As My Nightmare Ends: My Running Nightmare Part 2

By Fantasy Nelson

Renee has been in a bad car accident and lost her memory of what her life was like. When she awakes, will she fall in love with the man that has held her prisoner all these years? Will Jesse be able to win her heart while she tries to remember who she was? Or will Kevin finally be able to get the love of his life back? Find out in the sequel to My Running Nightmare.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Jun 27, 2023
• ISBN: 9781663254092

Fantasy Nelson

Fantasy is a single mother of three kids. She has been writing off and on since she was 11 years old. Her book Nightmare at Club X and its sequel, My Life As A Luna, were published on a reading app in 2020. She works full time and has since come back to her first love of writing on the side.

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

39310.jpg

K evin had been researching since he had received the call from Renee. All he’d come up with was Washington state. There were a lot of Mark Morgan’s. He’d tried researching Christian Morgan, but it had just brought up older men. He needed someone that could look into these things for him. He had no idea what he was doing other than to type in a name.

Of course, there was no social media for Marie Morgan, Mark Morgan, or Christian Morgan that had anything to do with the people he was looking for. It had been two weeks since Renee had called him and then disappeared. He’d been going through his days like a zombie. His mind was always preoccupied. The only reason he was still in this state and not in Washington was because he needed to save money again. So, he decided to get some help.

Hey, big brother. Long time, no speak.

Hey, Andy. I’m sorry I haven’t called in a while. I’ve been busy.

Sure you have. Still on your wild goose chase, I see. Why don’t you give up and come home?

I found her, Andy. She’s alive. She reached out to me.

What? Andy exclaimed.

She started messaging me under the name Marie six months ago. The more I talked to her, the more convinced I was that it was Renee.

Kevin, you can’t just take that as being Renee. I think you’re getting your hopes up for nothing.

No, I’m not. I talked to her, Andy. She was telling me without telling me that it was her. She told me she had a son that looked just like his father. Me. I’m his father. I have a son. I finally got her to call me. The moment she said my name I knew it was her. She told me to stop looking for her. Andy, I need your help, please.

Kevin, you know I love you and would do anything for you as your brother, but this has to stop. Renee told you to stop looking for her. There’s a reason for that.

Yeah, because she’s scared. She’s scared I’ll get hurt. I can handle it. It’s not just her, Andy. I have a four-year-old son. Why won’t you help me find them? Kevin begged.

Because I don’t want you to get hurt either, brother. She’s moved on with her life. Move on with yours. I completely understand wanting to see your son, but is it worth it? Is she still with the guy who took her?

Yes, he’s using me as a threat. She won’t leave him because she’s afraid of what he will do. Can’t you see? That’s why I have to find her. I have to end this once and for all.

Come home, Kevin. Your family misses you. Come home and you can stay with me. I’ll help you get back on your feet. You can save up money and eventually get your own place and start over.

I don’t want to start over. Not without Renee and Christian.

Who’s Christian? Andy asked.

My son. If you won’t help me, then I’ll just have to hire someone to look into this. It’ll be a while, but I’ll get it done somehow. I have to go, Andy. Maybe I’ll check in later.

Wait, Kevin. Don’t hang up angry. I’ll make a deal with you. Mom hasn’t physically seen you in five years. Come home. Stay with me for six months. You can save up all your money except for what you spend on your own needs. You won’t have to pay rent or anything. After six months, I’ll help you find her.

Kevin thought about it. Could he manage to wait another six months? If he did, then he could save up the money he needed to hire someone to find Renee. He stood a much better chance of finding her that way. He sighed. He hated Andy right now. Why couldn’t he just help him now?

Well? What’s your answer? Andy asked.

I’ll do it. I have to put in a two-week notice with my job. Then, I’ll head home.

Great. I’ll see you in the middle of January then?

Yeah, somewhere around then. The six months starts now though since it’s New Year’s Day. Deal?

Alright, Kevin, deal. I’m going to tell mom so don’t you dare back out on me.

I won’t, Kevin breathed out.

He hung up with Andy and called his boss. He told him he was giving notice because he was moving back home. Six more months before he could find Renee. He wasn’t going to let it take that long. He’d find someone to investigate this. He’d tried when she originally went missing, but there was no sign of her or Jesse because Jesse hadn’t left a trail in his name. In two weeks, he’d be going in the opposite direction of where he wanted to go, where his heart was.

