Elizabeth felt tears stinging her eyes as she stood beside Nathan at the NICU window. Their tiny son lay in an incubator, connected to wires and tubes and laying so very still. She watched as Florence took his vitals and wrote them on a chart.

Her heart squeezed in her chest. She had always been on the other side of the glass, caring for the preemie babies, giving them a shot at life. Her compassion for their parents was strong, though she'd known all the reasons they couldn't come into the sterilized room. Now, as a parent facing the unknown, she wanted nothing more than to hold her son.

But she couldn't.

A sob escaped her. Nathan wrapped his arms around her, leaning his head against her hair. His eyes never left their son sleeping in his incubator. Florence looked up, her sympathetic gaze finding Elizabeth's. She could feel the support of her friend and coworker through the glass, but it did little to soothe Elizabeth's heart.

She just wanted her baby boy.

After what felt like hours, but in reality was only minutes, Nathan guided her back to her hospital room. Elizabeth's body ached from the hard birth, and her breasts were painfully full of milk, reminding her that their daughters would be hungry. Was there pumped milk still in their freezer at home?

As if reading her thoughts, Nathan handed her a pump that she hadn't noticed before. "Molly brought it in earlier, when you were asleep," he said softly. "She knew you would be needing it."

Gratitude flooded Elizabeth, and she immediately set to work. After a minute, she let out a sigh of relief as the pain subsided. She looked at her husband, worry crossing her features. "What about Arianna and Cecilia?" she asked. "They aren't weaned yet…"

Nathan placed a hand on her knee, stopping her words. "There were several containers of your milk in the freezer," he said calmly. "Your mother and sisters are caring for our girls. Grace told me they add a little bit of breast milk to the girls' baby food, and they've been eating it without complaint." He squeezed her knee gently. "They may be perfectly satisfied with solid food from now on."

"But...they're only eight months old!" Elizabeth protested. "Surely that's too young to be weaned."

Nathan raised a brow. "You think you're going to have enough milk to feed three babies?" he asked pointedly.

She sighed, already knowing the answer. "No." Her shoulders drooped. "I thought I'd have another two or three months to feed the girls myself. I never dreamed they would have to be weaned like this." She sighed again. "I failed them as a mother."

Nathan's brows rose again, this time in shock. "Elizabeth!" He tilted her chin with his hand, waiting until she looked at him. "This is not your fault. None of us could have known that Anthony would be premature." He fixed her with his intense blue eyes. "Our girls were nurtured by your milk for the last eight months. They're old enough to have solid food, and we can keep mixing it with the milk you have in the freezer. That will give them the time they need to get used to their new source of nutrients." He cupped her cheek in his hand. "They will be fine." He smiled, trying to lighten the mood. "Besides, now you'll just have one baby to breastfeed. It should be easier than feeding two at once, right?"

Elizabeth felt a smile tug at her lips, but then her face fell as she thought of their son lying in the NICU. "If Anthony survives," she said, her lips starting to tremble.

Her husband knew better than to promise something without knowing if it would actually be true. He simply ran a hand through her hair, sitting on the side of the bed to be closer to her. "We'll get through this together," he whispered, leaning forward to kiss her forehead. "Anthony has lots of people praying for him. I talked to Fr. Frank, and he has the entire church praying for our boy." He took the pump and the full bag of milk from her. "I'll take care of this. You rest." He leaned forward again, this time letting his lips meet hers in a tender kiss. "We need your body to recover too, my love."

"I don't know if I can sleep," Elizabeth said, fidgeting with the covers.

Nathan smiled gently. She could see the worry lines creasing his eyes and forehead, the only indication that this ordeal was wearing on him too. He was trying so hard to be strong. As he went to the hall, looking for a nurse to take the milk to a fridge, Elizabeth couldn't help feeling thankful for Nathan. What would she do without him?

He came back into the room. "Carson said he would give you something to help you sleep…" he began, but Elizabeth held up her hand.

"I don't need a sleep aid," she said. She reached her hand toward him. "I just need you."

Nathan hesitated, looking from her eyes to her outstretched hand. She pleaded with him, using her eyes. "We need each other right now," she said softly. "Please, Nathan. You won't hurt me by sleeping in this bed too."

He smiled gently. "How did you know that's what I was worried about?"

