Chapter 10
It felt like an eternity to Dylan and Brandon.
Kelly repeatedly reported to Brandon that Brenda and she had already searched all the hiding spots. They had even been to the Beach Club but the cabana was locked and there was no indication that anyone was there.
They heard their women cry.
Dylan hoped Brenda would get in touch, but nothing. Apparently she was still mad at him.
But he wrote her a message with an I love you and a heart emoji.
Finally the cops got there.
„Mr McKay, Mr Walsh. You reported your children missing and now you suspect your children may be in a greyhound bound for Minnesota?"
„Yes. We just wanted to look at the video from last night."
The cop turned to the man at the ticket corner.
„Sir, please show us the recording."
„No problem, officer."
He wounded the recording to midnight.
„When could the children have been here?"
„Maybe between 10:30 p.m. and 01:00 a.m.?" Brandon guessed.
All four men stared at the monitor.
But nothing. No children were to be seen.
The man fast-forwarded to 03:00 a.m.
Brandon and Dylan thanked the man for his patience.
„No problem. I wish you that you will find the children soon."
Then he turned back to his customers.
Dylan closed his eyes. That had been their great hope.
Brandon clenched his fist and pounded his forehead.
That could not be true? How else would the kids get away?
„Are you sure your kids want to go to Minnesota?"
„At this point yes. We have relatives and friends but they would have contacted us." Brandon continued to brood.
„My mother lives in Hawaii, but underages are not allowed to fly without an adult." Dylan wanted confirmation.
„That is correct, sir." The officer nodded to Dylan. „Have you been to the train station?" he asked.
Brandon and Dylan´s heads went up.
„At the train station?"
„Yes. Maybe they went by train."
Dylan and Brandon looked at each other.
„Follow us."
On the way, Dylan studied the timetable.
„A bus left at 12:30 a.m. Then they have to change three times and then they would have to be on the train now."
In the station hall they looked for the cameras.
Together with the officer they ran to the information.
„Ma´m, we suspect that two missing children bought train tickets to Minnesota here around midnight. We want to see the video?"
The woman at the information desk looked Dylan and Brandon up and down. Then she picked up the phone and asked a colleague to come over.
Another woman appeared and led the three men into an office.
Brandon realized that Dylan was about to freak out.
Arrived in the office, the woman showed their the monitors. A security man sat in front of it.
„Are you looking for your children?" asked the woman.
„Yes, a fourteen year old and a thirteen year old." Brandon replied.
„Our cameras don´t miss a thing." The security smiled.
He spooled a tape.
„What time should it be?"
„About midnight." Dylan exhaled.
Everyone looked at the monitors again.
„There!" Brandon shoutet. „There they are. At the machine." He pointed to a monitor.
The security zoomed.
Yes, there were Toni and Sammy at the machine buying tickets. It was 12:15 a.m.
Dylan burst into tears. They had found the children.
The officer checked his watch. It was already 11 a.m. „Where could the children be now?" He asked the woman.
„If the schedule is right, they´ll be at Maricopa Station, Phoenix in an hour." She said back.
„Is there a way to get in touch with the train driver?"
„I´ll do that." The woman explained and took out her phone. „Please follow me to my office."
The three followed her.
Along the way, Dylan and Brandon grabbed their phones and reported their success to their wives.
„We´ll be right there." And Kelly hung up.
In the office, the woman was apparently already on the phone with the train driver.
„I´m waiting for your reply." She hung up.
She turned to Dylan and Brandon. „The conductor will go through the train and check if your children are on it."
And again it was time for Dylan and Brandon to wait.
Toni woke up.
She had apparently fallen asleep for a moment. She realized she was lying on Sammy´s shoulder. Sammy had his arm around her shoulders.
Toni looked around and saw that the woman on the other side had a sandwich with her. Toni was so hungry. She looked at her watch. It was noon now. They had been out for twelve hours and they hadn´t eaten. They just got themselves something to drink water.
The woman saw Toni looking at her.
Toni knew very well that she shouldn´t talk to strangers, so she quickly looked away and out the window.
