Bobby was close but watched from afar. He was in awe. This was an emotion he wasn't used to, but he was beginning to expect it with her. Her. Detective Eames. Alex. Why was it so difficult to tell her how much he needed her? Not in the sense of 'I can't live without you', but it was easier to function with her around. She gave him a reason to emerge from the dark prison with invisible bars that had become his mind. A man with my vocabulary should be able to do this.
Being next to her, he somehow felt stronger, more grounded. Invincible. No matter what was going on around him, he knew. He knew for sure that she would be there. Sure. Never had that before. A sure thing was definitely one thing Bobby never had. Of course, when your mother is a schizophrenic and your brother is a drug addict, dependability isn't in an endless supply. Why can't I just tell her?
Others had noticed. When she went on maternity leave, he had nearly taken someone's head off, threw a paper wad at her empty chair, and went into his past to solve a case and almost didn't make it back. If they had noticed, why hadn't she? She's so much more intelligent than they are. Wait. Has she noticed?
"Hey, Bobby. You coming?" Bobby's head jerked up. With a quizzical look on his face, she smiled and shook her head. "New case." A boyish excitement twinkled in his eyes as he raced to the elevators.
Standing in the elevator, she looked up and smiled at him. A small voice broke threw the running questions in his head. Her voice. I know, Bobby. He smiled back. She's still here. I guess she knows.