Steve ran his hands through his face. He looked at Catherine, who also seemed overwhelmed by the situation. Steve dialed Helen's number, but as he had expected, she didn't answer his call. Briefly, he considered tracking her phone, but deep down, he knew she had boarded a flight back to Coronado. Just to be safe, he called Danny to see if Helen had shown up at Grace's place.

Then he went into her room and looked around more carefully than before. Her backpack was gone, as well as the diary and the picture of her mother. The house key from Coronado, which usually hung on a lanyard on the mirror, was also missing. Steve went to his bedroom and packed a few things into his bag. Catherine was already waiting downstairs. Just as she was about to go upstairs to pack some things herself, he stopped her by grabbing her arm.

"Cath, we're splitting up. I'm flying to Coronado to try and find her, and I'm asking you to stay here in case she changes her mind and comes back. Someone should be here to welcome her and show her that this is her home." Catherine looked at him sadly. She didn't want him to fly without her, especially given how difficult things were for her right now because of what happened yesterday. Steve approached her, took her in his arms, then rested his forehead against hers and looked deeply into her eyes.

"Catherine, it's all right. We've managed everything together so far, so we'll manage this too, okay?" He gave her a tender kiss. Reluctantly, she nodded. Deep down, she knew he was right. Helen was fifteen, and they had already felt her spontaneity several times in recent weeks. She could be flying back to Honolulu at this very moment. Who knew what was going on in a teenager's mind.

Steve said goodbye to Cath with a long hug and an intense kiss, then he got into the car and drove to the airport.

As he sat alone in the plane without Catherine, he realized how accustomed he had become to always having someone around. He missed Catherine and Helen. They had slowly become a little family.

Six hours later, as he stiffly stepped off the plane, his shoulder hurt again. Steve went to the nearest car rental counter and got a car. Shortly after, he got off the bus that had taken him to his car. He unlocked the Camaro and left the airport grounds shortly afterward.

"Hey, Catherine, has Helen contacted you?"

"Unfortunately no, I've tried to reach her several times and also sent her text messages. But I'm going straight to voicemail. Apparently, she's turned off her phone."

Steve nodded. "Yeah, that's the same with me. I'm on my way to the house now."

"Okay... Steve?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I love you too, Cath."

Then he hung up.

Less than twenty minutes later, Steve parked the car in front of the house. He got out and went to the door, but contrary to his expectations, everything was locked and bolted, just as they had left it. There was no sign that Helen had been here. Could he have been so mistaken? Where else could she be? But hopefully not with the strange godmother. He still hadn't understood how this woman could have been Liana's best friend. Puzzled, Steve stood in front of the locked house. Just to be safe, he went to the back to the garden, but everything here was just as they had left it. The banner he had put up for the farewell party on the porch swayed gently in the wind.

The party! Could Helen have stayed with one of her friends? But then why hadn't the parents contacted him? Steve went back to his rental car and got in. This whole thing was more difficult than he had thought. He had almost no contact details for Helen's local friends; she had them all in her phone.

Tired, Steve rubbed his face. Where should he start looking?

He cast one last glance at Liana's house, started the car, and drove to the nearest pharmacy to buy some painkillers. With a sip of water, he swallowed two tablets, then leaned his head against the headrest. The school! There must be something like a class list there. Steve looked at the clock. Already after 6:00 p.m., there probably wouldn't be anyone reachable at the school now. Frustrated that he hadn't made any progress today, he drove to the Island Inn, hoping to get a room there. He had thought he could sleep in the house, but Helen had the key. Exhausted, Steve collapsed onto the bed in his room, and shortly afterward, sleep overtook him.

When Steve woke up the next day, his shoulder was hurting again. He went to the bathroom, removed the bandage from his shoulder, and cursed. The wound edges were red and swollen, and the wound was oozing. Steve rummaged through his bag; he had packed sterile dressings and ointment. He redressed the wound, hoping it would improve soon. He didn't have time to go to the doctor; he had to find Helen. Steve got dressed and called Catherine. There was still no news, and Helen hadn't returned home either. Steve left his room and got into the rental car. Then he dialed Helen's number for what felt like the hundredth time. Slowly, he was getting angry. Couldn't Helen understand that they worried about her when she just ran away and then wasn't even reachable?

He started the car and drove off the parking lot with squealing tires, making his way to the school. When he arrived, it seemed to be break right now as students of various ages were running around everywhere. He made his way through and knocked on the door of the secretary's office. The school secretary, a woman beyond retirement age, or at least she seemed so, looked at him with wide eyes.

