Lou stood on the porch of the dude ranch cabin, her phone to her ear. She wore a simple shirt and jeans—she'd recently changed out of the wedding gown because she found it restricting, what with her injuries.
The voice on the other end was small, but it was loud enough, because when Georgie spoke up again, her words cut at Lou's heart. She couldn't take it, and she told her daughter as much. "Honey, stop it. I'm begging you, I can't listen to this. I would—I would die if something were to happen to you."
"No, Mom, that's just it…I need you to stay alive."
Georgie's words were so direct, they were so exact that they made Lou begin to fall apart. Her mind was consumed with so many questions that she barely heard what Georgie said next. "Baby, what's going on with you? Where are you?"
"It doesn't matter. Just listen to me."
Lou heard her daughter take a deep, shaky breath. Lou's own oxygen was diminishing, and her heart was pinching in on itself painfully, and beating rapidly.
"Just listen—just listen to my voice."
Lou kept trying to ask her where she was, what she was on about, but Georgie's voice overlapped with hers and she didn't seem to want to answer any of her mother's questions.
When Georgie's voice eventually retreated, and Warren came on the line, Lou's legs went weak and she stumbled. She reached for the post, but her hand missed. "Listen—listen to me, leave her alone. I'm begging you here."
"Oh, but Lou, me and her have come to an agreement. I can't back out now."
"Back out? Back out from what!? No, no! Tell me where you are, I'll come there right now. You let her go." Lou's words were firm, but her resolve was faltering and she could hear herself getting louder. Lou pressed her fingers into her chest, trying in vain to get the fluttering of her heart to stop.
"I originally came for you, but then I ran into Georgie and she made me see reason. This is going to hurt so much worse than if I were to shoot you."
"What—what are you on about!? Warren, you let her go, I'm coming over there right now!"
She listened to his response, and was sure she threw out some words of her own, but then she heard a thud as Georgie's phone hit the ground.
Silence followed for a few merciful seconds, and then a gun went off.
Jack awoke to the sound of scuffing out in the living room. He got out of bed and walked over to his window, pushing up the glass. He stood there a moment, taking in the mid-spring.
Jack looked over at the dew drenched grass, and the sky, he noted, was a golden colour—the sun hadn't fully risen just yet. Despite all the beauty framed before him, he couldn't bring himself to appreciate it.
He turned, dragging his slippers. Arriving in the living room, he saw a frantic Peter standing by the dining table, which was scattered with take-out containers from the day before, and cups and napkins. Peter's shoulders were slouched, his gaze focused on his phone.
"Everything okay?"
Peter looked up. He hadn't heard Jack walk in. "I'm trying to dial her number, but she won't pick up."
Jack sighed, making his way into the kitchen. He picked up the home phone, and punched in Lou's phone number. Putting it to his ear, he waited. He saw Peter step forward as well.
"Lou!" Jack exclaimed, relieved.
Peter shut his eyes, exhaling.
Jack continued speaking into the phone, not wanting to let her brush him off. "Where are you?"
"Grandpa, you're awake."
Jack tipped his head. "I am."
"I need you to come pick me up. Listen, don't tell Peter, but I drove the truck into a ditch."
After a pause, she added, "I'm fine."
Jack stole a glance at Peter, who was intently looking back, waiting for news on his wife.
"Tell me where you are," Jack spoke into the phone, reaching for a pen.
Both of them were on the road soon after that. Peter was quiet, staring into nothing.
Jack turned to look at him for a moment, worried. "Hey, she's alright."
"I know, Jack, it's just…how far did she get this time?"
"Fort Mackay." Jack answered, taking in for the first time just how far it was. It was seven hours away from Calgary; Lou must have left early in the night.
"That's not even—" Peter broke off, frustrated. "It's not even close to where we should be looking."
"You need to let her do what she can. And besides, we really don't know where Georgie might be. She could be anywhere."
"It's been months, Jack, and she hasn't turned up and—"
"What did the police say, last you spoke?"
Peter sighed. "Their investigation's come to a standstill. I couldn't bring myself to tell Lou."
"Might be best to keep that under your hat for a while." Jack paused for a moment, unsure if he should continue on. "And…you're sure it was just the one bullet?"
