"We called ten minutes ago, the police should be here soon," Red soothed Nicky as she glanced anxiously at the clock herself.
"I'm going out to the parking lot," Nicky said, her voice muffled as she nibbled on a hangnail on her thumb. She ignored Red's reassurance. Nothing would satisfy her until Parker was back in her arms.
"Not again," Red said, catching her arm as she tried to barge past her out of the door. "She's not there," she said gently. "You know that. And Vasily is watching all the cars whilst we're up here."
"And what am I doing?" Nicky asked. "Nothing. I'm her mother, I should be out there looking for her."
"You have no idea where to start," Red pointed out. She wanted Nicky right here, where she could see her. "And you're in no fit state to go wandering. Getting into an accident will not help Parker. Try to think straight."
Though she had no idea how Nicky was even still standing. Once, she had lost Yuri in a supermarket. He was about three, and she had turned to grab something from a high shelf. He had never liked sitting in the cart, and usually walked beside her, but that was the one time he hadn't.
She had felt like she was drowning until she clapped eyes on him chatting away to an old lady in the next aisle, who was asking him where his mommy was, clutching a box of Lucky Charms - something Red never bought - to his chest.
At least Yuri knew his name, and could say who his mommy was. Parker barely even had object permanence - Red had no idea how this could possibly play out in Nicky's favor.
"Where are they?" Nicky wondered aloud, walking over to the window and looking out of it. She had memorized every single thing in the parking lot by now - an anomaly would have stuck out like a sore thumb. But nothing did, and Nicky turned away, still distraught.
"They're here, Nicky," Red said softly, as she saw the officer walking down the hall through the blinds. "I don't see Marka with them."
Nicky didn't comment, but peeled herself away from the window to greet the police officer. "I'm Nicky Nichols," she said breathlessly. "Please find my daughter. She's just a baby, and she needs me. He must have taken her."
"He being Mr Anderson?" the officer confirmed, checking his notepad. He looked up at Nicky.
Nicky nodded.
"Can you run us through the details of what happened?"
At that moment, Marka eased the door open. Compared to Nicky, she looked flawless. Her makeup was fixed, her hair still perfect in an elegant chignon. Annoyance prickled at Nicky as she entered the room.
How could she be so put together? It was beyond belief to Nicky. Of course she hadn't seen the state of Marka whilst she gave her interview, the tears that streamed down her face as she blamed herself. She hadn't seen her primping and prepping herself in the bathroom ten minutes beforehand, splashing her face with cold water to erase any tear stains. She only saw the perfectly coiffed mother she had grown up with; cold and distant and rigid.
"Ask her!" Nicky insisted. "She was the one who left her on her own with him, wasn't she?"
Marka covered her hand with her hand. She looked like the weight of the world was on her shoulders and said wearily, "I already told them, Nicky."
She looked to the police officer and repeated it, though she wasn't sure why. "I thought Nicky was coming back in," Marka said numbly. She glanced up, Parker's bottle still clutched in her fingers. "I thought Parker would be fine."
She looked to Red, a look of total overwhelming bewilderment crossing her features. Grandmother to grandmother, a shared sense of horror was translated in that one look. Red opened her mouth to speak, but Nicky beat her to it.
"Well, she's not!" Nicky snapped, snatching the bottle out of Marka's hand. "And how can you be so fucking calm?"
Marka flinched at the words. "I…" she started, shaking her head. She swallowed, her guard visibly coming down as she folded her arms. "I think we should answer whatever questions the detectives have for me." She chewed her bottom lip. "You know, Nicky, she's mine too. My granddaughter. And I will do anything I can to get her back."
"No!" Nicky yelled, pushing Marka's hands away. "You left her just like you left me, and you don't get to act upset about it!"
"Nicky, that isn't fair," Red interjected, catching Nicky's hands. Though she felt sick to her stomach, she knew she had to stay strong. She rubbed her hand in circles on the small of Nicky's back, in a futile attempt to comfort her. "Everyone wants the same thing, honey - Parker back home safe with her mommy."
