Eames walked in to the squad room just before lunch. "Hey, Eames," Mike Logan called. "How's Goren doing?"

She walked over to the pair of desks where he sat with his partner. "Hey, guys. He's ok."

"Captain told us what he did. Running into a burning building? He's either got a lot of guts or no brains."

Barek gave him a look. "My vote is for guts. I don't know anyone, aside from you, who would even suggest he's got no brains."

Eames just grinned at them, heading on to Deakins office. The captain looked up when she knocked. "Come in, Alex. How's Bobby doing?"

She sat down. "He woke up around three this morning. There is a problem, though. He's having trouble with his memory…a type of amnesia associated with head injuries. This afternoon the doctor is going to try to determine the extent of the problem, and he'd like me to be there."

Deakins nodded. "What do you think?"

"I'm not a doctor."

"No, but you know Goren better than anyone."

She sighed. "I…I think there's something wrong. He doesn't remember things he should. He's confused…and just…well, not entirely himself. I guess I'll know more later, after the doctor evaluates him some more. I'll call you and let you know what he says."

He nodded. "Physically he's ok, though?"

"Yes, but I'm not sure how long he's going to have to stay in the hospital."

"Keep me informed. And tell him I said hello. I'll stop by later."

He watched her leave. He knew that she always worried about her partner, but this was more than her usual concern. And that just didn't sit well with him. Not at all.

She stopped at her desk, thumbing through the paperwork from yesterday's case. She took care of the papers Carver would need right away, then got ready to leave.

"Hey there."

She looked over her shoulder. "What do you want, Logan?"

"I, uh, d'you think he'd be ok with visitors later?"

"What kind of visitors?"

"Just Barek and me."

She studied him. "I suppose it'd be ok. He likes Barek."

"Ouch. Ok, I'll wait in the car."

She smiled. "Not necessary. I'll warn him you're coming…just so he can be prepared."

"Gee, thanks. But don't do me any favors."

"Promise me you'll behave."

"Now where's the fun in that?"

"You have too much fun, Logan. See you later."

He watched her head for the elevators and he smiled.

-----------------------------------------------------------

He was still sleeping when Barrett returned after lunch. Since he didn't see Eames around, he decided to check on a couple of other patients and then return. When he got back, she still wasn't there, but Goren was awake. "Hello, Robert. How are you feeling this afternoon?"

"My head still hurts."

"Nausea, dizziness, ringing in your ears, blurry vision?"

"Yes, yes, no, a little."

Barrett looked at him, a small smile touching his mouth. "Where is Ms. Eames? Has she returned yet?"

"No."

"She did say she would, didn't she?" More memory testing.

"She would what?"

Barrett studied him, a deep frown creasing his features. "Don't mess with me, Robert."

"Why would I do that?"

"Do you think Ms. Eames will come back this afternoon?"

"Yes. She will."

"And what makes you so certain?"

Goren's mouth twitched. "She's right behind you."

Barrett turned, and there she was, arms folded, looking annoyed. "I don't know what you think you're doing, Dr. Barrett, but never lead him to question my loyalty."

"I apologize," he said sincerely as he sat down. "I was not trying to make him question anything." He looked at Goren. "Robert, I want to do some further testing. It's not uncommon for someone with an injury like yours to have a normal CT scan but still have signs of brain trauma. I would like to order further testing which will tell us the extent of the damage."

"What kind of testing?"

"Neuropsychological testing."

He looked thoughtful. Eames said, "He's not crazy."

The doctor was surprised by the emotion she put into her defense of her partner. "I never said he was. Neuropsych testing is used to determine how brain function affects behavior, memory, learning and thinking. Well, Robert?"

"I have a question for you first."

"Ok. What's your question?"

"Eames told me you said I have amnesia. I want to hear about that from you."

"It's called retrograde amnesia, and it simply means you cannot recall past events. It's a malfunction with your brain's memory recall function, and it should be temporary. The neuropsych testing will tell us how severe it is and enable us to give you a more accurate prognosis."

Goren thought about what he said before he finally nodded. "All right."

"Very good then. I'll be right back."

Eames approached the bed. "I'm sorry I'm late. Traffic was a bitch."

He smiled. "I knew you were coming."

"Oh? Clairvoyant now, are we?"

A hint of a smile touched his face. "No. Just trusting."

She shook her head. "You don't trust anyone, Bobby."

"No one, except you."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Very."

She laid her hand on his arm and squeezed. "Oh, the captain says hi and Logan and Barek are going to stop by after work."

"Who?"

"Logan and Barek. We work with them. Last week we went out with them for drinks and you nearly decked him for some stupid comment he made."

He nodded. "Oh."

"Do you remember that?"

"No, but I remember them. I think."

She started to reply, but the door opened again and Barrett returned with another doctor. He was also a young man, but his features were not as stern as Barrett's. He smiled easily. "Hi, folks. I'm Dr. Daniel Foster. I'm a neuropsychologist on staff and Dr. Barrett has asked me to do some tests on you, Robert. Uh, do you go by Robert, or would you prefer something else?"

Goren shrugged. "Whatever. Most people call me Bobby."

