The next morning Gil awoke to find that he had slept very comfortably, but he felt alone and cold in the big bed. He felt as if something was missing, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Despite the fact that Sara had prepared a nice breakfast, Gil didn't have the stomach to eat.

"It's your medication," Sara said. "Take it easy today. I'll come home for lunch and prepare us both some potato soup."

Before she left, Sara made sure Gil was comfortable. She placed extra bottles of water on the nightstand, lined his pills up where could reach them, and even supplied the crossword puzzle. Sara's hospitality pained Gil, and he felt bad about the previous night.

"Sara," he said. "I'm sorry about last night."

Sara brushed a stray hair out of her eyes. "It's fine," she said. "I was pushing too hard. I'm used to acting… a different way around you and now I feel like I need to keep my proximity."

"I wish I could remember something," he said. "Anything that can help me."

Sara straightened his blankets. "It's not going to be all about you, Gil," Sara said. "I feel pain too."

For a moment, the silence was deafening. Gil racked his brain for something to tell her. "I feel lost… and I promise to… listen," he said.

"That's a start," Sara said as she picked up her purse. "I'll be back for lunch."

After she left, silence rang through the empty house. In the living room, a grandfather clock ticked loudly. Hank padded into the bed room, wagging his tail. With a great leap, he landed beside Gil and looked at him obediently. Gil lifted the remote and turned on the television. It was amazing to find that daytime television hadn't changed in the last eight years. With a sigh he turned the television off and looked at Hank.

"Do you think she'll mind if I look around?" he asked the dog.

Hank laid his head down and obediently thumped his tail on the bed. Gil reached for his crutches and struggled to stand. With a grunt, he pulled himself to his feet and hobbled to the dresser. On top of the dresser sat a polished jewelry box. Hesitantly Gil opened it and found pieces of expensive looking jewelry. No piece of jewelry looked too gaudy, but simple and delicate. There were a few diamond rings and pearl earrings. With his index finger, Gil lifted out a silver necklace with a pendant of a green sapphire butterfly. He let it twirl in front of his eyes for a moment, and tried to coax himself to remember it. Did he give to her a Christmas gift? Perhaps he gave it to her while they were dating and she held onto it for years.

"Nothing," Gil muttered as he placed it back into the box.

A photo was resting on the dresser as well. It was a picture of Sara, with his arm protectively around her. They were both smiling broadly and Sara was holding a tiny baby. He picked up the photo and studied it intently. The Gil that looked back at him looked happy and content in his life, which was not at all how he felt now.

"What do you think about this?" he asked the dog, showing him the picture.

It was a fact that if a couple had any secrets to hide, then they were always hidden in the dresser drawers. Cautiously he opened the drawer on the far left of the top row. In it he found pairs of neatly folded pajama tops and bottoms. A pair of house shoes was tucked snugly in between the clothes. The next drawer held socks and pieces of undergarments. Sara's bras were among them, and Gil felt perverted going through her clothes. The last drawer held silk garments of different colors. With his pinkie, he lifted out a red, sheer piece of lingerie. Quickly he returned it to its drawer and slammed it closed. It was hard to imagine Sara slipping it on and modeling it for him. The closet held nothing that could answer any of his questions. He found that he had many expensive business suits and that Sara had a few beautiful dresses. In the back of his mind, he caught himself wondering what she wore them for. Did he perhaps hire a babysitter and take her out for a costly, romantic dinner?

"Think Gil," he said to himself.

O~O

Gil picked the leather-bound address book up off the coffee table and thumbed to Catherine's phone number. If there were two people who knew for a fact what his life was like, they would be Jim and Catherine. As he waited for the phone to connect, Gil thought of ways to explain his accident. The whole situation sounded surreal.

"Hello," Catherine's voice said.

"Cath, it's me," Gil said.

There was a pause. "Gil," she asked, as if she was a little unsure who she was speaking with.

"Yeah," Gil said, "How is everything?"

"Fine," Catherine said. "Everything is fine here. How is little Emily? Last time I saw her you were feeding her a bottle!"

Gil scratched his beard. "Catherine," he said. "I don't remember."

Catherine was silent for a beat. "You can't remember what?" she asked in a confused voice.

"This is going to sound insane," Gil said. "I can't remember the last eight years of my life."

Catherine let out a laugh. "What?" she asked. "Gil, come on don't joke like that."

Gil shook his head and laid his head back against the couch. "I'm not joking," he said. "I can't remember my life with Sara, I can't remember marrying her, and I can't remember Emily."

Catherine couldn't believe the words she was hearing. "Oh my god," she said. "You're serious."

Gil nodded."I don't know what I am doing," he said. "And I don't know what to do. The last thing I remember is getting in my car and leaving the lab."

"How… how did this happen?" Catherine asked. "Did you just wake up like this?"

"I was in an accident," Gil explained. "I woke up in the hospital and for a moment I thought I was at Desert Palm."

Catherine was at a loss. "Gil, all I can tell you is what I know," she said. "I know you love Sara and you love Emily."

"That's the part I can't feel," Gil said. "I see everything around me that says I love her, but I can't feel it."

Catherine sighed. "Gil, I wish I can tell you what to think," she said. "but I do know that if you ruin your family, you'll hate yourself."

Gil closed his eyes. "I don't want to ruin my life," he said. "but I don't know what it was."

"It was nice," Catherine said. "you live in a beautiful home, you and Sara seemed happy, and you have a daughter whom you loved."

"I haven't seen the child yet," Gil said. "Sara took her to her mother's house."

Catherine cleared her throat. "Gil," she said. "Don't close yourself off to this. Don't ruin your own life."

O~O

As promised, Sara came home to fix a quick lunch for Gil. As she moved about the kitchen, Gil watched her. The way she waited on him was done in such a way, that Gil chose to listen to Catherine and go out on a limb. If Sara was his wife, then he would fall for her again. If she wasn't, then they would have no choice but to go their own separate ways.

"Was I a good husband?" Gil asked her.

Sara smiled at some distant memory that he couldn't see. "Yes," she said. "I knew you loved me."

Gil nodded. "Was I a good father?" he asked.

Sara stopped her cooking. "You were an amazing father," she said. "You and Emily are attached at the hip. She is a daddy's girl no doubt."

Sara slid a bowl of potato soup in front of him and sat down opposite of him to read a newspaper she had brought home with her. Time had been kind to her beauty, Gil have never said that she wasn't beautiful. Her vision must have dulled over the years, because she had on pair of reading glasses.

"Let's bring her home," Gil said.

Sara looked at him over the rims of her glasses. "I don't think that's a good idea." she said. "She is going to be all over you and you aren't that well yet."

Gil waved her off. "She's my daughter too, right?" he said. "I need to see her. I need to look at her."

Sara turned this over in her head. "Gil," she said. "We need to fix us. We were a very affectionate family, and Emily isn't going to understand why we fight or why we are tense. She'll be able to feel it."

Gil agreed. "If there is any hope though," Gil said. "I know that she'll make me remember. I want to see her. I want to try."

I am so sorry this one is a little short. I am so tired. Please review.. Katy :)