Nicky fell into Red's arms. Her legs barely felt like they would carry her whilst Parker was out there somewhere with him. "No, you're right. It isn't fair! Parker is out there somewhere, when she should have been looking after her!"
"I was looking after her!" Marka cried. "I kept her safe for five whole months, and now you're back she's in danger! And for what?" Marka threw her hands up. "What is it always with you? For a fix! You've always been the same," she said bitterly. "Say what you want about me as a mother, Nicky - but I always kept you safe. And Parker was in no danger until you came into her life!"
Red looked at Marka. "That's not fair either."
Marka shook her head. Maybe it wasn't. And maybe she shouldn't have escalated the situation, maybe she hadn't been the best mother - but she had tried her best with Parker, and it still wasn't good enough. She turned away from Nicky and Red as the tears brimmed in her eyes.
When she had composed herself a little, she turned back. "I have some contacts in the police," she said quietly. "I'll step outside and see what I can do."
Nicky turned to Red as she collapsed in tears. Red raked her fingers through Nicky's hair, hauling her upright. She turned to the officer, and despite Nicky falling apart next to her, decided to get straight to business.
"So?" she asked expectantly, raising her eyebrows. Any time spent not looking for Parker was time wasted, in her opinion.
"Well, from what your mother said, this looks like a parental abduction," the police investigator said. He slipped his notepad back into his pocket, lifting his glasses to rest on top of his head. "The good news is, we know where to start." He nodded at Nicky.
"And the bad news is, he's a fucking psycho!" Nicky cried, her sobs echoing through the near empty room. "He'll do anything to get back at me, to hurt me. You need to find her!"
Red absently ran her hand down Nicky's arm, steadying her. She squeezed her arm reassuringly, though she wasn't even sure Nicky felt her touch.
"We will," the policeman said reassuringly. "We have someone looking over the CCTV right now. Please try not to worry, Ms Nichols, we got here early and he has numerous ties to the area. This likely wasn't planned, just a crime of opportunity."
"Is that all?" Red asked incredulously. "Aren't you going to go out there and search? Can't you put out an AMBER Alert for her?"
"We don't feel she's in imminent danger," he said carefully, pressing his lips together. Delivering bad news to parents was always a wrench. "But I assure you, Ms Nichols - we will be doing everything in our power to return your daughter to you."
Nicky looked up. Reassured she was not. Yet she just looked up, utterly powerless, and nodded gratefully. He was her only hope right now, and she knew it. How could she not?
"Please find her."
Hours later, when Nicky was losing hope of ever seeing her baby again, Vasily entered the room. His entrance had gravity, and he cleared his throat.
"There's been an update," Vasily said, his eyes flashing to his mother. "I overheard the policeman telling his colleagues that they had an ANPR hit on his car."
All eyes were on Vasily. Red and Marka sat up, and Nicky stood, her blood shot eyes widening. This was a lifeline.
"Where?"
"On the speed camera near the mall twenty minutes from here."
"But there's nothing around there but that mall," Red said, shaking her head. "What the hell is he doing?"
Realization dawned on Nicky. No-one went to that mall anymore - it was basically deserted, but for a few stores. That's why he liked to do his deals there, or so he had told her, the night he'd given her the fix she'd have done anything for. She turned to Red. "I need to go there."
"Tell the police whatever it is, Nicky," Red warned. "I don't like the sound of this."
"I don't want a fucking shoot out over my daughter's head! And he won't give them up to her! You know he won't! He wants to make me suffer...well he can. I just need to see Parker. I need to see she's okay."
Marka bit her lip. "If you really think you can convince him...then I'll take you."
Nicky looked to her mother, her eyes pleading. Red looked at her too, shaking her head. But Marka only saw Nicky, and a chance to make this right. She grabbed her keys.
As soon as they pulled up, Nicky recognized the car he'd been using. It had been burned into her memory from the moment she saw Parker was missing.
"That's his car," Nicky said, banging on the window with her fists. She turned to Marka, quickly unbuckling herself. The metal of the belt hit the window with a jolt, but neither of them cared. "The silver one. That's his car."
