Family is Forever (Sequel to Running on Insulin)

Chapter 1

Jenna's POV

I sat outside the school watching the kids stream out and head to buses, cars, and start their walks home. I saw Jill come outside, and board a bus. No Samantha. Odd. They usually walked out together. And Samantha had PE last period. She wouldn't still be changing. She was still healing from the beating the boy in her class had given her.

I thought there was a possibility she had stayed back to talk to a teacher or something. I texted her phone, hoping she'd be able to text back, providing she wasn't in detention or something.

School ended at 2:30. I checked the clock in my dashboard. 2:40. The buses were pulling away, and most of the carpool cars had left. Just a few kids straggling who walked home were still around. I frowned. Samantha should be out by now, or should have texted back by now.

I decided to wait just a couple more minutes, just in case. Maybe she hadn't felt well and went to the bathroom or something.

2:45. Still no Samantha. Now I was getting irritated. For a kid who was so concerned about us, it was odd for her to not be right out the door or let us know. I turned off my car and went into the school. I'd ask at the office if they could find out if she was with a teacher or something.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Joseph. Are you okay? Is Mr. Joseph alright? What brings you in?" Ms. Tracey asked as soon as I walked in. There was concern on her face.

"I'm fine, thanks," I said. "Tyler is too. I was wondering if you could find out if Samantha is with one of her teachers for some extra help or detention or something? I've been waiting out there for her for fifteen minutes."

"Samantha? With a teacher? I thought you..." Ms. Tracey looked at me quizzically. "Her social worker picked her up."

"Marie? Why did she come to pick Samantha up? There's no reason for that. The adoption's been finalized."

"No. Her new social worker," Ms. Tracey said. "Mr. Gillingham."

"Samantha doesn't have a new social worker," I said, panic starting to rise in my throat. "Ms. Tracey, who picked Samantha up? What did they say to you?"

"Mr. Gillingham came in. He said he was Samantha's new social worker and that there had been an accident at your house and he needed to take Samantha to meet you at the hospital and determine where she would go next. He had social services ID and paperwork."

"Samantha doesn't have a new social worker," I reiterated. "And clearly I'm not in the hospital. Neither is Tyler, or our friend Josh who has been staying with us for a couple of weeks. Ms. Tracey, where did my daughter go?"

"He-he took her about an hour ago. I don't know where they went."

"Call the police. Now!" I shouted. I pulled out my phone and called Tyler.

"Hey, Babe," he said. "What's taking you guys so long?"

"Tyler, I need you to come to the school. Now."

"What's the matter? Jen, you okay? Is Samantha okay? Did she get in another fight? Is she okay?"

"Tyler," I said, breaking down into tears. "He got her."

"Who got her? Is that kid back there already?"

"No," I sobbed, sinking down into a chair in the office. "Stanley. Stanley got Samantha."

"He wouldn't be that stupid to walk into her school."

"It wasn't him who came in here. He sent someone pretending to be a social worker. He took Samantha. And they just let her go."

"I'll be right there. Call the police."

"I told the school to," I sobbed. "Please. Hurry."

"I will. I'll be there right away," he said.

He hung up and I put my hands in my face. Samantha. My girl. My daughter. I promised we would protect her.

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Tyler POV

"Ty, what's the matter?" Josh asked looking at me as I put my phone in my pocket. "Dude, you're as white as a ghost. What happened? Is it Jenna? Samantha? Are they okay?"

"He got her," I whispered. "We promised she was safe, and he still got her."

"Who? Stanley? How?"

I nodded.

"He sent someone to the school. He sent someone who pretended to be a social worker to the school and he took her."

"We have to go to the police!" Josh said.

"Jenna's at the school. She had them call the police. I have to go to the school."

"I'll drive. I don't think you should. You don't look like you could concentrate on putting slip on shoes on. Come on. I got you."

Josh took my keys off the hook by the door and handed me my jacket. I followed him out the door and walked robotically to the passenger door.

Josh made sure I did my seatbelt and we were off to the school.

As soon as we pulled in I saw there were a couple of police cars already there. I walked as if in a trance into the school office once Josh stopped the car. I don't even remember if I closed the door.

"Tyler!" Jenna said as I walked into the office. She came running over and threw her arms around me, crying. "He got her. He found her and he got her."

She was sobbing. I couldn't even wrap my arms around my wife.

"Sir," a police officer came up to me. "Can we get your ID please?"

I looked at the police officer as if he'd spoken a foreign language.

"I'm sorry," I shook my head. "What?"

"Your ID. Could we please see a piece of ID?"

"Oh, yeah. Of course," I pulled out my wallet and handed him my driver's license. He looked at it, wrote down some information and handed it back. I think I put it back and returned my wallet to my pocket.

"Where were you at 1:45 this afternoon?" he asked me.

"I was at home. With Jenna. You can ask her that," I said.

"We did. She said the same thing. Can anyone corroborate that?"

"Yeah. Josh. He drove me here. He was with us all day today."

"Where is Josh?" the officer asked.

"He drove me here. He should be in here in a minute, I guess."

Just then Josh came into the office.

"Jen, Ty, what's happening?" he asked, coming up to us. He wrapped Jenna in a hug.

"Sir," the officer asked him. "Do you have any ID on you?"

"Yeah," Josh said, handing him his wallet. "My license is right in the front there."

"Thank you," the officer said, writing some information down. "Can you tell me where you were at 1:45 this afternoon?"

"I was at Jenna and Tyler's house," he said. "We were there all day, until Jenna left to come get Samantha from school. Where is she? Where's Samantha?"

The officer didn't answer Josh. Not surprising.

There were other officers talking to school staff. The officers took us to an office and let the three of us sit there. They came in and out, asking questions, telling us what they were looking at and looking for, asking us about Stanley and what we knew.

Most of what was said went right over my head. I barely heard anything they asked, and had to have them repeat themselves a couple of times.

All I could think about was Samantha. Where was she? Who had her? We promised to keep her safe. We broke that promise.

I wondered, if we got Samantha back, would she ever be able to trust us again?