Chapter 24
Nick felt his stomach churn, he overturned the bedding in Celine's crib...looking for what, he didn't know. He knew she was gone. Bryan was wailing in the crib beside hers, his cries echoing in the room. A bear was laying on the floor. It looked old and worn, one of its button eyes was missing. Nick picked it up and then the baby, balancing him as he called 911.
Amanda was going through some paperwork for the club when the phone rang.
"Baby, what's wrong?" she asked. She could hardly hear Nick over Bryan's cries.
"You need to come home.....please." he said, more urgently this time. Amanda reached for her car keys and ran to her car. She felt anxious as she rounded their street, wondering what could be going on for her to rush home. Her heart began pounding when she saw several police cars lined up, blocking the driveway.
"Ma'am, I'm sorry but you can't come in. There's an investigation going on." an officer cautioned.
"I live here! Now let me through..." Amanda demanded before presenting her identification. Nick was in the living room, bouncing Bryan on his shoulder and pacing as he tried to calm his son.
"Thank God you're home." Nick breathed, Bryan practically screaming his head off.
"What is wrong with Bryan? What's going on baby?" Amanda asked. Nick desperately tried to shush the baby boy in his arms as police went by in the hallway.
"Give him to me..." she said gently. Nick sighed once the baby was calm, resting against his mother's shoulder.
"Please sit down, sweetheart." he said shakily as he ran a hand through his hair.
"Someone tell me what the hell is going on here...."
Nick looked at her with such a tired expression, his blue eyes dark.
"Something happened here today while we were at rehearsal."
Amanda felt herself getting angrier by the second. Why wasn't he telling her?
"Nick just tell me....PLEASE."
Nick sighed again....his eyes full of tears.
"NICK."
"Celine is gone, baby. Someone took her....she's gone."
Amanda felt like she'd been dunked into a bucket of ice water. She clung to Bryan, feeling his heartbeat against hers. Flashes of images raced in front of her.....the night she found out.she was pregnant.....the day Celine was born....
"I came home and found Lisa on the floor by Bryan's crib, baby. The police have no idea who could have done it. Brian was attacked too." Nick said, but his voice sounded far away and distorted. Amanda shook with the realization that her baby girl....her Celine Nicole was gone. She didn't have her Momma to tuck her in....didn't have Daddy to sing her a lullaby.
"I'm so sorry...." Brian said as he approached. He had a lump on his head, and looked beside himself with guilt.
"Brian, what the hell were you doing here if neither of us were home?" Nick demanded. As this conversation went on, Amanda just sat silently rocking as she cluched her son, afraid to let him out of her sight.
"Nick, this was gonna come up sooner or later, but I'm seeing Lisa." Brian said sheepishly.
"You're dating our nanny?"
Nick and Brian almost jumped when Amanda finally spoke.
"I knew her before she worked for you, we net in a Star Wars online forum. I should have told you we were dating....but today I surprised her with lunch and....and I was atracked from behind....I'm so sorry." Brian stammered.
"I can't.....I can't deal with this...." Amanda sobbed, taking Bryan with her. Brian and Nick stood in silence, Nick clutching the teddy bear.
"What's that you have?" Brian asked, trying to change the mood of the room.
"I think it's Celine's but I've never seen it before. Have you?" Nick replied. Brian took it from him, examining it.
"It looks too old to be hers. Nick, what you and Amanda need to do is make a list of people, anyone that would want to hurt you....anyone that would want to take the baby." Brian said after handing it back.
Nick nodded, thinking. He held onto the bear even after police left....after they'd finished questioning. Amanda kept to herself, but she clung onto their son, not letting him out of her sight. Nick heard her crying late that night and it broke his heart....all he could do was sit back . Brian was working with his fellow officers to find her, but they had no leads.
Nick lay in bed that night holding the bear, thinking. It had to be a clue....it felt familiar to him, but he'd never seen it before. He had tried to call Jane for advice. She sounded shocked, gave condolences.
"I'm so sorry this happened, sweetheart. If there's anything I can do to help let me know." his mother had said when Nick broke down over the phone.
"Thanks, Mom. I just want to find who did this..why would anyone take an innocent child?" he breathed, wiping his eyes.
"There's an explanation for everything."
Her voice was too calm for Nick's liking, it left him feeling unsettled when they hung up. Nick would spend all day on the news channel, calling Brian for any information.
"You and Amanda need to keep calm, go about things as normal so you don't attract attention. We haven't gotten any ransoms. Do not go looking for Celine."
Easy for you to say...Nick thought to himself. He held the bear, looking out to the ocean....
He hoped something would come to light soon.
Author's Chapter Notes:
I know....you're all really surprised to see an update after all this . hopefully this means I'll get back into updating this, and I hope you guys enjoy. Please let us know what you think.
