An awkward, almost deafening silence had descended on the room. It was silence centred around two men; mentor and student, old friends that had grown apart with time and distance. Each stared at the other both waiting for an answer, a movement on the part of the other that would end this war of attrition. Those caught up in this silent battle against their will looked from to another hoping that a meeting of eyes would offer some kind of explanation that they couldn't reach. No one spoke in an effort to break the silence surrounding them nor did they think of getting involved. This seemed to be something for only the two men staring at each other from the small space of the room, one man in the doorway another trapped on two sides by a group of people eager for news. Lost in this maze of silence and conviction they waited. They didn't have to wait long.

"I think it would be best if you came with me, Rory. We need to have a little talk, I think." Doctor Cole spoke in a tone that would accommodate no refusal.

Doctor Malone looked from Doctor Cole to the others in the room, "I can't…I have to…"

"Now, Rory."

Seeing that he really had no option Doctor Malone closed his eyes tightly for a few seconds before sloping from the room. Knowing where he would most likely be talked to he dejectedly walked to his office and sat down with his head in his hands.

"I'm sorry about that everyone." Doctor Cole apologised once Doctor Malone was out of earshot, "I know you're all anxious to find out what's happening, as am I, and I promise that once I've seen Rory straight I'll explain everything."

Bessie was about to speak when Doctor Cole headed away from the waiting room. For the first time she and everyone else in the room noticed that he walked with a cane in his left hand, as they watched him moving away they could see it was used to help him walk; it was the only sign that they'd seen on him of his ever being attacked by the loathsome Doctor Trent several months ago. No one had seen him since the attack and aside from the cane he looked to be in good health.

Having arrived at Doctor Malone's office, Doctor Cole let himself in without knocking. He could remember a time when this room had served him as his office but it had been taken away as soon as he'd returned to Wales, to his homeland. Coming to a stop beside a couch that had been set up in the room as a make-shift bed he laid his cane on the floor before sitting down beside his old student.

Doctor Malone lowered his hands slightly and looked at Doctor Cole, "I know what you're going to say."

"It's not what I'm going to say, Rory, it's what I'm going to ask. How long have you been having problems with your OCD?"

Schanke sat with his feet up on the desk. Looking over at the double-faced clock that hung a matter of inches from the ceiling, a clock that coincidently never showed the right time, he tried to work out where his partner could be. It wasn't like Nick to be tardy, that was his job. There had been a few rare occurrences in the past where he'd beaten his partner to work but these odd times made him feel slightly nervous as if something were wrong. On the odd occasion that he managed to tear his eyes from the clock he would look over his shoulder, Captain Cohen had been out of the building for twenty minutes and was likely to come back any minute; if she found him thus he was in big trouble.

Turning his eyes back to the clock and fixing his attention to it once more he almost hit the ceiling when he felt a light touch on his shoulder. His chair almost tipped backwards with the force of the jolt his jump gave it but a quick pair of hands grabbed him before he fell.

"That's why you shouldn't tip your chair back, Schanke." A voice whispered in his ear.

Feeling all four legs of his chair returned to the ground Schanke turned to face his rescuer, "Where have you been, Knight? I've been waiting for you for ages!"

"I'm only five minutes late," Nick replied defensively, "Think of all the times I've had to wait for you and make excuses for you."

"I guess. Before we go anywhere tonight Cohen wants us to question a guy that's been in room three all day. I tried him out but this muchacha doesn't want to tango."

"What's he in for?"

Schanke shrugged, "I never got that far. He kept yelling, 'he is coming! He is coming! He is coming!' and you guessed it, 'he is coming!'"

"Do we know who 'he' is?"

"Jesus?" Schanke shrugged again.

Rolling his eyes slightly Nick put a hand on Schanke's shoulder and leant his head over another, "Let's go find out shall we?"

With a nod and a slight grumble Schanke helped himself out of his chair as soon as Nick released him. He followed his partner to the interview room and hoped that they might find some answers.

Captain Cohen walked into her office just as both detectives entered the interview room. Placing her lunch on her desk she had time enough to hang her coat on the stand in the corner before her phone rang. Clearing her throat she picked up the receiver and listened to what was some very unwelcome news, news that she would have to inform Detectives Knight and Schanke of as soon as possible.

It seemed as if lunch was off for the moment.

Doctor Malone hesitated with his answer. The truth was that he couldn't recall exactly when his problems with OCD had resurfaced and perhaps it was because he didn't want to. For too long he had denied his past, that his life had been anything but perfect. Now he was faced with an escape route, a way to unload his burdens on someone who knew him, who knew his past. It was the only way for him to find that little niche where he could feel comfortable, safe and hidden from the world's dangers.

"I don't know," he answered truthfully, "Up until a few weeks ago I thought I was fine but maybe…just maybe…I wasn't."

"I see. I suppose all that's been going on recently hasn't helped. I know how you've been expected to do four times your normal workload lately."

"It's that obvious that I'm not coping?"

"It is when you start shouting about telephones and fixating on your tie. I can see you playing with it now, there's nothing wrong with it; it couldn't be straighter. There's also nothing wrong with your hair. Let me suggest something."

"Like what?"

Doctor Cole turned to face Doctor Malone fully, "Take some time off and don't argue. If you argue I'll suspend you, Rory. You can't carry on like this. As of now I'm relieving you of all of your patients, including Sportacus and Greta, and the rest of your duties elsewhere. Go home, go to bed and I don't want to see you for the best part of a week. Am I understood?"

"N…yes. Thank you, Gerald."

Doctor Cole waved a dismissive hand and watched Doctor Malone leave the room with a light smile on his face. It had been a while since he'd been in the saddle and the prospect of taking the reigns of the hospital in his hands again felt very good.

All he had to do now was convince Michael.