Back For You

Chapter 24

I run out to the hall with Joe following close behind me, and up the stairs to the girls bedroom. I look around the entire room before I hear them shout ‘mummy’. I turn, almost push Joe out my way and run back down the stairs and out the front door.

As I get to the front door, I see the tail end of a black car drive away. I start panicking and fall to the ground as tears begin to fall from my eyes. Two arms circle round me as Joe sits behind me, trying his hardest to comfort me. I lean back against him as he strokes the side of my face as I cry.

“We’ll get them back. Trust me…” I hear him say quietly as he tries to control his own emotions.

“I…I want my children back…”I cry into his chest.

“I know…” he whispers.

Joe’s POV

I stand outside Chelsea’s bedroom after she finally got to sleep. I watch her for a few seconds before closing the door over and walking down the stairs. I sit on the second last step and put my head in my hands.

How could we not have known something like that could happen? We knew he’d be back but we didn’t know for sure he would do that. He could do anything to my daughters and we wouldn’t know about it.

A knock at the front door brings me out of my train of thought and I stand up to answer it. I open the door and look at the police officers that stand before me.

“Mr. Hart, we got word that you have reported a missing persons.” One of them say.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“May we come in and ask you a few questions?” The other asks.

“Sure,” I answer.

I move to the side and let them in. I close the door back over and walk into the living room as they follow. I sit down on the chair by the fireplace as they sit on the couch.

“Before we start, we need to know who exactly has went missing…” The woman starts.

“My daughters,” I answer blankly.

“Erm…Mr. Hart, we know you’re a footballer and all, but I think you’re mistaken. You don’t have any children…” She says to me.

“Excuse me!” I feel my blood start to boil. “I think I would know if I had two daughters! The reason no one knows about them is because I only found out about them not that long ago! So don’t you dare sit there and say that I don’t have any children when the only two children I do have, have gone missing!”

“Okay, Mr. Hart, you need to calm down.” The male officer says to me.

“Don’t tell me to calm down! My daughters have gone missing and no one is doing anything to find them!”

“Mr. Hart, we can’t officially look for them until it has been 24hrs.”

“Are you kidding me? We saw who took them!”

“Mr. Hart, please try and cooperate with us.”

“Why should I when you clearly aren’t wanting to do your job and go out and look for my daughters!”

“Joe…” I stop shouting and look up at the door to see Chelsea standing looking at me. I stand up and walk over to her. “What are they doing here?”

“They’ve come to get statements off of us about the girls going missing,” I tell her.

“The girls…oh my God, they’ve gone missing! I thought that was a dream!”

I see her starting to panic and I take her in my arms, trying to calm her down.

“Miss. Anderson, I know this isn’t the right t-”

“When is there a good time? That’s right, never!” She snaps at the male officer.

“We know-”

“You don’t. You know nothing! If you really knew, then you would be out there looking for my daughters! But clearly, you don’t. So, no, you don’t know.”

I look at the police officers and see them looking at each other, trying to figure out what to do next.

“If you’re just going to stand there, get out.” I say to them.

They look at me before standing up and walking out the room.

Normal POV

I wait till the front door closes over before moving away from Joe.

“They are only trying to help,” I hear him mutter.

“Well they clearly ain’t helping anyone are they?” I reply coldly.

I look out the window before walking out the room.

“Chelsea, where are you going?”

“I need to sleep.”

“You’ve already had a sleep.”

“Oh, so now I’m not allowed to go and sleep in my own house? Well I’m sorry but I sure as hell ain’t gonna sit about and do fuck all!”

I walk over to the staircase and start to walk up the stairs towards my bedroom again. 

Joe’s POV

I watch her walk up the stairs and within seconds, I hear the bedroom door slam shut. I sigh before walking back into the living room and sitting down on the couch. Could my life get any worse?

2 weeks later

I didn’t want to return back to playing just yet but at the same time, there was nothing I could do to help look for my daughters.

I stand on the goal line, looking out at the players training on the pitch, before a ball comes towards me and hits me on the side of the head. I turn in the direction the ball came from and narrow my eyes.

“What the hell?” I shout at James.

“Well wake up and stop daydreaming!” He shouts back at me.

“I wasn’t daydreaming and you know it!” I shout while walking towards him.

“Well get your head back on the important things!”

“Oh, so my daughters getting kidnapped isn’t a big deal?” I say, squaring up to him.

“Harty, leave it.” Gareth butts in, coming to stand next to me.

“Why should I?”

“Because we are standing in front of fans and you don’t want to look like a complete twat.”

I look at him before turning round and walking towards the tunnel to get my things.

“Where the hell are you going?” Adam asks as he walks with me off the pitch.

“I’m not going to stay here while the guys say bad things about the situation I’m in,” I reply while taking my gloves off.

“So, you’re just going to leave?”

“Looks like it.”

“You can’t jus-”

“Look! You don’t have two daughters out there somewhere that have been kidnapped. You also don’t have a girlfriend that won’t speak to you over it and when she does, she ends up in a mood and pissed off!”

“…I…”

“I know you don’t - none of you do!”

“Joe-” I hear the manager start.

“I’m going home,” I say blankly before walking off to the changing room.