Eric searched desperately for the item he'd lost. He'd be damned before he asked Nat for help, she'd tease him to no end.
She'd told him to "always put them in their place and you'll always find them" but sometimes he just forgot.
Eric still hoped to find them before Nat came back from grocery shopping.
She was making lunch for them and also for Horatio and Calleigh, who where already in the kitchen, helping to prepare the wine for the aperitif.
He sighed again.
Goodness. His memory must be slipping or something.
Suddenly he heard steps coming towards him, and Calleigh cheerful voice, still with a strong southern accent, calling out to him.
"Eric? Are you ok, dear? You've been in the bedroom for an eternity? Can I help you with something?"
"Darn it, Calleigh. I can't find them, so help me God! Natalia always nags about putting them away in their place on the bedside table, but I forget sometimes! She'll tease me to pieces if she comes home before I find them!"
He could hear Horatio chuckle behind Calleigh.
"And don't you laugh at me! You may still have your original ones, but those new glasses sure make you look like an alien!"
Horatio smiled softly at his long time friend. Of course, in the beginning they had been boss and employee, but after Marisol's death things had slowly changed, and when he'd announced his engagement to Calleigh, no one had been happier than Eric. And he'd been a best man at their wedding too.
"I bet Natalia know where they are." Horatio smiled at his wife, usually she'd find everything, and he suspected Natalia was no less.
"I know. It's just that she keeps repeating I need to be more organised, and sometimes I'm just not!" He grinned broadly.
"I must be getting older or something!"
Both Horatio and Calleigh laughed at him.
"Well, just come into the kitchen and have a small glass of wine with us while we wait for Natalia to come back with that famous fresh bread, and then you'll see, not thinking about it, will just make you remember." Calleigh's advice seemed like a good course of action, and Eric got up from the bed.
"Arrgh, my knees are killing me. Must be the weather changing, last night I had a bad pain in my scar, as well."
Horatio and Calleigh nodded. Eric's scar above the eye where he'd been shot that time, was the best weather service ever. They were just sad he had pains, that's all.
"Well. My back is killing me. Every morning when I wake up, I need to go for a walk to warm up before the pain goes away. Not to mention that my eyesight is getting worse and worse." Horatio complained.
"And you know, I can't even shoot anymore!" Calleigh added sadly. " My arthritis is progressing and there is nothing we can do!"
At that moment, they heard Natalia coming through the door. Eric poured her half a glass of wine, and reached out to help her with the shopping bags.
She was wearing a sleeveless kneelength dress, with a vivid floral patters, and a pair of comfy sandals. Her hair was up in a bun, and one rebellious strand had fallen into her face.
God, I love this woman! He thought.
Even after 40 years of marriage, with the usual ups and downs, her walking into the room still made the day brighter.
Her hair had grown grey and white and the arm Nick had broken all those years ago was now near paralysed from progressive nerve damage, but her dark brown eyes where still dancing and sparkling with joy of life.
He was soo lucky he'd been shot all those years ago. That had really made him wake up and realise there is only one chance at life, not matter what.
Right now she was glittering at him mischieviously.
"So, I hear you're missing something there, Mister?" She lightly clonked her glass against his to let him know she was kidding.
Eric sighed. He pulled irritably at his suspenders and tucked his shirt into his pants better.
"I can't remember for the life of me where I put my teeth, honey. H and Calleigh have been helping, but none of us can see under the bed, where I suspect they've fallen."
He gave her a teethless smile.
God he's still my handsome guy! Natalia thought. Even without teeth but with a bit of a belly, he was really still something.
Both Calleigh and Natalia where laughing their heads of.
Natalia walked into the bedroom, She grabbed the little hand mirror on her bedside table and taped it sideways to her walking cane. She had hated it at first, but she had to admit, it had some really good uses.
Carefully she scanned under the bed looking into the mirror, and sure enough, there they were.
She scooped them out with her impromptu tool, and dragged the false teeth over the floor to the wall. She then dragged them up the wall as far as she could, where Eric managed to grab them.
He grinned at her:
"I'll have to clean these huh?"
She smiled back.
"Yeah." She kissed him gently on the check and whispered so only he could hear:
"Thanks for last week, love, when I got stuck in the shower with my back not working anymore."
Together they walked into the kitchen, where they found Horatio and Calleigh preparing the bread for lunch.
"I'm cutting the crust off, ok?" Calleigh smiled.
They nodded in unison.
Life was good.