Home Is Where The Heart Dies

Chapter 9

"Welcome to your first day of work," the same girl from the other day said cheerfully after I changed into the Subway apron.
   "So what will I be doing?" I asked hoping it wasn't something too hard.
"You will be in charge of the cash register," she said walking me to the cash register," it isn't too hard and you will pick it up easily," she finished before walking off to the back.
                *****
   "That will be $4.56," I said as I finished the last order for the day.
   "Here you go."
   "Thank you have a nice day," I said before closing it up and putting my apron back.
   "I'll see you tomorrow," the girl, Hannah, said.
   "Ok bye," I said before walking off to meet Gabby.
   "So how did your first day at work go?" Gabby asked me in the car.
   "Not that well," I sighed.
   "Why what happened?"
   "I'm here doing all this stuff while my parents are out there doing who knows what," I said angrily.
   "We've tried whatever we could to find them so now we need to leave it in the hands of the police."
   "I know I just feel like I should be doing something!"
   "Then go join the police."
"Yea right," I sighed as I pulled into my driveway.
"How about I come over tonight?" Gabby suggested.
"No it's ok," I answered before going inside with the sympathy stare of Gabby on my back.
*****
   "Keep the tip," I told the pizza delivery man before closing the door to the outside world and going inside and sitting on the couch where I have been all day. Who knew Disney movies could keep you captivated for hours?
   But mostly I was thinking about how bad it seems that I am here having the time of my life: sleepovers, boyfriend, and a job. And while I am doing all that my parents are out there probably dying and I am acting like I don't even care.
   As I eat my pizza in silence I had a thought. Maybe I could find the kidnapper!( Or is it parentnapper?) Who cares?! I might have found a way to help find my parents!!
   I find a blank piece of paper and a pencil and start writing all the things I think are clues or are clues:
Clues
1. Handkerchief(lady's)
2. Foot prints(Nike)
3. Ms. McPhee going outside late at night and claiming she heard a noise
4. The screaming(which just could've been someone getting beat up or robbed of his/her lunch money)
5. Ms. McPhee's strange warning to me( which, as Gabby suggests, is just me being delusional)
   I look over everything else and think to see if there is any more pieces to the puzzle that I am missing. Then it came to me! I ran to the phone and dialed the police station.
   "Yes?" A voice said on the other side of the phone.
   "Can I speak to Officer Johnson?" I said as politely as I could even though I was already getting a little impatient.
   "He is a little busy right now but you could call is next week when he is not," she suggested.
   "I need to speak to him now! It's very important!" I yelled at the lady and she replied very calmly," just a sec ma'am."
   A few minutes later I heard Officer Johnson come onto the phone.
   "What do you need and make it quick?"
   "I think I know who has my parents," I said quickly.
   "Oh did I forget to tell you," he chuckled before continuing," we already found the woman who had your parents."
   "What?!" I shrieked.
   "Yes her name is Johanna Kingsley."
   "Were my parents at her house?" I asked trying to calm down.
   "No but we will find them."
   "Then how do you know that she kidnapped my parents?" I said losing my temper again.
   "Trust me we know," he said before saying one last thing," the trial is tomorrow." And hung up.
   "Wait!" I yelled at the stupid phone, but no one answered.
   I just went back to the couch lay down and finished eating my pizza trusting that these "police" knew what they were doing. But really in my mind I could just hear them chanting over and over again the same words: Ms. McPhee, Ms. McPhee, Ms. McPhee. I knew that the trial tomorrow wouldn't last long.
*****
As I drive to the courthouse I think of how I am going to prove that Ms. McPhee has my parents. I mean I have no evidence and if I say that they will all think I am a lunatic for blaming it one the old lady down the street. Last night I called Gabby and told her my suspicions but she didn't even listen to me. Probably because I was a brat earlier, but still! Someone is going to have to believe me at some point.
"Ahhh, Cassie, you're here," Officer Jackson said while engulfing me in a hug like o was his long lost sister or something.
   "Yep," I said slowly while getting out of his grip.
  "Follow me," he said in a serious manner now.
   "Thank you," I said as we took off into the courthouse.
   "We are ready to begin now," Officer Jackson told the judge.
The judge pounded his mallet on the table before saying," Attention! Attention! Everyone grab their seats we are now beginning." After he finished his speech some officers brought Johanna in in cuffs and an orange jumpsuit. Things that I knew were with the wrong person.
   "State your cases why the subject is guilty," the judge told Officer Jackson and he just began talking about a bunch of stuff that he had told me or that he had never told me before.
   "Now state your cases why she isn't guilty," he told me. I stood up and started going over everything.
"First of all the police didn't find my parents at her house," I said glancing at Officer Jackson," another reason is that they have no proof."
"And how is that?"
"Half of the things Officer Jackson is telling you he hasn't told me and shouldn't he tell me first?"
   "Is that true?" The judge asked Jackson.
   "I'll admit we didn't tell her a few things but we were planning too."
   "How else do you prove your case?" The judge asked me.
   "I can't prove it any more I just trust that you now what the right decision is."
   "The subject is..," the judge began," not guilty!"
   "What?!" Officer Jackson pounded his hands on the table as he jumped up.
   "Is something bothering you, Officer?" The judge asked.
   "You listened to that girl," he said pointing at me like I was in display at the zoo," and she proved you wrong Johanna is guilty!"
   "Security!" The judge yelled against security as Officer Jackson was carried out the door.
   The judge got up and walked over to me.
"Do you have an idea to who has your parents?"
"Yes a lady on my street who goes by the name of Ms. McPhee."
"Ok thank you Miss. Bisdy the police will check her house."
"Thank you," I shook his hand before leaving with a smile on my face because if I was right I will get to see my parents!!
