Chapter Thirty-Five
"No"
That was all David could say as he woke up. Due to his head injury, he was taken to hospital. Though he couldn't stand being stuck there while his two daughters are out missing with that woman. So he forced him up from the bed and began putting on his normal clothes (despite the nurses insisting he stay a bit longer). Though he couldn't do that, he needed to be out there looking and he needed to be with Priya. He was actually found by Amy as she came round to visit, only to find him knocked out on the floor. The girl rang the ambulance as soon as she realised what had happened. Putting on his shoes, the man discharged himself. Thankfully Amy was there still as she looked at him, she felt sorry for him. What an awful thing, so close to Christmas too. David gently grabbed onto her as he asked in panic...
"You heard any more news about my girls?"
"No I'm sorry...The police have only said they are conducting a search, Maya's parents have been looking all over as well; we all have" Amy began to explain.
"She could be anywhere with them...Erica is only a few weeks old; she's not suppose to be out like this"
"David...If Maya has a decent bone in her body, no harm will come of her" Amy tried to assure him.
Amy has tried so hard to put herself in her shoes. When she took Kyle, she was a right mess. Though she let him go because as a mother, she knew her child was better off without her in the circumstances she was in. She just hoped Maya had a similar realisation because this wasn't fair on Priya and David. Though the difference being of cause that Maya has not only took her child but Amba as well. This was clearly a revenge plot and not some desperate last minute attempt to see her child.
"She doesn't have a decent bone in her body though...We all know this!" David snapped.
"No but she's a coward...David, how long did it take for her to ditch Jacob on her last runaway trip? Hm? A couple weeks maybe. She won't last half as long with these two"
"I don't even know where she could be, what am I suppose to do?"
"You're suppose to go and be with Priya"
Wiping away more tears, he quickly moved past Amy. She quickly lagging behind him, plenty of people were out looking for Amba and Erica. They had to hold onto the hope she wouldn't get far. Maya had about fifty pounds on her person and two children, she was hardly in a fit state to get far. She had a criminal record and was known to police, no way could she get away with this with any real success.
"I'm so stupid! I let my guard down again!" David yelled; walking out the doors.
"This wasn't your fault...Right? Don't you dare blame yourself, besides Amba and Erica don't have time for your self-loathing"
"I'm terrified, Amy. What if something happens to them? How long has it been? Look at it, it's already dark and cold"
"Maya will probably find some homeless shelter tonight"
"You seem to be giving her too much credit, Amy" David hissed.
Though deep down he knew she was only trying to make him feel better, they wouldn't be cold is what she was trying to say. Maya may be cruel and bitter but she wasn't impervious, she wouldn't spent time outside when she has enough money for shelter. Amy knew this for she was once on the run, any money at all was for food or shelter. Even bad people need the basics.
"I'm just being realist" Amy told him.
"I know you are but that's not going to bring them back is it? You said she will go to a homeless shelter so we go and visit some because I can't sit back and do nothing, not again"
"David, I highly doubt she's stayed in the area"
"God! Why did I turn my back? I heard somebody, I should have stayed inside but I didn't, I went outside because I'm stupid!"
"Come on...Let's go back to the village; Priya needs you"
"I got to talk to Jacob first, he might have an idea of where she goes, right? If he can give me anything at all then I will be grateful"
...
The locals weren't the only ones looking. Henrietta and John were looking around everywhere too. Their first port of call was Ethan's as John banged on the door like a caged dog. Ethan was acting like the coward he is as he timidly shouted..."I don't know where she is!" behind the door. He didn't mind giving a bit of lip to his aunt but he wouldn't dare do it to John.
"You open this door otherwise I will break it down!" John yelled back.
The pathetic excuse for a man seemed to relent at this threat. John was crazier enough to do it, his little granddaughter was missing. He did of cause care for his daughter Maya too but she was older enough to look after herself, Erica was not. Not to mention that he had morals and wanted to find Amba too. She wasn't anything to him but she was a poor little girl missing, his granddaughter's half-sister too. Ethan opened the door, getting grappled by John as soon as he did so.
"Ettie...You look upstairs while I will keep this scumbag down here!" John demanded. Spitting in his face soon after.
Henrietta nodded as she made her way past, her nephew struggling on the floor with John. The man had him firmly pressed down on the floor by this point. Henrietta looked in all the rooms, looking behind doors, under beds and in wardrobes. She wasn't here (not like anyone expected her to be) but it was worth a shot. She came back downstairs and informed John of this.
"She's not here" Henrietta told him.
"Okay" John paused before looking back down upon Ethan and hissed at him..."You hear anything from her and you tell me or Ettie, you don't do this and I will kill you...You're lucky I haven't done so already"
"Why haven't you already?" Ethan simple asked.
"Because you're not worth the effort" John snarled. Finally letting him go.
