As his processors finally came back online he groaned. He knew that technically he didn't feel any pain, it was all psychosomatic, but he could swear he had a massive headache about now. Sitting up he recognized his bed and frowned in confusion. His coat and hat were hanging on the hanger nearby. 'Ellie …' It was the only explanation. She must have dragged his old scrap to bed when he shut down … why had he shut down ? After a moment it all came rushing back to him and he bolted up from the bed.
Out in the main office he found Ellie fussing over the files. "Ellie, what happened? Where's Je- where's that woman?" Trying to say her name made it feel like his throat was constricting. He just couldn't bring himself to say it again. Especially when he'd just had a crash. Startled his secretary turned to look at him with relief.
"Nick, you're alright! Oh, I'm so glad. What happened to you?" Her concern truly was touching. She was one of the few people who actually cared about him and it showed. Not just as a boss but not quite like family. "I… I had a flashback, I guess you could say. Tripped something in the old circuits." He waved absentmindedly at his head while his other hand clenched at his side. He didn't want to cause her any more strife, she sounded upset enough.
After she hugged him and stepped back she sighed. "I sent your client away. She looked so… panicked when you collapsed. I told her that it happens sometimes and asked her to come back in two days. I hope that was the right thing to do." She bit her bottom lip and looked at him, unsure. Relaxing he put a hand on her shoulder and smiled. "That was exactly the right thing to do. Thanks, Ellie." She smiled at him, relieved, before she frowned again. After scrutinizing him for a minute she sighed and went back to the case files.
Nick sat down in his chair and leaned forward, elbows on the desk with fingers tented. Leaning his chin on his hands he stared at the wall as he tried to sort through the moments just before his crash. From behind him Ellie shifted back and forth, filing and taking inventory. "By the way, Nick." Sitting up he turned to regard her, curious. "Who is Jenny?" He froze. His fans kicked on again but he kept it together. After a beat or two of silence he opened his eyes, he hadn't even realized he'd closed them, and waw Ellie staring at him intently.
"If you don't want t-" He waved away her concern. "Jenny is… was someone very dear to me." Her frown deepened. Obviously being a detective's secretary she knew where this was heading. "She was murdered… a long time ago." Ellie's eyes widened and her mouth opened in a silent oh.
"Oh Nick, I'm so sorry!" He gave her a pained smile. "Thanks Ellie, that means a lot to me." Silence befell them for a time as they just looked at each other. Ellie wanted to ask him another question, he could see it in her eyes. "You want to know why I said her name and crashed after seeing my client." She gave him a disgruntled look for picking up on her unasked question and he chuckled. "Her face… she looks exactly like Jenny. Different hairstyle, but it's the same face." His secretary shuddered. "You don't think it's the Institute, do you?"
Wasn't that the thousand dollar question? "I don't know." He said honestly. "But I hope for their sake it isn't." Because he would be damned if he was going to let them toy with him after all this time.