Chapter 109

Alex sleep uneasy and kept tossing and turning most of the night, until she finally decided to get up and have a warm glass of milk hoping that'll make her sleep. She walks downstairs and checked on her daughter who is sleeping soundly, unlike her mother. Chest rising and falling peacefully. Alex smiles down at her, running a hand through her soft curls, placing a kiss to her forehead. Looking back at her one last time before she walked out of the room. Walking further down the corridor she saw light shining through the bottom of the door where Nadia sleeps and she knocks on the door softly, before walking inside.

"Please don't judge me Alex." Nadia pleaded looking up at her with watery eyes. "I'm not." Alex shook her head taking a seat on the bed. "You said you might be pregnant. There's no guarantee just yet, I'll go buy a test later today." Alex offered and the teen nodded. "What worries me though, is the fact that you came home drunk a few nights ago and that might have an effect on the baby if you're pregnant." Alex said twisting her hands in her lap. Hoping Nadia's suspicions aren't accurate.

"That was the actual reason I was so plastered. I was hoping that if I drink until I was on the verge of passing out, I might kill the fetus and it wouldn't survive." She whispered hiding her face in her hands as her shoulders shook and her face turned a shade of red.

Alex drew a deep breathe in and she was certain Nadia heard how shocked she was when she revealed her intentions. "Why would you do that?"

"I don't know! I don't want to be pregnant at 18, Alex please you have to help me." The teen pleaded.

"Let's not jump the gun here, we don't know for sure. I'll go to the pharmacy during lunch time and come home so you can take. Ryan doesn't have to know about this." Alex thought out loud trying to reassure herself not to expect the worst. "And I'll make an appointment at the doctor, off the books, so they can draw blood just so we can be 100% sure." She stated and Nadia nodded wiping her eyes with the back of her hands.

"Try and get some sleep, we'll deal with this in the morning." Alex said and hugged her sister in law as fresh tears started rolling down her face and her shoulders started shaking again. "Hey, it's okay. You're gonna be okay." Alex whispered soothing words in her ear until she calmed down and her sobs subsided.

When the alarm sounded Alex wasn't ready to get up because it felt like she only had 2 hours of sleep, and she forced herself to get out of bed. Ryan wasn't in the room and when he heard Phoebe's laugh from downstairs she knew the two of them had an intense conversation again. She showered and got ready before walking downstairs to join her family. She assumed Nadia wouldn't be joining them for breakfast since she was still avoiding being in the same room as her brother.

Surprised to see Ryan was dressed already because she didn't even hear the shower. "Morning." She smiled kissing him before turning her attention to her daughter, not being able to tear her eyes of Phoebe. Between the few weeks that passed she had learned to stand up by herself and was repeating the same action, whenever she fell back down laughing loudly when she lost her balance and fell.

"When did this happen?" Alex asked looking at Ryan for answers but he shrugged just as surprised as she was. Alex extended her hands to pick her up, and unlike usual Phoebe didn't stretch her arms out, instead she stood up first smiling at her mother before stretching her arms towards her.

"Phoebe Grace." Alex beamed picking her up kissing her a few times. "You're really getting big, I want my baby back."

"Tel mommy to stop being sentimental so early in the morning." Ryan smiled from behind them.

"As if you're not." Alex smiled slapping his shoulder slightly, setting Phoebe back down and snapping a quick picture that she sent to Theresa and Sita, showing them the latest developments of their granddaughter.

Before leaving Alex wrote a quick note and pasted it on the fridge so Nadia can find it when she wakes up. The three of them got into the car and drove the usual morning route.

Walking into the office Alex tried to occupy her head, and jumped straight into the piles of paperwork she had waiting to be filed.

"Soooooooo, what happened on date night?" Shelby asked when she entered.

"And what happened on anniversary night?" Nimah added oil to the fire she knew they'd ask about the weekend.

Alex acted like she didn't hear any of them smiling to herself while typing away on their computer until she finally decided to put them out of their misery. Without saying anything she took of her new wedding band and handed it to Shelby who sat next to her. Shelby looked at it and turned it around as the diamond were shining in the light and her eye caught the inscription and a smile appeared on her face. "Special Agent's got damn good taste even if I have to say so myself." She said and passed it on to Nimah. "Hhhhmmm no one will steal it unless their pet name is sweetheart." Nimah smiled handing it over to Natalie. After all of them looked at the ring and handed it back to the owner, they looked at Alex expectant for more information.

"And then there was anniversary celebrations and then we went to sleep." She ended seeing the looks on their faces as if they were expecting more information.

"Yeah well thanks for nothing. I thought you'd tell us something like in a few months' time Phoebe will have a sibling after all those celebrations or something like that." Natalie commented nonchalantly.

"Sorry to disappoint but no, that is future plans Phoebe will have to walk first before that even becomes an option." Alex said just as Maranda entered and asked to see her at reception.

"There's a couple in one of the interrogation rooms. Their daughter's been missing since yesterday and the mother thinks her father might have something to do with it. I need you and Ryan to please handle this, you seem like you have people skills." Maranda started and Alex was feeling uneasy about working a family case with her husband, because she doesn't want people to think she's getting special treatment.

"Maranda, I'm not sure it this is a good idea. I mean.."

"Parrish I know what you're going to say but Ryan already knows about it I briefed him as I am doing with you right now. So can you please follow the orders that are given to you?" Maranda asked and Alex nodded taking the file Maranda held out to her. Scanning through it before Ryan appeared downstairs and the two of them walked to the interrogation room.

