Last time on Airwolf, Caitlin won two tickets to a spa resort and was taken hostage by J.B. Horn. In an unsuccessful attempt to save her, Caitlin was killed and her body was never discovered in the California desert.

Now, continuing that story is the new story No Easy Way

Somewhere in Texas

It didn't seem right that the sun was shining and the birds were chirping when someone Hawke cared about wasn't there to enjoy it and never would be. Even the country songs on the radio station didn't appeal to him.

The rental car was a four door robin egg blue sedan with limited to no air conditioning and a radio station with only one channel. No wonder people treated rental cars like crap; it was because they were already one tire into the junkyard.

He was headed to the O'Shaughnessy farm. He had an address and with the help from the rental car agent he found it easily.

As he topped the hill on the dusty road, he could see the gleam of the sunshine on one of the windows. Caitlin had lived in a pink two-story farmhouse. From his vantage point, Hawke could see a truck and three cars. The whole family seemed to be there.

Hawke pulled in behind the blue mustang and turned the car around so he could make a quick escape when the time came. He took several deep breaths before locking the car and heading up the front porch.

Give mom and dad, my love

Caitlin had asked him to do that and that was what he planned to do.

There was no doorbell to signal anyone inside so he knocked twice. While waiting for someone to answer the door, Hawke took a look around. Two bean trees adorned the front walk with a white table and matching chairs setting under one of the trees. He could see just a hint of flowers from a flower garden that was on the left side of the house. There was a porch being built along the right side of the house. From Hawke's viewpoint, there wasn't much left of. . .

The door opened, making him forget what he was thinking about. A woman slightly smaller than Caitlin stood on the other side of the screen door wearing a pair of jeans and a flowered shirt. She had washed out blond hair, but Caitlin's eyes. He also noticed those same eyes were bloodshot and red rimmed.

"You're Hawke," The woman said before Hawke could introduce himself.

"Yes, ma'am." Hawke took off his glasses. "Stringfellow Hawke. I work with Caitlin."

"I know. I'm Maggie." The woman opened the screen door and stood back so Hawke could step in.

Hawke came in and was about to say something when a bigger man wearing blue jeans and a stained t-shirt came barreling through the kitchen and into the foyer. "If you're here to tell me my little girl is dead, then you're too late because a news story just did."

Hawke felt sick to his stomach. Michael was supposed to keep details of Cait's death out of the news until he could inform the family. It was hard enough dealing with it when he had a front seat for it, but to be thousands of miles away and hear it on the news. It made him sick.

"I'm sorry, Mr. O'Shaughnessy. A friend of mine was supposed to keep the news from being leaked. You shouldn't have heard it this way."

"It shouldn't have happened at all. What's to keep me from kicking your butt all the way back to San Diego, boy?" His face was as red as his hair. So, Caitlin got it from her father as well as her temper.

"Charles, be quiet. I can't ever bring my daughter back, but I can know what her last few days were like on this earth. So help me, Charles, if you take that away from me I will leave you right now with nothing but your grief." Mrs. O'Shaughnessy said. "Please come in, Mr. Hawke."

Hawke followed Maggie O'Shaughnessy through the open kitchen and into the living room. It was a large living room that opened onto the half-completed porch. Caitlin's mother sat down. Hawke stopped at the mantle where he picked up a picture of Caitlin surrounded by three boys. Charles O'Shaughnessy stood at the door staring at Hawke.

"That was taken two summers ago in the front yard. The two boys on Caitlin's right are Max and Jason. The boy on her left is my oldest son, David." She bowed her head. "He's with a special forces team and we can't get word to him about his sister. My other two sons are taking a walk. I wish they were here to meet you, Mr. Hawke. I think they would have liked you just as much as our Cait did."

Hawke made a mental note of what David looked like so he could give the details to Michael. After letting the news leak Caitlin's death, the least he could do was find her brother so he could grieve with his family.

Mr. O'Shaughnessy growled. "We already know she's dead, Mr. Hawke, so you can just mosey on back to your helicopter hangar and go on with your life."

Hawke pulled his glasses from his t-shirt and nodded at Maggie Shaughnessy. "I think I will go. I came her to tell you in person about Cait's death. I wanted you to know that her last words were that she loved you both very much. That's something the news never could have told you. I'm sorry."

"That's it, Mr. Hawke, just leave us to the grieving." Charles O'Shaughnessy spit out as Hawke walked past him.

Hawke stopped from his place in the kitchen, turned around, and came back. "I hope I never have to know what its like to raise a daughter only to lose her in such a horrible fashion, but I am grieving for Caitlin and I will grieve for Caitlin as long as I am on this earth." He turned to Maggie O'Shaughnessy. "I'm sorry for your loss, ma'am."

Hawke stormed out of the house, slamming the screen door behind him. He had been there less than thirty minutes and he was ready to spit nails. He did care for Caitlin. He did consider her one of his best friends. He slipped on his sunglasses and was down the two front porch steps when Maggie O'Shaughnessy called out to him.

He didn't turn around, but he could hear her coming down the front steps to join him. She took his elbow with such a gentle touch that it reminded him of Caitlin.

"Let's sit over here and talk." Hawke let her move him to the table and chairs under the bean tree. He waited until she was seated before he took a seat.

"I'm sorry Charles was so rough back there. Caitlin is the only girl out of three boys. She was his baby." She took his hand and patted it. "Caitlin loved working for Santini Air. She thought it was the best job in the world. All she ever talked about in her letters were the movies her stunts would be in, you and Mr. Santini. If there was ever a problem the three of you were having, it wasn't written in her letters. They gave me the sense that she had found a second family in the both of you. You made my Caitlin very happy and for that I am very grateful."

Hawke covered the hand that was on top of his other hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I was honored to be considered a friend of Cait's and that's an honor I don't take for granted. You should know the person that killed Caitlin is dead."

Maggie wiped at her eyes with her free hand. She was quiet for a moment as if she were comtemplating her next words. Just when Hawke was going to say something to end the silence, Maggie said, "Well, Mr. Hawke, you should go. My husband is lashing out at everyone right now and I don't think Caitlin would like it if she looked down from above and saw her father and her best friend fighting. Would you?"

Hawke let out a light chuckle. "No, ma'am." He stood. "I can see where Caitlin got everything that made her who she was." Hawke told the woman as they walked back to his rental car. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Maggie."

"The pleasure was all mine, Stringfellow Hawke. Take care of yourself and thank you for being my little girl's friend."

She waited until he drove away and he saw her wave to him through the rearview mirror. Something was stinging his eyes to the point that it hurt to even blink. When he topped the hill and couldn't see anymore to drive, he pulled over. His chest hurt to breath and he realized his stinging eyes were tears ready to fall. He put the car in park and turned off the engine. His breath was coming out in loud gasps now as he laid his head against the steering wheel and let the tears fall.



THE END