Summary: Jimmy Palmer wanted to believe in love. Really, he did. But working here he did in the conditions that he did never really helped. Mentions of Palmer/Lee.
A/N: I had been tossing around an idea like this for a while, and after tonight's episode, especially since Jimmy wasn't in it, I thought it would be a good idea to write from his POV.
Jimmy Palmer wanted to believe in love. Really, he did. But working here he did in the conditions that he did never really helped.
Day in and day out he dealt with death, and more often than not the worst cases could be traced back to a jilted lover here or an unfaithful spouse there. The lies could really add up.
All of this was going through his head as he stood over Michelle Lee with a scalpel in his hand. Her lifeless eyes stared up at him, daring him to defy her lies, her liaisons, his beliefs, their trysts, one last time.
Palmer turned around and closed his eyes. Breathe in – he put the scalpel back in its place on the tray – breathe out.
Everything happened for a reason. She had never meant to hurt him or anyone close to him, even though he got used in the process. She had died trying to protect her sister.
He just didn't expect it to hurt so much. God, he had been blind! People lived. People died. Why should Michelle be any different?
Palmer swallowed and picked up his instrument of science (death) again as the doors to the autopsy lab opened behind him.
"Mr. Palmer," Doctor Mallard stated, his voice echoing through the cold, sterile lab. "What brings you down here --" He stopped talking as he spied Michelle's body lying on the table. "Ah. Well, is there… something on your mind you wish to discuss?"
Jimmy raised the scalpel to eye level, watching the reflected light glint off its shiny surface.
"Just questioning mortality," he replied.