Through the door Alex could hear someone sniff and was confused when there was only one woman in the room after Maranda said it's two parents. Ryan looked at her and she shrugged, walking in regardless. "Mrs. Koch?" Alex asked and the woman looked up at her with red watery eyes.

"Hi, I'm Alex and this is Ryan. If you don't mind we'd like to ask you some questions regarding your daughter's disappearance." Alex started and the woman nodded after shaking their hands and they sat down opposite her.

"Jordan, she's sixteen. She and her father had an altercation, and after that she left and hasn't returned since." The woman explained showing them a photograph of her daughter.

"Uhhm, Mrs. Koch may I ask if something happened between your daughter and her father that caused her to leave home?" Ryan asked, seeing how the woman tensed before answering the question.

"My husband is very religious and doesn't believe in sex before marriage. Jordan came home and told us she's pregnant. He lost it, he started yelling at her, walked to her room and packed a bag of clothes and put it outside on the porch." She answered looking at the two of them. "Telling her she can go be a hoe somewhere else, but not in his house." The woman concluded.

"Do you have any idea where she might be? Did she reach out to you between the day she left and today?" Alex asked and the woman nodded taking out her cellphone showing them a text message she got this morning from Jordan.

Sorry for disappointing you guys. Tell Dad I love him and you won't have to worry about me anymore. I'll find my own way home – J.

They read the text and asked to take the phone to the lab so they can trace the number to see if they can find a location. Alex checked the time and noticed she won't make it to go the pharmacy and go home during lunch since they have to find Jordan. Texting Nadia to let her know that plans have changed and they'll have to do it tonight.

They waited about an hour until the lab got back with the results since they system were offline for sometime. They located a warehouse that was under her father's name and Ryan and Alex were hoping she was still there and that she didn't go anywhere else because then they'd have no idea where to start searching. Informing the paramedics because she's pregnant and anything can happen when she doesn't have proper care or even ate properly within the past few days. They set off to the warehouse sirens wailing, paramedics following right behind them.

Alex was so tempted to tell Ryan about his sister since it was only the two of them on this case, and it hit close to home. But on the other hand she wanted to see how he'll respond in this situation and maybe that'll give her an idea of how he'll handle Nadia's situation.

They pulled up to the warehouse and when Alex opened the door that was unlocked she froze in the middle of the entrance. There was a rope securely fastened onto one of the steel poles that ran across the room, a chair that was laying on the floor and the teen's lifeless body dangling from the rope. The paramedics rushed to her side and tried to resuscitate her but they were too late. According to the medics her brain's been deprived of oxygen for too long and her body shut down. This wasn't something that happened today. They gathered her belongings and drove back to the office in silence. Alex starring out of the window at the passing cars.

"She still had her whole life in front of her. You can't just give up that easily. I'm sure if her baby was born and her father so it, he wouldn't have been so hard on her, on the contrary." Alex thought out loud as they came to a halt at a red traffic light.

"Yeah I know. We can ask questions all we want she's the one who had most of the answers that no one will get now." Ryan said looking over to his wife.

"Stop by the pharmacy quickly please, I need to get some things for Phoebe." Alex remembered, and luckily he didn't ask questions and she went about buying three different brands just to make sure, and getting a few things for Phoebe so it doesn't look too suspicious when she shows up to the car empty handed, because she put the tests in her bag.

Back at the office Alex had no idea how to give the news to Mrs. Koch when she walked into the room with the bag with Jordan's clothes in, her face lit up. "You found her? Please tell me she's okay." The mother smiled and Alex put the bag on the table walking into the room a bit further.

"Uhhmm, Mrs. Koch we found Jordan at a warehouse. I'm sorry to be the one who tells you this but she didn't make it. She committed suicide, the paramedics tried to help her at the scene but it was too late. I'm sorry for your loss." Alex sympathized but the woman stood there staring off into space as I she didn't hear a word of what Alex said. Alex didn't know what else to do and called Maranda and Liam who took over and she left the room, ready to call it a day and having to face the other uphill that awaits for her at home.

They pulled up into the driveway, and Alex walked inside in search of her sister in law. She was watching TV and Alex told her to come upstairs before Ryan came inside. Instructing her to take all 3 tests. She left to get Phoebe leaving Nadia to it and then they'll see the damage.

Nadia waited around in the bathroom feeling like it's the longest five minutes that she has to wait for to pass. She went downstairs to get a glass of milk when Ryan appeared and greeted her, to her surprise as he headed back upstairs. She set a timer on her phone and sat at the kitchen counter waiting for it to go off, scrolling through the newsfeed on her social media. She called Alex only to hear the phone ring somewhere inside because she left without her bag and only took the car keys.

The timer going off on her phone and her brother appearing on the stairs with Alex's phone in hand and all three of the tests in the other. Setting it down on the counter in front of her, and the text she sent Alex the previous night. Two out of the three tests are negative except for one plus sign on the third one.

"Care to explain what this is all about?" Ryan asked his youngest sister who stood up from where she was sitting, looking between the proof on the counter and her brother not knowing what to say. Or how to answer his question. It was the way he asked her, he sounded calm. Too calm.

Hey guys. I'm sorry if this was too gory. I really really am. Suicide is not always the answer and I feel like people who feel the need to tend their lives can reach out for help. It's not always easy but there is help out of a situation, even in the darkest of times there is always hope. Thank you for reading and or the reviews on the previous one. Hope you enjoy and let me know what you think.

Lovies-S