"Faith? Where is our John Doe?" Nathan asked, leaning around the curtain of the emergency bay. His voice sounded strangled and he still hadn't recovered from the way his stomach had dropped when he entered the high care room in the emergency department and found the bed empty.

"He is upstairs; we found him a bed in the ICU. He still hasn't regained consciousness."

Nathan felt relief at Faith's news, although he was sure the man wouldn't be pleased, he was in a coma in the ICU.

"And still a John Doe?"

"Yes, Alec said he would come back today; hopefully, he will have a match on the fingerprints; DNA will take much longer."

"Let's hope so." Nathan pulled the ring from his coat pocket and held it out for Faith to see, explaining where it had come from and why it was so important to him. "I was going to give this to you, but I may wait and give it to Alec. First, I need to see our John Doe; I have to know whether it is my brother-in-law."

Nathan stepped into the lift, packed with people, glad there was no one there he knew. He had declined Faith's offer to go with him. He wanted to be alone when he found John Doe because he wasn't sure how he would react if it was Dylan. He slipped his phone from his pocket and checked for new messages or texts. He wished he could text Elizabeth but hoped she was already asleep. He would wait until later to call her; he didn't mind admitting he just wanted to hear her voice.

Nathan paused outside the ward. He hoped that as a doctor at the hospital, he would have no issues seeing the patient, even if in ICU. They would show him professional courtesy since John Doe had come through the emergency department where he was based.

After taking a breath to centre himself, he pushed open the door and headed for the desk. As he hoped, Nathan had no problem getting agreement to see the patient, and before he knew it, before he was ready, he was standing outside the closed door to the private room. Reaching for the medical notes, he quickly reviewed the comments from the night shift, noting there had been little improvement since he had been moved from the ER. Luckily for John Doe, there was no internal bleeding, but he did have a fractured skull and swelling on the brain.

John Doe had been treated for his head injury, and now it was a waiting game. The hospital had done all it could; it was up to the patient. Stepping inside, Nathan glanced at the man in the bed and recognised him; it was Dylan. Despite his injuries, despite the bruising all over his face, he knew him immediately.

Nathan didn't linger by Dylan's bed; he wanted to talk to his doctor, so he understood the treatment plan. He needed to speak to Colleen, too, but he wanted to have as much information as possible before he did, and he wanted to do it in person.

While Nathan waited for the doctor to be free, he contacted Faith, reminding her to send him the details for Detective Wells. When the contact details came through, he called him.

"Detective Wells, Alec", Nathan said quietly, respectful of his surroundings. "I know John Doe's identity. His name is Dylan Parkes."

"How do you know? Are you sure?"

Nathan explained his relationship with Dylan and what Colleen had told him about Dylan's recent troubles with the law. "Do you know of him?"

"It wasn't my case, but I am aware of it. Detective Rawson was in charge of that one; I'll let him know; he'll be very interested to know where and how he showed up."

"Would you let me tell my sister? I know you probably have protocols for this situation, but...I am not sure how she is going to take it. If I can't tell her, can you at least wait until I can be with her?"

"Of course, we won't be able to wait too long, though; it will have to be today."

"I'm at work at the hospital," Nathan said, explaining where Colleen worked. "It could work if we do it after school before she picks up her daughter from childcare. I can ask Abigail if I can take some time off." Nathan was sure Abigail would understand, and Faith would too when he told her.

Alec agreed with the timing Nathan had suggested and promised, "If Tom Rawson can't do it, I will be there. Let's not drag this out."

"Do you think we have anything to worry about here at the hospital? I wonder whether the people who did this to him are worrying about him waking up."

"I can get someone over there, but in the meantime, I understand ICU is pretty tough to get into."

Nathan looked over his shoulder and had to agree. The staff on the ICU desk were strict on who they allowed in and when.

"I'll speak to them and let them know the situation," Nathan advised before they said goodbye and he hung up. There were so many things he needed to do and people he needed to see, but instead, he sent Elizabeth a quick text. She had told him she kept her phone in the other room while sleeping but would see it when she woke up.