She chuckled. "Because I know you."

Nathan's resistance left, and he slipped into the bed beside her. They nestled in each other's arms, drawing strength and comfort from the close proximity. Exhausted from the tense night, they both managed to fall into a restful sleep.


The next morning, Carson came into the room with a smile. "Good news," he said, his eyes glowing. "Anthony is perfectly healthy."

Nathan couldn't believe his ears. Apparently neither could Elizabeth. They stared at their friend, mouths gaping. "Come again?" Nathan finally managed to gasp.

Carson chuckled, their expressions clearly amusing him. "Your son is healthy," he repeated. "His heart, lungs, and all other organs are normal and strong. The only thing wrong with him is that he's underweight." He sobered slightly. "That means he will have to stay here in the NICU until we can get him to a healthy weight. He won't be able to regulate his own body temperature until he's about four pounds. Right now he's barely over two pounds." He glanced at a chart. "He also won't be able to eat by himself for some time. We'll try to get him eating on his own as soon as possible, but for a while he's going to be IV fed, and then we'll use a tube until his sucking reflexes kick in." He looked at Elizabeth. "You intend to breastfeed?"

She nodded. Carson continued. "Then we'll have you keep pumping milk until he's able to eat. Once he's a few weeks old, we'll try having you nurse him, just to get him used to the idea. It may take time, but we'll have to try." He closed the file. "Elizabeth can be discharged tomorrow."

A look of panic filled his wife's eyes. "Discharged?" she gasped. "But Carson! I need to be here for my baby!"

Carson gave her a gentle smile. "Care to be put back on the rotation, Nurse Grant?"

She blinked at him. "Huh?"

He winked. "You are a nurse at this hospital, are you not? You know how to interact with premature babies and you have access to this hospital at all times with your key card." His eyes twinkled. "As long as you sign in and out, you can come at any time of day or night to spend with your baby."

Elizabeth looked like she wanted to jump up and hug Carson. "Really?" she breathed. She looked from him to Nathan. "Thank you!" She sat up straighter. "Can we see him now?"

Carson nodded. "I'll have Molly bring him in. You'll have to use skin-to-skin contact to keep him warm."

Elizabeth nodded. "I will." She looked up at Nathan, her smile growing. "We will."

Nathan felt the anticipation build. They would finally be able to hold their son. When Molly brought him in, Nathan's eyes were glued to the tiny child in a blue blanket.

The nurse waited as Elizabeth drew aside the flaps of her hospital gown, revealing her skin. Molly placed Anthony's naked body carefully on Elizabeth's skin. His wife readjusted her gown to cover herself and the child, then drew a blanket up to warm him even more.

A tender look emanated from her face. She looked up at Nathan, awe in her eyes. "He's our miracle baby," she whispered.

Nathan was inclined to agree. He sat close to his wife and son, placing his hand over Anthony's body. His large fingers covered the baby completely. "So small," he said, his voice low. They sat there for a long time. Finally, Elizabeth stirred and looked at him. "Your turn," she said, giving him a sweet smile.

Quickly unbuttoning the upper half of his shirt, Nathan accepted his newborn son from his wife, carefully placing him against his chest, then wrapping the blanket Elizabeth handed him around them both. Anthony moved slightly, his tiny hand resting against his cheek. Love swelled through Nathan's entire body. He felt a fierce protectiveness, much like he'd felt when his daughters were born.

He would do anything for his little boy. Their miracle baby.


Six weeks passed by as the Grant family settled into a new, unusual routine. Viola and Julie had to return to New York, but Grace remained in Mana'olana Awāwa to help Elizabeth and care for the twins while her daughter went to the hospital regularly. She traveled there three times a day to hold and care for their son. Sometimes she would stay for several hours, but she always made sure to spend plenty of time with Arianna and Cecilia so they didn't feel neglected. Nathan worked half from home and half from the office, though he spent more time at the office as the case he was involved in became more important. After work he would go to the hospital to be with Elizabeth and Anthony, then he would head home and spend time with his girls. He wanted to be with his family more, but he walked a fine line between needing to be home and needing to be at work. Once Bill found out Grace was staying with them indefinitely, and considering his personal connection to the case, he'd asked - or rather, demanded - that Nathan spend more time at the station working the case. They'd identified the body as Tiffany Mathison, one of the women who disappeared around the same time as Eliana Daniels.

