37 | ❝ NICE BAD BEGINNINGS... ❞

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CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN

❝ NICE BAD BEGINNINGS... ❞

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[season 3, episode 2 + own storyline]

LISSIE POV

THE SANTA MONICA PIER WAS THE PERFECT ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS ALIKE. The sun illuminated almost every corner, and Lissie sometimes had to squint because her sunglasses weren't doing their job as they should. It was hot, but a gentle, crisp breeze ruffled her hair and made the whole day very pleasant.

Marrie held her hand so she wouldn't get lost in the crowd, and Buck was responsible for watching over a large stuffed animal that looked like a turtle. The mascot was twice as big as its owner and was certainly meant to join its other friend, a unicorn that she had received for her birthday.

"Your mum's going to go crazy when she sees what you've won," commented Lissie, looking at the huge turtle. "Maybe next time you play, choose something else, eh?"

"Excuse me," Buck looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Do you have a problem with us winning the best prizes?"

"No," she shook her head, "but that one's eye is about to fall out."

She pointed to the plastic eye, which was barely hanging on by a thread.

"It's still cute," Marrie replied.

"See?" Buck looked at Lissie with a satisfied smile. "You just don't know any better. And you're jealous because we're the champions at winning, aren't we, Marrie?"

"Is that how you want to play?" Lissie crossed her arms over her chest and looked at him defiantly. "Wait until we play basketball. You don't stand a chance against me."

"Want to find out?"

"Uncle, honestly, you don't stand a chance. Auntie and Mum played in Chicago almost every day. She practically never misses."

"I think I need to see that with my own eyes."

"No problem, but I warn you, you may not be able to handle the defeat," Lissie smiled broadly. "You'll regret not giving up earlier."

"We'll see about that."

A few minutes later, they found a basketball shooting stand. Nash rubbed her hands together and made it a point of honour to show Buck that they couldn't beat her at this one thing. Although, it had to be said that at first, all three were on a similar level. Marrie was the first to drop out, which she probably did on purpose so she could stand aside and watch her favourite aunt and uncle compete with each other.

"Are you even trying?" Lissie joked when she noticed Buck miss his throw again, while she herself made a flawless one, earning more points.

"Shut up," he said, laughing. "It's just broken."

Lissie raised her eyebrow.

"Sure, explain it that way," she replied and scored again, winning the game. "Yes!" She threw her hands up in a triumphant gesture. "Nash scores the last two points and wins the game! Ladies and gentlemen, you only see something like this once in a lifetime! An unforgettable experience!"

Lissie pointed at herself and then performed a short victory dance, which made both Marrie and Buck laugh. The girl high-fived her goddaughter and chose a new mascot for herself.

Buck looked at her with feigned disbelief, slipping his hand under the strap of Marrie's backpack, which he was carrying for her.

"You cheated," he shook his head amusedly. "There's no other possibility."

"You'd be surprised, but there is such a thing as skill."

"Oh, really?" He leaned over her, lowering his voice. "We'll see about that next time."

"You can dream on, Buckley, but the truth is, you're going to lose anyway."

THEY DECIDED TO TAKE A BREAK FOR LUNCH. Buck ordered a corn dog for each of them, got himself a burger, and placed a whole tray of chips between them.

"You'd better get that stuff out of the frame, because if Rosie sees all that fast food, she'll give us hell," she said to Lissie as she took her phone out of her backpack. She turned on the camera and took a quick photo to send to her friend.

She reached for her corn dog to start eating it, but while she was busy waiting for Rosie's reply, she didn't notice Buck stealing a bite of her meal.

"Hey!" she cried indignantly when she saw him looking at her innocently. "Is this how you want to get back at me for beating you?"

"You weren't watching this closely enough," he said with his mouth full.

"You're lucky Marrie is here," she pointed at him, "otherwise you'd be dying in agony."

Marrie giggled cheerfully, and Lissie, to be fair, reached for his burger and took a bite herself before he realised.

For a moment, they ate in peace and good spirits. Lissie did not expect the day to be so pleasant, and Marrie was bursting with joy. She even had the impression that her goddaughter was having one of the best days of her life. The young girl was telling them what she would name her new prizes and what she would do with them when she got home, when the sound of a siren could be heard in the distance. Lissie immediately looked in that direction — she couldn't help herself — and noticed the paramedics from the fire department who had rushed to the rescue. She looked away from them, only to see a change in Buck's mood. All his joy had vanished, and she knew exactly why.