"I've asked Lou about ten times already, and she says the same thing every time. That it was one gunshot, that after that she didn't hear anything except the horses. And they only found the one bullet, so…"
"If he was to hurt her, he'd leave her there for us to find," said Jack, trying to convince himself. "She's out there, I know it."
Peter's jaw tightened. "I hope you're right, Jack."
Hours later, once they spotted Lou, Jack brought his truck to a stop a few yards away from where she stood.
Peter exited the vehicle and walked past her to assess the damage.
Jack went directly to Lou, bringing her into his warm, familiar embrace. "I'm glad you're okay," he said against her hair.
Lou couldn't return the hug properly. She was too busy worrying about Peter. She stepped away from Jack, waiting for her husband to direct his attention at her.
Peter extended an arm out beside him, marching over. "Lou, what were you thinking, driving all the way out here?" He asked, even though he knew she wasn't going to answer. "Do you have any idea how worried—I had to call off work! I can't do that every single time that you decide—"
As Peter came to stand just inches from her, she finally found her voice. "What do you want me to do, stop looking?"
Peter's forehead creased. He now noticed a surface level abrasion on her forehead. He gave a silent thanks that that's all it was. Peter touched his thumb to it. "You hurt yourself," he was about to say when she brushed him off.
"I'm really sorry you had to miss work, but you didn't have to come out here. I didn't call you."
Peter tightened his jaw. "You should have, okay, that's my point. I was worried out of my mind."
"And you don't think I am?" Her voice was small, frightened, and it made him take a pause.
He cupped her face, and was thankful when she didn't pull away. "Look at me, we're going to find her, but you and me, we need to be on the same page. You can't just slip into the night without telling me. Waking up to find you gone…" he trailed off, sucking in his breath.
Tears formed in her eyes as she turned her face to rest in his hand. He looked like he hadn't slept at all last night. Lou knew the same could be said about her.
"Okay, let's get you home."
"What about…?"
"We'll figure that out," said Peter, guiding her by the arm. "Come on."
They stopped at a diner nearby before heading back home. Lou's eyes kept searching, scanning the place.
Even when they were seated, she sat sideways, an arm on the back of her chair. She craned her neck and saw that the hallway leading to the bathroom had a number of missing posters pinned to it.
"Lou."
She turned.
Peter gestured to the plate of food in front of her. "Please, eat something."
She tried to nod. "Do you think we could give them a photo of Georgie? Ask them to keep an eye out and call us, if…?"
"I don't have a physical copy on me." Peter apologized.
"I do."
Lou and Peter turned toward Jack. He reached into the breast pocket of his jacket, and pulled the photograph out. He placed it in the centre of the table.
Lou reached out, turning it toward her. "Can we give it to them now?" She asked, already standing up, photo in hand. She knew that if she paused, she was going to end up in tears. She had to keep going.
Peter stood as well, sharing a look of concern with Jack.
The two of them made their way to the front. Peter did the talking.
When the manager arrived, she greeted them warmly. "How can I help you?"
The photo had been resting against Lou's stomach, and she now peeled it away and turned it around so the woman could see. "This is our daughter. She's been—" Lou swallowed. She forced the next part out. "She's missing. I was just…"
"We were hoping that maybe you could put the photo up somewhere, um…" Peter tried to put his thoughts together. "And just keep an eye out. And call us—! Please, call us if you…" He trailed off, as he fished inside his pocket for his card.
The manager nodded. "Of course! Of course. We'll let you know." She took the photo from Lou with great care, one hand resting under it for support.
Peter handed her the card. "Thanks so much. We really appreciate it."
"Yeah, it's not a problem." She waved a hand. "I hope you find your daughter."
After talking with the woman, Lou excused herself and headed outside. She walked over to Jack's truck and placed a hand on the frame and leaned in. She took in a few shaky breaths, desperately trying to recall Georgie's voice. Lou could hear her daughter's voice in her head right now, but she dreaded a day where the memory would fade to nothing, and Georgie would be gone forever.
Lou took out her phone and dialled Georgie's number. She waited for it to go to voicemail. And then Georgie's recorded message played.
"Hey, I'm not here right now, so just leave a message. Or text me. Yeah, that's probably better. Thanks."
A/N: UMMMM, Hello I guess! Shoutout to nocontextheartland on Instagram for yelling at me to get my ish together and post this! Where have you been all my life Rachel!? This chapter is dedicated to you B)