But the woman continued to scrutinize her.
She had been keeping an eye on the two teenagers for a while. It struck her as odd. It was as if the two were alone. No adult ever came by to check on them. And this despite the fact that they had already been on the train for five hours. But the kids had apparently been okay.
Toni leaned back and thought about the previous day.
How she yelled at her father, how he tried to calm her down, how he defended himself, how embarrassed he was about his past.
But then she thought about how much fun she used to have with her Dad. How he showed her how to ride a bike, when the went surfing for the first time, how they cooked food together for the first time. He had taught her so much and he had always been there for her and her siblings.
Somehow she missed him.
It was similar in Sammy´s head.
He thought about his Mom. He had hurt her. He had called her a bitch. Well, she made mistakes. But she was his Mom and she always did everything for him and his brother. Whether it was help with homework, help with injuries and an open ear for worries. Kelly had always been there for him and Nath. And he still loved her for it.
Sammy looked at Toni. He was hungry. He was exhausted. But he wouldn´t say anything to Toni. He would stayed at her side.
He continued to stare out the window.
Suddenly they saw that the conductor came into the compartment with a companion.
They stopped at them.
„Are you Antonia and Samuel?" The attendant asked kindly.
Toni and Sammy just nodded.
„Then come with me. You are already missed." She smiled at the two, relieved.
„Please give the children quickly someting to eat. They both are hungry." The strange woman ordered the companion.
The woman was glad the children were discovered.
Toni and Sammy were kinda relieved too.
They got up on shaky legs. The conductor led the way, with the two teenagers in the middle and the woman behind them. Together they went to the front of the train.
Toni and Sammy should sit down again. They heard the woman talking to someone on the phone again and smiling at the children again.
Meanwhile, the woman in the office at the train station was smiling too. Then she hung up.
„We catch them."
Dylan and Brandon jumped up.
„Where are they?"
Are they both okay?" They yelled together.
„As I suspected…they are sitting in the Texas Eagle and will be arriving at Maricopa station in Phoenix in a moment. And yes, they are fine. And very hungry."
„I´ll inform the colleagues on site." The officer walked away a few steps.
Dylan and Brandon hugged in relief.
„Are our women already here at the station?" Dylan interjected.
„They´re probably looking for us already."
„I´m going downstairs." Dylan wanted to see Brenda again.
Kelly and Brenda were already standing in the big hall and were looking for their husbands.
Kelly seized the opportunity again.
„Brenda, to wrap things up, I wanted to tell you something. Do you know how many times Dylan said he loved me?"
„Kelly…" Brenda shook her head.
„Let me finish." Kelly held up her hands. „Never."
Brenda looked at Kelly in disbelief.
„Even when you were in London. He never said it to me. And the stupid situation on the phone…Dylan told you. He spoke to you on the phone. I fit was meant form e he would have hung up first or put the phone down and said it again."
Kelly took Brenda´s hand. „I just wanted you to know that."
Brenda hesitated a bit.
Finally the women hugged.
Dylan spotted the two immediately.
„Bren." He called.
Kelly and Brenda looked around and when Brenda saw Dylan she ran into his arms. She was so relieved. Dylan hugged her tightly.
Brandon had followed him and Kelly hugged him in relief too.
„When they are here?" Brenda asked tearfully.
„The officer will be with us in a moment." Brandon held Kelly tight.
„Are you still mad at me?" Dylan asked Brenda cautiously.
„Yes." Brenda looked at him. „But we´ll discuss that at home."
She just wanted to know when the kids would be home again.
The officer finally came over to them.
„Mr and Mrs McKay, Mr and Mrs Walsh, the officers in Phoenix spotted them at the Texas Eagle. The conductor and his companion had already put the children under surveillance and given them something to eat."
„When will they be back?" Kelly´s voice trembled.
„The officers will going quickly. In about five hours."
Brandon and Dylan checked their watches. At 5:30 p.m. would they be home again.
„I´ll call Erica to pick the kids up from school. I want to be here when the kids come home."