She put her hand on his shoulder, and when he looked at her, she smiled reassuringly.

"It's not over, Buck," she said quietly, so that only he could hear her. "I'm sure you'll be back at work soon."

Buckley just nodded.

After lunch, they decided to take a short walk to get some exercise. They walked from one end of the pier to the other until they finally found a free bench and sat down to rest. Marrie stood up higher to get a better view of the ocean, and Lissie turned her face towards the sun.

No one could take away their peace and joy.

Lissie came to the conclusion that perhaps the plan she and Rosie had devised to get Buck back on his feet was slowly beginning to work.

"I have an idea," said Marrie, looking down at her aunt and uncle. Lissie just grunted, letting her know she was listening. "You should consider it a date."

Nash almost choked on her breath and blushed when Buck looked as embarrassed as she did.

"You've been reading romance novels again, haven't you?" Buck joked, trying to save face and turn it into a joke. "Your aunt shouldn't buy you so many of them."

He nudged Lissie in the side, and she hit him on the arm and laughed cheerfully.

"Says the guy who doesn't read books at all," she stuck her tongue out at him.

Marrie rolled her eyes somewhere above them and gave up trying to convince them of her point. At least for now.

"I have another question," Buck said, and Marrie looked back at them. "Have you thought about what you want to do with your life? What do you want to be when you grow up?"

The young girl didn't answer right away, and Lissie opened one eye to look at her. Marrie watched the unusually calm ocean for a moment, then finally nodded.

"I want to be a firefighter," she finally replied, surprising them both. "And a paramedic. Just like mum and dad, but don't tell them that."

"Why don't you want them to know?" Lissie asked.

"They won't agree anyway," she shrugged. "They'll say it's dangerous work and they won't want me to put myself at risk."

"You don't know that... They'll definitely support you in whatever decision you make. Besides, you still have some time before you talk to them about it."

"Just don't tell them, seriously. I know you have big mouths."

"Excuse me?" Lissie was immediately indignant. "Young lady, watch your mouth. If anyone's a gossip, it's Buck, not me."

"I beg your pardon!"

Buckley defended himself, and Marrie just chuckled cheerfully.

"They'll want to try to change my mind," Marrie said, firmly convinced of her thesis.

"You don't know that," Buck assured her. "Besides, Lissie's right. You still have some time."

"They'll support you," Nash repeated.

"What if this idea doesn't work out?" Buck asked her.

"I don't know... I guess I'll try to find something I love. That's what it's all about, right?"

"There's a lot of wisdom in that, definitely."

Lissie smiled.

"Whatever you do in the future..." Buck began, and Lissie grabbed his hand, seeing that his thoughts about missing his chance had returned. "I hope you find meaning in it, because that's how you'll find out who you are and learn about the rest of your life. It's a wonderful feeling."

"I think you'll come back to the fire department," Marrie replied. "You should listen to others, especially Mum and Aunt Lissie."

"You're probably right..."

"Of course I am!" Marrie smiled. "Auntie? What did you want to be when you were my age?"

"Me?" she repeated, and the other two looked at her with interest. "A criminologist. The person who examines all kinds of evidence. I watched a lot of crime series as a child, that's why."

"Not bad... How did you end up not becoming one?"

"A collision with reality, but I don't regret it."

Lissie turned towards the ocean and then noticed that something was wrong. Just a moment ago, she could hear the gentle sound of the waves and the splashing sound as they hit the pier — now there was silence. She stood up from her seat to get a better view of what was happening and then noticed that the water under the boardwalk had completely disappeared. It seemed as if the tide was about to come in, but the wave that appeared on the horizon was too big and, worse still, it was growing with every second.

Something squeezed her heart and anxiety spread throughout her body. She felt as if she couldn't move because the sight of the approaching wave seemed almost unreal.

"Buck!" she cried in terror, and when she looked to the side, she saw that he had noticed it too.

"We have to get out of here," he replied immediately, picking Marrie up in his arms. "Stay close to me, you hear?"

Lissie just nodded, and then, as they stood, they ran forward, calling to the rest to escape from the pier. She turned around only for a moment, just as they were almost at the end of the promenade, but the wave was much closer than she had expected. Up close, it was even bigger, even more dangerous.

When Buck did the same thing and then looked at her, she knew he was thinking the same — they had no chance of escaping. They had to hide, and fast.

They stopped just in front of an abandoned toy booth, and Buck managed to hide Marrie before helping Lissie jump inside.

