Bling
and Max stood up and ran over to Logan.
"Where'd she go?"
Max asked.
"I don't know. She ran so fast, I didn't even see
her. She just disappeared!"
"She couldn't have gotten
that far, she's five years old!"
"Max! She's very smart
and independent. She could easily find her way around Seattle, and
hide from us."
"He's right, Max." Bling agreed with
Logan. "Now, how are we going to find McKenzie?"
"Logan,
you get in the car and go around the park to where the woods end,
Bling and I'll search the woods, hopefully we can flush her
out."
"Good idea." Logan went back to the car,
thinking of how Max sounded a lot like a solder when she told them
what to do. He just hoped her plan worked. He drove to the other side
of the park, but there was no sign of McKenzie. He didn't think she
would react like this, she seemed so eager to meet Max, but one thing
he learned being a parent was that children could be unpredictable.
About ten minutes later, Max and Bling walked out of the woods at
different spots. Neither had seen McKenzie anywhere. The last place
they wanted to go to was the police, so they searched around the
park, yelling for her. When it started getting dark, they met back at
the car. It had started raining about an hour before, and they were
all soaked.
"Great, just great! She's out there in the cold,
dark rain, and it's all my fault!" Logan yelled, slamming his
fists onto the steering wheel.
"If it's anybody's fault,
it's mine. I shouldn't have come back. It's obvious you and McKenzie
have a special relationship, and I just screwed it up."
"Its
nobodies fault! McKenzie must have had a reason to run away when she
saw you, Max. Why don't we go home and warm up, then we can search
again." Everybody agreed with Bling, so Logan started the car
and drove to his apartment. As they approached the building, Logan
noticed a light on in the penthouse. He could have sworn he had
turned all the lights off that morning, but he had been so nervous,
it was impossible to tell.
They went up the elevator in silence,
each in their own thoughts. While Max showered and got into some
borrowed dry clothes, Logan made coffee. Some of McKenzie's toys were
scattered around the floor, so Bling started to pick them up. Seeing
this, Logan almost started crying .The only thing he could think of
to do was cook, so by the time Max was out of the shower, he had a
fair sized meal underway. She stayed across the room from Logan,
staring out the window, until Bling went to shower and change. Then
Max approached Logan.
"I'm really sorry, Logan."
"For
what?" he asked, keeping his back to her.
"For making
McKenzie run away."
"Like Bling said, it was neither of
our fault. All children run away at least once. I remember I did when
I was twelve. And we both know you did."
"But that's
different! I was nine! You were twelve! McKenzie is only five, and
the world is a lot different than it was when we were kids!"
"Don't
you think I know that?" Logan yelled, finally turning to look at
her. "She's the most family I've had in a long time! If I lose
her..." He couldn't take it anymore; Logan broke down and
started crying. Max didn't know what to do. She had never seen Logan,
or any man, cry before, and she certainly didn't do it much herself.
Logan wasn't used to crying, either, so he escaped into his computer
room.
She didn't know what to do, so Max checked on the dinner
Logan had been cooking. She was just turning off the oven when she
heard a loud cry from the computer room. Afraid for Logan, she
quickly ran to the room.
There she saw McKenzie on her father's
lap, trying to make him stop crying.
"Daddy, don't cry."
she said, hugging him.
"McKenzie, baby, where have you
been?"
"I ran to find my picture of my mommy to show
her, and then I remembered I left it here. But when I went back to
see you, you were gone, so I came home. You told me if we got lost,
to come home, remember?"
By then Logan was half crying, half
laughing. He remembered telling McKenzie this. Just about everywhere
they went together was within walking distance from the penthouse,
and she knew how to get back. So they would always know where to find
each other if they got separated, he told her it.
"How did
you get by the police?"
"That was easy. When you weren't
here, I got scared, so I came in here and hid under your desk. I
must've gone to sleep. It's a long walk from the park, daddy."
From her spot at the door, Max watched the conversation. They were
completely oblivious to her presence until Bling walked up, surprised
at the commotion. McKenzie crawled off Logan, who turned to face Max
and Bling.
"McKenzie, I'd like you to meet your mommy."
She crawled under the desk and pulled out her picture, and then she
went to Max and hugged her. Max didn't know what to do, so she just
stood there. She had never really been hugged by a child before,
especially not her own.
"Mommy. This is my picture of you."
McKenzie held it up. Max softened; she squatted down to McKenzie's
level and looked at the picture.
"That's not a really good
picture of me." She said, "We'll have to get a better one
done."
"You're not going to go away again, are you,
mommy? Please don't!" McKenzie started crying. Max gathered her
in a hug.
"Never. I wouldn't leave you for the world."
The End
Music: words at the beginning of part one "I Will
Remember You" by Sarah Mclachlan
words at beginning of part
nine from "Pikachu's Goodbye" Pokemon soundtrack
