Anton woke up the next morning and found himself lying in bed with his arm wrapped around a beautiful woman. He looked at Elena and heard her breathing softly. Her face was peaceful. He looked over at the nightstand and saw the time on the alarm clock was 8:22. He looked over his left shoulder and sat up slowly, throwing the covers off of him and placing his feet onto the floor. Anton stood up and turned around, looking back at Elena. She did not awaken.

Anton went into the bathroom and locked the door and took off his clothes before stepping into the shower, pulling the curtain back. He stood there for a minute with his eyes closed and his head bowed, allowing the hot water to rain down onto his body. The steam from the shower was already starting to cloud the mirror. Anton ran his fingers through his sopping hair and tilted his head back, exhaling deeply. He then proceeded to wash himself, cleansing his body, mind, and soul of whatever impure thoughts he was thinking about Elena. It was bad enough she had given him the evidence of a morning erection when he had awoken.

Wrapping a towel around his waist, Anton went back into the bedroom and saw Elena was still asleep. She was now lying on her back and her arms were by her sides. He kept his eyes on her as he walked over to the closet and opened the door. He had taken the liberty of moving his clothes into her bedroom while she was still in the hospital. He put on some fresh clothes and looked back at Elena again as he started buttoning up his shirt. She looked pale and was lying very still, but at least she was breathing.

Hearing a vehicle approaching, Anton looked towards the window and walked over to it. He looked out the window and saw a police car pull up to the house. The door opened and Marge Gunderson stepped out and opened the back door. A familiar seven-year-old girl with a plush shark got out of the prowler.

Anton walked out of the bedroom and down the hall and went out into the living room and opened the door before Marge could even knock. When she saw him, she gasped.

"Oh! Anton, you scared me."

"I assure you, it was unintentional."

Marge smiled and nodded her head. "So, I take it Elena told you about little Sophia here, huh?"

Anton looked down at the little girl, who held her hand out to him and said, "Hello, Anton."

Anton took hold of her hand and shook it. He crouched down and picked up Sophia into his arms, holding her.

"You heard about what happened to your mother, didn't you?" Anton asked her.

"Yes, I did", Sophia answered, her voice was quiet.

"How's Elena doin'?" Marge asked him.

"She's sleeping right now", Anton answered. He looked at Marge and said to her, "It would mean a lot to me if you stayed for a minute."

"Oh, yah. You betcha."

Anton moved aside and allowed Marge to step into the house. She shut the door behind her. Anton set Sophia down and told her, "Why don't you go to your room for a while? I need to talk to Marge alone."

"Yes, sir", said Sophia.

Soon as the child walked away, Anton looked at Marge and motioned with his head for her to follow him. She followed him into the kitchen.

"Can I interest you in a cup of coffee?" Anton asked her.

"Oh, no, thanks", Marge declined, politely.

"All right."

Anton sat down in a chair at the table, with Marge taking the seat opposite from him.

"So, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Regarding your cousin, I do not think what happen to her was an accident", said Anton.

"Oh, yah?"

"I saw the whole incident happen right before me. There were no other witnesses to the scene. This was a hit-and-run, Marge. I know one when I see it."

"Did you get a good look at the driver?"

"No, I couldn't. The windows were tinted."

"You said the car was a white 1957 Custom Ford. You didn't happen to get a good look at the license plate, did ya?"

"Yes, I did. 147 AFY. These were Florida plates."

Marge looked surprised to hear this. "Florida?"

"Yes", said Anton. "There's something else you should know. Elena told me she has been receiving phonecalls from an unidentified source."

Marge paused for a minute and stared at him, putting together the information he had just given her, but also thinking about something different. She placed her arms onto the table and intertwined her fingers together, leaning over slightly. "What exactly has been going on between you two lately?"

"I don't know what you mean", said Anton.

"Well, from what I heard, Elena told me you walked out on her. Said you two got into some kind of a fight", Marge informed him.

Anton stared back at Marge and said nothing. The hatred he once held for the police chief was slowly returning into the darkness of his eyes, though she could not see it.

"You didn't hurt her, did you?" Marge asked him, a hint of seriousness in her voice. "Because if you did-"

"No, I didn't", Anton answered. "She slapped me in the face, but that was it."

Marge nodded her head and asked him, "So, what was the argument about?"

"We had a disagreement on something", Anton answered.

"Would you mind telling me what that something was?"

"I didn't approve that she was hiding her fear of a dangerous man that tried to kill her."

Marge said nothing, but lowered her eyes and leaned back in her seat, resting her hands into her lap. She sighed to herself and looked at Anton again. "She told you about Andrew Pittman, didn't she?"