"Auntie?" Marrie looked at her fearfully, and she just held her tightly in her arms.

"Take a deep breath," she told her.

She noticed Buck jumping over the barrier of the booth.

And then the wave hit them with full force.

ROSIE POV

SHE TRIED TO FOCUS ON HER WORK THE WHOLE TIME, WHICH WASN'T EVEN THAT BAD. Despite everything, she couldn't shake her bad feeling. She hoped that nothing would happen, but as a mother, she couldn't stop worrying.

"How's operation Get Buck going?" asked Hen as she approached Buckley. "Did the girls get him out of the house, or not quite?"

Rosie took out her phone to show Wilson and the others a photo she had recently received from her friend.

"They've been sitting on the pier since early this morning. Lissie bragged that she beat Buck at basketball. They were going to the cinema afterwards."

"Please don't tell me you're going to check the tracker," Chim said, embarrassed. "I thought you trusted them more than that."

Eddie looked at them in surprise.

"A tracker? I didn't even put one on Chris..."

Ian approached the group to explain his origins. He was clearly regretful.

"It's partly my fault... When Marrie was four, I lost sight of her in the supermarket. Luckily, a kind old lady took care of her until I found her."

"Why am I not surprised?" Hen laughed, shaking her head. "You kind of look like the type who would lose a child anywhere..."

"I've already been reprimanded three times for it," Garcia justified himself. "Right, Rosie? Rosie?"

The girl stood with her back to everyone, staring at her phone screen. The tsunami alert that popped up made her almost faint.

Why couldn't her intuition be wrong for once?

WHEN THEY ARRIVED AT THE SCENE, THE SIGHT OF WHAT JUST TWO WAVES HAD DONE SHOCKED BUCKLEY, EVEN WITH ALL HER EXPERIENCE. She hoped that her brother, daughter and best friend were all right. She tried to convince herself that they must have been off the pier when the wave hit.

However, the longer she thought about it, the less certain she became.

"I'm sure they're fine," said Chim, who could see how much this was affecting her. He wanted to try to calm her down somehow. "They're tough, you know that better than anyone..."

She felt his hand on her shoulder and looked at her beloved.

"How can you be so sure?" Her voice trembled. "How can you be so calm? Our only child is out there somewhere, and you..."

"One of us has to be calm. Besides, don't think I'm not worried, because inside I'm a bundle of nerves. But we have a job to do, and I don't think I need to remind you of that, do I?"

She nodded. He was right — they had to go and help the victims.

"As for your first question," he said as they headed toward the rest of the team, "I know Marrie is safe and sound because she's just like her mother. She knows how to get herself out of trouble, just like you..."

He put his arm gently around her to comfort her, which lifted her spirits a little.

"Let's get to work," Buckley replied, pulling herself together.

LISSIE POV

SHE FELT LIKE SHE WAS DROWNING. Water was everywhere, she could feel it in every inch of her body. Her chest was screaming for air, but it wouldn't come. Lissie tried to find a place from which she could swim out — she kicked her legs and arms, trying to lift herself as high as possible, but all her attempts were in vain.

The water was merciless.

People said that fires were the most dangerous. And there was some truth in that, but water was just as unpredictable. It only took a moment for disaster to strike.

Something hit her in the stomach with full force and pushed her deeper into the water. She felt that it was the end, that she couldn't make it, but she couldn't give up. Not now, when it seemed that life was finally taking on colour... She braced herself and began to move her arms and legs, trying to keep up the same steady pace.

Her efforts were not in vain, because the water began to clear, and she finally managed to reach the surface. Water ran down her face and salt stung her eyes, but none of that mattered when she could finally breathe. She gasped for air as if she were doing it for the first time in her life.

When she managed to catch her breath, she tried to figure out where she had landed, but what she saw... There were no words to describe it. The city had simply disappeared, leaving behind only a huge flood that had inundated not only the streets, but also cars and houses. She saw no trace of what might once have been the promenade where she had walked with Marrie and Buck not so long ago, which meant only one thing: the water had pulled her away in a direction known only to itself.

"Marrie!" she shouted hoarsely, trying to locate her goddaughter. "Buck!"

All she could hear was the sound of water, which seemed to be coming from all sides, but also from inside her own head. She called out to them again, but as before, no one answered. She felt her heart pounding in her chest at the thought that she had lost them, that Marrie had slipped out of her grasp, and she was responsible for her... Tears welled up in her eyes because she couldn't let her disappear. She had to be here somewhere, she had to save her...

