Page 43 of Single Teddy (Mayberry Protectors #6)

THIRTY-SEVEN

TEDDY

“ W hat do you mean he’s missing?” I jumped off the chair and out of Wesley’s arms.

It wasn’t a great idea. The room started spinning, and I lost my balance, but I took a deep breath and focused on Slade and what he’d said. I had to.

“King took him to Mac’s room for a nap, and when he went to check on him, he…he wasn’t there.”

I stumbled back. This time it had nothing to do with my lightheadedness and everything to do with the knife that ripped through my stomach.

“Teddy!” Wesley called out beside me and put his hands around me. “Take it easy. You’re still injured.”

I shook my head.

“How? Is…is it him? Did one of those assholes take him? I swear to god if he’s in danger because of you guys?—”

“It wasn’t. King checked the CCTV outside our house. He snuck out the window. He was on his own.”

He what?

“I need to find him. I need to find Bear,” I said.

“I know. We do. But you’re not in?—”

“Yes, I am. I have to,” I said and started walking toward the door.

“Where are you going?” Wyatt asked.

“Where do you think? To find Bear,” I said.

Was that even a question? Had everyone lost their mind?

“Sit your ass down, Olson. You’re injured. We’ll go,” he replied, and I gritted my teeth.

“No. It-it has to be me,” I said.

It had to be. I was the one who had abandoned him. I had to be the one to find him and bring him home.

I turned my back on everyone and opened the door when I heard his voice.

“Teddy!”

I stopped.

He was the only one I’d stop for in that moment. The only one I’d listen to.

“You don’t have to do this alone.” Wesley approached me and took my hands in his, gazing into my eyes with compassion, though worry lines decorated his face.

He wasn’t just saying things to say them. He was being logical when I couldn’t think straight.

“I know,” I said. “But…”

“We’ll all help,” Slade said, and the others nodded. “You know it’s the best way to find someone anyway.”

“We’ll each take a road and search the area,” Wyatt said, and before I could agree or say anything, he was on his phone, as was everyone else, getting the word out.

“Also, dude, you need a shirt,” Donovan said, and I looked down at my naked body.

He may have a point.

As Wyatt went upstairs to get me a new shirt, Joey took the kids out of the kitchen and to his home while Slade formed a coordinated search plan.

“Come on. Let’s go,” Wesley said once I was decent again and pulled me outside by the hand.

He led me to my car that had been parked outside the bar all day, but when I tried to climb into the driver’s seat, he stopped me.

“You’re in no position to drive,” He said, holding on to the handle.

I raised an eyebrow. “Neither are you. Aren’t you blind without your glasses?”

He grimaced.

“I guess you’re right.”

“You guess I’m right?”

Wesley sighed and stepped aside allowing me to take the driver’s seat and we hit the road.

As we raced through the streets, my heart sank lower and lower until it was all the way to the floor and I could barely breathe.

“What a shit day,” I mumbled.

Wesley put his hand on my knee and squeezed.

“I know. But it’s okay. We’ll find him.”

“What if we don’t? What if?—”

“Don’t think that way. It won’t help. I know it’s hard, but don’t.”

I put my hand on top of his and sighed. Or tried to anyway. My throat was constricted and breathing was a chore. I imagined it would be that way until…until we found him.

If we ever did.

“It’s my fault. It’s all my fault.”

Wesley turned to me and frowned.

“Why would you think that? You didn’t make him sneak out. It’s not your fault.”

“It is. I left him. He was scared and worried, and I left him.” I rubbed my face and tried to bite back the tears, but I didn’t know if I’d be able to do so for long.

“You left him to come save me,” Wesley said softly. “You should be blaming me, not yourself.”

“What?” I snapped my head around but that made me a little more dizzy so I turned my attention back on the road. “This isn’t your fault.”

“If I hadn’t been so reckless?—”

“Wesley! We’ve been through this. You weren’t being reckless. You were being protective. You can’t blame yourself.”

I could see him biting his lip from my peripheral vision and I squeezed his hand.

“You can’t,” I repeated. I wanted to make him see. To know without a shadow of a doubt that he had nothing to do with this.

“I…I know,” he said after a while. “But if I can’t blame myself, then you can’t blame yourself either. Or King, or anyone else.”

