Searching For Jenna novel Chapter 10

"So far there's been nothing on the body," Ada said in an equally quiet voice. "I don't know how Matthews got rid of it so quickly, but we have pretty much scoured all of Evansville trying to find it. Where does one stick a dead body in a body bag in less than two hours' time?"

"He had to have had help," Dana said. "But the body will turn up sooner or later."

"Hopefully before Michael Matthews, or some of his associates, find Jenna," Ada said. She grabbed her leather bag and slung it over her shoulder. "I'll see you later."

Dana gave her a wave before walking over and looking down at Jenna. "You poor young woman. When you wake up, you are going to be in a lot of pain and find out that your world has been turned upside down. Please wake up soon. You are not safe here."

Jenna tried to open her eyes, but they refused to work. The pain in her head and face was excruciating. She was thirsty, but she couldn't feel her tongue. People were talking, but they sounded muffled like they were in another room. She began to panic when she tried to move her arms and found that she was bound to the bed where she was laying.

"She's coming around," someone said.

A hand moved over hers slowly. "It's okay. You're safe," a man said.

Jenna tried to pull her hand away from the man's and started fighting against her restraints. Within seconds a hot sensation went into her arm. Her body went limp and her consciousness faded, again.

* * *

Light. Jenna could sense the light. Her right eye was able to open just a crack. She was in a semi-dark room, but there was daylight coming from her right. How long had she been unconscious? Her brain felt like a ship slowly moving through the fog in murky waters. She couldn't remember anything. All she knew was that she was awake. She tried to move her hand to her face, but it was bound to the bed.

She remembered waking up before and freaking out when she realized she was tied to a bed. A man had been there. He touched her hand and told her she was safe. If she was safe, why was she tied to the bed?

She lay there and tried to open both eyes, but the left eyelid would not move. It was like she had no muscles in it. There was a dull pain that ran all through the left side of her face and up into her head. Her right eye was able to open a little wider. She could see a window to the right and a white curtain on a metal rail to her left. She was in a hospital.

Her legs were bound to the bed as well as her hands. Her bladder suddenly emptied, and she panicked, thinking she'd peed on the bed, but then she felt the catheter. She was naked in a thin hospital gown. Slowly her thoughts started to clear, but she couldn't remember how she'd gotten here, or why she couldn't open her left eye.

"Good morning," a woman said.

The nurse came into the view of Jenna's right eye. She opened her mouth to speak, but her jaw wouldn't move, and only a gurgle came out.

It seemed like forever before a doctor came around the curtain. He was dark skinned with dark eyes and black hair. Jenna wasn't sure what his nationality was. He could have been from India or somewhere in that region, but when he spoke, he had no accent. "Good morning. Are you in pain?" he asked as he took her arm and felt for her pulse.

She shook her head.

"Do you remember what happened to you?" he asked as he looked at the machine that was reading her vitals.

Jenna shook her head again.

The doctor looked into her right eye. "Someone beat you up very badly. They broke your jaw in several places on the left side. Your mouth is wired shut, that's why you can't talk. Your left eye is swollen shut, and some of the bones around your eye socket are broken." He paused for a moment letting Jenna take in the information. "Do you remember who did this to you?"

There were flashes of a memory, but nothing concrete, so she shook her head.

The doctor took out a little flashlight. "I'm going to shine this light in your eye for a second, try to hold it open. Okay?"