Nathan sat across from Billy in the examination room, eyeing him. Billy sat back, arms folded, face defiant, refusing to speak. His eyes roamed the room, but he wouldn't look at Nathan. He was trying to put on a devil-may-care attitude, but Nathan could tell he was terrified.

And he had a gut feeling Billy wasn't terrified because he'd been arrested. There was something else, something much deeper.

Nathan's gut instincts were never wrong.

He leaned forward, putting on his best tough-yet-empathetic cop voice. "Billy, we know you're not the ringleader in this scheme."

Billy glanced at him, something flickering in his eyes. Sensing an opportunity, Nathan leaned forward. "If you're in trouble of some kind, we can help you. We just need information."

Billy looked fully at Nathan for the first time, and Nathan could see the fear shining in his eyes. The kid was living in fear, and it was taking a toll. "He's going to hurt my grandpa if I say anything," Billy whispered, half to himself, half to Nathan.

"Who is?" Nathan asked, voice low, his heart pumping. Maybe this would be easier than he thought.

"I...I can't...say," Billy stammered, tears coming to his eyes. "I can't risk anything happening to Grandpa."

"Billy," Nathan said, sensing that Billy's willingness to talk was quickly slipping away, "We can keep your grandpa safe. I can have police patrolling the area to make sure he's not harmed."

"Like you had an officer patrolling Elizabeth Thatcher's neighborhood?" Billy asked, a challenge in his eyes. He scoffed. "Fat lot of good that did!" The defiance returned to his eyes, and he stared sullenly at the table, arms crossed even tighter against his chest. Try as he might, Nathan couldn't get another word out of him.

"Alright, have it your way," he said, getting up and walking out of the room. He joined Lee behind the one-way window.

Lee glanced at him, hands on his hips. "That wasn't very informative, was it?"

"No," Nathan said, letting out a breath. "But we do know he's scared for his grandfather, and we know someone is pulling the strings behind the scenes. We've got to find out who that is."

"And how are we going to do that?" Lee asked, looking at Billy through the glass. "He isn't cooperative, and he's our only lead."

Nathan contemplated the problem. An idea came to him and he entertained it for a moment. He didn't particularly like it, but it seemed to be something that would work. "I have an idea…"


Elizabeth cradled little Michael in her arms, rocking back and forth in the rocking chair. It broke her heart that he was still struggling, but at least now they could hold him. They made sure to give him thirty minutes at a time of human contact, and Elizabeth was taking her turn now. She held him as close as she could, willing him to keep fighting.

Running a finger down his cheek, Elizabeth fought tears. "Keep fighting, Michael. You're named after a heavenly warrior who never gives up the battle. Don't you give up either, sweet boy." Michael gave a little mewling cry in response, his little mouth opening and closing.

"Here," Molly said, handing Elizabeth a bottle. "It's his feeding time."

Elizabeth took the bottle, hoping Michael would take it. Most times, he refused to eat from the bottle, and they had to feed him through an IV. Taking a deep breath and sending up a quick prayer, Elizabeth placed the nipple of the bottle into Michael's mouth.

He turned away with a cry. Not one to give up, Elizabeth tried again. Michael turned away again.

Elizabeth adjusted Michael to what she hoped was a more comfortable eating position. Once more, she tried to give him the bottle. She held her breath when he didn't turn away. Michael began to eat, his little mouth working slowly. Elizabeth had to hold back a cry of joy. The tears escaped her eyes and rolled down her cheeks, but she didn't care. She stared at the little boy in her arms, delighted that he was eating on his own.

Molly and Florence both turned when they heard her sniffled. "What's wrong?" Florence asked, coming toward her quickly. She stopped in her tracks when she saw Michael. "Is he…?"

Elizabeth nodded, laughing softly. "He is!"

Molly leaned over the rocker, gazing down at Michael. "This makes me so happy!" she breathed. "He's not giving up!"

The three of them stared at the baby for a few moments, and then Molly and Florence went about taking care of the other babies. Elizabeth held Michael and rocked him until he finished an entire bottle for the first time. She set the bottle on the table next to the rocker and lifted him gently to her shoulder, patting his back carefully. Within minutes, he was asleep. She placed him back in his incubator, just watching him with a smile on her face.

"You gave me hope," she whispered to him. "I don't think you're going to give up, Michael. You're going to live and grow and be strong. You've got this."

Molly looked at her watch. "Elizabeth, it's time for your lunch break."

Elizabeth's brows raised. "Already?" She looked at her watch, which confirmed Molly's words. "I feel like I just started my shift!"

Molly laughed. "Well, then that just means the day will fly by. Enjoy your lunch."

Elizabeth smiled. She always lost track of time while working. Molly or Florence always had to remind her to take a break. She grabbed her bag and headed for the cafeteria. As she sat at a table, she noticed a security guard move closer to her, stationing himself several feet away. No one else would have noticed anything unusual about that, but she knew he was there to watch her. Carson had assured Nathan that Elizabeth would be safe at the hospital, and he was true to his word. Trying to ignore the guard and what his presence meant, Elizabeth pulled a sandwich out of her bag along with The Lord of the Rings, getting lost in the book while she ate her lunch.

Her phone dinged as she was about to go back to work. She pulled it out of her bag and smiled when she saw it was from Nathan.

Meet me at Coffee and Books after your shift?

Her heart flipping, she typed back her reply. See you then.


Nathan read Elizabeth's answer, a knife twisting in his gut. How was she going to react to his idea?

