Elizabeth looked around the yellow sunshine room that she'd come to think of as hers. In her time at Nathan's house, he and Colleen had made her feel completely at home. It had been a delight getting to know Colleen and Allie better. And she had to admit it had been nice having Nathan close by. She was going to miss being here on a daily basis.
Allie came bounding into the room, jumping on the bed. She took one look at Elizabeth's suitcase and her face fell. "You're leaving?" she asked, disappointment lacing her words.
Elizabeth shut her suitcase, nodding. "Yes. Now that your uncle caught the bad guy, I can go back home again."
A little pout formed on Allie's face. "But we like having you here. Can't you stay a little longer?"
Elizabeth chuckled, sitting on the bed. She put an arm around Allie. "I wish I could, sweetheart, but I'm afraid not." She leaned closer and lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "But you know what? You can come visit me anytime."
Allie's eyes lit up. "Really? Thanks, Auntie Elizabeth!" She threw her arms around Elizabeth exuberantly. Elizabeth laughed, hugging her back. Allie truly was a sweet child. She was going to miss her very much.
"Maybe we can watch an old musical at my house soon," Elizabeth suggested. "Just you and me. What do you think?"
"Yes!" Allie said, eyes shining. "Can we watch High Society?"
"Of course! I love that one," Elizabeth exclaimed.
Allie grinned. "I like that Frank Sinatra is in it. Mommy said they called him 'Ole Blue Eyes' because his eyes were so blue. I think Uncle Nathan's eyes are just as blue. Don't you think?"
Elizabeth laughed. "Allie, that is a very good point. Your Uncle Nathan does have eyes like that. Hmm," she said, thinking, before she laughed again. "I think I'm going to call him that and see if he reacts."
Allie giggled. "And I'll call him Uncle Blue Eyes," she said, following Elizabeth out of the room.
Colleen was sitting on the couch, reading a magazine. She looked up when Elizabeth came into the room, eyeing the suitcase. She sighed, putting the magazine down. "You're leaving already?"
Elizabeth nodded. "Unfortunately. My shift at the hospital starts soon, and it's going to go until eleven tonight. I won't have time to get settled back in at my place unless it happens now."
Colleen enveloped her in a hug. "We're going to miss having you here," she said softly. "I've liked having a sister." She pulled back, eyes sparkling. "Though maybe sometime down the road we actually will be sisters."
Blushing, Elizabeth laughed. "Colleen, your brother just asked me to be his girlfriend! Let's not jump the gun."
"Oh, I know my brother," Colleen said, her smile telling Elizabeth she was equal parts teasing and serious. "He wouldn't have asked that if he couldn't see a future with you." She winked. "Mark my words, you'll be engaged before long."
A thrill went through Elizabeth at those words, but she tried not to analyze them too closely. She knew if she did, she'd get her hopes up, and she thought it would be prudent to simply take each day with Nathan as it came.
She smiled. "Thanks, Colleen. We'll see how it goes." Elizabeth pulled Allie into a hug. "I'll have you over for that movie soon, okay?"
Allie nodded in excitement.
Elizabeth shook her head. "Well, I guess that's that. I'll see you all soon!"
Colleen held the door open for her. "Make sure you come visit as soon as you can!"
"I will," Elizabeth called back with a smile, placing her suitcase into her trunk. She waved, then got into her car. She fought a wave of sadness as she drove away, knowing how much she was going to miss Colleen and Allie. And Nathan.
"Don't be silly, Elizabeth!" she scolded herself as she pulled into her own driveway. "You're going to still see them on a regular basis!" Pulling her suitcase from the trunk, she walked to her front door and let herself in.
The house was quiet and musky from being closed up for so long. She put her suitcase in her room and methodically went through each room, opening windows. Fresh air flowed through the house, dispelling the gloom. Elizabeth noticed her kitchen window was fixed with fresh glass. She smiled. Nathan.
She threw her used clothes into the laundry basket, then put away her suitcase and toiletries. Puttering back into the kitchen, she opened the fridge and made a mental note to go shopping first thing in the morning.
Elizabeth looked at the clock and saw that she had a solid hour before needing to be at work. She went into the garage and strapped on her helmet, then got on her bike and started pedalling to Coffee and Books.
She and Faith were overdue for a friendly chat over coffee and scones.
