Chapter 17 The Family Part 6

Ben grabbed his jacket and keys and headed off to meet with Vance. He was concerned but knew he had to go and see what was going on. Grace stayed back with the kids.

Ben approaches the address and it's a warehouse. Looks like there's no one inside. He gets out of the car and takes a look at his surroundings to make sure he was alone and not followed.

He walks up to a door and knocks.

One of Vance's security guys opens the door.

"Are you alone?"

"Yeah I made sure I wasn't followed."

"Come on in."

Ben enters the warehouse. Sees Vance but no sign of Saanvi.

"Hey Vance, I've been trying to get a hold of you for days. Where have you been?" Ben visibly frustrated.

"Hey Ben, I'm sorry. I've had to deal with some things that happened."

"Where's Saanvi? I can't seem to track her down either."

"I wouldn't tell you this if she wasn't gonna turn herself in."

"Wait what are you talking about?"

"Its Saanvi. In an attempt to try and save Zeke she accidentally killed the Major."

"What? How?"

Vance continued to tell him the whole story.

"Saanvi's at a safe house right now and she is going to turn herself into the authorities tomorrow morning."

"Oh my God! Saanvi."

"Yeah, she is devastated. She's not doing well."

"Where is she? I want to see her."

"I can take you to her but be prepared Ben, she's not good."

Ben couldn't believe what he was hearing.

Vance took Ben to see Saanvi.

Ben walks into the safe house and sees her. Saanvi looks at Ben and shakes her head, disappointed in herself. She covers her face in shame over what she had done.

"Hey hey…" Ben walks over to her and gives her a hug.

"Ben I didn't mean to kill her. I swear to you I didn't mean to kill her. All I wanted was for her to help me save Zeke. But she just…"

"Hey I know. I know. Whatever happens I will be here ok."

Saanvi shakes her head as Ben reassures her. Ben looks at Vance not knowing what else to say.

Ben makes his way back home. Slips into bed and Grace looks over at him and asks, "Is everything ok?"

Ben looks at her and says, "No. Not really!"

Michaela got up from the couch to grab herself some tea. She reached for her phone and saw a text from Ben stating that there was a snow storm headed their way. She quickly let Zeke know.

"So there's a snow storm headed our way!"

"Really?"

"Yeah Ben sent over a text about it. We might be stuck here."

"We can just feel it out and see how bad it is in the morning. I know you want to get back as soon as you can."

Michaela remembered the calling she had with snow that led her to Zeke and said, "It was the snow storm calling that led me to you."
Zeke was looking at his phone to check the weather as Michaela was processing all this out loud. "Where did that come from?"

"I'm just thinking. Maybe we say our goodbyes to Zoe tomorrow, here, during the snow storm."

Zeke looked up at Michaela. Zeke wasn't exactly looking forward to saying goodbye just yet but he wanted to do whatever Michaela thought they should do to move on.

Looking at his phone Zeke says, "It's suppose to start snowing at around 5am tomorrow."

"I don't feel like getting in the car and driving home right now." Michaela says as she pours herself hot water.

"Mick we can stay for as long as you want to. I'm not in a hurry."

(listen to 20:17 by Olafur Arnalds and Nils Frahm)

Zeke puts his phone down and walks over to her as she fixes herself some tea. He comes up behind her and wraps his arms around her and reassures her, "We are gonna get through this ok?"

Michaela drops the spoon in the cup and leans back into Zeke and says, "This feels impossible. Really painful. This wasn't suppose to happen to us. Why did this happen to us?"

Zeke with no answers says, "I don't know. I wish I knew."

Michaela starts to tear up again. "Maybe if I did something different…"

"No Mick, this wasn't you. You did nothing wrong. I don't know why this happened to us but this wasn't your fault."

Zeke's hand traveled to Michaela's stomach and she looks down and starts to cry again.

Zeke notices where his hand is and starts to move it when Michaela takes a hold of his hand.

"She's gone. She's just gone. How am I suppose to get used to this? How does anybody get used to this?" Michaela wipes away her tears and continues to finish fixing her tea.

Zeke pulls away and walks over to door where he can see the entrance to the Treehouse down the hill. From the corner of his eye he sees the fire pit thats off to the side of the house. He considers saying goodbye to Zoe and how he can do that properly. He wonders how other people say goodbye to a the baby they lost. "Maybe we write her a letter." Zeke blurts out.

