TK was left alone after a few minutes of Lorna holding him and whispering promises of how everything was going to be good again soon. A part of him desperately wanted to give up and wait for a rescue that might not be coming, but he couldn't. He had to think about this like he wasn't the one tied down with two broken fingers and an unknown chemical churning around in his stomach.

He'd gone on a few calls that involved poisonings over the years, so he racked his brain to try to remember everything he could. Most of those had been kids accidentally swallowing household cleaners or other things they'd gotten a hold of. It was very rarely something that was purposefully done, unlike this. But this was making him think of one particular case he'd seen.

A mother had been making her son sick with whatever she could find around the house, to garner sympathy from strangers. She hadn't done it for money, just attention. And to keep her child dependent on her. It had been heartbreaking to see the toll it had taken on the little boy's body and in the end, they had almost been too late to save him. TK tried to get updates on his condition, but like the way it usually went, once they were done with the job, they never heard anything about them again.

If TK was in a situation like that one, it meant that they were planning on keeping him around for a long time. There was some comfort in thinking that they probably weren't going to murder him quickly, but it was hard to appreciate that while he was dealing with everything. And even if what Lorna gave him wouldn't kill him yet, it didn't mean that he wouldn't get very sick, very soon. He wasn't feeling any nausea besides what he'd been feeling since his head wound, but they didn't need to know that. Maybe knowing some of the symptoms he could expect would give him an advantage.

TK started moaning loudly behind the tape, letting his head hang low on his chest. If he could pretend that he was sicker than he was, maybe they would take pity on him and take the tape off his mouth. And some water to help dilute what he was forced to swallow would help as well.

TK wasn't sure if it was a good or bad thing that Burt came into the kitchen alone. The man didn't hesitate to hurt him physically, but maybe that was because he didn't have the delusional connection to him that Lorna had made up in her mind. Maybe he could be reasoned with if his wife wasn't around to influence him.

The man ducked down next to where TK was trapped and he couldn't stop himself from flinching away. But he wasn't paying any attention to TK, only cleaning up the mess that had been left behind earlier. TK tried to get a read on him now that they were facing each other and he wasn't being hurt in some way, but it was hard. Burt had a stern face that showed no other emotions. There wasn't even a hint of guilt or regret. Burt was not going to be convinced to let him go. He had to work Lorna.

TK resumed his earlier moaning, trying to sound as pitiful as possible. He was hoping that Burt would get annoyed enough to leave and not hurt him to get him to shut up. But that was a risk he was going to have to take. Giving the poison time to really make him sick was dangerous.

Burt cut his eyes up at him, further proving TK's theory that the only emotion he felt was anger. TK closed his eyes, pushing out a few tears that didn't take much effort to produce. All he wanted to do was curl up in a ball and cry for days, but that had to wait until Carlos was there to hold him. And the thought of Carlos brought out even more tears. Now that he'd started, he couldn't stop.

Concussions always had a tendency to make him more emotional, so that last influence really took away his ability to hold back anymore. Before he could do anything, he was shaking with sobs, panting harsh breaths through his nose. He wanted to be with Carlos so badly. For the first time in a long time, TK saw a bright future ahead that he was excited about. It couldn't end just as it was beginning.

"Lorna!" Burt called out, shaking his head in disgust at TK's display. Lorna bustled in a few moments later, covering her mouth with her hand when she noticed him in the middle of a breakdown.

"Brian honey, what's wrong?" Lorna gasped, rushing over to his side and ducking down until they were face to face. But TK was lost, forgetting all of his plans as he fell further and further into panic. It felt like he wasn't getting enough oxygen and his head was swimming. Lorna was shouting something in his face, but he couldn't hear it. There was a ringing in his ears and his vision was blurring out.

The last thing TK noticed before he was fully lost to the waking world was the sharp sting of the tape being pulled from his mouth. Too little, too late.

"Hey TK, I'm home!" Carlos called through the front door of their house as he pushed his way in. His arms were overloaded with grocery bags, but he hated having to make more than one trip from the car. He probably went a bit overboard at the store, but he was looking forward to a nice night with TK and wanted to spoil him.

Carlos had gotten caught up a little later at the station than he planned, helping a new officer with a paperwork issue. It felt like some days were filled with nothing but paperwork, but he wasn't going to think about that now. Work could stay at work.

