He offered to take her home but Audrey said she couldn't go back there now. His next suggestion was to take her to Casey's house but she turned down that idea too. Finally he'd proposed taking her his own apartment and she agreed. The drive from the morgue had been uncomfortably silent. Audrey stared, unseeing out the window and Garret tried to evaluate what she had said earlier in her office. He asked himself over and over again whether or not he and Audrey were responsible for Rodger's accident. He knew, of course, that Rodger was a grown man, capable of making his own decisions and that no one had forced him to drink and drive. Still, he felt guilt and shame that his actions had fueled the rage and pain that had ultimately taken the lives of two people.

Garret sat now on the edge of his own bed, watching the steady rise and fall of Audrey's chest as she slept. From here he could see her wedding rings resting delicately in the hollow of her throat. Garret had seen them so many times that he barely took them in anymore, but now he studied them with care. They had once been shiny and gold but now seemed dull and worn. Garret wondered if it was just his imagination or if the rings really had changed as much as everything else had.

Audrey had been sleeping for the past two hours and in that time, Garret had maintained a cycle of wandering the floors or sitting next to her. He didn't know what he should be doing. Almost instinctively he turned professional and used his experience as a medical examiner and tried to find his next step. The bodies had been identified. The notification, although unconventional, had been made. The autopsy needed to be done, but he couldn't do that from here. The only thing left was to help the decedent's love one confront her grief. At that point Garret was forced out of his comfort zone of professionalism to try and help someone he cared about deal with a tragic loss. Watching her, Garret was suddenly reminded of the last time Audrey had lost someone close to her. When her father died all she wanted was someone to make her feel safe again. Garret had no idea what she wanted now, but wished he could be the knight in shining amour that Rodger had been.

A moment later, as if she had known he was thinking about her, Audrey stirred in her sleep and her eyes fluttered open. Garret reached for her hand and squeezed it in his own. She looked up at him with sad eyes. On a regular day her eyes had shone a brilliant green but now were dark and lifeless. Garret opened his mouth to say something, anything, but before he had the chance Audrey pulled her hand out of his grasp and turned away from him.

Feeling completely useless, Garret sighed and left Audrey alone. He shut the bedroom door behind him so, if she was still awake, she wouldn't hear the call he was about to make. In the kitchen he snatched the phone out of its cradle and dialed a quick seven digits and when prompted, a four digit extension. Lily picked up on the second ring.

"Hello?"

"Lily it's me. I need a favor," Garret said, cutting right to the chase. Lily on the other hand, decided to ignore his request for the moment and inquire about her friend.

"How is she?" she asked quietly, her voice full of her trademark concern.

"I don't know," Garret admitted. She had been angry at upset at the morgue but now she was silent and expressionless. After her outburst in her office, Garret assumed the morgue was buzzing with new rumors of their relationship. Lily confirmed his belief, adding that in spite of the new gossip, everyone was worried about Audrey.

"Tell her we're all thinking of her," Lily said.

"I will," Garret promised and then got back to the point of his phone call. "Lily I need you to go into my office and get Audrey's personnel file."

"Why?" Lily asked, suddenly confused. She was the only one in the morgue, besides Garret himself, who had keys to his office. Garret knew he could trust her to use the keys only in an emergency and he trusted her now, to get the file he needed without curiously browsing any others.

"Just call me when you've got it," Garret said, his tone promising an explanation later.

"Okay," Lily agreed.

Garret waited impatiently by the phone and picked up halfway through the first ring when Lily called back five minutes later.

"I've got it," she announced.

"Who is listed as her emergency contact?" Garret asked patiently. He listened while Lily hummed and hawed over the file until she found what he was looking for. Just as Garret had expected, her husband had been listed. "Is there anyone else?" he asked tentatively.

"Umm, yeah there is actually," Lily said and Garret smiled, knowing he had found the number he needed. "Her sister Casey's contact information is all here." Lily quickly relayed Casey's phone number and Garret jotted it down on a scrap piece of paper. Before Garret could say good-bye, Lily asked the obvious question Garret didn't want to answer. "Why didn't you just ask Audrey for the number?" Garret sighed and explained.

