My-Serendipity.net - Echoes in the Silence

His eyes were open but the room was cold and dark. Rays of morning light snuck through the gaps of the frame and pulled him from the covers. Tiny bumps covered his arms as he walked toward the door, feeling the emanating heat as he neared. He craved the other side, hoping the warmth and the light would bring hope to his troubled mind. Turning the knob did nothing. He pushed and then pulled, but the door was as steadfast as his resolve to get through it. Frustration trumping patience, he slammed into it, shoulder first. When it didn’t move he hit it again and again, his force growing with each hit until it finally burst open.

The sun blinded him. While his eyes struggled to adjust, he felt the warmth and soft grass beneath his feet. Slowly he made out trees in the distance and a crystal blue sky. He walked, unsure why or to where and then he saw her resting on the grass in the distance. Arms folded behind her head, the fabric of her olive tank top pulled up, exposing just a hint of skin between its bottom and the top of stark white Capri pants. With closed eyes, her lips set in a natural smile, she looked calm and at peace.

"What took you so long?" she said with eyes still shut to the sun. "You almost missed the best part."

"The door was stuck," he explained as he lay down next to her, still taking in his surroundings. "Have you been here long without me?"

"I’m never without you Love," she smiled brighter.

Rolling to his side, he put his hand over the exposed skin of her stomach but what he felt didn’t match his memory. What should have been warm from the sun was cold. The softness of her skin was rough under his touch. "I miss you."

"I’ve been here the whole time."

"But the door…"

"It’s open now. That’s what’s important. I was hoping you wouldn’t miss another sunset."

"But it’s sunrises that you love." Hayden scooted closer to her, brushing away the momentary realization that nothing around him had a scent. Not the grass, the air, or more upsetting, Melissa. Thinking could wait. "Where are we?"

"Together," she said simply.

"I was going to guess Central Park." A chuckle escaped his throat, lifting his burdens just a tiny bit. "Together works, but we’re missing one. Where’s Kona?" Peacefulness ebbed and panic surged. Lifting his torso up on one elbow, he looked down on her. "Melissa! Where is she?"

Her head turned toward him as her eyes opened but they weren’t the pacific blue that he expected. It only took an instant for him to realize he was staring into the dark marbled eyes of Kona, the only feature on his wife’s face that changed. "I don’t know…"

"Kona?" He brushed Melissa’s hair back from her forehead, soothing the head of a dog that wasn’t there. "It’s going to be ok…we’re here…we’re searching for you."

"I can’t help her…"

"Yes you can, I know you can." Her eyes became glassy and then began to fade.

"Her scent is fading…"

"KONA!" he pleaded. "I’m here girl …I’ll get you…"

"Hurry"

Something pulled at his shoulders, trying to turn him, but he fought it. "Where are you? Tell me where and I’ll come…" but before she could answer he was in the hotel room again, sitting up in his bed, covered in sweat. Tove’s hands steadied his shoulders.

"Hey, you ok?"

"Yeah." He wasn’t. "Dream." The early part was anyway.

The lies were easily recognizable. As he caught his breath and regained some composure, his phone chimed with a text message. Diving across the bed, he hit it clumsily, knocking it off the table and having to retrieve it by reeling it in by the charging cable like it was a trout.

"Press at PD. Pap at impound and diner," he read.

"Jason?" Hayden nodded. "Ok, go take a shower. I’ll check with Eric and listen to the news." He got another nod in response as he got out of bead and headed to the bathroom. "Hayden?" He stopped to look back at his brother. "Were they together?"

"I hope so." The despair in his voice filled the room. "She just said ‘hurry’."

It was Tove’s turn to nod. He’d long ago quit questioning the validity of the bond that his brother shared with Melissa. He called Eric to tell him about the text message, but didn’t mention the nightmare. He and Beth had been watching television but missed the local news broadcasts. So far all they had seen was a banner on the E! channel stating at a missing poster was being distributed. It wouldn’t be long before the media confirmed the tabloids. Eric gave it a few hours, Tove a great deal less.

With the sound of Hayden still in the shower, Tove walked over to the pictures on his nightstand looking at Melissa’s smile in each. She was so many things to so many people. Beautiful, intelligent, motivated, strong, caring…all were traits that he continued to try and find for himself without success. Right or wrong, since the time after the shooting, when he really got to know her, the women he met had been measured against her example.

"Hey…" Caught up in his own thoughts, he didn’t hear Hayden come out of the bathroom. A towel wrapped around his waist, he was drying his hair with another one, watching and speaking softly. "I know you’ve done most of the work, organizing everything. I should have asked before, but how are you holding up?"

