A/N: Thank you, as always to Tanith 2011, my wonderful Beta Reader. And thank you to all the ladies from the SOSF Writers Group for all the encouragement.
Disclaimer: I do not own the SOSF characters, I only borrow them for a little while... For my skills improvement and enjoyment, and hopefully the enjoyment of my readers, too!
The Handkerchief
Here I am, staring at the white piece of cloth that I am holding in my hand, almost scared to crumple it. I stroke the soft fabric as I fold and refold it.
Mike's famous white handkerchief... How often has he whipped it out to come to my rescue? How often have I joked about the seemingly limitless supply of pristine white handkerchiefs in the Stone household?
He uses it to pick up pieces of evidence and to handle doorknobs in order not to destroy fingerprints. Everybody does that, but Mike's handkerchief is special.
He once wrapped it around my bleeding thumb when I cut it on a piece of glass. He used it to staunch bleeding from a gunshot wound. He mopped up sweat and grime from my face while waiting for the ambulance to arrive. Once –to my great dismay- he even pulled it out of his pocket to clean lipstick off my face. Oh, of course I got to use it for fits of sneezes when I had a cold, and once or twice he discreetly pressed it into my hand and turned around so that I could dab at my moist eyes.
Mike's handkerchief was always more than just a piece of linen. For me it is a symbol of Mike's love and care. Sometimes I even pretended not to carry one myself, because the simple act of Mike handing me his handkerchief already makes me feel better.
But now, staring at the white square I realise it is not the handkerchief itself, it is Mike handing it to me that does the magic. It is Mike I want. But the handkerchief is all I have...
"Inspector Keller? You can go in and see him now, but only for a few minutes."
My hand scrunches up the piece of cloth as the tension leaves my body and I slowly put the handkerchief back in the pocket of his blue raincoat that I still carry over my arm.
