Joe had called around and discovered that a van had just checked into a cabin far out in the woods. Police cars quickly drove down the small trail. Frank had a feeling his daughter was close.
Tonio heard the sirens and quickly got in the car and bailed, leaving Patricia alone in the cabin.
"What do I say?" she asked.
"Tell them I'm on my way to San Fran," he said before driving off.
When Fenton turned off the ignition, Frank made a quick bolt to his seatbelt. Joe stopped him.
"Wait, the car's gone."
"Yeah, but there's his wife!" Frank exclaimed.
Fenton and two other cops walked over to her. However, she sprinted towards the warehouse.
"That's where Charlotte is!" Frank exclaimed sprinting after her.
Joe followed behind along with the cops. Frank couldn't get the door open. He raised his foot and kicked the door in. On the floor sat a weak Charlotte, standing next to her was Patricia. The gun in Patricia's hand was pointed at the cops. Frank took one step forward.
"Don't take another step!" she screamed pointing the gun at Charlotte. Charlotte whimpered and let a single tear fall.
"Patricia?" Charlotte whispered.
"I won't let them take you, Gianna!"
" We won't arrest you, just tell us where Tonio went."
"I know what you'll do! You'll take Gianna away! You can't take my Gia!" Patricia yelled.
"No, just put the gun down. Where's Tonio?"
" He's going to cross the border to meet a drug dealer!" she said telling the truth," You're too late!"
"Just put the gun down and I'll be yours, forever." Charlotte said.
"I know, we'll be together soon." Patricia said.
Before she could shoot Charlotte, a cop shot her in the foot. Frank immediately ran over to his daughter. He held back tears as he saw how frail and sick she was.
"You found me. I'm going to be okay," she muttered before passing out.
"Get an ambulance!" Frank yelled.
Joe ran over and checked for any pulse.
"It's weak." he said.
"Gianna!" Patricia cried as she was getting cuffed.
"Her name isn't Gianna!" Frank yelled.
Fenton put Patricia in the back of the cop car and sped off to the local jail. The Amber alert was lifted a couple minutes later.
Three EMTs quickly got her onto a stretcher and Frank rode with them to the hospital. It took exactly fifteen minutes for them to get her to the hospital. She was then taken to ICU. Joe walked over to the phone to call Laura.
Laura ran to the phone and quickly answered it.
"They got her. She's in ICU."
Whenever Laura hung up the phone, everyone crowded around her.
"She's in ICU," she muttered.
"Oh my, they found her. Three days. She must be so sick." Callie said hysterically.
"Will she be okay now?" Margaret asked.
"I hope so," Iola told her.
Back in ICU, they were able to get her pulse back up and her body temp up. The whole time that they poked and prodded, Frank held her ice cold hand. Her eyelids would flutter, then she'd go back to sleep. The doctor started to raise the bed.
"We're life-flighting her back to Bayport General Hospital," he told them.
Joe walked Frank to the car and spoke to him as he talked. However, Frank kept his gaze on the helicopter holding his daughter. He was almost in denial. Frank was hoping it was all a twisted dream. Downstairs he would hear her laughing or running around and they'd joke about how silly such a dream could be.
" What if-" Frank started.
"No what ifs, just be thankful we found her before it was too late." Joe replied.
The drive was a blur in his memory as Frank drifted off to a reluctant slumber.
