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Chapter 2
Emmeline Julia Bates had been born on an unusually hot spring day, bursting into the world with a strong cry. It was such a big name for such a tiny little girl. But it suited her well, because that had been Emmy. She was a small girl with a mighty personality. She loved big, had major tantrums, and never shied away from anything.
Emmy kept her parents on their toes. She also kept smiles and laughter on their lips and made their hearts feel so whole, in a way that neither could have ever imagined their hearts could be.
She had been their miracle. After years of losses, they had nearly given up hope that they would ever have a child. And then, Emmy came as a wonderful surprise. Hope had been renewed. Life seemed to have meaning again.
They named her after John's mother, Julia. She had been a huge part of their lives, but sadly passed a few months before Emmy's birth. They had both been so devastated and decided to honor her by giving their daughter her name as a middle name. Emmeline, on the other hand, was just a name they both had loved. When she was born, however, the name seemed too big, so they shortened it to Emmy. And it was her. She was Emmy.
"Mrs. Bates?" The voice on the other end of the line made Anna remember that her phone was clutched tightly within her hand. Her breath was stuck in her throat and she had to force the air out so she could speak.
"You….you've found Emmy?" She shook her head, none of this feeling real. "But…but you said you thought she had died and…." That's why he left, she thought. Tears prickled in her eyes and she pressed her left hand against her chest to try and calm her racing heart.
"The evidence at the time suggested…" DCI Maxwell's voice faded and she could hear him swallowing hard on the other end. "A woman was arrested in London. She had a little girl with her, around 8 years old. There was no paperwork on the girl. When DNA was run on her, it matched Emmeline's."
A gasp left Anna's lips. Her hand moved from her chest to her mouth. There were so many questions running through her mind, but nothing seemed to be able to form into a coherent question.
"Are you sure? Where is she?"
"She's being brought back to Yorkshire now, Mrs. Bates. They're going to take her to the hospital for a check-up- nothing appears wrong with her. She seems in good health," he was quick to add. "It's just to make sure."
Anna's stomach then churned, as dark thoughts raced around her head. She felt sick to her stomach.
"When can I see her? I want to see her!"
"Of course, Mrs. Bates," DCI Maxwell calmly replied. "They should arrive at the hospital soon. Meet me at the hospital in an hour. We'll take it from there."
"Th…thank you," Anna stuttered. She stood, but her knees buckled under her, making her fall back to the bed. She hung up her phone and set it next to her, everything becoming a blur.
"John…." The name slipped so quickly from her lips. She needed to call him. She needed…..Her hands shook, reaching back for the phone. He wouldn't be able to come with her; he lived too far away now. But he would need to know. He would come, right away. She knew that much.
Slowly, she scrolled through to find his name and pressed call. Then she lifted the phone up to her ear ready to tell him that their daughter had returned home.
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
Five Years Ago
"Come on then," Anna's happy voice said, dragging John's arm to pull him into the kitchen. He chuckled, bending over and giving her a kiss. Emmy, who was in John's arms, perched herself up to kiss both of her parents on the cheek, making them both laugh.
"Punkin! Punkin!" Emmy declared.
"Alright," Anna murmured, "We're going to go to the pumpkin patch. Are you ready?"
"Yes!" Emmy happily yelled. Her little hand rose up high. "Three!" She attempted to make her fingers into the number three. John helped her, bending her thumb and pinky so that only three remained on her fingers.
"You want three pumpkins?" John playfully questioned his daughter. The little girl nodded enthusiastically.
"One for Emmy, one for Mummy, and one for Daddy!"
"Oh yes," Anna replied, adjusting Emmy's hat on her head. "We definitely need three, don't we, Daddy?"
John's lips curled into a bright smile and he looked at the two most wonderful people in his life.
"Yes, we do," he said. He would buy them every pumpkin in that patch if it made them happy.
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
Now
John's alarm blared making him groan and hit his hand against the clock, making it snooze for nine more minutes. But the dream was gone now. His daughter's face was already fading, as he regained his consciousness.
Rolling onto his back, he ran his hand over his face. Like most mornings, his face was wet from the tears that came in his sleep. He dreamed about her every night, about them. Sometimes his dreams were happy dreams, but most were nightmares relieving that fateful day over and over again. And he was never able to change the outcome, ever.
A sigh passed through his lips and he grabbed his phone by the bed. There were several missed text messages from Casey. Clicking on them, he saw that she was just asking him about food choices at a wedding they would be going to the next month. She was out of town right now. She was always gone. Her job had her traveling to all points around the world. He liked it that way. There was little commitment with this type of relationship. She didn't want marriage or kids. Perfect, he had thought when she told him. He had already done that and it had crushed his soul.
Once he exited the text screen, it went to his wallpaper on his phone. There was Emmy's beautiful face staring back at him. This photo had been taken on her second birthday. Her intense, bright blue eyes and blonde curly locks filled the screen. Every day, he stared at this particular picture. It was one of his fondest memories of them as a family. He couldn't pinpoint why. They had just been so incredibly happy.