"Then that's what I'll call you." He looked at Eames. "And you are?"

"Alex Eames, his partner," she answered, accepting his outstretched hand.

Barrett added, "For all intents and purposes, his 'significant other.'"

Goren raised his eyebrows and looked at her, noting that she was not surprised by the doctor's use of the term. She just nodded at him with a small smile, a look he correctly interpreted as meaning 'I'll explain later.'

Foster didn't miss the brief exchange. He rubbed his hands together. "As much fun as this would be over a couple of beers, the hospital frowns on that. So we're kinda stuck with this room and some apple juice. Or I can find a conference room, if you'd prefer."

Goren shook his head. "Here is fine."

Barrett said, "Then I'll leave you to your work. Call me if you need anything." He stopped at the door. "Robert, I left orders for pain medicine for your headache if you want it, and for something to help you sleep if you need it. Just ask."

"Thanks."

"I'll stop by before I leave for the night."

Foster pulled a chair closer to the bed, flipping it around and straddling it, the way Eames had seen Goren sit many times. He propped a pad of paper in front of him. "Getting ready for an interrogation, doctor?"

He grinned. "You're cops…I almost forgot. We're just gonna talk this afternoon. Before I start the testing, I want to get a feel for the kind of guy you are. The testing can take awhile…like 6 hours, sometimes more. We can split it up if that's too much for you. Just let me know. But we'll get to that tomorrow. Now if this seems repetitive or tedious, that's because it is. Just bear with me. Bobby, I want you to tell me how you got hurt."

He shrugged. "I have no idea."

"Well, that was easy. You don't remember the incident?"

He shook his head. "Not even a little."

Foster looked at Eames. "Were you there?"

"Yes, but I wasn't with him when he was hurt. He went into a burning building to rescue a little boy. When he came out, his head was bleeding and he collapsed soon after."

"But he was conscious."

"Yes."

"Did he say anything?"

"Not really. He just said he was sorry right before he lost consciousness."

He looked at Goren. "What were you sorry for?"

He shrugged. "I don't know."

He looked back at Eames, who explained, "He apologized because I was worried about him."

Foster smiled. "That was very considerate."

Eames nodded. "That's Bobby."

"Before we get on with more recent things, let's talk about ancient history. How was your childhood, Bobby?"

Eames saw the shadow descend into his eyes. So did Foster. "It was…difficult."

"How so?"

"My mother was sick. She could be…unpredictable."

"What do you mean?"

Goren shifted uncomfortably, wincing uncomfortably as his headache worsened. He looked at Eames, seeing sympathy in her eyes. Sympathy he could accept; at least it wasn't pity. "She has schizophrenia. When she didn't take her medicine, 'they' would always come to get her or to hurt me. Sometimes she thought I was 'them.'"

"And who were 'they?'"

"If you ever find out, let me know."

Foster understood. "What about your father? Was he around?"

"Unfortunately. He left my mother when I was 11, but he was…never faithful to the family."

"To the family? What do you mean?"

Goren rubbed his temple. "He was rarely home. He'd come home late, and I always knew where he'd been, even when I was little. Sometimes he would even take me with him, and tell me to get lost for a few hours while he 'took care of business.' He was a player, a drunk and a gambler. My mother wasn't able to protect herself from his cruelty much less a little boy who didn't know enough to stay out of Daddy's way."

The doctor didn't miss the bitterness in his voice, and neither did Eames. Foster wrote on his pad Remote childhood memories and feelings intact.

"Were you abused?"

He just nodded.

"Do you have any siblings?"

"An older brother."

"Where is he?"

"I don't know. We were never close. He wasn't home much as we got older and he took off as soon as he could."

"If your brother wasn't around and your father left…"

"I took care of my mother…until she got too sick. Then I admitted her at Carmel Ridge."

"So even as a child, you were the one who cared for your mother." Another nod. "Bobby, you told Dr. Barrett that your mother never did what was best for you. What did you mean by that?"

"Just what I said. Her…illness kept her from being a good mom."

"Can you give me an example?"

"No."

"No, you can't or no, you won't?"

He looked down at his hands and refused to look up. "I w-won't."

Foster was quiet for a long moment, but he finally decided not to push it. When they began discussing his childhood, he'd noticed the change in demeanor as well as an apparent increase in pain. His brow was deeply furrowed and he rubbed his forehead often. He was obviously agitated. The doctor also noticed how his eyes would often seek out his partner's, and he wondered if he was even aware he was doing it. "Do you have any contact with her now?"

"I call every day and visit once a week…and holidays."

"Did you visit her yesterday?"

"If it was Wednesday I did."

"Let me rephrase the question. Do you remember visiting her yesterday?"

"Uh, no." He shifted his eyes to look at Eames again. She was still sitting quietly against the wall, just watching him, silently offering support. This wasn't easy for him but there was nothing she could do to help him. Foster looked at her as well. "Did you go with him to Carmel Ridge yesterday?"

"Yes."

"How did it go?"

"It was a difficult visit at the end of a difficult day. She was having a psychotic episode and she didn't know him. She got violent and they had to restrain and sedate her."

