It had been a week and still nothing different had come up in the situation with Alex's teacher. Nick and Kindlin were still sending Alex to school each morning, trusting God that Mrs. Kross wouldn't harm him in any way.
Nick had been about to open the door to Mrs. Kross' classroom, to pick Alex up from school, when the door suddenly swung open, a very upset father carrying his daughter out of it.
A sinking feeling suddenly enveloped Nick's stomach, "Excuse me," he called, before the man reached the end of the hall.
"Yes?" the young father turned around, breathlessly.
"I-I really don't mean to pry... I just... is there something going on?"
"You'll find out about it sooner or later. But I wouldn't leave your kid with that woman, if I were you," the man hurried around the corner and out of sight.
Nick quickly opened the classroom door and stepped inside to find no children, just Mrs. Kross, upset and crying.
"Where's my son?" Nick demanded.
She looked up at him, her face tear-streaked, "Oh! Mr. Carter! How are you doing today?"
"Cut the bullsh*t, Mrs. Kross. Where is my son??"
She paid no attention to the anger in his voice, or his choice of words, "Oh - please, call me Wendy."
"No, I'd rather not! Now where the f*ck is my son?!"
"Daddy?"
Nick's and Wendy's heads turned towards the classroom's back door, which led outside to the playground.
"Alex! Where were you?" Nick rushed to his son's side and picked him up quickly.
"I was just outside on the playground, dad."
Nick sighed, "Come on, sweetie. Let's go home. Mommy's waiting for us."
He rushed from the room, with Alex in his arms, without giving another glance towards Wendy.
~ * ~
That evening, at home, Nick walked into the living room, where Kindlin sat, watching a movie. The kids were all downstairs, playing in the play room.
"Kin, we gotta talk," he sat down next to her on the couch, and she automatically rested her head against his shoulder.
Kindlin reached over to the side-table and grabbed the remote control, putting the movie on pause. Raising her eyes up to his face, she focused on him, "Yeah, Nick?"
Nick looked down at her, staring her straight in the eyes, so he'd be able to decipher her reaction... "I think it's time we come out about Mrs. Kross."
~ * ~
Ryan Smith sat in his family room, the next night, channel surfing. His wife lay next to him, sleeping soundly, her head leaning against the arm-rest. Finally deciding on watching the news, he stopped on channel 5 and began to listen to everything that was going on in the world. Head on collision, Car hits cow, Teacher is accused of molesting students...
"Holy f*ck," Ryan turned the volume up, his hands clenching into tight fists.
The news was displaying a picture of Mrs. Kross -- his son's teacher. Apparently, a couple with five children - one, a student of Mrs. Kross' - who wished to not be identified, had come forward earlier in the day, saying that they suspected their son's teacher had touched him inappropriately.
"The 25 year old teacher, who has been married for two years, is currently undergoing questioning..." the anchor-woman said, before they switched to a story about a man who was arrested for trying to steal his neighbors cat. Who cared??
Ryan stared at the TV screen, blankly, for at least ten minutes. Finally, he reached over a shook his wife awake, "Call the cops, Beth."
