Worst Fears Recognized

Today it finally happened. I lost Gabriel. We were headed out to go walking a trail near our house. Aubree and I took one way around a building and Gabriel took the other. I figured we would just meet up one the other side. When we got to the other side, he wasn't there. He had vanished. I asked Aubree to wait at the playground just in case he went there looking for us. I wandered around the complex briskly looking for my little non-verbal son. There were many people at the pool so I asked them if they had seen him. He would have had to walk really close to the pool the way he went around the building, someone had to have seen him. No one at the pool saw him. It has now been about 10 minutes since I have seen him. I called Randy, his phone went straight to voicemail. I called my mom and she sent my dad to come help look for him. I tried Randy again and he called dispatch for me. The people at the pool had joined the search. They offered to stay with Aubree while I continued to look. At this point in the story, I'm a hot mess. My heart aches for parents everywhere for people who have lost their kids. When the sheriff's office arrives and I still haven't found him he had been missing for about 25 minutes.
With Aubree being watched at the house, my dad looking around the apartments, I went with one of the officers along the trail hoping that Gabe hadn't gone on to the trail. The officer got a radio call that said the construction workers had seen him 15 minutes before playing in the dirt. My hot mess, adrenaline filled self started running along the trail hoping that I could catch him before he got to the really busy road that the trail crosses. He still had a 15 minute head start on me. So I ran. With an earnest prayer in my mind pleading with God that he would turn Gabe around and protect him from harm. I had peace that he was ok and that Heavenly Father saw him and had everything in control. I had a mental image of Gabe on the trail inside the underpass tunnel that was up ahead of me. I came around the corner and looked down the tunnel and saw two bicyclist and my little non-verbal son. These two good men had tried to ask him who he was, where he lived and he just kept walking. They offered him water and got him turned back towards where he had come from and they weren't going to leave him until they found where he belonged. I explained to them that Gabriel was autistic and isn't able to talk. They were glad that he was found. I was glad that he was found. On the way back we met Randy, both of the officers and Grandpa R, as well as maybe a dozen people out looking my baby. The love and support I felt was overwhelming.
Gabe had been missing for about 40 minutes by the time I was able to hold him again but it felt like much longer. I want to say how grateful I am to everyone who came to help. There are more good people in this world than bad people and we don't hear enough about the good that people do.
Gabe is now asleep safely in his room with a little stuffed cat the officers gave him and I am feeling moved and grateful. Thanks again for everyone that helped.