England played the quarter finals away, and won, and there was thankfully no more nasty incidents.
In two days time they've got the semi final at Wembley.
The entire country is buzzing.
It's weird I can't go to tesco now without someone whispering about me being 'Grealish's girl'
The nursery have had the older children in the preschool room draw pictures and write good luck messages to the players for me to take with me when I go to the game.
Everywhere I look there's flags and pictures.
I'm walking from work towards nursery chatting to Jack on the phone.
"I'm gonna go swimmin' in a bit! Me backs ok now"
"Good, but don't say you're going swimming! I've seen the pool Jack, with all the bloody inflatables and toys no one has room to swim"
He laughs deeply, god I love that laugh. "It's good for windin' down though, an' it's been so bloody hot!" He's right, we are having a glorious summer.
"I'm at the nursery Jack, do you want to hang on or shall I call you back once I've got her?"
"I'll hang on"
I open the main door then let myself into the section of the nursery Mia is in using the fingerprint access system.
I head to her room and as always head to her peg to pick up her bag, phone under my chin
"She ok?"
"I don't know yet Jack I've only just got here!"
Her bags not there, maybe her key worker has already got it ready.
"Do ya wanna flip to video call?"
"Jack can you just hang on a sec...."
Her key worker Emma approaches me
"Hi Chelsea, did you forget something?"
What.....
"Sorry what?"
"What???" Jack echoes in my ear
"Mia's already been collected?" A flicker of panic crosses Emma's face.
"Wha....what??? Who??" I have no words for the fear I'm currently feeling.
"FUCKING WOT???"
hand shaking I put the call on loudspeaker.
"Who picked her up Emma?? Who?? Because I'm here and her dad's here!!" I wave the phone around.
From the phone we can just hear repeatedly "wot the fuck? Wot the actual fuck?" From Jack.
"Craig.....he's on the system, told Mia they were going to collect you from work?"
"WOT THE ACTUAL FOK!! WHO THE FOK LET THAT PRICK PICK UP MY DAUGHTER"
Emma and I stare at the phone in my hand, there's a lot of noise now, Jacks shouting has obviously caused a commotion in whatever room he was in during their recreation time.
"I'm sorry Chelsea, he's on the system, no one ever said to remove him?"
"He's my ex??"
"But we don't know that, we can't know every parents personal life inside out....."
"CHELSEA!!" Jack screams down the phone.
A voice I don't recognise comes on the line "I'm head of security here, nursery, call the police now, can I speak to the manager?"
Another staff member with a phone runs past.
"Yes we are ringing them...." Emma manages between sobs.
"Get them on 999 and you must MUST tell them that the daughter of Jack Grealish has been kidnapped. Tell them there should be a security alert against Jacks name. I cannot stress how serious this is"
What???
What does that mean.
I hear Jack in the background
"YA GONNA TELL ME WOT THAT FUCKIN MEANS?"
it sounds like a scuffle.
The other voice comes back on, the manager is next to me, looking ashen. I'm being led into the office away from the other children.
The manger is starting to talk to the man on Jack's phone but I only hear Jack yelling in the background.
"Hang on please" the voice says.
"SOMEONE GET HIM OUT OF HERE"
"am I speaking to the nursery manager?"
"Yes" she replies.
"Please can you take me off of speaker phone?"
And then I can't hear anything because the police are pulling up outside with sirens blaring, there's excited shouts from the preschoolers down the hall and someone is screaming, really screaming an ear piercing scream, they won't shut up. It's hurting my ears but it goes on and on and on.....
Emma is telling me to calm down, passing me a cup of water.
The scream is still going, it sounds like someone has had their heart ripped out, and I think I know how that feels because right now I feel dead inside.......
"Chelsea! Stop! Try to calm down! You'll make yourself sick if you keep screaming"
I stare at Emma. Me? I'm screaming?
Two police officers walk towards us and I can't stop myself, I retch and I'm violently sick all over the floor.
***
Nearly 2 hours have passed.
I'm at Jasmins house. My own house being watched by police and they aren't sure it's safe to go home.
Karen and Kevin have literally just arrived, I dread to think how many speeding fines they clocked up on the way. I just want Jack, but Jacks been told he has to stay put by the police and security staff within the England camp.
There are several teams of officers out looking for Mia, they've traced Craig's car and they think they have a trace on a phoneline. I'm getting impatient.
