Chapter 16

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We started walking home, hand in hand. Making jokes as we walked down the streets to get home. When we reached the house, the door was wide open. Maybe Dillon and Bailey were leaving to take Gracie somewhere. The more we got closer to the house, we could hear crying from inside the house. "Shawn do you hear that..." I felt his strong grip of my hand release, a thick layer of suspense filled the air. I looked inside the house. "Is everyone ok?" I walked into the kitchen to find Bailey on the floor crying, grasping onto a note he had held close to his chest. He extended his arm and gave it to me. "Maybe this will teach you a lesson!" Shawn read out loud. This is the last thing I wanted in my life. I wanted to move on and grow old without a worry in the world. "Bailey you have to tell me what happened." He dried his tears and slowly got up from the floor. I got him a glass of water and we all sat down around the table. "It all happened so fast, I was in the bathroom when I heard screaming coming from the living room. It wasn't like a happy scream it was as if they were dying. I ran out to find a guy in a black mask grabbing hold of Gracie. When I came out he ran away. Then Dillon entered the room in horror. He is out looking for her now. I am really sorry!"

I felt so guilty, me and Shawn had taken the long way home, giggled the whole way, and literally thought nothing of it. To come home and for Gracie to be taken as swiftly as I did. I was much older than her, had more knowledge. She's all alone. God knows what she will do to her. I could see Bailey crying and Shawn was pacing back and forth. It all seemed like a blur. Everything was silent. I could see their mouths moving as if they were talking but no sound came out. I knew this couldn't of been normal. I rubbed my eyes to open them and see the room filled with water. Shawn was in front of me trying to put an oxygen mask on my face. But I just sat there. Bailey was in the background covering his face. "Layla?" I blinked and it was as if I got teleported back. Shawn grabbed both of my hands and knelt down in front of me. "We are going to find Gracie, like we found you. Okay." We knew we needed a plan and fast. I left out the fact of my hallucinations getting worse as that's the last thing we need on our plate right now. It was too obvious to go back to the place where she kept me hostage, but it could be why she went back. As sometimes the most obvious places aren't as obvious as they seem. "Ok, Bailey your going to tell the police what happened. Layla you call as many people as you can and see if they can help us search for her. I will look down every streets of this town and the next and the next. Until I find our dearest Gracie." They both nodded and left me in the house. I called Caleb first. "Hey Caleb." I could hear music in the background "Are you at a party?" The music cut off. "No why would you say that." I knew that he was probably wasted so there was no point in asking him to get here. "It's fine ill call you another time."

I called everyone I could think of. I had a few mates from school and then my mum to help us find Gracie. I sent them all out on different missions as I called my doctor. "Hey, It's Layla Cohen. I have had some strange hallucinations since the phone call and the brain scan. Could you send one of you-" I suddenly felt really tired and slowly fell backwards into the couch. "Layla? Are you still there?"

Shawn's POV

I walked down every street, even passing some of the few that I went down looking for Layla. I guess the saying was true when people would say that history repeats itself. But why couldn't they have taken me. Gracie is only 4. She can barely dress herself without getting her top on back to front or her shoes on the wrong feet. How was she going to last a day. All these thoughts were literally driving me insane. I picked up the pace as I crossed this one road. I forgot to look and I heard the loud screeching of rubber against the road. I looked to my left to see I had nearly got ran over by a car. I said sorry and carried on walking across the road. The car had seemed so quiet, I didn't even realise it was there until I heard the screeching. I knew that no matter what, I couldn't give up on Gracie now.

I walked down the ally way back to the side I grew up in. All the memories flushed back to when I first laid eyes on the love of my life. I carried on looking until I came across Layla's old house. I saw a small family stood outside of it. It reminded me a lot of Layla. My phone rung in my pocket, I picked it up "Hello? Who is this?" I heard the sound of a beeping machine behind the phone. "Hi, Is this Shawn Cohen." I didn't know what was going on. "Yes, what's going on?" I felt fear shadow over me. "Its Layla, we looked over her brain scans. She seems to have a small tumour in the back of her head. If we take it out today she will have a better chance of seeing the rest of her life, but we cant operate until you sign these papers." I was all the way on the other side of town. Even if I did get there as quick as I could I would have been an hour away. "I'm coming!" I knew the police would've had all their men searching by now after they knew how dangerous Darcy is.

I ran through the double doors to the hospital and went over the front desk. "Layla Cohen, what room!" I couldn't bear the fact that I may loose my baby again. "Um... room 210" I nodded as a way of saying thank you and ran to the room. When I walked in, the sight horrified me. Layla was strapped up to multiple machines, it beeping with her pulse. I was begging on everything I had it wouldn't stop, not today. She couldn't die this young. I sat down and signed all the places I had to for her operation. I knew she could hear me but that didn't stop me from grabbing her hand and saying. "Your gonna be fine baby. Just keep fighting, like the fighter you are!" The took her away and I waited anxiously in the waiting room. I saw a cop walking in. I looked up to him. "Any news officer?" I honestly thought this day couldn't get any worse. Then my dearest Gracie walked in "Daddy!" I opened my arms and caught her into an embraced hug. "Gracie, where have you been!" She looked up at me. "A nice woman called Darcy took me to the park daddy, she let me ride on all the slides. There was even a bouncy castle." I looked over to the cop and mouthed to him "Where even is Darcy." He shrugged his shoulders and left, I presume he was going to go look for her. A guy looking quite mysterious walked passed. "Daddy, he took me to the park too. He said his name was Adan." The cop came back in and floored the man. "Your under arrest for the kidnapping for Gracie Cohen."

I sat there for hours holding onto Gracie. She had fell asleep onto my lap now. The doctors came over and asked if they wanted to give her a bed in Layla's room. I nodded. It was probably best for her to sleep. The surgeon came out of the room and came over to me. "Shawn Cohen, I presume?" I nodded and he signalled his hand for me to follow him into the room. Layla had a small cut on her head. "She's gonna live!" I hugged him in surprise and he laughed "Thank you!" He nodded "That's my job man, I'll let you have a moment alone." I went to hold her hand, then I saw her eyes flicker. They were opening. "Hi baby, how are you feeling?" I said as I looked over to her.

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