Foster nodded and looked back at Goren. "Do you remember anything else that happened yesterday?"

He looked thoughtful, but he didn't answer. Foster looked at Eames, then back at Goren. "Bobby?"

He took a deep breath. "I woke up in a hospital room."

"Woke up from what?"

"I don't know," he said more loudly than he intended. He was getting frustrated.

Foster's voice was gentle, soothing. "That's ok." He waited for a few minutes to see if Goren would calm down. He didn't. So he switched gears, looking for a topic that would help him calm. "Have you always been a cop?"

"Yes. I was in the army as a criminal investigator and then I joined the NYPD."

"Any significant relationships as an adult?"

"I have Eames."

Again Foster looked at her, then back at him. "She's important to you."

He nodded. And he noticed the change. His face relaxed; his agitation, which had begun to ease when they stepped away from talking about his childhood, vanished. He was calm now. "She's my partner," he said simply.

"And what does that mean to you?"

He thought about that. "It means everything."

Eames was quiet as she said, "Tell him why, Bobby."

"I-It's because she stayed."

Intrigued, Foster rested his chin on his hands. "She stayed?"

Goren looked at her, held her eyes. "Yeah. I…I have my own way of doing things. People don't always…like my methods. I…I had trouble keeping a partner. They'd last a few weeks, a month or two at most, and then they were…gone. But Eames stayed."

"I see how that would be significant."

He nodded. Foster looked at her. "And how do you feel?"

"The same way. He's important to me, too."

He shifted back to Goren. "I'm going to talk with her alone for a few minutes, Bobby. I also want to talk to your captain this afternoon. I'll be back in the morning to start the testing. Ok?"

He nodded. "Whatever."

Foster stood and motioned to Eames. At the door, he stopped and looked back at Goren. He had his hand pressed against his forehead over his eye. "I'll have the nurse bring you something for that pain, ok?"

Again, he simply nodded.

Eames walked with him to the nurse's station and waited while he talked with the nurse. Then he returned to her side. "Have a cup of coffee with me?"

"All right."

When they got on the elevator, and no one else did, he said, "You have to have noticed what happened in there."

"What do you mean?"

"Didn't you notice how his behavior changed when we left the subject of his early life and started to talk about you?"

"Bobby had a very hard childhood, and his early adulthood was shadowed by the threat of his mother's disease. He's had a very haunted life."

"Until you came into it."

"Don't think I fixed anything, doctor. He's still haunted by many things. Bobby feels things very deeply."

"And what about people?"

"He doesn't let people in. He tries hard to protect himself from being hurt any more."

"He's let you in."

She looked at him. "You think so?"

"I know so."

"Well, it wasn't always like that. He knows by now that I'm not going to hurt him. Not intentionally."

They exited the elevator and headed for the cafeteria. He got two cups of coffee and she followed him to a quiet table away from the few others who were scattered around the cafeteria. "He said he does things his own way. What did he mean by that?"

"That was a nice way of telling you others see him as weird. Go to the scene of a homicide with him and you'll understand. Bobby doesn't investigate a scene; he experiences it. He looks, listens, touches, smells. It can be…unsettling to watch a guy like him lean over to smell a body."

He laughed. "I can see what you mean. Is that why he had trouble keeping a partner?"

"That's a big part of it. Bobby can be very…intense. People don't know how to handle him."

"Why did you stay, uh, may I call you Alex?"

She nodded. "It was hard at first. I even put in a request for another partner. But I withdrew it."

"Why?"

"Because…something changed. He changed. Somehow, he started looking at me as…part of him. I don't know how or why, but he began telling me what he was thinking, and he realized I could actually follow him. He didn't have to stop and explain himself, which he hates to do because it slows him down. Sometimes it's hard to slow him down."

"Have you noticed a change in him since the accident?"

"Yes. He doesn't remember things he should. He knows who I am, but he doesn't seem sure exactly where I fit in his…in his heart, I guess. He knows I'm his partner, and he knows what that means. But he seems willing to approach a line he's never come near before."

"How's that?"

"I don't know how to explain it. The way he looks at me, or touches me…I don't know."

"Alex, did you notice anything when we were discussing his childhood?"

"I noticed it was very hard for him."

"Yes, it was. And he was constantly seeking comfort from you."

"I don't know what good that did. There was nothing I could do."

"You were there. That was enough. That was all he needed, just to know you were there." He rubbed his chin. "What did Dr. Barrett tell you about his injury?"

"He said something about amnesia, and that his confusion is not uncommon."

"Did he say anything about your role in his recovery?"

"Just that he will probably get frustrated and he might lash out at me."

"He very well might. And it's not because he doesn't love you. It's because he knows you love him."

"He said I was Bobby's safety net."

"A good analogy. When he stumbles or falls, he trusts you will be there to catch him and help him back up. I suspect trust has always been an issue for him."

She nodded. "Bobby trusts no one with his heart."

Foster smiled. "No one but you, Alex."

When she returned to his room, he was sleeping. So she sat down and thought about what Foster had said. She'd never really given it much thought before, but he was right. Goren did trust her with his heart, and for Bobby, that was the ultimate trust.