Never was there a time that Lizzy had felt so alone since she started her quest to finish the things her husband wanted to do. Gale had to fly home because of a family emergency but promised to come back when everything settled down. Anna was still no where to be seen and the fact that her absence started with the arrival of Crispin to resolve item number twelve was not a coincidence. For the next week she tried her best to investigate the next item on the list, but every idea she could think of was a dead end. She was lounging on the couch and racking her brain over what seemed like an impossible task while Wyatt was parked on the green chair, watching her with an occasional whimper.
What lake what Hayden referring to?
There were a few within a few hours drive, several if she wanted to travel for more than one day to reach her destination. She called David as a last ditch effort but even he had no idea what Hayden was talking about. He talked about how Mr. Sheppard liked to pack up an SUV and travel to various campsites and while some were located on the shore of a lake, there were several he remembered going to and had no idea which Hayden could be referring to. Lizzy was pulling out hair trying to think this one through, but it sounded like her husband kept this one very, very close to his chest. If there was a story to be told, he apparently never told anyone about this one. Something happened to Hayden near a lake, and for some reason he never told a single person about it, not even his family.
Lizzy felt defeated, like this was the end of her quest. If she couldn't figure out what this item was it seemed like there was no way she was ever going to be able to complete all of the tasks. Every since she first started her campaign to complete Hayden's list, Lizzy had never felt so drained and so close to throwing in the towel and giving up. She spent three weeks at home, sulking about how everything was over when something came in the mail that changed it all. It was a postcard. On the face of the postcard was a picture of Lake Huron. When Lizzy turned over the card, she realized there was something written on the back:
# 20: walk by that lake one more time.
Lizzy's heart was in her throat. Someone out there knew what lake that Hayden was talking about and had taken the time to mail this card to her and let her know. She jumped on the phone and called Hayden's family again and asked them about trips they had taken to Lake Huron. David recalled going out to Lake Huron the first weekend of every August. They always went to the same camp ground, stayed at the exact same campsite that was near the beach and the water. They had done it every summer David said, that was until the summer of Hayden's eighth birthday. Something had happened and his Dad was so upset that they had packed up two days early and left camp. They never went back to that campsite again. Lizzy couldn't believe what she was hearing. Something had happened at that lake, but no one had any idea except Mr. Sheppard and the person who sent her the postcard. She was debating about what she should do next but the answer came to her in the form of another postcard. On it was another picture of Lake Huron, and this time written on the back was another message:
Visit the camp site. Find out why Hayden never came back.
That was all that she could take. Lizzy packed up her stuff, rented a minivan and decided to go camping, to an extent. She booked a hotel room that was only a few kilometers from the camp site, and from there she could do all the lake recon she wanted. While Hayden seemed like the kind of person that loved the great outdoors, to Lizzy room service was about as close to 'roughing it' away from home she would want to be. After she checked into the hotel, she quickly drove up to the campsite and thanks to David's instructions she found the exact campsite that the Sheppard's used every summer. Much to her surprise, the Sheppard campsite was already in use. There was a small RV parked out front, but there was a still a small green tent that was pegged up with skill and an open fire that was burning within a controlled setting and a few coolers that were likely filled with soda, booze or both. The fact that someone was sending her postcards about this campsite and the Sheppard's spot was taken clearly wasn't a coincidence to her. She parked her van, and walked right up to the RV. She knocked on the door several times, sometimes almost punching the door. There was no answer. Whoever this RV belonged to, the person clearly wasn't there at the moment. She was ready to scream, clearly frustrated by what was going on. She wanted answers, and didn't want to wait another minute for them. She was about to toss something at the RV when her eyes locked onto a small folding chair that was located near the picnic table. She walked up to the chair and realized that sitting in the chair were was the answer she had been looking for, especially the identity of the person who had been mailing the letters. She picked the small stuffed bear up off the chair and smiled.
"Hello Hermy." she said, "We meet again."
"You know if he wasn't a lifeless teddy bear." A voice came booming from behind. "I honestly think he would be flattered that you remember him."
Lizzy wasn't afraid of that voice, since she had already figured out who it was. "If I'm not mistaken Sergeant Major Smith, don't you have a crew of fresh recruits to whip into fighting shape at the base?"
"No Ma'am." Gary Smith said with a smile. "As of last week, I decided to cash in some long overdue leave. I got a loan of this RV from an officer that owed me a favor and decided to go camping. I love the outdoors. My family came out here every summer, as did a lot of families from our hometown, especially during the first weekend of August. That weekend was always a big event for our town. My spot used to be about a kilometer that way. This spot belonged to the Sheppard family, but I think you already knew that."
"You only looked over the list for a few seconds." Lizzy said to him.
"I have a photographic memory." He replied.
