Nathan hadn't slept in nearly three days. He hadn't eaten since Tuesday when one of the deputies had brought in pancakes and the entire department had banded together to make sure he stopped working long enough to finish a wasn't exactly sure what day it was. Wednesday maybe. Certainly no later than Friday.
None of that mattered. He could be tired later, when they found Audrey. She'd been missing for almost two weeks now, just long enough for him to wonder how he ever existed without Audrey Parker. Rationally Nathan knew there had been a time when she was not the focus of his life, but it didn't seem real anymore. Audrey was all he had and he couldn't lose her. He loved her.
And he'd never told her.
Why hadn't he just taken the opportunity to get the words out. It's not like he'd never thought them. He could've said it anytime but-
The radio buzzed, interrupting his reveree.
"What?" he asked the dispatcher, not meaning for it to come off as harsh as it sounded.
"Nathan, hon" the voice on the other end says hesitantly "We found her"
He was on his feet immediately and grabbing for his keys "How is she? Is she alright?" Is she alive?
"She's fine. She's alive. Just get down here, hon. Hurry"
He jumped in the truck. Never had the ride to the police station seemed so long. She was alive they said, but what had that been in the dispatcher's voice. Why did she hesitate like that? If Audrey was hurt they would have taken her to the hospital, but she was at the police station. He didn't understand what could be wrong.
He pulled over in front of the station and rushed inside. "Parker?" he called, his voice just short of a yell. One of the cops caught him at the door.
"Nathan" he said, gently holding the chief back.
"Where is she?" he knew he sounded crazed, but he was running on no sleep and no food and he needed to see Audrey.
"Just wait a minute, okay. She's fine, in perfect health. But she doesn't…. Nathan, she doesn't remember"
"Remember what?"
"Anything. She's blank. I mean she can talk alright and everything, but no memories whatsoever. Complete amnesia"
It took a minute for the realization to hit home. Audrey didn't remember. She didn't remember Haven or their friends or what they'd done together. No worse than that. Audrey didn't remember him.
He stepped into the interrogation room where they're keeping her. He remembered that this is the same room where Audrey, his Audrey, talked to the other Audrey after her memories were stolen. He wondered if it was the same thing that did it. What ever it was, Nathan would have very much liked to rip it's lungs out.
Audrey looked up from the table when he came in. She looked angry. He supposed she had a reason to be.
"Are you going to tell me what's going on here?" she snapped. There was no recognition in her eyes, no love or friendship, nothing. Just anger and fear. Who said Nathan couldn't feel pain? This hurt.
"Do you know what your name is?" he said calmly, or at least as calmly as he could manage. His voice shook a little, but she wasn't paying enough attention to pick it up
"Audrey….something. That's what the cop said. Please will you just tell me what's happening? No one will tell me!" The anger was gone and there was just the fear now. Audrey was afraid. He'd never seen her like this and it scared him more than he could say. He wanted to reach out and take her hands but didn't know how she'd react.
"Audrey Parker, that's your name. You've been missing for about two weeks now. We don't know what's happened to you, but you must have been hurt somehow" he stopped, noticing that she was shaking ever so slightly "It's okay Audrey. You're safe. You're safe now"
She nodded, more to herself than him "I live here?"
"Yeah, yeah you do. You moved here last year. You worked for the FBI, but after you came here you quit that job to help us. You and I are partners"
"I'm a cop?"
"Best damned one I've ever met"
"I don't remember any of that" her voice broke off into a sob "Why don't I remember that?"
Now he did reach out to take her hands, enveloping them in his. He flinched slightly at the feel of them. He didn't know what to say. He wanted to reassure her but he didn't know how. Finally he just said "You will"
He hoped it was true.
