Something To Hold On To

“AIDEN!” I screamed at the top of my lungs as I burst through the door of my apartment. “AIDEN!!!!!” I called out again as I ran through all the rooms. “Aiden! Please, please, please come out if you're hiding!” I called out as tears began spilling out of my eyes with no intention of letting up. My heart was beating so fast in my chest that it hurt and I was having a hard time breathing. “Oh my god.” I muttered to myself as I collapsed to the floor.

“Lex! Lexie!” Mike shouted as he rushed to me.

“He’s not here!” I told him as I began to shake uncontrollably. “He's not here.” I stated again. Mike’s strong arms wrapped around me and he pulled me to my feet.

“Calm down!” He told me as he pulled out his cell phone. “We’ll find him.” I pushed my head into his chest as I broke down crying. I was on my feet thanks to Mike’s arms holding me up, and I just sobbed against him. How could this have happened?! This was all my fault! I knew that Aiden was upset! I shouldn’t have been so concerned with dinner when Aiden was hurting. “Okay. The cops are on their way.” I looked up at him through blurry eyes. I hadn’t heard any of that conversation he had.

“If he’s not okay I will never forgive myself.”

“Hey!” He exclaimed taking my face into his hands, forcing my eyes to his. “Don't you say that! This is not your fault!”

“It is! It’s all my fault. I should have..”

“Lexie! Don't do this. All that matter is that we find him.” He told me before kissing my forehead. I wrapped my arms around him and held on tight. I needed him.
---
“Okay Miss Taylor, I'm just going to ask you some questions. Try to think before you answer. These are very critical questions.” I nodded wildly at the detective sitting across the kitchen table from me. “Okay. Is there anywhere that Aiden may have gone?”

“No!” I replied quickly. “No. He's three years old! He doesn't know how to get anywhere!”

“Is there anyone that would have any reason to take him?” My heart dropped at the thought and my hand went to my mouth.

“No.” I told him in a choked voice. “No. We don't really know anyone here. We’ve only been here a couple of months!”

“Where did you move from?”

“Vancouver.”

“Is there anyone that you had issues with back there?”

“No.” I told him as I began fiddling with my fingers. I was just anxious to get this over with so he would go help the other cops find Aiden.

“I see that you are not Aiden’s mother.” He stated as he flipped through some papers.

“I'm his aunt.” I told him. What the hell did that have to do with anything?!

“And his mother is..?”

“She died.” He nodded at my response.

“What about his father?”

“How the hell am I supposed to know? He hasn’t been in Aiden and Madeline’s lives at all. I wouldn't even know where to find him if I wanted to.” I told him.

“He wouldn't have a reason to take Aiden?”

“NO!” I shouted. “He never wanted them to begin with! Aiden didn't get kidnapped! He’s lost! You need to go out there and find him instead of sitting here asking me useless questions!” Mike’s hand tightened on mine in an effort to calm me down.

“Hey.” He said lightly. “Relax! He's just trying to get as much information as he can.” I took a deep breath and put my face into my hands. Mike’s hand left mine and began rubbing my back.

“Do you have a recent picture of Aiden?”

“Uhm...” I muttered as I reached for my blackberry on the coffee table. “I have one I took yesterday. I can print it off if you need.” I told him as I pulled it up on the screen. I looked at his happy, smiling face on the screen and the tears began to fall. This just couldn't be happening. I was praying that I would wake up any minute and this would just be a nightmare.

“That will do just fine Miss Taylor.” The detective told me as he took the phone out of my hand. “I’ll give you a moment.” He said as my sobs came louder and louder. He stood and left the kitchen going out to join a few cops in the living room. Mike got up off of his chair and crouched down in front of me.

“Look at me.” He demanded. “Lexie! Look at me.” My eyes connected with his and he raised his hand to wipe the wetness from my face. “You need to stay strong. You can’t break down right now. Aiden is going to be scared when he comes home!” I nodded. The look on Mike’s face was reassuring.

“I'm sorry I'm such a mess! I just..”

“Don't be sorry! You have nothing to be sorry about.” He told me. “Absolutely nothing at all. Come here.” He muttered as his hands found my face and he pulled me into a kiss.

“I’VE GOT HIM!”

Mike’s POV

Lexie and I both jumped to our feet as we heard those words. “AIDEN?!” Lexie shouted as she ran towards the entrance way with me right behind her. I stopped in my tracks when I saw the blonde little boy in an officer’s arms and relief washed over me. “Oh my god!” Lexie exclaimed as she pulled Aiden into her arms and squeezed him tightly. My back met the wall behind me and I slid down it until I was sitting on the floor. I finally felt myself relax for the first time in the last two hours since Aiden had been missing.

“Are you okay?!” Lexie asked Aiden quickly once she was done squeezing the life out of the poor child. “Are you hurt?!”

“No.” He replied simply.

“Don't you ever do that to me again, do you hear me?!” She ordered.

“I sorry, Auntie Lexie.”

“Oh, Aiden! It’s okay!” She told him as she again began squeezing his tiny body. “Auntie Lexie was just scared. That's all. I'm not mad at you baby.” Aiden’s eyes connected with mine over Lexie’s shoulder and his head shot up.

“Mikey!” He exclaimed as he squirmed out of Lexie’s arms.

“Hey little man.”

“You’re not mad at me no more?”

“Come here a minute.” He quickly came over and sat down next to me on the floor. I glanced up at Lexie to see her being ushered into the kitchen by a cop. I nodded to her, letting her know that I wouldn't let Aiden out of my sight, and then turned my attention to the three year old. “I was never mad at you.”

“But you don't want to play with me.”

“I always want to play with you. I was just grumpy.”

“You got grumpy?” I nodded at his little face that was staring up at me. He was hanging on my every word and it was then that I realized the severity of the situation. Aiden left because of me. He left because he thought I was upset with him. Until this moment I hadn’t really known just how big a part I had in his life, but he looked up to me and I let him down. Some stupid insecurity I had about Lexie serving drinks at a strip club had resulted in this huge mess.

“You know when you get grumpy and you don't feel like playing with your sister?” He nodded.

“Uh huh.”

“Do you still love her when you’re grumpy?” Again he nodded. “I was grumpy today, but I still love you.” A smile spread across his face and he wrapped his little arms around me.

“I love you too, Mikey.”