felt terrible that he thought that.
"When I didn't see you around anymore I should have came to check on you." Jake grabbed my hand and I could tell he was trying to hold back the tears.
"It's still not your fault. I should have left with you that night. All that matters is I'm home now and I don't have to go through that anymore." I looked Jake in the eyes with the truth. None of this was ever his fault.
"Anyway lets drop that subject. How are you and Lindee doing? How's your baby doing?" I asked hoping to change the subject.
"Lindee and I aren't together. The baby wasn't mine. She messed with another guy a week before getting with me." Jake said with sadness in his voice.
"I'm so sorry to hear that. That's terrible." I felt extremely bad.
"Everything happens for a reason, right? Lets not talk about that either though. I'd rather talk about a future with you." Jake looked me in the eyes and I could tell he was serious.
I was in total shock but also happy and scared. I was curious as if I could trust another guy after what I been through but theres just something about Jake. I know he's loyal. Jake can say he'd never hurt me and actually mean it. I know Jake was never over us and deep down neither was I, but Jake being the person he is didn't want to be selfish and knew I had to make that decision on my own.