When Angie activated her cell phone, she saw that her home phone number was the last call made on it. She had no time to wonder about that, but it did save her a few nanoseconds that punching in her speed dial code would take; even as she started her call she vowed to check on that previous call at her first opportunity.

Her home number was answered on the 12th ring, as she had programmed, without greeting or any other indication of the type of answering service hooked to the phone line, also as programmed. Angie immediately said, “It’s Angie, Blue,” and received a series of quick barks and yips in reply.

“I know I’m late, Blue, I’m sorry,” she said, and another pattern of yips, interspersed with growls, followed.

“Fifteen minutes, Blue, I said I’m sorry,” but the computerized program that was close to an AI continued to bark, yip, growl, and obviously scold Angie for failing to follow her own security parameters. It was loud enough for Daniel to hear as well, and a wistful smile crossed his lips even as tears welled in his eyes. He sighed, then chuckled as he translated the Morse like code for the next part of the robot dog’s complaint.

Angie glanced over at her companion at the sound, and saw his expression, a mixture of joy and sorrow. She stared at him even as a tear escaped his left eye, and she reached to brush it from his cheek. Her finger traced his cheekbone, and felt the slight irregularity within it where a bullet had creased his skin and chipped the bone. Her eyes widened as she realized she was looking at her former partner after all. Daniel raised his finger to his lips in a shushing gesture, then turned his head and taking her hand, kissed the tear from her finger. Then he pointed to her phone to remind her of her current responsibility. Nodding, she turned her attention back to the conversation.

“Blue, slow down, I missed some of that. What did you do?” she asked, as the speed of the programmed responses grew faster and more frantic.

“I think he put out an APB on you, Angie,” Daniel said softly, in an Australian accent.

Blue heard what Daniel said, and the barking stopped abruptly. The silence was so complete Angie could hear the servo motors in Blue whirling, especially the ones that moved the tail. A soft whimper from the robot dog confirmed what Angie had just already learned.

Daniel leaned forward slightly; keeping the Australian accent, though still speaking softly in hopes of not being overheard outside, he asked, “How’s my good dog? Taking good care of Angie, are you?” Blue began to whine and yip in excited tones, and there was indeed the sound of his tail wagging furiously.

“You can call off the bloodhounds, Blue,” Daniel continued, returning to the American accent he now used constantly, “Angie is safe with me.”

“Rollie?” Angie whispered, her expression one of awe as she stared at her companion.

“Daniel,” he corrected, and Blue yipped in agreement. “That’s my name, Ang,” he told her sincerely.

“Of course,” Angie agreed, “WPP, right?”

“Uh, something like that,” he agreed with a hesitation in his voice. “It’s a long story.” At the look on her face that said, tell me anyway, he added, “Finish your call home first, okay?” She nodded agreement, and said to her security program, “I’ll do better next time, Blue. Guard dog, now, Blue. Guard dog.”

Blue yipped once in agreement, and the phone connection was severed as programmed. Angie shut off her phone and put it back in her purse, then turned to her former partner for his explanation.

“We’d better get going to breakfast, Angie, or Alex will wonder what’s taking us. Besides, like I said, it’s a long story. Just ...” he hesitated for a moment, then added, “please don’t let anyone know. I’d rather not have to explain.”

“I won’t blow your cover, Rol ... uh, Daniel. I swear.”

“And I swear I’ll tell you everything .... when I can. Just trust me on this one.”

“I do. Totally,” Angie assured him, then felt tears flowing down her cheeks as the realization sank in.

Daniel wrapped his arms around her as she again cried her heart out, and whispered, “I promised your father I’d never break your heart. I wonder what he would say to me about this.”

“Before or after he had you horsewhipped?” Angie asked him, a slight twinkle in her eyes even as she fought to stop her crying. At his surprise, she added, “Thin walls. Besides, dad used to say that a lot if he was angry at someone.” She wiped at her eyes and smiled. “You know, I could use another breakfast. Let’s just go. Red eyes and all!”

Smiling through their tears, they walked out of the church. When Daniel paused to close the doors, Angie stopped him. “You need to clear those fumes, Reverend, or all your congregation will look like us come services tomorrow!”