"Number twenty-four." Lizzy called out, picking a random number.
"Take Liz to the vines." Gary answered.
"Do you have any idea what that means?" Lizzy asked.
"Not a clue." Gary replied.
"Number seven." Lizzy called out.
"Have a picnic at that park." Gary raised his hand and paused for a moment. "What park was he referring to when he wrote that?"
"Central." Lizzy answered.
"Nice," Gary said, smiling. "Very nice."
"So you memorized the entire list?" Lizzy inquired, actually impressed.
"Not perfectly, but good enough to be of some use." Gary replied, "When I got back to the barracks, I recited the list from memory and put it to paper. I was sincerely touched by how you went out of your way to do something for me that day. So much that I wanted to return the favor and help you. As it turns out, I have the unique ability to help you resolve what happens to be one of the toughest tasks on your list."
"That being the lake I had no idea about." Lizzy supplied.
"Exactly. I happen to know that this is that lake." Gary said as he pointed towards Lake Huron. He was dressed very casually, wearing cargo pants but a plain grey t-shirt, probably as close to vacation as the soldier was going to get. "I applied for leave because I wanted to help you with your list, starting off with this lake. No one else knows why Hayden wanted to come back here."
"And you do?" Lizzy asked.
"As a matter of fact, I do." Gary boasted. "I was here when the incident happened."
"What incident?" Lizzy asked, eager to know more.
"The one that caused the Sheppard family to leave early and never come back." Gary casually walked over and took his Hermy back from Lizzy. He walked over to the RV and opened the door and tossed the bear inside. "There are a few clouds forming. I don't want him to get wet."
"Of course." Lizzy agreed with a smile.
"Come this way," Gary said, gesturing towards the lake. "I want to take you to the exact spot where it happened."
She walked a few feet behind the Sergeant Major, and he was moving respectfully slow since he didn't want Lizzy to fall behind and not be able to make it to their destination with him. After a few moments she realized he was walking her to the beach, the coast of Lake Huron. The lake was huge and made for a stunning sight, one that clearly took her breath away. Even though on a map it seemed like a small body of water compared to like the oceans, the lake still looked like it went on forever into the sunset. He passed by two life guard stations, and then eventually came to a stop and stood there, looking out at the lake. He was quiet and didn't say anything to Lizzy as she walked up to where he was standing. After a few moments, he finally spoke.
"It happened right here." Gary told her.
"What did?" Lizzy asked.
"This almost became Hayden's final resting place." Gary answered.
"That summer when the Sheppard family stopping coming here?" Lizzy asked.
"The very same." Gary confirmed. "It happened when Hayden was only eight. I had a few years on him, but I wasn't too old either. I was only eleven but I hit a growth spurt and I was a lot bigger. I was swimming about fifty to sixty feet from the shore, just farting around when it all started. I heard a man screaming from the beach. It was Hayden's father, calling out for him. He couldn't find Hayden on the beach and was running up and down the coast, frantically looking for him. He was in a panicked state and for good reason."
"Where was Hayden?" Lizzy asked.
"He was under the water, drowning." Gary said as he took his shoes off, and walked a few feet into the water to get his toes wet. "This was where Hayden almost kicked the bucket. From what I tell based on where I found him, the tide had dragged him out and he was under for close three minutes. I didn't know what was going on until I heard his father calling for him. I turned and could see his Dad running up and down the beach, screaming his name. I had stopped what I was doing to look around and out of the corner of my eye, I saw a few fingers come up and then go back underwater."
"That was Hayden?" Lizzy asked, hanging on his every word.
"It was." Gary confirmed, "I swam over to where he was and he was still under. He wasn't tall enough to reach the surface and he didn't have the strength or ability to swim to the surface. The water was only five and half feet, but he was still drowning."
Gary paused for a moment and skipped a stone into the lake.
"Even though I was pretty far out," Gary continued, "I was still tall enough to stand on the ground with my head still above the water. Barely, but tall enough. So when I found the little guy, all I had to do was reach down into the water, grab the little guy and lift him out. I gave him a few rough slaps on his back with my hand and the little guy was sucking air again. I can still remember the sound Hayden made when he gasping for his first breath. As I started to walk back to the shore, I bumped into one of Hayden's sisters. She came over and took Hayden from me and brought him back to his father who immediately took him back to camp. That was the last time I saw him that summer."
"You saved his life," Lizzy couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Did Hayden know it was you?"
"If he knew, he never told me or tried to talk about it." Gary explained, "Chances are he didn't know because he was so confused, disorientated, and probably in the state of shock. I don't even think his sister recognized me, and I never talked to any of them after it happened."
"You didn't tell them?" Lizzy said, clearly surprised herself.