"I bought all the stuff you asked for and you can't even be bothered to help me put it away?" Carlos teased, shaking his head as he dropped some of the heavier bags by the door. He nudged the door closed and locked it, resetting the alarm code. Carlos had gotten a bit paranoid about it since the fire, making sure it was on at all times. TK wasn't as stringent about it, but tried to remember to soothe Carlos' worries.

He grinned as he looked at the flowers he'd gotten for TK at the store. It was a simple bouquet of pink and white lilies, but the scent was lovely. Carlos chuckled as he thought about TK's story about the sage. Maybe they should get one of those indoor herb gardens to ease their way into something more substantial outside.

Carlos' breath caught when he walked toward the kitchen, finally seeing the bouquet that was waiting for him. They might've been the most beautiful flowers he'd ever seen in his life. Of course TK would be able to find something like this. Carlos ran his fingers lightly over the petals, biting his lip as he got a bit emotional. He was so in love with that man.

"Babe, where are you? I want to thank you properly for these flowers," Carlos called out, quickly grabbing a vase for his own bouquet that suddenly felt very underwhelming. He knew TK would love them all the same though.

There was still no answer and Carlos looked up toward the stairs, listening for any signs of movement. He couldn't hear the shower or TK moving around. Maybe he was taking a nap? Carlos abandoned the groceries at the door for a little bit longer, tiptoeing up the stairs to check. He loved to watch TK as he slept, seeing all the stress of the day leave him. His face would get so soft and serene and Carlos wished for a day that he could look as relaxed while he was awake.

Carlos peeked his head through their bedroom door, frowning when he saw the bed was empty. If he wasn't upstairs, where the hell was he? Carlos pulled his phone out of his pocket and called TK's number, trudging back down the stairs as the call connected. He started a little when he heard the ringtone coming from inside the house. Carlos followed the sound, finding TK's cell sitting on the kitchen counter. He wasn't sure how he hadn't noticed it there before.

Carlos punched in TK's password, both of them long since exchanging them since they had nothing to hide, and checked the recent text messages. TK hadn't sent anything since the earlier one to Carlos about his butt and that was hours ago. There were a few unanswered texts from his dad and a couple of the 126 crew, but nothing that required an immediate answer. Still, it was unlike TK to not send something back as soon as he received a text, especially if he was off work.

Carlos tapped his fingers against the counter, trying to figure out what was going on. Why would TK leave the house without his phone? Like pretty much everyone else on the planet, he took his phone with him wherever he went. He was probably overthinking this, but Carlos couldn't stop his mind from worrying. TK had a way of finding trouble and he was sure this wasn't that, but Carlos wouldn't be able to relax until he knew where he was.

He pulled out his phone, scrolling through his contacts until he found one that he rarely called, but he'd had ever since the last time TK had disappeared. This wasn't like that though. TK wasn't at work and in danger.

"Hey Carlos, how's it going?" Owen greeted as he answered the phone.

"Owen, hey. I was wondering if you'd heard from TK recently?" Carlos asked, running his hand over the back of his neck. He was going to be worrying everyone for no reason and when TK walked back through the door with a confused smile, Carlos was going to scold him and kiss him and never let him out of his sight.

"Not since he left the station. Why? Is everything alright?" Owen replied, deceptively calm. Carlos remembered how well he could lie though, with his false confidence in front of Gwyn the night of TK's abduction.

"I'm sure everything is fine, I just don't know where TK is," Carlos admitted. Was he being paranoid? "He got off a few hours before I did and I know he was here at some point, but he isn't now. And he left his phone."

"Are there signs of foul play?" Owen asked, immediately serious. Carlos felt his anxiety kick up now that Owen had skipped assurances and gone straight to worried as well.

"Not that I've seen. The door was locked when I got here and everything else is in its normal place," Carlos sighed, walking toward the front door. TK's keys weren't on their normal hook and a pair of his shoes were missing from the front mat. "Maybe he went on a jog?"

"Is that what you think?"

"I don't know," Carlos mumbled, scrubbing a hand down his face. If he had, why had he left his phone? And wouldn't he have been back by now?

"I have a few hours left on my shift, but I can get someone to cover me," Owen offered, rustling something on the other side of the line.

"No, you don't need to do that. I'm sure I'm overreacting."

"What's your gut telling you?" Owen challenged. Carlos didn't answer, because he didn't want to put words to his fears. That would make everything more real. "Hang tight. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Okay," Carlos agreed, hanging up and resting against the wall for a moment. This couldn't be happening again. Not so soon after they'd gotten settled again. It could still be nothing, but it was getting harder for Carlos to convince himself of that. Something was wrong. "Where the hell are you, TK?"