Otherwise, Rosie would never forgive her, and she would never forgive herself.

"Lissie!"

Someone screamed in terror, and she felt shivers run through her body. She knew that voice, she had heard it thousands of times, but she never wanted it to sound so terrified.

"Marrie!" she screamed, trying to locate the girl. The nine-year-old was holding on tightly to the open car window, but she was clearly struggling against the current that was pushing her from all sides. "Don't move!"

She hoped she had heard her, but to be sure, she didn't wait for confirmation and immediately moved towards her. The current tried to push her back to where she had started, but she didn't give up. Her muscles burned mercilessly, her stomach and arm hurt even more, but she had to swim to her and save her.

"I'm coming!" she shouted again, and this time she saw Marrie nod. She immediately squealed as the car began to lose its balance. "I'll be right there! Hold on tight!"

"I can't..."

"You can!"

The closer she got to Marrie, the more she could see that the situation was getting worse by the second. The car, which had been a temporary refuge, was half submerged and swayed with every movement Marrie made. Lissie prayed that she would make it in time. She asked for nothing else — only that she would reach her goddaughter in time.

"Got you!" Lissie grabbed Marrie with one arm. She braced herself against the bonnet of the car with her hand, but quickly moved away from it when it started to sink. She made it just in time. "Hold on tight, okay?"

"Auntie, I'm scared," Marrie cried into her ear, grabbing her neck tightly, almost choking her.

"I know, sweetheart," Lissie ran her hand down her back, trying to find something that would keep them afloat. "But we'll get out of this, I promise. Do you trust me?" Marrie just nodded. "Good girl. Look..." Lissie pointed to the other side of the street, where broken lampposts still stood, with the remains of decorations still hanging between them. "See that rope? The one from the festival decorations?"

"Yes, but..."

"We have to swim to it."

Marrie looked at her in horror.

"I can't swim that far!" She shook her head. "It's too far."

"You can do it, don't worry. I'll be right behind you, Flower. Just keep your eyes on the rope and don't turn away from it. Okay?"

"I can't do it!"

"Marrie!" Lissie forced her to look at her. She saw tears in her eyes and didn't blame her, because she felt helpless herself. "We have to move from here, otherwise the current will push us further and separate us again. I'm with you the whole time, you hear? I'll protect you, I promise."

Marrie finally decided to believe her. She let go of her — very uncertainly — and moved towards the rope floating on the surface. Lissie dived right behind her, keeping an eye on her the whole time.

"You're doing great!" she called out to Marrie, seeing that she was getting closer with every moment.

The young girl reached for the rope once, but missed, and tried again. This time her fingers clamped down on it tightly, and after a moment Lissie swam up to her, protecting her with her arm.

WHEN BUCK FOUND THEM, LISSIE COULD NOT HOLD BACK HER TEARS. There were no words she could use to describe the fact that he was fine, at least as far as she could tell after they had been swept away by the tsunami. Buck held her in his arms a little longer than usual, and then helped them climb onto the roof of a fire truck, which seemed to be the only thing standing steady amid the overwhelming flood.

Lissie leaned against the top of the vehicle, and Marrie immediately leaned against her shoulder. Buck sat opposite them and leaned his head forward, trying to catch his breath after swimming the last few metres. She could see several scratches on his face, and she had also been injured, as the pain in her arm she had felt earlier turned out to be a minor cut. Buck gave her a piece of his shirt to make at least a temporary bandage.

"Buck?" she said quietly, but he heard her immediately. When he looked at her, she saw almost the same thing she felt, but for Marrie's sake, they couldn't completely break down. "Are you all right?"

"Yes," he nodded, resting his elbows on his knees. "How are you feeling?"

"It's not a five-star hotel," she replied, and he snorted briefly. "It's fine," she assured him. "We'll manage."

"What if not?" Marrie asked in terror. Lissie looked at her and immediately saw how she was clutching the locket in her fingers, which contained a photo of her parents. It also had an additional function, as it concealed a locator that Rosie had attached to her daughter since Ian lost her while looking after her in Chicago. "What if no one finds us? We're stuck. We have no way to save ourselves... We'll die, that's for sure. I don't want to die."

At that moment, Marrie resembled her mother, who, like her, began to talk incessantly in stressful, emotional situations. Lissie kissed her on the head and tightened her embrace around her little body, exchanging a meaningful glance with Buck.