"She's not talking, Lily. She's just sleeping. She won't even look at me. I don't know what to do," he admitted finally. "Her sister knows her better than anyone so I just thought she could help. She should know what's going on." Lily sighed on the other end of the line, prepared to go into full grief counselor mode and offer Garret advice he didn't particularly want. He stopped her before she could get a word out by telling her there was someone at the door. She accepted his lie and hung up.

Garret stared down at the phone number lying on the counter before him. He moved to punch the corresponding buttons on the phone but stopped himself after the second digit. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know how much Casey knew about his and Audrey's relationship, if she knew anything at all, and he certainly didn't want to tell her. He didn't want to tell her that her brother in law had died either. For years he had told complete strangers that their family members had passed away but this time he couldn't do it. He left the number on the counter and wandered back into his bedroom.

Audrey was awake. She had been staring at the door when Garret came through it. When she saw him, she rolled on her back and fixed her gaze on the ceiling. Again, Garret took up his post beside her. He wanted to say something meaningful to pull her out of her trance but his words stuck in his throat. Instead he asked her if she wanted anything to eat. Audrey simply shook her head no and turned on her side so he couldn't see her face anymore.

x x x x x

The next morning, after a sleepless night on the sofa, Garret quietly made his way into his bedroom to check on Audrey. She had curled her knees up to her chest and clutched the covers under her chin. He crouched down beside the bed so his face was level with hers. Her nose was red and her eyes were swollen and Garret decided she'd been crying. He felt immediately relieved. Of course he wasn't happy that she was upset, but after a silent and emotionless afternoon, he took any display of emotion as a good sign. Ever so gently he swept her hair off her face and pressed a delicate kiss to her temple. Her eyes fluttered open at his touch as Garret knew they would.

"Hey," he whispered, when her eyes met his. Audrey stared hard at him for a moment before closing her eyes again, as if she believed that if she couldn't see him, he wouldn't be there.

For the rest of the morning Garret paced his apartment with his phone in one hand and Casey's phone number in the other. He felt utterly useless and kicked himself for not knowing how to help Audrey deal with Rodger's death or even get out of bed. Finally at noon, Garret steeled himself and dialed the number Lily had given him the evening before. In a few quick minutes Garret introduced himself and explained the situation to Casey. He told her about Rodger and about his relationship with her sister. Lastly, he asked for her help in brining Audrey back to reality. With a child crying somewhere in the background, Casey promised to be there as soon as she could.

A few hours later came the quick rap on the door. It was the knock of some one angry and upset, Garret thought. He opened the door and Casey walked through without invitation. Not knowing what else to do, Garret extended his hand for her to shake.

"Thanks for coming," he said as if she were a colleague arriving for an appointment at the morgue. Casey cut right to the chase.

"Where is she?" she asked. Garret pointed to his bedroom and Casey was quickly on her way. She opened the door as quietly as she could and pressed it closed behind her, leaving Garret to sit in his living room to wonder what he should do next. He made himself comfortable in his favorite armchair and a moment later, he heard muffled sobs from beyond his bedroom door as Audrey tried to explain to her sister all that had happened. Close to an hour passed before the bedroom door opened again and Casey appeared from within. Audrey was only half a step behind with her hand held tightly in her sister's. As Garret regarded the pair he thought that, under different circumstances, Audrey and Casey could pass for twins. Their hair was the same warm auburn and their bodies were almost exactly the same size and shape. However, today there was a glaring difference in the two women. On one hand, Casey exuded strength and confidence, while Audrey looked like a beaten puppy, her shoulders slumped and her hair hanging unbrushed in her eyes.

"I'm going to take her back to my place," Casey announced quietly, as if her voice could set off Audrey's tears again. Garret nodded solemnly and followed the sisters through his apartment to the door. He opened it and gripped its edge as Audrey shuffled through, her gaze never leaving the floor.

"If you need anything," Garret started, his offer aimed at Casey but intended for both of them, "just call."

"I will," Casey said, although all three of them knew she wouldn't. Garret watched for a moment as they made their way down the hall. When he'd called Casey he'd expected this to be the outcome. He turned; pushing the door closed with a click of finality and found his chair again. He sighed to himself, a sickening feeling rising in his stomach.