He lay back on the bed and thought of Renee. What was she doing now? Had she given up on him? That phone call kept replaying in his head and the messages she’d sent. He had a son, one she never planned on him meeting. She’d told him goodbye. She’d told him to stop looking for her. How could she even for a second think he would stop? How in the hell had she come to care for the man who raped and beat her? How had Jesse managed to control her that much?

Renee had always had a fighting spirit but it seemed like Jesse had broken her. But, that couldn’t be because she had willingly stayed with him. She had stayed to protect him. He didn’t know whether to feel anger at her not trusting him to protect her or sadness because she’d been through hell to protect him. He sighed. He felt sadness for the life he’d lost with her. He felt sadness over having a son he’d missed out on. He wished he could turn back time and he never would’ve gone to that damn bar.

38200.jpg

Jesse stood up as he saw a police officer start walking his way. The man stopped in front of him. The officer ran his hand through his hair, looking like he didn’t want to have this conversation.

Mr. Morgan, I’m Officer Grant. I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner. We just now got the accident cleaned up. Your wife was involved in a severe accident. The driver of the other car hit an icy spot in the road when they tried to stop at a red light. We’ve already contacted the family of the other driver. Your wife was hit on the driver’s side of the car. We’re not sure if her head hit the window and broke it or if the impact of the other car did. Her car was flipped over. When we found her, she was hanging upside down with her seatbelt keeping her in place.

The door was smashed in and had pierced her side. The jaws of life were brought out to get her out. They had to cut the piece of door out that was stuck in her side and leave it until she got here. They couldn’t chance pulling it out and causing more damage. She had a pretty severe head laceration and the EMT’s said her leg was broken. I wish I had better news for you. I’m sorry, Mr. Morgan.

Jesse couldn’t breathe. He fell into the chair behind him and placed his head in his hands. He cried and screamed as he thought about what he was just told. A nurse finally came out and brought him back to a waiting room. She sat him down and tried to get him under control. When she couldn’t, she told him someone would be out to update him as soon as possible.

Was this his punishment? Was he being punished for all the bad things he’d done in his life? For the things he’d done to Renee? He’d fallen in love with her even though he’d never wanted that. She’d finally come around. She’d finally chosen to be with him and be happy. And for what? Just so he could lose her in the end? He couldn’t lose her. He finally had a family, a real one.

38203.jpg

Jesse paced the floor waiting to hear something, anything about Renee. A man came out pulling his mask off. Jesse stood up. The man had such a grave look on his face that Jesse’s heartbeat quickened. Please, don’t let her be dead, Jesse thought.

Mr. Morgan?

Yes, that’s me.

I’m, Randy, a resident working on your wife’s case. The doctors asked me to come to update you. As you know, your wife was in a very serious car accident. Did anyone go over the details with you?

A police officer informed me of the wreck and how they found her.

Okay. So, no one from the hospital has come to talk to you. When Mrs. Morgan came in, a part of her car door was in her side. It broke her ribs and punctured her stomach and pancreas. Her leg is broken in several places. They are cleaning her system out after they sewed up her pancreas and stomach. Orthopedics has set her leg. The biggest injury is her head laceration. A CT scan showed swelling of the brain. The surgeons are drilling burr holes now to relieve the pressure.

Jesse sunk back into the chair as he listened to this man talk. He wasn’t even sure what any of that meant. Renee was alive but would she survive? He couldn’t even cry anymore. He was drained.

What are burr holes? Nothing you just said made any sense to me.

Alright. I will explain everything the best that I can. When the spleen is pierced, it causes bleeding into the abdomen. Surgeons had to suck the blood out. They wanted to save your wife’s spleen, so they repaired it. They are going to keep an eye on it to make sure it is healing and not causing more complications. When the stomach is perforated, it leaks its contents into your system including bacteria. This can cause sepsis which can result in death. The surgeons have repaired that tear and are now trying to remove the contents of her stomach out of her abdomen.

Her leg was broken in two different places. The tibia and the fibula are the large and small bones in your leg below the knee. For the burr holes. The CT showed swelling in your wife’s brain. Burr holes are little holes drilled into the skull to relieve pressure off the brain. They found a subdural hematoma and are trying to fix it. It’s a brain bleed. If it’s bad enough to where the burr holes won’t work, they will need to do a craniotomy. This is where they remove part of the skull and once the surgery is done, they screw the skull back down. She’s been in surgery for the past three hours. It’s going to be a lot longer, just to prepare you.

They’re also giving her blood transfusions. Our main concern is getting everything corrected as fast as possible so that there is no more bleeding. Unfortunately, the surgeon can’t be rushed because the brain is a very delicate organ. Do you have any other questions for me?

