EPISODE THREE

EPISODE THREE

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Her arm hurt, and something heavy held down her leg. She managed to lift her head and saw that her hand and arm were in a cast. A man's head rested against her leg, and she immediately recongnized the shock of wirly auburn hair.

Jessica's heart leapt to her throat. "Tom! She gasped.

But it couldn't be tom. Tom was dead. He'd died two years ago.

Yet, when the head jerked up, tom's hazel eyes looked at her. Eyes more green than hazel really. Eyes so expensive that they telegraphed his every mood. They were strong and clear instead of filled with pain, and his body was sturdy and healthy again instead of- oh, lord!

" did I die? " she asked. "Is this hevean?"

"Die? Heaven?" He scowled. "What are you talking about you are in the hospital. In harilingen texas. You were hurt. Dont you remeber?"

Jessica rubbed her head and blinked her eyes several times, trying to shake the dream. Tom didn't dissapear. Her heart beganto race, and alarm burgeoned inside her. "Wh-why are you here?"

I'm here for some qusetions. Just who the devil are you?"

"I'm Jessica, your wife. Dont you recongnize me?"

"Lady, until I saw you in the cafeteria last night, I'd never laid eyes on you in my life. What's your game?

Her heart pounded faster, and her mouth went bone-dry. " i don't knowwhat you're talking about. " she struggled tosit up, meaning tobolt, but things went woozy, and tom grabbed her.

"Take it easy. You have an IV on your arm, and you need to stay in bed."

The hands on her shoulders felt very warm and very real. She could even smell the aftershave he always wore. Panic gripped her chest and her heart was in her throat. "You are frightening me. Go away, tom just go away. You're dead."

She squeezed her eyes shut and prayed.

"I'm not dead. Here, feel." He took her hand and stamped it over his face. I'm very much alive. And my name isn't tom."

Her eyes popped open, and she starred at the man.

Her fingers moved over the familar nose, the deep cleft in his chin. "You look like tom. You feel like tom. You sound like tom. I dont understand whats hapenning. Who are you?"

I'm smith Rutledge. Smith Allan Rutledge, chairman of the board of smith crop, the computer manufacturing company. Ring any bells?"

She shock her head. "Not really, expect... I have a blue smith laptop. That smith?"

"That's the one. Now, who are you? And who is tom you have being talking about?"

I'm Jessica O'Connor smith. And tom, thomas edward smith, is-was my husband. You look exactly-"

A white coated man and a nurse breezed in the door. "Good morning, Jessica," the man said. I'm Dr. Vargas. How are you feeling this morning? Better?"

I'm feeling fine, thank you. I need to get out of here. I don't have insurance. I can't aford this," she said gesturing over the room with her good arm.

"The billl must be astronomical."

Dr.Vargas smilled. Don't worryabout the bill. Just concentate on your recovery. I've looked over al your tests, and, expect for your being anemic, everything checks out okay. You can go home. I'll give you a diet and a prescription for medication for the anemia as well as some pain pils for your wirst."

She lifted her casted hand. "What happened?"

"You fractured your wirst. It will be good as new in about six weeks. You can come back and see me then unless you have a problem. We can recheck your hemoglobin then, too".

" six weeks? But I don't even live here. I'm on my way to Brownsville, well, Matamoros really. I planned to leave the RV in Brownsville and have a -" Jessica sttoped abruptly, realising that she was babbling. "Sorry," she said.

"You're driving an RV?" The doctor asked as he tore the prescriptions from his pad. "Alone?"

"Yes, of course."

"I wouldn't recomend driving for a while, especially not an RV. And with the anemia, i'd like you to rest and follow his regimen until we see if it clears up. If not, we'll need to do some further tests."

"But I can't stay here, Dr.vargas. i don't know anyone here, besides, i have work to do, and-"

Smith Rutledge deftly sliped the papers from the doctors hand. 'I'll see that she follows orders, Dr. Vargas."

"Ah, very good, Mr. Rutledge. We at valley memorial are always happy to be of service." He pated jesica's kness, smiled broadly abd said, i'll see you in six weeks." With that, he whirled and was out the door.

"Just what do you mean that you "ll see that i follow your orders? Who do you think you are?"

For the first time he grinned, although his expression had a definite menacing air. "I thought we had already established that. I'm smith Rutledge, the man who wants answers, and I'm taking you home with me."

"Like hell you are!"

Jessica was never quite sure how he pulled it off. Even the hospital administrator and the chief of staf vouching for the sterling character of one of the town's leading citizens, she had no intention of letting him take her anywhere. Maybe the drugs made her to goofy to be sensible, or maybe it was simply befuddlement over the man who was a dead ringer for tom that overcome her defenses. In any case, she found herself swaddled in a blanket in the front seat of smith rutledge's very fancy SUV, a pilow under her arm and her belonginings in a plastic bag in the back seat.

'I'm really concerned about my RV," she said.

"Almost everything i own is in it, and it's still parked in the lot at the cafeteria."

"Not a problem. One of my men is moving it to the farm. In fact, it ought ttobe there by the time we are."

Stunned, she starred at him. "Where did you get the keys?"

"From that monster of a purse you had with you."

"You looked in my purse?"

"Of course i did. How else could i have goten your name?" You were out cold."

She started to protest, then sighed and rubbed her head.

"Head hurting? He asked.

" A little. I'm very sensitive to painkillers. My brain is foggy, and I have a humongous hangover. Plus, this whole thing in bizzare. I feel if i am in the midle of a dream