The flow of traffic had led him to our end of the retractable belt barriers. He was holding hands with two mousy-haired children—a boy and a girl—four and six years old. I only knew this because I knew him. He had a mustache, and his hair was receding, but not nearly as receded as the midlife crisis he once wore like a toupee.

It was Theo. The restaurant manager from Newell House.

“Theo?” I said, startled. “What are you doing here? Have you seen Ros—? Have you seen my dad?”

“Uh…” said Theo, thoroughly flustered. “He didn’t… tell you?”

I stared, blankly. “Tell me? Tell me what?”

Officer Brolin glanced between Theo and me. “Sir, you know these kids?”

“I know her. I work with her father. Or… worked with her father. He actually, um… he helped me get my new job.” He glanced nervously at me. “In Switzerland.”

“WHAT?” said Wynezra.

“You’re going with him?” I said

“Not with him,” said Theo, laughing nervously. “Roscoe actually… well, he checked himself into a rehab.”

Wynezra’s mouth was open so wide, I could have stuck my fist inside it.

“Rehab?” said Officer Brolin.

“For alcohol,” Theo clarified, eyeing the officer. He ducked under the security rope and stepped out of line. “Our flight is actually a little delayed, so I have some time. I’ll be glad to explain everything to you if these fine officers don’t mind.” Theo glared at the other officers before returning his attention to me.

“I think I know what this is all about,” he said.

Roscoe was in rehab, sure. But that wasn’t the reason he wasn’t taking the job.

Roscoe just couldn’t leave without Wynonna.

After his and Wynonna’s blowout, he realized he could never leave without her.

So, he decided to stay.

He told Leif this. But he also told him he knew a damn good chef who hated his job and hated living in Carbondale ever since his husband left. From there, things escalated very quickly. Leif was desperate, and Theo was eager to GTFO. Ba-da-bing, ba-da-boom, Leif basically agreed to fly Theo out—with accommodations—until he and his small family got on their feet.

So basically, we drove four hours to Chicago and got arrested for nothing.

But it didn’t feel like nothing. In all honesty, it felt like a very big something. The sort of something you cherish because you fought for it.

To Wynonna, I knew this something was everything.