"Knock, knock."
"Come on in."
"Me and the guys are going for a beer. Do you wanna come?"
"Mind if I take a raincheck?"
"You all right?"
"Megan resigned. She said that work was too much of a reminder of her husband's death."
"It's a shame. She was a good criminalist."
"She was. She was, indeed. I almost walked once."
"I'll see you tomorrow."
"Yep."
Adell turned around at the doorway and looked at him. She could see that he wasn't doing well, that he... she couldn't say... was trying to cope with something he couldn't, with something he couldn't really let go. She hadn't failed to notice Ray's remembrance card onto his desk. She was a Detective after all. "Some other time, maybe?" She asked, and the redhead looked up at her again, sighing deeply once more and thinking about his answer.
"Some other time," he agreed.
The Puertorican woman swallowed. "If there's anything… If you wanna talk..."
"Thank you, Adell," he whispered and his gaze briefly trailed off towards the remembrance card again. He really appreciated her offer, and her worry. The two police officers had always gotten along well. He could still feel her eyes upon him, so he spoke quietly, "Weren't you going for a beer with the guys?"
"I think I'm taking a rain check," Adell replied, giving him a secret smile. He smiled back at her for an instant, then looked troubled again. He suddenly looked so much older, and the Puertorican Detective walked back towards his desk, sitting down opposite him. "Horatio," she whispered, clasping her hand lightly over his and giving it a gentle squeeze. "Sean would have never wanted Megan to stay unhappy for the rest of her life. And I'm sure Ray would have never wanted you to either. Please don't keep hanging in the past and forget to live."
Horatio eyed her with his blue eyes and found truth written within her chocolate brown ones. He sighed. "You're right, but it's far more easily said than done."
"I never said it's easy," Adell answered, then smiled. "Did you ever hear me say that, Lieutenant Caine?" The redhead now couldn't help but smile as well. He gently took Ray's remembrance card and opened the drawer of his desk with his free hand, dropping the card into it and giving it one last look before pushing the drawer closed again. "You need to let go," she whispered. "Maybe you'd like to come with me to my place and open a bottle of wine. I should have one somewhere. That's even better than a beer!"
Horatio nodded, smiling. "Sounds good." He stood up from his seat behind the desk and took his jacket from the peg, turning off the lights in the office and closing the door behind him, walking in Adell's wake.
