Shane waited until he heard the phone click in the other room. "Sorry about that, Mickey, but Jack Devereaux stopped by and I figure you don't want this discussion on the front page of the Spectator."

"No . . . not really," Mickey said. "I'm just glad I got you. I've been trying to get through to the house all day, but the phone has been busy."

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that."

There was a pause. "So I heard the news about Kim and Kayla. Is there any word?"

"No," Shane replied. "We're just praying everything turns out okay."

Mickey hesitated before he spoke again. "I hate to bring this up, Shane, but reporters keep calling me. They want a statement. And. . . ." Mickey paused again. "Well . . . you have to know that there are some conspiracy nuts out there-"

"Who think this is all a bloody fake." Shane finished Mickey's sentence for him. "Jack just mentioned that - while asking if it's true." If only it was. "No, Mickey . . . this is very real. We know who's behind it. . . . Cal Winters." Shane frowned slightly. Wasn't that news? "I thought the Salem PD issued a statement earlier. I know there's an APB out. Didn't you hear about that?"

"I did, but I don't have to tell you about some of the reporters who've invaded Salem," Mickey explained. "But you don't have to convince me. When I heard Andrew had been hurt. . . . There's no way you or Kim would put your son in harm's way. He's all right, I hope?"

"Yes," Shane said, saying a silent prayer of thanks. "Neil says he should be fine."

"I'm glad." Another pause. "There's something else I really hate to bring up . . . I mean, with everything going on . . . but when I heard the news about Kim and Kayla this morning, I figured I should hold off calling Louis Pasqua."

Pasqua? Shane was confused for a moment, but then he remembered that it was only the evening before that he had called Mickey about the plea deal. "Oh . . . of course," Shane said. "I guess . . . that really does make the most sense. I shouldn't really do anything now, I mean, not until I know Kim is safe and home."

"Okay," Mickey replied. "You just hang in there and take care of your family."

Hanging up, Shane sighed. It seemed like ages ago that his life was centered around how he was going to deal with the criminal charges. Right now, his only concern was Kim and the children. But in the back of his mind, he had to momentarily wonder: What will happen if we don't find Kim? What will happen to Andrew and Jeannie? If Shane was in prison, who would take care of the children?

The thought weighed heavily on his mind as he walked back to the foyer. He was unsure if Jack was still with Steve in the library, but he went to the stairs without checking. He wanted to check on Andrew. Reaching the door to Andrew's room, Shane poked his head inside and saw that Andrew was sleeping

Neil had said the boy should rest so Shane stood just inside the doorway and watched Andrew sleep. Then Shane spotted Andrew's teddy bear on the floor. Walking over to it, Shane bent over and picked it up. Carefully, so as not to wake Andrew, Shane tucked the bear against Andrew's arm. He stirred slightly, then pulled the bear tightly against his body.

We have to find you, Kimberly, he said silently. Your children need you.

"I need you," he whispered.

Turning, Shane left the bedroom and closed the door quietly behind him. Maybe Jack was gone and he could get back to trying to figure out where Cal was hiding. But as he headed toward the stairs, he heard some noises from the nursery. Opening the door, Shane saw that Jeannie had pulled herself up and was standing, with both hands gripping the edge of her crib. When she saw him, she babbled something and broke into a big smile.

Shane had to return the smile. "Did you do that all by yourself?" He walked over to the crib as Jeannie watched him. Shane glanced around, expecting Simmons to burst through the door, but the butler did not appear.

I guess I'm on my own.

He hesitated for a moment, but then reached into the crib and lifted Jeannie. "Come here, sweetheart." He checked to see if she needed a change, but she was okay.

The entire time, Jeannie's green eyes remained focused on him. Shane tried not to feel uncomfortable - she's just a baby, for god's sake - but that thought still did not quell his discomfort. Instead, he pulled her close to his chest so he did not have to look in her eyes and looked around the room and began to speak.

"I guess you're a bit confused," he said. "You don't know where your mommy is and you're here with this strange man. That has to be confusing to you."

Shane began to walk around the room and rocked Jeannie as he continued to talk. "You're probably worried too. . . . Do babies worry? I don't know . . . . Your mother probably knows more about that. She's the expert on kids." Shane sighed. "I don't blame you if you are worried, Jeannie. I guess I can admit it to you, but I'm worried too."

In his arms, Jeannie babbled something so he looked down at her. She smiled again. "Okay, so maybe you're not worried at all," Shane joked, with a slight chuckle. He shifted her so she now was nestled in one arm and he could see her face. "Maybe you know something. Maybe you know Kim's going to be okay. I wish I knew that. I hope so."

Oh, do I hope so, he said silently.

"But, hey, I shouldn't be so gloomy with you." He tried to make his voice sound a little lighter, though that was difficult. "Hey, but we did get some good news. Your big brother's okay. He gave us quite a scare earlier."

Shane lowered his voice as he remembered finding Andrew, pale and lifeless, in the forest. "Your brother is more important to me than anything. If anything had happened to him . . . . I don't know what I would've done." In his mind, Shane suddenly recalled the day he had hired Mike to be Andrew's bodyguard and had tried to explain how important Andrew was. Shane had said that Andrew and Eve were more important than his life. "I'd do anything to protect my kids. I'd step in front of a hundred bullets to keep them safe." He had said that also. "He is," Shane said aloud. "I'd give my life for him in a heartbeat."

Jeannie's gurgling brought him out of that thought and Shane flushed. He felt a wave of guilt as he realized he was talking about how much he loved Andrew, when he was holding Jeannie, a baby he still struggled to even look at.

Actually, he realized, he was not struggling that much at the moment. He smiled sadly at the little girl. "I'm trying, sweetheart. I will try."

Her eyes were so much like Kim's, he thought. And the way they fixed on him; it felt like the way he had sometimes felt like Kim could see right into his soul.

"I wish. . . ." Shane did not complete that thought. He took Jeannie's small hand in his and studied her long fingers. Like he had thought before, they looked so much like his mother's hands. You're still wishing.

Jeannie scrunched up her face and then let out a big yawn. She obviously did not care about wishes either.

Shane nodded his head in silent agreement. Wishes were useless. You've got to do more. "Okay," he said aloud. "How about this. . . . I'm going to find your mommy and bring her home to you. I'll do whatever it takes to bring her home to you, Jeannie. That's not a wish; it's a promise."