Not Us 3: Odette & Ford

Chapter 27

Odette's POV

The kids were in bed, all cuddled together like they were whenever they just needed to be held and comforted. Today was hard on them. It was hard on all of us, I think. I just hope he's doing better. That was a lot of...hard information to get. Especially because it was his Mom. Alright. Time to go check on him and have a good long talk with Ford. Hopefully, he'd calmed down some now. I found Jac and Briggs cuddled on the couch in the living room watching a movie.

"I'm going to head back over to our house to check on him. Could you keep an ear out for the kids? I've got my phone if you need me." Jac nodded, barely awake laying on Briggs's chest while he rubbed her back and played with her hair. He smiled up at me and nodded.

"You got it little sister. Take as much time as you need." I nodded back and walked out the backdoor, swiftly walking across both backyards to get to our home. Opening the sliding door, it was unlocked and dark. Completely dark inside and way too quiet for someone to still be in the home. I was hoping maybe he was just sleeping and I couldn't hear him.

"Ford?" I called out, turning on lights as I went through each of the rooms downstairs, continuing to call out to him, and not finding him anywhere. Then I moved upstairs, still calling out for him as I went. I was getting worried as I got no response. Only the silence of the house greeted me. Each room I checked, not finding him, made my heart rate increase, and my breathing a bit more difficult.

"FORD?!" I shouted out into the empty home. I was getting frantic as I walked into the room he'd destroyed. Nothing. He wasn't there. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and called him.

No answer.

No.

I called again. No answer.

No.

And again, and again.

"No, no, no, no," I mumbled as I fumbled with my phone and called Briggs.

"Sis?" He questioned, sounding slightly groggy like he was on the verge of passing out. Which, to be fair, they did both look super comfortable on the couch together.

"He's gone. He's not here. He's not answering the phone." I word vomit, trying to breathe. It feels like I'm trying to suck in air through a coffee straw.

"Calm down. Take a deep breath," Briggs said, trying to get me to calm down. Why the fuck are my clothes so tight?! Where is he?! Why did he leave?! Why didn't he tell me?!

"This is just like two years ago! He left us! He left us, Briggs!" I shouted into the phone, my voice coming out raw and strangled. The pain from two years ago hit me, but it hit so much harder this time around. He didn't just leave me. No. This time? This time, he left our family! He left out kids! The sadness, pain, anger, betrayal, it all hits me like a tsunami and I can't seem to catch my breath. Oh god. I think I'm going to faint.

"I'll be there in two minutes. I'm calling your parents. Breath. In and out sis," I hear him say, sounding like he was underwater. Or maybe I was? He mumbled to Jac to keep an ear out. The line disconnected, and I could hear a ringing. It was...oh god it was only getting louder.

I started to make my way to the hallway, stumbling. The pain crushing my heart. I heard the garage door and someone shouting my name before everything went black.

Briggs' POV

I mumbled to Jac to keep an ear out and rushed to get out of the house and to Odette. Ford could not fucking do this to her. Not now! Not again! I called her parents and asked them to come over even though it was almost nine at night, we needed their help.