Nathan sat at his desk, feeling slightly buried in paperwork for the Spurlock case. This was always his least favorite part of the job: needing to cross the t's and dot the i's of a case. He knew it was essential, but he couldn't get himself to focus.
His mind kept wandering to his brother-in-law.
In the past three months, Nathan had been so focused on the string of robberies that he hadn't been able to devote much time to finding Steve. He had done his best, but kept coming up with nothing. There were no clues, no leads. Nothing. Steve had disappeared without a trace. And Nathan had been assigned to the robbery case.
Now that was wrapped up, and Nathan was determined to start searching again, this time opening up an official investigation. He would have to clear it with Bill, but he figured his boss would be more open to it this time around.
Nathan had to find Steve. His mind told him his brother-in-law was likely dead, but he had to find out. Colleen and Allie deserved to have some closure. Colleen never complained, but he could tell that the perpetual limbo was hard on her. She needed an answer, one way or another. And he intended to find the answer.
He threw himself into the paperwork, knowing that if he finished Bill would be more agreeable to his request to open an official missing person investigation. Within two hours he had completed everything. Standing, he took the papers directly to Bill's office. He knocked and heard his boss call, "Come in."
Nathan opened the door, then placed the file folder on Bill's desk. "The paperwork for the Spurlock case is done," he said.
The chief's eyebrows lifted. "That was fast. Good work, Grant."
"Thank you, sir," Nathan said. He shuffled his feet, wondering how to begin.
Bill looked up. "Is there something else?"
Nathan squared his shoulders. "Yes, there is, Chief. I want to open an investigation into the disappearance of Steve Grant."
Sighing, Bill leaned back. "You know we're not supposed to open an official investigation without evidence."
Nathan wasn't about to back down. "I know, Bill, but Steve has been missing for three months. Without a trace. That's not normal. Something's wrong, and we all know it."
Bill studied Nathan for a time, his face unreadable. Finally he nodded slowly. "You have good instincts, Nathan. If you believe this warrants an investigation, then open an investigation. You're lead on it. Have Coulter help you."
Relief flooded Nathan. "Thanks, Bill." He smiled grimly. "Our family needs answers."
"I understand," Bill said, more understanding in his voice than Nathan had ever heard. He shook his head. "I still can't believe your sister married a man with the same last name you all have."
Nathan chuckled. "That was strange. But at least Colleen didn't have to go through all the legalities to change her name."
Bill nodded. "Convenient." He stacked some papers on his desk. "Keep me updated on your investigation."
"I will. Thanks, Chief." Nathan slipped out of the office, then sank into the chair at his desk. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding in. "Hey, Lee!" he called, looking over at his friend.
"Yeah?" Lee said, not taking his eyes from the document he was studying on the computer.
"We've got a new case."
"Oh?" Lee said, still not looking up. "What might that be?"
"Missing person case."
"Mmhmm," Lee replied absentmindedly, looking down at the papers in front of him, then matching it to something on his computer. "Who is it?"
"Steve Grant."
At that, Lee's head snapped up and around. He stared at Nathan. "Seriously? Bill let us open a case?"
Nathan simply nodded.
Lee's mouth fell open as he sat in stunned silence for several moments. Determination swept over his face, and Nathan could tell his best friend was as committed to finding the truth as he was. "Where do we start?"
Elizabeth watched her precious babies sleeping in their incubators. Her shift was over, but she wasn't quite ready to leave yet. She walked from incubator to incubator, marveling at the miracle of each baby. For the first time in a long time, none of these sweet babies were in danger of losing their lives. Every single one of them was getting stronger by the day.
Even little Michael.
Elizabeth stopped by his incubator, watching his little chest rise and fall. He was getting bigger, and he was eating regularly on his own. His cheeks were rosy and starting to get plump. She breathed a prayer of thanks that he was going to make it.
"Goodnight, sweet boy," she whispered.
Molly came in, raising a brow. "What are you still doing here? Go home and rest, Elizabeth! You had a long shift today."
Elizabeth chuckled. "I'll be fine. I just wanted to say goodnight to our little babies." At Molly's look, she smiled. "Alright, I'm going! See you tomorrow."
She headed to her bike, breathing in the cooler night air. A breeze was blowing lightly, refreshing her. As she pedaled home she listened to the symphony of waves crashing gently along the shore. All was quiet and peaceful. She loved these late night rides home. They gave her time to just relax and listen to the sounds of nature.
