I'm glad you enjoyed the twist! Sorry it's shorter but I thought it was mean to leave you on such a cliffhanger! ;) Here's the next chapter! :)
Chapter 10
"We'll come too." Rory said getting up with Sam. "We'll get mom and Luke as well. They can help look as well. Which park were they at?"
"Bushnell." Charlotte said tremulously.
"We'll meet you there ok?" Rory said. "Don't worry, we'll find him!" She said giving her sister a hug.
"Come on, I'll drive." Jess said as they all rushed into action.
They arrived in Hartford about half an hour later and rushed up to Chris when they saw him. "Have you found him?" Charlotte asked desperately.
"No! I've looked everywhere!" Chris said.
"How could you let him wander off?" Charlotte exclaimed. "He's 6, dad!"
"I turned my back for a minute! And when I looked back, he wasn't there!" Chris exclaimed.
"He's 6, dad! You don't turn your back at all! I knew I shouldn't have trusted you! I thought you'd grown up! And then you go and do this! I can't believe you!" She shouted angrily.
"Ok, Charlotte, calm down..." Jess said softly.
"How can I calm down? Our son is missing!" She exclaimed.
"I know! But none of this is helping us find him, is it?" Jess said. "We have to start searching the whole park!"
"I've looked everywhere." Chris said.
"I'm not talking to you." Jess said coldly.
Just then, Rory, Sam, Lorelai and Luke arrived. "Have you found him?" Lorelai asked worried.
"No." Charlotte said tearfully.
"We'll find him ok?" Lorelai said hugging her daughter. "We need to all split up."
"That's what I was about to say." Jess said. "I'll go the east side. Charlotte, you go the west side. Lorelai, you and Luke go down there, and Rory and Sam, you go that way." He said. "We'll meet back here in a bit."
"What about me? Can I keep looking too?" Chris asked.
Everyone turned to look at him. "Yeah, the more looking for him, the better." Jess said. "You go that way." He said. "Ok, let's go." He said.
About an hour later, they all met up in the same place, no one having found Jack.
"Well maybe we didn't check everywhere!" Chris tried.
"Just go!" Charlotte shouted at him.
"What? Charlotte.." Chris said.
"I can't even look at you right now!" She exclaimed angrily. "My son is missing and it's all your fault!"
"Hon..." Lorelai said softly.
"No, don't even try to defend him! I want you to go. Now!" She glared at her dad.
"You heard her." Jess told Chris.
Chris glanced at his daughter's tear stained face and knew he couldn't say anything that would help so he reluctantly turned to leave. He stopped after a moment and turned back. "Will you at least let me know when you find him?"
"Just go." Charlotte said quietly.
"Hey come here." Jess said softly as he pulled her into a hug, after Chris had left.
"It's getting dark..." She said tremulously. "What if...what if someone's taken him?" She cried.
"We can't think like that." Jess said quietly.
"But it happens all the time. You hear it on the news!" Charlotte said scared.
"Look, Jack's clever ok. He got that from you. He'll have found somewhere safe to wait for us, I'm sure of it." Jess assured her.
"Wait, Grandma and Grandpa!" She suddenly exclaimed.
"What?" Jess said confused.
"Their house is close to here. I've taken Jack to go and see them from here several times. Maybe he's gone there?" She said hopefully.
"I'll call them." Lorelai said quickly pulling out her cell. She dialled their number and wished she was about to hear some good news. "Mom, hi!" She said.
"Lorelai?" Emily said surprised to hear from her.
"Hi yeah it's me. I was just wondering if..uh..you've seen Jack today?" She asked, glancing at her daughter who looked hopeful.
"Jack? No, why?" Emily said stiffly. "If you don't remember, your daughter doesn't exactly like me at the moment."
Lorelai sighed and sadly shook her head at her daughter who looked crestfallen. "Look, mom, I know you and Charlotte have had your ups and down but Jack is missing. He went out with Chris for the day and we think he wandered off. You're close to Bushnell Park. We thought, well Charlotte hoped that maybe he had remembered the route to yours and had gone to you..." She said quietly. She heard silence at the end of the phone. "Mom?"
"Jack's missing?" She said quietly.
"Yeah. And Charlotte and Jess are beside themselves. You really haven't seen him?" Lorelai said.
"No, sorry." Emily said. "Stay where you are ok? Richard and I will meet you at the park and help you look."
"No, you should stay where you are!" Lorelai said quickly.
"What? Lorelai, this is our great grandson!" Emily exclaimed.
"I know! But he could still turn up at yours. You should stay there in case he does." She said.
Emily sighed. "I guess you're right. But Lorelai?"
"Yeah?"
"Let us know as soon as you find him. Please?"
"Of course." Lorelai promised before hanging up. "I'm so sorry hon..." She said softly.
"Oh god..." Charlotte said bursting into tears again.
"We just need to keep looking." Jess said pulling her into another hug.
"We've looked everywhere!" Charlotte exclaimed. "Why are you so calm about it?"
"Calm? You think I'm calm?" Jess exclaimed. "Charlotte, our son is missing! I'm like the opposite of calm! I know the streets are like, remember! I'm terrified that our son is out there somewhere alone and scared! You think I don't care?"
"I'm sorry." Charlotte said quietly, sniffing. "I just...I'm so scared, Jess..."
"I know." Jess sighed. "Look, why don't you go to your grandparents' house for a bit? If he turns up there, I'm sure he'd be happy to see you there. I'll keep looking out here."
"I don't know. I think I'd go crazy sat there doing nothing to help to find him." Charlotte sniffed.
"But you're driving yourself crazy out here anyway. It's getting dark, go get something to eat and then if you want, you can come back out after." Jess said.
"You'll call as soon as..."
"Of course." He promised.
"I'll stay and keep looking with Jess." Sam said.
"Me too." Luke said.
"Jess is right, hon. Let's go to your grandparents'. We'll grab something to eat, re-energise and then we can come back and help look again." Lorelai said softly.
"Mom..." She said tremulously.
"I know." She said softly. "Come on. Jess is right. If Jack does end up there, he will want to see you."
Charlotte nodded. "Ok." She said quietly. She glanced at Jess and then walked over and gave him a kiss. "Promise me you'll find him."
"I promise." He said. "Now go rest. Make sure our other kids are ok." He said looking down at her stomach.
Charlotte sighed. "Yeah ok."
"Hey..." Jess said as she started walking off with Lorelai and Rory.
"Yeah?" She said turning back.
"I'll find him." He said.
Charlotte smiled tremulously. "I know." She said.
Another hour later and it really had turned dark now in the park. Jess was losing hope as he walked around calling for Jack. He could feel tears in his eyes and he thought about how scared Jack must be out here in the dark. He knew his son's fear of the dark. He looked around calling for him again but heard nothing in reply. He slowly started walking off when he suddenly heard some rustling behind him. He stopped and turned round trying to look through the dark at the bushes and trees behind him. "Hello?" He said cautiously. "Jack?" He said hopefully. "Son, is that you?" He sighed when the rustling stopped. "Look, if you think we're going to be mad at you, you're wrong ok? We just want to know you're ok. Jack?" He tried again. He sighed disappointedly when there was still no rustling. Maybe he had imagined it. Maybe the desperate urge to find his son safe and sound has started to make him hallucinate and now he was the crazy one talking to a bush. He started walking away again when suddenly he heard a small frightened voice.
"Daddy..."
So I hope you liked it! :) Let me know what you think! I love reading your reviews so please keep them coming. :) Your support really means so much to me so thank you! :)
