Disclaimer: I don't own the OC
A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews, it really surprised me!
Although things were vanishing and disappearing throughout the rain and mist, the school building arose from the fog like an apparition. The single story building sprawled over the grass with tall towering pine trees surrounding in a protective circle. The swings swirled in the storm voices of children laughing, talking, and crying echoed. The windows were dark without a light shining through. A once happy place…now surrounded by ugly yellow tape stretched across the building like a too small of a Christmas present. The message was clear…do not enter…bad things happened here…
Ryan glanced at Marissa as they stopped short on the walkway leading up to the school. Suddenly, he felt drained of energy and emotion. His bones seemed to ache physically and his already bruised heart thumped slowly. He was beyond exhausted. The past hours were finally setting in.
Marissa sensed rather then felt Ryan's shoulders slump. She understood. Her arms felt weak like a baby bird's while her legs trembled knocking her knees together. They came together as one slumped against each other's arms and tangling arms into an embrace. As Marissa laid her cheek against Ryan's wet shirt, she felt his heart beat rhythmically and constantly and solidly. She was suddenly filled with an emotion she had not felt in days. Everything was going to be okay. Lifting her head, she gave a half smile and untangled herself from him starting to walk toward the school. However, once she reached the entrance blocked by the ugly yellow tape her courage failed. A hand reached out and with one firm yank tore the tape from the door. Glancing up at Ryan, she whispered, "My hero…"
He must have heard because a slight smile graced his face as he tried to open the door to the school. After trying fruitless amounts of time to open the lock door, Ryan was about to lose it. Turning to Marissa who stood there staring at him with a question in her eyes, he swirled quickly and smashed his fist against the glass window beside the door. The glass shattered vanishing the once solid object glittering in the rain. Ryan felt a shudder of something being released by the once closed building. The halls were silent with darkness lurking behind every corner. He turned and was surprised to see Marissa no longer next to him. Panicking, he glanced out in to the pouring rain and back to the tomb like building. He could just make out her shadow as she disappeared around the corner. She was heading to Gemma's classroom. A mother's intuition leading her like a radar.
Ryan closed his eyes in complete exhaustion. Having a three month old daughter was nothing like he thought it would be. He didn't expect to only get about four hours a sleep a night or spend half the time making up new bottles. The bed creaked as Marissa turned in her sleep and curled up next to him. Wrapping his arms around her, he let his mind drift shut. Gemma had just had her 3 am feeding, and it would be Marissa's turn next at 5. He felt him self start to drift too tired to think of anything else. He was dreaming that they were on the beach. The sky was bright turquoise with the ocean stretching out like a never ending mirror. Marissa with her hair blowing in the wind was scoping up sand and showing a little figure how to dump it upside down. He stared completely amazed at the little girl as she looked up with big blue eyes and waved.
"Hi Daddy!" She squeaked as Marissa bent down to tickle her tummy.
"Ryan, come join us. Put the camera away silly," Marissa laughed as Gemma tackled Ryan around the legs making him fall back into the sand…He was amazed that this was his life now. As Gemma ran out to the water, Marissa walked over and sat down on top of him laughing. He snaked his hands around her waist and…
"Ryan!"
He jerked awake and groaned as a head connected with his chin. Blearily, he looked at his wife that sat next to him trying to throw the covers off.
"Ryan, something is wrong with Gemma!" She yanked the last sheet aside and stumbled out of bed.
"Marissa, I just fed her…" checking the clock he groaned…"twenty minutes ago. She is fine. I don't hear anything." He signed watching her run out of the room to the nursery next door. Grumbling about his wife's actions and waking him up, he stumbled into the room and watched as Marissa bent over their little girl. "See, she is sleeping just fine."
Ignoring him, Marissa bent down and pushed the light curls from her daughter's face, "Oh, my baby girl…Ryan she is burning up. Go get the thermometer. Hurry, Ryan for goodness sake!" Panicking, she picked Gemma up from the crib and held her close. "Why are you not moving!"
Getting slightly worried, Ryan hurried to the bathroom and walked back handing her the instrument. Sticking it under her tiny arm, he watched with bated breath as Marissa rocked the little girl. The instrument beeped and Ryan could just make out the glowing numbers…101.3…
"Marissa, wait!" He yelled worried about losing sight of his wife again. His yell echoed throughout the long chamber. She stopped and waited for him to catch up.
"Dylan said that they went into the coat closed and when he turned around Gemma was gone. I think we should start there…" she trailed off uncertainly.
"Sounds like an idea to me." He pulled a flashlight from the bag tangled around Marissa and led the way through the disheveled classroom. A couple of desks were overturned and blue paint splattered across the floor in waves of chaos. The once happy classroom was a faint remembrance of its self.
"I don't know Marissa; don't you think Gemma is a little too young to enroll here?" Ryan glanced around the bright classroom squished in a little person's chair with his knees bouncing against the tiny table. "I mean she is only four and could go to school next year like everybody else her age."
"I don't know. I wish I could keep her home with me for another year, but her preschool teacher said that Gemma was far advance for age. Called her quite precocious, but then we already knew that," She ruefully laughed as Ryan smiled. Gemma was quite the character when she wanted to be. "I just want what is best for her. I want to give her everything and if this helps her well I say at least we should try."
Knowing she was right, Ryan leaned over and pressed a kiss on her cheek while peering around the room settling on a head of bright auburn hair.
"Mommy, Daddy! Guess what? I feed the turtles and watered the plants and draw a picture and…" her rambunctious rambling brought smiles to both her parents' faces. This was the right thing. "And played in the kitchen making a hamburgerer for you Daddy."
"Hamburger, sweetie…"
Ryan couldn't help but think if they had kept her home for another year without sending her through the advance program things might be different. He could be at home eating with his two favorite people in the world and trying to convince Gemma to side with him against her beloved Mommy. Things would be very different. He continued walking through the room with Marissa trailing behind him in the dark. They finally reached the tiny room at the back of the classroom. He stopped suddenly with Marissa colliding against him. He did not know if he could go in there.
"Ryan, honey?" Marissa sided up next to him and looked up in the dark trying to see his eyes. "Come on baby, let's find our little girl." She gently took his hand and turned the knob as the door squeaked loudly in the quiet room. The storm outside was escalating matching their emotions and heartbeats. A streak of lightning lit up the tiny room showing a multicollection of Barbie backpacks mixed in with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and various Disney Characters. Marissa reached out and gently unhooked a Snoopy bag from a hook staring at it with tears starting to swim in her eyes. Gemma was not here. She was not in the classroom or in the tiny room. A part of Marissa had always known that, but she wanted desperately for Dylan to be right. She wanted her baby girl again. "Ryan…" she managed to choke out and buried herself into his body trying to crawl inside desperate to leave the world at this moment.
Ryan felt something inside of him deflate as he clung just as hard to Marissa. Wetness smeared down his cheeks falling softly on Marissa's head. Gemma was not here. His little girl that would rather play with Lincoln Logs then barbies. The one who leaped into bed with her parents when she was scared telling them not to be afraid of the big bad storm. A terrible crash was heard outside as the storm whipped in intensity quickly getting out of hand. The flashlight flickered once and then gave out. Marissa whimpered next to him and blindly reached out smacking him in the face. A roar was heard and suddenly the lights overhead started to swing. "Marissa, I think we should…" but he never got to finish the sentence as the desks started to shake the bookcases falling over like mummies long forgotten. The earth was stretching, the earth was cracking, the earth was trembling. Ryan threw himself at Marissa knocking them both to the ground as the wall next to them came thundering down vanishing everything in a cloud of dust…
To be continued! Thanks for reading!