Whatever Happen to Jayme Renee

I would like to tell you a story of a girl by the name of Jayme Renee that was born to Doug & Aimee Higgins on July 9, 1983. She had one older brother, Gregory; an older sister, Dana; and one younger sister, Katelyn. They lived all together in a house on Burton Avenue in Saunderville, Missouri. They lived on the same street as Jessica Renee, who was born to David & Aimee Russell. Jessie also had an older brother; Jon, and a older sister; Lynn. She also had two younger sisters; Josie and Grace.
Jayme and Jessie were special friends. They did everything together and was completely alike until one day Jessie just quit coming around. Jayme’s mom asked her about this but Jayme just replied that she just outgrew her. Her mom smiled and nodded okay for she knew that a friend like Jessie was never completely gone. Jayme went on with her life with her other friends and did other things.
Then in July of 1993 something terrible happened; Doug and Aimee were separating. Jayme was devastated and none of her friends seem to understand. They either didn’t see it as a big deal because their parents had been divorced for years or saw it as an opportunity to get what they wanted. Either way, they just didn’t understand because Jayme had already lost so much in her short life. But she knew that Jessie would understand; Jessie always understood her and she knew that even though they hadn’t spoken in years Jessie would be there for her. So Jayme and Jessie were once again inseparable friends. This worried both of Jayme’s parents a little but they figured that Jessie was a way of Jayme to cope. So they did not say anything to her about it.
On the day of September 9, 1993 something even more devastating happened; Doug sat his daughter down and told her that her parents were getting the divorce. She was so upset that she couldn’t talk to him. It was all his fault. Jayme ran over to Jessie’s and the girls went down to the creek that ran across the back of their houses. They played down there most of the morning when Jessie decided to go back up to the house to get some lunch.
“Aren’t you coming?” Jessie asked Jayme as she started up the small hill.
“No. I couldn’t stand to go back in there yet. Besides I’m not really hungry. I’ll just wait for you here.” Jayme replied smiling at her. Jessie nodded and headed up the hill. Half an hour later Jessie finally came back but Jayme wasn’t there. There was no sign of her any where. She hollered and hollered but Jayme never answered her. Jayme’s older brother had heard and came down to see what was going on. When he arrived, he saw the sobbing younger girl there screaming Jayme’s name. When she looked up and seen Greg she ran to him and threw her arms around him. “She’s gone, Greg! She’s gone! I was only at my house for a bite to eat and when I came back Jayme was gone!”
Greg was confused. If it wasn’t so clear that this girl was upset he would have thought it was a joke. He ran back to the house to get his dad. Doug came running to where the creek where they girls had been playing. He stared at Jessie.
“I’m sorry Mr. Higgins. I’ve looked all over but I can’t find Jayme! She was here but when I went up to the house and came back she was gone.” Jessie cried hysterically.
Doug just stared at her. He was so frighted at what she was saying but was finally able to put his arm around her and say “It’s all right. I’m sure she’s okay. Let me take you to the house and Greg will stay here looking for her. Okay?”
“Okay but maybe you ought to get Jon and my dad to help.” Jessie suggested.
“Yes. Of course I will.” Doug smiled.
Doug took Jessie back to his house and had her lie down on their couch. Doug told her he’d be right back and went to the kitchen to talk to Aimee. They talked for a while and Aimee began to cry. As Doug picked up the phone, Jessie heard Aimee ask, “What have we done, Doug?” As Doug talked on the phone Aimee came and sat beside Jessie.
“Hi honey. Can you tell me what happened?” Aimee asked carefully with such worry in her eyes.
“I went up to eat and when I got back she was just gone. I looked for her, really I did but I couldn’t find her. I just couldn’t find her! What are we going to do, Mrs. Higgins?” she put her head in her hands and begin to sob uncontrollably.
“It’s okay baby, it’s going to be just fine.” Aimee said as she hugged Jessie and rocked her back and forth.
