Mom Racer stood at her stove, staring at an empty frying pan. Tears welled up in her eyes - she had long since lost track of the number of times she cried - and sighed. Quickly, she picked up the frying pan and put it away. She had been ready to fix one of Speed's favourite meals.

One year. One horribly long year since her middle son had disappeared and no one had heard a thing. She never thought she'd have to live through another moment like this again.

"Oh, my darling son, where are you?" she whispered as she sank into a chair. Rex running away when Speed was nine had been bad enough. They at least knew why he had taken off but Speed disappearing . . . It had been more than what she could handle.

Mrs. Racer had not handled her second son's disappearance well. She barely ate or slept. When she did sleep, she usually cried herself into that state and she kept asking herself, "Why? Why did my son leave?"

At first, she didn't want to believe Sparky when he had told her that Speed was not with Trixie. Something had happened between the two of them and Sparky knew it. She had sensed it. When Sparky had asked if he could stay over that night, she had readily agreed. While he went to his apartment, she called Trixie and learned the truth. The one girl Speed had loved the most, next to her, had broken his heart but she had been truly dismayed to hear that Speed had vanished.

As she sat in her chair, Mrs. Racer started sobbing quietly. Her hope of Speed ever returning home faded with each passing day.

"Mrs. Racer? Are you going to be all right?"

The Racer matriarch looked up to see Racer X, a man whom her son had admired both as a professional racer and as a friend, standing in front of her. Sparky stood next to him. Both men were concerned to be seeing her crying.

'No sense in denying it.'

"No," she whispered. "I'm not going to be all right. Two of my sons have disappeared on me. It was bad enough when Rex left home but now Speed is gone. How am I supposed to be all right?"

The next thing she knew, Racer X was giving her a hug. She couldn't help it. Speed had been the only one of her sons to hug her constantly and such a gesture reminded her of him. She broke down.

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'I never knew my leaving had affected her that badly,' Rex thought as he held his mother. 'I had worried more about how it affected Speed than her.'

He waited for her crying to subside. Eventually, her sobs faded and her tears stopped flowing. She breathed heavily as she leaned against him, too worn out to do much else.

"Mrs. Racer . . ."

'Damn, it still feels odd saying that.'

"I'm going to do whatever it takes to find Speed. In fact, I think I may have an idea as to where he may have gone."

"Oh?" She looked at him, her face a cross of hope and sadness.

"He may have gone to New York or Philadelphia," Sparky piped in. "Trixie and I thought we saw him there when we were on our vacations."

Rex nodded.

"I've already told Pops and Inspector Detector."

"Philadelphia? New York?"

Sparky nodded. "We're leaning more towards New York because Trixie said the guy she saw was kissing another girl," Rex explained. "But Philadelphia is closer so we're heading there first. Inspector Detector is making the arrangements now. We'll call you to let you know . . ."

"No," she interjected. "I'm going with you."

"Mrs. Racer . . ."

"I don't intend to argue with anyone about this, Racer X. He's my son as well. I will not stay here another moment if there's a chance I can see him."

"Our first stop is going to be the morgues," he pointed out. He really did not relish the idea of his mother possibly seeing Speed's dead body. They were assuming the worst, after all.

"And receive a phone call in the middle of the night to hear just that? No," she shook her head. "I need to see him for myself. I'm going."

Rex knew better than to argue with her. He had lost many arguments to her before when he had lived at home, especially when the arguments had concerned his younger brother.

'I should try and protest one more time . . .'

The look in her eyes told him it would be fruitless. Rex nodded. "Very well. Be ready to leave when Inspector Detector calls."

"Don't worry. I will be." With that, she got up and walked out of the kitchen, looking better than what she had when they first came in.

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Sarge crushed out his cigarette before heading into the hospital. Though the young man didn't remember his attack or who he was for that matter, he still felt a need to talk to him. He'd been working the case for the past year, even dubbed this John Doe as Jack, Jr.

Sarge's real name was Jack Gilligan Mahoney and he'd been on the force for thirty years. A devout Catholic, Jack took everything seriously, including making his wife and daughters happy. He often thought of how lucky he was to have such a beautiful wife and daughters but always felt that something had been missing in his life. Jack and his wife had had five children but none of them were sons.

'Maybe that's why I dubbed this kid Jack, Jr.,' he mused as he walked into the hospital. 'Wishful thinking on my part.'

The truth had been very simple, however. He wanted this young man to be known as more than John Doe. John Doe was reserved for those who would never be identified and he wanted this kid to at least have some kind of a name should he have died.

Sarge reached the room the young man had been staying in for the past year. Someone had scratched out "John Doe" on the wall plate and written in, "Jack, Jr." He chuckled when he saw that. Sarge often visited when he could, hoping that, when he did, that would be the day he woke up. He stepped into the room.

The first bed was temporarily empty but still boasted an occupant. Hot rod, surfing, and art magazines lay at the foot of the bed. His destination was the bed by the window, hidden by the privacy curtain. Cautiously, Sarge peered around it then muttered a curse. Jack, Jr. was fast asleep!

'At least I know he's awake now. I'll just have to stop by tomorrow. Better get home before the wife kills me.' Taking one last glance at the sleeping young man, Sarge crept out.