*****
   When I got home I called Gabby over and told her everything that happened and she thought I was playing a joke on her!! She finally believed me after I told her only 100 times. Then I ask I called Alex over so I could tell him too.
After I finished telling them everything the police knocked on my door and told me they were going through Ms. McPhee's house right now. So we literally ran over to her house and waited outside to see if they found anything.
"They might not find your parents," Alex informed me.
   "They might find them though," I said back to him as a police officer came out of the house with Ms. McPhee in cuffs.
   "Did you find them?!" I immediately jump up from where we were sitting on the grass.
   "Yes but they aren't in that good of condition," the police officer answered but I don't care if they are not in that good of condition I ran into the house where I saw my parents getting loaded up on stretchers.
   "Mom?Dad?" I said even though I knew they probably couldn't answer.
   "Cassie?" I heard my father say.
   "Dad?" I say again as I start crying. I walk over to him to see that he is covered in bruises and it looks like he hasn't eaten in weeks.
   "Hey princess," he tried to smile.
   "Hey dad," I said choking back sobs.
   "It's going to be alright," he said reassuringly before closing his eyes.
   I follow their stretchers all the way to the ambulance where they are put inside and taken to the hospital.
   "It's alright Cassie," Alex came up from behind me with Gabby. I just turn around and sob in his chest as he strokes my head.
                  *****
   "You can come in to see them now," the doctor came and told our sleepy bodies after we waited for about 16 hours.
I didn't say anything just bolted up, like I was sleepy at all, and walked into their room.
"Mom?Dad?" I said into the quietness of the room except for the buzzing of the machines.
"Hey," I heard a very weak voice say and I saw that it was my mother.
"Hi mom," I said as I started crying again.
"Come here," she whispered ever so quietly but I still heard her. I nodded as I walked over and knelt besides her.
"There's that beautiful daughter of mine," she said. I laughed a bit as I choked back my tears.
"Mom I'm so sorry," I cried.
"For what?" She asked me," you did nothing to me."
"I let you get hurt, I should've been looking for you but I was having the time of my life."
"Honey it's ok, I'm ok now, and I'm glad you didn't spend all your days here sulking around looking for us. It's good to have a little joy in your life even in the hard times."
"Your mothers right," I heard my father wake up and say from the other bed.
"So is there any bad injuries?" I ask.
"Just starvation and a couple bruises that's all," my dad replied for both him and my mom(because she fell back asleep.)
   "I'm glad you didn't get really hurt."
   "Us too," he yawned as he fell back asleep. I think he forgot to mention that they are sleep deprived.
   "Are they hurt badly?" Alex asked me as I went to sit back down by them in the waiting room.
   "No they are just really sleepy and hungry."
   "That's good."
   "Yea."
   "We should probably go back home, freshen up, and come back," Gabby suggested.
   "Yea lets go," I replied as I grabbed my keys and got up.
                 *****
3 hours later I had taken a shower, eaten, changed, and was now on my way back to the hospital. Alex and Gabby had other things to do since they stayed away so long, so I'm going alone.
As I pull into a parking lot I just hope that my parents are still ok and haven't gotten worse.
"Are they ok?" I ask the nurse but it doesn't matter I am already in their room where they are both sitting their sleeping. Or I think they are. I check their heart monitors and they are still breathing.
"Miss. Bisdy," the nurse said sternly to get my attention before continuing," please don't run into here like that again."
"I'm sorry," I apologized.
"It's ok," she answered before going over and tending to a few wounds on my mother's face.
"Do you know when they will be better?" I asked.
She chuckled before saying," they have been away for quite a bit so we have to make sure they are ok."
"I just wish that none of this happened and that we could all just go back to our normal lives."
"A lot of people say that but it turns out that all the tough times you are going through right now are going to make you stronger and smarter in the future."
I didn't even have anything to say to that amazing quote she just said.
"Now how bout you go get a full nights rest and we will check on them in the morning," she suggested.
"Ok," I replied as I shook my head "yes" and walked out the door.
*****
After a full night of sleep I was at the hospital again where they were helping my father learn how to walk with a cane. (Because his right leg was badly injured.)
"I got it!" I heard him yell(well not really but I think it was supposed to be) as he walked up and down the hallway.
"Oh honey I am so proud of you," my mom said from where she was sitting in a wheelchair(she was to weak to stand or even use a cane.)
"I think you should take a rest now," the doctor said as he led my dad to a chair.
"Why? That was so fun," my dad said overjoyed by the fact that he was back with his family.
"I'm glad you thought it was fun," the doctor grinned as the nurse brought my parents a humongous plate of lunch. But they need it considering how unhealthy and skinny they looked.
As I stare at my parents who are still joyful after all they have went through I get a text from Alex:
Hey wanna go get some lunch together?<3
Sure where?
How about Chick-fil-a?
Ok I'll meet you there:)
"Who are you texting?" My mom asked.
"Alex," I say as I stand up and grab my things.
"Whose Alex?" My dad said defensively.
"Dad I am 20 remember?" I asked.
"I know I just hate seeing my little girl grow up so fast," he pouts.
"I will always be your little girl and you know that," I say before walking off to meet Alex.
                  *****
   "That's great!" Alex exclaimed after I told him all about the accomplishments my parents were making.
   "Yea I am just super excited to bring them home," I said as I took a drink from my Oreo milkshake.
   He smiled before asking," have the police contacted you yet?"
"No but I'm sure they will pretty soon," I said as he got up, ready to go.
"You ready?"
"Yep." He didn't say anything just grabbed my hand as we walked to our cars.
*****
You guys I am so so so very berry sorry that this chapter took so long for me to write. At first I was having a little writers block so I took a break. I hope you guys like it though. I will post the next chapter as soon as I can.