I've seen some older episodes lately and felt the yearning to do some missing scenes for them.
SEIZURE: MISSING SCENES
Some junkies, Alex Eames thought, clung to some vestiges of self-respect. Her uncle, who spent some time with Narcotics in the Dark Ages of the late Sixties and early Seventies, once told her about a woman whose unmarried name frequently graced the society columns who took her daily shot of heroin just before she had her afternoon tea. Some junkies at least paid lip service to the idea of getting clean even as they shot up. But Johnny West was one of those junkies who'd given up. No attempts at respect; no claims of future efforts to get clean; just a quest for the next fix. In spite of her tough questions, she had a hard time seeing Johnny as a raging serial killer, even a copycat serial killer. She wasn't the serial killer scholar her partner was (his vast and deep knowledge of such things worried her a bit), but she couldn't see Johnny, with his record of petty thefts and drug possessions, having the focus, the knowledge and the rage to slash and strangle a young woman. And she knew her partner felt the same way.
She sat warily in the interrogation room. The source of her tension wasn't Johnny. Her partner was performing a strange dance before the suspect. Alex was beginning to understand and even appreciate this dance. It often reminded her of those nature programs on television where a cobra slithered around its potential victim and hypnotized the poor creature before its attack. The more questions Bobby Goren asked, the clearer it became that, while Johnny might have encountered a vicious killer, he wasn't the vicious killer. Alex was mildly irritated that Johnny wasn't their perp, but she was too good and experienced of a cop to expect that their first suspect would be the murderer. She watched her partner stalk the interrogation room. One thing she liked and admired about Goren was his remarkably open and tolerant attitude. The fact the victim in this case was a lesbian was just another fact to him. He'd demonstrated similar objectivity regarding drug addicts and prostitutes in other cases. Alex could only imagine what some of the cops she'd work with in Vice would say about this victim.
Goren plopped down on the desk in front of Johnny. For the first time since the detectives had entered the room, Johnny realized he was in trouble, and that this big cop might not be his friend.
"He's doing to do something," Alex thought. "Get ready, Eames. He's going to do something…"
She watched him with wary anticipation. Some of Goren's antics could be very entertaining, especially if they got a confession, but his actions also brought down the wrath of ADAs, defense attorneys, and Captain Deakins upon them. Goren appeared to brush off criticism, but Alex couldn't afford to ignore her superiors' opinions and coworkers' complaints. She was a woman, and the daughter of a cop who had a black mark against him. She always felt that her steps on the NYPD career ladder were tenuous. But Goren's results justified his methods in the Brass' eyes and put Alex in a partnership with one of the highest solve rates in the department.
Alex saw the slight twitch in Goren's jaw. "Ok," she thought. "Here it comes."
In a swift, fluid motion—for such a big man he could move like a panther—Goren pulled out his knife ("I'll have to talk to him about having weapons like that in interrogation," Alex thought), snapped it open, and slashed his right palm. Johnny turned a white color Alex had only seen on dead fish bellies and jerked back in his chair. As Goren squeezed the blood from his palm, Alex rose from her chair. Johnny's eyes rolled back in his head, but before he could fall, Goren stepped to him and wrapped his arm around the junkie and eased him to the floor. Goren treated Johnny as if he were a small child and quickly checked to see if he was all right before he stepped out of the way of the uniforms. For a moment he didn't seem to know what to do with his bleeding hand. Alex pulled the handkerchief she always carried out of her pocket—she'd learned its usefulness for both an aunt and a cop---and handed it to Goren.
"Thanks," he said sheepishly.
In the early days of their partnership, Alex might have walked away after giving Goren the handkerchief, or not handed him anything. But now she waited for him to explain his actions. He wrapped the cloth around his hand with an air suggesting he'd done this sort of thing before and presented his case for Johnny West's innocence of murder. Carver and Deakins were annoyed, but couldn't argue against Goren's logic. As they returned to their desks, Bobby turned to Alex.
"I'm sorry about the handkerchief," he said shyly. "I'll get you another one or pay for it."
"Not a problem," Alex said. "It's an old one…I carry them for my nieces and nephews or the job. It didn't have a long life expectancy. You need to get that taken care of?"
