If Lorna wanted to see TK sick, she was getting her wish. He'd been left alone in the kitchen with a new piece of tape pressed against his mouth and it was taking all of his concentration not to throw up. The thought of aspirating on his own vomit was bringing up memories he didn't want to relive. Would there be rumors of his death in New York? TK Strand: lived like an addict and died like one too.

His family would know the truth. They would see that he fought. Carlos would know that TK hadn't left him willingly. That he'd tried so hard to get back to him. If they ever found his body. Had the other replacement Brians been found? If he made it out of this, he was going to have to convince Carlos to look into it. The idea of other men out there like him was terrible, especially if their families hadn't gotten closure.

TK went through the symptoms of a cough syrup overdose in his head. He definitely had the nausea and he was starting to sweat. His headache could be attributed to a number of things, since it had been there since the very first hit. All in all, he felt like garbage, which reminded him of how he felt coming down from a high. But there was no part of him that wanted to take something to bring him back up. Maybe that was growth. Maybe it wouldn't get a chance to matter.

"Do you think it's time to call this in?" Owen asked, looking up at him from his seat on the couch. Carlos had taken to pacing, since sitting and doing nothing felt like a disservice to TK. "I know you don't want to, but-"

"The police wouldn't do anything yet. It hasn't been long enough and there are no signs of foul play. TK is an adult and has the right to leave without saying anything and just because we know to be worried, they need more before they will help," Carlos sighed.

"Well, that sucks. Won't they take your word for it that something's wrong?" Nancy asked in frustration.

"The police can't throw resources at everything. They would get spread too thin," Tommy shrugged.

"And they'd probably treat me like this was some sort of lovers dispute," Carlos grumbled.

"What if I called it in? I'm his father and considering his past, I have a legitimate reason to be concerned," Owen suggested.

"If you spread TK's story around the station without his consent, he would be devastated. We can't do that to him."

"If it's the only way we can get the police to take this seriously, we may have to risk it. They can be discreet."

"Nothing stays a secret in that office. I know which officers are having affairs and who has a gambling problem. I will not break TK's confidence until every other option is exhausted," Carlos said firmly. He wasn't used to standing up to Owen like this, but he would protect TK, no matter what.

"Okay, so what's our next move?" Owen asked, nodding in acceptance. Carlos was running the show here, so he needed to set aside feelings and look at this like a professional.

"Let's go over what we know. TK came home from work this morning, after a good shift," Carlos recounted, looking to Tommy for confirmation.

"That's right. We didn't lose anyone last night and the worst injury we dealt with was a broken leg."

"And no one at any of the scenes were angry or combative?"

"Not at all. In fact, a gaggle of older women were fawning over him when we got called to a nursing home." Carlos had to smile a little at that, even though the situation was still stressful. Everyone loved TK.

"And you should've seen how excited he was to buy those flowers. They were all he could talk about after he saw them in the window," Nancy added, staring at the bouquet fondly.

"So we can all agree that TK was in good spirits the last time any of us saw him. And he was still fine when he sent me a text."

"And then he just disappeared?" Marjan asked.

"His shoes and keys are gone."

"But why would he leave his phone?" Mateo wondered.

"That's actually a good clue," Paul pointed out. "If he called for a ride from Uber, he would've had it on him."

"Which means he at least started off on foot. So that's what we'll do too," Carlos determined, striding purposefully toward the door. "We're going to canvas the neighborhood and see if anyone noticed anything. And check to see if any personal security cameras picked anything up."

"Should one of us stay behind, in case TK shows back up?" Judd suggested.

"I will," Nancy volunteered. "You know…"

"If he needs medical attention," Carlos finished for her. He hoped it wouldn't come to that, but it was better to be safe, just in case. "Thanks."

"How do you want to do this?" Owen asked.

"We'll each take a street and spread out from there. If anyone finds anything helpful, text it to me."

"I'll set up a group chat with everyone," Nancy offered, pulling out her phone.

"I have a good feeling about this," Mateo said optimistically. Carlos nodded, even though he didn't feel as confident. No matter what the reason was for TK's disappearance, it was unlikely to be anything good. But Carlos wasn't going to give up. He was going to find TK and bring him home, no matter what.

