Gwen spotted Kay the second she walked into the park.
"It's a little cold out here, don't you think?" Gwen crossed over to the swings.
Kay looked up and frowned, her eyes narrowing on Gwen's. "What are you doing here?" she asked, kicking her toes at the ground.
Gwen studied Kay and then sat down on the swing beside her. "Just thinking," she said. "Same thing as you."
"Yeah, well, I'd appreciate it if you'd go think somewhere else," Kay growled.
"I'm sorry about your brother, Kay."
Kay glared at Gwen.
Gwen hung her head. "I made a huge mistake exposing Ethan's paternity like that," she said quietly. "I don't think I'll ever stop regretting it."
"Yeah, well, it doesn't seem to matter, does it?" Kay rose up from the swing.
Gwen furrowed her brow. "What do you mean by that, Kay?"
Kay pouted and hugged her arms to her chest. "Isn't that obvious, Gwen? My mother already cares about you more than she cares about me."
Luis, Hank, and Sheridan all gathered with Sam and Grace in their living room.
"Have you heard anything new from Gwen?" Sam asked Hank.
"Not since I talked to her an hour ago." Hank shook his head, his eyes falling to the floor.
"Have the rest of you had any luck?" Grace asked, tears coming to her eyes.
Sam shook his head. "No, we haven't, Grace. I just talked to Eve. Between her, Julian, and the rest of us, we've searched the entire town—but Kay hasn't turned up yet."
Sheridan reached over and squeezed Grace's hand. "Grace, I'm sure someone will find her soon."
"I hope so," Grace cried as Sheridan rubbed her shoulder. "She may be a teenager now, but she's still my little girl."
"Yeah, well, we're going to find her." Sam massaged his wife's shoulders. "I promise you, Grace. I'm not going to let anything happen to her."
Sheridan curled back into Luis's arms. If only she could keep her daughter safe inside of her—protect her from things like this.
Luis said nothing, but pressed a kiss to his wife's shoulder and wrapped his arms around her. Splaying one hand over her belly, he curled his entire body around her.
"Is that what you really believe, Kay?" Gwen asked. "That your mother cares about me more than she cares about you?"
"Believe me—she does." Kay tightened her arms around her chest. "She loves everyone else more than she loves me: Jessica, Charity—and now you."
Gwen frowned and stared at Kay. "That must feel really lonely."
"How would you know?" Kay's eyes slid over to Gwen's. "I thought that you're an only child."
Gwen swallowed a lump in her throat. "Kay, my mother won't talk to me."
"Oh." Kay fell back on her foot.
"She's angry with me about going to your father about Sheridan and Luis." Gwen curled her fingers around the swing. "I mean—I understand why. She is in jail. But that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt."
"Wow, and I thought the way my mother treats me is messed up." Kay raised her eyebrows.
"The crazy thing about it is that even though I don't regret what I did, I'd still give anything to have her back," Gwen admitted.
"Yeah, I know what you mean," Kay said. "Sometimes, I feel like I have to beg my mom for her attention."
"No one should have to beg their mother for attention," Gwen said.
Kay plopped down on the swing. "You're right, Gwen. They shouldn't."
Gwen shivered and rubbed her arms. "Kay, I know you're angry right now, but would you like to go somewhere warmer?"
Kay crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I'm not going back to my house."
"I wasn't suggesting that, Kay," Gwen said. "I was thinking we could go back to my apartment. I should probably call your parents and tell them that you're okay, but that doesn't mean you need to go back home right away—you can stay as long as you like."