“I wasn’t blaming King,” I said. It hadn’t even crossed my mind. “How was he supposed to know Bear would sneak out instead of sleep? I mean, what kind of kid sneaks out at that age?”

He smiled.

“I’m glad you think that way.”

I tugged his hand one more time then put both hands on the wheel and focused on the ride, wishing we were at Slade and King’s already. My whole body was on edge.

“Thank you, by the way. For saving us. I don’t…I don’t know how I can ever repay you.”

I sighed and shook my head.

“You don’t have to repay me. Don’t be silly. Why would you say that?”

He shrugged.

“I owe you my life. It’s only right I pay you back somehow. If anything can ever come close to saving someone’s life.”

I chuckled and shook my head, placing my hand on his thigh.

“You can pay me back in kisses and hugs for being silly like that.”

He scoffed.

“What about repaying you for my life?”

I sighed.

“I don’t know. Maybe you can give me your love forever and ever,” I said, then grimaced. “Too much?”

Wesley smiled.

“No. Not too much at all. It’s not enough.”

I came to a stop in front of King and Slade’s house, and I took a moment to look at him and take strength from his beautiful, loving eyes.

“I love you,” I said.

“I love you too.” He didn’t miss a beat, and that somehow gave me comfort, despite my current state of mind.

“You really think we’ll find him?” I asked.

He closed his eyes and nodded.

“I’m sure,” he said.

I took a deep breath, as if breathing in his certainty, and we both got out.

“Teddy! Oh my god, I’m so sorry. I don’t…I feel horrible. I don’t know what to say. I’m so sorry,” King collapsed on me as soon as I stepped through his front door, and I put my hands on his shoulders to try and soothe him.

“King, you did nothing wrong. I don’t blame you.”

His pained gaze, pale skin, sweaty forehead, and red eyes made my stomach clench.

“Come here.” I pulled him into my arms and held him there for a few moments while Slade, who had already gotten back, and Teddy watched us.

He seemed a little calmer when I let him go, and I held his hand to look into his eyes. We really needed to get back to the search.

“What time did he run? I assume the footage has a time stamp?”

He nodded.

“I put him to bed around four. He was falling asleep in front of the TV, so I took him to Mac’s room, and Mac and I were in the kitchen, cooking. The CCTV shows him jumping out the window at four-thirty. He made his way around the property and then ran off northside.”

Four-thirty. And now it was six. He’d been out and alone for ninety minutes already. Where would he be? Where would he go? And why would he run?

I tried to picture the map in my head to figure out where he would even be going, but I still didn’t know Mayberry Holm well enough to be accurate. I pulled my phone out and consulted my Maps app instead.

“North, huh? Maybe he’s trying to go to the port?” I said.

“Why would he go there?” Slade asked.

“Trying to get a boat back home?” I shrugged.

“I think you’re forgetting he’s a child. He probably has no idea which way is which,” Wesley suggested, and I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply.

He was right.

I was trying to rationalize the actions of a seven-year-old. A seven-year-old who had been through hell before he could even understand the world.

“Let’s…let’s hit the road and just search,” I said.

I knew everyone else was looking for him. The whole team and their partners had been mobilized. But I’d feel better if I were out there looking for him too.

“Come on. I’ll help. Maybe we can figure out where he went together,” Wesley said, and we turned toward the door when the phone in my hand rang, making me jump.

I glanced at the screen, and Zach’s name was written across the top.

“Shoot. I forgot about him. He’s probably terrified all on his own,” I said, and Wesley checked the screen too.

“Why? What happened?”

“He saw his ex today, and he was petrified. You should have seen his face. I told him to go home and wait for me to get back, but I…I forgot.”

The call stopped.

“God, I hope he’s okay. I can’t handle another scare today,” I said and tried to call him back when my phone rang once more.

It was Zach again.

I slid my thumb across the screen and put the device to my ear.

“Hi, Zach. How are?—”

“Teddy? Oh thank god. You answered.” He sounded relieved.

“Yeah. Is everything okay?”

“I…I think so. How is Wesley?”

“He’s safe. We found him and he’s safe now,” I said.

“Oh thank god. That’s such a relief. I mean, I have no idea what the heck happened, but I’m glad you got to him.”

