All this time...

As Nate stepped inside, Garret looked up quickly, surprised at anyone's presence before it was mealtime, and doubly surprised to see it was Nate. His eyes immediately took note of the arm sling, and slight paleness in Nate's face. For his injury, he was back to work awfully fast - even faster than an Agency man would be. Was Reese that strict or had Nate actually wanted to come back into work? Regardless, Garret couldn't help but feel a bit of relief to see Nate alive, up and walking.

Remaining seated, his face showed no expression as he listened. As Nate mentioned Victoria though, and his suspicion if love, Garret's eyes flickered. He was desperate, but terrified the Elite would use his love against him. It was his only true weakness, and they now knew.

Garret slowly got to his feet and took several small steps towards Nate, looking him square in the eye. His pulse was racing, and a bead of sweat trickled down the side of his face. Emotions churned within him to the point that if one looked, they might be surprised to see traces of tears held back by sheer willpower. But he still had his own set of requests. 

He held out his cuffed wrists to Nate. "Let me see her. But take these..." He glanced down at his ankles. "...and those, off first." His eyes returned to Nate's. "You have my word - I will not hurt anyone. I will not try to get away, or try to take Victoria. I'm not asking you to trust me. Just allow me this, and you'll get your answers." His eyes begged Nate to understand, and his voice quieted to almost a whisper. "Fifteen minutes." He wanted eternity, but for now, fifteen minutes was all he needed to explain things to Victoria. "And I'll talk to you without a fight. That's all I want."


"Hey, shhh..." Eli reached out and gently brushed away Ryan's tear. "You're going to be okay," he assured. He paused as the doctor informed them he was leaving but would be back, then returned his focus to his sister. "I don't... I don't know why you thought you were getting messages from Alec. But you weren't. Not really." It was hard to admit, but it was the truth. "He...he really did die, Ryan. He really is gone. I know you were upset about it but...but maybe you were more upset than you admitted?"

Eli searched her face for answers - anything to explain her strange behavior. He was no psychologist, but he needed to know why this was happening to his baby sister. "You thought he was still here and...and wanted to run away with you, so..." He hesitated to ask this, but he needed to know if his suspicions were correct - and it would help understand her state of mind. "You were still in love with him, weren't you? All this time?"