Time Ahead

chapter fifty-three

a/n: i'm so sorry i haven't updated. i've been traveling, had finals, and a dance show that i was completely wiped out. my computer also broke for a few days but i'm on break now so i'm going to try and finish writing this book so all i'll have to do is post the chapters

Leigh's POV:

"Babe, can you grab the cleaner from the counter and bring it to me?" I asked Jacob who was sat next to me, babbling about some action figure he wanted. "Yes mummy," he said getting up and jumping to reach the counter. He ran back to me and handed me the bottle. "Thank you," I said ruffling his hair.

"Can you go make sure you and Rhea's rooms are clean?" I asked him. He nodded his head and began to run over to the stairs. I was trying to make sure the entire house was clean so Andre would have a nice home to come back to. He's been away for about two weeks for his football, so I wanted to have a little surprise for him.

I check the time again. 7:03. He's supposed to be getting here at eight. I've just finished and the house looks great. I have extra time, so I begin to cook dinner. I grab all the ingredients to make my infamous nachos.

Once everything is made, the time is 7:45. I get all the dishes and silverware out and begin to set the table. I glance over at the clock once i've finished and it's now eight on the dot. A feeling of relief rushes over me as I sat on the couch near the door, waiting for Andre.

I sit there for about 15 minutes. When he is still gone, I pull out my phone and send him a quick text, making sure I got the time right. No answer. I call him. No answer. I sit by the door for another 15 minutes until it's now 8:30.

Sighing, I get up and walk over to the bottom of the stairs. "Jacob, Rhea, dinner time," I shout to them. I'll just wrap up Andre's food and he can eat it later, but I don't want the rest to get cold. I hear the sound of small feet running behind me.

"Is Daddy home?" Rhea mumbles to me. "Not yet sweetie," I say lifting her up onto the chair. I give them each their plates full of food and we begin eating. Andre was still no where to be seen and hasn't read any of y messages or answered any of my calls.

When dinner was over, Jacob helped clear the table and I did the dishes. I walked over to the couch and turned on a movie. When that movie was over, it was close to ten. I was starting to get worried. Why hasn't he responded? Maybe his phone died, I concluded.

Shaking that worried feeling, I walk upstairs and into Jacob's room. "Time for bed baba," I say from his doorway. "But daddy's not home yet," he said sadly. "I know, he will be when you wake up though," I say as he climbs into bed. I pull the blanket over him and kiss him on the forehead. "At least I hope so," I said in whisper once I closed his door.

I walked over to Rhea's room to do the same but she was already in bed fast asleep. I smile, walking into her room and giving her a kiss on the head. She stirs a little but doesn't wake up. I quietly shut the door behind me as I leave.

I figured I would just go to bed. Andre would understand that it's getting late. I walk into my room and toss some pajamas on. I climb under the covers and close my eyes.

When I wake up the next morning, I reach my arm out beside me. The bed was still empty. A little startled, I reach for my phone and check the time. 9:08. I turn on my phone and see no messages or calls from Andre. The only thing there is a call from a random number. I search the number into Google and a hospital comes up.

My heart races as I dial the number into my phone and call them back. It rings twice before being answered. "Hello, this is Eastside Hospital," a lady said. "Hi, my name's Leigh-Anne Gray, I got a call from you early this morning and I just now saw it," I say, my voice trembling. "Okay, give me one moment," she says. I hear her typing something before answering again. "It looks like your husband was checked in last night," she said. "What happened? Is he okay?" I say panicked. "I'm sorry but I'm not aloud to discuss any details of a patient over the phone," she said apologetically. "Okay, I'll be there soon," I said before hanging up.