Jessie spent the rest of the day crying then sleeping. Doug and Aimee kept a watch over her. As dark came Jessie woke up and asked if they had found her yet. Doug slowly shook his head no. Jessie stood up and began to walk to the door. She was almost there when she turned around and with tears running down her cheeks she asked, “She’s not coming back, is she?”
Doug and Aimee hugged her close and Doug whispered, “I sure hope so. I sure hope so.” He, too, was crying.
“I better go home now. My folks are going to worry. Let me know if you find anything.”
“Uh Jessie, umm, I talked to your mom and she said that it would be best for you to stay here tonight and go with us to see someone tomorrow.” Aimee explained.
“Oh. You mean like the police? I didn’t think about that, of course. Well, could I go on to bed then?” Jessie asked meekly.
“Don’t you want some supper first?” Doug asked.
“I really don’t feel like eating, Mr. Higgins. If it’s okay, I’d rather just go to bed.”
“Of course honey. You’ve had a stressful day. You go on to bed and we’ll see you in the morning.” Doug replied.
“Thank you. But where should I sleep?”
Doug and Aimee stopped and stared at one another, they couldn’t believe this was happening. What had happened to their little girl? “Why don’t you take Jayme’s room?” Aimee answered. As soon as Jessie was out of the room Aimee broke down in Doug’s arms. She couldn’t make sense out of all of this.
Jessie walked up the two flights of stairs to get to Jayme’s third floor bedroom and climbed in Jayme’s bed. She couldn’t believe how terribly alone she felt. What would she do without Jayme? Just when she got her back, this happens. Jessie tried to sleep but sleep wouldn’t come. No matter how hard she tried it just would not come. Jessie decided that she must join the search for her friend.
She crept down the stairs hoping that the Higgins’s would be asleep but they were sitting on the couch in each other’s arms. She sat on the stairs and watched them. As she watched them, she began to think how much Jayme would enjoy this. She couldn’t help but feel if they had just done this instead of divorcing, Jayme would still be here. But if they could get back together then maybe Jayme would come back, too. She no more thought that when the fight erupted. They were busy blaming each other for Jayme’s disappearance. Saddened by the sight, Jessie went back upstairs and decided to go out Jayme’s bedroom window.
She crawled out the window onto the trellis and started to crawl down. She only took a few steps when the trellis broke and she fell to the ground. She screamed in pain as she landed on her right leg and then fell to the ground. Doug and Aimee stopped their fight to run out and see what the noise was. When they seen Jessie laying there on the ground, they began to cry.
“What were you doing?” Doug asked harshly.
“I was going to be with Jayme. I had to go find her.” Jessie yelled at him. “Unlike you I love her and I want her with me. You were trying to get away; you were moving out on her.”
“That’s enough Jayme! That’s enough! Just come back to us! We love you; just come back to us.” Doug cried as he held Jessie to his chest. He picked her up and carried her to the car. He told Greg to watch his sisters because they were going to the hospital.
First Jessie went to the ER and then up to her own room. She heard Doug, Aimee and a doctor talking outside of the room. “So what’s exactly led up to this?” the doctor asked.
“It all started early last year. We gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Jayme was so excited to have another sister. You would have thought she was Jayme’s. But when she was just a few months old, she got sick. We had to rush her to the hospital one night when she was six months or so and she was diagnosed with cancer. It was inoperable and chemo wasn’t going to work either; it was too far gone. We spent the next few months trying to make her comfortable and as happy as possible. We buried her at a year old. Jayme was devastated and that’s when she started back with Jessie.” Doug stopped and regain some composure. “Grace’s death was just too much and it drove me and Aimee apart. A while ago, we separated and last night we told the kids that we were going through with the divorce. That’s when this happened.”
Jessie couldn’t believe it. Jayme hadn’t told her about the baby. Maybe because they named it Grace; her own little sister was named Grace. That must have been really hard for her. Jessie thought of the pain her friend must have been going through and started to cry. No wonder she ran away! She continued to listen to the conversation out in the hallway.
“Then she jumped out of the window and it’s our fault. She tried to kill herself and it’s all our fault!” Doug began to weep uncontrollable.