“Yeh, the fumes. Nasty stuff, good thing Alex went back to her car,” Daniel said, loud enough for Alex to hear as they approached their current subject.

“Well, it’s about time you two came out. I was about to leave without you,” Alex told them, then noticed that Daniel had his arm around Angie’s shoulder. “That’s an ... um ... original counseling technique, Daniel.”

Daniel realized he had his arm around Angie only when Alex pointed it out. As he opened the car door for Angie, he told Alex, “Holding someone crying is good comfort, and very effective.” He then entered the car himself, next to Angie, and closed the door.

“You’ve done that before, held someone you were counseling?” Alex asked as she drove to the Widow’s Walk.

“Well, it wasn’t counseling, but it certainly proved comforting for both of us,” Daniel replied, to which Alex said, “Ohhh. Yeh. Now I remember.” Alex then pulled into her parking space at her combination job and home.

“Was she ...” Angie asked, and hesitated, thinking that it might have been Alex.

“He,” Daniel said firmly, and opened the door to get out before adding, “was a baby abandoned on my doorstep.”

“A baby?” Angie asked, following Daniel out of the car. “What happened? Tell me about this.”

They walked into the Widow’s Walk to see an empty dining room except for Molly and Boris, sitting at a front table.

“Any word yet?” Alex asked them, immediately concerned for the still missing fisherman.

“Nothing, but Coast Guard just resume search, so Boris return to work to wait. Ah, Daniel and Angie. So, you want breakfast? Golden Ruple pancakes special of the morning.”

“It’s your special every morning, Boris,” Alex told him, walking behind the bar to get her apron.

“It sounds good, Boris. The pancakes that is. We’ll each take an order.”

Boris hurried into the kitchen to start the food, while Molly took out her order pad to write up the order. “Forget it, Molly, it’s on the house.” Molly put the pad back into her apron pocket, then got a better look at the two. “What happened to you? Your eyes ...”

“Fumes,” Daniel immediately said, looking away

“Oh yeh,” Alex added quickly, “he’s stripping the old varnish off the pews in the church and didn’t open the windows ...”.

“That’s not it, “ Angie said quietly. “I um ... told him, and Alex, what happened to me last year, and ... um ....”

“Oh,” Molly said, pulling out a seat. “That bad?” She looked at each of the three and saw the confirmation in their eyes. “Okay, I don’t need to know.”

“Alex can tell you,” Angie said. “I would, but, right now, I don’t think I could take a second time in a row.”

Molly looked to Alex, who just shook her head and mouthed silently, “later”.

They all sat in silence for a time until Daniel asked, “So how long have the Coast Guard been out this morning?”

“I don’t know for sure,” Molly started, but then Kevin, Brian, Nub, and Dylan ran into the room, Dylan holding a large white beachball. “Can I tell them?” Dylan asked Kevin, even as Brian started to clear his throat to make an important announcement.

“Sure, Dylan,” Kevin said, giving Brian a nudge with his elbow.

“They found him! He’s alive!” Dylan told the few in the room, tossing his ball in the air and catching it in his enthusiasm.

Boris came out with the pancakes just as Dylan made the announcement.

“Alive!” He exclaimed, almost dropping the plates in his joy. “God is good to Boris today.” He then put his plates down in front of Daniel and Angie.

“How is he?” Alex asked.

Dylan turned to Kevin, who answered Alex. “He’s being taken to the mainland, but they think he’s going to be alright. Exposure, maybe, hypothermia ... but otherwise he’s going to be fine. He was on one of the uninhabited islands nearby trying to sit out the storm. I guess his boat broke his moorings.” Then Kevin looked to Boris and asked, “Is he a friend of yours?”

“No, Boris not yet have the pleasure of knowing him, which is why death would be so tragic. If he died, Boris would never be able to call him friend. Now Boris has second chance; will not stroke it this time.”

“Blow it, Boris,” Nub, Kevin, Daniel, Molly, and Dylan said simultaneously.

“Pancakes for everyone,” Brian announced. “My treat!” Everyone grabbed a chair at that, and Boris went back to the kitchen.