Fragile

The plane landed shortly and we all rushed into a taxi and were on the way back to Brian’s house, well, more like Shelby’s house.

“Brian, calm down,” I said as Brian once again started shaking with sobs.

“I cant,” he sighed.

I rubbed his back and turned to Jimmy who was sat to my left.

“What did the police say when you phoned them?”

“They basically said that they are going to find her, if they can find her before we get there then we can make sure the twins are safe but there was something about not being able to check whether they are still with Shelby or not because there isn’t enough evidence saying that Denim is out to get them.”

“Stupid 20-14 and its stupid laws,” I sighed.

When we pulled up outside there, it was silent, there was nothing. Brian went up to Shelby’s house with me and Jimmy while Johnny and Matt went to check Brian’s house.

“Hello?” she yawned as she opened the door. She was in her pyjamas and her hair was messed up.

“Brian?” She asked, chuckling slightly.

“Are the boys here?” he asked, walking into the house.

“Yes they are up-”

“Are you sure?” Brian asked.

“Well they were there when I put them to bed,” she said frowning. Brian swore under his breath and ran upstairs, I quickly followed leaving Jimmy down there to explain.

We looked in all the rooms until we came to the last one in the corridor. The door was shut and there was no noise coming from inside. Brian opened it quickly and shut his eyes. He opened them and sobbed once again at what he saw. I grabbed his hand as we looked at the unmade, messy, empty beds. Jordan’s toy monkey was lying against the pillow and the window was open slightly, the handle broken, obviously having been forced. Brian angrily turned to the wall and began throwing punches at it manically.

“Brian, calm the fuck down, please,” I cried, grabbing his fist and bringing it back to me.

Jimmy and Shelby soon appeared behind us and looked at the same scene we were a few seconds ago.

Jimmy instantly pulled his phone out and was talking to the cops, Shelby stood there with a look of shock on her face. I let go of Brian as he walked over to the beds and sat on what looked like Jakes. He curled into it and began shaking while he was crying.

“So, Denim did this?” Shelby asked.

“I think so, well, not herself, she obviously knows people who like to kidnap little boys for revenge,” I spoke.

I looked back at Brian and everything seemed to vanish, the band, the fans, the fame, it all turned into a life where we had none of that, it was just me and Brian and our kids, we could be a normal family with normal lives earning simple paycheques and living in some quiet estate on the edge of town. We wouldn’t be Vengeance and Gates, we would be Baker and Haner.

I walked over and sat on the bed opposite Brian. His eyes flicked up to meet mine, they were filled with worry, guilt and panic.

“The cops are on their way,” Jimmy said as he re-entered the room.

I nodded and stood up, hearing Matt and Johnny walk through the front door.

“Zack, the whole place is completely spotless, it looks untouched, nobody was there. There was a note on the freezer saying that Icky junior has a cold from Brian’s mom, that’s it,” Matt said.

“Anything?” Johnny pushed.

“No, they’re gone, the window had been forced and they weren’t in their beds. Jordan left his monkey, he cant sleep without it Johnny,” I cried, wiping my eyes on my sleeve, “It’s Christmas soon, and my birthday, why?”

“She’s a bitch,” Matt put bluntly.

“She’s not, she’s fucked in the head,” Johnny spoke

I nodded and turned, walking back to the bedroom. I was met with Jimmy sat on the bed with Brian’s head on his shoulder and Shelby was stood, still amazed that it had happened while she was in the house.

“Zack, they’re gone, Zacky,” Brian looked up and cried, “I was gonna take them out for Halloween and everything, Jake wanted to dress up as me and Jordan wanted to be SpongeBob, but I couldn’t because there was stupid tour and I left them alone and…”

“Brian, its not your fault,” I tried.

“But it is! If I had just done it when I knew that they were safe then this wouldn’t have happened, what would you’ve done, hey, if suddenly your kids were threatened,” he said standing up.

I walked up to him, balling my fist in my hand. I pushed him up the wall and punched him in the stomach.

“They are my kids dumbass, even if I’ve only known them for a short time, I was still the person they grew inside for eight and a half months,” I spat.

“And do you know how much stuff I’ve had about that, your in a coma and I’m the one being called a freak,” he said viciously.

I pushed him again, my hands on his shoulders, our noses touching.