No, Jesse whispered as he squeezed his eyes shut.

I’m sorry, Mr. Morgan. But rest assured that we are going to do everything possible to save your wife.

Jesse just nodded. He couldn’t take anymore tonight. He didn’t want to talk to anyone else unless they were telling him that Renee was okay. His head was spinning. He couldn’t even bring himself to call Greg and tell him what was happening.

38205.jpg

Jesse jerked up as he felt someone shaking him. He wasn’t even sure when he’d passed out, but he felt horrible. His head was pounding from the lack of sleep and all the crying he’d done. He looked up to see an older gentleman standing in front of him. He had a kind smile on his face.

Mr. Morgan, I’m Dr. Getty, the man said as he stood aside.

I’m Dr. Aarons, another man introduced himself.

I’m your wife’s neurosurgeon. I performed surgery on her brain. We came to update you on your wife’s condition, Dr. Getty said.

Is she, is she still alive? Jesse stammered.

She is still alive. I had to drill some holes in her skull to remove the hematoma. Luckily, we didn’t have to remove a big piece of her skull. I’m going to keep monitoring her for a while to make sure the swelling is going down. I placed a shunt in her head to drain any more fluids that may build up. If the swelling goes down in the next few days or a week, I’ll remove that. We kept her on a ventilator to help her heal. The less her body is fighting to do its normal job, the better. We’re also going to keep her sedated for a while until we know she’s out of the woods. Then, we begin to try to wake her up, Dr. Getty said and stepped back.

Mr. Morgan, I’m a general surgeon here. Your wife sustained severe injuries to her spleen, stomach, ribs, and leg. The leg should heal nicely as orthopedics have set it and we’re going to keep it elevated. We’ve also set her ribs back in place. Our main concern is sepsis. We have her on some strong antibiotics. We had to repair the tears in her stomach and spleen. We’re going to keep monitoring those to make sure they don’t reopen. We also had to go through her system and flush it out with saline to make sure we didn’t miss anything. It takes a long time to go through your bowels and make sure they are put back in correctly. So, for now, unfortunately, it’s a wait and see game, Dr. Aarons said.

Can I see her? Jesse asked.

She’s in the ICU in a sterile room. No one goes in there without being decontaminated and wearing a special outfit. Do you think you can handle it?

Yes, I’ll do whatever I need to.

Alright. Follow me.

Jesse followed Dr. Aarons. He showed him to Renee’s room. First, he had to put on gloves, a mask, a gown, and a surgical cap and then go through the decontamination chamber. He slowly walked into the room with Renee. His eyes traveled up the bed, and the further he got, the more his eyes filled with tears. Her leg was wrapped in a cast. Although she had a gown on, he could tell there were bandages under it going around her stomach. Tubes were coming out of everywhere, it seemed. He watched as the tube in her mouth made her chest rise and fall.

A sob caught in his throat when he saw her face and head. Her face was severely bruised and swollen. Her head was wrapped in bandages, and a tube came out of it. He moved over to the bed and broke down. He’d tried not to, but he couldn’t help it. He’d never felt so powerless in his life. Finally, he pulled a chair closer to the bed and sat down. He took her hand in his and just held it for a while. He wasn’t even sure what to do at this point.

I’ll leave you alone now. Talk to her, Mr. Morgan. Tell her everything you want to say to her. We don’t know if the unconscious can hear us, but we like to think they can.

Jesse just nodded his understanding, never taking his eyes off Renee. Dr. Aarons left, and Jesse just sat there staring at the woman he never wanted to love but had given his heart to. He was being punished for everything he’d done, but Renee was the one suffering because of it. She’d also suffered because of Kevin’s punishment. It wasn’t fair that it was always her. It should’ve been him in the wreck.

I don’t know if you can hear me or not, but I’m here. I need you to come back to me, Renee. I’ve never loved anyone else. I never planned on loving you, but I do. I was always the type of person that didn’t want to be emotionally connected to anyone because they were never there for me. They never cared for me, and they always left me. So I’m still not sure how you made me feel different.

Even though you hated me, you started to care for me. You showed you cared. You always did such caring things even when you were trying to defy me. I know I’m an asshole and I’ve been a royal bastard to you. I couldn’t even blame you if you didn’t put up a fight to come back. But, I’m asking you to fight. I need you. I need you like I need air. I can’t live without you.

