"Take Me Out to the Ball Game"

Chapter 8

"So it's just like that? You just left?" questioned her sister, her hazel eyes round in wonder at the stupidity of her sister.

"Well..what else was I supposed to do?" she asked, rubbing her eyes against the assault of the morning sun. Her friends had decided a slumber party was in order the next evening, and she was definitely paying the price for an entire night without sleep.

"You were supposed to stay and listen to him ramble, make sure everything is all right. Flirt if necessary, come on girl!" Lidia injected bumping her with her elbow to the ribs.

"Well..I..I don't know.." her voice trailed off as she stared at the four expectant faces surrounding her.

"You do know, follow your heart." Keely smiled, patting Charity's shoulder.

"He sure is cute." giggled Bethany, her blue eyes mischievous.

"Shut up!" she said to her friend tossing one of the throw pillows at Bethany's head.

"Ohhhh jealousy! You saw that?" asked Jazelle with a laugh.

Just as she was about to come up with a witty retort, the phone started ringing. Groaning, she jumped to her feet and retrieved it, "Hello?"

"Charity?" the female voice was high and rushed, seemingly panicked. "The kids, their their gone! I need your help."

Her heart started beating fast, "Who is this?" she demanded, hoping against hope it was a prank call.

"Oh my..it's Julie. Miss Julie. Oh Charity, how could I let this happen?" the elderly woman was frantic.

"I'll be right over, Julie, stay where you are." she insisted, slamming the phone down. "I've got to go, and now." she stated grabbing her jacket and her keys.

"Where are you going?" asked Jazzi over the supreme quiet that hung in the room. Her friends were so close that they knew without a doubt when something was wrong with her.

"The kids are missing. That was Julie, I've got to get over there." she said, walking past them to the door.

"We're right behind you!" exclaimed Lidia, grabbing her coat.

"Okay then, see you over there." she said, running down the stairs to her car, adrenaline bounding through her veins. Turning her gaze skyward she whispered, "Okay God, here we go."

--

Things never went right in the life of Gloria Harper, and the two crying children she now had sitting in the back seat of her car was just one more thing. "Hush, hush we'll be to Mommy's house in a few minutes! I've got candy!" she hinted, hoping they'd shut up. She'd only succeeded in making the crying louder from Cole's end.

"What did he do to my babies?" she questioned allowed, cursing her brother under her breath. She'd simply needed some time off, a break. Just like Alex though, to take over and make her look no good. He'd been doing that for her entire life. She was thoroughly sick of it. These were her children, her own life now in her hands, she drove toward Trevor's house. Wait until he saw them, he would take her back right away. There was no way her husband could be so cold-hearted to turn her and two tiny children away. Especially Ava with her being deaf.

Cole signed to his sister, she could see him in the rear view mirror. His chubby hands conveying a message that Gloria didn't understand. She should have learned sign language when Alex mentioned it the first time. Sighing deep, she pulled up in front of Trevor's new home address. He'd told her to come when she got her life together and stopped blaming her wrong-doing on everyone else. Now she was here, kids and suitcases in hand, standing on the front porch of a very vacant looking building with no where to go.

--

For what must have been the millionth time, Alex paced the front porch of his apartment building pleading with God to send them back. Where could they have gone? Who would have come to the house and snatched two tiny children from their naps? One answer replayed itself in his mind over and over. Gloria. Anger seemed to boil his blood, and he couldn't stand still. He wanted to go jump in his car and search for her. When he found her...well, he had no idea what he'd do to her, because he doubted he could hit a woman. However, this would be an exception to his policy. She'd taken his very livelihood from him. Those two kids were all he had, and more.

The day had taken its toll on him emotionally and physically, and soon instead of pacing he was taking a seat on the steps. The door opened behind him, and soft footsteps echoed on the porch before Charity sat beside him.

"The police just called, they've found nothing yet." she whispered, staring straight ahead at the dark sky.

He nodded, feeling his heart fall further into its pit of depression. "I figured. If Gloria doesn't want to be found, she won't be." he concluded.

"Don't say that." she said, taking his hand in hers. "We'll find Cole and Ava if we have to walk to the ends of the earth to do it. We both know that."

Again he nodded, "You'd come along?" he asked, intrigued by the tiny woman beside him.

She smiled, blue eyes twinkling like the stars she'd been looking at. "Of course I would, Alex."

With all of the trying matters of the day, he found himself staring into the eyes he'd dreamed about for nights. What was getting into him? His nephew and niece were out there somewhere, scared and possibly hurting and he was thinking about a woman? Yet her hand wrapped around his felt so right, and he was involuntarily moving closer to her. His heart thudded against his ribcage, attempting to jump right out of his chest it seemed. Her lips were inviting, and he could see himself kissing her. Feel the rightness of what was about to happen, yet he let it slip away. Lowering himself, he kissed her cheek. "Thank you for being here, Charity. We'll find them." With that, he stood to his feet and stalked back into the apartment ready to get his keys.