Christian
"Hey princess!" Jack chuckles as he catches Sophie after she runs to him and he just about manages to stop himself from toppling over. He looks at me and he must see the anger on my face as he quickly sets her down before standing up.
"Hey, Buster why don't you show Sophie your dinosaurs, I'll just be in the kitchen with your dad ok?" Brody nods before gently pulling Sophie into his side and Jack's in front of me in seconds.
"What's going on?"
"I don't know but look at her!" I turn Katie around and open up the blanket so he can see her back and he now looks as angry as I feel.
"Fuck she must have been in that diaper for hours!" I nod before turning my attention back to my kids that are giggling away on the floor. What the fuck is going on here?
"Brods where are Katie's diapers?"
"I don't know Daddy I tried to find some so I could change her but there wasn't any." He looks sad like he's done something wrong but I can't help but feel proud of him. I don't know what's going on here but still, he has tried to look after his sister when she needed it.
As quickly as I feel pride I feel anger. He's only just turned 5 years old and looking after his little sisters, where the fuck is his mother? And more importantly why the fuck are they alone?
"They could be in Mommy's room but I can't open the door." Brody suddenly shouts out and I waste no time in heading to her room. I try to open the door but it is locked. What the fuck? I don't have time to mess around so I cover one of Katie's ears and lean her head against my body to cover her other ear and I kick the door in. I step inside and the moment I look across her room to her bed all the blood drains from my body and my heart starts pounding like never before.
Holy fuck! There's no Amy but her bed is covered in little plastic bags, foil, and needles and I'm fucking livid! I spot a bag of diapers on the sideboard and quickly grab them but this only gets me angrier as there aren't any diapers in there it's being used to hide more fucking foil and needles. Who the fuck has Amy become?
I storm out of her room trying with all I have to keep my anger at bay not to scare my kids but believe me it's fucking hard! As soon as I'm back in the living room Jack's back by my side and once I tell him what I found he's instantly as angry as me.
"Ok, you get bubble bum in the bath, and I'll go and grab her some diapers and wipes yeah?"
"Yeah thanks, brother. Grab some diaper cream she's bound to be sore after sitting in this fifth for god knows how long!" He nods his head before taking my keys from me before he gets down on his hunches in front of Brody.
"I'm going to run to the store to get Katie some diapers then when I get back how about we go and visit Grandma and Granddad?"
"Yesss!" Both Brody and Sophie shout excited as always to see my parents.
"Uncle Jack I'm hungry!" Sophie whines out "Me too!" Brody joins in and I instantly get a sinking feeling inside of me.
"Brody, when did you last eat son?" He goes to answer me but hesitates and I already know I will hate his answer. "It's ok son your not in any trouble I promise."
"We had breakfast yesterday... I... I did try to find food for my sisters I promise I did Daddy but I couldn't find anything but then I found goldfish crackers and I fed them those." I thought I'd felt heartache more than once in my life but now I realize I hadn't, not until now anyway, this feeling I have right now is pure gut-reaching destroying heartbreak and I will never in my life forget this moment.
"When was the last time you saw your mom Buster?" Jack asks my son the question that is on the tip of my tongue while I try and pull myself together for my kids.
Again he hesitates "It's ok Buster you can tell us!"
"Yesterday at breakfast... She said she wouldn't be long but I don't know where she is... I miss her." I watch as tears start to pour from his little face and his whole body starts to shake. Fuck my heart hurts!
I force myself forward and at the same time, Jack steps forward and takes Katie from me just before I get down on the floor in front of my son and he dives straight into me wrapping his little body around mine "It's ok son, I've got you. Everything is going to be ok!" Finally, after what feels like a lifetime his tears turn to light sniffles as I continue to gently rub his back.
"Well I don't know about anyone else here but I want McDonald's!" Jack shouts out cheerfully and I don't think I've ever been more grateful for my brother than I am right now.
"Me me me!" Brody and Soph both shout out and their excitement makes me smile for the first time today.
"Ok I tell you what, I'll go to the store and get Katie some diapers than when I come back we'll get you both dressed and head to McDonald's then when we come back Uncle Cal will come here with Elsa and Nemo and we'll ride back to grandmas and granddads, what do you say?"
The kids nearly fall over themselves with excitement and despite my anger, it makes me laugh for a moment while I look at Jack with confusion as Elsa and Nemo are Brody and Sophie's horses.
"I text Cal and dads going to bring him over with them in the horsebox and we'll take these two back with us on them so you've got the car and I'll call Mom now and ask her to come and get bubble bum as dad doesn't have a car seat in his truck."
"Thanks, brother. Don't worry about calling Mom I'll take this one with me but those two." I point between the kids "They need a bath as soon as you get them home!" Who knows how long it's been since they had one? He nods before saying his goodbyes and heading out to the store.