Safe and Sound (Book 4 of "The Story of Us" series) [Completed]

Chapter 2 - The Hard Way

[Harley]

I guess I initially wasn't over the shock that my daughter could be alive. The daughter that I had fought so hard to get over her death. There were still some nights while putting Noah or Sadie to sleep that I wonder what Ella would be like.

Would she be easier to get to fall asleep like Sadie or would we have to rock and sing to her like Noah?

I didn't get much sleep last night, either. I kept thinking about the day I went into labor with Ella. I keep thinking about the hospital, the doctors, the nurses and my father, freaking out. I remember the look my father gave me when he had to tell me that Ella died.

"Honey, how are you doing?" I heard my father ask as I sat on a stool in the kitchen, drinking some lemonade. "Heard anything new?" I shook my head slowly. "It takes time."

"I just want a yes or no answer," I said as he nodded. "Is she, or isn't she," I said as my father wrapped his arm around me. "If she is, we've lost so much time, Daddy. She's eight now. She's practically grown I'm sure."

"But you'll have Ella," he said as I looked at him. "You might have missed some stuff, but you'll get to experience everything that I experienced with you."

"Harley," I heard Nick say as my father and I turned around, seeing Nick holding his cell phone in his hand. "I heard from the lawyer."

"What is it?" I asked as I climbed off of the stool and walked up to him. "Nick?"

"There were some marks on Ella's file, which makes the police believe that she was one of the babies that was sold," Nick said as I put my hand over my mouth. "They're trying to find out for sure, but the doctor isn't cooperating," Nick said as I sighed.

"Let me get a hold of him," my father said as I looked at him. Jon Harper would surely get the information out of this guy. "He's holding out to make a deal, isn't he?"

"That's what they said," Nick sighed. "But apparently he knows where every one of them that was sold is, or who he sold them to," he said as I looked away. "According to the cops, our story, the delivery and everything, goes along with other victims."

"We should go to Atlanta," I said as Nick shook his head. "Nick..."

"Let them find out for sure first, baby, and I promise, we'll be on the first flight there. I promise," he said as he walked up to me, hugging me tightly. "I want to know just as bad as you do."

"Mama, come play?" Sadie asked, walking up to us.

"Come on sugar, show Grandpa what you're doing," my father said as he walked over, picking Sadie up and taking her out of the kitchen.

"I can feel it, Nick," I said, hugging him tightly. "Ever since my Dad told us, I could feel it. Maybe this is why it was so hard for me to get over her dying."

"Maybe," Nick whispered, kissing the top of my head. "If she's alive, we're going to find her. I promise you."

I backed away from him, looking up to see that he had tears in his eyes. He actually meant it. I leaned up, kissing his lips gently, holding my forehead against his.

[June 2006]

"Daddy, I'm not in the mood to talk," I whispered, hearing someone walk into the room.

"It's me," I heard a voice softly as I lifted my head and looked back to see Nick. He had been crying. "Your Dad told me."

"Just go," I whispered, turning my head back to face the opposite direction.

"Baby, I tried to find out but they wouldn't let me call anybody," Nick said, walking around my bed and kneeling down on his knees so that he could face me. "I got out of there and I came straight here. I had no idea."

"I didn't even get to hold her, Nick... I didn't even see her..."

"I came by to tell you that I made my choice, that I wanted to be her Daddy..."

"Well it's too late now," I whispered. "You made your choice and the stress from it killed my baby..."

"Our baby...'

"Was she ever really yours, Nick?" I asked, staring at him. "To you, she was just something that scared you. She was something that you thought would make you grow up and be a man and that scared you..."

"That's not what scared me..."

"Well to me, she was everything!" I yelled, sitting up in bed and looked down at Nick. "I didn't get my fairy tale love or my fairy tale wedding. My Prince Charming didn't find me to give me my glass slipper back. But I had Ella and that's all I wanted and I couldn't even have that because of you."

"Harley, it wasn't my fault..."

"You might not have been there when I started bleeding or was at the hospital when they saw she wasn't breathing and her heart had stopped, but it's your fault," I hissed. "And I don't know if I can ever forgive you for that. I hope the partying and the blow was worth it, Nick."