"Uh…No…I don't think so…" Goren said. "I get a moment I'll put a band aid on it…"
It was late in the afternoon before Goren had a moment, and he might not have noticed his hand if Alex hadn't pointed out his makeshift bandage was soaked in blood.
"Oh," Goren said, staring at the crimson patch. "I really need to get a band aid on this."
"You need some help?" Alex asked.
"Thanks, but I'll be back in a minute…"
He was gone for considerably more than a minute. Alex was about to go in search of her partner when he appeared at their desks.
"Sorry," he said. "I musta cut it deeper than I thought."
"Maybe you should get it checked out…"
Goren shook his head. "It'll be ok."
"The bandage is already red," Alex said.
Goren stared at his palm. "Damn…I musta nicked a vein…"
"C'mon," Alex said as she reached to shut off her computer. "I can drop you at the ER on my way home…You didn't drive in today?" She'd learned enough about her partner to know that he frequently took the subway home so that he could read or study his fellow riders.
Goren protested, but Alex insisted.
"I'm sorry," he said as she pulled out of the parking garage.
"Like I told you…not a problem," Alex said.
Her plan was to just drop him at the nearest ER. But Goren stumbled as he got out of her car and he looked paler than usual. She decided to wait to make sure he was all right. They hit the ER at a slow time, and Goren went in immediately. The doctor confirmed that Goren had nicked a vein, but was skeptical of the detective's explanation for the cause of his injury. The young woman turned to Alex for confirmation.
"I hope," the doctor said. "He doesn't do this too often…"
"Not too often," Alex said, thinking of Goren's many unusual methods in front of witnesses and perps.
"I…I can get home, Eames," Goren told her as he signed several forms. "I…I owe you…"
"I'm hungry…You can pay that debt off right now if you want," Alex said. "You could take me to dinner."
She regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth. Just because she had no private life didn't mean Goren was in the same situation. For all she knew, he might have a girlfriend impatiently waiting for him. He was reasonably good looking, if you liked tall, dark, and unconventionally handsome men. One of his many weapons was the charm he employed, and his dark eyes and full lips and large, long, elegant hands aided that charm considerably.
"I…I'd like to do that," he stammered. "And I could use some food."
"Well," Alex said. "Let's go somewhere near your place, and I can drop you off afterwards."
He again protested, but surrendered after what Alex thought was a weak battle. He directed her to a small Italian restaurant and a parking space in what looked like a loading area.
"This is really a space?" she asked.
"Yea…At least when the owner's not at the place," Bobby smiled. "Italian ok?"
"Good food is always ok," Alex smiled back.
"I can promise you that…"
She had a remarkably good time. They limited themselves to one glass of wine since Alex was driving and Bobby because Alex only had one glass. The food and service were splendid, although Alex noticed the waitress became friendlier after Bobby explained that she was his professional partner.
"She likes you," Alex said as the young woman walked away after taking their orders.
Bobby shrugged. "We flirt a bit. She's going to grad school. She's the owner's niece and she does a little bit of everything here. She likes me because I'm quiet and tip well."
"I've noticed that you always tip well," Alex said. It was, in fact, one of the first things she'd liked about Bobby.
"I had to work my way through school," he said. "I bussed tables. I know how hard waitresses work."
"Waited some tables myself," Alex said. "And tended bar. So, I like people who tip well."
Bobby Goren proved to be an excellent dinner companion. Alex wondered why she was surprised; Bobby had already shown he could share coffee and lunch and be more than reasonably entertaining. He briefly discussed a few points about their current case, but dropped the subject when Alex indicated she wanted to leave work at work. He focused on her, asking questions about her life. Alex found his attention enjoyable, and revealed more than she intended.
"You'll have me revealing all about my misspent youth," she laughed.
"Did you have a good time? Did you learn from it?" Bobby asked.
"Yes…On both counts…"
He smiled. "Then I'd say it wasn't misspent."
"And what about your youth?"
Bobby stared at his plate. "I…Well…People would be very surprised to see me as a cop…Actually…A lot of people would be surprised to see me as a functioning member of society."
"So, why did you become a cop?" Alex sipped her wine.
"Oh…" He waved a large paw. "Probably for the same reasons you did…"
"I don't think you had a father, grandfather, uncle, brother, cousins to follow," Alex said.
"No…No I didn't. Most of my family…Well…Some of them would be trying very hard to get away from cops."