Jessie realized that he was talking about her and began to shout, “No Doug! I wasn’t trying to kill myself! I just wanted to go find Jayme and be with her! That’s all! It was an accident, I wasn’t trying to kill myself!” Jessie became hysterical as she began to realize that she was on the psych floor. She began to get out of bed when the doctor came in the room.
“You really must get back in bed. We’re here to help you. Everything is going to be fine.” the doctor reassured her. But Jessie wasn’t listening she fought to get up. The doctor order something to calm her down and let her sleep. The nurse came and put something in her IV and soon Jessie drifted off to sleep.
During the next few days she was in and out. Then one morning when she woke up for breakfast there was a man standing in her room. “Who are you?”
“Good morning. My name is Dr. Eaton and I thought I’d visit with you this morning.” the man replied.
“You don’t look like a doctor. What are you a shrink?” Jessie asked.
“I’m a psychologist.” he replied.
“I don’t need you. I wasn’t trying to kill myself.” Jessie said in a mundane tone.
“Is that why you think you are here?” Dr. Eaton replied.
“Why else would I be here? I should be out looking for Jayme.” Jessie replied quite aggravated at everyone.
“Where do you think Jayme is? Don’t you have any ideas of what happened to her?”
“Is that it? Does someone think I did something to Jayme? I couldn’t hurt her! I could never hurt her, I love her. And I might just be the only one who actually does love her!” Jessie shouted.
“Oh, I think Jayme’s parents love her quite a lot, don’t you?” Dr. Eaton asked her in a simple, even voice.
“No and she didn’t either.”
“Why would you say that? What makes you think they didn’t love her? Aren’t they worried about her?”
Jessie replied hatefully. “If they had loved her then they wouldn’t be getting a divorce.”
“Do you think that’s why Jayme went away, because of the divorce?” Dr. Eaton probed.
“Why else would she go away?” Jessie said flatly.
“That’s what I’m here to help find out. We thought talking to you would help us figure this out, since you knew her best.”
“I don’t know anything other than what I have told them, already.” Jessie said angrily. “And I don’t want to talk about it anymore.” Jessie said as she rolled over and tried to go back to sleep.
“Well, I’ll leave you for now but maybe you’ll feel like talking later.” Dr. Eaton said as he left the room.
She was thinking about the night she came into the hospital and the conversation that Jayme’s parents had with the doctor. About their baby, Grace. Maybe Jayme did tell her about the baby because it now seems like she could remember Jayme being so sad. Yes, she must of told her because the memories were there. Yes, of course, their Grace would be about the age of Jessie’s little sister. Jessie missed her sisters and brother. She wondered if Jayme missed hers.
That afternoon Greg, Dana, and Katelyn came to see her. She was delighted but still missed her brother and sisters. She talked to them for a while and they acted so strange. She couldn’t figure out why. Then Katelyn asked her when she was coming home. “I suppose when my parents come to get me. Where are they anyway? They haven’t even came to see me. Not even Jon, Lynn, Josie, or Grace, where are they? Are they out looking for Jayme?”
“Gracie died.” Katelyn replied quietly. “Don’t you remember?”
“Not your Grace, Katelyn. My Grace.” Jessie replied softly.
“STOP IT! JUST STOP IT! I don’t know what you think you are doing but stop. I want my sister back and I want you to go away! Why couldn’t you have disappeared, not her?” Greg yelled at Jessie and ran out.
“GREGORY JOHN Higgins” Doug yelled at him as he ran out of the room. Doug followed Greg and Aimee sat down beside Jessie on her bed.
“Greg’s just upset. He misses his sister that’s all. You understand, don’t you?” Aimee explained.
“Why haven’t my parents been here?” Jessie asked as nodded to acknowledge that she understood. She was so hurt by their absence and so confused why they hadn’t been here yet.
“Oh baby.” Aimee gasped as she pulled Jessie close and began to cry. Jessie didn’t understand why she responded like that but she hugged her back....
THE END

Now I ask you, Whatever happened to Jayme Renee?