Jack Kendall slowly walked back from the hotel to his office feeling the weight of guilt on his shoulders. His visit with Samantha was productive and necessary but he felt guilty for continuing to keep Amelia in the dark. There was so much to explain. So much that concerned her, too. If only he had... he stopped the thought mid-sentence and picked up his pace. He shook his head and mused again over the timing of the events of his life. He needed to talk to Amelia soon, though he had no idea how he would approach her about this. He had tried to find the words over the past few weeks but had failed to be able to find the courage to discuss it. The loss of their baby was still so fresh and he didn't want to cause her undue hurt with something that was sure to hurt her very much.
Jack picked up the pace and took the stairs up to his office to gather his jacket and briefcase. He would have to talk with her tonight and he wanted to get home so he could prepare for the discussion though he still didn't know what he would say. Within minutes, he was in his car driving home. When he pulled into the driveway he was surprised to see there were lights on in the bedroom. Amelia didn't usually come home until six and it was barely four o'clock. Upon opening the garage door, Jack could see that Amelia's car was not there and he was relieved. He needed time to think before he talked with her. He eased into the garage, exited the car and went through the door to the kitchen.
The house was quiet and every step on the tile floor of the kitchen with loud in his ears. There was a strange feeling in the room though he could not say why. He dismissed his thoughts and walked upstairs to remove his work clothes. His bedroom looked different but he took off his tie and walked toward his closet. He saw his scrapbook on the floor and went to pick it up. At first he thought it might have fallen from the shelf but it was not in the same part of the closet as the others and there was no way that he would have left it like that. Strange. He made a mental note to ask Amelia about it when she got home. He slowly dressed in his favorite shorts and t-shirt and walked downstairs to see if he could catch the end of a ball game before he started dinner.
He looked at his cell phone, and saw five missed calls. He remembered that Amelia had called him as he was going in to see Sam. He dialed her number and the phone went to voicemail. He left a short message, hoping that she wouldn't call him before she came home. A buzz startled him as he realized a call was coming in. He smiled when he saw the name. He answered it quickly. It was Meredith, one of his favorite people on the earth.
"Hi Mere!" Jack answered with a smile.
"Oh, Jack! Jack, finally!" Meredith's desperate voice answered. "What is going on?" Meredith was beside herself as she explained Amelia's call and Jack stood stock still as the shock of what she said washed over him. He calmed her down and said he would call back when he knew more. What on earth could have happened? He got off of the phone and called the hospital, but they told her that she had not returned to her shift. He apologized and told them he would have her call when he got in touch with her. Could someone have kidnapped her? Jack thought as he raced upstairs to their bedroom. He looked around the bedroom but nothing was out of place. Then he entered Amelia's closet and saw the clothes missing and her suitcase gone. He couldn't believe Amelia would leave without any sign or message. It wasn't like her. She wouldn't leave him. Panic assailed him as a thought occurred to him. He ran for his closet and pulled out the scrapbook. The page of prom pictures was slightly askew from the others and Jack let out a yelp. She had seen him with Sam, he thought. He sunk down on the floor of the closet and put his face in his hands. I am such an idiot! he exclaimed to himself, angry at himself for everything.
He let out a yell in bursts of frustrated air as he jumped up and started stuffing his own suitcase with his clothes. He dialed Samantha's number and got her voicemail. His message was short.
"Call me back, my plans have changed."
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