It was one of the longest personal conversations Alex had had with Robert Goren, and she found she liked the man more the more she spoke with him. After dinner, he feebly attempted to get Alex to allow him to walk home, but she pointed to the ominous sky and noted that it was a few blocks to his home. He seemed uneasy as they drove, and she realized he was nervous about inviting her in his house. And she realized she was nervous about entering his house.
"I guess we've both gone about as far as we can tonight," she thought.
"Bobby," she said. "If it's ok…And, mind you, it's not because I don't want to see inside your cave, because I do…"
He turned to her with an apprehensive look.
"But I'm tired…I bet you are too…And we'll have to hit the ground running tomorrow…So, if you don't mind, I think I'll just drop you off…"
She felt the relief flow from him.
"I…I think that would be a good idea," he said.
She pulled up in front of his house. "You ok? Your hand all right?"
"Yes…Thanks for taking me to get it stitched up…And thanks for the handkerchief. I'll make that up to you."
"It's no big deal," Alex responded. "I've got a bunch of those."
Bobby briefly wondered where Alex had gotten a bunch of old men's handkerchiefs, but his mind turned to a more important matter. "And, Eames…Thank you for not freaking out when I pulled out my knife…"
"You couldn't have just pricked your thumb?" she asked genially.
"It…It wouldn't have affected him the same way. But thank you for waiting for my explanation…"
She was touched by the depth of his gratitude. "You're welcome," she said after a moment. "Be sure to take care of that hand."
Bobby watched her drive away. "Maybe," he thought. "Maybe I've finally…She's remarkable…" He shook his head and turned to his door. As he emptied his pockets, he discovered the handkerchief, stiff with dried blood. "I might be able to save this…" He walked into his kitchen. As he scrubbed the white cotton, he saw three letters, "JFD", in a corner. He remembered that Eames' late husband's name was Joseph Dutton, and he knew how Eames came to have a lot of men's handkerchiefs.
One of Alex's small dreams was to beat Bobby Goren into work. When she strode into the Major Case Squad Room the next morning, she was mildly thrilled to discover no sign of her partner. Her happiness was short lived when Captain Deakins informed her that Bobby had called in to say he had research to do at the library and would be in later in the morning.
"Any other detective," Deakins said. "And I'd be suspicious…But Goren…If he says he's at the library, he's at the library."
Alex sighed. "Well, I'm going to spend the morning seeing if I can track down our mystery woman…"
She spent the morning in the drudge work of the detective. At eleven, Bobby called her.
"I'm done for now," he said. "I'm sorry I left you in the lurch, but I had a couple of ideas last night and needed to follow up on them. Want me to grab you some lunch?
"H-m-m. The Meat Special at Fritz's sounds good…I'm in a carnivorous mood."
Bobby chuckled. "I guess you are, if you want that monster. I'll be there soon."
"Thanks…Hey…how's your hand?"
"A little itchy, but fine. Thanks for taking care of me."
"Not a problem," she said.
She was at the fax machine when he returned. She discovered her lunch waiting on her desk. Bobby was lost in something on his computer; his own sandwich abandoned on his desk. Alex opened the bag and enjoyed the wonderful scent of mustard and meat. Bobby had also supplied her with one of the deli's chocolate cookies and a soda. She was about to thank him when she noticed a small package at the side of the brown bag. She opened the package and found the handkerchief, neatly folded, brightly white, and freshly smelling. Alex became aware Bobby's attention was now on her.
"I promised I'd get it cleaned," he said softly.
Alex wasn't sure the handkerchief had ever felt so soft, even when Joe was alive.
"My cleaner took it as a great challenge," Bobby continued. "I bring him lots of messes. I'm doing my best to help his daughters get through college."
Alex stared at the cotton square. The letters "JFD" appeared very clearly in one corner.
"I…I hope I'm not being too pushy or anything," Bobby said tentatively. "But I thought this…That it might be important to you."
Alex couldn't speak for a moment. "Thank you," she finally said. "Thank you."
"You're more than welcome," Bobby said. "It's the least I can do for…Well…Everything…You do so much…Thank you…"
Alex carefully folded the handkerchief and placed it in her pocket. "Finish your lunch, partner…and I'll show what I found this morning."
"Ok…Partner…"
END