Making his way out with Henrietta and getting back in his car. Their next spot of searching was just a street search, every time they saw a pram. They would stop to double-check but it was never her, just some slightly confused mother. They just drove around, Henrietta being in the front seat next to him this time. They went down back alleys and whatnot, drove into the Leeds city centre and shone their car lights into every little murky corner they could find. He dropped Henrietta by a couple of hostels and homeless shelters, she asked if any woman in her early 40s with a baby and a five year old girl came in and to call her if they saw anything like this. They really were doing everything to help with the search, this was their family as much as the Sharma's, Metcalfe's and Pollard's.
"I'm going to ring Stacy" Henrietta simply spoke with a sigh; this was her last resort.
Stacy was a lifelong friend of Maya's, she lived in Newcastle nowadays. Though she and Maya use to be inseparable as teenagers and carried on as young twenty-somethings. They use to go out all the time when Maya visited Newcastle. Though life hit hard with them both getting married (and Stacy having children) and their contact remained less but they still got in touch and still would visit each other at times. As recent as last year in fact, though whether Stacy still remained her friend after being outed, she didn't know.
"Hello Stacy, I'm sorry to call you this late" Henrietta began.
"Mrs Stepney?"
"Yes...Maya's mother"
"Yeah I know...I'm not being rude but what do you want? I gotta get my kids ready for bed soon and to be honest, I stopped talking to Maya after hearing about what she did with that kid"
This confirmed then that her being outed as a predator was the end of that friendship. Though Maya seemed to think otherwise when she was still free. So Henrietta wasn't totally convinced she dropped all contact, not after over thirty years of being friends. Too much has happened for that.
"So you not heard anything?" Henrietta asked.
"Nothing...Why? What has she done now?"
"She took two little girls and is somewhere out there, I don't know where she is...Please Stacy, don't lie to me"
"I'm not lying to you, I'm a mother myself for God's sake! Listen to me, if I hear anything; I will phone you"
"Okay, because we are going out our minds with worry! But no, I didn't expect you to know anything for the record, I'm just running out of options"
"Like I said, if I hear anything; I will tell you"
And with that, Stacy had put the phone down.
"Nothing there either...I'm running out of ideas" Henrietta spoke with a sigh.
"We can drive around a bit...Try local bathrooms and things like that" John paused when he saw his ex-wife grimace; he further explained..."My mate was homeless and he would sometimes use public toilets, it's a common thing, Ettie"
"That is disgusting if she's done that...Not like she's pleasant any other time"
Shaking his head, John carried on driving. Now stopping outside every public bathroom and toilet, he told her he be going this time. For those that dwell in there are not nice people and are usually hiding in there so they can flush their stash if needs be. Though like before, everywhere was devoid of Maya and the girls, which Henrietta was secretly glad about, for that's no place for two little girls. Like Amy, she hoped she found some homeless shelter at least so Amba and Erica aren't cold tonight.
"Nothing...I didn't expect her to be but it was worth a shot" John spoke as he returned from the umpteenth one.
"My poor little granddaughter...I'm sure Amba is scared too"
"You shouldn't have kicked her out, Ettie. What happened to keeping her where you could see her?"
"I couldn't cope"
"You never could"
"She can't have gone very far, she has about fifty pounds on her...Which has surely been reduced by now" Henrietta remarked, ignoring his small dig.
...
"Jacob!" David called as he entered his father's hotel.
The lad in question came downstairs looking pale. He heard about what had happened, he knew it would be a matter of time before he was asked questions. Amy was still with David by this point as she crossed her arms.
"Dad...I didn't know she was going to do this" Jacob nervously spoke.
"Wow! I didn't even need to ask, did I? No more games Jacob, if you know anything then you tell me"
"I don't know anything I promise"
"You positive about that? I know you still been calling and texting her...You didn't get a reply but you still been doing that. Because for some reason, you seem to really like disgusting women and being disgusting" David began.
"David!" Amy scolded.
"I said I was sorry for what I did to Leanna...And don't you call Maya disgusting either, this is what happens when you try and take a baby away from their mother" Jacob dared to speak.
"So this is my fault? Once again, it's my fault isn't it?" David asked rhetorically.
"All you had to do was let Maya see her daughter for one lousy supervised visit once a week, that's all you had to do!" Jacob shouted.
Even now he defended that woman over David. He had explained to his counsellor how the more they push him the less he feels inclined to think things over. Though right now, David didn't have time to consider this.
"She also taken Amba! Though I suppose you would defend that too" David hissed.
"I told you to stop stressing her out ages ago, didn't I?! Now she's lost the plot and is having a breakdown"
"So you do think it's my fault? I'm sorry...Maybe I should have left you and her to live happily ever after, I'm sure you would have had so much in common with your 25 odd age gap...You walk down the street with her and people will think she's your mum!"
"So what!"
"I swear down Jacob, if anything happens to Erica or Amba because of her...I won't forget you choosing to defend her over your sisters"
"Fine"
And with that, the lad took himself back upstairs. David turning back towards Amy, he said many things he regretted but he was so frustrated.
...
TBC