Emma was pissed; she was already missing the Miners Day Festival because she was busy looking for Kathryn, but now the sheriff station's door was stuck. No amount of kicking and shoving would force the door in, and after she stubbed her toe really badly, she sat down on the curb.
"Perfect," she muttered as she reached for her cell phone.
"Emma?" She looked up to see Archie and Marco standing above her. "Is everything OK?" Archie asked.
"Yeah. I mean…no." She gestured to the door. "Something's wrong with the door and…"
Archie and Marco exchanged a look.
"We were on our way to the festival," Archie began, but Marco interrupted.
"Go on ahead, Archie. Our sheriff needs to be able to work."
After Archie left somewhat reluctantly, Marco headed towards the door.
"Let me see what I can do."
It took over an hour for him to get the old hinges to finally cooperate; Marco was a skilled carpenter, but even he couldn't fix broken and rusty parts without letting oil take its time. When they finally got into the building, Emma went to her office and turned on the hot water heater to make hot chocolate.
"Sorry I made you late to the festival, Marco," she said, turning the thermostat up. "It looks like a fun event."
"Oh, it is," he said wistfully, "but it is much better to enjoy it with children."
"I bet." Emma poured water in each cup and stirred, handing one to Marco. "Must have been great taking your kids there."
Marco stared into his cup, and Emma suddenly remembered.
"Oh…Marco, I'm so sorry. I completely forgot…"
"It's all right; you're still new here," he said. He stared into his cup a bit longer. "My wife and I…we tried to adopt. There was a boy, just seven years old. Perfect. We saw pictures. Everything was ready, but something went wrong. He never came to us. I always wonder what became of him." He shook his head as if waking from a dream.
"I'm sorry; you have more important things to do than to listen to a silly old man."
"No." Emma put her hand on Marco's. "It's OK. You can stay and talk as long as you want."
Marco smiled then turned to his cocoa. He drank it quickly, thanked Emma for it, and left. In a way, she was glad to see him go; listening to someone so desperate for a child and not being able to adopt broke her heart, but at the same time, it made her wonder why there was never a family who wanted her.