Daniel Foster had couldn't sleep. Bobby Goren had him troubled. He continued to replay the evening's events in his mind, and nothing sat well with him. Before he'd turned in to try to sleep, he'd spent several hours reviewing his notes and Bobby's test results. Now he was second guessing his last discussion with Alex. He'd seen Bobby's fury and he was fine with him directing that toward him. But did he really tell Alex she might have to walk away, knowing what that would probably do to both of them? What the hell had he been thinking? Was that--could that ever--be best for either of them?

It was pointless to try to sleep any more. He got up, stuffed his files into his briefcase, and left the apartment. At three in the morning, there wasn't a whole lot of traffic to fight, and he arrived at the hospital quickly. Stepping from the elevator, he went directly to the nurses' station, where the night shift nurses were busy charting, drawing up medicine or talking on the phone. "Dr. Foster," said one...he thought her name was Carol. "Is something wrong?"

He glanced at the board on the wall. "Who's Bobby's nurse?"

"Pam is. Do you want to talk to her?"

"Please." He leaned against an empty desk and waited.

"Yes, Dr. Foster? Is something wrong?"

He turned to face a young nurse, her blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail and a worried look on her face. He shook his head. "I hope not. How has he been since I left this evening?"

"He seems to be fine. His vitals are good."

"How was his attitude? Did he seem distressed or upset?"

"No. He seemed relaxed."

"Was anyone in there with him?"

"Just Miss Eames."

"When did she leave?"

"She hasn't left, and I didn't see the harm in letting her stay. I hope I haven't done anything wrong..."

"No, no. Not at all. Didn't Dr. Barrett put her down as his next of kin?"

"I believe so."

"Then she has every right to stay if she wants to. Ok. Thanks, Pam. I'm going to check on him before I go."

"Ok, doctor."

He stuck his briefcase behind the desk and headed down the hall. Pushing the door open slowly, he slipped into the room and let his eyes adjust to the darkness. There were no lights on at all and the blinds were drawn. He pulled a penlight from his pocket and shined it into the room. One chair was pulled out into its sleeper component and Alex was sleeping there. That was a good sign. He walked quietly to the bed, shining the light close enough to see Bobby without shining it into his face, but it was still enough to disturb him. He rolled onto his back and opened his eyes. His face became a dark frown and he slowly sat up. "What are you doing here?"

"I came back in to see how you are doing."

Reaching back above the head of the bed, Goren turned the light on, waking his partner. "Dr. Foster?" she frowned. "Is something wrong?"

"I hope not." He looked at Goren. "How are you?"

"I'm still pissed, if that's what you mean."

"Why?"

"Because you had no business interfering. We were doing just fine..."

"Were you?" He didn't usually interrupt his patients, but this wasn't a session, and he wanted to get Bobby thinking. Memories often returned when they weren't being deliberately recalled. He knew there was a good chance of triggering that recall using this relationship, and he was going to take advantage of that. "How were you doing fine? You can't remember your relationship with her. So tell me how you define 'fine.'"

When Goren didn't answer, Foster turned toward Eames, deliberately turning his back toward his patient. "Alex, I was thinking about the last conversation we had, and I...made a mistake in something I told you, about what you might have to do. I...wasn't able to sleep." He looked over his shoulder at Goren, who was watching them with interest. He sighed. "I want to talk to both of you."

"What did you tell her?"

He heard protectiveness in Bobby's tone, and that reassured him as much as anything did. He watched Eames as she got up and walked around him to sit on the foot of the bed, so that he could talk directly to both of them. "Don't you two talk?"

Eames sighed. "I don't tell him things that will upset him, doctor."

"Why not?"

She frowned. "Because...I don't want to upset him," she spoke slowly so he would have no trouble understanding her.

Foster smiled. "I realize that. But conflict resolution is a very important part of any relationship. Conflict avoidance is not healthy."

"He's just had a concussion bad enough to affect his memory and his behavior. I don't know where the hell I stand with him and you want me to go around antagonizing him? Damn it, I don't want to drive him off! I don't want to lose him."

"And you think you will, by telling him something you don't think he wants to hear? If your relationship is that fragile..."

"I didn't say that," she countered. "I just mean he's been through enough."

Foster looked at Goren. "What do you think, Bobby?"

He was confused, and he was getting very tired of feeling that way. He was also angry and he didn't like the way Foster was talking to Eames. His voice was tight, and he ignored the pounding in his head as best he could. "I want to know what you told her."

"Tell him, Alex."

