A/N OMG! I am so sorry it has been so long! I have been super crazy busy with Thirteen closing last week, soccer and school starting (freshman year) that I hadn't gotten the chance to write! I finally have a chapter finished for you and I will be writing more often now that I'm settled in. Sorry it has taken so long!
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"Rick. He was Maggie's father's partner in crime, literally." Ryan explains, noticing I can't talk right now. He quickly walks to my side and slides an arm around my waist, supporting me so I can stand. "He helped kidnap Maggie the day that Sam got shot."
"He visited me in the hospital as well. He was there to remind us of my father's threat to keep our mouths shut. Oh Amy I'm so sorry! Now that he knows that we've told someone, we are all in danger. That now includes your family. I can't let anything happen to Jack and Lauren! Or you! Maybe we should go and cancel the lawyer. But still, he does already know about it... Oh I don't know what to do!" I cry. I move toward Amy, slipping out of Ryan's grasp. The world swims before my eyes and I collapse onto the ground. Ryan rushes to my side and Amy opens the door so Ryan can just slip me into the car.
"Come on. Let's get home. I am going to have to pick Lauren up from kindergarten soon anyway." I nod numbly, half conscious, and Ryan places me gently into the back seat so I can sit with him. The car is silent as we drive towards Lauren's school. I calm myself down as we drive and Ryan helps by rubbing small circles into the back of my hand and whispering soothing words in my ear. We pull in and a few minutes later the bell rings.
Lauren comes bolting out of the door and runs straight to the car with a bright pink piece of paper flapping in her hand. She opens the door and jumps in. "Mommy look at what I made today!" She squeals, holding up the paper to reveal a picture with four big stick figures and two small ones. "It's our family! See? There's you and Daddy, Maggie and Ryan, then me and Jack!" She is beaming over the paper and Amy smiles.
"Honey it's beautiful. That is a really sweet picture." She says softly, I can hear in her voice that she is proud of her daughter.
"Thanks Mommy! Maggie do you like it?" She asks me hopefully. She is so adorable.
"I love it Lauren. Thank you for including Ryan and I." I say with a smile breaking my face. Leave it to Lauren to make us all feel better.
"Well, why wouldn't I? You and Ryan are family now, just like mommy said the day we met you. You're my new big sister and Ryan's my new big brother. Right? We're just not related like me and Jack."
A huge smile crosses Amy's face and I feel tears in my eyes. "Yeah Lauren. We're kind of like that."
Lauren is smiling and happy for all of the attention and praise for her picture. She sees me looking at her and she smiles wider. "Maggie, why are you crying?"
I quickly wipe my eyes again. "Your picture is just really beautiful Lauren. It made me really happy. I love it."
She looks confused. The poor thing doesn't understand. She leaves it be though and jumps a little in her seat. "Mommy, can we get ice cream so Maggie stops crying? Ice cream makes everybody happier."
Amy laughs and nods her head. "I think that we could all use a little bit of ice cream therapy. And we can pick up a cup for Jack too so he doesn't miss out and he can eat it when he gets home from school."
Amy turns right, altering our route. I lean back in my seat and close my eyes. If a five year old can make me feel this much better, I wonder how the ice cream will be.
I feel the car stop and open my eyes to find us parked in front of a small ice cream parlor. Lauren leaps out of the car and jumps up and down, waiting for the rest of us to get out. We walk in and wait to be helped.
"What can I get you guys?" A teenage girl asks.
"Cake batter with rainbow sprinkles please." Lauren squeals excitedly. "And bubblegum with gummy bears for my brother who isn't here please! He's in school."
"Vanilla please." I request quietly. Lauren turns and gapes at me.
"JUST vanilla? That's not fun!" Lauren pouts. She turns to the girl who is rushing to get Jack and Lauren's orders. "Ignore that. Can we have cotton candy with rainbows sprinkles and gummy bears please?"
"Lauren if Maggie wants to get vanilla, please let her." Amy interjects.
The poor girl behind the counter delivers Lauren's cone to the excited five year old and hands Amy Jack's cone. She then looks expectantly at me. "No Amy it's fine. I'll try to cotton candy with sprinkles and gummy bears. Thank you."
The girl nods and Ryan is looking at the board and chewing on his lip. His face lights up and when the girl comes back with my ice cream, he speaks almost as excited as Lauren. "Chocolate peanut butter with chocolate sprinkles please."
Even the girl seems to smile at his excitement. Amy turns to him. "What is up with you and peanut butter ice cream?" I smile, I love hearing him explain this story.
"It was the flavor I got every time I came here with my parents when we were little. I didn't know if they would still have it. I haven't gotten it since the accident." His face seems to droop a little until he is handed his ice cream.
"Come on kids we can eat that on the way home." Amy says, paying the girl and leading us to the car.
It takes us fifteen minutes to get back to the house and we all pile out, happy and feeling elated. We had picked Jack up from school right after the ice cream and his excited expression over the ice cream put an even bigger smile on my face than before.
We seem to have forgotten this afternoon's events. Amy starts to make dinner and she comes into the living room where Jack, Lauren, Ryan and I are watching Finding Nemo. She hums quietly and walks across the room, placing a laundry basket down.
Amy's phone buzzes on the table and she hurries to check it. Suddenly, she calls out, "Jack, Lauren, go upstairs and put your pajamas on. Right now. No whining or excuses. Ryan or Maggie put on Channel Five. I just got a text message from Steven Goldberg telling me there is urgent news.
I grab the remote control and hurriedly change the channel while Jack and Lauren race each other up the stairs. On the screen is a man with a very serious expression on his face and the headline NEWSFLASH! LOCAL GIRL GONE MISSING. In the left hand corner is a picture of a laughing girl in a blue dress.
The girl that helped us today at the ice cream parlor.
A\N I hope that chapter made up for my month long absence. I will be writing more I promise! Thank you for sticking with me!
Love,
Eryn
P.S. When I was writing part of this chapter, I was in the car on my way to Smiling Rhino and my friend, David, wanted to know what I was writing so I showed him and asked for ice cream flavor ideas. He took my iPad from me and wrote this line: "Strawberry please! I love strawberries even though I was abused :)"
I couldn't put it into the story (it obviously wouldn't work) but I wanted to show you guys because I thought it was kind of odd but funny.
YOU ARE READING
Daddy's Little Girl
Teen FictionA dark figure is walking towards us through the haze. I ignore it and let Ryan pull me to the ocean. As the figure gets closer, I can tell its a grown man. I stop abruptly and Ryan stumbles, almost falling in the water. He turns to me with concern a...
