Risking Business

By Dimgwrthien

Disclaimer: I do not own CSI: NY or affiliates.

1995

Stella hissed as the knife sliced into her hand. The cut was deep, and a drop of blood pooled over her nail and under her latex glove, then fell onto the trace she had been working with. "Shit," she hissed, squeezing the cut so that the blood fell into her hand instead of the table. She couldn't remember narcotics being this annoying.

"Here." A hand held a napkin in front of Stella, and she gladly took it. Mac stepped beside her, taking the bloodied knife from her hand. "There's a first aid kit down in the supply closet. Need any help getting a bandage?"

Stella shook her head. "No thanks. But the -"

Mac picked up the swab and looked at the two blood samples now on it. "Did you get this off the vic's face?"

"Yeah." Stella looked at the small trickle of blood on her palm, some over and some under the glove.

"I have the same sample, then." Mac motioned to the door. "I'll help you."

Stella kept her hands covered, feeling blood rush into her cheeks, but not of embarrassment. She chastised herself for letting the evidence be ruined, for causing any fuss at all.

"Happens to everyone," Mac said as they reached the closet, and he pulled it open. He grabbed the first aid kit and kneeled down, opening it on his knee.

"Hmm?" Stella glanced at him sharply, still mentally yelling at herself.

"I don't think a single person in this lab has never accidentally done something like that." Mac pulled out a bandage and replaced the kit. He unwrapped the bandage carefully. "Personally, I think you got off lucky for your lab injury. You haven't been here long, either."

Stella furrowed her eyebrows as she watched him peel of the paper and hold the bandage out. Stella put out her hand, allowing Mac to wrap it around the cut. "Go ahead and wash up. I'll take care of the evidence."

"What happened to you?" Stella blurted out before she realized what she was saying. Mac raised his eyebrows. "How'd you mess up?"

"Job has its risks." Mac smiled. "Wash your hands, and I'll tell you."

(Risky Business)

When Stella returned to the lab, she grimaced at the site of Mac filling out an accident report. "I'm sorry," she mumbled as she walked up to him. "I didn't mean to -"

Mac looked up with a small smile. "I fill these out on a weekly basis at least. No problem. At least we had two samples."

Stella nodded, trying to avoid eye contact. She was relived when he looked back down to sign the paper. "So… what happened?" she asked cautiously.

Mac capped his pen and folded the paper before tucking it away into a pocket. "I started working with the crime lab several years ago in Chicago. It took me a while to get used to ballistics, if you know what I mean." He toyed with the pen, looking off at the walls. "My training officer was Linda Coben."

(Risky Business)

Mac looked sideways at Linda as she picked a gun from the cabinet. She was only a year or two older than him, but she still worked as though she was the teacher to a child. Her red hair was pulled back tight, pulling at the skin around her blue eyes, but it was hard not to notice the nice skin, soft lips, and light blush.

When she turned, she handed the gun to Mac. "Nice, isn't it?"

Mac looked at the gun, then remembered having used one similar to it in the Marines. "Shoots well," he agreed.

Linda leaned against the testing container, then pointed behind Mac. "The earmuffs and goggles are over there. Here's where you shoot. Honestly, the whole thing speaks for itself."

Mac turned and grabbed two sets of goggles and earmuffs. He handed one set to Linda, who smiled as she took them, then put his own on. The gun sat across the testing container for the moment. Once Mac made sure both had their goggles on, he picked up the gun and held it ready, aimed into the opening of the container.

"Just pull, and then I'll show you how to get it out." Linda stepped backwards as she spoke.

Making sure of his posture, Mac aimed into the hole, closing one eye to make sure of his aim. He hadn't worked a gun like that in a long time, taking the time to steady it and make a sure aim.

"And now -" Linda called as Mac pulled the trigger. He could only hear the muffled sound of her loud voice, and pulled back the gun suddenly, thinking she was yelling. The bullet hit the container, shattering the side he stood on. Liquid spilled through the cracks quickly, covering the floor.

"Shit!" Linda yelled, grabbing the gun from Mac and putting the safety on. "What the hell were you thinking?"

Mac pulled off his earmuffs and stared at the cracks. "I thought you yelled!"

"If I had yelled, you would have heard it perfectly." Linda looked around quickly. "I'll call this in. Just - just make sure it doesn't completely collapse."

Mac looked at the container, confused, then touched the cracks. The liquid pooled in his hands until he started to hear the gentle grinding of glass or plastic. He looked at the cracks, still confused. A piece, driven by the force of the liquid, fell out of place and increased the flow. Mac held it tightly until he realized more of the cover shift and fall into his hands. The sharp edges dug into his palms, but Mac kept his hands in place.

Linda reached over Mac as she returned. "Here - here -" she called, grabbing at the container with him. "Just make sure it stays in the room and doesn't get into the lab."

Mac looked at the floor. "Nowhere close," he answered.

"Good." Linda glared at Mac. "I thought you had good aim!"

"I do!" he protested, grabbing at the falling liquid with her. "You yelled -"

"I didn't!"

Mac blew out a vicious breath, then looked at his hands. Blood mixed in with the liquid.

"Just - just go get some bandages," Linda sighed, moving forward to block out Mac. "I'll fix this. And go get an accident report for me. God knows I hate those buggers."

(Risky Business)

Stella smirked as Mac finished his story. He had a faint smile playing over his face, but he quickly let it fade away. "Still think of Linda every time I have to go down to Ballistics. She never let me touch a gun again inside that room. Learned everything I know about ballistics testing from watching the rookies."

"Hope I'm not banned from the labs," Stella said with a smile.

Mac's smile returned. "I'm not that horrible, you know."

"Glad to hear it, then." Stella examined the bandage. She cursed her finger again and again, blaming it for the contamination, even if it wasn't as big of a problem as she anticipated. Her mind lingered on the polite look Mac gave her, forgiving and amused at the same time. "Need any help cleaning up?"