Reflections...
"Hello?"Catherine answered the call with a startled heart. She didn't recognize the phone number, but she knew the prefix was from Hawaii. "Could something have happened to Steve?" She immediately thought.
"Catherine?" The voice on the other side asked.
"Yes," she replied as her mind tried to associate the voice with the person. "Lincoln?"
"Well, you haven't forgotten me, and that makes me happy," he replied.
Catherine smiled. "How could I forget you? You're a good friend."
"I consider you a good friend too," Lincoln said and paused.
"Are you in Hawaii?" Catherine asked him.
"Yes, I am. And the reason I'm calling you is because I need a favor," Lincoln told her.
"Why do those words sound so familiar?" She said and Lincoln didn't understand. "What do you need?" Catherine then asked.
"Well, actually the favor is for your boy."
"What? What do you mean?" Catherine asked.
"I need you to crack a code. And as for your boy, he's the one who told me you were his girl for a long time."
Catherine's heart fluttered and Lincoln could sense a warmth in her voice. "You knew Steve?"
"Yes, I knew him. Can you decipher that for us? I've just sent you the photo."
"Wait just a minute," Catherine gave the photo a quick glance and went back to talking to Lincoln. "I think I can do that without a problem.I'll work on it and call you as soon as I've finished."
"Thanks, Catherine. I knew the smartest girl in the intelligence class wouldn't let me down."
Catherine dedicated herself to deciphering what was written there while Lincoln, Steve and the team raced against time.
"Lincoln, don't tell him I did this," Catherine told him as soon as she had sent the deciphered message. "Just call me back later and tell me everything went well, OK?"
Lincoln read her message a little wanted to tell Steve that she had done it for him. "OK, a lot!"
"You're welcome," she replied and ended the call.
A few days later...
Lincoln called Catherine to tell her how it had all ended. "I'm sorry it took me so long to call you," he said after reporting everything.
"It's all right, Lincoln. I've been very busy these days too. How is he after this discovery and how is Danny?" Catherine asked, referring to the money hidden in the mausoleum and the torture Danny suffered.
"As for Danny, he was really hurt, but he's for Steve, he's very upset, I think he now feels as if a very big load has been lifted off his back, but at the same time it seems that life is meaningless to him and he feels empty. Catherine, he's leaving," Lincoln said a little hesitantly.
"Leaving for where? With whom?" she asked.
"I don't know where, in fact he doesn't even know, but I know he's going alone. He's lost, Catherine, and I can tell he misses you very much. I've never seen the two of you together, but it's like it's written on his forehead that he loves you and needs you."
Catherine sighed and closed her eyes for a few moments before continuing. "Lincoln, I need to process this information and I'll get back to you. Thank you for keeping me informed."
"Call whenever you want," Lincoln replied.
Catherine searched through her phone files for an old photo of Steve where he was smiling genuinely and nonchalantly. "What do I do, sailor?" she sighed before continuing to speak as if he were there. "You broke up with me once, you moved back to Hawaii without even consulting me after your father died, you didn't want to know what my plans were when I left the Navy, I didn't think you valued our relationship that much," Catherine paused as a few tears rolled down her cheeks. "I didn't know you were going to propose that we get married and a more stable life with you was all I wanted. So I left because I thought it wasn't fair on me and once again you ended our relationship."
Catherine sat down with the phone in her hand and looked at the photo one more time. "You hurt me a lot sometimes and I know I hurt you too. I've tried not to miss you, I've ventured into a new passion, I've tried to pretend I'm happy but the love I feel for you won't let me."
Catherine put the phone down and got up to go out onto the balcony of the apartment where she lived. "I'm not happy without you Steve."
The next day Catherine was on a plane on her way to Hawaii...