Feel like I'm in heaven when you're with me
Know that I'm in heaven when you smile,
Though we're stuck here on the ground,
I got something that I've found
And it's you
There are certain qualities that people have that make them different from everyone else, makes them stand out in a crowd. Abbie Carmichael was one of those people. Don't get me wrong, I loved Claire very much. She was strong, attractive, and she strived for success in the same way that I did. After her death, I didn't think that I would be able to get closer to a new ADA. Abbie Carmichael was able to break down the wall that I had built around myself. Her smile, in particular, made my heart leap. I felt young again, as clichéd as that sounds, when she walked into my office, introducing herself.
I know that Abbie has left for the night. She stopped in before she left to say "good night" in her sweet Texas twang. She said she was meeting up with Lennie and Ed, and asked if I would like to join her. I declined, politely, and said I had a lot of work to catch up on. As true as my statement was, I didn't want to go out with Lennie and Ed. I really enjoy Lennie and Ed, they were great people and made a great team. But I wanted to focus all of my attention on Abbie without feeling like I was under the scrutinizing eyes of two of Manhattan's finest detectives. I look at my watch and am surprised by the time that my Seiko watch tells me. 1:57 a.m. It was almost two in the morning, and honestly, I didn't get much work done at all.
I was about to stand up and walk to the coffee machine to replace what looked like motor oil with some fresh stuff. I was stopped, however, by the ever so tall and gorgeous Abbie Carmichael.
"I had a feeling that you would still be here, Jack," she said to me, her voice dripping with honey.
"Yeah, work comes first, I suppose," I respond, my eyes beginning to blur. I'm getting too old for these all-nighters, I think to myself.
"What are you doing back here, Abbie?" I ask, hoping she was planning on staying.
"I came to help you, of course," she replied, "that is part of my job description, you know."
"What, help the feeble old man complete cases?" I question, trying to defend myself without sounding like the curmudgeon I felt like.
She began to laugh, her smile a beacon in the otherwise dim room. Her smile reaches her eyes, I observe. Her deep, chocolate brown eyes that make me feel weak at times, inspired other times. She ducks her head suddenly, and tucks a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Was she embarrassed about something?
"Abbie, are you okay" I ask, hoping I sound more like her friend than her father.
She just nodded her head, and when she looked up, her eyes were glassy and the tears that had formed were threatening to spill over at any moment. I held my arms open to her, hoping she would go to them and not flee to her apartment. She went to them willingly and began sobbing into my blue dress shirt. I stroked her dark hair, and tried to whisper soothing words to make her feel even the slightest bit better.
"I have to leave, Jack," she said, "I can't work with you anymore."
I was struck with a feeling of incredible loss immediately. What was I going to do now? Find a new ADA that try as she may, would never be able to fill the enormous shoes of the incredibly talented Abbie Carmichael. I have to ask her why, why she feels that she has to leave me, leave a job that was tailored for her alone.
"Because, Jack," she whispers, "I think I'm falling in love with you."
She continued to cry, and I hugged her again. Had she just declared her love for me? What the hell was going on?
To be continued…