Elizabeth looked at the clock for the hundredth time, wondering where Nathan was. She'd texted him about dinner plans and never gotten a response. She had tried to call him when his shift was supposed to be over, but he didn't answer his phone. She'd even texted Colleen, asking if she had seen Nathan. His sister hadn't heard from him either.

Elizabeth was trying hard not to worry, telling herself that Nathan was a cop and cops got caught up at work all the time. He had probably gotten deep into a case and lost track of the time.

A knock sounded on the door. Hope leapt in Elizabeth's heart, only to come crashing down again when Rosemary came breezing in. The smile on her face fizzled when she saw Elizabeth. "What's wrong?" she asked, hurrying forward with Lucas in her arms.

Elizabeth sighed. "I'm just worried about Nathan. I can't get ahold of him."

Rosemary gave her a sympathetic smile. "I'm sure he's fine. Do you know how many times I haven't been able to get ahold of Lee, and it turns out he was simply busy at work? They're fine." She patted Lucas's back as he softly fussed, then looked at Elizabeth. "I'm taking Jesse and Clara for a picnic on the beach. Would you like to join us?"

"Thank you, Rosie, but I think I'll stay here," Elizabeth said softly.

"Alright," Rosemary conceded. "But promise me you're not going to sit here worrying the whole time."

"Do I have to promise?"

Rosemary chuckled. "Nathan wasn't doing anything dangerous today, Elizabeth. Lee said they were just checking a potential lead on Steve. He'll be here before you know it."

"I hope so," Elizabeth muttered, crossing her arms against her stomach in the hopes of calming the anxiety.

Rosemary wrapped her in a hug, careful not to squash little Lucas. "Call me if you need anything," she said. "I'll have my phone on me. Even if you just need someone to talk you down."

"Thanks, Rosemary," Elizabeth said gratefully. As Rosemary left, Nathan's car pulled into the driveway and he got out, clearly unharmed. Elizabeth let out a little cry of relief and flew to him, wrapping him in a tight embrace. It took a moment for Nathan's arms to come around her as well, but once they did he held onto her tightly.

Elizabeth instinctively knew something was wrong. She could feel Nathan's shuddering breaths, and his heart was beating in an irregular pattern. She pulled back slightly, looking up at him. His eyes confirmed her sense. They were watery and red, as though he had been holding back tears.

"What happened, Nathan?" Elizabeth asked, her voice shaking slightly.

Nathan shook his head. "Let's sit on the swing," he said hoarsely. Elizabeth followed him to the porch swing, and as they sat there he drew her close to his side, still not saying anything.

Five minutes went by, and Nathan showed no inclination toward talking. Elizabeth knew he was an internal processor, but this was intense even for him. She reached up, cupping his face with her hand, wanting to comfort him. He turned into it, pressing his lips against her palm. Elizabeth slid her arms around his neck and pressed closer, pulling his head down to kiss him. Nathan seemed slightly surprised at her boldness, but he wrapped her in his arms and kissed her back. Elizabeth could feel sadness and desperation in his kiss, and she hoped that this small sign of her physical affection would bring him a measure of peace.

Nathan pulled back slightly, and Elizabeth felt a drop of moisture hit her arm. She reached up, wiping the tears from Nathan's cheeks. He looked at her, raw emotion in his eyes. "How am I going to tell Colleen?" he whispered, his voice anguished.

Elizabeth's heart dropped. "You found Steve," she said, wondering how bad his death must have been to put Nathan in such a state.

He nodded, letting out a shuddering breath.

"Was he murdered?" Elizabeth asked gently, knowing there was no easy way to ask that question.

Nathan shook his head. "No."

"No?" Elizabeth was confused. If not murder, then what?

Nathan leaned his forehead against hers, closing his eyes. "He's alive, Elizabeth."

"Alive? But…" Her brow wrinkled in confusion. Nathan must have felt it, because he drew back, looking into her eyes. Elizabeth continued on. "Why are you so distraught? Isn't it a good thing that he's alive?"

"Yes," Nathan said. "Of course it is. But it's not that simple."

"What's not that simple?" Elizabeth asked, bewildered. His news and his reaction to the news were so contradictory she couldn't make sense of it.

Nathan sighed, leaning back against the swing. "He's alive, but he's in the rehab center in Kahawai."

