Over the summer, Patch and Misty settle into a steady Sunday routine that becomes the kind of friendship both of them need. They hike the trails along the Meramec River, sharing quiet time in the landscape as Misty talks about plants, nature, and memories of mountain trips with her father.

At the floodplain, Misty lays out a picnic. When she mentions that her mother made the sausage and hash brown casserole, Patch has a physical reaction but forces himself to eat, showing that ordinary moments still brush against older pain.

While they eat beneath the darkening sky, Misty asks Patch about Dr. Tooms. Patch explains that he has continued trying to reach Tooms, sending another dozen requests for visitation and writing again to offer forgiveness as a possible path to confession or atonement.

Patch also reflects that Saint has pursued the same strategy, though Saint is losing faith. Saint now increasingly believes that Tooms killed Callie and is deliberately withholding the truth because tormenting them is the last power he has left.

Misty then asks Patch whether he will keep looking. Instead of answering directly, Patch studies Misty as she speaks with calm intelligence about hydrotropism and the beauty of perfect small things, and he realizes something important about her and their bond.