"You're overthinking this, Nathan," Lee said, watching the emotions playing across Nathan's face. "Elizabeth will be happy to help."

"That's what worries me," Nathan said, pacing back and forth. "I know she would leap at the chance to help, but I'm worried for her safety."

"She's staying with you," Lee reminded him. "You have a state of the art security system, and there's no way someone tries to break into your house. Elizabeth is safe."

"For now, maybe," Nathan said, flopping into his chair with a thud. "But what happens when she's somewhere we can't protect her? She's safe at work and at my house, but what about when she's at the store or walking along the beach? Anything could happen!"

Lee's brows raised. "You can't live in fear, Nathan. You have to trust that Elizabeth will be okay. We've already caught one of the bad guys. Hopefully your plan will help us catch the others."

Nathan exhaled. "I hope so. I haven't had a case that's been this personal in a long time. It was fine until they started to go after Elizabeth." His jaw clenched. He hated that Elizabeth was in danger.

"It's fine," Lee said, trying to reassure him. "You know we'll get the bad guys." He clapped Nathan on the back. "Try not to think about this too hard. You and Elizabeth are coming to game night this evening, right?"

Nathan nodded, his mind preoccupied.

"I'm guessing Elizabeth made another dessert?"

"What?" Nathan looked at Lee blankly for a moment before the question registered. "Oh, yes. Well, I should say she's going to. She said she was going to make something after work." He frowned. "And I just cut into her time for that by asking her to meet with me."

"Nathan," Lee said, sitting on his desk and waiting for his friend to look at him. "Elizabeth is a strong woman. She will be fine."

"My head knows that, but my heart isn't so convinced," Nathan muttered. "What if…?"

"Nope!" Lee cut him off. "Stop right there. You can't deal in what ifs. They will drive you crazy."

Nathan took a deep breath, trying to calm his rolling stomach. "You're right, you're right. I just can't believe I'm about to ask the woman I...care about...to do something so potentially dangerous."

Lee shrugged. "Let her make the decision. She'll tell you what she really thinks."

Nathan's stomach was still rolling a couple hours later when he met Elizabeth at Coffee and Books. She smiled at him, looking incredibly relaxed and beautiful. "Hey, Nathan."

"Hi," he said, managing a smile back.

She raised a brow. "You look awfully serious. Did something happen at work?"

"Why don't we sit?" he said, feeling an unwillingness to say what he had to say. Faith came by, coffee pot in hand.

"Would you two like some?" she asked, holding up the pot.

"Yes, please!" Elizabeth said, smiling. Nathan couldn't help smiling himself as he watched her. She seemed so happy. Faith poured the two cups of coffee, then smiled. "See you two at game night!"

"Can't wait!" Elizabeth said, taking a sip. "Mmm, that's good coffee."

Nathan laughed despite himself. "It's black. You like froo-froo coffee."

"True," Elizabeth said, grinning. "But every so often, a cup of plain black coffee just hits the spot."

"You're in a good mood," Nathan observed.

Her eyes sparkled. "Yes. There's a baby at the hospital, Michael, who has been struggling for so long. We didn't think he was going to make it." She took another sip of her coffee, then continued. "Today he ate on his own! He's starting to show signs of improvement. It's early yet, but I can't help feeling that he's going to be okay." She sighed, a look of contentment on her face. "These are the days that make being a NICU nurse so rewarding."

Nathan reached over and took her hand, looking deep into her eyes. "That's wonderful, Elizabeth! I'm so happy to hear that."

She smiled, nodding, then paused. Her eyes narrowed. "Is something wrong, Nathan? You don't quite look like yourself."

He tilted his head, considering how to begin. "We caught the man who robbed the stores."

Her blue eyes widened. "You did? Nathan, that's amazing!" She frowned, studying him. "Why aren't you thrilled?"

"Because he's not the mastermind, Elizabeth, and he won't talk. He's scared stiff about whoever is actually behind these robberies. He thinks the person will hurt his grandfather."

"Oh!" Elizabeth said, a hand going to her heart. Nathan smiled, watching her. She had a tender heart, even for young troublemakers. "That's so sad! Is his grandfather in trouble?"

Nathan shrugged. "I don't know, but I am going to make sure someone is watching his house." He frowned. "Though Billy didn't seem to think that was going to make a difference. He said it didn't with you."

Elizabeth's mouth formed an "o". "His name is Billy? Is he the one who threw that brick through my window?"

Nathan nodded.

"Hmm," Elizabeth said, thinking. After a while, she looked up, eyeing him. "I know you didn't want me to get involved, but…"

Nathan raised a brow. "But what?"

"Maybe I could talk to him?"

His jaw dropped. That was exactly what he had been so afraid to ask her, and here she was offering to do it. His mouth worked for a moment, then he smiled wryly. "I was going to ask you if you wouldn't mind talking with him."

A slow smile spread over Elizabeth's face. She batted her eyes at him. "Is that so, detective? And here I thought you told me to stay away from the case."

"Umm, yes, I might have said that previously, Ms. Thatcher, but I appreciate your willingness to overlook that particular statement of mine."

They laughed together, then Elizabeth's eyes turned serious. "I really don't mind talking to him, Nathan. If he's scared, maybe he will find it easier to talk to a nurse than he would to talk to a detective." She squeezed his hand. "I'll do anything I can to help with this case."

Relief washed over Nathan, though he still felt concern for her safety. But Lee was right; Elizabeth was a strong woman. And she was smart. He would trust her.

"Thank you, Elizabeth."