Michael sat in the booth, drinking his coffee. A waitress passed by, and he smiled, remembering that Marcie told him she used to work in the diner.

Minutes later, John arrived. He walked over to the corner booth and slid into the seat across from Michael.

"Hey, Michael. Nice to see you." John said.

Michael tried to smile. "Hi John. Thanks for coming. I hope I didn't take you away from anything."

"No, it's fine." John said. "Mom told me the whole story. So Marcie's gonna be okay, right?"

"Well to be honest, I really don't know. I mean, today Ron was there and he told her that Al was dead. Marcie was shocked, you know? Like she had no idea. I couldn't stand watching him tell her because it was as though she were hearing it for the first time. She was so grief-stricken." Michael said.

"Wow. So how do you know she doesn't remember you?" Michael asked.

"Oh, I think she remembers me, all right. She just doesn't remember that we care about each other. I think she sees me as the guy who treated her badly. I thought that by playing that Simply Red CD, it would remind her of Valentine's Day, but instead it just reminded her of Al." Michael said with a sigh.

"Hey, Michael. I'm sure she's just scared and confused right now. She'll come out of it." John said.

Michael's eyes narrowed. You know... you sound suspiciously like Mom. Did she tell you to say that?"

John's face turned red, and he smiled, holding up his arms in mock surrender. "Okay, I admit it. You got me." Michael laughed, grateful for the humor. He couldn't remember the last time he had laughed. Since the day Marcie was brought into the ER, it seemed that his life was filled with nothing but sadness.

"Thanks for the laugh, John. I really needed that." Michael said, smiling.

"Anytime." John said.

Michael's face turned serious. "So what should I do?"

"About Marcie, you mean?" John asked. "Just give her time. Talk about things the two of you shared, play the Simply Red CD again. Maybe it will trigger something else. Or better yet, ask if she remembers anything about the attack."

"I don't want to upset her." said Michael. "She's been through a lot."

"If she remembers anything, we can use it to nail Haver. We already know that he's responsible for all of these killings. Instead of worrying about Marcie being upset over your asking her about the attack, think about Haver being caught. I mean he almost killed her, Mom and Natalie." John said.

"Yeah, you're right." Michael said. "Thanks, John."

Instantly, he felt better.