She pulled into her driveway, noticing someone on her front porch. It should have scared her, but she recognized the form on her porch swing right away.
Nathan.
She grinned, parking her bike and clipping her helmet to the handlebars. Walking over to him, she sat on the swing next to him. "Hey, Ole Blue Eyes."
Nathan laughed softly, wrapping an arm around her. "Hey, sweetheart." He pressed a kiss to the side of her head. "Ole Blue Eyes, is it? Is that a Frank Sinatra reference?"
She smiled cheekily. "It is. Though I think your blue eyes beat his any day."
Chuckling, Nathan shook his head. "That's a new one. I don't think I've been compared to Sinatra before." He took her hand in his free one. "How was your day?"
"Good," she said, leaning her head on his shoulder. He rocked them gently back and forth on the swing. "Somehow I'm not surprised to see you, though I am wondering what you're doing here at nearly midnight."
She could feel him smile. "I missed seeing you today, and I wanted to spend some time with you even if just for a few minutes. I'd gotten so used to seeing you every day, something felt like it was missing when I got home today and you weren't there."
Elizabeth wrapped an arm around his waist, snuggling closer. "I felt the same way when I had to leave. It was strange not having seen you before I left."
They sat quietly for a few moments, just enjoying being with each other. After a time, Nathan asked, "How is Michael?"
Elizabeth loved that he remembered to ask about her favorite patient. "He's getting stronger every day. We believe he's finally out of the woods. He should make a full recovery and be able to go home in a few weeks."
"Oh, Elizabeth, that's wonderful!" Nathan breathed against her hair. "I know how much you've wanted him to get better."
She felt tears of joy spring to her eyes. "I have. It warms my heart to know he's going to be okay."
"Good," Nathan said. "Have I ever told you that you have the most tender, compassionate heart of all the people I've met in my life?"
Elizabeth blushed. "It just comes with the territory," she said, trying to shrug off the compliment.
Nathan moved his head so that he could look into her eyes. "I mean it, Elizabeth. You're not that way because you're a nurse. You're a good nurse because you're that way."
"Thanks, Nathan," she said softly.
"You're welcome," he replied.
"How was your day?" Elizabeth asked, turning the conversation to him.
She felt him take a deep breath. "Good," he said after a pause. Elizabeth looked up at him to find an unfamiliar look in his eyes.
"What is it?" she asked, sitting up straight and looking at him. "What happened?"
"Nothing bad," he said. "We wrapped up the Spurlock case, and that's now done. So I asked Chief Avery if we could open a case to find my brother-in-law." He took another deep breath. "He said yes."
Elizabeth's eyes widened. "Nathan, that's good news, isn't it?"
He nodded. "Yes and no. Yes, because hopefully it'll bring some closure. No, because I'm afraid of what we'll find."
"You think he's dead?"
Nathan nodded, his eyes sad. "I think so. And I dread actually finding him that way. But Colleen needs to know what happened, and it's my job to find out. As a detective and as her brother."
"That's understandable," Elizabeth said quietly. She tilted her head. "And you have no leads?"
Nathan shook his head. "None." He sighed. "But then we didn't have the opportunity to treat this as an actual investigation before. Now that I have the time and resources to do this, hopefully we'll find something. And soon."
"You'll find him," Elizabeth told him. "You're an excellent detective. You'll get to the bottom of this."
"I hope so," Nathan replied. He looked at his watch and sighed again. "As much as I hate to, I have to be going." They stood together, and Nathan pulled her into his arms. He leaned down to gently brush his lips against hers. "I'll see you tomorrow, Elizabeth." Smoothing her hair back from her face, he smiled. "Sweet dreams, sweetheart."
She brought her lips to his this time, kissing him gently, hoping her touch would soothe his sadness over Steve. "You have sweet dreams too, Nathan," she murmured against his lips.
He drew in a shuddering breath, smiling at her. "I will now." He kissed her once more, then gently let her go. "Goodnight, Elizabeth."
"Goodnight, Nathan." He waited until she was safely inside, then turned to go to his car. Elizabeth watched him through her window, praying he would have the peace to be able to sleep tonight, and the fortitude for the task ahead of finding his brother-in-law.
She had a feeling that the days ahead would be hard on her sweet Nathan.