"I thought you said that center didn't have any Steve Grants in residence," Elizabeth said, tilting her head.

"They didn't," Nathan said, letting out his breath. "They called this morning because they realized that they had someone there with the last name Grant, but they haven't been able to verify his identity. He's been calling himself William Grant."

Elizabeth waited for him to continue, sure that he would explain and everything would soon make sense. She still couldn't make heads or tails of the situation.

"The man calling himself William was Steve."

Elizabeth frowned. "Why would Steve do that?"

"He has amnesia." Nathan rubbed a hand against his forehead. "He didn't know who I was, and apparently he doesn't know who he is. Or at least, not entirely."

"Is there any significance to the name William?" Elizabeth asked.

"He once told Colleen his parents used to call him that when he was a child. His middle name is William, and for a time that's what he went by. But by the time he hit high school, he wanted to go to his first name, so everyone started calling him Steve." Nathan shook his head. "I have no idea why he would remember that and not his first name. The director of the rehab center said the name William Grant is the only thing he remembers. He has nothing else." His eyes filled again, the tears threatening to escape. "He has no memory of Colleen or Allie…" As his words trailed off, he buried his face in his hands, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.

Elizabeth rubbed a hand against his back as Nathan tried to collect himself. Her heart broke for him, for Colleen and Allie, and for Steve. How scary it must be to not remember anything about who you were and where you came from.

After a few minutes, Nathan straightened and leaned against the swing again, his arm wrapped around Elizabeth's shoulder. He gave her a tender smile. "Thank you for being here, Elizabeth. I'm sorry I'm not better company this evening."

Elizabeth shook her head. "You've been through a terrible shock, Nathan. It's no wonder you're feeling this way."

He looked up, gazing at the clouds. "I'm going to have to figure out how and when to tell Colleen. Part of me wants to wait until I can figure out exactly what happened to Steve, and the other part of me wants to tell her now so that she can at least know that he is alive." He sighed, then looked at Elizabeth. "What do you think I should do?"

Elizabeth let out her breath. "Nathan, only you can know the answer to that question. You know Colleen, and you know what would be best for her."

"Would it make me a terrible brother if I waited a day or two, just until I could get more information on Steve?" Nathan asked, looking tortured. "I don't want to give her half information if there's more to be found out."

"That wouldn't make you a terrible brother," Elizabeth said softly. "It just means you care and you want all the information possible before telling her. You're considering her feelings." She paused. "But if nothing comes up, Nathan, you're going to have to tell her without knowing all the facts. You can't carry this on your own for too long. Colleen is a strong woman. She'll be able to walk through this." She studied his face. "Are you going to be able to keep this from her since you two live together?"

"We haven't seen much of each other," Nathan admitted. "I've been so busy with this case, I've probably only seen her and Allie for a few minutes each day."

"I think you can put it off for a short time, Nathan." Elizabeth leaned toward him. "But only a short time. She has to know the truth sooner or later. And if she finds out you hid it from her for a long time, she won't be happy."

"I know," Nathan said with a heavy sigh. "I'm trying to put myself in her shoes. What would I want if I thought for months that you had died? Would I want to know that you were actually alive but didn't know me? Or would I want someone to have more answers before telling me?"

Elizabeth squeezed his hand. "Give it a day, Nathan. See what you find out tomorrow. Then maybe have that conversation with Colleen."

He smiled his crooked smile that she loved so much. "Thank you, Elizabeth. You are so steady under pressure, you know that?"

She laughed. "Only because I'm slightly removed from the situation. I don't know Steve. But I do know Colleen."

Nathan nodded. "I like what you suggested. I'll do some more investigating tomorrow and talk to the rehab center director again." He looked hesitant, then plunged ahead. "Would you come with me tomorrow to talk to her?"

"The director?" Elizabeth asked, surprised.

Nathan nodded.

"I'd be happy to go with you," Elizabeth said. "But why me?"

Nathan smiled. "Because I love you, and I want you with me. You have been a rock for me throughout this investigation, Elizabeth. I think I'd feel more steady having you by my side."

Elizabeth's mouth curled into a smile. She was touched by Nathan's words. Placing a hand on his cheek, she leaned forward to kiss him. When she pulled back, she nodded. "I guess we're going to Kahawai tomorrow."


