Chapter Twenty-Three
Vivienne
I watched out the window as Everett drove off, heading to the hospital. I hoped this new specialist would be able to help Jane; it was immensely saddening to think of her stuck in the hospital and to think of how much pain Everett had to be going through.
My mind wandered to that morning when I had opened up about my father, and found out that he, too, had grown up in a single parent home. The common ground seemed to have helped us grow closer.
I put some music on – some good old Bon Jovi from the 80s. After talking with Everett, it didn't feel nearly as painful to think about my dad. I knew he would have loved Everett and would have been proud of me for choosing such a decent, stand-up guy. I was lucky to have him; guys like Everett certainly weren't a dime a dozen. I couldn't help but think that his ex-wife had made a stupid mistake when she had chosen the bottle over him. What woman in her right mind would do something like that? I guessed she had a very real and very serious struggle with addiction to get through, and nobody could help her with that except her. It was just a shame that it had caused such pain and sorrow to her former husband and daughter.
Not that it was any of my business. All I could do was make sure Jane and Everett knew that I cared about them both very much and do my best to fill the empty space in their lives where a mother should have been – a role into which I could already see myself happily fitting.
After having a few throwback songs, the food from lunch and the stress of the last two days were starting to wear me down. I headed to my bedroom to take a nap.
It had been a while since I'd slept in my own bed, and it felt good to lie down on the familiar comforter and pillow. It would have been even nicer if Everett had been there wrapping his arms around me, but it was good to have a little time to myself as well.
I looked out of the window – my bedroom was upstairs, so I figured it was safe to open the drapes, as Simon wouldn't be able to see inside even if he was lurking outside somewhere – and stared at the deep blue sky with its puffy white clouds drifting about here or there. It really was a beautiful afternoon. I decided I needed to get some fresh air later. Perhaps Everett and I could go for a walk in the park or something. I'd call him when I woke up and figure things out then.
With these thoughts running through my mind, I closed my eyes, relaxed, and was asleep within minutes.
***
I woke with a start and the distinct gut feeling that something wasn't right. I wasn't sure how long I'd been asleep, but the sun was still bright in the sky, so it couldn't have been too long.
I lay still on the bed for a few moments, listening carefully for whatever the sound had been that pulled me from my nap.
A moment later, I heard it again: rattling. I got out of bed, my heart beating a little faster, a sudden wash of nervousness gushing through me. I walked on tiptoes out of my room, being careful to be as silent as possible, and paused on the landing of the stairs, focusing on trying to pinpoint the location of the sound.
There it was again – there was a definite jiggling, and it was coming from the back door. Someone was trying to pick the lock!
Immediately, waves of cold fear started to blast through my veins, and my legs felt weak and jelly-like beneath me. It had to be Simon – it had to be. And here I was, alone and unarmed!
Alright, I needed to calm down before panic got me in a tailspin and spiraling into hysteria. I needed to call someone. I had to stay calm. Help was just a phone call away.
I picked up my phone with shaking fingers and tried to call Everett. His number rang for a while and then went to voicemail. I cursed and felt fear rising, but I forced myself to stay calm and instead dialed 911. The phone seemed to ring forever before someone picked up.
"911, what's your emergency?" said a soft-spoken male voice.
"Hi, uh, someone is trying to break into my house."
"Are you alone?"
"Yes, I'm alone," I replied.
"Alright, stay calm. I need your address, and I'll get a squad car over there right away."
I gave him my address and phone number.
"Alright, ma'am, I've radioed a police car in your area, and they're heading your way now. Stay on the line, and I'll help you through this. What's your name?"
"I'm Vivienne, Vivienne Andrews."
"Vivienne, I'm Arnold Barnes. Alright, what I need you to do while you wait for the squad car to arrive is to stay calm firstly. I know that's much easier for me to say than for you to do, but try to stay in control of your emotions."
"I'm trying, I'm trying..."
"Good, that's good, Vivienne. Now, is there a room in the house in which you can lock yourself? Any place that's got a lock on the door, like a bathroom, anything like that?"
"Um, yeah, yeah, the bathroom next to my bedroom."
"Go straight there and lock yourself in there. If there's anything like a chair or something you can take to stack against the door handle to prevent the door being forced open, bring it with you. As long as it's not a chair with wheels, alright? No office chairs, just a regular old wooden chair, if you have one. If not, just go straight to the bathroom and lock it up."
"There's, uh, there are a few wooden chairs in the kitchen. But that means I'll have to go downstairs and get one, and the man is trying to get through the front door, which is near the kitchen."
"Alright, forget the chair then, we don't want to put you at risk here by potentially having you downstairs if he does get in. Just go straight to the bathroom and lock yourself in there."
"Okay, okay, I'm doing that. Hang on."
I ran back to my bedroom, headed into the bathroom and then locked the door.
At that moment, I heard the front door open.
"Oh no, oh no," I whispered into the phone, my voice hoarse with urgency. "He's in the house, he got in, and the cops haven't arrived yet!"
"Stay calm. They're close; they're a few blocks away. You should hear the sirens any minute now, and when the intruder hears them, he'll probably run. Just stay in there and keep quiet, and stand away from the door if possible."
That's when I heard a voice I hadn't heard in years – a voice that sent shivers of dread snaking down my spine.
"Alicia! Hello, Alicia... I know you're in here, so don't waste time hiding. Come out; I just want to talk..."
Simon was shouting from downstairs, so at least he wasn't close. When were the cops going to arrive?! Every second counted here.
"Is that the intruder?" asked Arnold. He could obviously hear the shouting from the phone.
"It is, yes."
"Who is Alicia? Is he looking for someone specific who lives in the house with you?"
I was in too much of a state right now to explain the whole story to this guy, so I just cut it real short.
"I'm Alicia. I changed my name to get away from him," I whispered into the phone.
"You know the intruder then?"
"Yes. He's a stalker I currently have a restraining order against. He has made repeated threats against me."
"Come out, come out wherever you are!" shouted Simon in a mocking tone. "I'm starting to get angry now, Alicia, and you know how I get when I'm angry. You know how... unhappy I can be when I'm angry."
Just then, the howling of police sirens pierced the air. Finally, they had arrived.
"You stupid little whore!" he roared. "Calling the cops, huh? Well, now I'm really unhappy, and you're going to pay dearly for this when I do find you!"
I heard heavy footsteps moving quickly down the stairs – it seemed he was fleeing.
"I think he's leaving," I said to Arnold.
"Just stay in the bathroom until the officers come into the house, alright?"
"Alright," I agreed.
After a few minutes, I heard the officers enter the house.
"This is the police!" one of them shouted. "We're coming in!"
I heard them moving around downstairs, and after a while, they came upstairs and into my room.
"Is there anyone in here?" shouted one of them. "Come out with your hands behind your head!"
"I'm in the bathroom!"
"Come out slowly, hands behind your head..."