Chapter 4

"His teacher said she thought he saw him go home with you!" Joanne frantically said while she stormed out of the school with Maureen and Ally trying to keep up behind her.

"Maybe Mimi came and got him and the teacher thought she was me or something?" Maureen said.

"You think?" Joanne asked.

Maureen shrugged. "Where else could he be?"

Joanne took in a deep breath and slowly let it out, trying her hardest to calm down. "Okay let's just wait here a few more minutes, and if he doesn't come we'll go to the loft."

Maureen carefully watched Joanne, while holding onto Ally's hand tightly. Joanne didn't look good. She was trembling, little beads of sweat were starting to form on her forehead, and she was holding the bridge of her nose in between her finger and thumb.

"Are you alright Pookie?"

Joanne silently nodded, while she slowly kept inhaling and exhaling.

"Mommy where's Jake?" Ally questioned while pulling Maureen's hand.

"He's coming." Maureen lied, not wanting to upset the four year old.

Ten minutes later Joanne gathered her thoughts, and the three headed for the car.

"You drive." Joanne instructed Maureen, not feeling well enough to take the wheel.

Maureen took the keys and asked no questions.

"What about Jake?" Ally asked from the back seat. "Are we leaving him at the school?"

"Don't worry about Jake sweetie." Joanne calmly replied.

As soon as Maureen pulled up in front of the loft, Joanne jumped out of the car and ran for the building, leaving Maureen with Ally.

"Mimi?!" Joanne questioned and burst into the loft, to find Mark. "Is Jake here?"

Mark clutched his heart, startled by the lawyer's sudden appearance. "Joanne?"

"Is Jake here?" Joanne asked again.

"Uh no." Mark said.

"Do you know if Mimi picked him up from school today?" Joanne asked.

Mark shook his head. "I don't think so. Mimi left for life support about an hour ago, with Roger. They were meeting Angel and Collins there. What's wrong?"

"Is he here?" Maureen asked coming in a few seconds later with Ally balancing on her hip.

"What's going on?" Mark asked, worry splashing onto his face.

"Jake is missing." Joanne answered her eyes watery.

"Well we don't know that yet." Maureen said.

"Where else could he be Maureen!?" Joanne yelled causing Ally to flinch and hide her face on Maureen's neck.

"Why is mama yelling?" Ally sobbed.

Joanne sighed and stroked her hair. "It's okay Ally, mama is just upset."

"Stop yelling." Ally muffled out and tightened her grip on Maureen. She did not like seeing her mama this way.

Shortly after, Mimi, Roger, Collins and Angel entered the loft.

"Hey guys!" Collins smiled. "You want to go to The Life for dinner?"

"Tell me Jake is with one of you?" Joanne asked pushing pass Maureen.

All four of them eyed each other.

"He's not with us." Roger declared.

"None of us have him." Mimi added.

Angel's face fell. "Why…can't you find him?"

"No!" Joanne said. "He wasn't at school when we went to go get him, and the teacher said she saw him go home with Maureen." She explained. "I was hoping it was Mimi."

"We can help you look for him." Collins suggested. "Maybe he went to the park with some new friends or something."

Joanne nodded. "Yeah okay."

"Mark and I will look around here." Roger said. "Maybe he was lost, and decided to come to the loft."

"Maureen and I will check the parks." Joanne said.

"I'll sweep the area around his school." Collins offered.

Joanne looked towards Angel and Mimi. "Can you guys stay at our apartment with Ally? Just incase he shows up there?"

Angel and Mimi nodded.

Soon after, everyone went their separate ways in search of Jake. It was around ten at night when everyone met back at MoJo's apartment.

"I can't believe we didn't find him!" Joanne said.

Collins sighed, he didn't want to suggest his next idea, but it was the only other option "You guys should go to the police station and file a missing child report."

"He's right Joanne." Maureen said.

Joanne shook her head, tears leaking from her eyes. "No, this isn't happening, not to me. My child is not missing!"

"It's okay we'll find him." Maureen said trying to comfort the lawyer. "We'll have a better chance at finding him with the help of the police."

"No." Joanne said while pushing Maureen away. "He's not missing. He's in his bed, sound asleep."

"Jo…" Maureen began, watching as the lawyer began to tremble again, this time her breathing a little off. "Joanne?!"

"Oh God…" Joanne tried to breath but she couldn't. "Maureen…I…can't…"

"Chica?" Angel asked unsurely.

"Joanne?!" Maureen wrapped her arms around her. "Calm down."

"She's having a panic attack." Collins informed them. "Try and get her to breath."

"I'm trying!" Maureen bitterly spat out. She didn't mean to sound rude, but her wife was in pain. "Okay Jo, just calm down…take a deep breath."

Joanne clung onto Maureen. It took a few minutes but she managed to start breathing normally again, but it didn't stop her tears from spilling out though.

"Are you okay?" Maureen asked, holding Joanne as close as possible.

"No." Joanne sobbed on Maureen's shoulder. "But let's go to the police station."

Maureen nodded, and looked back towards her friends. "Can you guys stay with Ally?"

"Don't worry about her." Mark assured them.

"Thanks." Maureen said, and her and Joanne left the apartment.

Somewhere across town, Jack sat in an old dingy room, tears of his own spilling from his eyes. He wished Maureen would break down the door to let Joanne in, so his mama could hold him tight, while Maureen fought the witch that took him.

But instead of watching the door break down with Maureen behind it, he saw the grungy looking girl known as Sara enter the room with a trey of food in her hands.

"Eat up for mommy Jakie." Sara said and placed the food next to him on the nightstand.

"I want mama." Jake cried.

"I'm your mama and mommy now!" Sara scolded. "You will not mention those other two again. You will be living with a real family from now on. You will have a father and a mother, instead of two mothers. Understood?"

"No." Jake cried.

"Well I guess I'll have to keep you locked up in here until you do understand." Sara said, and with that she left the room, slamming the door shut.

Jake ran over to the bed jumping on it, his face buried in the pillows. "Mama...where are you?"