The previous night had been a full moon and no matter what the theories were on the matter, the hospital was jammed with medical staff and gurneys all trying to find places for patients they had no room for. Caught in a crowded elevator that harbored the most disturbing smell of overworked nurses and physicians, Anna clutched her coffee in one hand and held her charts close to her chest in the other; being careful not to get bumped and spill coffee on her brand new blouse. One of the perks of being a specialist was getting to wear professional clothing instead of the normal scrubs nurses wore. Scrubs were comfortable and all but Anna felt much more confident and respected in something that complimented her personality and style, as opposed to the Hello Kitty scrubs she worn as a nursing student.

Anna finally made it to her desk and looked over the day's schedule. A few meetings, some time for paperwork, and then patients. Right at the top of her short list was Elsa and a smile popped up on her face as her eyes traced over the short yet elegant sounding name. Nurses would never disclose to their patients the fact that they had favorites. Yes, they worked just as hard for each and every one of their patients but there were some that were more enjoyable or interesting than others. Elsa happened to be both, if not more.

With a second cup of coffee and morning meetings behind her, Anna grabbed a muffin from the area where staff members who had an affinity for baking left their offerings for the masses to enjoy.

With her stomach and furious appetite now thoroughly satiated, grumbling brought to a halt for the time being, Anna began to gleam with a bounce in her step as she approached room 417 where the case of the intriguing blonde was currently residing on the fourth floor.

"Morning! How are you feeling?" Anna chirped blithely as she sauntered into Elsa's darkened room. All of the vertical blinds were drawn and the stark white lights overhead had been turned off, casting the room in the electronic glow of the monitors.

"Not so good," Elsa groaned. "I think I'm starting to feel the pain this morning and the painkillers are making me really nauseous." Looking a little seasick and glum, Anna frowned as Elsa remained flat against the angled bed, experiencing too much vertigo to sit up properly, even for Anna.

"Poor thing," the redhead lilted and came to stand next to Elsa, patting the side of her arm affectionately in a way that made Elsa feel a small zing of relief. "I'll have somebody bring you some anti-nausea meds to help you out. I have a few questions for you but if you're not feeling up to it, we can do it another time," Anna asked before she sat down and crossed her legs at the ankle.

With her face even more pale than usual, Elsa felt like she had the world's worst hangover but without the memory of the fun night of drinking to go with it. And she had so been looking forward to seeing Anna since she woke up. All of the other doctors and specialists were crotchety older males and perky little genteel Anna, who was closer to Elsa's age, was like a refreshing ray of sunshine in the midst of Elsa's currently stormy life. At second glance, she guesstimated that Anna was perhaps even younger than her but she was decades closer to her age than anyone else on her medical team.

"No, now is good. I could use the company." That sullen look lurking behind her cerulean eyes faded into a glimmer of a faint smile as Anna did the same, making those umber freckles rise higher on the apples of her cheeks as she did so.

"Alright," sounding like a regretful warning. "It's a lot of questions, so if you want to stop at any time just let me know."

"I will." Frail hands rested on top of Elsa's woozy stomach as she readied herself for whatever Anna had in store. She'd been honest when she said wanted the company. She enjoyed the few times she'd seen her parents already but they looked so miserable and dejected every time they came that it plagued Elsa with guilt. Anna was great because the woman exuded such a positive vibe, and the last time she came the mood lingered with Elsa like the sweet smell of a wafting perfume for hours after she'd left. She even found herself peeking out into the hallway to check and see if Anna was coming all too often now.

Slipping a pen out from under her clipboard, Anna flipped to her list of questions and began to rattle them off, taking care to go at a moderate speed for Elsa's sake.

"How old are you?" Anna began.

"Twenty," her voice achingly soft.

That was not the worst answer Anna had ever heard but it wasn't the best either. The rapid fire questioning continued and they quickly set their own pace to the back and forth style.

"Elsa, who do you live with?"

"Myself."

"And what is it you do for a living?"

"I'm a student."

"Where at?"

"UCLA."

Anna glanced down at her timeline everyone had helped her put together and captured her bottom lip between her teeth as she studied it carefully. Based on what Elsa was saying, she had regressed five years and in her mind, hadn't even left her undergraduate program to start culinary school yet. Up ahead on the timeline after culinary school was her first meeting with Kristoff and so Anna dug a little further to see if she recognized his name.

"Elsa, do you know a Kristoff Bjorgman?" The ball point pen hovered over her legal pad, twitching to write something, anything that nudged Elsa further down her timeline.