"What?" Michaela says.

"Maybe we write our daughter a letter. I can make a fire in the fire pit outside and we can read the letter to each other and that could be a way we say goodbye to her. Maybe we burn the letter, I don't know. But I like the idea of doing it outside. She seemed happy outside in your dream."

Michaela looks up, ponders what he said, "That sounds really nice."

Zeke turns to look at the fire and it's starting to die down. He decides to go to the bedroom. He sits on the edge of the bed and stares at the floor as Michaela comes in and places her hand on his back.

"What are you thinking?"

"Thinking about a lot. What I want to say to her. How I want to say goodbye. It hasn't even been a day and we are already saying goodbye Mick. I mean…"

Michaela grabs his chin and tilts his head up.

"Zeke look at me."

Zeke looks up at Michaela.

"Whatever you write, however you want to say goodbye, whenever you want to say goodbye, it will be perfect because you will be ready."

(listen to re:member by Olafur Arnalds)

He pulls Michaela in and lays his arms around her waist and gently places the side of his head on her stomach. Still a part of him in disbelief. Still a part of him thinking that maybe this was a nightmare and none of it was real. But it was real. The ache he felt inside of him. The emptiness he saw in Michaela's eyes. The thirst he has for something to numb the pain. The lack of strength to resist. It was quickly eating away at him and he desperately needed something he could hang on to. So he clung to her. Leaned on her. He as weak. Yet she in that moment Michaela had the strength of her mother. And in her embrace she gave him that.

Zeke closes his eyes and instantly starts having a calling.

He found himself in the middle of a field. Wondering where he's at, he hears rustling of leaves behind him. He turns to look and sees a little girl running towards him. The closer she gets the more concentrated his gaze is on her.

"Zoe?"

"Dad?"

"Zoe!" Zeke's countenance changes from grief-stricken to overwhelming joy and he runs towards her. He gets down just before he reaches her and she embraces him. He wraps his arms around her.

"Hi dad! See, I'm ok."

"Zoe! Let me look at you." Zeke pulls away to see her face. She's just like Michaela had described.

"Your mom was right! You have my eyes and my smile." As he says those words his hands touch her face. In the back of his mind he knows this is one for a moment and he wants to see every inch of her. "I told mom to tell you I was ok."

"Yeah she told me. Baby girl, we miss you terribly. I'm so sorry we didn't have the time…"

"No dad, it's ok. Really, I'm ok. I heard what mommy said to me when I was inside of her."

Zeke surprised! "You did?"

"Yeah I did."

Zeke asked Zoe, "What did mommy say to you?"

"She said something like: 'If you are in there, I want you to know that your dad is a special man, with a great, big heart, and I know he will love you to the ends of the earth.'"

Zoe sees Zeke crying. She reaches to wipe his tears and says, "I'm happy. And I know you love me. And I know this is hard but you have mommy. And she will take care of you. And you will take care of her."

Zeke touches her hair and wonders how she got so smart. "How are you hear with me now?"

"I don't know but it's great right?"

Zeke smiling as tears continue to stream down his face, "Yeah its so great."

"Can you stay dad?"

Zeke thinks about the question and wants to stay with her but knows it's not possible. "Honey I want to but I don't know if now is my time. Now seems to be your time. But I promise I will see you again!" He kisses here on the forehead, hugs her and says it again, "I promise I will see you again Zoe James Landon!" Zeke comes out of the calling and opens his eyes and stands up startling Michaela.

"Hey are you ok? What's wrong?" Michaela asks.

"It was a calling!"

"A calling?"

"Yeah. I just had a calling. It was of Zoe! You were right Mick, she's happy and beautiful and she even remembered what you told her when she was inside of you. She told me. You said, 'If you are in there, I want you to know that your dad is a special man, with a great, big heart, and I know he will love you to the ends of the earth.'"

Michaela in shock, and happy, and also sad. She shakes her head and says, "Yeah you saw her." Tears are flowing again. They have been her food.

"Mick, she has your strength and wisdom and love. She is so perfect." Zeke hugs Michaela, "She's just so perfect Mick!"