A man and woman came out of a house on the run. Their expressions were frantic as they paused just outside the gate to their yard to look up and down the street. The woman started shouting, “Dad! Dad!”

“Here!” Sully shouted, and pointed down the alley, just as Melissa and the old man emerged.

“Look, Billy. There they are! Mona sees you. She’s going to take you home.”

“Need to go home,” Billy said.

“I know, sweetheart. Mona’s going to take you home.”

Sully’s heart went out to the couple. His mother hadn’t known anyone the last two months of her life, and she was bedridden. He couldn’t imagine what that would be like with an elderly person with dementia who was still ambulatory.

“Oh my God, Melissa! Thank you,” Mona said.

“How did you find him?” her husband asked.

“I just happened to look that way as we drove past the alley. He was all the way at the other end when I caught up with him.”

“Want to go home,” Billy said as his daughter hugged him.

“I know, Daddy. Hold my hand, and I’ll take you there.”

Like a child who trusts those who love him most, he took her hand and let them lead him away.

“Oh my lord,” Melissa said as she thrust a shaky hand through her hair. “Being responsible for an elderly parent like that would be a living nightmare.”

“You always did have a tender heart. Good job,” Sully said quietly, and hugged her. “Come on, there’s a cool car and a late lunch waiting for us.”

Melissa sighed. “That’s not the first time Billy got lost. This has been happening off and on for almost a year. They’re going to have to face the fact that they can no longer keep him safe, if they keep him at home. We all know Billy, and we look out for him.”

“People who live in Blessings are truly blessed,” Sully said, and reached for her hand as they walked back to his car. They rode the rest of the way to Granny’s in silence.

Sully pulled up into the parking lot and killed the engine.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Melissa said.

“If you’re not up to a public outing, just say the word and we can get this to go.”

Melissa frowned. “I know how I look, but I long ago quit caring about that. None of what happened to me was my fault. I’m hungry. Let’s eat.”

Sully laughed. “I’m beginning to remember why I fell so hard for you back in the day. You weren’t just a pretty girl. You had sass.”

Melissa sighed. “‘Had’ is the operative word. I traded sass for guts and somehow got over being afraid to live on my own after Andy died.”

“We are a sorry pair,” Sully said. “I’m at a dead end with my search, and life has bounced you around like a rubber ball. Maybe those biscuits waiting inside will make both of us feel better. Let’s go make friends with some food.”