Adam [BOOK ONE]

XV

It only took two days after we filed a missing person report for Dr. Baker to be spotted. We were hopeful as we went down to the station, wanting to find out anything that could bring him home sooner. We got to the station to find a man that gave a vague report of seeing someone with grey hair and a lab coat and then asked if there was a reward involved. That was one week ago and we were slowly creeping up to two weeks with no sign of the doctor. Adam was a wreck. His every waking minute spent on finding and bringing Dr. Baker home. I don't know what kind of bond they built from living together, but it was impeccably strong.

"We should let the police do their job," I sighed as Adam printed out another missing person sign.

"Cause they've been really good at that right?"

The sign was promising a five hundred dollar reward for any information, two hundred and fifty more dollars than the previous ones he had printed out.

"Adam-"

"Elena," his eyes lowered, "let me do this. Please."

"Why are you so close to him?"

"I'd do the same thing for you. You both mean a lot to me, you're the only family I have. I would die if someone takes my family from me again."

I nodded, "do you want me to make us some coffee, it's probably going to be a late night."

"Yeah, sure."

"How do you like yours?"

"Black," he winked with a smile.

"Cheeky," I peeled myself off of the couch and went to the kitchen. My coffee machine was an older model so while it booted up, I found the beans and pulled the cream and sugar from the fridge. I started the process of making the actual coffee, returning back to the living room after grabbing us both a bag of chips.

"Any calls?"

Adam rolled his eyes, "the usual. I saw some random guy, I don't remember what he looked like but I might for some money."

"Maybe we should take the reward off of the signs, we can tell people about it when we get the information."

"It's a double-edged sword, we don't put it and no one cares," he sighed, "We put it and people give us false hope."

"What do you think happened to him," I whispered.

Adam shook his head, "I don't know. I just want him back home, where he belongs."

"Have you talked to his kids?"

He shook his head again, "I don't even know their names. He honestly never talked about them, he didn't even mention them after his wife's funeral. They all kind of just went their separate ways."

The coffee maker did its signature ding signaling that it was done. I poured some into of the mugs that had been gifted to me over the years and bought one out to Adam and sat the other one in front of me.

"Good shit," he nodded.

"Thank you, black just like you like it."

He winked again before breaking out into a smile. After seeing him frowned up for almost two weeks a genuine smile felt good. We continued our work, Adam making signs and sending emails and me making phone calls to various businesses and houses in the area. The night inched on and when I finally looked at the time it was almost three o'clock in the morning.

"Adam, we should-"

He didn't say anything, he slid next to me on the couch and laid his head back.