"No. Should I?" cocking her head to one side as Anna suddenly became aware of just how long Elsa's hair really was, watching it fall over the side of her face like a sheet of fine silk.

"We'll get to that but you're doing great so far. This isn't a test you can fail," flashing an effervescent smile that made Elsa feel more at ease.

"Elsa, do you know a Hans Westergard?" she asked anyway, sadly knowing it was a shot in the dark at this point.

"He's one of the sons of my father's business associate." Elsa looked perplexed as she ran a hand gently through her hair and was briefly distracted by the hospital bracelet poking at her left wrist.

"Have you ever met him?"

"No. I believe he's in graduate school back east. I've never met him but I know of him." Anna pursed her perfectly bowed lips and glanced at her notes, seeing Hans had said the exact sashme thing. At least they were slightly familiar with each other and Elsa probably could remember Hans' family. That wasn't as bad and being complete strangers before the accident and gave Anna a bit more to work with.

"And lastly, I am?" pointing to herself with the pen.

"Anna Greenway," Elsa answered quickly followed by a soft smile, cheeks coloring a becoming shade of pink. Elsa didn't know if it was because she'd always been the perfect academic type growing up or what but she found herself wanting to please Anna in whatever way she could.

"Perfect. I think you're going to be fine but I need to tell you some things first that might sound a bit jarring, so I want to prepare you." Anna scribbled down a few last minute notes and organized her thoughts before gently breaking the news to Elsa.

"When you hit your head in the accident, part of your brain suffered some memory loss. From what you're telling me I'm guessing you've lost at least five years' worth of memories."

Elsa's smile slipped away as her mouth fell open and she looked back at Anna completely dumbfounded. Her perfectly arched brows pinched together until they formed parentheses and she figured this had to be some sort of bad dream.

"You're twenty-five years old. You were a student at UCLA but left to enter culinary school. You graduated and opened you own chocolate store." A sympathetic smile tugged at Anna's lips, allowing Elsa to absorb the shock of the news.

"The people you asked me about…" Elsa questioned wide eyed, slowly putting it all together in her foggy mind.

"One is a friend, your business partner actually, and the other is your fiancé. Hans Westergard is your fiancé Elsa."

"Fiancé?!" Elsa repeated in shock. In an instant she noticed the smooth rubbing of a ring around her left finger and glanced down to find the sparkling diamond. "Wait, slow down," waving her hands as if they could stop time itself. "I'm engaged to someone I've never met?!"

Anna's eyes went back to her notes. "According to your family you dated for a year and have been engaged for a little over a year. Those are missing memories that we're going to try and get back. I know this is really overwhelming and probably even frightening, but it's going to be alright. Just take a moment to let yourself digest everything I've said."

No matter how many times Elsa looked at and fiddled with the ring, it was still there, casting hundreds of tiny dancing rainbows against the alabaster skin of her face. Her eyes searched Anna's for an explanation but there was none as she'd already told her a chunk of her life had vanished into thin air.

"I wanted to tell you about Hans and Kristoff before you saw them because they care for you so deeply and have been here waiting on pins and needles to see you. It wouldn't be fair to any of you to go through this all together and figure it out for yourselves. That's really difficult for family members to find out things that way."

As if Elsa entirely disregarded what Anna just said, she stopped staring at the ring long enough to clarify the statement she couldn't seem to swallow. "Just so I'm clear, I'm engaged to Hans Westergard, Harold Westergard's son, and he has been waiting to see me since..." eyes glancing upwards as she tried to recall what day it was, which was useless considering Elsa didn't even accurately know what year it was.

"He saw you when you were unconscious but he's been waiting to talk to you for two days."

Disbelief quickly morphed into panic for Elsa who now felt like she'd been ripped out of her life and thrust into some alternate universe where apparently she was engaged to Hans Westergard, the type of man she never saw herself ending up with.

"Anna, I don't remember any of this. I don't even know what to say or what to do. If what you're saying is true and I don't feel the same... I'm going to break his poor heart," pressing her hands to her temples as she brought her knees into her chest. As if Elsa didn't already feel queasy enough, now she was starting to think about grabbing that ugly pastel kidney tray as her breakfast threatened to make a return trip up her esophagus.