"I know you are naive, Marge Gunderson, but I also know that you are not stupid either", Anton informed her. "Elena has known about his escape for weeks, and yet she did not have the heart to tell you. Why is that?"

Marge gave him a look of suspicion and leaned forward again. "What do you mean she's known for weeks?"

"She wasn't just afraid of getting killed by him", said Anton. "She was also afraid of loosing you, as well. You, Norm, and Sophia are the only family she has."

"Well, Anton, it just doesn't make any sense now, does it?" Marge questioned him. "You see, when my officers and I captured Mr. Pittman, we had to transport him up to a maximum security prison in Oak Park Heights. When he became too difficult to control, they had him transported down to the Florida Department of Corrections. So, how does a man manage to escape one of the most highly-guarded facilities in the States?"

Anton shook his head and said, "I don't know. All I know is that I never meant for any of this to happen to Elena. It was unforeseen...And yet fate decided to be cruel to her."

With having said that, Anton stood up at once and went back into the living room, running his hands through his mop of dark brown hair and letting out a deep sigh. He placed his hands onto his hips and thought to himself, Damn the Fates for bringing this woman into my life. Although he refused to show it, Anton now felt himself even more concerned for Elena's safety. Despite his promise that he would not kill anymore, Anton Chigurh saw it only fitting that whoever this Andrew Pittman was, he would gladly break his word to Elena and go steal a cattle gun from a slaughterhouse just to go after him. No, Anton thought to himself. A cattle gun was too simple. This was a man who tried to kill Elena twice and almost succeeded. If he ever came across this monster of a man, Anton Chigurh would need something much more powerful and painful than a captive bolt pistol.

Luckily, Anton was snapped out of his dark thoughts when a hand rested itself upon his left shoulder. He turned around and saw Marge standing behind him.

"Are you all right?" Marge asked him.

Anton stood there for a minute, gazing into the warmth of her steel blue eyes. Without saying so much as a single word, he wrapped his arms around the woman and rested his chin on top of her head, embracing her into a much-needed hug. He was sure he would regret it later, but because of the internal conflict he felt on whether he was doing the right thing or the wrong thing, Anton gave himself no other choice but to surrender and pull Marge into the strength of his embrace, holding her.

Marge was surprised by this unexpected movement of his, but smiled nonetheless and hugged him back in return. "It's going to be okay, Anton", Marge reassured him. "Ya hear me? Elena's going to be all right. You just keep doing what you're doing and don't worry about anything, ya hear?"

He didn't respond.

Marge sighed and patted his back, before she broke herself free from Anton's embrace and said to him, "Well, I suppose I should be getting back to work."

"Yes", said Anton, nodding in agreement. He led Marge over to the front door and opened it for her. She stepped outside and turned to look at him.

"You'll call me if anything else comes up?" Marge asked him.

"I will", said Anton. "Say hello to your husband for me."

"I will", said Marge, nodding her head. "See ya, Anton." She turned around and walked back over to her car. Anton watched her get into the vehicle. He shut the front door and listened to her turn on the engine and leave.

Anton walked out of the living room and went back down the hall and stood in the doorway of Elena's bedroom. The young woman was sitting up in bed. Her arms were wrapped around Sophia, who was crying and begging her mother for forgiveness. Forgiveness for what, he did not know. Elena noticed Anton was standing in the doorway and looked over at him. He didn't move.

Sophia looked up at Elena, shedding a single tear. "I'm so sorry, Mommy."

Looking back at the child, Elena shook her head and said, "No, sweetie. I should have listened to you."

"But if I hadn't been mean to you, none of this would have happened", said Sophia.

Elena stroked the child's head and told her, "Sophia, it doesn't matter now. What's happened has already happened, you understand?"

Sophia said nothing, but nodded her head and took a shaky breath.

"The important thing is that were all together now", said Elena. "Nothing bad is ever going to happen to us again. Not to you, not to me...Not even to Anton. Because of you, he saved me. He's a good man, just like you said."

A subtle expression of shock reflected on the face of the man who was overlooking both mother and child. The fact that Elena acknowledged him as a good man, despite the sins of his murderous past, was enough for Anton to remind himself that there was still a bit of hope for his redemption.

"How can you be sure?" Sophia asked her, tearfully.

Elena was silent for a minute. "I'm not", she said at last.

Sophia lowered her face into her mother's chest and sobbed softly. Elena wrapped her arms around her daughter and held her again.

Anton walked slowly into the room and sat down on the bed, carefully wrapping his arms around Elena and the guilt-ridden child.