"No, I didn't." Gary quickly replied. "I didn't feel it was necessary. My Dad had told me not to go swimming that afternoon. I was out there against orders and chances are if I had listened to my old man, Hayden would not have made it out of the lake alive. Some will call it luck, others might call it fate. I was fortunate enough to be out there to reach in and pull him out of the water and back into our world. I don't know which factor lead to it, but I was glad to be out there when he needed me."
"Does anyone else know about this?" Lizzy quickly asked.
"No one." Gary answered. "I never told a soul about what happened that day. You're the first."
Lizzy couldn't believe what she was hearing. It was clear to her that Hayden had wanted to come back to the lake for personal reasons. He apparently wanted to face that very lake that almost took his live over twenty years ago.
"That's why he wanted to come back," Lizzy said to no one in particular. "To walk down the beach that nearly took his life."
"He was lucky to get out alive." Gary said as he kept walking in the shallow water. "Since that day Hayden had been living on burrowed time. Everything that happened after that day was his second chance. From the details I heard from you and his brother, he made the best of that and did very well with the time he was given."
"He did." Lizzy confirmed as she took off her sandals. She walked ankle deep into the water as well and started to stroll with Gary. "Why didn't you tell anyone what you did? You saved a boy's life. You deserved to be treated as a hero for what you did."
"Being there for him was reward enough." Gary replied as he looked back out. "I didn't need anyone to tell me what I had done was right. I already knew."
For the next several minutes they strolled down the beach, not saying a word to one another. Just enjoying the view and each other's company in a place that to Hayden was very scary for reasons no one knew but himself and the man that pulled him free from the water. She appreciated the fact that Gary had led her to the lake to find out what had really happened. Not even David or his own father had really known what had happened. Gary never told anyone and merely just passed Hayden to his sister who probably didn't see anything either. Mr. Sheppard would never learn how close Hayden really was to death that afternoon, but he was still scared enough to pack up the family early and call it a vacation. And there she was at that lake Hayden wanted to see again, with the same guardian angel that helped him out the first time he needed it. This time out she was the one that needed help, unaware of any of the details or the lake that Hayden wanted to see. Despite his rough exterior, Gary had reached out to Lizzy in her time of need and revealed that tiny soft side the soldier had, the side that still longed for his teddy bear after all those years.
"Thanks for your help." Lizzy said, giving him a soft hug.
Gary cracked a cocky grin.
"Glad to be of service, Ma'am." He admitted as he continued to stroll down the shoreline. "Even though I'm supposed to be the tough guy, the romantic in me has a deep respect for what you're doing."
"You mean the list?" Lizzy asked, already aware of what he was talking about.
"Affirmative," Gary said as he turned to respond. "I wish there was someone out there who thought of me enough to do that kind of stuff."
"Too much time in the corps to find someone?" Lizzy guessed.
"No, I walked down that aisle already." Gary admitted as he grabbed a new stone and tossed it into the lake. "It didn't work out too well."
"Sorry to hear that." Lizzy said.
"Shit happens, and it's ancient history." Gary said, as paused for a moment and then turned around. "How many items are left on that list?"
"Ten." Lizzy answered.
"You're done well, so don't give up now." Gary instructed, "You're getting into the homestretch. This is when things will get really difficult, so you've got to dig deep and stay the course. Remember why you're here and that will give you all the energy you need to carry on."
"My pep talk from the Sergeant Major?" Lizzy asked.
"Kind of." Gary honestly confessed.
Lizzy paused for a moment and then asked a new question. "How much leave did you apply for?"
"I'm on leave for a total of four weeks, and am in the middle of week two." Gary answered, "I haven't taken any leave in almost a decade. You should have seen their faces when I asked. Is there something else on the list you needed help with?"
"Not really." Lizzy confessed, "But I could use some company."
"I did notice that Team Hayden has taken a few hits." Gary observed.
"You could say that." Lizzy confirmed.
"It happens." Gary said, " In the corps, we call this attrition. I'm game to help out. Now that we've taken a walk by that Lake, it's safe to assume number twenty is taken care of. If memory serves me right the next item had something to do with a ball game, right?"
"You would be correct," Lizzy answered, "See a game at the last ballpark."
"Do you happen to know where this last ballpark is?" Gary quickly asked.
"As a matter of fact, I do." Lizzy slyly answered, before she turned away and started to walk down the beach in the opposite direction.
"Well?" Gary called out, "Aren't you going to tell me?"
"Tomorrow." She called back. "After you have a chance to pack everything up and get ready to deploy. I'm going back to my hotel. I'll return around ten in the morning."
"Alright." Gary conceded, "I'll be ready to go, oh ten hundred."
Gary watched her walk away and laughed to himself, as he had begun to realize what he had gotten himself into.