In August, George is far north in the Northwest Territories covering the wildfire disaster while Frankie remains at home, terrified for him. Although George appears calm when he speaks on the news, Frankie knows from their private conversations that he is exhausted, haunted by fire, and waking up with the smell of ash in his mind.

Frankie’s fear becomes real when George calls from the highway as he tries to escape the fires around Yellowknife. George is panicked, describing darkness, smoke, fire along the road, vehicles in the ditch, and even an ember landing on his car hard enough to make the paint bubble. When George starts to speak as if he may die, Frankie refuses to let him finish, tells him he is coming home to her, and makes him promise there will be no more fires.

In that crisis, George says plainly that he loves Frankie and that she has meant everything to him. Frankie tells George she loves him too, but because she wants him to survive, she cuts off the emotional farewell and insists that he hang up and keep driving. The moment confirms their feelings, but it happens under extreme danger rather than in safety.

Two weeks later, George arrives at Frankie’s apartment alive, and Frankie cries with relief when she sees him. They make ravioli together, but instead of drawing closer, George grows quiet and withdrawn as the night goes on. He avoids Frankie’s questions about the fire, sleeps on her sofa, barely speaks the next morning, and leaves before midday to visit Mimi.

After George leaves, Frankie realizes that although he came back physically unharmed, something is badly wrong. On August 28, Frankie emails to say she is worried, that she is there if George wants to talk, and that she cannot bear the thought of losing him. George replies the next day with a short message claiming he is fine and saying he is already boarding a plane for a new assignment in Greenland, showing that trauma has made him pull away just after their mutual declaration of love.