When they identified the body, Bill reopened the missing persons case, convinced all eight disappearances were connected. He had paled when they found out the woman was Tiffany. When Nathan asked why, Bill let out a heavy sigh and told them that Tiffany Mathison was Eliana Daniels' best friend. Nathan hadn't thought he would say more, but the older man had sunk into a chair and put his head in his hand.

"Eliana and I were engaged," he said, the words muffled. "I loved that woman with my whole heart. We were so excited to spend our lives together. Tiffany was her best friend and maid of honor." He looked up, his face ashen. "Then a week before the wedding, Eliana disappeared. Three days later, Tiffany did as well." He shook his head. "All these years, I've been convinced something bad happened to them. But I could never prove it." Silence descended, the atmosphere in the office heavy. Bill sighed. "Until now." He stared at Nathan. "If Tiffany was killed, it's likely Eliana was as well." He stood. "We have to find her. We have to find all of them. Justice has to win, Nathan. It has to."

Nathan placed a hand on the chief's shoulder. "You know we'll do everything we can to make that happen," he said. "I'll put a team together to search the forest reserve where we found Tiffany." He softened his voice. "Maybe we'll find Eliana there as well."

Bill's throat worked, but he nodded. "Thank you, Nathan."

Now Nathan sat with Lee, studying the evidence they'd collected from the crime scene. Lee let out a frustrated breath and sat back in his chair, arms crossed. "We have so little to go on," he said, shaking his head. "How in the world do we even begin to solve a murder that happened twenty years ago? The only other clue was the blood splatter forensics found near the tree. Presumably she was killed there and then buried."

"But how? And why?" Nathan mused, running a hand through his hair. "Her skull was completely fractured in the back. She was hit hard with something from behind. She might not have seen it coming."

Lee grimaced. "This just doesn't feel right, Nathan. Something is wrong."

Before Nathan could answer, Mike Hickam came into the office. Nathan briefly considered asking how the man's correspondence with Viola was going. They had gone on several dates after the gala and promised to keep in touch when she left Kauai. But considering the look on Mike's face, now was not the time to ask. He was pale.

Nathan stood. "What's wrong?" he asked, a sense of dread overtaking him.

Mike sighed, glancing between him and Lee. "Hikers just called in to report another body," he said, running a hand over his eyes. "Or at least part of a body. In Moloa'a Forest Reserve."

"Let's go," Nathan said, springing into action. The three of them piled into a car, and Mike gave them the coordinates. Within half an hour they were at the reserve, hiking off the beaten path once again to find the location.

Two officers were talking with the hikers who found the body. Nathan approached. These hikers seemed less frightened than the teenagers who found the first body had been. They simply shook their heads and pointed to the large tree. "We were going to take a picture when we noticed something sticking out from the ground inside," the man said. "It looked like a skeletal hand, so I thought we should call the police. Not many people hike off the path, so it isn't likely anyone else would notice."

Nathan looked at the tree they pointed to, and his heart leapt into his throat.

A banyan tree.

Lee groaned, almost inaudibly. "I don't know whether to think of this as a good thing or a bad thing," he muttered as he and Nathan walked to the tree. "If that is another of the missing women from all those years ago, Bill is likely right. We could have a serial killer on our hands."

"That's what worries me too," Nathan admitted. "I don't know what to hope for." He squeezed himself inside the roots of the tree, Lee following close behind. He brushed away the leaves and dirt after donning gloves. Within five minutes, he let out an audible sigh. "It's another skeleton," he said, hanging his head briefly. He stood and took in a fortifying breath. "Call forensics and have them send out a team."

"Nathan," Lee said, his voice low. "You realize, if this is one of the missing women, this killer has an MO?"

Nathan pressed his lips together and nodded. "So it would seem. We found the other body under a banyan tree in another forest reserve." Tiffany had been found in the Keālia Forest Reserve. Whoever this was had been disposed of in a similar manner.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Nathan breathed a prayer of supplication, asking that they could solve this case quickly. The sense of watchfulness that had come when they found the first body returned to him now, sending tingles up and down his spine.

He had a bad feeling about the whole thing.