“Dad…” I whisper again.
But there’s no answer. Just the water. Just the wind. Just the endless, suffocating quiet of being completely alone.
Time stretches. Minutes. Hours. I don’t know. The sky darkens slowly, the last light fading until everything is swallowed in shadows.
I’m still here. Still waiting. And then—a sound. Faint at first. I lift my head, straining to hear it over the rushing water. A low thrum growing louder. My heart leaps into my throat.
“No way…”
I push myself up onto my knees, scanning the sky.
And then I see it. Lights cutting through the darkness. A helicopter.
“Hey!” I scream, my voice raw, waving my arms wildly. “I’m here! I’m here!”
The helicopter circles once, then again—and then it steadies right above me. Wind blasts down from the rotors, whipping my hair around my face, nearly knocking me sideways as I brace myself against the roof.
A rope drops. My breath catches. And then—a figure slides down. Landing on the roof like it’s nothing. I freeze.
For a second, everything goes still. Even with the storm. Because something in my chest recognizes him before my mind does. He straightens, turning toward me, his gear slick with rain, his presence solid and grounding in a way that makes my knees weak.
“Willow!”
My name. That voice. It hits me like lightning.
“Garrison?”
It comes out as a breath. Impossible. But it’s him. It’s really him. He’s already moving toward me, closing the distance in seconds, his hands coming to my arms, steadying me like he’s afraid I’ll disappear.
“Hey, hey—easy,” he says, his voice rough, urgent, but there’s something else there too. Something softer. “I’ve got you.”
My chest tightens, everything rushing back all at once—the garage, the kiss, the way he looked at me?—
“Garrison,” I whisper, my hands gripping onto him without thinking.
He pulls me closer. Not hesitating. Not holding back. One arm wraps around me, solid and strong, anchoring me against him as the water lashes around us.
“You’re okay,” he murmurs, his voice right next to my ear. “You’re okay. I’m here.”
I bury my face against his chest, my body shaking, not just from the cold anymore.
“You came,” I breathe.
“Of course I did.”
Like there was never a question. Like there was never a world where he wouldn’t. His hand comes up, cradling the back of my head, holding me there for just a second longer than necessary.
“I’ve got you,” he says again, softer now. “I’m not going anywhere.”
My heart stutters. Because that sounds like more than just a rescue. He pulls back just enough to look at me, his eyes searching my face, intense and focused.
“Listen to me,” he says. “We’re getting you out of here, alright? I’m going to get you up to that helicopter, and you’re going to be safe.”
I nod quickly, even though my hands don’t want to let go of him.
“Okay.”
His grip tightens slightly, like he feels it too.