"We're getting ahead of ourselves. No one expects you to pick up your life where you left off. Not the life you remember and not the life they remember. That's what's so nice about me is I just met you. I don't have any expectations other than to help your brain create new links to lost memories, and if that doesn't happen, I help you make a new life for yourself. I only care about you. You're my patient. Not Hans or Kristoff or even your parents, no matter how badly I want you all to have a happy ending."

The grimace wound so tightly into Elsa's features began to uncoil as Anna spoke. Her world was in chaos but she had someone looking out for her and that sent a rush of calm to roll through her body; letting Anna's friendly eyes bring out a smile she didn't know she was hiding.

"I think you're right. I just need some time to think about everything. It's so strange to feel like I was going to class one day and then I wake up in the hospital to what feels like someone else's life. I mean I can't believe I'm engaged."

"Don't forget, you're 25 and that's not an unusual age to get married," Anna reminded, trying to calm the fretting blonde.

"No, but I just came from a world where I was living on my own and had been single forever."

Anna caught herself scrunching her face at the statement. How in the world did someone so attractive and captivating manage to maintain the status of single, ever? Considering Elsa's looks, name, and pleasant personality, she'd assumed she'd had guys lined up around the block for a chance with her.

"Can I ask when your last relationship, of any length, that you remember was?" reaching for her notepad as she readied her trusty pen.

Elsa rolled her shoulders forward and, if Anna didn't know better, could have sworn she was a bit bashful about the subject, trying to mentally swat away how cute she found the whole thing and focus on the case at hand.

"I dated a guy at the beginning of the semester but not even for two months. I've never been in a long term relationship." Her impossibly large cobalt eyes broke from Anna's as she watched her thumbs twiddle on top of her abdomen.

"If you don't mind me saying, it seems like you would have quite the social life. You're pretty and well-spoken and, from what everyone has told me, a pure joy to be around."

"I'm not the most social person. I keep to myself and I only let a few people into my life. Quality versus quantity. That's just how I've always been," she said with a shrug and brought her gaze back up to meet the kindest aquamarine eye she'd ever seen staring back at her.

"I completely understand," Anna said through a soft laugh before breathing a long sigh. She glanced at the clock and was surprised and saddened by how much time had gone by, having other patients on her list to get to before lunch time. Elsa rolled onto her side and pulled the covers up, looking like sleep was slowing taking over as her eyes fluttered and lidded.

"I think that's probably enough for today. We can talk more tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it." Too nauseous to even speak, Elsa smiled as wide as she could and nodded her head as Anna headed out the door.

The following morning Elsa looked like a completely new person when Anna entered her new room on the second floor. Elsa had been doing relatively well and was transferred from the ICU to the general inpatient floor of the hospital. The perks of the new room were not only better decor but Anna had more patients on that floor, providing Elsa with ample opportunities to catch a glimpse of Anna's copper hair as she passed by her door.

"Wow, you look lovely this morning! Looks like someone came and pampered you a little," Anna beamed as she pulled up a chair to Elsa's bedside. A smile played across the blonde's lips when Anna's freckled nose wrinkled as she spoke.

Elsa's beautiful blonde hair was in a long loose braid with her bangs swept casually off to the side. Her face had a bit more color to it and from the looks of it she had a hint of lipstick and gloss on. The cutest touch was the bright pink nail polish on her wiggling toes.

"Yes, my mom sort of gave me a makeover. She wants to help and doesn't know how, so she thought this would help. And it does. I don't feel as grubby. I can't wait to go home and take a shower." Her radiant smile fell as her lips parted at the memory of what Anna had said the day before. Her idea of home, a little one bedroom apartment in Westwood near school, didn't exist. It was still there, just someone else lived there and she'd lived in two other places before moving in with Hans apparently. It was strange to think someone else was living in her apartment now and she felt a little homeless at the moment. She could always go to her parents' house of course but she'd been living on her own for quite some time and rather enjoyed it.

"Anna? Where am I going when I leave here?" her sullen blue eyes latching onto Anna's like an anchor in a storm of uncertainty.

"I'm going to talk about that with your family. Don't worry. I'm going to make sure that you have a smooth transition out of here." Anna's rosy pink cheeks soothed away any qualms she was having. It was comforting to know that wherever Elsa went, Anna would be there for home visits every day to start with.

It was still early in their treatment but Anna could tell Elsa was already going through that imprinting phase some patients went through, especially younger women like Elsa. They were just like a baby duckling attaching to its mother, eyes never leaving and following her every move. It wasn't unusual and completely understandable that Anna became their pillar of strength when their whole world had been turned upside down. And Anna loved being that for them. She loved being the one who could show them they could rise above their misfortune and be strong. She helped them regain a life, even if they never regained their memories, and she was their ally against the frightening world they woke up to and stood by their side until they could stand on their own.

