Steve's tent stood on slightly elevated ground, just as he had been taught. For days now, he had been surviving on MREs, but his water supply was running low, and even his one-man ration was nearly gone.
He was barely recognizable. Unshaven and noticeably thinner despite his daily swims in the nearby ocean, he now stepped out of his tent. Slinging his backpack over his shoulders, he headed for his truck, intending to drive to the nearest town. He wasn't sure if he could find MREs there, but he figured there'd be something similar. In any case, water and purification tablets were his main priority.
Twenty minutes later, Steve parked his Silverado outside one of those small general stores that seemed to have everything. He was always amazed at what he could find in places like this. Slowly, he wandered through the narrow aisles, gathering a few cans, water purification tablets, and some bottled water. At the checkout, the cashier tried to engage him in conversation, but Steve mumbled something noncommittal, paid, and hurried out of the store.
Just as he was placing the shopping bag into his truck, he froze.
Helen! That was Helen!
Without a second thought, Steve slammed the truck door shut and swiftly crossed the street, weaving between cars.
"Helen!" he called out.
The young woman he had spotted didn't respond and continued walking down the street.
"Helen!" Steve shouted again, now breaking into a run.
She still didn't react.
Before he could catch up to her, the woman turned into a side street. Steve gave it his all, sprinting as fast as he could, but when he reached the corner, she was gone. He hurried down the narrow street, scanning in every direction, but Helen was nowhere to be seen.
Breathing heavily, Steve came to a stop. His heart pounded in his chest.
Had his mind been playing tricks on him? Was his brain deceiving him into thinking Helen was still alive? He had been feeling so terrible these past few days, perhaps he was already hallucinating. Or… could it really have been her?
Steve ran his hands over his face, trying to shake off the thought. He had buried Helen. His daughter was dead.
With slumped shoulders, Steve trudged back to his truck. Before getting in, he returned to the store.
When he emerged again, he was holding two bottles of liquor. He tossed them into the truck with the rest of his groceries, climbed in, and drove back to the forest.
The next morning, Steve woke with a terrible headache. As he wriggled out of his sleeping bag, the empty bottles clattered to the ground. He took a sip of water and grabbed one of the hard biscuits from his remaining MRE. Sitting in the tent entrance, he tried to clear his foggy head.
Then a thought hit him.
Quickly, he broke down his camp, packed everything into and onto his backpack, and carried the trash—including the empty bottles—to his truck. He returned, choosing a new path to follow.
As he hiked, Steve's mind wandered to the people he had lost. His father had taken him hiking here many times, and his last hike with Helen had also been along this very trail. They hadn't reached their goal that day, the Hawaiian petroglyphs, and Steve had promised himself he'd complete the hike for Helen.
He often stopped, taking in the surroundings. Slowly, his tormented soul began to find a bit of peace. After several hours, he finally arrived at his destination.
He stood in awe before the ancient rock carvings, tracing one of them with his finger. Sadness washed over him again—he had broken his promise to bring Helen here. But then he realized that maybe, just maybe, he could fulfill that promise with his second child someday.
Turning around, he realized it was too late to hike back. He scanned the area for a suitable campsite and soon found a spot that would work. Just as he started walking toward it, a scream pierced the air.
Looking around, Steve spotted a flock of birds taking off in the distance. Without hesitation, he headed in that direction and soon came upon a young man sitting under an overhang, clutching his ankle.
"Do you need help?" Steve asked.
The blond man looked up at him with a pained expression and nodded. Steve knelt down to examine the ankle, which was already starting to swell.
"That doesn't look good," Steve muttered. He pulled a cloth from his backpack, soaked it with water, and wrapped it around the man's ankle to cool it.
"Are you alone?" Steve asked.
The man nodded. "Yeah, but I live nearby."
"Alright, can you stand?"
With Steve's help, the man got to his feet, draping an arm over Steve's shoulder for support. Steve steadied him, and the man directed him toward his home. After about ten minutes, they spotted a small house in the distance.
"There it is," the man said.
"Do you have a phone or a car there?" Steve asked.
"Yeah, my phone's inside, and the car should be here unless my wife took it."
"Good. You should get to a hospital—your ankle looks pretty bad."
"No need. My wife's a doctor. She'll take care of it. I'm not a fan of hospitals."
"I get that," Steve said with a chuckle.
As they reached the house, the door suddenly opened, and a woman rushed out, throwing her arms around the young man.
"Jason, thank God! I was getting worried."
"I'm fine, Sophie, thanks to him," Jason replied, nodding toward Steve.
Sophie helped Jason into the house, guiding him to a chair. Steve followed them inside. Once Jason was settled, Sophie turned and hugged Steve tightly.
"Thank you so much for helping him."
"It was no trouble," Steve replied.
"Can I offer you something to drink, Mr.…?"
"Steve," he said. "And some water would be great."
"Of course," she smiled.
Sophie disappeared into the kitchen, and Jason began speaking to Steve.
"I want to thank you again."
"No problem, I'm happy to help."
"If you don't mind me asking, what were you doing out there, Steve? I rarely meet anyone on that trail."