Brenda pulled out here phone.
The four spent the whole afternoon at the police station.
While Dylan paced, sipping cup after cup of coffee, Brenda holding her head in her hands, Kelly snuggled up to Brandon and cried softly to herself. Brandon kept rubbing her back. They kept looking out the window. With every patrol car they hoped they saw Toni or Sammy.
Kelly felt something else. She got up carefully and went to Dylan.
„Dylan, I´m sorry I offended you." She almost whispered.
„It wasn´t necessary." He looked at her sternly.
„I know. I was just so desperate and at that moment I was looking for someone to blame."
„And that was me again. It´n no surprising for me."
„No. I mean you are not alone. I was to blame too. Sammy ran off because of me too."
Dylan looked completely unimpressed.
„I think we all want to put our past behind us, don´t we? We´ve all had enough tears already and our kids have run away because of us."
Brenda looked at Dylan and Kelly to Brandon.
„Kelly´s right. We´re all adults now. It has to end." Brenda took Dylan´s hand.
Dylan crouched down to look Brenda in the eye.
„Does that mean you´re talking to me again?"
„Anyway, I don´t hate you anymore."
Dylan took Brenda´s hand and kissed it.
„You´re not out of this yet." Brenda wanted to pull her hand away but Dylan held it and kissed it again.
He didn´t let her go either.
Brandon wrapped his arms around Kelly again.
Brenda´s phone vibrated. Erica had sent her a message she had picked up Nath, Kyle and Sheila and they would be safe in the McKay´s kitchen. Erica hadn´t asked why. Her brother would explain that to her later.
Then the phone in the office rang.
The four startled.
The officer picked up the phone.
„Your kids are coming in now." He called to them.
And really, two tired teenagers got out oft he last patrol car and ran straight into the police building.
Sammy was the first.
„Mom!" he shoutet.
„Sammy!" Kelly ran to her son and hugged him so tightly.
Both cried.
Toni came through the door a little shyly.
„Toni!" Dylan ran to his daughter.
Toni said nothing but snuggled into her father´s arms.
„I´m sorry Daddy." She sobbed.
But Dylan just hugged her. Brenda came over and wrapped her arms around them both.
There were still so many questions, but everyone agreed they all just wanted to go home. After all, the children had been up for almost thirty-six hours.
„Is everything settled now, Officer?" Brandon asked.
„The children have not made themselves punishable. You can go."
The officer made a note and closed the missing persons file.
„Then go home." Brenda hugged her daughter. „The others are already waiting for you."
The families drove straight to the McKay house.
As soon as Dylan unlocked the front door, Kyle, Nath, Sheila and Erica came running.
„Where have you been?"
„What happened?"
Everyone shouted in confusion.
„I think we´ll talk about in a small circle." Brandon looked around.
„Erica, thanks for picking up Nath." Kelly hugged Erica warmly.
„No problem. I just wanted to help." Erica sensed that there was something to be clarified and nodded.
„Bye Sammy." Toni hugged Sammy goodbye.
Sammy returned her hug and went to his mother who took his hand.
When the Walshes were away Brenda took Toni´s hand.
„Honey, would you like to eat something or would you rather go to sleep?" Brenda stroked her.
„If it´s okay, I just want to take a quick shower and then sleep."
„No problem. Do you need help?"
„No thanks Mom." Toni picked up her bag and Mr Pony and headed up the stairs.
When she finished showering, Dylan was waiting for her in her room.
He had specially prepared a small plate for her. „In case you should get hungry."
„Thanks Dad." Toni sat down on the bed and wanted to lie down.
„If something is, we´re downstairs." Dylan still covered Toni.
Toni smiled at her father and then her eyes closed.
Dylan gave her another kiss on the forehead and left her bedroom.
Yessss, Toni and Sammy are back at home. Well, there are of course a lot things to talk about and between Brenda and Dylan too because of his words to Brenda on his phone while Kelly was secretly at his house. Please review…
Maybe, that chapter was a little too cheesy. Sorry…