Within Eyeshot

Calleigh cocked the gun, gaze forward, and chose her moment.

A shot rang through the small, glass-encased room, and she set the piece down to examine the bullet that she had just expended. As she turned, she gasped quietly.

He had scared her, leaning up against the soundproof glass.

She removed the ear protectors, earplugs, and safety goggles, turning to set them down after she recovered her bearings. The bullet could wait for a moment. The suspect wasn’t going anywhere at the moment- bail was set for near half a million, and the evidence was piling up. She was just about to lock in the ballistics portion of the case and head on home.

Didn’t his shift end already? Maybe she was mistaken. But he was in his plainclothes.

He knew she had seen him. He was looking directly at her. But he didn’t move, didn’t change his stance, merely smiled briefly. There were few things in this world that he could count on: there were always criminals, always rain in spring, and Calleigh Duquesne could almost always be found somewhere in the lab with a gun in her hand.

She opened the door, meeting him on the other side. “What are you still doing here?”

Ryan straightened up, his eyes never leaving hers. “Didn’t want to go home.”

Calleigh decreased the distance between them, speaking softly. “Does this have anything to do with the bandage on your hand?”

He laughed quietly. “I guess. I just- I wanted to wait a little while. And I wanted to tell you that I, uh...” He finally broke their stare, looking into the room she had just exited, and back at her. “I saw the eye doctor today.”

The tone of her voice betrayed her calm outer demeanor. “Is everything okay?”

He couldn’t stand it when her voice sounded like that, full of concern and fear. He didn’t want her to worry about him. Maybe he shouldn’t have told her at all. But then again, if he hadn’t, she would have found out from someone else.

“The doctor said that I need to take another round of antibiotics, and I should be fine.” Lie, Wolfe. Go ahead, make it worse.

She swallowed thickly. “Should?”

Ryan hesitated briefly, almost reaching out, but holding back. They were in the lab. He had to remember, they were in the lab right now, and right now everything was business. Save for the fact that the expression on her face had melted from calm and collected to scared and helpless.

“She said that if the antibiotics fail... I might need surgery.”

She took a deep breath, speaking slowly. “And surgery would correct the double vision? The tissue damage?”

He didn’t want to tell her this, but he knew he had to. He spoke quickly, getting everything out into the open. “If the antibiotics don’t work, and the surgery fails, it’s very possible that I could... lose my vision.”

Calleigh bowed her head, running a hand under her tired eyes, and looked up at him again. “Well the antibiotics will just have to work now, won’t they?” And the smile was back.

What had he done to deserve her?

“You’re right.” He leaned up against the glass again, a moment of silence enveloping them. He could hear the footsteps on the echoing floor, the overlapping conversation between the techs and the detectives, and the whirring of machines. But when he looked at her, when he used to look at her, everything else was a blur.

Now, things were different. Now, everything was a blur.

“So you couldn’t tell me this at home?” She joked, residual wetness under her eyes shining in the blue-yellow light of the lab.

He laughed, collecting his thoughts. Things would be fine. “I just wanted to see you. I want every minute to count, you know?” He added the last part quietly, hoping he hadn’t upset her. She believed more than he did that he would be fine. And if he had to keep up the strong front for her, he would. She had always kept strong for him, and he wouldn’t let her down.

“You’re going to be able to see me tomorrow, and a week from now, and ten years from now.” She leaned into him slightly, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek.

They both hoped that it looked like simple of friendship, as she re-entered the glass-walled room to collect her bullet.

“I’m counting on it.” Ryan watched as she retrieved the bullet a few moments later, and he smiled to himself. When she said it, he believed her. He really did.