TWENTY-EIGHT
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Standing outside by the grill,I glanced around at all the people here to celebrate Charlie. I’m sure some of them would claim they were here to wish Wade and me ‘happy birthday’ as well, but I knew deep down that they showed up to support Charlie and Stella.
A tangible electric current pulsed in the air, a strange tickle on my skin that made the hairs on my arms stand on end. The sensation felt as if I was edging close to a live wire of an electric fence.
I wasn’t sure whether the feeling was the proximity to the heat of the grill, or a niggling sensation of something amiss.
Wade sauntered off the back deck and headed in my direction, his tutu swishing in the breeze. It almost seemed as if he had an extra swing in his step and I chuckled under my breath.
Ray and Stella had gotten us matching tutus and fairy wings to Charlie’s. I’m sure they meant it as a joke, but I wanted to show Stella that I wasn’t above doing anything to see my girls smile.
We had, without reservation, rocked the tutus and wingsas if they were a regular part of our wardrobe. Although, watching Wade strut my way, it seemed as if he might enjoy it more than I had expected.
“Looking good, birthday boy,” he said, nodding curtly, a smirk playing on his lips as he clapped me on the shoulder.
“You’re loving this, aren’t you?” I asked with a sarcastic roll of my eyes.
“Fu- I mean, heck yes, I am,” Wade responded with a grin. “The ladies love a man who is confident and secure enough in his masculinity to wear a tutu to make his future niece happy.”
I shook my head in exasperation. Especially at this moment, the differences between us couldn’t have been more clear. I felt like I was itching in this outfit, but I knew it would make Charlie happy to match with Wade and me, so I stuck it out.
Just as I began to speak, a scream so horrific it made my blood run cold ripped through the air from the house. Before I even had time to think, I was bolting up the back steps and slamming through the door in search of Stella and Charlie.
A million thoughts were running through my mind. I couldn’t silence the constant barrage of ‘what ifs’ that plagued my thoughts.
“STELLA?!” I yelled out into the vast emptiness of the house.
I could hear muted whimpers and wails from Charlie’s nursery and I stopped, rooted to the floor. I tried to steel myself for what I was about to find. The scenarios of what I might find were endless, but I snapped myself out of my fear induced haze as I inched towards the room.
I stopped right outside the door, my hand fiddling with thehandle, and took a deep breath. The door creaked open, the silence inside the room oppressive.
Curled on the floor, sitting slumped against Charlie’s crib, was Stella. She looked so small and fragile. I took another step into the room and crouched in front of her, not bothering to look into the crib just yet, afraid of what I might find. Panic clawed at my throat; Stella’s frantic whispers and trembling hands revealed a deep panic.
I reached out and tenderly caressed Stella’s knee. She flinched, and I startled. It had been so long since my touch had caused such a visceral reaction in her; it caused my heart to clench.
“Stella?” To avoid startling her again, I whispered.
She raised her eyes to mine, and the emptiness caused my heart to break. Grief had dulled the once vibrant emerald green. Red rimmed her irises as she took a shuddering breath and a steady stream of tears dripped down her cheeks.
“Charlie…” she whispered, barely audible above the sound of my pounding heart.
I took a fortifying breath before asking the question I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the answer to.
“What happened to Charlie?”
Her hand trembled as she unclasped the note that was crumbled in her grasp. I could see the spots where her tears had dripped onto the paper, smudging the fresh ink. As I unfurled it, the words ignited a quiet fury within me.
“She’s gone…” Stella whispered, her voice void of emotion. She was breaking, and I couldn’t blame her a single bit.
Vaguely aware of the crowd that had gathered outside the door. I raised my gaze to meet Wade’s and managed to utter from between clenched teeth, “Find Sheriff Cortez.”
When Wade didn’t move, my simmering rage turned to a rolling boil as I took in a deep breath and shouted.
“NOW!”
Sensing the urgency of the situation, the house became a flurry of commotion. I managed to usher Stella into the living room, and we sat curled together on the couch, clutching one another like a lifeline. Charlie, our girl, was gone.
