The day she found out she was pregnant was one of the happiest in C.J.'s life. It hadn't been planned but she and Matt had been married by the time she found out, while sitting on the tiled floor of their bathroom while he slept in the other room.

Pink, pink, and plenty of pink, blue and some with cute pattersn on the sticks she laid out in front of her contemplating them. She wanted to be absolutely sure if the sudden weariness and visits to the bathroom in the mornings weren't telling her that already.

A knock on the door.

"C.J…honey…you done in there?"

She reached for her sticks and then thought otherwise, just sitting there.

"Come in honey."

He opened the door slowly perhaps sensing something was up and joined her. He looked at her wan face framed by curly hair and the silken robe that hugged her body.

Then he saw the four sticks on the floor in front of her.

"Are those…?"

She just nodded.

"They're all…pink, blue, striped or whatever means yes they're positive."

He digested that.

"So does that mean that you're…"

She nodded again, a curve of a smile on her mouth.

"Knocked up. I'll go make an appointment with my doc but I'm pretty sure."

He sat down next to her looking at the tests.

"You all right with this?"

She smiled at him.

"Yeah…I was hoping actually…look I know we just got married and we had all these plans…for us but this…god I'm so happy and…"

He turned her face towards him in one deft motion with a couple of fingers and kissed her on the mouth, slowly.

They broke for air at some point and she just looked at him, her mouth tingling.

"Wow…."

"Yeah wow…a baby imagine that."

She smiled leaning against his shoulder.

"We won't have to for very long. We're going to have to make some changes Houston…we need more space."

"A bigger car…"

"We're going to be parents…who'd have thought?"

"Daddy did…though if we ever got enough sense in our heads to do something about it."

She chuckled, remembering his father who'd been a constant in her own life as well up to his death.

"I don't even know where to start planning Houston…"

He caressed her cheek.

"Why don't we start with getting some breakfast? You feeling up to eating something this morning?"

She paused then nodded.

"I'd like one of your omelets shaped like Texas…"

He smiled at her.

"Sure thing…come on let's go…"

He helped her on her feet and they went to make some breakfast.

Months later, she could feel her baby grow and kick inside of her and she smiled, looking forward to the day when she and her husband would meet him or her for the first time.

They'd already fallen in love with their growing child.

Earlier…

C.J.

I didn't want to be touched by anyone but him and know it was starting to make sense. I'd remembered him first past everyone who'd been a part of my old life

My real life as C.J. Parsons and not this makeshift adaption to amnesia which had led me to naming myself after the first furry little critter I saw after coming to beside my smoldering car.

"I don't need an exam. Nothing happened…Houston…"

Well my best friend had broken up Piser's fun and games party before it could get worse. My two days spent in Bannon County jail would remain etched in my memories forever but any scars wouldn't run deep.

"So you weren't engaged in sexual activity with any of the guests…"

I rolled my eyes.

"No I wasn't…and they weren't guests. They were johns. Get that? You do know what that means."

The latest detective, a younger guy in a suit nodded.

"Alleged johns. Some of these men are very powerful, very influential figures at the capitol."

I wasn't impressed with fanfare and titles, not when my skin still crawled from where a member of the State Board of Corrections had caressed me as if he owned her. Until Matt showed up, he did and if Matt hadn't arrived, he would have led me in the house and exercised the terms of the said ownership whether I wanted it or not.

"They're johns who got sex in exchange for favors," I said, "Your find upstanding sheriff and Parole Board member were nothing better than pimps."

The detective sighed.

"I know you're upset but I'm only the guy here to document the facts."

I folded my arms and leaned back in my chair.

"I'm giving you the facts," I said, "Today could have ended much differently for me. After Piser used me up, Butz was going to have me killed and buried with the other inmates who caused problems for him."

The detective frowned.

"I didn't know that."

"You need to educate yourself before you tell me what you think happened because I and the other women we were there. The women that have been here longer…who are still alive, they can tell you the most about what these nice public servants did to them."

The man just started at me in silence. But I wasn't thinking about him. I was thinking about Matt and how much I wanted to see him right now. How much I wanted him to wrap me up in his powerful embrace.

How much I wanted him to touch me.

Only him.

Matt

I paced outside in the hallway at the station after the forensics tech said they'd be doing DNA collection and comparisons soon and start asking for dental records in connection with the names of some missing women in Arizona and New Mexico.

I suspect some of them are the remains lying out in the desert waiting to be found and I'm not the only one. I sat down closing my eyes at the enormity of it.

The fact that my best friend in the whole world C.J. could have been one of them left out there, cast off after they'd killed her because I'd tried so hard to find her.

She sat in some conference room being interviewed and I waited until she was done. I wanted to take her back to the hotel to get settled and get some food from room service.

Once she'd gone to the clinic and seen a doctor about any injuries she had experienced in the car accident.

Bates walked up to me again.

"They're almost finished with her. The forensics are going to head on out to that stretch of desert marked on the map by Slim, one of the deputies. He's been out there with one named Womart to kill and dispose of female inmates who became liabilities or tried to escape."

I nodded soberly.

"You heading back to L.A.?"

"As soon as possible. I want to take her home and away from here."

Bates sighed.

"Might take a couple of days but we should be done. Give her a chance to decompress before she goes back to her life. Given her condition it might be a bit rough."

"I know…but she's got friends all around to support her."

"That's good. Well, when she's done, I'll make sure the paperwork's expedited there and at the clinic too."

"Thanks…"

I sat and watched him walk away while I considered what to do next once C.J. was released. Even though her memory had been returned, she seemed…different to me. Distanced and more than a bit guarded.

Not that I could blame her for that.