Chapter Four

Bobby took a deep breath. “I…I’m not one of them,” he said as calmly as he could. “I’m Bobby.”

Alex held the gun inches away from his head. “The bugs don’t hurt you,” she said in an eerily calm voice. “The lights don’t bother you. You came from where the monsters are. You’re not Bobby.”

“Good…good logic,” Bobby said. He tried to look beyond the gun to Alex’s eyes. He couldn’t find the Alex he knew in them.

Alex fixed the gun on him. “So, you admit you’re not Bobby.”

“No,” Bobby said calmly. “I am Bobby. I just said your logic was good. But…what if your facts…The basis for that logic…are wrong?”

Beads of sweat formed on Alex’s face. “You’re saying I’m crazy?”

“No…no,” Bobby said. Sweat also started to form on his face. “Remember…Willoughby…He gave you drugs…You’re not crazy…” Bobby smiled wryly. “I…I know crazy.”

Alex blinked, and Bobby caught a sign of the Alex he knew in her eyes. “Bobby…” she said tentatively. “Bobby…Bobby knows that…He’d say that…”

Bobby struggled not to shiver. “I’ve got to help her,” he thought. “I can’t let her hurt herself…hurt me…Not because of me…But…It would destroy her…I gotta help her…” He took another deep breath.

“Eames…What else…Can I say…do…to…” He leaned forward and let his forehead rest against the barrel of her gun. It felt cold and hard against his skin. “I’m Bobby,” he said. He spoke as calmly as if they discussed a point of a case in the squad room. “I trust you.” He closed his eyes and, as much as he had since his days as an altar boy, prayed.

The gun remained pressed against his head for several hour long minutes. Suddenly, the cold, hard steel was gone. He opened his eyes and stared into Alex’s. Her eyes were frightened, swept with shadows, but they were Alex’s. Her gun remained in her hand, but it rested next to her side. Bobby shifted to his knees.

“Here,” he said gently. “Please…let me take that…”

She didn’t resist as he pulled the gun from her hands. He winced as he felt and saw the blood on it. He put the safety on and pushed it to slide on the floor away from them. Alex leaned back against the wall. She closed her eyes and shivered.

“I…I’m sorry…I’m sorry…” she murmured over and over.

He sat next to her. “Here…please…let me see your hand…”

“It…it wasn’t a lizard that bit me, was it?” she asked.

“No.” He examined her hand carefully and gently. “I think it was a particularly ugly vase.”

“Bobby…I…They’re out there, aren’t they? Logan, the Captain, the Brass?”

“Yea…Logan feels awful…Almost as bad as I do, I think.” His large hand reached to take her pulse on her neck.

“Please.” She seized his arm with her hand, smearing blood over his jacket. “Don’t…I don’t want them to see me…Not like this…”

“I understand…But you need to get to the hospital…Get rid of these drugs…Get your hand stitched up…” Bobby shook his head. “I’m afraid you’re not going to be winning any marksmanship awards soon.”

Alex trembled, and fell into Bobby’s arms. “Please…please…please don’t leave me, Bobby…Please…I’m afraid…”

“Of course.” His voice was warm and gentle. “But we need to take care of you.”

There was a soft knock at the door. “Goren…”

Alex stiffened in Bobby’s arms.

“It’s ok, Eames,” Bobby said. “It’s the Captain. He’s just worried.” He nuzzled her forehead. “Tell you what…I’ll go talk to him…We can get the EMTs in here…They’ll take care of you…Get you on a gurney…And you won’t have to talk to anybody…”

“You…you’ll come with me? You’ll stay with me?” she pleaded.

“Yes…I’ll stay with you as long as you want…” He gently slipped from her arms and stood. “I’ll be right back…I promise…”

Alex watched as he walked away. She tried to ignore the sounds and colors swirling around him as he unlocked the door, opened it a crack, and spoke to someone outside it. She focused on him, especially his deep, warm, eyes, as he walked back to her. He leaned over her and held an open water bottle to her.

“The EMTs will be in here soon,” he said in his deep, warm voice. “They’ll take care of you…The Captain and Logan will keep everyone away…And I’ll be with you. I promise.” He smiled at her, and took a long drink from his own bottle of water.

She took a drink of the cold, blessed, water. He sat beside her, pulled out his handkerchief, and tenderly wrapped it around her hand.

“Did you know,” she said softly. “That your voice is just like your eyes?”

He studied her carefully for a moment. “No…I…I never…” He had trouble controlling his voice.

There was a soft knock on the door. “That’s the EMT’s,” Bobby said. “It’s ok, Alex.”

He stayed with her as the EMTs checked her out. He shielded her from the prying eyes of all of the cops, including the Brass. He rode with her on the long trip to the hospital. In spite of the doctors and the nurses, he remained in the Emergency Room with her. He called her parents and her brothers and sisters and let them know she was all right. He accepted Logan’s apologies and gave him absolution. He kept the Brass and the press away from her. When she was finally moved to a room, he sat in the chair next to her.

She was dozing as he watched her when Ross slipped in her room.

“The doctors say she’ll be all right,” Ross said.

“Yea,” Bobby said. He winced as he stretched. “I’m too old to be crawling around on floors.”

“Are you all right, Detective?” Ross asked with genuine concern. “There’s a lot of blood on you…”

Bobby looked around his body. “Damn.” He shook his head. “I really liked this suit.” He examined his hands, which were dotted with small cuts and slashes. “I…I should have them look at these…and maybe my knees…”

“I’ll let the nurses know,” Ross said gently. He looked at Alex, and then at Bobby. “Helluva a first day back.”

“Yea.” Bobby yawned.

“I know you’ve been through a lot, Detective,” Ross said. “But if you could come in sometime tomorrow…after you’ve gotten some sleep…Just make an appearance…”

Bobby nodded. “Of course.”

Ross turned to the door. “Thank you, Goren. Let me know how she is.”

“So,” Bobby thought. “He’s used my name twice in twenty four hours…Progress…”

“Bobby…Bobby.” Alex stirred.

He leaned forward and took her uninjured hand in his. “I’m right here.”

“Thank you,” she whispered. “Welcome back…”

END