Chapter 16
As Zack sat there and took in what Howie had said, he was shocked and saddened that he hadn't been told that the love of his life had been in a coma, no one told him.

"A coma" Zack whispered the tears that had so recently stopped were threatening to fall again.

"Yeah, and I don't remember getting there" Howie said as he reached for Zack's hand, stroking it gently. He hated lying, but he didn't have the heart to tell Zack the truth; it would only cause Zack to worry more.

Sensing that he wasn't being told everything, the young scientist wanted to get to the bottom of the story, but decided to wait until Howie was ready to tell him.

"So the casts come off tomorrow?" Zack asked again, he knew that casts normally needed to stay on the broken bone for at least 6 weeks and not just 4.

"Yeah that's what the doctor told me last week before I came here" Howie replied as he looked at his lover, realizing that Zack hadn't brought the cover story.
"So you've had them on for 6 weeks, but that's impossible as you were here 6 weeks ago. Howie what aren't you telling me? Please, I don't like this; you're keeping something from me. And I want to what it is. I want the truth."

So much for waiting until Howie was ready to talk about it. It stung, knowing Howie could
lie to him so easily. Dr. Brennan had always taught him that the most important thing a person could do was seek the truth. So that's what he did.

Howie looked into the brown eyes of Zack and sighed, knowing that he would have to tell Zack the truth sooner or later. He just didn't know how to tell Zack that he had been
kidnapped as soon as he left Zack's home 6 weeks ago, by the man that had been sending the all those threatening notes.

He had escaped from prison and had kidnapped Howie to make Zack suffer but as Zack didn't know and Howie had been rescued in time for his return everything was all right and Tommy was behind bars again.

Booth knew the truth as the FBI and NCIS had both been called in because of Howie's status in the RAF, but Howie had made Booth promise not to tell Zack. He had wanted to do it himself, but he just didn't know how to without
breaking Zack's heart.