Finding Sebastian

Chapter 19

Talia woke up to a silence. Usually she would hear a noise of some sort, but there was nothing.

She got up from the bed and went to the Ricci's room. She knew Oliver wouldn't be home, but she knew that Marcia was. She knocked on the door and heard nothing. No padding of feet or clumsy falling off of the bed. Nothing.

Maybe she was in the kitchen. She checked there but couldn't find her. It was like she disappeared. Leave the poor girl alone for two hours and she goes missing. She figured she went down to the market to get something. That's what people who were tourists did.

She spotted a white envelope on the counter in the kitchen. Wearily, she opened it. As her eyes read the letters in the page, her hand went up to her mouth and she shook her head. No. Mrs. Ricci should not be doing this.

Toni's wasn't a safe place for a woman who didn't know her way around. Toni's wasn't just a bar; it was a place that entranced people and held them captive. They didn't know that they were addicted or held as prisoners in that place. Marcia had no business being there. She had to call Mr. Ricci.

She rushed to her bedroom, tripping over her own feet and bumping into furniture as she went. She sifted through her drawers in a hurry, cursing  when she couldn't find it right away.

Her hands were tangled together. Her breaths were frantic. Sweat was beading down her forehead. Where could it be? She had it last night. Or so she thought. Where. Was. It?

Oh gosh, what if she couldn't get to Oliver in time? What if she was already hurt? What if she was dying? Oh God, the baby! Both babies! Her mind was spinning out of control.

Her breaths shortened. Her eyes watered. Why, why, why? Where is that phone? She prayed that she would find it, but it was futile. She could've sworn she had it yesterday.

Her mind was racing with thoughts of the baby that was growing inside of Marcia. Then they ventured over to Oliver. He'd be furious beyond measure.

"Marcia?" A voice called from the door. It was Oliver. Talia was hyperventilating by now. "Babe?" His feet travelled further into room. She heard the drop of keys onto a platter of some sort. She sunk to the floor on her knees and held the note against her chest.

Mr. Ricci ventured into the room where Talia was currently hyperventilating in the floor. He rushed over to her. He tried piling her into his arms, but she kept on pushing him away and hitting him with the note. She was crying and saying something in Italian he couldn't decipher.

He grabbed her cheeks and tried to calm her down. "Talia." She continued to fight him. "Talia, listen to my voice. It's me; Oliver Ricci." His calming voice did little to calm her down. "Talia, please tell me what's wrong. Where is Marcia?"

Hearing her name, she began to cry harder and thrash around even more. "Let me go! Let me go! Let. Me. Go! She needs saving! She's pregnant for heaven's sake!"

"Who? Who needs saving?" His voice rose with confusion. He lightly tapped the sides of her cheeks. "Talia, please fill me in."

"It's Marcia!" she weeped out. She finally stopped fighting him. Her hands gave out and her arms fell to her sides and she hung her head. "She didn't want to tell you," she hiccuped, "that she was pregnant, " she hiccuped again. "She made me promise not to tell you because she thought it wasn't the right time." She hiccuped again and again until she was crying silently.

Oliver sat there, on his knees, with his mouth hung open. He couldn't believe it. She was pregnant? She was gone? She was gone and pregnant?

He finally got out of his stupor. He gathered Talia in his arms and rocked her as she cried. He rubbed his hand up and down her back, calming her down. Once she was only in sniffles, he asked quietly, "Do you know where she is?"