"Brian? Brian, wake up."

TK moaned as his shoulder was jostled. He didn't remember falling asleep, but now that he was awake, he desperately wanted to go back. The impromptu nap only made him feel worse. Lorna was fussing over him, running her hands along his face and neck. He didn't see Burt, which was a relief after their last encounter.

"Are you feeling better yet?" Lorna asked, brushing his sweaty hair from his forehead. TK shook his head, since the tape was still preventing him from speaking. Lorna carefully peeled it off, tsking as TK winced from the sting.

"Bur- he gave me the whole bottle," TK breathed out, catching himself at the last second.

"No, he gave you the dose I measured out," Lorna denied, looking at him in confusion. TK shook his head, gesturing with his eyes toward the garbage can across the room.

"Check the bottle," TK argued weakly. Lorna looked frustrated, but walked over anyway. She had to dig under a bit of trash, but soon enough, she was holding the empty bottle in her hands.

"I don't understand," Lorna mumbled, staring down at it.

"He wants to hurt me. Don't let him, please," TK whispered. This was going to be a longshot, but it was all he had left. If Burt was already planning on getting rid of him before he reached the 24 hour mark, he had nothing left to lose.

"He wouldn't do that. He's your father," Lorna insisted. TK's broken bones said something completely different, but that must've been an acceptable action from him.

"He doesn't love me. Not like you do," TK said earnestly, swallowing down his disgust. "Mom." Lorna's eyes brightened at the sound of him calling her mom and TK almost felt guilty for manipulating her like that. But he shouldn't have been in this situation in the first place.

"Brian, you remember me?" Lorna cried, holding her hand over her heart. "You remember your mommy?"

"Yes. I- I love you," TK choked out, feeling the bile rise up his throat. Lorna rushed over and started pressing kisses all over his face. He wanted to cringe away, but he held himself perfectly still. It was a small price to pay if he made it out of this.

"What's going on?" Burt asked, walking back into the room. Lorna whirled around, staring her husband down with a snarl.

"What did you do?" Lorna demanded, holding the damning evidence in front of her. "Why would you give him the whole bottle?"

"I didn't. Brian fought me and it spilled," Burt replied calmly. "I only gave him what was in the cup."

"That's not true! What happened to the mess?" TK argued. It was dangerous to try to pit them against each other, but he had to try.

"I cleaned it up," Burt said, the slightest tinge of anger coloring his tone.

"With what? Were there any towels in the garbage with the bottle?" TK challenged.

"Brian, I don't understand why you would lie about something like that," Burt chastised.

"Don't you dare call my son a liar!" Lorna snapped, throwing the bottle at Burt's face. It bounced off his forehead as he stared at her in shock.

"Why would I want to hurt him? He's my son too."

"You were always jealous of our bond. You always wanted to come between us!" Lorna accused, pointing a finger in his direction.

"I think the stress of Brian's illness is getting to you. Why don't you go lie down for a while?" Burt suggested.

"No, don't leave me alone with him," TK pleaded.

"How could you do this to our family?"

"I'm your family!" Burt insisted, clenching his fists in anger. "Through everything it has always been me by your side. Haven't I earned your trust?" TK could see Lorna wavering, but he couldn't let Burt sway her. If he did, TK was as good as dead.

"Mo-" TK's words were cut off by a knock at the door. Before he had the wherewithal to shout out for help, Burt had his hand over his mouth again.

"Go take care of that. We can finish our conversation afterward. We'll be fine," Burt said, sending Lorna a reassuring smile. She couldn't see the tip of the knife that was currently digging into TK's back. He held his breath, knowing one wrong move and the blade would slide through him like butter.

"I'll be right back," Lorna mumbled, straightening out her clothes as she bustled out of the room. TK could feel his eyes tearing up as the hope of rescue was so close, but just out of reach. He'd be dead the second he made a sound.

"Nice try, but it's not going to work," Burt growled in his ear, pushing the knife in a tiny bit deeper. TK choked back a whine, panting a few heaving breaths out of his nose. He was going to die.

"Hello, can I help you?" Lorna asked from the other room.

"Hello Ma'am, I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions?" TK's eyes widened in shock. Was that Carlos?