Love Always (NG4)

51 - Missing

March was always a tough month in Maine. The winter stuck around too long. The winds whipped off the ocean so even sunny days felt cold, and there was often a storm or two, sometimes snow, sometimes rain, but typically a messy mix of both.

Cole considered himself to be lucky because he didn't have to leave his apartment to go to work. He looked out at the yellow grass in the backyard and longed for green. Some other scenery might be nice. Looking at the gray sky, he'd settle for some sunshine.

Feeling sorry for himself was the old Cole. With Sam still in Ohio, and Rory in school, he hadn't been able to make things right. He was afraid things were the worst they had ever been. Sam's grandmother was holding on, but being her caregiver was hard on Sam.

The family did what they could. His mother had flown out for a few days recently. He had stopped to see Sam on his way home from California for his work trip in February. All of his family, except him, had flown to Ohio on Christmas afternoon to spend some of the holiday with Sam and Dee's family. Cole would go again, but he couldn't bring Anna.

During his visit, he finally met the infamous Nonna. She was frail and stubborn. As he looked at her, he wondered why Bryan was afraid of her. He couldn't imagine Bryan had another wife, but there were pictures of her all over the house. Cole studied one of young Bryan smiling with his wife and baby son. When Cole asked Sam if it bothered him, he shrugged and looked sad.

Sam said, "My dad held that picture for a few minutes. "

The part about Cole's visit he hated the most was meeting Willow. Sam kept saying they were friends, but Cole wasn't stupid. He understood his brother had to turn to someone, but he wished to hell it was Rory. Maybe he was selfish, because he wanted Sam to come home. A part of him feared, he would give up on all of them and stay in Ohio. Even if he came home, he would be gone, because he agreed to the same assignment for NSPN. Cole should be jealous because in half a year, Sam made about as much as he made in a year, but Sam had to travel.

He worried about Sam, and his relationship with Rory. Rory knew about Willow, just like Sam knew about the older guy. He even told Rory to pursue him. Cole was certain he and his brother and a bottle of Cuervo would bring out the truth and a lot of regret.

Cole shook his head and looked out at the bleak sky. He could use some sunshine. Turning around, he went back to work. He was deep into a problem when Anna came home. She kissed the top of his head.

"Still working?"

"Yup. I can't get it to work. I have reviewed this code so long my eyeballs are gonna fall out."

Anna laughed, but he wasn't being funny. "I have fresh eyes. Come on, let's make dinner. I'll look at it later."

He nodded. "I need to say it's done tomorrow morning."

Maybe his work was part of his foul mood. Every morning, his team met to discuss their work. For two days, he had made little progress. They called it a stand up meeting, because in the days of working in an office they would gather for a meeting so brief no one sat.

Anna put the water on to boil while Cole chopped some vegetables. She said, "I saw Bear when I came home."

Cole nodded. The black dog was famous on The Point. He loved the water and the beach. "John said, they went to England."

Anna eyed him. "Are you okay?" He shrugged. "Is it your program?"

"I'm worried about Sam."

Anna sighed. "Me too. At least Rory will be home soon. We never went to Virginia."

"She was too busy dating..."

"She's not now, but your brother is. Honestly, I don't know what he's thinking."