Saving me

Chapter 13

I break down in tears. Alice. Gone. This is my fault. If I hadn't fallen asleep she would still be here. Safe with me. Who could have taken her? Josh.

I grab my phone and call him. "Hello?" He says with a sigh.

"Josh where is she?" I ask him angrily.

"Where's who?" He asks me.

"Alice is gone Josh and I know you took her from me," I spit at him.

"Alice is what?" He asks panicked all of a sudden. "When was she taken?"

"I don't know. It had to have been while she was napping."

"I'll be over there in a few minutes," he says and hangs up.

I sit in Alice's room and cry. My baby girl is gone. "Why, why, why," I sob over and over. I love her so much.

My phone rings again. "Heather Grace it's Melanie."

"Alice is gone," I tell her.

"What? I'm on my way. I'll be there soon," she says and hangs up.

I clutch Alice's blanket to my chest and sob.

I feel a hand on my shoulder a little while later. It's Josh. I step away from him. "Tell me where my daughter is!" I yell at him. "Or so help me God I will have you arrested!"

"Whoa Heather Grace I haven't had anything to do with Carter since you told me to leave. I don't know where she is," he explains.

"Heather Grace!" I hear Melanie say. She appears in the door. "You," she points to Josh. "If you had anything to do with this I will make sure you never see the light of day."

"I didn't do this I swear," Josh says.

"Heather Grace, we need to call the police," she tells me.

"I know," I say. I grab my phone and call the police. "They're sending an officer out here," I say.

"Good, now tell me what happened," Melanie says.

"I fed her then put her to bed for a nap. I fell asleep on the couch and woke up feeling something was different. I got up and ran to Alice's room and she was gone."

"We'll find her I promise," Melanie tells me.

When the police show up I relay my story to them. They dust for finger prints in Alice's room and look for any sign of the person who took her.

"Now, do you know of anyone who might have taken her?"

"One person, her father."

"Mind telling me why he is not in the picture and why he is your first suspect?" The officer asks me.

"Her father raped me. Alice is the product of it. I love her very much and he thinks I'm an unfit mother. I'm not. I promise. Melanie and Josh can tell you so," I explain.

"I'll question them, now what is her fathers name?"

"Carter Wilson," I tell him.

"Star of the football team? Wow never thought he was that kind of guy."

"So I guess you won't do anything to find her daughter then. You're all good friends of Carter," Josh spits.

"Of course we'll find her. We're gonna do everything in our power to find her."

"Please he doesn't know what to do to care for her."

Melanie steps forward, "Alice suffers chronic colic. If she has a colic fit he won't know how to help her. She'll just scream."

"We'll find her as soon as possible," the officer says and leaves.

"I just want my baby!" I wail and fall to the floor.

"Shhhh it's okay," Josh whispers. "We'll find her. Don't worry." I cling to him. Although I haven't had a stitch of a feeling for him in months. All of it resurfaces. He hugs me to him and lifts me off the floor.

"I'm gonna go, call me if you hear anything," Melanie says. I nod and she leaves.

"You want anything?" Josh asks me.

"My baby," I sob even harder.

"I know you want her back but food? Water? Sleep?" He asks me.

"No, I just want to...