"I went hiking there years ago with my father. Today, I just needed to clear my head. There's a lot going on."
"I get that. Nature really can work wonders for that."
At that moment, they heard the sound of footsteps, and two children came running down the stairs and into the living room. When they spotted Jason, they ran straight to him.
"Daddy!"
"Hey, you two! How are you? I hope you took good care of your mom while I was away."
The two girls nodded and beamed at their father. Steve couldn't help but think of Helen, and his expression grew sad again.
"Girls, this is Steve," Jason said. "He helped me when I was stuck."
The two girls turned to look at Steve, who knelt down to their eye level.
"Your dad had a bit of bad luck while hiking, and fortunately, I was nearby."
One of the girls, who seemed a little older than the other, stepped closer to Steve and hugged him hesitantly.
"Thank you for bringing Dad home."
"You're welcome."
Just then, Sophie returned with a glass of water in one hand and a first aid kit in the other.
"Girls, why don't you go play in the garden, okay?"
The two ran off laughing, and Sophie began tending to Jason while he gave Steve a curious look.
"Do you have kids?"
"Sorry?" Steve had been so lost in thought that he hadn't even heard the question.
"Do you have kids?"
Steve hesitated for a moment, unsure how to respond, but then decided to tell the truth.
"My wife is pregnant right now, and... I had a daughter."
"May I ask where she went?"
"Nowhere. She passed away two weeks ago."
"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to remind you."
"It's alright. Actually, that was a question I needed. I think I need to get back to my wife now."
"Then I wish you a safe trip home, and thank you again."
"My pleasure. Goodbye."
Steve shook hands with Jason and Sophie before leaving the house. Meeting Jason had been the best thing to happen to him that day. Seeing him with his children had been a wake-up call. Steve realized he needed to learn how to live with Helen's death and focus on his second child.
A few days ago, with Catherine:
Once again, Catherine came home to find Steve's car missing from its usual spot. She looked sadly at the empty space. She felt like they were drifting further apart, and she was beginning to understand how the death of a family member could tear an entire family apart. She resolved to tell Steve about the baby as soon as possible. Maybe that would finally pull him out of his lethargy.
Catherine got out of the car and soon entered the house. The day at HQ had been exhausting, so she headed straight to the garden to relax a bit. The sound of the waves usually grounded her after a long day, but today it wasn't working. Something felt off. Catherine went back inside, debating whether she should call Steve and see if they could meet up and talk. She had just pulled her phone from her pocket when she heard a phone ringing in the kitchen. Her heart skipped a beat. Could Steve have come home without her noticing? She hurried into the kitchen, only to stop in disappointment when she saw Steve's phone lying on the table, just as it stopped ringing. A sinking feeling washed over her as she picked it up, seeing a list of missed calls on the display. Mary had tried to reach Steve earlier that afternoon, and the last few calls were from Danny and the Governor. Catherine swallowed hard. What did that mean? What had happened? Had someone kidnapped Steve?
With trembling fingers, she called Danny.
"Catherine. Is everything alright? I haven't been able to reach Steve."
"Danny, I don't know. I just found his phone in the kitchen, and the Silverado is gone."
Catherine could hear Danny typing on his keyboard.
"I can't track the car."
"Danny, what's going on?"
"Do you think he…?"
Catherine covered her mouth with her hand. For a brief moment, the thought had crossed her mind, but he wouldn't do that to her, would he?
"I'm coming over."
"Thank you," she whispered, her voice shaky.
Ten minutes later, Danny arrived to find Catherine in tears, overwhelmed by the worst scenarios running through her mind. He pulled her into a comforting hug, gently rubbing her back. He had never seen her like this. Catherine had always been the tough counterpart to Steve, but Helen's death had taken a toll on her, too, and Steve's sudden disappearance was the last straw.
Danny tried to defuse the situation a bit. "Maybe he just needed to clear his head. You know Steve. Did you check if anything else is missing, besides his car?"
Catherine shook her head. She hadn't thought of that. In the bedroom, she noticed his duffel bag and some clothes were gone. Breathing a little easier, she calmed down slightly.
Following an instinct, she opened the door to Helen's room. Immediately, she understood why Steve had left. On Helen's nightstand lay Liana's diary, open, with the ultrasound photo slipped between the pages. Catherine entered the room and sat down on Helen's bed. This wasn't how she had wanted Steve to find out he was going to be a father again.
Danny came in, and when he saw the tears streaming down Catherine's face again, he sat beside her, putting an arm around her. He looked at the picture she had taken from the diary.
"You're pregnant?"
Catherine nodded.
"Danny, I couldn't bring myself to tell him. He was so overwhelmed with grief. I just couldn't do it. But this... this isn't how he should have found out."
She looked at Danny with her tearful eyes.
"Do you think he'll forgive me and come back?"
Danny nodded.
"He needs time, and we should give it to him. And if not, we'll find him. We always do."
He gave her a gentle squeeze. "And until then, I'm here for you, okay?"
She nodded through her tears.
"Thank you, Danny."
