"The Appollo." Jonathan corrected under his breath. He looked at Kate. "Why doesn't anyone call things by thier name when I name them?"
"...Shawn will demonstrate how to use it, and than your off. Benson will head up the task force. Must I remind you all that one of our own detective's lives hangs in the balance here. You will all do what you can do detain and bring back this offender without getting yourselves hurt in the process. That's all, dismissed."
Kate brushed past the doors of the SU2 medical lab where Nick was, before everyone assembled outside. She leaned over and gave Nick a kiss before leaving him. "I'm coming back, and I'm bringing her back with me. You'll be just fine. Sleep now." He didn't wake up to hear her, but somewhere Kate knew he heard her. "I love you, Nick."
Four hours later Kate hit the Captain's speed dial on her cell. "We've got her, we're on our way back."
"Good work, detective. The lab will be ready for her when you deliver her."
A day and a half later, Kate sat with Carl, Shawn, and Jonathan in Page's office. "So we think within a few days we should have some kind of anidote for Nick and the others, to reverse the memory loss." Shawn said, looking around the room. "We feel pretty confident that we can create something with no lasting side effects. Jonathan here has been putting most of it together, coupled with my research and notes, I think it will be a pretty good outcome."
"What will be a pretty good outcome?" The room turned around to see O'Malley standing in the doorway.
"Nick, your awake." Kate flew from her chair into his arms. Page looked uncomfortable with it all, but under the circumstances, he said nothing.
"O'Malley, take a seat. Tell us what you remember."
"Yeah, do you remember getting your ass beat by a female link?" Carl laughed. "Again?"
"Carl." Kate and Page warned.
"I heard she held you underwater with just one hand." Carl said matter of factly, but it was an insult.
"Carl!" Page and Kate glared at him.
"Word is with my peeps, she was barely hanging on to you and still managed to keep a hold on you."
Page stood up, towering over the gnome. Carl moved only his eyes upward to look at him, knowing he pushed it too far.
"Your going to be quiet, or I'm going to let the lab test their theory that this particular link will also attack other links. And you'll be the lab rat. Is that clear, Carl?"
"Crystal." Carl mumbled.
"How do you feel?" Kate asked, helping Nick to a chair.
"Like I'm still asleep." He rubbed his eyes and tried focusing them on her.
"Uh, that should last only another couple of hours, Nick. Within two hours, tops, you'll feel like you haven't in years...which is the good news..." Jonathan's words trailed off. "...the bad news is you'll start to exhibit signs about that time too."
"Exhibit signs of what?" Nick asked.
"Jonathan, Shawn, and..." The Captain paused as he was addressing the gnome, adding a sneer to his voice and face. "Carl, if you would excuse us. I'd like to talk to the detectives alone." The three hustled out of the office. "Nick," O'Malley looked up in suprise, his boss using his first name. "What do you remember about the last assignment you were on with Detective Benson?" Nick glanced at Kate while trying to recollect his memory.
"Not much, Sir."
Kate laid her hand on Nick's arm for support.
"You were attacked, by a witch like link, who..."
"Steals memories." Nick finished his sentence with a flat tone. "I remember now." Nick smiled in anticipation of his next wise crack. "Which I guess is a good sign, hey?"
"Over the course of the next few days, our medical lab will be trying to formulate a medicine that will reverse the affects, thanks to your..." Page struggled over what to call Kate, in light of their new found relationship. He finally settled on a word less difficult for him. "...partner, who managed to capture the link and bring her in here. During that time, you will start to loose aspects of your memory, things that were once as engranined in your mind as anything, will eventually become foreign to you. This unit will stand behind you as much as we can, help you through it, but it will be a difficult road for us all to bear. Benson, you will be in charge of watching over him, any other duties are postponed until this mess is over with..."
"Yes, Sir."
"And O'Malley, your job is to just rest, take it easy, and put your trust in this units lab department. Everything that can be done will be done." Page lit another cigarette and waved the couple away. "Now take him home, and get some rest, both of you."
"Hey, can I come?" Carl said when the Captain's door was opened.
"No!" Kate said as she watched Nick like a hawk.
Nick was too tired to trade words with him. He settled for shoving the gnome backwards by the forehead.
Nick slept through most of the night soundly. Kate slept on and off, mostly watching over him as he slept. She held onto the hope and belief that the lab would come through for him and none of her worries and fears would come true. Mostly, she held on to him in his sleep, holding him close to her.
The next morning, Nick was up by six am. Kate woke up, squinting as the sun seemed to burn her eyes from their sockets. She could smell coffee being made, as well as Nick's cooking, which mainly consisted of burning anything he attempted to cook. She threw on her robe, brushed her teeth, and joined him in the kitchen. "Morning."
Nick looked up from his blackend bacon and eggs, which were smoldering in the pan over the highest heat. "Oh, hey, good morning, beautiful!" He went to kiss her, but was stopped by a tapping noise on the door. Nick shook his head, raising his finger to his lips. "Shh, don't answer that. It's HIM."
Kate smiled and finished the kiss Nick had started.
"Hey, I know you two are in there, open the door, I'm starving out here. And I can smell breakfast being made." (tap tap tap)
(silence)
"Come on, I'm practically like family! Open the door! I brought the O.J."
(silence)
(bang, bang, bang!)
Kate and Nick watched the door as the knob moved. It stopped when the hand that tried it realized it was locked.
"Carl, go away!" Nick yelled through the door.
"I have my lock pins, ya know. Now let me in, I'm hungry!"
Kate rolled her eyes and opened the door. "Carl, don't you have a home?"
Carl strolled in, stopping to answer her question. "Yes, I do. Here." He motioned around her kitchen.
"Where's the orange juice?" Nick demanded.
"What?" Carl looked at Nick like he had an antelope sitting on top his head.
"The orange juice, where is it? You said you had some."
"Is something wrong with your memory, O'Malley? I never said that. Your loosing it." Carl took a seat closest to Kate and smiled at her. "You know, when he finally goes off the deep end, I'll be here, and I'm single." He flirted.
"I'll still remember how to cause you pain, don't worry." Nick picked Carl up by the back of his shirt, dropping him in a chair farther away from Kate, sitting down himself. Kate stood up as soon as he did, tending to the ever blackening food. She made a face when she saw the chared eggs and tossed them out, just as she did most mornings, and restarted breakfast.
"Carl, how many eggs do you want?"
"He wants none." Nick answered, yanking the empty plate away from Carl.
"Two, please." Carl hit Nick over the head with it.
"It's too early!" Kate scolded. "Nick, how about you?"
He set his coffee cup down after taking a drink. "The same."
Kate cracked four eggs in the pan and handed Carl a cup of coffee.
As usual, Carl was the first one done and up washing the dishes spotless.
The next day Nick was already showing small signs of the links poison. He aimlessly paced the house, forgetting what he was just about to do. Kate did her best to comfort him, but he was growing incredibly aggitated in his frustration. By eight pm, while Kate was making dinner for the two of them, she was startled to hear him screaming her name from the bedroom. When she found him, he was sitting in the corner of the room, reaching out to her, pulling her into him.
"I couldn't remember your face." His hands held her face as she got on the floor with him, holding him. "I'm scared, Kate. I'm so scared."