Avery winced at the feeling of the hot light damaging her eyes. Was it morning already? Why did it feel so late, or early? As her body moved, she felt around what seemed to be a familiar bedroom. She sighed as she grasped her cotton bed sheets. It felt…safe. The feeling of being in bed, not having to worry, not having to stress about deadlines or work. As The woman slowly began to lay her soft Brown hair back into the pillow, the sound of the baby monitor broke her once soft utopia.
"Dammit!" Avery quickly threw the covers off of her body. Except for one thing. She could have no school or work, yet still have one thing stressing her, Zach. As she walked down the hall she threw herself making sure not to bump into anything else. The only thing that kept her from falling flat on her face and napping, was the sound of creaking wood under her. The sleep was great! Better than great, so why can't she have more of it? The sound of the baby's wails acted as a lighthouse for her destination. "God damn it, I'm coming!" Her voice echoed through the halls as she finally opened the door to her child's room.
He stopped.
As the tired mother walked over to his crib, a smile slowly appeared on his face. What was once a teary-eyed baby, was now a tooth showing, chubby face. As he stood up to get a better gaze he reached his arms out. Really? Avery dipped down to pick him up before messing with his cut tufts of hair. He didn't want anything, he just wanted to make sure she wasn't getting anything.
"You're being a mess already, aren't you?" As she moved the hair out of his face, one thing stuck out to her in particular. Blood. She paused as her hand glided over a small scar that ran from the corner of his eye down to his cheek. His nails were clipped, how did he do that? She fiddled with his face making sure there were no others like it. Nothing, it was the only one. She quivered as she spoke, "What did you do, baby?" As she walked him to the kitchen, she kept eyeing his face. Did he hit his head? Does he have any brain damage?
Still being a skeptic, she lowered him into the highchair. He seemed fine. He laughed like normal, still played with his fork while waiting for his meal, he even kept denying the fruit like normal. Even though the thoughts ran through her head, she couldn't stop staring at the scar. It's small, but what if. She serves him another spoonful of strawberry oatmeal. What if it is the crib? Maybe that's scratching him? Or maybe his clothes? Still, the baby continued to just be that, a baby.
"Hey Zach," She mustered up a smile as she spoke. Hey, there was nothing she could do. What's the point of being so beat up about it? "Do you wanna see grandma today?" She spoke in a pout making sure to tickle his tummy as well. It's not like he fully understood, but hey. Anything better than nothing. Even though he responded with nothing, it felt nice knowing that nothing was truly wrong.
"Okay Zach," She lifted him making sure to grunt at his weight. "Let's get you a bath!" As Avery scrubbed the boy's head, She wondered about the things that would cause a person to run away, to abandon their child. She could never. She could never bring herself to leave the one that she would so-called love. It seemed selfish. No, it was selfish. It was dastardly.
"Ahhh," Zach's voice brought her back from her thoughts. She watched as he moved his hands to grab her. He laughed and giggled as water ran from his beautiful black hair, down past beautiful eyes. Down to his scar. Her smile stops once again. God dammit! What the hell was that from? Even though it could've been from something simple, she could let the feeling go. He was all she had. She couldn't just leave this to chance. Quickly, she turns out of the room to grab her phone before running back into the bathroom.
He was gone.
The sight of the empty tub made the mother's heart sink as she started to search for him. Did he climb out? She looked into the water to see if he was playing fish. Nothing.
"Zach! Zach! Zach, answer me!" Avery's hands shook with every object she moved. From the shower curtains, the water, and even the door itself. She could find him. Suddenly she saw him. Normally, she would've run up to him. Wrapped her arms around him, but it was different. This time.
He had an ugly old bitch holding him.