Rainy April Nights
There had been a series of rainy April nights. The streets were nearly flooded, and it looked like it was going to be a long night at the Center. No one was going home that night, and if they tried, they would get into a wreck the moment they started down the street. Ria and Eli had been working on a case, and at midnight, they both fell asleep in Eli's office. Gillian stopped by his office, only to see the two sound asleep, Eli's arms around Ria. She decided not to wake them, and she continued down the hallway to Cal's office.
Emily was sound asleep in her dad's chair, curled up in an awkward sitting position. The familiar whirring sound of the tape player caught Gillian's attention, and she found Cal half asleep in the chair across from the screen at the other end of the room. "Cal," she whispered.
"Hey, Foster." His bloodshot eyes indicated that he was extremely tired. "What is it?"
"I finished looking through the footage..."
"That's good." Cal adjusted himself in the chair so that he was sitting up. "Where's Loker and Torres?"
"Asleep. I didn't want to wake them up..." Cal nodded, the vaguest expression that he had heard her. "It's late." Cal looked at his watch, and blinked to focus on the hands. Three in the morning.
"You're right. Is Emily asleep?" Gillian nodded. Cal leaned back and the footrest on the chair popped out. He walked into his office, scooped up his daughter, and set her back down in the chair. She sighed and her even breathing let Cal know she was fine. Walking back into his office, he sat down at his desk and rubbed sleep away from his eyes. The last thing he wanted was to fall asleep at his desk.
"Cal, you should get some sleep." Gillian tugged at his sleeve. "Really, Cal. You look like you're about to fall over." She grabbed his hands and pulled him up, and he followed her, almost zombie-like, to her office. She pointed to the couch. "Sleep." Twenty minutes later, Cal was out. Gillian decided to wander the halls for a while, getting out her pent up energy. She decided to see if Eli and Ria were still asleep, and, peeking in, she saw that they were indeed still fast asleep. Heading back to her office, she saw Cal standing in the doorway.
"Hey, Gillian." That was the first time she had heard her name spoken like that. Drawn out and sweet, like a long-lost melody.
"You're supposed to be asleep, Cal."
"I know. Can't sleep." Gillian looked towards Eli's office.
"You've got to see them, Cal." Almost begrudgingly, he followed her to Eli's office. Seeing Eli and Ria sleeping side by side, his arms around her waist, protectively and still gently, Cal let the faint traces of a smile touch his mouth. Walking back to her office, Cal saw Gillian shiver slightly.
"Gillian, are you cold?" She rubbed her arms with her hands, trying to warm up.
"A little." That night, they slept side by side, his coat draped over them. They woke at 10 A.M. to see sunlight fighting to stream through the overcast sky. They went back to work, but another bout of rain hit hard. That night, as they slept side by side, the skies opened to reveal a pale moon glittering and the stars seeming to dance in the ink black sky. Was this show of such beauty for them? No one would ever know, because as they slept, something manifested itself deep into their hearts and took them as its captive.
Was that something love? No one would ever know what the two shared the next few nights. As the sky opened and rain spilled down, then opened again to reveal the pale moon, they slept, and they wove a story that only they could tell.