“Me-me too. Listen, Zach. I really want to catch up and tell you everything, but this isn’t a great?—”

“Yeah. I thought not. Can I ask…why did Bear just knock on my door?”

The way the air returned to my lungs tenfold almost knocked me down, but somehow, I managed to keep steady.

“He what?”

“He just knocked on my door. Did you leave him at home or?—”

“Is he there with you now?”

“Yup. He’s devouring my gumbo and watching Lilo and Stitch on my tablet. But what’s going on? What happened?”

I took another deep breath.

“Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be right there, and I’ll explain everything.”

I hung up and ran out the door, but Wesley caught up with me and put his arms around me just before everything started spinning again.

I still wasn’t a hundred percent. I probably wouldn’t be for a few days, but I didn’t care.

Bear was safe. That was all that mattered right now. That, and getting to him.

“Did I hear right? Bear is at Zach’s?” he asked.

I nodded.

“Come on. Let’s go to him,” Wesley said and helped me to the driver’s seat before he turned around to update Slade.

Then he got in and I took us home.

Zach opened the door before I’d even knocked, and we rushed inside his studio apartment to find Bear on the sofa with a tablet in his hands and Bubblegum propped up next to him but as soon as he saw me, he dropped it and cowered away.

“Bear! Are you okay?”

Somehow, my voice made him sink even lower in his seat.

“What’s wrong?” I asked and crossed the room to get to him and pull him into my arms.

He flinched when I did and immediately started crying.

“Bear? What is it? Why are you crying?”

“I’m sorry. Please don’t be mad at me,” he yelped and winced as if I’d ever raised my hand at him.

“Bear, sweetheart, I’m not mad. I’m relieved. I was so worried when I heard you’d run away from King’s place.”

“You’re not?” he pouted.

“Of course not. Why would I be mad?”

He shrugged.

“Mommy was mad when I tried to follow her.”

I sank onto the floor with Bear in my arms and sighed.

“Well, I’m not Mommy. But why did you run away? You made King so worried. He was crying because he thought something had happened to you.”

“Because you left.”

I cupped his little face and looked him in the eyes, barely able to believe he was safe and okay after this whole damned day.

“Didn’t I promise you I’d be back?”

He nodded.

“I thought you wouldn’t come back for days,” he said.

I grimaced.

“Is that what Mommy used to do?”

“Sometimes,” he mumbled.

God, Josie. What’s wrong with you?

“I thought you didn’t want me anymore.”

My chest tightened at those words.

“Is that why you came back home?” He nodded. “Oh, Bear, honey, have I ever given you the impression I don’t want you anymore?”

He didn’t respond, so I just hugged him. If he wasn’t sure, then I needed to do a better job of showing him.

“I love you, Bear. And I always will,” I said. “And I’ll always want you. Okay? You hear me?”

He nodded and pressed against my chest, and even though it hurt like a motherfucker, I stayed there with him for as long as possible while the two men watched us.

After a moment, Wesley sat on the couch beside me and rubbed Bear’s back affectionately.

“It’s been a terrible day for all of us, but we’re all safe and sound now. How about we all go home and rest?” Wesley said.

Bear looked up at him with big puppy-dog eyes.

“Will you come with us?” he asked.

I smiled. And so did Wesley.

“If you want me to,” he replied, and Bear nodded, raising his arms so he could climb into Wesley’s arms, who carried him out of Zach’s apartment and toward mine.

Before I left, I turned to my friend and hugged him.

“Thank you. Thank you so much,” I told him.

“Hey, I didn’t do anything. I just sat here doing nothing like you told me to. He came to me .”

“Oh my god. Your ex. I forgot. Do you want to talk? Tell me what happened?”

He shook his head with a sad smile.

“You’re tired. Like Wesley said, it’s been a long day for everyone. Go home. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

I didn’t agree, but at the same time, I was starting to feel the exhaustion wrap its claws around me and my eyes were getting heavier.

“Are you sure?” I asked.

“Go home to your family, Teddy. I’ll be okay,” he said and gently pushed me out, where Wesley and Bear, still in Wesley’s arms, were waiting for me at our door.

Truly like a family.

Oh how my life had changed in such a short amount of time. And despite everything that had happened today, I wouldn’t change it for the world.