"You know…I can only imagine what it’s like to be you. There are times when I’ve been everything from envious to thankful but now…" He tilted his head back and looked at the ceiling, hoping his brother didn’t notice the sorrow burning at the brims of his eyes. "I’m just worried." he said honestly. "I’m worried for you and for her and for Kona."

"I know you are, but in case I ever forget to tell you – I’m worried about you too."

"Don’t…"

"Too late," he interrupted. "You were the last person with her. You got to see her, talk to her, save her from Dads dancing."

"If I had known, Hayden, I swear – I never would have let her out of my sight."

"There is a lot of that going around," he offered, putting his hand on his older brother’s shoulder. "Let’s get to the station and see if they have anything new."

*~*~*~*~*~*

Jason had prepared them and still it was strange to pull up to the small police station and find barricades being set up to keep back the onlookers. There were television news crews mixed in with the paparazzi, most of whom probably spent the night on a red eye flight without much more than their camera equipment and maybe, if they had been lucky, a change of clothes.

As Beth parked the car, Hayden looked forward and not at the crowd. "You want me to handle them?" Tove offered, but was waved off by a shake of the head. "Ok, let me know if you change your mind."

It took only a moment for the frenzy to begin. Tove blocked as best he could, soon joined by two men in suits from inside the building while the cameras surged in and around, yelling questions without invitation.

"Hayden! Are you worried? Hayden! Have you heard from her? Hayden! Do you think she’s gone underground?"

That one made him raise his eyebrows in a bit of amusement. If she had, they would have been the reason.

"Hayden! Do you think she’s fallen victim to another fan?"

As much entertainment that the previous questions had garnered, that one tipped the scale the other direction and stopped him in his tracks. For as many times as he had wondered it himself, no one had asked – until now. "I do not," he stated with a solid presence. "What happened before was the result of mental illness, not crazed fandom."

They had his attention now and Tove headed back to help if necessary.

"Do you think she’s run away?"

"I do not." Did they think she was twelve?

"Do you think she and her dog are still together?

"I hope they are. They look out for each other."

"Do you have any leads at all?"

"Not yet…at least none that I know of. I need to get inside," and with that he turned and walked into the police station with his brother at his back.

There were no new leads that morning, or that afternoon. The foursome spent their time calling hospitals, veterinarians, and search groups in ever widening distances. The national media had confirmed the tabloids sources and by the noon broadcasts, it was a top story. With full exposure, someone had to have seen her he rationalized, but with each passing hour, he became wearier. The Chief had given him back the photos from two days before and when he felt hope fading, he would look at them and remember their strength and determination. Even when they weren’t beside him, they still gave him hope.

It was during one of those hopeful periods in the late afternoon that his cell phone rang. "Hey Karen, any news from your end?" Faintly he heard "I can’t" and the rustling of the phone being handed off. His stomach clinched. "Hello? Karen?"

"It’s Garry."

"Garry, is Karen ok?"

"Hayden she got a call…Kona’s microchip was scanned."

"Scanned? Where?"

The edge to his voice had alerted the others. Unaware of the eyes boring into him, he listened to Garry’s voice. "Haslett, Michigan."

"Where is Haslett?" The question directed to both Garry and the room.

"It’s about sixty miles southwest of the accident site."

"Is Melissa with her? Who scanned the chip? Are they with a vet? I’m going to need the address." Someone put a pad of paper and a pen in front of him but he wasn’t paying attention to who it was. He needed answers.

"Hayden…" He could hear Karen crying in the distant background and the feel of the blood rush from his face.

"Garry please," his voice barely a whisper, he closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. "Please tell me they’re ok."

"I’m sorry," the words hit Hayden like a Title fight knockout, to the point where he physically doubled over. "Kona was alone."

"Is she…" The word ‘alive’ caught in his throat. Asking it would open the door to an answer he wasn’t ready to hear.

"She’s in serious condition. They’re doing all they can and a vet is on the way, but..."

"But what?"

"You should hurry."

Garry was a big man, a gentle giant to those who knew him, but hearing his voice crack caused Hayden’s hands to begin to shake. "We will. Call them back, tell them I’m coming as fast as I can…tell them to tell her I’ll be there soon, that I’m not that far. Give them my number."

"I will. I’ll send the address to your phone. Call us when you can."

"Tell them Garry," he pleaded. "She needs to know I’m on my way. She needs to know she’s not alone…"

"I will have them hold the phone to her ear if I have to Hayden, but I promise you, she will know."

He clicked his phone to end the call with a mumble meant to be a ‘thank you’, only then realizing that the room was staring at him. "Kona’s in Haslett. I have to hurry." Locking eyes with Tove, the meaning was understood.

"I’ll drive."