Hooked up to her husband's Brain Activity Monitor, Julia Ogden Murdoch wasn't responding to any of Detective William Murdoch's pleadings to her. Solidly unconscious, the attending doctor handling his wife's care stood in the doorway, a frown upon his face. "Detective, you must let her rest."

His eyes red with his tears, the detective walked over to the older man, "She's strong. You said so yourself."

"Yes, detective, but we don't want to push her."

"Leave us. Leave us," he screamed at the man who promptly left the couple.

He took her soft but firm hand in his, her well-manicured nails shining in the sunlight. "Julia, please. Julia, we have too much ahead of us to stop now. After all of this time. We have so much to experience together. Please, I love you. Can you hear me?"

Nothing. Not even so much as a blip. With his own blood transfusion having saved her, the two were really truly one in every sense of the word. He'd do that and more if he had to. Looking at her, his crown of an invention surrounding her head, he thought she looked beautiful. He so wanted his wife back, it pained him. He wanted her to laugh at him, flirt with him, surprise him with an off color joke, kiss him in that way she does. He wanted to help her put on her coat, open doors for her and hold her hand as they strolled through downtown Toronto. Her brilliant mind, compassionate heart and warm soul, he wanted it all back. He'd give anything to hear her say, 'William' again.

"Julia, please respond to me. It's William. I'm here," he said as he turned towards his machine.

Still nothing. Where was she in that mind of hers? How could he reach her?

Julia found herself in a shell of a body that wouldn't respond no matter what she did. She could hear her husband speak to her, but couldn't do a thing about it. Her body was trying, she could certainly feel that, but she simply couldn't respond. She wanted to scream herself out of this nightmare, but she was sealed in cement. Once she'd almost given up hope, that is, until she saw her mother and father standing not far from her.

"Jully," her mother said, smiling sweetly at her. Julia gasped as she saw walked towards her mother, who had her arms outstretched.

The younger woman ran into loving, welcoming arms. "Mother!"

It has been so long since she'd smelled her mother's perfume, heard her voice. Julia was surprised that she even remembered her mother she had been so young when she lost her, Ruby was still an infant. "Oh Jully, I have missed you so."

"And I, you, Mother. You look so beautiful." Now that she was an adult, she could see herself in her mother's face and she knew that some of the old society matrons were right when they said she was the spitting image of her. They shared the same golden blonde hair, height, blue-green eyes and pointed nose. "Father?"

Giving them room, her father, forever formal simply stood with his hands behind his back, "Julia." He nodded and smiled at her nonetheless which she returned with tears in her eyes. "Are you ready to come with us, Julia?"

Releasing her mother, the doctor stepped back. "What?"

Mrs. Ogden looked concerned. "We're here to see if you're ready to go."

Shaking her head vehemently, Julia eyed both her parents pointedly. "No. I cannot. William needs me, I need him. We've only just begun our lives together."

The older man and woman looked at one another before turning back to their eldest daughter. "Jully…"

"No, Mother, I'm sorry. I cannot go. I won't leave him. I've got to figure out how to get out of this coma." Walking past her parents who watched her intently, Julia tried making as much noise as she possibly could to wake herself up. "William! William, I'm here! I'm here! William, can you hear me?!"

"Julia, you already know what you have to do, I have raised no fool," the elder Doctor Odgen said, leaning on the ball of his foot in his way.

Confused and becoming frustrated, tears began to well in her eyes once more. "My body is trying to recover from surgery, William's blood certainly saved me but it may not have been enough. I think I have small parts of my spleen and liver missing or heavily damaged."

The older man nodded sagely. "Yes, so what can you do to remedy your situation?"

"Father, I don't know! Please, help me!"

Placing his head on her hand, William prayed for his wife as he began to cry. "Julia…Julia, don't leave me. Please respond."

"I love you, Jully," Mrs. Odgen said as she slowly faded away. "I am so proud of you, my sweet girl."

Julia began to walk towards her mother, her arm outstretched. "Mother, please wait! Please!"

Her father walked towards his daughter, eyeing her intently. "Julia, use your mind and use your heart. You are my child and you can do this." Placing a hand on her heart, he slightly pushed her shocking her.

"Julia," William said as he entered the bedroom, fixing his tie. "Did you hear what I said?"

Shaking the memory and fog from her mind, the doctor gazed at her husband from her dressing table mirror. "No, I'm sorry, William. What is it that you said?"

"Are you alright, Julia?"

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" Pulling out a drawer, she fumbled for a distraction. "I'm perfectly wine, William."

Something was not right and the detective knew it. Grabbing a chair, he sat next to his as she continued to dress, apply slight rouge onto her lips. "Please talk to me, Julia. I thought we agreed that there would be no secrets between us."

The doctor stiffened, turning to him. "We did, William."

"Well then, tell me. Please. If I can help in any way…" Placing his hand on her knee the detective caressed it slightly with his thumb.

She had to tell him, it wasn't fair to him. "I saw my parents, William."

A puzzled look took his face. "Your parents, Julia? How do you mean?"

"When I was in the coma, William. They came to me. I could hear you but I couldn't get my body to respond."

The detective knew better than to doubt his wife's account of what she'd experienced when she almost died, but seeing the ghost of her parents? He wasn't sure if he could understand. "Julia…"

"I know what it sounds like, William, but it's my truth. I saw them and they spoke to me."

"I believe you." Her conviction was so sure, so strong. "I'm just thankful that they were there and that you're here, with me." The detective drew himself closer to her, taking his hand and wiping away a tear that fell.

Sighing deeply, the doctor placed her hand on his, leaning into his touch a bit. She had never imagined that she wouldn't have been able to feel his hands on hers. "Oh, William."

Taking her into his arms as if she was a small child, William Murdoch held his now weeping wife on his wife as she buried her face into his neck. "Shh, my love. I'm here. You're with me. We're together, that's all that matters. You're safe."

When the clock struck 11pm, the detective opened his eyes sensing that Julia was sound asleep, worry lining her face and still buried in his neck. They had been sleeping in the chair, in each other's arms for at least 2 hours. Carefully, he positioned his left arm under her legs and stood as quietly as he could walking the small amount of feet to their bed. Deftly loosening her corset and taking the comb out of her hair, he tucked his emotionally exhausted wife into bed, kissing her forehead. "I love you, Julia Murdoch. You're home and you're safe."