Until Series(341)

“I want you to sleep for a while, baby. I’m gonna have a nurse help me take the girls out to meet everyone while you rest.”

“They can come in here,” she says quietly, looking down at the girls, who are both sleeping.

“No way, baby-mama. You need your rest, and I know if we stay in here, you won’t sleep.”

“I don’t want to miss anything,” she complains with a pout.

I smile then bend forward, kissing her. “I won’t let you miss anything. They’ll probably sleep the whole time anyways.”

“Okay, but if they smile or do anything cute, you need to take a picture.”

“Promise.” I press the call button for the nurse so she can help me take the girls to see my family.

I carry Harmony while the nurse carries Willow into the waiting room. Everyone is excited to see both of our girls, but with the babies being so small and Sophie being out of my sight, I want to get them back to the room as fast as possible. I don’t know how I’m going to stand going back to work. I don’t even like to think about not seeing them for any length of time.

“Where’s your wife?” the nurse asks when we walk into the room.

I look at the bed expecting to see Sophie there, and it takes a second to realize that she’s not in bed. The blankets are half on the floor, and the bed they brought in for the girls is pushed to the side. My heart starts slamming into my ribcage when I see that the bathroom door is open, letting me know that Sophie isn’t in there either. I walk to the bed, pressing the call button before pulling out my cell phone and calling Kenton.

“We’re just getting in my car. You need me to bring you something?” he asks as soon as he picks up.

“Sophie’s not in the room. I need you back in here. Now,” I tell him, trying to stay calm. Something isn’t right.

“What do you mean she’s not in the room?”

“Exactly what I just said. Get back in here now.” I hang up.

“Did you need something?” a second nurse wearing bright pink scrubs asks, stepping into the room.

“Do you know where my wife is?” I ask, not wanting to hear the word ‘no’ come out of her mouth.

“She’s not here?” she asks, looking at the nurse holding Willow then around the room before walking into the bathroom and turning on the light.

“Get security for me,” I growl impatiently.

“Yes, of course,” she mumbles, looking worried. She leaves the room, and I look down at Harmony then over at Willow.

“Anything?” Kenton asks, coming into the room.

“I’m waiting for security to get here before I go look for her myself. Do me a favor and take Willow.” I motion for him to take my daughter from the nurse, and he does immediately. “Go check and see what’s going on with security,” I tell the nurse, and she nods, leaving the room quickly.

“We’ll find her,” Kenton says with conviction, looking down at Willow.

“I know.” There isn’t any other option.

I know that, wherever Sophie is, she’s scared, and it’s fucking with my head. I’ve made sure since we got together that she always felt safe. Knowing that she just had emergency surgery to have our daughters and is still recovering is only making my anxiety heighten.

It takes about five minutes for security to show up, and once there, they tell me that the nurse explained what’s going on. They’ve put the hospital on lockdown and are searching for Sophie.

I take a second to call my mom to let her know that I need her here and to bring Dad. As soon as they arrive, I give her Harmony and Willow and a strict instruction to not leave the room for any reason. I leave her and Dad in the room, along with a guard at the door, and follow the head of security down the hall to the security office. Once there, we go into a small room holding the CCTVs. An older gentleman with short white hair is sitting in front of the screens, playing back a video from the camera in front of the room Sophie was in.

“You find anything yet, Charlie?”

“Not yet. Still looking,” the guy mumbles.

I watch the screen as well, trying to catch a glimpse of anything out of the ordinary. Five minutes into the video, I’m ready to start breaking shit. I need to be out looking, but I know this is the first step in the process. I watch the video of me leaving the room with the nurse and heading to the waiting area, taking my girls to meet our family. About two minutes after we leave the room, a guy wearing a long doctor’s coat and pushing a wheelchair enters Sophie’s room. He’s facing away from the camera, so I can’t see what he looks like, but I feel bile in the back of my throat as I watch him enter the room. I don’t know what happens when he is in there alone with her, but I do know I will find and kill him. About four minutes after he enters her room, I watch as he leaves, pushing a passed-out Sophie in the wheelchair, and I finally see who the fuck it is.