"What do you want?"

"The class list of my daughter, Helen Alex Upton."

"Anyone could come in here and ask for that."

"Please. I'm a cop and I need to find her. I suspect she's staying with one of her friends, but I don't have their contact details."

"I'm sorry, but I can't just hand out the class list to any random man. If you're a cop, then where is your uniform?"

Steve was on the verge of exploding. How he wished Catherine or Danny were here to calm him down and step in. But he had to go through this alone now.

"Then please let me see Principal Wilton briefly; he knows me."

"I'm sorry, he's out of the office today."

Steve ran his hand through his hair; he tried once more politely to convince the lady to hand him the list. But she only crossed her arms over her chest and threatened to call security if he didn't leave now.

With a flushed face, Steve slammed the door of the secretary's office behind him. He would have liked to sink his fist into something, but there was nothing suitable around. Steve descended the stairs to the schoolyard and then sat down on them. Despite the painkillers he had taken, his shoulder throbbed. He repeatedly ran his hands over his face. Students ran around him and didn't pay much attention to him. Suddenly, something or someone cast a shadow over him.

"Aren't you Helen's dad?"

Steve looked up, directly into the face of a girl who looked familiar. Of course, Laura, she was one of Helen's friends.

"Laura, right?"

She nodded and looked around.

"Is Helen here too?"

Steve shook his head, then looked at Laura again.

"She ran away from home, and I'm looking for her everywhere. Unfortunately, I don't have the contact details of you girls, or I would have called you already. Can you help me?"

Laura looked at him attentively.

"Helen doesn't just run away like that. What happened?"

Steve sighed.

"A lot has happened, and Helen somehow feels responsible, but she's not."

He showed Laura his phone with Helen's message. She nodded.

"Well, that's typical of her."

Thoughtfully, she looked at Steve.

"Maybe we don't need to call so many people. Mel didn't come to school today. Well, that's not unusual if her mother is on a business trip. But Helen and she have a special relationship."

Steve looked at her questioningly. She shrugged.

"Well, both grew up without a father."

He nodded sadly. Then the bell rang for the next class.

"I have to go back to class."

Laura quickly gave him her contact details and Mel's.

"I hope you find her."

"Thank you, Laura."

He said goodbye to her, and she hurried up the stairs with the last students. Steve slowly got up from the stairs and walked to his car. Meanwhile, he tried to call Helen again, and after failing to reach her, he briefly talked to Catherine. Then he drove to the address Laura had given him.

He pressed the doorbell for the third time now, but there was no movement in the house at all. Either the girls were pretending they weren't there, or they were really absent. Steve looked around. There was no one in sight right now, so he took the opportunity to climb over the high fence to the backyard. His shoulder didn't like the action at all and responded with a prolonged pain. Pausing briefly, Steve stood behind the fence and looked around. Apart from a small guesthouse, the garden contained a pool and a tool shed. He inspected everything and even looked through the windows into the large living room. But he couldn't see Helen or Mel. Disappointed, he sat down on one of the garden chairs. Suddenly, he heard a police siren and the sound of a vehicle stopping in front of the house. An excited voice reported to the officer that a man had climbed over the fence. Anxiously, Steve looked around, but he had no way to escape here, and the officer was already standing next to him with a gun pointed at him.

"Hands behind your head and on your knees."

"Officer, you're making a mistake; I'm looking for..."

"I'm arresting you for trespassing."

And he handcuffed Steve.

"I'm a cop. Just talk to Ben Conroy, he knows me."

But the officer didn't pay much attention to Steve's explanations and pushed him forward towards his car and sat him on the backseat. Shortly afterward, they drove off.

Angry, Steve paced back and forth in the small cell at the CPD outpost. They had taken everything from him but hadn't allowed him to make a phone call yet. What kind of treatment was this? Occasionally, he heard his phone ringing; what if it was finally Helen? Or Catherine; she would be worried if he didn't pick up. Steve ran his hand through his hair. For the umpteenth time, he called for the officer, but no one cared about his shouting. Steve sat down on the bunk and held his shoulder. Since the incident with the fence, it had been hurting like hell, and his bandage didn't look fresh anymore. He took off his shirt and peeled the bandage slightly away from the wound to inspect it. Hissing, he sucked in air through his teeth. Pus oozed between the reddened edges of the wound. Carefully, he stuck the bandage back in place and put his shirt back on. After calling out several more times and no one came, he resignedly lay down on the bunk. Exhausted and already slightly feverish, he fell asleep.

