Chapter Twenty

A/N: Okay, finally, I have had this story written out in my head for the past month, and this is one of the most important chapters. So, here you go.

Chapter Twenty

Gordo was walking through the park in Hillrdige. His cousin Amanda made him walk her dog for her.

He was looking around, noticing all of the changes that had been made since he had left. Suddenly, a little girl popped out of nowhere and asked, "Can I pet your dog?"

"Uh..." Gordo stammered, a bit startled, "Sure."

The girl reached out and ran her hand down the cocker spaniel's back. As she was doing this, Gordo examined her. She had dark brown hair, which was long and wavy. She had sparkling blue eyes that matched his. She was dressed in a red sweatshirt and jeans. She looked about seven or eight years old. There was no adult with her at all.

"Uh," Gordo began, "Shouldn't you be with your mother?"

The girl looked up at him and said, "Yes. But I can't find her."

Great, Gordo thought, Now I have to help this girl find her mother.

Oh, just shut up, already! I'm going to be a father soon, so I'm going to have to get used to this!

Seriously, Gordo, you're sounding like a jerk, just be quiet.

"Where was the last place you saw her?"

"She was talking with my Aunt 'Randa. And I was bored because my best friend Ryan just moved to Massa-something. So I just wondered off."

"You mom must be worried about you," Gordo told her.

"I know, of course she's worried. Could you please help me look for her?" the girl asked.

"Of course," Gordo answered. They started walking around the park.

Meanwhile...

"Miranda, she's gotta be somewhere around here," Lizzie told her best friend.

"Lizzie, it's okay, don't worry, I'm sure Natalie's fine," Miranda assured her.

"But what if some creep takes her away and rapes her?" Lizzie asked, tears filling her eyes.

"Lizzie, you don't have to cry."

Lizzie sniffed and said calmly, "You're right. Now I'm going to go to my car and drive around the outside of the park to see if I can spot her. You stay in the park and look for her."

"All right," Miranda agreed.

Lizzie tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she jogged to her car. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her car keys. She unlocked the door, got in the car, and pulled out of her parking spot.

A few minutes later, Gordo and the girl were still searching for her mother. Gordo then realized that he didn't even know what this woman looks like, or even her name. He didn't even know the girl's name.

"So, what does your mother look like?" he asked.

The girl stopped walking and said, "She has blonde hair and she's very pretty."

That's a lot of help, Gordo thought. "What's her name?"

The girl was just about to answer, but she never got the chance because they heard a huge crashing noise. Gordo and the girl turned around and saw two cars that had collided. A blue minivan was crushed and ruined, and in front of that car was a black Honda was almost as bad. A person jumped out of the minivan. It was a man and he had tons of cuts and scrapes from what had just happened. He stumbled around the cars and stopped where he saw the body of a blonde woman, who was covered in blood, lying on the road, like a doll just dropped carelessly by a little girl. The man reached into his pocket, pulled out his cell phone, and dialed 911.

Several people began to gather around.

Miranda, who was standing only a few feet behind Gordo and the young girl, screamed. Her best friend had just been t-boned. And she had witnessed it.

Gordo, hearing this, turned around and saw her. "Miranda?"

Miranda's head shot towards him. "G-Gordo! What are you...doing here? And with Natalie?" she asked, noticing the little girl, who was indeed Lizzie's child, standing beside him.

"Nat-Natalie?"

"Yes, that girl...she's Natalie," Miranda told him as she walked up to them.

Gordo looked down at Natalie. "This....this is Natalie?" he asked, realizing who Natalie was.

"Yes! Lizzie's daughter! Your daughter!"

Gordo stared at Miranda in disbelief. "I...I didn't know that this was Natalie, I mean, she came up to me and said she was lost..."

"Aunt 'Randa?" a small voice interrupted.

The two adults looked down at the young girl. "Yes, Nat?" Miranda replied.

"What just happened with those cars?" Natalie asked, pointing to the accident.

"Oh...uh..." Miranda tried to answer, but couldn't seem to find the right words. How can you tell a seven year old that they had just seen their mother get hit by a car?

"Well...let's just say you're not be gonna be seeing Mom for a while," Miranda told her.

"...Why?" Natalie asked.

"Well..." Miranda began, thinking of something to say. She wasn't exactly sure if Lizzie was dead or not, but what if she went into a coma or something? "I'll tell you later, alright?"

"Fine..." Natalie said and she patted Gordo's cousin's dog on the head.

"That...that's Lizzie over there?" Gordo asked Miranda.

"Yup."

"Lying on the road? Covered with blood?"

"Yeah..." Miranda answered quietly. "I think we should go over there."

"Yeah."

So the two old friends trudged over to where everyone was gathering. An ambulance arrived a minute later to take Lizzie away. Miranda decided to call the McGuires, and did so with her cell phone. They got the call, jumped into their car, and headed to the hospital, where they would meet Miranda and Gordo.