Nathan returned to Dylan's room, wondering how to break the news to Colleen. His sister seemed strong, and while she said she was over Dylan and his recent actions had ruined any chance of them mending their relationship, that was before he was hurt. And Allie. How would Allie take the news of her father's injury? Would anything change if he recovered? If he did recover, he would be in jail, and they would be separated from him anyway. What if Dylan didn't recover?

Standing at the foot of Dylan's bed, Nathan studied his brother-in-law. He had aged since Nathan had last seen him. His face was lined with extra wrinkles, and deep lines bracketed his mouth. The bruises on his face were dark and ugly. Some of the bruises had begun to yellow, suggesting the injuries were inflicted at various times.

"Why did you do it, Dylan?" Nathan whispered. "Why wasn't your life with Colleen and Allie enough?" His gut clenched as he stood there, knowing there would be no answers to his questions. His heart ached for his sister and niece. Nathan could feel anger toward Dylan flare up and deliberately pushed it down. Anger wouldn't change anything.

Faith hurried over to Nathan as he stepped out of the elevator. It was clear she had been watching for him, and he appreciated it. He could see the mix of curiosity and concern and understood why she felt that way; he would feel the same in her shoes. As she approached, he nodded, letting her know it was Dylan.

"Nathan, I am so sorry. Do you need a moment?"

"I'm okay, Faith. That probably sounds heartless, but right now, my concern is for my sister Colleen and Allie, my niece."

"Of course. Have you spoken to her?"

"No, I am going to wait for Alec or Detective Rawson. I want to tell her in person."

"He's still coming? I assumed you would call and tell me there was no need to keep looking for who our John Doe is."

"It's a long story, Faith," Nathan grimaced. "I am not up for telling it now, but I will tell you as much as possible later."

"Of course, I understand. I saw Abigail heading to her office; she may want more of an explanation." Faith glanced around the emergency department, which was relatively quiet. "We have this under control, and if we need more help, I can call someone."

"Thanks, Faith. I appreciate this."

Nathan hurried toward Abigail's office, wondering how much to tell her. All of it, he decided. He needed her to understand, and he hoped she would. Abigail Stanton was known as a shrewd administrator, but her business acumen was tempered by compassion. He would need to rely on that compassion to be there for his family.

Elizabeth rolled over in bed, stretching before reaching for her phone. For some reason, despite what she had told Nathan about putting her phone in the other room, she had kept it with her that morning. Glancing at the screen, she smiled as she saw a new text notification from her favourite doctor. Swiping up, her smile fell as she read the message. John Doe was Dylan. Oh No! Her heart broke for Colleen and Allie. Nathan, too, despite his feelings toward Dylan, he would be hurting for his family.

She needed to talk to him and make sure he was all right. Dialling his number, she waited as the call rang and rang before she was diverted to his voicemail. Elizabeth left a message asking him to call her and rushed to get ready to leave the house if he needed her. Despite only getting a few hours of sleep, she was suddenly energised.

Elizabeth wasn't sure she should be there for such a private moment, so she would leave it up to Nathan to decide. The last thing she wanted to do was intrude on such a personal, heartbreaking moment. As she waited for the coffee to brew, she pulled her phone out and stared at the screen. There was no one to call, no one she wanted to speak to other than Nathan.

As though summoned by her thoughts, her phone lit up with an incoming call from Nathan.

"Nathan, I am so sorry. Are you okay?"

"Elizabeth. I am fine; it's Colleen and Allie I am worried about." Elizabeth heard Nathan's voice break with emotion, and she waited while he collected himself. "I just spoke to Abigail Stanton; she told me to take as much time as I need to deal with this."

"I'm glad. They'll need you right now."

"I wish I knew how Colleen really feels about Dylan. The last time we spoke of Dylan, she was so angry with him, and while she said they were over, I don't know if she meant it. Allie won't understand either; she thinks he is away working."

"Oh, Nathan, the whole situation is awful."

Elizabeth listened as Nathan described his morning and how it felt confirming John Doe was Dylan. He explained the details of his conversation with Abigail and that he had spoken to Detective Wells and Faith. The only person he had still to talk to was Gabe; he had called but had to leave a message for his friend.

"What can I do, Nathan?"

"Just this. Listen to me; let me vent to you."

