Flushed away: Stow aways

Chapter 4: Missing!

When Roddy and Rita were on their way back to their Jammy Dodger II, Rita stopped for a moment to talk to her husband. "Roddy, I'll be right back. I'm gonna pay the mechanic for the extra oil we got to change our boat. Make sure you check on the kids for me to see how they're doing right now, too, please." She said.

"Okay." Roddy said.

"Alright, thank you, hon." Rita said, smiling, as she gave her husband a quick kiss and walked right into the store while Roddy went to the boat.

"Kids, I'm back. Your mother will be back pretty soon so we can go home." He said. He looked around the boat to find that Rachel and Rodney were gone. "Kids? Rachel? Rodney?" He said, looking around. Then he went downstairs to the engine room to look for them there. He still couldn't find them. "Okay, you two. If you're both playing hide-and-seek right now, I give up." Roddy was starting to get worried since he couldn't find them. How's he gonna say this to Rita when she comes back? He went back upstairs when Rita came back.

"Alright, I'm back. Thank you, Roddy. Did you let the kids know yet?" She asked.

"Uh, Rita, to tell you the truth. By the time I came back here, the kids were already gone. I can't find them anywhere. I even checked the engine room." Roddy said, with his hands together.

"Are you sure?" Rita asked.

"I looked everywhere around the boat. I can't find them anywhere."

Rita looked worried as she rushed down in the engine room to find the kids, but the harder she searched for them, she couldn't find them. She went back upstairs and looked at her husband, looking all scared. "Roddy, you're right. I can't find them anywhere either!" She said.

"They could be anywhere!" Roddy said, all worried.

"They should! I told them to stay here." Rita said, as she looked around until she looked outside of the boat where she found Rodney's Teddy Bear, he left, lying on the floor. Rita gasped as she jumped out of the boat to the stuffed bear.

"What is it?" Roddy asked, climbing out of the boat to his wife as Rita picked up the bear. She was starting to tear up as she hugged it until she turned to her husband.

"Rodney's Teddy Bear. He never goes anywhere without him. Something terrible must've happened to him and Rachel!" She said.

Roddy gasped. "Who were the last people we saw today?" He asked.

Rita's eyes opened wide until she was crossed. "Spike and Whitey!" She hissed through her gritted teeth, squeezing her son's bear a little tight until she threw him on Roddy's chest as he held him against him. "They tricked us into pretending to meet the new girl, Delilah by giving her cupcakes and roses and by distracting us!"

"Rita, are you sure it was them?" Roddy asked. Rita looked at him.

"Roddy, face it, honey. We don't like or trust Spike and Whitey and they don't like or trust us, either. They always plan on killing us. Even for The Toad just to get revenge! We may have lost Rachel by the time she was three months old because of him and that he threatened us to kill her if we put him back to jail, but now we lost her, again, and with Rodney, too! Therefore, they have kidnapped them behind our backs with the help of their other henchmen!" Rita said.

"Do you think we should stop them right now to get them back?" Roddy asked, again.

"Well, we can't right now. We've been out of the house all day today. I'm starting to get tired right now." Rita said, putting her head down as she and Roddy went back in the boat while tears, slowly, went running down her cheeks. Roddy put Rodney's bear down on the bed of the boat as he gave his wife a big hug.

"Hey, now. Shh, it's okay." He said in a gentle tone, rubbing Rita's back while she, softly, cried on his shoulder. "It's gonna be alright. We'll get them back tomorrow. I promise."

Rita lifted her head up and looked at her husband with her face, all tear stained.

"Okay." She said in a quiet and shaky voice. Roddy gave her a big kiss on the forehead and let her hug him for a little longer until she went up to the front of the boat to start it as she and Roddy headed for home, both all heartbroken.

Later that night after Whitey and the other henchmen dropped Spike off at his house, they headed back to the Floodgates. They left the submarine while Rachel and Rodney were still in the engine room, making their own bed. It wasn't very comfortable for them to sleep on, but they were gonna have to deal with it. "This was a stupid idea of mine today. I'm really sorry I got us here, Rodney." Rachel said.

"What do you mean, Ray?" Rodney asked, looking at his sister.

"You know, if I would've stayed put in the boat, we wouldn't be here right now, would we? I wanna go home." Rachel said, as a tear ran down her cheek.

"Me, too. I miss mummy and daddy." Rodney said.

"So do I. I'm a terrible person." Rachel said.

"I don't think you're a terrible person, Ray. You may have got us in trouble today, but to be honest, you're the best big sister I ever had and I am so lucky to have you around me all the time." Rodney said, putting a hand on Rachel's shoulder as she looked at her little brother and smiled.

"Thanks, Rodney. I am your only sister after all and I'm also lucky to have you around me all the time, too." She said, as she gave Rodney a big hug until they cuddled themselves under the tattered blanket.

"Good night, Ray." Rodney said.

"Good night, Rodney." Rachel said, as they closed their eyes and fell asleep.