Lydia’s losses would’ve been inconsequential in comparison to what the boat survivors’ families would’ve gone through. Holding his words against him hadn’t even been considered, let alone intended. Carefully, she let her face go blank. “Don’t owe me any apologies,” she replied with a shake of her head. The man had more than earned a few free passes from all he’d been through.
“No, but if it’s how you guys cope, who the hell is anyone else to tell you differently?” Family, maybe, but no one else could say they couldn’t handle things however they were most comfortable.
“The fuck? So you’ve just been letting her sit around with all that guilt and not bothering to talk to her about what happened? I’m sorry, but yeah, that’s fucking shitty, Cohan.” Lydia scowled. He could avoid the topic all he wanted with people who didn’t matter, but this was his fucking daughter they were talking about. “You should’ve talked to your daughter before talking to me. Between the two of us, I’m the least you should be concerned with right now.”
It didn’t surprise her that he wasn’t taking credit for his efforts. However much he’d done while they were out on the water, only they knew, so she couldn’t doubt him one way or the other. “My point still stands. Boat would’ve gone down whether you were on it or not.”
She waited patiently while he chewed on his answer. Her eyes flicked to the cameras while conversation went idle for a few brief moments. Infected shuffled into view out near the lighthouse. As usual, they ignored the camera. Lydia had the chance to wonder if anyone living had moved into the lighthouse, before Nate was answering her question.
Finding Louisa’s mother would’ve been the first option they had to go through with social services. The rest of Nate’s family on the island were still gone. Lydia hadn’t forgotten, but for the first time her thoughts went down a dark path to encounter the question of whether they’d all been captured by the cannibals. And wouldn’t be coming back. She swallowed down the question before she grew tempted to ask it aloud. Nate didn’t need that on his shoulders along with everything else right now. She was probably only being paranoid, anyway. Single-minded in her intent to hunt them down.
“She in Boston? Not that I don’t doubt she’ll be at the drop-off site when the government lets us go home, but it’d save a bit of searching to know where she can be found. What’s her name?”