INSIDE THEIR MINDS

Hope It Stays

KATE

I rush to the bedroom to get Nora and carry her in her carrier back to the living room.

"Are you sure that this is the best thing to do?" Alex asks me taking my hand then letting it go just as quickly.

"They could come after me or Nora, the police weren't helpful before what do you think they would do for us now?" I ask her as my brian tried to make sense of everything.

"What are you going to do? Are you just going to live in a car? You can't live in a car with a baby!"

"Alex! I can't argue with you!" I yell then look to Nora thankful that she didn't wake up. "Look Phil says he has a plan. He also has the means to hide us, if anyone can do it he can."

"You must really love him, huh." Alex stated as she sighed.

"I really really do." I say to her as if trying to convince her.

"Alright, then lets go. There is food in the pantry we should grab." She says as she heads toward the kitchen.

I help her load up three paper bags of nonparishable food and some utensils.

"I love you too you know." She says to me.

"I know Alex and I love you, thank you for supporting me I know it's not always been the easiest thing to do."

"We should get going Phil should have the car ready by now. " Alex says as she lifts and carries as many bags as she can toward the garage. I grab the last one along with Nora and follow her.

"Didn't know he was tagging along." I hear Phil say as he nods toward Derek.

"I didn't know either." I say passing Nora to him to put inside the van.

"What am I tagging along to?" Derek asks.

"There's this thing with Phil and now Kate wants to go which means Nora has to go and I can't just let them go alone and..." Alex rambles

"Alex it's okay. Did you want me to come?" He says as he kisses the top of her hand.

"Only if you want to." She says as she hugs him close.

"If you're coming we all need to leave now. Derek are you going to ride with us or drive seperately." Phil asks as he takes a seat on the drivers side.

"One car is easier to hide than two." Derek replies.

"Then get in, we need to leave now."

ERICA

Protect Trevor from what?

I tried to call Phil but there was no answer.

Then Kevin glances at me.

"It's my son, he might be in trouble I don't know." I say now calling Phil's sister.

"Hey it's Erica is everything okay?" I ask her once she picks up.

"Yeah. Phil said he wanted Trevor to stay here a bit longer said he had to travel unexpectedly. He said you could come up here and visit...."

"That would be great." I say with a smile not having seen my son in almost three weeks.

"Yeah. Um. He's just doing so well and I don't want anything to happen, ya know..." She says in her most snootiest of voices.

"He's my son!"

I heard the door open and shut behind me but paid no mind, assuming Kevin is just giving me some space.

"Yeah but see Phil said he has majority custody and that I should just listen to him and my brother wouldn't lie." She says condesendingly.