"Harley, please," Nick said as he started to stand up and I glared at him.

"Get out, Nick," I said, clinching my teeth together.

"You need to talk to someone..."

"I don't want to talk to you!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, staring at him. "I'm fine, Nick. I'm grieving. I'm upset and I'll move on, but I do not want to talk to you about anything."

"Why didn't you call and tell me?!?" he finally screamed back, moving away from my bed. "Three fucking weeks, Harley. For three weeks I've been out of my mind thinking something was wrong or that you had the baby, or, well, you just don't know the shit that was running through my head. You could have called!"

"I tried to call!" I screamed, crawling to my knees, my long, dark hair was sticking to my face because of my tears. "How the hell was I supposed to tell you that she was gone over the phone, Nick?! What was I supposed to say? 'Oh hey, Nick. Your daughter's dead. Have a nice life!' No! I couldn't do it!"

Nick watched me as I put my hands over my face, crying hysterically. I started trying to catch my breath but I was crying so hard I couldn't. Then I felt his arms wrap around me I she pushed him back.

"Don't touch me! Don't ever fucking touch me again," I hissed. "Just go. Go back to California. Go back to your lifestyle that you love so much. Get drunk. Get high. Just get the fuck out of here."

"I don't hate you for not telling me," Nick whispered as I shook my head. "I thought I would come back and I'd finally win you back and we'd have Ella," he said as his voice started cracking.

"Nick, I'm begging you," I whispered, moving my hands from my face. "Just go."

[/June 2006]

I jumped out of my thoughts, sitting out by the pool as the sun started to set. My father was in the kitchen, giving the kids dinner and I just needed some time alone. My mind kept drifting back to when Nick came from California and found out about Ella.

I kept trying to think about the day I went into labor and everything at the hospital, but it was so foggy. I was so doped up and in so much pain that I didn't remember much of anything.

[May 2006]

"Harley," I heard my father's voice say as I tried to open my eyes, but everything was blurry. "Sweetie, it's me," I heard him say as I blinked my eyes a few times and my eyes began focusing. "Hey."

"What happened?" I asked as I started to sit up and realized my legs were still numb. Then I noticed my stomach. The baby was gone. "Ella? Where's Ella?" I asked my father as he stared at me. "Can they bring her in? She's okay, right? Who does she look like?"

"Just lay back and relax," he said as I layed my head back and continued to stare at him.

"Daddy..."

"Honey, she didn't make it," he said as he looked down, reaching to hold my hand. "She wasn't breathing and she went too long without oxygen the doctor said."

"No..."

[/May 2006]

"Harley," I heard my father say as I jumped, looking over to see him walk outside, holding Noah. "Nick's giving Sadie a bath but Noah kept asking for you," he said as I smiled, reaching out for Noah, sitting him in my lap.

"I'll go up and play with her before she goes to bed," I said, looking down at Noah. "Won't we?" Noah nodded and I smiled, running my fingers through his blonde hair.

"I know it's weighing on your mind," my father said as I looked at him. "I had to tell everything to Nadine, explaining what happened with you and everything and she said it could be easy to do. She said sometimes the baby doesn't cry or scream out until you clean their mouth out or open their mouth."

"Sadie didn't scream out at first," I said as he nodded. "I feel like I'm letting this consume me, Daddy."

"It's a big deal," he said as we heard Nick yelling. We both looked up to see Nick running out the back door with a towel wrapped around Sadie who was giggling and soak and wet. "What the hell, Nick?"

"The doctor is talking!" Nick yelled, almost out of breath as he put Sadie down. "They're knocking his charge down but he'll still probably spend years and years in jail, but they found out the code thing!"

"To know whether or not Ella died or he sold her?" my father asked as Nick nodded.

"So, what did you find out?" I asked as Nick stared at me. Usually I could tell what he was thinking by the look on his face, but this time. I couldn't.

"She didn't die," he whispered, smiling at me. "She didn't die when you gave birth to her. As far as they know, she's alive."

I put my hands over my mouth, practically gasping for air.

Ella didn't die.

[/Harley]