"We're safe now," she assured her, trying to calm her down. "The others surely know what happened and are looking for us."

"It will be a long time before they find us... if they ever do."

"Hey," Buck nudged the young girl's knee so she would look at him. "We're here together. Neither I nor Aunt Lissie will let anything happen to you."

"I'm afraid I'll never see my parents again," the young girl sobbed loudly, completely breaking down. She hugged Lissie tightly, and Lissie rubbed her back, letting her cry.

Marrie had always been brave like her parents, but she was still just a child who could be afraid and didn't understand many things. Lissie's heart ached at the sight, because she never wanted Marrie to have to go through something like this. However, life was unpredictable, and all she could do now was be strong for her, even though she was afraid of what was to come.

"Do you remember when the bad man kidnapped me? I also thought I would never see my family again," said Lissie, stroking her goddaughter's hair. Marrie nodded but did not look at her. However, she felt Buck's gaze on her as he began to listen more closely, and she realised that she had not told him about it. "I thought that place would be the last I would ever see... Do you know what happened next?"

Marrie didn't answer, still crying into her shoulder.

"Your mum came for me," she continued, closing her eyes for a moment as she saw those moments before her eyes again. She knew it was in the past, but she wasn't sure if she would ever be able to talk or think about it without imagining what had happened then. "And she gave me strength. And then Athena and Seth saved us."

This changed the girl's attitude, because she finally lifted her tearful gaze to her.

"Do you think someone will save us?" she asked hopefully.

"I'm sure of it."

She kissed her on the forehead.

"Besides," Buck added, trying to lighten the mood a little, "we have a fire truck."

Marrie laughed briefly through her tears.

SOON AFTER, BUCK BEGAN DOING WHAT HE WAS BORN TO DO — SAVING OTHERS. It started with a woman who was screaming for help and trying to hold on to the corner of a building so she wouldn't be swept away by the current. Buck rushed to her aid, jumping from the fire truck to a flooded car and finally into the water to create a kind of safety rope to grab the woman. Lissie wanted to help him, but he ordered her to stay with Marrie, who would be even more scared if she was left alone.

In this way, their safe haven on the roof of the fire truck began to shrink, because there were several other people on it besides them.

"Camera," said Lissie when it was her turn in the game. For some time now, they had been saying words that began with the last letter of the previous one to kill the waiting time. It was certain that the emergency services had a lot of work to do, and it might take some time for them to reach them.

"Not very creative," Buck replied, laughing at her. "Right, Marrie?"

"It could be more original, that's true."

Lissie shook her head.

"I'm waiting to see what you evil geniuses come up with."

"Something much better, for sure," Buck stuck his tongue out at her. "Whose turn is it now?"

"Yours," Lissie said, looking at him expectantly. "Show me how creative you are."

"Anklet" he said, smiling at her amusedly. "See? I can surprise you."

"I don't want to play this game anymore," Marrie grumbled. The fear that seemed to have left her for a moment returned with a vengeance. "When are mum and dad coming to get us? They should have been here a long time ago..."

"They have a lot of work to do, like the rest of the firefighters... They haven't forgotten about you, Flower. They'll come, but we have to give them more time."

Marrie turned away without answering.

Buck said Lissie's name so that only she could hear him and patted her on the shoulder, pointing to the rising water. There she saw not only the remains of everyday objects, but also a broken dinghy drifting among them, with dead bodies lying on it.

Lissie turned away from Marrie so that the young girl couldn't see it.

"Mum was right," muttered the girl, clenching her fingers around her medallion. "We shouldn't have gone to the pier. She had a bad feeling, and she was right."

"We can't predict what will happen..."

"Mummy can," Marrie insisted. "If we had listened to her, we wouldn't be sitting here, and I'd be with my parents."

"And you will go back to them, sweetheart. I'll do everything I can to make that happen."

It was at that moment that the splash of water caught her attention. Someone had fallen out of the fire truck, and Buck, their hero of the day, rushed to help again. He jumped into the water, and the vehicle swayed from the sudden unbalanced weight on each side. Lissie felt Marrie slip from her handhold. All she could hear was her scream, then her own cry calling out to her, until she finally landed in the water again.

ROSIE POV

THE ROAD THEY TRAVELLED ON THE RAFTS WAS LIKE SOMETHING OUT OF A CHEAP HORROR FILM. Rosie had never seen so many bodies in her entire rescue career, and she had survived many disasters and catastrophes.

"HELP!"

