Legacy

Chapter 1

He slouched over his drink, his words slightly slurred. "You ever feel like you spend your whole life hoping not to become your mother?"

Obviously he was drunk. Sober, he would have never posed that question to Bobby Goren. Bobby's eyes grew somber and he turned to face the bottles behind the bar. He drank deeply from his scotch, and nodded.

Logan finished off his drink and knocked the glass over. "Looks like you won after all, Ma," he said, and knocked it over on the bar, where a few solitary drops leaked out. He looked over at the brooding Goren and said, "At least I was smart enough not to bring a kid into the world." He stood up. "I gotta take a leak."

Goren watched Logan stagger off to the bathroom and finished the rest of his drink while the bartender cleaned up Logan's mess. He ran his fingers around the rim of the empty glass, thinking of the children he didn't bring into the world…

Logan staggered back, and the two men made their way out of the bar, down the street, and to the subway. They nodded their goodbyes, each too drunk to do much more. Mike boarded his train while Bobby waited for the next one.

Goren had a splitting headache in the morning. He couldn't even muster the strength to get up and get an aspirin. He buried his head underneath the pillow and groaned.

Alex was in the bathroom, retching. When she finished, she carefully gathered up all the remnants of the pregnancy test. If it was correct, she didn't want Bobby to find out that way. Another wave of nausea overtook her, and she threw up as quietly as she could. She'd have to tell him before long. If this morning was any indication, it wouldn't take much detective work to figure out.

Finished, she rinsed out her mouth, and brushed her teeth. Her mind was spinning with the ramifications. She wasn't remorseful at all, but she was apprehensive about the changes it would bring. She took her little bag of trash with her into the kitchen and stashed it in her purse for later disposal. Checking the time, she knew she had to get him up and moving. He'd gone out with Logan last night, and come home very drunk. She gathered up some pain reliever and a glass of water and took it to the bedroom.

"Bobby," she said softly.

He sat up and felt her forehead. "Are you all right?" he asked.

She frowned. He must have heard her in the bathroom. "Something I ate must have disagreed with me," Alex lied. She held out the tablets and water for him. He took them gratefully. "I have to get going. You need to get up. You can't afford to be late again."

He nodded and accepted her kiss before she left. Bobby rubbed his weary eyes. He forced himself up out of bed and headed for the bathroom.

His phone rang just as he was about to drop it into his pocket. He was dressed, clean shaven, and ready for work. "Hey," he said.

"Bobby, you were with Mike last night, right?"

"Yeah, you know I was," he said, wondering why she wouldn't believe him.

"Bobby," she said with some hesitation, "Logan's in the hospital. It looks like he was mugged."

This was incomprehensible on so many levels. "Where?"

"St. Luke's," she said.

"Tell Ross I'm going over there."

As badly beaten as he was, the only thing keeping Logan in the hospital was a pretty, flirty nurse who always knew the right thing to say to get him back in bed. She'd just been in to check on him, and so he was lying still in the bed, resting his eyes. He heard the heavy footsteps and his lids fluttered open.

"Goren," he said. "I woulda known it was you from a mile away," he said quietly.

Bobby smiled at the jab, but his concerned eyes studied his friend. "What happened?" he asked.

Mike almost shrugged, but thought better of it. "I guess I was mugged."

"You… took a pretty good beating," Bobby observed.

"Well, I've always been good at that," Logan joked. His smile was short-lived. It seemed he was the only one in the mood for joking. "Ah, hell. It was a mugging… until they found my shield."

Bobby nodded solemnly. "You get a good look at them?"

"Some of them. I already gave my statement."

Bobby sat down, feeling partially responsible. He had let Mike keep drinking last night…

"Bobby."

Goren looked up.

"I need your help with something."

"Sure, anything."

Logan leaned up on one elbow painfully and stole a peek at the nurse's station. "That little brunette out there… she…"

Goren sat on the edge of his seat in anticipation.

"She stole my pants. She's hiding them somewhere so I can't leave."

Bobby grinned.

"You'll help me, right?"

"Help you find your pants?" He shook his head. "Sorry, Logan, but… that's a little above and beyond, don't you think?"

Logan laid back down and sighed in defeat.

"Get some rest. Maybe I'll sneak in a burger for you, later."

Mike raised a hand and waved to him, closing his eyes again.

Bobby left, pausing to catch a glimpse of the clever nurse as he went.

Bobby didn't arrive until almost lunch, and Eames was relieved. All morning, she'd been avoiding caffeine. Bobby would have caught on right away. Gladly, she'd gotten an appointment scheduled for that afternoon, so she would have verification and then could break the news…

She'd been worried about Logan, but Bobby's call had eased her mind somewhat. The decision had been made to keep the case with the local precinct, so beyond the occasional courtesy call, Major Case wouldn't be privy to every detail. She frowned in the direction of Ross' office. It wouldn't have been that way if she were in charge.

"Eames," he said.

She snapped out of her daydream, and took a sip from her worn paper coffee cup. With the lid on, she'd even fooled herself. She tasted water, and made a sour face. She sighed. She'd forgotten how hard it was to be pregnant.

"Eames?"

"Oh, uh, sorry. What?"

"Lunch. My treat."

"Sure, Bobby." She followed him out of the squad room and into the elevator. She regarded his profile and found herself wondering what he would do with a baby, his baby, in his arms.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

She smiled weakly. "No," she said. "Just thinking."

He blocked the sensor with his hand to allow her plenty of time to exit the car, then followed her out to the parking garage. Her mood and manner was nagging more and more at him. More than once she caught him studying her with a sidelong glance.

Alex climbed into the driver's seat and put the key in the ignition.

"Alex," he said quietly as he slipped on his seatbelt. "You're sure you're all right?"

Eames furrowed her brow. She couldn't lie about everything. "Well, Bobby, I did make an appointment for this afternoon."

He was stricken with worry. Alex didn't go to the doctor for just any little thing.

She felt guilty when she saw the look on his face. "It's okay, Bobby. I'm sure. I just thought… I should get looked at, that's all."

His fingers brushed her bangs back out of her eyes. "You've been sick… like this morning?"

"A few times," she said. "Look. Don't worry. I'm sure it's nothing… to worry about."

While his fingers were in the vicinity, he rested them against her forehead, feeling for fever. He withdrew his hand and let her commence driving the car.