Restlessly, Catherine paced around the house. For hours, she hadn't been able to reach Steve. The call went through, but he didn't pick up. Now she had had enough. She took out her laptop and tracked Steve's phone. She had to look twice in surprise. At the CPD? And why wasn't he answering his phone there? She quickly dialed Ben's number. "Catherine? Good to hear from you. How are you guys?"

"Could be better; Helen ran away, and Steve is looking for her in Coronado. But I haven't been able to reach him for hours, and his phone is supposedly in one of your outposts."

"What? Wait..." She heard Ben typing something into the computer. "These idiots; they arrested him. Allegedly for trespassing." Catherine rubbed her face. "Then he was surely on Helen's trail." "I presume so. Catherine, I'll take care of it. They'll regret this. He surely must have said he knows me; why aren't they calling me?"

"Steve?" Someone shook him by the shoulder. With effort, he opened his eyes again; he had no idea how long he had been asleep. He felt like he was burning up. "Ben?"

"The ambulance should be here any moment."

"I can't go to the hospital, Ben; I have to find Helen."

"I know, I talked to Catherine. But in your condition, you need medical treatment."

"Ben, please, I have to find her." Steve struggled to sit up.

"Okay, listen, Steve. You'll obediently go to the hospital and get treated, and I'll go to the address where the officer picked you up and see if I can find Helen there. Okay?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"No, you don't." At that moment, two paramedics came through the door with a stretcher and soon loaded Steve into the ambulance.

Catherine's phone rang, and she answered it frantically. "Ben?" "Hey Catherine. I have good and bad news. The good news first: I found Steve; the guys actually arrested him and put him in a cell. Why they didn't let him make a call, I have no idea, but I'll escalate that issue to the appropriate authorities. The bad news is that his gunshot wound has massively infected. He has a high fever, and I've transported him to the nearest hospital. That's something I'll also report. The officers should have noticed that. Now, I'll go to the address where they arrested Steve and see if I can find Helen there." Catherine's voice trembled as she thanked Ben.

They had flushed Steve's wound with antibiotics and drained the resulting abscess. Now he watched as the infusion of antibiotics and painkillers slowly flowed into his vein. He would have liked to close his eyes again, but first, he had to call Catherine; she must be worried . Besides, he still hadn't found Helen. "Hey Cath."

"Thank goodness, Steve. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. Ben must have called you, right?"

"Yeah, he did. Steve, I'm so sorry."

"I still haven't found Helen. Catherine, I'm worried, what if she's not here at all? Maybe someone has kidnapped her again?"

"I don't think so, Steve. Not with what she wrote to us. She's probably with one of her friends."

"I hope you're right."

There was a knock on the door, which slowly opened to reveal a pale face framed by long brown hair.

"HELEN!" Steve dropped the phone and jumped out of bed, knocking over the IV stand, which clattered against the bed. "Dad!" Crying, she threw herself into his arms, and Ben, who had followed her in, straightened the IV stand. "What were you thinking? Cath and I, we were so worried." Sniffling, she looked at him. "I'm sorry, I... I don't know. I just destroy your life."

Steve cupped her chin in his hand, forcing her to look into his eyes. "Nonsense, Helen. We love you, no matter what happens. And all the crap of the last few days is not your fault, understand?" She nodded. "Where were you anyway?" "With Mel. Ben picked me up." He nodded. So that was it. He looked at Ben gratefully. "

You're welcome, Commander. If the officer hadn't been so overzealous, you would have been back together long ago."

Two days later, Steve and Helen were back on the plane to Oahu. After landing, they got into the Silverado and drove home. Catherine was already standing in the doorway and hugged Helen warmly. Then she pulled Steve into her arms. "Hey, Sailor. How's the shoulder?" "Better already. I'm supposed to finish the antibiotics, and then it's like nothing happened." "Good. I have something prepared."

She led Helen and Steve into the garden. Danny was there with Grace, who immediately hugged Helen and monopolized her to tell her the latest gossip. Lou was at the grill, while Kamekona filled a table with other goodies. Kono and Chin had just entered the garden through the side entrance, bringing drinks. Flippa was already playing the first songs. Steve warmly greeted everyone and then sat down with Catherine on one of the benches, letting himself be served for once. It was a beautiful evening that everyone would remember for a long time...

I hope you liked it :) The next chapters are coming soon ;)