Suddenly, a woman's scream pierced the silence, but at first they couldn't quite locate its source. Finally, Rosie and Chim, who were sailing in the first pontoon with Ian, noticed a woman waving at them from the deck of the yacht.

"Captain!" Rosie called out, pointing to the spot.

Bobby signalled for them to row in that direction.

When they arrived, Chim and Ian took care of the man outside, while the rest, led by the captain, went inside. There, they found that the antenna had pierced the hull, impaling the woman's son and husband like a skewer. They had little time to act, due to the rising water level.

"We need a plan," Eddie said.

"What do you suggest, Texas?" Rosie asked him.

He looked at the captain, hoping that he would suggest something as the commander. Bobby motioned for Hen and Rosie to come outside with him.

"Normally, we would transport them with the object," Hen announced. "But not when it's an antenna and a boat weighing several tonnes."

"We have to separate them, cutting everything piece by piece," Buckley added. "There is no other option."

"But..." Wilson began, but Rosie immediately interrupted her.

"You know I'm right. And if we don't try, we'll lose them. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain."

They both agreed with her and sprang into action. Ian and Eddie managed to cut through the section of the antenna between the men, allowing them to pull the younger one out. The situation with her stepfather was much worse — Bobby decided to dive down to cut the antenna from underneath the hull. Of course, Rosie decided to assist him, and since she was stubborn, no one could talk her out of it.

Fortunately, everything worked out, and the others pulled the older man out at the last possible moment. Afterwards, Buckley, along with Chim and Ian, took the injured men to dry land. At first, Bobby wanted Rosie to sail with him and Eddie towards the pier, but she swapped places with Hen. She was afraid that she would see something that belonged to Marrie, or Buck, or Lissie, or, worse, their bodies... She was sure she couldn't bear the sight, which everyone understood.

THE SITUATION WAS REALLY DRAMATIC. They may have managed to save people, but what good was that if they had no idea where to take them?

"I'm calling Maddie," Rosie said as Ian supervised the transfer of the injured men. "Maybe she can help."

"Give it a try, because Josh isn't answering," Garcia replied. "I know they've got their hands full, but maybe you'll have better luck."

The woman nodded and stepped aside to try to get through. The older sister answered after a few rings.

"Rosie?" she asked, surprised. "What's going on?"

"We have two seriously injured men and we don't know where to take them," she said, walking towards the ambulances. Chim followed her like a shadow. "Help me. Maddie Buckley, you're our only hope."

"Good point about the Star Wars reference," said the woman, and then there was a moment of silence. "But the system works."

"It's just the person managing it who's rubbish."

"That would be me," she replied, pretending to be offended.

Rosie swallowed hard, knowing she had put her foot in it.

"Great job, under difficult circumstances," she corrected herself, hoping her sister would forgive her blunder. "Have the hospitals called in all their staff?"

She could hear her sister moving around the dispatch centre during the conversation, which didn't surprise her, especially on a day like today.

"It's not about the staff, it's about the location. We need a field hospital."

"Triage on the water, then transfer to dry land."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line.

"The veterans' hospital is close to you," Maddie said. "And it hasn't been flooded."

She remembered how two months earlier, the media had mentioned the closure of the facility. The building and the surrounding area were unused, so it was the perfect place to transport the wounded.

"Did I tell you how brilliant you are?" she asked her older sister.

Maddie laughed.

"Keep saying that, and maybe we won't drop Colton off at your place next week," she joked, and Rosie rolled her eyes. "Unless that's not a problem..."

"Marrie will be in seventh heaven. We'll work something out. I've got to go."

"I'm glad I got to hear your voice," said the older Buckley. "And I'm glad Buck is far away from all this."

Rosie didn't comment. She was worried about all three of them, and she had to focus on work, and Maddie... She would like to come and look for them, but Rosa wouldn't forgive herself for that, and Seth even less so. There had been enough missing people already.

After saying goodbye, she hung up and closed her eyes, trying not to cry.

"You did the right thing by not telling Maddie," Chim said, taking her hand. "Knowing the three of you, we'd have another person to look for."

"I feel guilty about it, even though I know I did the right thing," Buckley sighed. "It's all wearing me out... I'm scared..."

Chimney hugged his beloved without saying a word. He knew it wasn't just about their little one, but also about Buck and Lissie.

"They're like cats," he said. "And they always land on their feet..."

Rosie wiped her tears. She knew Han was right, but she wished she had as much faith in herself as he did.