"Of course," Elizabeth responded, unable to hide her sadness for him. "I could come to the hospital later and be with you ... afterwards."

"What about our secret? What if people see us?"

"Do you still care about that, given everything happening? Elizabeth bit her lip and said, "I already felt bad about tricking Rosemary and your sister. I don't think I can keep doing that."

"No, not now, it's all different now. I need to tell Colleen without too many spectators, but when she comes here to the hospital, when she is in the room with him, I would like you to be here - for me.

"I will be there. Text me when you leave Colleen's, and I will meet you at the hospital."

"Thank you, Elizabeth. Knowing I will see you is the one bright light in this whole horrible mess."

Elizabeth ended the call after they said goodbye and dropped onto the lounge. She leaned back briefly before jumping up and heading to the kitchen; she was too worried to sit still. Using her nervous energy, she looked through her pantry, selecting the ingredients for Christmas cookies. They weren't really traditional Christmas cookies; they were Vanilla Cookies, baked into Christmas shapes and decorated. She loved them, and she could make them with her eyes closed.

When Elizabeth first moved to Crystal Haven, she was determined to bake cookies for Christmas. As a child, she had always wanted to bake cookies but hadn't been allowed to, her mother insisting she would be in the way of the staff. Baking in her kitchen had been a small act of rebellion, but she had continued until she was happy with the results. The beauty of her Vanilla cookies was that she could adapt them to any time of the year and make various shapes and colours to suit any occasion.

After the second batch of cookies had been placed on the rack to cool, Elizabeth checked her phone for messages. She didn't expect to find a message from Nathan; his focus needed to be on Colleen and Allie, but she couldn't help it. All her thoughts were focused on him.

Elizabeth finished cleaning the kitchen and realised that she needed to change her clothes, well, her top, at least. She had managed to cover one sleeve with flour. Rosemary always teased her about how much mess she made when baking. Her cookies might be delicious, but she had to admit cleaning up took almost as much time as the baking did. Hurrying upstairs, she stripped off her soiled shirt as she went, wanting to be ready when Nathan reached out.

"What are you doing here?" Nathan asked.

"I wanted to be here after I learned about Dylan," Gabriel explained. "I contacted Detective Wells for an update this morning, and he filled me in."

Nathan frowned and glanced at his watch. It had taken him longer than he had planned to get to Colleen's, but he didn't understand how Gabe had made it so fast. Boston was a two-hour drive away; even if he had left immediately, he couldn't have arrived so soon.

"I was already looking into the connection with the stolen vehicle, so I was on my way here. I decided to meet the Detective here instead of waiting at the station. I wanted to be here if either of you needed me."

"Thanks, Gabe; I appreciate it." Nathan stepped forward and gave his friend a quick hug before stepping back and staring at the front of Colleen's house. It looked like they had beaten her home. He had called her at school and told her he needed her to come home but refused to tell her why. He knew she was annoyed with him for that but preferred her angry with him rather than upset and distracted. Colleen knew he had unwelcome news for her; otherwise, it could have waited until she got home.

Nathan and Gabriel turned at the sound of an approaching car, seeing Colleen behind the wheel of the rental car. Nathan had insisted on hiring her a car while she waited for the insurance company to process her claim and allow her to purchase a new vehicle.

"Is that Allie in the back seat?" Gabe asked, his tone concerned.

"Yeah, it is. I suggested she ask someone to mind Allie, but she didn't take my advice.

Nathan heard Gabriel snort and smiled for the first time since seeing Dylan lying in the Intensive care unit. When did Colleen ever do anything she didn't want to do? Nathan watched Colleen drive toward them, her eyes flicking to Gabriel as she turned into the driveway. Nathan headed to Colleen's side of the car, ready to open the door, while Gabriel went to see Allie, who was bouncing up and down in her car seat, having spotted two of her favourite people.

Colleen sat in the car after Nathan opened her door, not moving. Nathan reached out his hand, and she paused before allowing him to help her. She stood close to him, unsmiling and waited for an explanation. They both turned as a car pulled alongside the curb outside her home and stopped. Nathan felt Colleen stiffen as the man alighted from the vehicle and walked toward them.

"His name is Detective Alec Wells. There is news about Dylan."