“I don’t care, you still know even though all I have been through, you know I could kick your sorry ass,”

“Guys do you really think that this is the time to fight?” Johnny stepped in.

Brian shook his head and placed it on my shoulder. I wrapped my hands around his back as his eyes slowly wept onto my clothes.

“Sorry,” he whispered. I nodded and moved away.

There was suddenly a swarm of voices come from downstairs and about fifteen people appeared in the doorway.

“Mr Haner, Mr Baker, I am detective Clive Richardson, I will be the head of your kidnap and damage to personal property case,” a man said as he walked over. Well, I can tell he is going to be a hoot.

“I need you to come back with me to your house, leaving this exactly the way it is now and our forensic scientists are going to take samples and try to find fingerprints, you may take the possessions that you want to take, but I don’t want anybody touching that window,” he spoke harshly.

Me and Brian followed him out of the house and into our own. In Brian’s hands was Jakes things and in my hands were Jordan’s things, I guess it was the way with twins, one twin is more attached to one parent and the other is attached to the other parent.

Me and Brian sat on the couch opposite the detective, he had jet black hair, a small moustache and a long black coat on. How original.

“Okay, so when did you last see miss Swann?”

“We were at a bar in Miami, don’t ask me the name of it because I was too smashed to take note, it was about ten, eleven, I don’t know, I basically told her that me and Zacky were back together and that I dint want to see her anymore. After that she just… left,” Brian explained.

“Okay, and her parents live in Chicago, right?”

“Yeah, they moved here when she was younger, then they decided to move back and she went with them, then she went to live in long beach with a friend that had recently moved there and wanted company, then she came back to Huntingdon, well, that’s what she told me,” Brian sniffed.

‘Clive’ stood up and nodded, gathering his things, “I know this is a bit weird, me leaving this early, you both look completely washed out and it’s four in the morning, get some sleep and I will be back here tomorrow afternoon. In the meantime I will find out where exactly her parents live and we will try and trace her asap,” he told us before walking out the house, shutting the door behind him.

I looked at Brian confused, shouldn’t detectives stay with us for like, hours, before going off? Oh well. As long as they find Jake and Jordan I don’t really care how its done.

I pulled on Brian’s hand, making him stand up. I picked up the boys’ stuff and walked upstairs, leaving the things on the chair in the bedroom.

“Shit,” Brian said, walking out of the bathroom, “Jordan hasn’t got his medication.”

“For his heart disease?”

“Yeah, oh my God,” Brian said, throwing the tube of tablets at the wall, “She fucking knows that if he doesn’t have them he can die, and me and you are the only people allowed to fucking get them for him,” he cried into his arm.

I walked over to him and began picking up the tablets that were on the floor. Once they were all back in the tube, I put it on the night stand.

“Calm down and come to bed,” I sighed, getting into the bed.

“I cant, he needs those tablets,” he said as he pulled his phone out of his pocket.

“What are you doing?”

“Leaving a message, she wont change her number, she might get a new one but she wants to see me suffer so she will listen to our messages,” he said, “Denim, fucking bring them back, this isn’t funny, Jordan hasn’t got his tablets and you know he needs them, please, he could die,” Brian sniffed, sounding desperate. He hung up the phone and put it on the bed before climbing into the bed.

I turned the lights off, the only light was the sun that was slowly beginning to rise.

I grabbed his hand and told him that everything would be okay.

He laughed, “Will it? For all we know they could be out of the country by now.”

“She doesn’t have their passports, they cant get out of the country,” I voiced.

“America’s a big place,” he said.

“I know, but think about it, every police station across the country would have our details by now, they will all have their eyes open for her, they all know what she looks like, they have photos of her and the twins. And when all this is over, we can move house, I’ve got money lying in the bank untouched because I don’t have a house, I live here,” I started.

“I cant believe our kids have just been kidnapped and your talking about moving house. I’m going to sleep,” he said as he rolled over.

I looked at his back confused, I mean, I can understand why he is slightly mad, but I was only trying to get his fucking mind off the fact. I turned and looked away from him, tears once again forming in my eyes. When I thought Brian was asleep, I turned and let a sob into my pillow. I cried the river Nile into my pillow with the reality of everything settling in. I felt arms wrap around my waist and Brian mutter an ‘I’m sorry’. maybe when I wake up tomorrow all of this would be a nightmare.