Written Regrets

The following day after the photo shoot went by extremely slow for Gabby. She spent the day mostly at home with Sarah until that afternoon when she decided to take Sarah down to the beach. Although Sarah was still extremely young, she didn’t seem all that interested in sitting around for hours at a time playing with toys. She didn’t speak, she wasn’t usually the type of child who cried all that often unless she was hurt or aggravated, and she hated being in the house longer than normal. Sarah loved to be out and about so she could see new things and different people, so Gabby knew the beach was perfect.

Gabby sat crisscross on a towel in the sand as Sarah stood two feet in front of her, wobbling every so often, her eyes searching all around at everything new she was discovering. Gabby thought it was cute at how curious she was, but it wasn’t that cute when Sarah decided to take off running towards something and Gabby had to chase after her. Thankfully Sarah hadn’t done that just yet, and Gabby hoped she wouldn’t.

Sarah slowly turned to look at Gabby before pointing at the ocean in front of them. Gabby smiled, “You want to put your feet in the water?” Sarah didn’t respond, not that Gabby had expected her to, but Gabby knew that was what Sarah wanted.

Breathing out softly, Gabby rose from the ground before picking Sarah up and resting the small child on her hip. Figuring that their stuff would be fine for a few minutes, she walked across the sand and over to the water. The waves weren’t nearly as big as earlier, so she knew it wouldn’t hurt for Sarah to play in the shallow water and the squishy sand on the shore.

Gabby held Sarah’s hand once they reached the shore, watching as Sarah stared at the small waves rolling in, soaking the bottom half of her small body. The little girl giggled quietly for a moment, making Gabby smile, before becoming silent again.

Once Sarah began to yawn and rub her eyes, Gabby knew it was time to head back home to their apartment. The small apartment they lived in was shared with Carlos, Gabby’s older brother. They both paid half the rent and utilities, and honestly, it wasn’t so bad living with her brother, in fact, most days she liked it. He wasn’t the type of brother who continuously breathed down her neck about certain things. He gave her space and helped out as much as he could with Sarah, which Gabby truly appreciated.

Walking through the front door, Gabby’s eyes flicked over to Carlos who was lying on the couch, watching the latest ballgame. Licking over her lips, she sat Sarah down onto her feet and watched as the small child ran over to Carlos, nearly falling in the process.

“Sarah,” A grin plastered itself on his face as he leaned forward and lifted her up in the air before pulling her into his lap.

Gabby smiled as Carlos gave his niece a bunch of kisses, “How’d your day go?” She finally asked, setting her purse and Sarah’s diaper bag down on the coffee table.

“Went fine as usual,” He shrugged his shoulders carelessly, “How about yours? Did you and Sarah have a good time at the beach?”

“For the most part,” Gabby nodded, “She’s a handful to keep up with though, especially now that she’s walking.”

Carlos chuckled, a smirk curving at his lips as he looked down at Sarah who had settled against his chest, her eyes fluttering shut every few moments. “No wonder she seems so tired. She wore herself out.”

“That she did. Now she needs a nap.”

“I’ll get her cleaned up, change her, and put her down if you want,” He offered.

“You don’t have to,” She murmured.

“I want to,” He smiled, rising up off the couch, Sarah securely in his arms. “Besides, you got an interesting phone call today from Detective Reade. He wants you to call him back asap.”

A frown tugged across Gabby’s lips, “Thanks Carlos, will do,” She mumbled.

Carlos gave his sister a small sad smile before heading down the hall to Sarah’s nursery. Gabby took a seat in the nearest chair before burying her face in her hands. She hadn’t heard anything from Detective Reade in weeks, and she wondered what he could possibly want from her at this point. Drawing in a few deep breathes; she took a moment to calm her nerves before finally reaching for the cordless phone lying on the coffee table.

Dialing the same number she’d being dialing for the past two years, she waited, listening to it ring before he finally answered, “Huntington Beach Police Department. This is SVU Detective Reade speaking, how can I help you?”

Clearing her throat slightly, Gabby spoke up, “It’s me, Steven.”

“Gabby, hi,” He seemed surprised that she hadn’t ignored his phone call all together, “I’m glad you decided to call me back.”

“Did you find him?” Gabby questioned, not wanting to beat around the bush, “Is that why you called after all this time.”

Steven sighed, “We have a suspect. We’re not sure if it’s him or not, Gabby. We need you to come down to the station and see if you can I.D. him for us.”

Gabby felt her chest tighten just at the thought, “Are…Are you sure that it could be him? I mean, it’s been two years, Steven. How do we know he isn’t long gone by now and in some other state?”

“We don’t,” He simply said, “But it’s worth a try, isn’t it?”

“I suppose,” She breathed out, “When do you need me?”

“Now if that’s okay. The sooner you get down here and I.D. him, the better. We can only hold him for so long. He has rights just like everyone else.”

“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

“Thank you, Gabby,” Steven said.

Gabby closed her eyes, clenching them together tightly, “I’ll see you soon.” She then hung up, the phone slipping from her grasp and thudding against the carpet.