I enter the house, ready to spend time with my girls before we leave for Carolina in the morning. But the moment I step through the threshold, I can tell something’s off. The atmosphere feels heavy and somber.
I take cautious steps farther into my home, looking around for anything out of place.I can’t tell what this feeling is, but I don’t like it one bit.I find Emma standing in the kitchen with her phone pressed to her ear, her back to me with her shoulders hunched up.
She turns slightly to the side, and I notice her hand to her mouth as she bites on her nails. The look on her face instantly tells me something’s wrong. “Bunny?”
Her head turns to me promptly, and the dam breaks the moment her eyes find mine. Tears spill down her cheeks, and sobs rack her slim body. I quickly step up to her, taking the phone from her hand and setting it on the island, then cupping her cheeks with both hands.
“Baby, breathe. Tell me what’s wrong.”
“She-she’s not answering h-her phone, and I don-don’t know w-where they are. They should ha-ha-have been back by n-now…” she mumbles through her sobs.
“Who?” My phone rings in my pocket, but I ignore it. Whatever is happening right now is more important.
Emma takes a few deep breaths quickly, trying to calm herself down to speak properly. “Claudia. She took Gracie to the park when I was dropping off your parents. I called her phone at least thirty times, but it goes to voicemail every time. I tried callingSimon, but Claudia said he was on a business trip in Tokyo, and it’s like 4:00 in the morning there, so he’s not picking up either.”
My heart stops in my chest, and my lungs squeeze in unbearable pain. I try to breathe through it, try to keep my mind focused until I know what I’m dealing with. I’m calculating the distance to the airport and back, the time it could have taken Emma. And I don’t like the total I’m coming up with.
“How long? How long has it been?”
She cries again. “Close to f-four hours… There was more traffic than I thought. I just got home maybe twenty minutes ago…”
“Four hours?!” I shout, quickly losing control. My phone rings again, but I don’t have time for that. My daughter has been gone for four hours without any news of where she is. “Emma! No one-year-old child stays at the park for four fucking hours!” I abruptly let go of her and reach for my phone that won’t shut up as panic overtakes my mind and body.
I answer the call with anger. “What, Aubrey?! I don’t have time to fucking talk, Gracie’s missing.”
She gasps loudly. “Oh God! I’m on my way.” I don’t say anything more, I simply hang up and call 9-1-1 as I pace the room.
“What are you doing?” Em asks from behind me.
I spin toward her with a glare. “Calling the cops—what the fuck do you think I’m doing!? My child’s been missing for hours, and it didn’t fucking occur to you to do it?!”
The dispatcher picks up and I give as much information as I can. They inform me that officers are on their way over, then I hang up and try to call Claudia myself. But as Emma said, her phone is off and doesn’t even ring. I walk over to the couch and throw my phone down, elbows on my knees and head in my hands as I try to think of what else to do.
I hear clattering from behind me, but I don’t turn to look. A few minutes later, Emma brings me a coffee and sets it on thetable in front of me. She stands there for a few seconds before speaking up. “I’m sure there’s a good reason for all of this…”
How the fuck can she say that?
I look up into Emma’s worried eyes. “You don’t fucking know that! For all we know, she could have already left the country!” I snap, then drop my head back into my hands and pull on my hair. I hear her whimper as her steps retreat.
Minutes later, my door bursts open with Aubrey, followed by Cecilia, Morgan, and Ronnie. Aubrey quickly runs over and sits beside me, placing her arms around me in the form of a hug while I stay in the same position, unable to look at anyone without breaking down.
I feel like I’m suffocating.
Cecilia comes to kneel in front of me, placing her hand on my cheek and forcing me to look up at her. “The boys are all out roaming the streets and anywhere they can think. We’ll find her, Ford. I promise,” she says softly.
I nod my head, eyes burning with unshed tears. She quickly wraps her arms around my neck as mine reach around her waist, needing her to ground me for a few seconds as I try desperately to believe her words.
When we pull apart, I find Em to the side, staring at us with a pained expression. But I say nothing and just turn my head away. I don’t have time to deal with her insecurities right now.
The girls stay in the kitchen with Emma, while Aubrey stays at my side, rubbing my back. A short time later, the cops finally arrive and note down any information we can give them. They promise us that officers are already patrolling around the city. And that an alert has gone out with a description of my daughter, telling people to call immediately if she is seen. The more he talks, the worse I feel.
He sits down on the table in front of me and places his hand on my shoulder, squeezing lightly. “This happens more often thanyou think, and most times, it’s simply a misunderstanding. Let’s stay positive and hope that’s all this is. No need to think of the worst outcome just yet.”
It’s like he can read my mind, because in this moment, every time I close my eyes, all I see is my daughter lying in a ditch somewhere or being sold out to the highest bidder.
Emma comes to sit at my side and takes my hand, but I shake her off.I can’t do this right now.I see the hurt in her eyes and in the silent sob that breaks free as she gets up and goes back to the kitchen.
Please let my baby be okay… please…
