Shourtney AU - Loving So Hard (Mature)

#59 - Waking Up Alone

*Shayne*

I felt strangely light when I awoke, and as my eyes peeled open I remembered that Courtney fell asleep whilst laying on top of me. The recent memory caused a smile to dance across my lips, and I blindly stretched out to Courtney's side of the bed, needing to feel her golden locks and soft, smooth lips on mine.

She wasn't in bed. Unusual. She always slept in longer than I did, as I'd normally lay there with her in my arms, waiting for her to wake up.

I suspected she was downstairs making breakfast, and so I casually strolled out of our bedroom in nothing but boxer shorts. When arriving in the kitchen, I noticed she was nowhere to be seen. That paranoia set in, but I realised I was being ridiculous.

"Babe?" I called.

Nothing.

"Courtney, babe!?" I tried again, louder the second time.

Now I was actually beginning to worry. Where could she be without telling me? Surely if she'd left she'd have the courtesy to leave me a note or text of some kind, informing me of her absence and whereabouts?

I returned to our bedroom and picked up my phone, calling her. It rang through without an answer, and so I tried again. Once more, I was left disappointed. After a further four or five tries, I realised she wasn't going to pick up. My heart started to pound in my chest.

"What if something happened to her? Or she's in danger?" I thought over and over again.

I called everyone: Olivia and Sam, Noah, Keith, Damien and Jessica, Courtney's family, and even Ian to see if she was at the office, as he had access to the CCTV, but no one had seen or heard from her.

Tears threatened to drench my cheeks as I sat helplessly in bed, twisting myself into a knot over where she could be, and why she wouldn't tell me she was leaving if she was somewhere.

What was even stranger was the fact that her car was still in the driveway, as if someone had picked her up or she had simply ran away from me.

Within minutes of getting myself dressed and going out to search for her, I was met by the Squad and Damien and Jessica, as I had told them to meet me at the Squad Office.

"Right, I'm sure there's nothing to worry about, she probably went out to get groceries or something, but Shayne, we understand your anxiety, and so we'll help you look for her," Olivia offered kindly.

"Thank you," I said with a nod.

"Have you tried tracking her phone?" Damien suggested.

I shook my head, before opening the app and trying it out. Nothing. Wherever she was, she either didn't have signal or had disabled the feature.

I sighed dejectedly. Jessica then spoke up, "Should we call the police?"

"Not yet. Missing persons claims should only be made after 24 hours, I believe," Keith answered.

I exhaled deeply and pinched the bridge of my nose, suppressing my tears and spiralling internal despair and nausea.

"Okay, I'm gonna check her parents' house, as she may have left them something to give us a clue as to where she is. I'm also gonna go to Kari's to ask for her help. Olivia, Noah and Keith, you guys search the office, and Damien and Jessica, search the surrounding vicinity; coffee shops, supermarkets, etc. We'll all meet back here at twelve, that gives us three hours. If we haven't seen her by then, I'm calling the police, alright?" I said objectively.

Everyone nodded, and with that, the search for my fiancé began.