Christian needs his mother. He needs you to come back, too. If you can just find it in you to fight and come back to us, I will spend the rest of my life making everything right. You’ll never have to worry about me losing my temper. If I feel jealous, oh well. I’ll make myself get over it. You’ll never know I feel that way. You’ll never feel anything but loved. Just come back to me, baby.

Jesse squeezed her hand and broke down in tears all over again. How could one person hurt you so badly? He’d never felt this type of pain before, and he didn’t like it. His heart was racing from thinking about Renee never waking up. He leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes. Before he knew it, he had passed out from exhaustion.

38207.jpg

Jesse woke up when a nurse came in to check on Renee. His eyes shot open, and he jerked up. He looked at the bed and realized it wasn’t all a nightmare. He had to get out of here. He couldn’t handle seeing Renee like this right now. He left the room and took all the medical gear off.

Once he was out of the hospital, he took a deep breath. He had to tell Christian, but how do you explain why mommy isn’t coming home to a four-year-old? He paced back and forth and finally got enough of a grip to walk to his car. The sun was up and melting the snow and ice. Jesse got in his car and drove to Greg’s house.

Nancy opened the door when he knocked and immediately hugged him. She ushered him inside, and Christian immediately ran up when he saw him.

Daddy! Where did you go? Where’s Mommy?

Mommy’s in the hospital, buddy, Jesse said as he bent down to hug Christian.

Why? Christian cried.

I’m sorry, buddy, but Mommy was in a car accident. Another car lost control on the ice and hit Mommy’s car. She was hurt really bad, Jesse said as he hugged Christian tight.

I want Mommy! Take me to Mommy! Christian yelled.

I’m sorry, Christian, but I can’t. Not right now. When Mommy is better and I’m able to take you, I will, okay?

No! I want to see her now!

I know you do, but you can’t right now. I need to talk to Greg and Nancy for a few minutes. Please, go play while I do that. Okay?

Christian started crying again and ran off, yelling, I hate you!

He’ll come around. He’s just upset right now, Nancy said.

I know, Jesse whispered.

Jesse sighed and ran his hand over his face. He’d have to deal with Christian later. He didn’t even know how to deal with his feelings right now, let alone a kid’s. He followed Nancy into the living room and sat down. Greg leaned forward and clasped his hands in his.

I don’t know if you’re a praying man or not, but I am. I’ve been praying non-stop since you called.

Thanks, Greg.

What happened? How bad is it? Greg asked.

It’s really bad. A car smashed into the side of Tabitha’s car on the driver’s side. She has a broken leg, broken ribs, punctured spleen, and stomach, and she had a brain bleed. They put her on a ventilator, and they are keeping her sedated.

Jesse felt tears trailing down his face as he told them about Renee. Nancy hugged him as she cried, too. Greg was praying while he held Jesse’s hands. Jesse was taken aback by the feeling of love. He’d never considered that no matter what, these people were there for him, as he’d never had friends like them before.

He stayed there with them for a while as they talked. They helped him develop a schedule for Christian since school started back up on Monday. Then, he contacted his boss to let him know what had happened. His boss told him he would put in for FMLA on his behalf. Jesse knew he wouldn’t be able to go back to work with Renee in the hospital. All he could do at this point was make sure Christian was taken care of.

CHAPTER 2

39310.jpg

I t’d been a week since Renee was in the accident. Jesse had shown up every day after putting Christian on the bus for school. He talked to her about how things were going with Christian. Christian was still upset that he couldn’t see his mom. Jesse felt terrible about that. He told her about his FMLA and how he would be there for her every day until she woke up. Nurses would check her vitals every so often, and he’d try to stay out of the way.

The Doctor came in, and Jesse sat up. He came over and checked Renee’s chart. Once he was satisfied with what he saw, he turned to Jesse.

Mr. Morgan, the swelling has stopped. I’m going to remove the shunt today. We are going to keep Mrs. Morgan sedated for now. If everything goes well with the removal, then we will start weaning her off of the sedation in a day or two.

What happens when you take her completely off the sedation?

Hopefully, she wakes up.

What if she doesn’t wake up? Jesse whispered.

It’s a possibility that she won’t. She may be in a coma, but we won’t know until we try to wake her up. Her brain activity is good. We have hope that she’ll recover completely based on that, but only time will tell.

Thank you, Doctor. I appreciate everything you’ve done.

I took an oath. My job is to save the patient, but I get fulfillment in knowing I saved a life. It gives my life purpose.

Well, thank you. When will you be performing the surgery?

