Bear carefully helped her sit upright.
He did not try to lift her immediately.
He checked whether she was able to move her legs and asked if she felt severe pain anywhere.
"Don't force yourself," he said. "Help is coming."
Emily looked at him.
"How did you find us?"
"Lucy."
He glanced at the child.
"She was standing by the road. She told me you needed help."
Emily looked at Lucy.
Then she looked at the ring in her daughter's hand.
"Did you find it?"
Bear nodded.
"It fell into the mud."
Emily closed her eyes.
"I thought I'd lost it."
Bear looked at her.
"I recognized it."
She gave a small, sad smile.
"Of course you did."
He looked down.
"Emily, I never forgot that ring."
"I know."
"I never forgot you either."
Emily's expression changed.
She looked away.
For years, she had imagined this conversation.
She had imagined shouting at him.
She had imagined telling him how angry she had been.
She had imagined walking away without saying anything.
But now that he was here, none of those imagined words seemed important.
She was exhausted.
Her daughter was frightened.
And the father she had not seen in years was kneeling in the dirt beside her, trying to make sure she was safe.
"Are you still angry with me?" she asked.
Bear swallowed.
"Every day I was angry at myself."
Emily looked back at him.
He continued.
"I told you not to come back. I thought I was teaching you a lesson. I thought you would cool down and call me."
He shook his head.
"I never imagined that those words would become the last thing you remembered hearing from me."
Emily's tears fell faster.
"I waited for you to call."
"I did call."
"Not enough."
Bear lowered his eyes.
"You're right."
She stared at him.
He did not defend himself.
He did not blame Nathan.
He did not explain how difficult the years had been.
He simply accepted what she said.
And somehow, that hurt less than another argument would have.
"I was stubborn," he said quietly. "And I was proud. I thought being your father meant I had to be right."
Emily wiped her cheek.
"I was stubborn too."
"Maybe we both were."
She looked at him.
"I wanted you to come after me."
Bear's face tightened.
"I wanted you to come home."
Neither of them spoke for a moment.
Then Lucy reached out and placed her small hand over both of theirs.
"Can we talk later?" she asked.
Emily smiled through her tears.
"Yes, baby."
Bear looked at the little girl.
"First, let's get your mommy some help."
A faint siren could now be heard in the distance.
Marcus had reached the emergency services.
The sound grew louder.
And for the first time in more than a decade, three generations of the Mercer family were together.
Not in a warm kitchen.
Not around a birthday table.
But on a muddy forest trail, where a lost ring had brought them back to one another.
Chapter 5: The Man Who Had Been Following Them
The paramedics arrived less than ten minutes later.
Two emergency medical technicians hurried down the trail carrying their equipment.
Marcus followed behind them.
When he saw Bear kneeling beside Emily, he slowed.
He had known Bear for almost twenty years.
He had seen him angry, injured, exhausted, and heartbroken.
But he had never seen him look the way he did now.
Marcus approached quietly.
"Bear?"
Bear looked up.
"She's my daughter."
Marcus stared at Emily.
Then his expression softened.
"Emily?"
She recognized him immediately.
"Uncle Marcus?"
Marcus gave a small smile.
"Well, I'll be damned."
He crouched beside them.
"I haven't seen you since you were a kid."
Emily managed a weak laugh.
"You still look the same."
"That's because I'm too stubborn to get old."
One of the paramedics began examining Emily.
"Ma'am, can you tell me what happened?"
Emily looked toward the trees.
"A man attacked me."
Bear's expression hardened.
"Who?"
Emily hesitated.
"His name is Travis Reed."
Marcus exchanged a glance with Bear.
"Do you know him?"
Emily nodded.
"He used to work with Nathan."
Bear looked confused.
"Nathan?"
Emily's husband had been dead for nearly two years.
He had died in a construction accident, leaving Emily to raise Lucy alone.
After his death, she had struggled financially. She had moved between temporary jobs and small apartments, trying to keep her daughter safe and provide a stable home.
Travis had been one of Nathan's former business associates.
He had contacted Emily several months earlier, claiming he needed to discuss some paperwork connected to Nathan's estate.
At first, Emily believed he was trying to help.
But his behavior gradually changed.
He began showing up unexpectedly.
He asked personal questions.
He wanted to know where she worked and whether she had received money from Nathan's insurance policy.
Emily had refused to give him any information.
Then, a few weeks earlier, he had started making threats.
"Why didn't you report him?" Bear asked.
Emily looked down.
"I tried."
"To whom?"
"The local police. But I didn't have enough evidence to prove he was following me."
The paramedic continued checking her condition.