Nathan sat in the foyer of the rehab center the next morning with Elizabeth, his leg bouncing nervously. He didn't know why he felt like this; normally on a case he was calm and able to think straight. Since this involved a member of his family, it felt so personal. He didn't want to leave without answers. He had promised himself that no matter how today went, he was going to tell Colleen about Steve this evening.

He was not looking forward to that.

Elizabeth put a gentle hand on his thigh in an attempt to stop his nervous bouncing. "Nathan, it's going to be okay." Her soft voice rolled over him like gentle ocean waves, bringing a measure of calm to his mind. He took a deep breath and smiled at her, covering her hand with his.

Fiona walked into the room. "Detective Grant, it's good to see you again," she said, extending her hand.

Nathan stood and shook it, then introduced her to Elizabeth. "Ms. Miller, this is Elizabeth Thatcher. She'll be meeting with us today as well."

"Hello, Ms. Thatcher," Fiona said, shaking Elizabeth's hand next.

"Please, call me Elizabeth."

"Only if you call me Fiona." Fiona smiled and motioned for them to follow her. She led them to a small meeting room and indicated that they should have a seat. "Can I get you anything to drink?" she asked, heading for a small fridge in the corner. "We have water, soda, orange juice."

"Water would be great," Elizabeth said. Nathan echoed the sentiment.

Fiona brought three waters to the table, then sat across from them. "So, what is it you want to know, Detective?"

Nathan took Elizabeth's hand under the table, grateful to have her with him. She smiled and squeezed his hand lightly in a show of support. "We'd like to know how Steve came to the rehab center."

Fiona frowned. "It was an unusual circumstance. He was brought here from the hospital, but they couldn't tell us where he'd come from. All they could say was that his name was William Grant and he'd been involved in some kind of trauma. He ended up in a medically induced coma for about a week when he first got to the hospital. He was there recovering for another couple weeks before he came here. He had a lot of injuries, but the worst were to his head, his left arm, and both of his legs. He still can't walk on his own. That's why we have him rehabbing in the pool a lot. It helps to build up his strength without putting weight on his limbs."

Nathan leaned forward. "How did he get to the hospital?"

"Someone found him on the side of the road unconscious. He had deep gashes in his head. Apparently the person who found him initially thought he was dead, but when he realized Steve was hurt, he called the hospital and they brought him in by ambulance. There was no identification on him, so they only knew his name - or what he thought was his name - after he woke up. The doctors ruled that he must have been in a bad accident, consistent with a car accident. But there was no car anywhere near the area he was found."

Nathan glanced at Elizabeth. "We found his car. It was in a deep ravine." He shook his head, looking back at Fiona. "I have no idea how he survived that fall, much less made his way back up to the road, especially if he was in as bad of a condition as he was."

Fiona nodded. "Sometimes survival adrenaline kicks in and humans are capable of things that shouldn't be possible. Steve should have died from his wounds, Detective. The doctors didn't think he was going to make it. The fact that his only brain injury is amnesia is actually miraculous."

"I suppose," Nathan said with a sigh. "I just don't know how I'm going to explain all this to my sister. We can't figure out why Steve would have been on that road in the first place. It doesn't make any sense."

"I understand," Fiona said gently. "We deal with this kind of thing all the time. If you'd like, I can help you break the news to your sister."

Relief flooded Nathan. "That would be helpful, thank you. Can I bring her in tomorrow?"

Fiona nodded. "Of course." She hesitated. "Will your sister be able to handle seeing Steve, knowing that she can't really talk to him? She can see him, of course, but it's best if she doesn't mention who she is or their connection. At least not yet. Steve could get very agitated if something is triggering a memory that can't quite break through. Like his reaction to seeing you, Detective. It was clear he had a nagging memory of you, but he couldn't place it. That's why he was so upset. In fact, we plan to keep calling him William, at least until he starts to get his memory back."

"I see," Nathan said, letting out a breath. "I will talk to Colleen tonight and then we will come see you tomorrow."

"Perfect," Fiona said. "Is there anything else you would like to know?"

"Just one thing for now," Nathan said. "How likely is it that Steve's memory will come back?"

Fiona pursed her lips, looking down. Nathan could feel Elizabeth's hand tighten on his, and he held his breath. With a grim frown, Fiona looked him right in the eyes. "There's only a twenty percent chance Steve will ever regain his memory."