63. missing

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By the time I awoke the next morning, Greer was still sleeping soundly next to me. I had planned to move her to the couch when I went to bed, but she had refused to leave my side. She had slept cuddled against me, waking up every hour or so in tears. It was evident that she knew something was wrong, she just wasn't sure what. 

Each time I awoke to soothe he back to sleep, the spot next to me where Bellamy should have been was empty. I thought that maybe he had decided to stay somewhere else to make Greer more comfortable. But surely he would have informed of those plans, right?

My chest was tight with worry as I got Greer ready for the day. I just needed to see Bellamy, I needed him more than ever right now. 

"Am I going to see my daddy?" Greer wondered, her little voice breaking me from my trance. She turned to look at me as I braided her hair, her big blue eyes curious. 

Clearing my throat, I forced a smile onto my face. "Not today, sweetie." I answered, turning her back around so I could finish what I was doing. "You're going to go to daycare today."

She let out a small sound of displeasure as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't like it there."

I let out a small laugh as I secured the braid in her hair. "Why not?"

She shrugged as she turned to look at me. "The kids are mean."

My face softened slightly as I looked down at her. "Don't listen to a thing they say." I advised, knowing things were only about to get worse for Greer. "And if they say anything, tell them they can come talk to me, yeah?"

Greer let out a quick giggle as she nodded, excited with the prospect of essentially telling those kids to "suck it."

Grinning down at the little girl, I took her hand and led her to the door. "Now, let's get you to school...and see if we can find Bellamy." I muttered the latter part of the sentence, still confused as to why I hadn't seen him. 

As we entered the tavern, my eyes landed on one of the only occupied tables which contained Clarke and Murphy, but still no Bellamy. 

I gave Clarke a small wave, one in which she returned with a big smile. Murphy, who was asleep against the table didn't stir at all. 

Pointing down at Greer, I nodded toward the door. "Taking her to daycare." I explained to Clarke, who gave me a quick thumbs up. 

Something still felt off as I turned to leave, Greer still attached to my hand. Bellamy wasn't here, and Murphy and Clarke were spending too much time together for my liking. 

I was almost so caught up in my own thoughts that I didn't realize Greer and I had arrived at the school. The indicator of our arrival was the fact that Greer had tightened her grip on my hand.

Letting out a small sigh, I knelt in front of her, doing my best to give her a smile. "You're going to be okay." I promised. "I'll be here to pick you up at the end of the day and then..." I trailed off, trying to think of something to cheer her up. "We can have ice cream for dinner."

Greer's eyes lit up at my words, and she gave a little jump. "Really!?"

I grinned, brushing back a piece that had fallen stray from her braid. "Really."

Letting out a squeal of excitement, Greer wrapped her little arms around me in a tight hug. I felt sadness wash over me, knowing that this little girl had now lost both of her parents, and life would never be as easy as just having ice cream for dinner. 

"Okay." I whispered, trying to keep the sadness in my voice at bay, "Get in there before I get in trouble for making you late."

With the prospect of ice cream for dinner in her mind, Greer reluctantly pulled away from me and made her way into the classroom. The sight of her going caused my heart to clench slightly. 

𝐒𝐀𝐋𝐕𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍─𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐤𝐞²Where stories live. Discover now