"Why didn't you tell me it was so cold here?" John asked.
Shane had to chuckle as he held the phone to his ear. "It's Nome, Alaska, and, if you'd checked a calendar, you'd see that it's October 31. What did you expect? The warm tropics?"
"Okay. . . . You got me there." John paused and then began running through his plan. "Isabella's renting the car right now, and we'll head out to the prison. I'm sure they won't let us in, but I'll look for a bar or some place nearby where the guards hang out after-hours. I'm sure they can tell me some things about Winters or Jackson."
Donald Jackson was the name of the prison warden who had disappeared after Cal's escape. With no real idea how to locate the man, Shane had sent John to Alaska to see what he could find. Isabella had insisted on going with, despite John's objections.
"I've got an ISA tail," John said. "Just one guy I've made out so far. Should I lose him?"
Shane debated it. He hated the idea of the ISA knowing what they were up to, but the downside risk was huge. "No. . . . If you slip the tail, they might issue an APB and try to take you into custody. If they see that you're letting them keep tabs on you, they'll probably keep their distance - especially since Isabella's with you."
"Okay, partner," John said. "Oh, there's Isabella. I'll let you know what I find." He hesitated for a minute and then added, "Thanks for letting me do this."
As Shane hung up the phone, he understood John's last comment. Given everything happening in his life, John had to appreciate the chance to escape and focus on a mission. In a way, Shane was envious. Stuck in Salem, with little to do but try to recover from his wounds, dwell on the situation with Kim, and wait for the trial, Shane was growing frustrated. He hoped John came up with something soon, a lead that Shane could be more involved in pursuing.
Taking his cane, he rose from the desk and headed toward the foyer. He wanted to check on Andrew, who was probably getting ready for the Halloween party at the Bradys. Shawn and Caroline had suggested the party instead of having the kids go trick-or-treating, which they thought might be awkward with Eric and Sami still getting used to their "new" father and Shane being physically unable to go with Andrew.
Shane climbed the stairs, only pausing to catch his breath when he reached the top. That was an improvement, though he knew he still had a long way to go. Soon, he said to himself, even though he also knew it could not come soon enough.
He started to make his way down the hallway, but he stopped once more as he heard the sound of Eve's voice. She was singing a song Shane did not recognize, but he could hear the emotion clearly in her voice as she sang the sad, plaintive lyrics. Eve's door was open, so he stopped in the doorway and watched as she sang to the mirror. After a few bars, she must have caught sight of him, because she stopped suddenly.
"Sorry," he said. "Don't mind me. I was just . . . captivated. Yeah, that's the right word - captivated."
Eve blushed. "I didn't mean for you to overhear."
"Why not? It's a beautiful song, and I always love to hear you sing." He smiled. "Your old man can't carry a tune to save his life, but I do appreciate good music."
"Thanks. . . ." Eve said. "Everything else I've got is kinda old, and 'Nothing Compares 2 U' was big last year, so I was thinking of adding it to my set."
Shane was confused. "Your set?"
"Oh, didn't I tell you? Sorry. I talked to Julie and I'm going to go back to managing Wings." Eve beamed. "And I'll be singing again."
Shane frowned and motioned to Eve's bed. "May I?" When she said nothing, he walked slowly to the bed and sat down on the edge. "Is that really what you want, Eve? I mean . . . with that article. . . ."
Just the day before, Eve had been distraught about the Chronicle article. Shane had sat with her and tried to assure her that nothing had changed about the way people felt about her, not the people who counted, at least. This sudden change in Eve's demeanor caught Shane completely by surprise.
Eve turned serious. "I thought about it, Dad, and I'm not going to let that article or Rachel Knight or anyone else destroy me. I can't change the past, so I just have to deal with it."
Something in the way she said that made Shane wonder if Eve had talked with Kim. Her words reminded him of how Kim often spoke of getting over her past. He smiled at his daughter and said, "I'm proud of you." But then something else came into his head. "I just. . . ."
"What?" she asked.
"I just wonder if it might be better for you to go back to Africa," he said. "There's no real reason for you to stay in Salem anymore. I'm recovering, and you don't need to put your life on hold by staying here."
Eve seemed to tense, and Shane could tell something was wrong.
"Eve? You do plan on going back to Africa, don't you?"
She shifted uncomfortably from side to side and then said, hesitantly, "I . . . I don't know. I don't think I want to go back there right now." She sighed. "It's just . . . I don't know. I don't think I'm really cut out for Africa."
Obviously, there was a lot more to it. "It's Frankie, isn't it?"
"What do you mean?" Eve sounded surprised at the question.
"You don't love Frankie," Shane said. It was a statement, not a question.
Eve shook her head. "I didn't say that, Dad. I just said I'm not sure I want to go back and live in Africa. That doesn't mean I don't love Frankie."
"Come on, sweetheart." Shane reached out and took her hand. "If you loved Frankie - and I mean, if you truly loved him with all your heart - where he's living would be irrelevant. You'd be on the first plane back to Africa if you could be with him."
Eve seemed to tremble a little. "I . . . I care about Frankie."
"But caring and loving someone more than life itself. . . . Those are two completely different things." Shane squeezed Eve's hand. "You'd know if you'd truly found that person and, if you're not anxious to rush back to be with Frankie, it hasn't happened."
"It probably won't ever happen." Eve pulled her hand free and muttered, almost under her breath, "Or it did and it's gone."
Shane could hear the hurt in Eve's mumbled words and knew she was probably thinking about Nick. "You're still very young, darling. And you're smart, and beautiful, and so talented. . . . Give yourself some time, and I think you'll find that right person. The one thing you don't want to do is settle for less than you deserve."
"Like you did with Kayla?"
Shane sat back, momentarily stunned by the bluntness of Eve's words. But there was a truth to what his daughter said, so he nodded, "Yes. . . . That's exactly what I was doing. . . . And it and everything that's happened the past few months has taught me one thing. If you're lucky enough to find that one special person in this world, you can't settle. And if you have a chance to live a life with that person, you'll never be truly happy without them."
He reached out again and took Eve's hand once more.
"The only thing I want for you, sweetheart, is for you to be happy. And I know you enough to know that you'll never be truly happy if you're not with someone you truly love."