She sighed, looking at Goren. "He said that maybe I would have to walk away, that the decision was entirely up to you now because I'd made my choice."

Foster added, "Now tell him what you told me, Alex."

She didn't take her eyes from her partner's. "I told him...I didn't know if I could leave you. I...have too much invested in you."

Goren's frown deepened. "Too much of what?"

"Too much of...myself. If you could remember, you'd know that."

"But I can't remember..." he started, beginning to get upset. He pressed a hand against his throbbing forehead.

Foster stepped in. "That isn't the point, Bobby. Settle down. The point is...she is as committed to you as you are to her." He looked from one to the other. "What did you two work out?"

They looked at each other, and Foster was reassured by what he saw in each set of eyes. Goren sighed. "I...can't lose her."

Eames swallowed hard, keeping tears from welling in her eyes. "I won't lose him."

Goren shifted his eyes toward Foster. "I will do anything she asks, and I'm going to try not to hide from her. I might not always be able to do that, but I sure as hell am going to try."

When he shifted his eyes back to her, she smiled at him. "And I will give him his space. I don't want to consume him; I just want to love him."

Foster nodded. "And your work relationship? That seems to be just as important to both of you."

"What about it?" Goren frowned. "It's not going to change. We are who we are. Our relationship is not going to keep us from doing our job."

"And you can say that with certainty how?"

He glared at Foster. "Because it never has," he said firmly.

Foster looked surprised. "You say that like you know it as a fact, Bobby."

Eames looked intently at her partner, placing her hand on his leg. "Why do you say that, Bobby?"

His face relaxed, though a tightness around his eyes betrayed the fact that his headache remained. The corner of his mouth twitched. "Because nothing has changed, Eames. I have...loved you for a long time. My mind can switch gears easily between Eames my partner and Alex the woman I love. I don't get the two confused, and I never have."

Eames looked at Foster. "What just happened here?"

Foster was watching Goren. "I'm not sure. Bobby?"

Goren looked at Foster and pointed an accusing finger at him. "You are still not off the hook. I'm still mad at you."

"Fair enough. Now tell me what just happened?"

"I...don't know. It's, well, it's like someone took a bunch of cotton wading out of my head."

"Do you remember the fire, or your visit to your mother?"

"No. But I remember other stuff...but don't ask me what I had for dinner a week ago last Thursday."

Eames said, "Ok, smart guy, what did you have for dinner a week ago last Friday?"

He met her eyes. He remembered taking her to dinner two weeks ago, and he smiled. "A steak, sirloin, medium, with a baked potato and broccoli. And you had broiled cod, with fries and mixed vegetables."

She looked at Foster. "What's going on? When you came in here, he couldn't tell you the details of the case we finished Wednesday."

"It was perception, Alex."

"What?"

"Perception can sometimes be as convincing as reality, especially in a place like the mind. At some level, a fear erupted that if he couldn't remember your past together, there might not be any chance for a future."

"That's ridiculous."

"I agree, and I wager Bobby does, too." A glance at him and a nod confirmed that. "But those deep seated insecurities will be hard to drive out. And that fear was enough to kickstart his paralyzed memory centers."

"I see," she said. "All we had to do was threaten his relationship with me. Why didn't I think of that?"

A ghost of a smile flitted across Goren's face. But it was quickly replaced by a look of increasing pain. Foster laid a hand on his arm. "Your head hurts?"

He nodded. "Hurts like hell."

"I'm not surprised. I'll send your nurse in with something to help with that. I'll be back mid-morning, to see how you're feeling and to talk about your test results. I'll want to repeat some of those tests, too."

"More apple juice?"

Foster smiled. "Let's get you out of here, and I'll take you both out for a beer, ok?"

Goren chuckled. "You got a deal, doc."

"Still pissed?"

"I'll let you know later."

"Fair enough."

He winked at Eames and left the room. She turned her attention to her partner. "Are you ok?"

"I'm not sure. I don't know what to think."

"Try not thinking for a little while, ok? Maybe that's why your head hurts; you're thinking too much."

"That never hurt it before."

"Could this be a new trend?"

"God, I hope not."

She laughed. "So do I." She slid closer to him, resting her hand on his thigh. "You do remember?"

He nodded. "I remember."

He closed his hand around hers and pulled her toward him, until her head came to rest on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and held her. The door opened and the nurse came in with an injection. She gave him the shot, smiled at them and left. When Eames started to pull away to get off the bed, his arms tightened around her. "Stay," he whispered, kissing her temple. She relaxed and settled against him, and they both went back to sleep.