Elsa was young, beautiful, and smart. Even if she never regained her memories, Anna knew her prognosis was really good. It was a case she was thrilled to take on, a challenge but one she approached with eagerness.

This particular morning Anna did away with the long list of personal questions and continued with some other cognitive assessments that gauged where Elsa's learning and language levels were at. She passed every test with flying colors and Anna couldn't help but feel optimistic for Elsa's case. She wasn't having any speech or short term memory problems, and that was good. She also wasn't showing any signs of anger or mood problems that some patients experienced. Other than pain, headaches, and a five year gap in her life, Elsa was right as rain.

It was only their third meeting but Elsa already felt like Anna knew a lot about her and she hardly knew anything about Anna. With nothing much else to do in a boring hospital bed, Elsa kept her eyes peeled for any sign of Anna out in the hallway but only saw the occasional flash of red hair wiz by and wasn't learning anything more about this woman.

Sometime after lunch Elsa had pushed aside her half eaten plate of lasagna and flipped through a few magazines her mom had brought by when she heard that unmistakable voice out in the hallway. Plagued with curiosity, Elsa leaned forward and Anna's voice got louder but she still couldn't see her. Dressed in nothing but a hospital gown, she crouched forward on all fours until she spied Anna on the phone over at the nurses' station, smiling and laughing so gleefully it made Elsa's brows knit as to what would make her so giddy.

She couldn't hear very well but she got caught bits and pieces, her lips curling down into a frown when she heard something along the lines of yes, I can come over later. Looks like Anna had a boyfriend or someone who made her light up like the night sky on the Fourth of July.

And why was she frowning? So what if Anna had a boyfriend. She was young and gorgeous, why shouldn't she? Elsa realized she'd been cooped up in the hospital too long and was silly enough to think that Anna didn't have a life of her own. Yes, she was great company but seeing her was part of Anna's job. She probably had her own home and her own hobbies and maybe even someone to share all that with.

Elsa had been so lost in her thoughts about Anna's life outside of the hospital that she didn't even notice that the redhead was looking right at her, caught red handed on all fours eavesdropping on her conversation but it didn't seem like Anna minded.

"Fine, but I know you have math homework to do as well, buddy. I'll help you with math and then I can help you with English," Anna giggled into the phone smooshed between her ear and shoulder.

Wait, that can't be a boyfriend. Why would he have math and English homework? Why do I care?!

Embarrassed by her own actions, Elsa crept back into bed and pulled the covers over her head, trying to drown out her urge to figure out this Anna person.

Later that day the whole family was back in the meeting room with Anna trying to come to an agreement about how to proceed with Elsa's life and its altered state. There were a lot of decisions to be made and everyone's emotions were still so raw and they hadn't slept much either the last few nights.

"We have to think about the shop. It's not fair to Kristoff or Elsa to not see to it that it continues to operate in her absence," Alex declared as they moved through their list of concerns. No Elsa meant a lot of loose ends for Kristoff to tie off and he was already starting to feel the pressure of running things on his own.

"Elsa's irreplaceable. The only option is to hire more help. There's other people out there that can help me keep it going but they're not going to be able to replicate her work. It's one of a kind. But I'll handle the business. Just get her well, that's all I care about," his saddened brown eyes turning to Anna, their only hope from here on out.

"We'll find someone. We don't know how long this could last and I'm not about to let either one of you lose something you've worked so hard for. Even if she doesn't remember, the shop and her work are still important to her," Alex reminded with a heavy heart.

"The last thing we need to discuss is where Elsa is going home to. It's a difficult decision because she doesn't remember Hans, their home, or their life together. However, it's where she spent the past year and a half," Anna started as she addressed the room full of tired faces.

"That's not going to frighten her? I'm fine with her going home I'm just worried about her being alone with what feels likes a stranger. No offense," Iris said turning to Hans. "Shouldn't she come home to us? To what's familiar to her?"

"That's the problem. Familiar isn't going to get her memory to reconnect to the parts that have been lost. All those memories are locked in her unconscious and exposing her to what she lost will help make those connections."

Anna's lips pursed into a line; she hated this part. For her, starting the road to recovery was exciting but for the family it was always so difficult to have to make so many decisions after just nearly losing a family member. The room was filled with long faces, still gripped with sorrow and despair as they faced the tough road ahead.