She’s scheduled for the OR in two hours. The nurses will be in within an hour to prep her. You’ll have to wait in the waiting room if you wish to stay. If there’s anything you want to say to her, now would be the time. I’ll leave you alone for a little bit. Also, once the surgery is over, we will be moving your wife to a private room. You won’t have to gown up anymore. Our fear of sepsis has been greatly reduced. We’re going to keep her on antibiotics until she’s healed so no chances are taken.

Thank you, Doctor.

You’re welcome. We’ll see you later today.

Jesse nodded as the Doctor walked out. He took Renee’s hand in his. He couldn’t wait until he could hold her hand without a glove between them. Hopefully, if everything went well, he would be talking to her in a few days.

Well, baby, it looks like you’ll be having one last surgery today. If all goes well, I’ll be talking to you in a few days. I can’t wait. Christian keeps asking when he can see you. If they actually put you in a private room, I can bring him. That’ll make him happy. He needs this since he’s been sad. He’s just too young to understand. It’ll be Valentine’s Day before you know it. I’m not really good at planning stuff like that. You were always way better at it. But, if you’re still in here, I’ll figure something out.

Maybe I can celebrate with Christian like you always do. I don’t know if that will help him or not. I hope you can hear me, Renee. I hope you know how much I love you, how much Christian loves you. I’ll be right here waiting for you when you get out of surgery. I’m not going anywhere, my love, so please, fight. I know I keep saying that but it’s all I know to do to get you to come back to me.

Jesse kissed her hand even though it was through a mask. He held her hand as he looked at her a bit longer. He finally got up and left. A nurse showed him to the waiting room, and he sat down, waiting for the Doctor to come out and tell him how everything went.

38209.jpg

Jesse was back to pacing the floor, waiting on the Doctor to come to talk to him. He was thinking of so many things. Christian was going to turn five in no time. Three months after that, Renee will have been with him for six years. Would she wake up before then? How was the accident going to affect her? How was it going to affect Christian? He was no longer the happy-go-lucky kid he had been. Jesse ran his hand through his hair as he sat down.

He’d never been a praying man, but today, he prayed. He prayed for Renee to be okay. He prayed that they could start over, and he was given a chance to prove to her that he loved her. He prayed that they could be a family again. He prayed that he could be the man Renee needed.

He looked up as he heard someone walking. He saw the Doctor coming toward him as he pulled his mask off. Jesse stood up, nervous about what the Doctor was going to say.

Mr. Morgan, the shunt has been removed. Mrs. Morgan is fine. I’ll keep an eye on her but hopefully Monday morning we will begin to wean her off the sedation, the Doctor said.

Oh, thank God. Thank you, Doctor, Jesse said.

You’re welcome. She’s in recovery right now. Once they move her to her own room, you can go see her.

Jesse was all smiles. In a couple more days, he would be able to talk to Renee, and she could actually hear him and respond. He called Greg and told him what was going on. Greg went and got Christian. He put him on the phone so that Jesse could talk to him.

Hey, buddy. I’ve got some good news about Mommy.

Is she up? Can I see her?

Not yet, bud. She’s still sleeping because she’s hurting. The Doctor says he’s going to wake her up in a few days. So, I’ll bring you by Monday after school to see her. Okay?

Okay, Daddy!

Jesse smiled as he heard the excitement in Christian’s voice. He’d been so down all week that it was good to hear. He talked to him for a few more minutes and hung up.

An hour later, a nurse came to get Jesse. She took him to a private room. She let him know this would be Renee’s permanent room for her stay. He sat down beside the bed and took Renee’s hand in his. He kissed it and just sat there watching her chest rise and fall. He knew the ventilator was breathing for her, but he was still happy to see it.

A nurse came in after a while to change her bandages and sponge bath her. She asked if he wanted to step out, but he said no. He watched as she disconnected everything. She took her gown off, and he saw the bulky bandages. When the nurse took them off, his eyes widened. There was bruising around her sternum and all over her stomach. There was a big cut down her side and across her stomach that was sewn up.

Another nurse came in and helped her bathe Renee. The nurses quickly washed the front of Renee. Then, one nurse rolled her onto her side, and the second nurse bathed her back. Jesse saw the cut went towards her back. It was going to leave a scar.

A third nurse came in and helped them change the sheet under Renee. That was a sight as they had to push the old one under Renee and the new one and slowly roll her partway onto her injured side to pull the sheet to that side of the bed. The third nurse left. The first two nurses worked together to rewrap her bandage. One had to prop her up while the other quickly wrapped it around her. Once they were all finished, they left.

Jesse