I'm desperate to speak to Jack but I've been told he's being watched by the boys after he lost his temper and punched one of the security staff.
I sit between Kevin and Karen, Jasmin is the other side of Karen as an inspector sits opposite us explaining that there's been an undercurrent of violence and racism aimed at the current England squad, going quite far back to the last world cup.
But it's ramped up the last few weeks.
Threatening mail has been sent to the players at St George's Park. Their post is intercepted by back room staff, the players themselves have been shielded. However, Jack has had several threats made towards him since the firework incident.
"Why would Jack be a target?" Asks Kevin, bewildered.
"Who knows how these people think, but maybe because he has become the tournament's poster boy?" He pauses looking at me "we have now found links to Miss Kelly's ex Craig and organised football hooligan groups"
"But he wouldn't have known she was linked to Jack?" Starts Karen...
"Jack was with me" I say quietly. "Craig popped in to check on me a few days after he fixed my boiler...... Jack had stayed the night" I picture him in my pink hoody and just his pants.
Oh my god, it all starts slipping into place, his obsession with Jack, his excitement at Ben's house......his nastiness to me.......but he only ever showed love towards Mia.....
"Miss Kelly, through his job, he would have known that Mr Grealish owned your house from the start, it's no coincidence he attended the call out himself" the inspector softly explains.
"Was he at the game that the firework was thrown?"
"We still don't believe so, but it was probably people he associates with, they have an entire network"
"Is it just Jack? Are any of the others being targeted?" Kevin asks.
"It appears that it's primarily the players that Jack associates with socially."
"Oh fuck, he added them all on Instagram and Facebook the night of Ben's party...."
The inspector looks at me "Ben Chillwell?"
I nod.
"He had been to Ben's house previously?"
"Yes....."
"Is Ben ok?" Asks Karen.
The inspector looks at me, he seems unsure what he should say.
"Is Layla, Ben's girlfriend ok?"
"Do you know her?"
"Yes, she's one of my best friends......"
The inspector sighs "there's been some damage to Ben's property, his car, his house....also to a couple of other players properties.....one theory our team have come up with is that the group may have got location information regarding houses from Layla's social media, incidents do seem to coincide with her check-ins"
Of course, she tags herself fucking everywhere. She's been in most of the instawags houses.
She friended Craig. He's been watching her!
I put my head in my hands "I just want my baby!" I wail. "I just want my baby.....and Jack..."
JACK'S POV
Hendo is fuckin' babysitting me.
All the London boys have been separated to talk to the police.
According to H loads of their houses and cars an' stuff has been vandalised.
The security ponce neva gave me phone back.
I know I shouldn't have punched him, I know he was tryna help, but like I told him the firework was down to Craig an' cos they didn't arrest him then, he's taken Mia from nursery!
I can't think about Mia. If I think about her an' the fact I dunno where she is or who she is with I feel sick.
I feel like someones taken me heart out an' fuckin' stamped on it.
"Jacky stop pacing, sit down lad" Hendo is only tryna help I keep repeating to myself.
"Shot the fok up!" Is wot comes outta me mouth though.
"I dunno why I can't speak t' Chelsea?" The lump in my throat is back. I don' care. I don' care that I can't stop cryin' if they don't find Mia soon I'll rip me own fuckin' eyes out anyway.
"I think they need to keep her phone free"
I take a deep breath "can I use ya phone to phone me mom jords?"
"Course you can, what's her number?"
I shake me head......"I dunno?" Fuck.
Christ if I feel like this how does Chelsea feel?
"I need t'be with Chels...." I sound like a fuckin' mouse.
"I know, I know" I feel his arms around me. He's a propa dad is Hendo an' it feels like a dad hugging me, even though he's only 5 years older than me.
I sob on his chest.
"Mate I can't even imagine how you're feeling"
Jords hands his phone to me "here, log yourself in on Facebook, you could call your mum or dad that way? Find out what's going on up there?"
I wipe my eyes "I dunno even know me fuckin' passwords tho! It's all jus' on me phone!" Jesus Christ I'm pathetic.
"Hang on mate" Jordan starts scrolling through his phone, this your sister? He holds an Instagram page up.
"Will she answer if it's my public profile ringing her?"
"Yeah I reckon..."
She answers.
"Keira!! Wots happenin' where's me baby kie?? Have ya spoke to Chels??? Gimme Moms numba??" It all jus' tumbles out.
It takes a while to register just how hard Kiera is crying.