"Are you sure?" Marka asked, remaining unconvinced. She uncrossed her legs and leaned over to Nicky's side. She squinted out of the window, her vision not what it used to be.
"Of course I'm sure," Nicky snapped, scampering over to the beaten up Ford. The hope that had come to a crescendo crashed down as she saw the empty seats. Neither Anderson nor Parker were in it. She pounded her fists on the window, gasping for breath.
"She's not here!" Nicky cried as Marka finally joined her at the car. "I was so sure," she said, looking up to Marka, wiping at her face. "I was so, so sure."
Marka glanced at the trunk. It wasn't open, but it was clear the latch on it wasn't what it used to be. She nudged Nicky, her mouth going dry at the thought. "You don't think…"
The pair locked eyes. Without hesitation, Nicky yanked at the trunk. It didn't give easily, and Nicky had to cram her fingers underneath the seal to force it open. She applied her whole body weight to it, and for a moment she thought that even that wouldn't be enough. And then it sprang open, almost hitting her in the face.
Her heart almost stopped as she saw the pink bundle of blankets square in the middle of the trunk. Taking a steadying breath, she peeled back one of the blankets. Sobs wracked her body as soon as she saw Parker underneath.
Nicky scooped up Parker, forcing down another strangled sob. She thought she knew what it was like to be separated from her. To be pulled apart. But these last few hours had been unimaginably painful; with every breath she took she had been imagining Parker in hideous situations. Now she had her baby in her arms, the feeling of relief bubbled up like a pot boiling over.
Sweat drenched her entire body, yet her blood turned to ice as a realization dawned on her. Parker hadn't reached up for her like she usually did. No starfish hands had grabbed for fistfuls of hair. Despite Nicky squeezing her arm and gently shaking her legs, she remained limp and unresponsive, and her head lolled like a little rag-doll.
"She's not crying," Nicky murmured. "Why isn't she crying?"
A scream broke through the silence. The previous relief evaporated. Nicky's fingers, nails broken and bloody from ripping the trunk open, trembled as they brushed over Parker's face. "She's not waking up…" she looked up, her face stricken, as Marka felt her stomach drop. Her voice was barely a whisper when she continued. "She's not doing anything."
She whipped round, Parker clamped to her chest tightly. In that moment she wondered why she could do it so easily now - hold her baby close and kiss her forehead as her screams begging her to wake up echoed through the parking lot. Why couldn't she have smothered her in love when she had the chance? Nicky desperately pushed her face to Parker's. Maybe if they were close enough, the love radiating from her would be enough.
"Oh, God," Marka said behind Nicky. She covered her mouth, feeling vomit rising in her throat at the sheer sight of the terror on her daughter's face. She hadn't seen Parker move a single muscle, and the little girl was usually so fidgety.
Marka could barely look at either of them. The relief that had flooded through her veins when Nicky had picked up Parker had quickly dissipated into sickening anxiety. She wasn't even making a peep as Nicky held her rigidly against her chest - and Parker hated not being able to see the world. The older blonde closed her eyes for a moment, a dreadful thought crossing her mind.
What if she never wakes up to see the rest of the world?
Teardrops streamed down Nicky's face and dripped onto Parker. When she held her out to show someone - anyone - what she meant, Marka reached out for her. Nicky's hands were shaking so much she was afraid she would end up dropping her. Though Nicky let her, her empty arms didn't bring her relief like they had every other time someone had taken Parker from her like before. This time, her arms ached for her baby.
Maybe what this is what it should feel like, the blonde thought, hawk eyes never leaving her daughter. Maybe it's just kicked in too late.
Vaguely, she could hear Marka desperately calling for an ambulance. How could it possibly get here in time, though? She wondered.
Nicky sucked in a breath. She flung herself around as she scanned the few useless bystanders in the parking lot. "Can somebody help? Anybody?" she begged, her voice hoarse. "Somebody please help my baby!"
A/N:
Hello lovelies!
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Star xo
