Letters to Isabella

forty five.

Ross' POV

Isabella was quick to hang up the phone after explaining to me about her whereabouts and within seconds I began searching frantically for my jacket and car keys. 

I had to get her home safely. I had no time to lose because whether I liked it or not my daughter was, on paper, a twelve year old girl who obviously wanted freedom and a chance to break free from Laura and I but she still wasn't mature enough to be out there in this big, scary world of ours by herself just yet.

Rocky appeared from the living room yawning and stretching with Bailey following closely behind him. I'd invited him over after Laura had decided to get an early night of sleep and Isabella had informed Laura that she wouldn't be coming home once again. I figured that Bailey and I could use the company and Rocky seemed like the best person to call up to have a meal and a quick game of Call of Duty with us. 

"Damn all of that gameplay has made me hungry!" Rocky joked, nudging Bailey playfully on the arm. "What's for food man?" He asked, redirecting his attention back to me with a grin.

Crap. I thought to myself, staring at my older brother with emptiness in my dark brown eyes. I'd completely forgotten to finish cooking up our food after I'd become engrossed in the digital shooter game I'd just competitively played with both my brother and son. 

I shrugged my shoulders and pointed to the kitchen, still searching furiously for my car keys which I'd put down in a hurry somewhere after arriving back home from the ultrasound with Laura just hours before.

"Your choice." I explained in a monotone voice.

I slipped into the sleeves of my coat and pulled it tightly around my body before finally retrieving my car keys from our staircase which had been hidden underneath a bunch of books. 

Laura had clearly been given a load of old classics by Enid to bring home after one of her daily shifts at the library again. Not that I minded though. I was a supportive husband and had always encouraged Laura to chase after her dreams. It felt great to see her finally settle down at a job she actually enjoyed and had a passion in.

"Our choice?" Rocky repeated in confusion. I nodded carelessly back to him in response. "Ross where are you going? I'm so confused. I thought that the three of us were going to have food together --"

"Change of plans." I explained rather dismissively to them both.

I opened up the front door and instantly felt the gentle breeze of the February winds as it whistled past my face sending an unsettling sense of dread down my spine. The sky was turning a sickly shade of black and a group of grey rain clouds were forming above my head, sending my stomach into knots.

My daughter is out there somewhere. I can't afford to waste anymore of my precious time spilling out excuses to both Rocky and Bailey who weren't taking my simple lies as a final answer.

After a few moments of debating back and forth with myself to either run outside and make a quick beeline to my car or to subtly explain my current situation to Rocky I decided to settle on a more mature decision and pulled Rocky to the side. 

"Isabella." I whispered to him, eyeing Bailey cautiously as he stood behind Rocky with worry in his eyes. I was desperately trying to keep myself calm and collected on the outside despite feeling an insane amount of worry on the inside. "She needs me. I have to go and pick her up."