The sleep alarm went off and he growled. But he sat up. He would need to get moving for the day. He had business meetings and a luncheon with an old friend.
Walking over toward the window, he opened up the curtains, letting the Scottish light into his small flat. He had moved to Edinburg, Scotland a few of years ago. His oldest friend and confident, Robert, had secured him a transfer of his job to here. It was the exact same job, same pay, but away from Yorkshire. He hadn't been able to live there anymore. Not after everything. He had tried to get Anna to come with him, but she wouldn't. She had mourned differently than him, needing to stay put, not able to leave behind their memories.
His phone dinged with more notifications, drawing his attention away from his thoughts. He saw it was from Facebook. His eyes rolled. Casey insisted he needed to download the app onto his phone so that they could post their travels and keep in touch while she was away, so he could see her photographs. He didn't understand why they couldn't just do that through texts. He had never been one for social media. It all seemed like such an intrusion into their everyday lives. And after Emmy….he allowed those thoughts to fade and he looked to see what he could be getting a notification on.
Oh, he thought. It was that damn photo Casey had insisted of posting of them. Someone commented on it, saying they were a cute couple. He didn't even know the person who commented. How would they know?
Briefly, he wondered if Anna had seen the picture. He knew she never posted anymore. Perhaps, she never got on the silly website anymore, anyway. And yet, he couldn't stop thinking about if she had seen it and if she had, what she had thought about it all. Mostly, he hoped it hadn't hurt her. That was the last thing he ever wanted to do.
Though, he had hurt her by leaving. And that would haunt him forever.
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
"Bates! My dear fellow!" Robert's voice boomed across the hallway. John smiled. He hadn't seen Robert in nearly a year. The two spoke often on the phone, mainly about work. Every so often, Robert would gently pry to make sure John was taking care of himself. He was a good friend.
"Robert," John said with a slight nod, closing the gap between them. Then they walked into the small restaurant at the hotel and found a seat. John placed a folder in front of Robert, who quickly picked it up and placed it in his briefcase.
"I'll go over the files later," he explained. "How are you? Is Casey joining us?" There was a hint of both curiosity and dislike in Robert's voice. He hadn't met Casey and therefore he knew very little about her, but he had also been holding out hope that John and Anna would repair things. But Robert couldn't understand how losing Emmy had cracked him and Anna apart, tearing away everything that had made them them.
"No, she's out of town for a business meeting," John answered. Robert's lips twisted.
"Shame. I had been hoping to meet her," Robert said, attempting to force a smile on his lips.
"Maybe next time." But John knew it would be a long while before there was a next time. Robert rarely came to Edinburg. John was the head here and Robert ran everything in England. There was little need for Robert to be here and he only came this time to check on John.
"Right."
They ate their food, but Anna lingered over them like she always did whenever he spoke to Robert on a non-professional level. Robert was his one connection to her. He had left everyone else behind, even Anna's parents who had been like parents to him at one time.
"She's fine," Robert finally said, filling the air. "At least, that's what Mary says. She hasn't signed the papers," he added.
A sort of relief filled John's frame. It was strange, of course, to feel relief that his soon to be ex-wife still hadn't signed the divorce papers he had sent her. He was in a new relationship. They had been legally separated for nearly two years now. And yet, he was relieved she hadn't signed the papers.
"You'll have to ask Matthew…." John started, but he stopped himself.
"Yes, Mary said she spoke to Anna about it just a little earlier today, in fact. I had just spoken to her on the phone before meeting you."
"So, she had just seen Anna?" He had so many questions he wanted to ask. Was she really alright? Did she look the same? Was that same haunting look on her face, as it had been the day he stepped out of their front door?
"Yes," Robert awkwardly replied. Then he shifted in his chair and attempted to turn the conversation into a different direction.
But John's phone rang. He glanced down at it and his heart skipped a beat. It was Anna. It was almost as though he had summoned her. He met Robert's eyes.
"I…I need to answer this," he said, apologetically, but didn't explain. He quickly stood and rushed out of the bustle of the restaurant.
Once he was outside, he answered.
"Anna?" His voice was breathless. There was no sound on the other end and for a brief moment, he was sure she had accidently dialed him. But then there it was, her voice.
"John?" Her voice sounded weak and tired. His heart clinched tightly within his chest.
"Yes, my….Anna, I'm here," he said. "Is everything alright?"
"It's….." The line fell silent. Within those few moments of quiet, John's mind raced with what she could be calling about. Had one of her parents died? Had she changed her mind? But he hadn't expected what she was going to say. "John, they…they found Emmy."
His breath escaped his lungs in a flash and his head began to spin.
"They found her body?" He croaked.
"No, John. They found her. Our Emmy…she's alive."
To be continued...As always, please let me know what you think. More will be updated soon! :) And thank you, again! :)
