Kate turned to Peter as they left the hotel after they had spent the last half an hour working on making sure the kids and Frank and Leslie were settled in. Frank was already grumbling about the expense, and Kate had been forced to drag Peter away so then he couldn't punch the cheapskate in the face.
Frank had taken one look around the luxurious suite, and instead of keeping his grumbling mouth closed, he was mouthing off about the expense, ignoring the awkwardness of his wife and children. Even now, even after everything that had happened, Frank just refused to get it into his head.
Kate had had enough of Frank.
He had been a misery the whole time, and even now he was saying nasty things about how this was all Kevin's fault and was even blaming Megan for not being a good girl, but by that point even she had been ready to punch his lights out. And something told her Leslie agreed with her. Kate was good at reading Leslie. The sheer annoyance and the pathetic apology in Leslie's eyes told her "I'm doing my best to shut him up, but he won't listen."
By the time the couple had left the lobby and were standing shivering in the night air of New York City, the reality hit them. They were leaving the warmth and comparative safety of a large hotel to look for their eldest daughter and youngest son because of the overzealousness of a hotel concierge and Kevin's flight or fight impulses.
"Thanks for getting me away from Frank, honey," Kate was pulled out of her thoughts by Peter's voice, and she turned to him. "I was so close to punching him."
"I could tell, and I think everybody else could, too," Kate said wryly.
Peter chuckled before he looked out into the street. "Where are you gonna start? New York is a large place, and it's not a good one to begin looking."
Kate had visited New York once before, a very long time ago, and she had some memory of the city. In her memory was Rob's old home here. She had decided to visit that place to see if Megan and Kevin were both there, that was only one place she could visit. But truthfully she was out of her depth. She would be completely by herself searching for her kids in a massive metropolis.
"I don't know," she admitted with a sigh. "I think I'll just wander around while trying to keep a map of where I'm going in mind. I'm going to try Times Square, your brother's place. I'm hoping Kevin and Megan went there and are there now. What about you?"
"I don't know how much luck I'll have with the police, Kate. Maybe they won't do much, but I'll do the best I can, but I'll do my best to find you. The only problem is with that is I'm worried we might miss each other, or get lost," Pete went on.
Kate sighed when she realised he was right. "What do you suggest we do?"
Peter was silent before he looked up at the hotel. "We check here, see if the other is back, and there's also a chance Kevin could be dragged here by Megan."
Kate sent him a sceptical look. She wasn't even sure if Megan would be able to make Kevin do that, but at the same time, it was a good idea. And she said as much. "That's a good plan," she agreed. "At the same time, we could check on the others. When should we first meet?"
Peter checked his watch, fighting fatigue. "It's gonna be midnight in a quarter of an hour," he commented. "Let's go for….1:15?"
The idea of walking around New York City instead of being asleep didn't appeal to Kate, but she would walk through hell itself if it meant finding her missing children. "I'll do my best," she replied, wondering if she could even make it back in time.
Peter, bless him, smiled, but it was marred by worry. "I hate the thought of you going out alone without help."
"We could go out together?" Kate suggested. "I don't have that much faith in the police. I mean they didn't do much last year, did they?"
Peter rubbed the back of his neck in thought. The idea was tempting for him and he wanted to do it. Better still he would be there for his wife, unlike the year before, and on top of that he'd be reassured she was safe. Plus with the pair of them out there together they could cover more ground in the same place.
That's when he made up his mind.
"Yeah, forget the police," Peter nodded, smiling and his grin widened when he saw the bright smile of relief on Kate's face. Together they both went out into the city. They had no idea how long it would take, but right now they would stay out for weeks if they needed to.
"Where do we start?"
"Does it matter? This is New York."