"I'll leave you all to talk about finalizing Elsa's discharge plans. I just encourage you to think about what would best help her. What would help bring her memories back and, to be honest, I know how much you want to take care of your daughter right now and you're the only people she remembers, but returning her to where her daily life took place is probably going to produce the best results. I'll be in touch later today to talk about how you'd like to go forth."

Anna gathered her notes and charts and gave the family a warm and supportive smile before leaving the room. Hans immediately stood up and assumed the position where Anna had been standing in front of the room, taking command of the situation so that he could not only follow through with Anna's recommendation but sway Iris and Alex into thinking that he was trustworthy enough to let Elsa come home with him; an opportunity he wasn't about to blow.

"Well, you heard her. Look, we all care about her but the best thing for Elsa is to come home with me. To her home, her bed, to me. I can handle this. I can take care of her," he pleaded to Alex and Iris.

"Just like you were?", Kristoff questioned from behind crossed arms, his normally charming face staring icily at Hans as he fought to control himself.

"Excuse me?" Hans replied with a chuckle.

"You heard me. You think I don't know? You think I don't know about how you were 'taking care of her' before? You treated her like shit! And she still loved you. So much so that she was probably in a hurry to get home just to make you dinner. Just to please you so you wouldn't skip out on her again."

"My relationship with my fiancée is not your business, so watch your fucking step," Hans shouted across the table, angrily pointing a threatening finger at Kristoff.

"This is your fault! This is your fucking fault!" jumping out of his seat in blast of rage. "And you're not even worth it! I can't count how many times she'd leave early just to go home and play housewife to you because she was afraid you would leave her if she didn't give you exactly what you wanted." Iris and Alex's eyes darted back and forth like they were watching a fast paced tennis match, not sure if they were more stunned by the allegation or the explosion of anger between the two.

"I worked for her! So that I could give her the life she deserved!" Hans countered, now pointing his finger in the direction of Elsa's room as his chin quivered with emotion.

"By fucking around behind her back!"

"Fuck you, Kristoff!"

"Stop! Both of you!" Alex demanded with a pound of his first on the table, causing Iris to jump a good foot out of her chair. "I don't care who's right or wrong here. I want my daughter happy and you two should be thinking about getting Elsa back. Not bickering like some animals." Kristoff's eyes lowered to Alex's hand; the fist was profusely shaking down at his side. The two men distanced themselves from each other and the charged energy of the room began to settle, everyone retaking their seats.

"Alex, I'm sorry but you know I love Elsa. I only want what's best for her." Alex admired the way Kristoff was trying to protect his daughter, even if his passion had got the best of him. They were all tired and had been through the wringer the past few days and their behavior was somewhat understandable.

"And I don't?" Hans narrowed his gaze at Kristoff, daring the man to continue his tirade.

"You know what, she's not coming home with me and none of this is my decision. I'm just going to leave so you all can figure this out." Throwing his hands up, Kristoff stood and strode to the door, glaring eyes never leaving Hans' smug face.

"Kristoff, don't, please," Iris begged.

"I can't be in the same room with this guy for another second. What she ever saw in you, I'll never know." The two men shared a look of utter disdain before Kristoff shut the door and Iris melted into Alex's arms, succumbing to the constant struggle their lives had become.

On the way to the elevator he passed by Elsa's room and peered in through the crack of the doorway. She was peacefully sleeping, looking much better than she did the day before. Her hair was braided back and resting over her shoulder. The number of IVs had been stripped down to just one to administer pain meds, and he caught himself smiling, thinking things might actually be getting better. He slipped inside the room and slowly walked towards the bed, happy to see her breathing on her own but devastated that he had lost his dear sweet friend, even if she was right before his eyes. The only hope Kristoff had was that he'd met Elsa not long after the point where her memory was stuck and hoped she would regain his memory at some point. Either way, he wasn't going to give up without a fight. He wasn't going to give up on her.

His hand brushed back a wild strand of platinum bangs and his lips pulled into a frown. No matter what, he was happy she was alive and relatively healthy. His eyes followed the trails of bruises still covering her porcelain skin and a dark red line on her neck from where the seatbelt had dug into her tender flesh. It pained him to see her like this when he'd always known her to be so caring of others; now it was Elsa who needed help. Before he left, he knelt down over her bedside and gave her a kiss on her temple, being careful not to wake her.

"Be strong, Elsa."